Barrett Schmanska, Author

Barrett Schmanska, Author of Blackbeard’s Lost Head

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 State. Perhaps unique among authors, the two mysteries were handmade as paperbacks in Barrett’s basement workshop and then distributed to a dedicated community of readers on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Reservation where he works. Blackbeard’s Lost Head is his first novel to be professionally published for a wider audience. Barrett has worked for Native American tribes in Washington State and Alaska for 30 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.