~ My blog at the corner of FIRST N FICTION ~
Blog articles by author Joanne Sundell
Official author blog discussing Joanne’s books, Malamutes, experiences, and much more.
WHEN HISTORY GETS IT WRONG … HEARTS CAN BE BROKEN
Yes, it’s happened before in history when the wrong information is set down for all time. Then, when some go back to correct the record, well-armed with the facts, it’s often too late. Why? First impressions are usually lasting impressions. Once fixed in the hearts...
LEONHARD SEPPALA is VIKING GOLD!
LEONHARD SEPPALA is Viking Gold! (b.1877-d.1967) Leonhard Seppala, is arguably the greatest dog driver in history. Though he didn’t exceed five feet in height, his work with the Siberian husky is legendary. “Sepp,” as he was known to most, is equally remembered for...
LOYAL MUSHERS, INDEED!
LOYAL MUSHERS, INDEED! No matter the sled or the dog driver, I count those among you who have read Arctic Storm and Arctic Shadow, Books 1 and 2, Watch Eyes Trilogy, LOYAL MUSHERS, INDEED! This has been an emotional journey as well as a dangerous one, from...
THE “BETTORS” PLACE TO BE IN 1909 NOME!
The "bettors" place to be in 1909, Nome, is at the Board of Trade Saloon on Front Street; with a shot of whiskey in one hand while the other safe-guards your hard-earned gold dust. The Bank of Nome holds your bet but you hold the cards. A good hand or a poor one? ...
“THE GREAT TERROR” by Robert Conquest inspired the villainy in Watch Eyes Trilogy
Noted historian, Robert Conquest, died today in California. He was 98. I took particular note of this groundbreaking pioneer author, poet, and science fiction buff, since his lone footnote appears at the bottom of page 50, Chapter 3, Arctic Shadow, Watch Eyes...
Bookstores and Broomsticks at the corner of First N Fiction
The oddest sensation came over me when I entered Barnes & Noble's yesterday, as if I were stepping back in time to an imagined place that only exists in storybooks. Well, of course . . . bookstores are packed with storybooks! What else should I expect? It was...
YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL OUT OF THE GHOST TOWN … BUT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE THE GHOST TOWN OUT OF THE GIRL
Admittedly, I'm a ghost town girl at heart. This has never been clearer to me than in the recent weeks spent in the Colorado Rockies where I raised my children and my Siberian huskies. I recall the moment I first set foot on "ghost town terra firma," when my...
“SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
"Show me the money" and follow the gold trail through big towns and small towns, boom towns and busts; over ghost trails to ghost towns, ending in dust. Gold strikes have driven settlement in this country as much as anything else. Thousands of pioneers travelled west...
ALL ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES of 1908
With the running of the 2015 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, well underway toward Nome ... I thought it a good time to talk about the sled dog race that began it all: the All Alaska Sweepstakes of 1908! The Nome Kennel Club was founded in 1907 and by 1908 the...
Dec/2014 Review in ROUNDUP MAGAZINE of Arctic Storm
As a new member of Western Writers of America, it means a great deal to me, to have this review in ROUNDUP MAGAZINE, of Arctic Storm, Book #1, Watch Eyes Trilogy! "Arctic Storm is a work of historical fiction written for young adults, but it just might entertain...