Barrett Schmanska is the author of two mystery novels, Shuksan Descent and Ghost Puppet, both set within Indian communities in the Puget Sound region of Washington. The two mysteries were handmade as paperbacks in Barrett's basement workshop and then distributed to a dedicated community of readers on the Indian reservation where he works. Blackbeard's Lost Head is his first novel to be professionally published. Barrett has worked for Native American tribes in Washington State and Alaska for thirty years, primarily managing construction projects, to include an award-winning traditional Coast Salish longhouse on the Port Gamble S'Klallam Reservation. He grew up in Hampton, Virginia, and holds a master's degree in urban planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.