Alaska Bound

I’ve been working on edits to LAST HOPE ALASKA. Not from my editor but from a friend. You see, she lives in Alaska and it dawned on me that I might have some things ‘wrong’ in the book. Like vegetation, how bears act, etc. I figured if I didn’t know – and I’ve been to multiple places in the state – then my editor wouldn’t know, either.

Anyway, I sent my friend the entire story and boy did she have edits! I’m so grateful to her because even though people in Oklahoma might not know that pine trees don’t grow around Juneau, people in Alaska would.

The last thing I want is for someone to throw the book against a wall because I hadn’t done enough research. And yes, I had pine trees in there. FYI, you find spruce and hemlocks in the region. I also had berries being eaten by bears, which they do. But not in May. The berries haven’t made yet. {Head desk.} I’m a farmer’s daughter, for crying out loud! I should’ve thought about the growing season. But that little detail has been fixed now.

I have 3 more issues to address before I send a revised manuscript to my editor. Hopefully, when I’m done, not only will the storyline be intriguing, but the facts about the region will be correct. I’ve always loved this story and can’t wait to see it published. As soon as I have cover art (not for a while yet, more than likely) I’ll post it.

Even though I’m not actually going to Alaska right now, I just realized I should’ve taken a trip to Juneau this summer. In the interest of ‘research’ I could’ve gone traipsing out into the forest and taken like a bazillion pictures for reference material. *sigh*  However, it’s a bit too late now. Isn’t hindsight wonderful?