Available for Pre-Order: The Road to Malheur
A Story of the American Fur Trade
After close to ten years of abandoning and revisiting this project, I’m excited to announce that The Road to Malheur is finally almost here! While my other books are what I would call my “serious” works, this one was more for fun.
The Road to Malheur has its origins in my eighth-grade year when my social studies teacher, the legendary Mr. Boyd, assigned us to the “Fur Trade Project,” where we had to create our own company and venture into Oregon Country. I later had the privilege of working with Mr. Boyd as a student teacher, and I had the pleasure of teaching the Fur Trade Project to his classes.
Ever since I have wanted to write a novel in the spirit of that project. It took time for me to figure out the right voice, pacing, and mix of details. My editor kicked back the first draft saying I was writing it too much like a school project. I hadn’t told him about the inspiration for the book.
The second draft cut out all the historical jargon and focused on the people more than anything. I kept the writing simple, trying to give the main character, Christian, a simple manner of speaking and a narrow focus. He’s a young man deprived of the comforts of his home. I gave him an indefatigable scarcity mindset, and that shines through, I believe, in his actions.
Most importantly, I focused on an unlikely romance that serves as the backbone of the book.
Still, there are other characters that I enjoyed creating. Chiefly, Fergus MacBride is both an antagonist and an ally and, ultimately, a man in search of redemption for his failures. I found his character arc most fulfilling to write, and I hope you enjoy it, too.
Synopsis:
In the bustling frontier town of St. Louis, New Yorker Christian dreams of wealth in the fur trade, only to find himself perilously ill-equipped for its harsh realities. A rowdy tavern brawl thrusts him against the formidable trapper, Fergus MacBride. To his shock, the very next day, he discovers MacBride is also his new company leader.
Anticipating riches and adventure as told in New York's newspapers, Christian instead grapples with relentless survival challenges. From evading the indefatigable pursuit of the Hudson's Bay Company and the fierce Crow tribe to confronting the raw forces of nature, Christian is tested at every juncture.
It's amidst these dangers that he finds an unexpected ally – Blue Fox, a native guide under MacBride's employ. Drawn together by the trials of the wilderness, a deep bond forms between them. But in a land where alliances shift like desert sands and danger lurks behind every shadow, can a budding romance between two souls from different worlds endure?
The Road to Malheur is set to release on Kindle on December 1, 2023, and is available for pre-order starting today.