About the Author

ᎠᏴ

My name is Alex Newman, and I am a consulting forester with a love of words. I grew up outside in a world of stone and wood and sky: the Ozarks. As a child, I had my face constantly buried in a book and, over time, some of those words sank in. I have no degrees in writing; I have never studied the subject professionally and am not certified in words in any way. And yet, I write; how could I not?

About Liar’s Retreat

ᎦᏰᎪᎩ ᎣᏪᏅᏒ

This site is a place to share my writing with you. I have always been a prolific writer, but I always kept it for personal enjoyment. Here, I have some of my better works; I enjoyed writing them, and you might enjoy reading them. And, if you decide to write your own, all the better. Our world could use more writers in it.

Cherokee Liars

ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏰᎪᎩ

I am Cherokee, and, in my culture, we have a funny relationship with truth. To us, a thing is true only if it has been verified; if you saw an event occur and relay it to another, we can know for certain that it is true.

However, some stories go so far back that nobody alive today saw them happen, and nobody alive then can relate to us what occurred. These tales cannot be verified as true, and, if a thing is not true, it must be a lie. The people who tell these legends are, therefore, liars.

In my culture, we do not say “Once upon a time”. We begin our legends with “I am about to lie to you.” And I, a liar, am about to do just that.