Why does the saga have such a mysterious title, Ash in Our Bones?

The title itself is part of the story. By the end of the journey, you'll understand not only what it means, but also why no other title could have told the story as well.

Why did you write Ash in Our Bones under the pen name of "ONE WHO CAME BEFORE"? And whose photo is on the website? It does not look like you.

ONE WHO CAME BEFORE is not me. He is an unnamed ancestor who speaks on behalf of all who came before us. By the end of the journey, you'll see his name in a new light. He is the voice that carries the saga—and the grandpa in the children’s book.  The author photo is also an imagined likeness of him.

Q. Why doesn't the book carry your name?

This isn't the story of the person who wrote it. It's the story of the people who lived it—and the family that inherited it. It belongs to all of us, not just me.

Why do you call our story a saga instead of a history?

It's more than a history. A history records events. A saga also preserves memory, meaning, and identity.

Why do you call the saga a Telling?

It's patterned after ancient Tellings—immersive performances that blended prose, poetry, music, and drama. I use that storytelling form because a Telling doesn't just help us understand our past—it helps us feel how we got here and who we are. To learn more, visit What Is a Telling?

Is the based on history or myths and legends?

It’s truth, as best we understand it today, "carried on the wings of poetry." The saga is grounded in archaeology, genetics, ancient texts, and both written and oral histories. Many Tellings identify their sources, and the accompanying Library lets you explore many of them for yourself.

After spending decades researching and writing this saga, why are you giving it away? 

Stories like this aren't meant to be owned. They belong to our family. My job was simply to uncover our story, write it down, and return it to the family.