Daniel D. Lee first learned of his Oglala Lakota ancestry while on active duty in the U.S. Air Force serving as a Judge Advocate General (a military attorney).  Intrigued, he did what many do when first learning about the “Sioux.”  He read about Crazy Horse. The warrior’s story fascinated him. 

As Chief of Military Justice of the largest training command in the Air Force, he was accustomed to reading military reports and noting inconsistent testimony. The reporting of Crazy Horse’s death was full of such inconsistencies. This sparked an interest that he would continue to research for the next seventeen years and during which he was introduced to Valentine McGillycuddy, the self-proclaimed “friend of Crazy Horse” and the first Indian Agent at the Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota. 

A story, based on historical facts, that had never before been told slowly emerged and about which he was determined to write. Stoned is the culmination of his efforts. The author has one son, Brody, the hero of his first novel, an autobiographical work of historical fiction. Both he and Brody are tribal members of the Oglala Lakota Nation.