The Moose and Wilbur P. Dilby and 36 Fairly True Tales from Up North Readers' Review Edition If only we could see life in the north as it was way back when. Hear the ladies in the church basement comparing which soap works best to cure young boys of cursing. Listen to the men at the gas station gossip about that saucy, young blonde serving platters of pork at the sauerkraut feed. Imagine the tales we'd hear. Tales so important then. Yet, so soon lost. Thirty-seven life events inspired James Brakken to write this collection. He lays them out before you, providing a glimpse into days gone by, coaxing a smile, bringing a tear, or making you laugh out loud. These are stories straight from the heart and the heart of the north. Of good people and bad, from clergymen to charlatans, youngsters to oldsters. Thirty-seven stories that take place not far from Lake Superior, in woodlands and rural communities that folks there called home. Stories filled with characters you'll grow to love and places you'll love to visit, if only within these pages. One of these 37 stories won the 2013 Lake Superior Writer's Award. Another, the coveted 2014 Wisconsin Writers Association Jade Ring Award. One is is a 1977 feature article published in Boys Life Magazine, the first story James Brakken sold. Five are excerpts from the author's award-winning Chief Namakagon trilogy. Another is a 1-act play based on Brakken's earlier work. All are written for adults, but suitable for ages ten and older. 200 pages.
About the Author: James Brakken's writing endeavors began in college when his "Muskie Madness," the story of a fishing trip with his father, was published in Boy's Life Magazine. ("Muskie Madness" appears in this collection.) Other magazine articles followed, but his first novel waited until the author retired from his position as an art and photography teacher. Brakken's first lumberjack novel, The Treasure of Namakagon, is about a boy in an 1883 northern Wisconsin lumber camp. It won 2nd place out of 10,000 worldwide entries in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. The author's research on Chief Namakagon unlocked secrets of two mysteries from another century: 1.The suspicious 1886 demise of Namakagon. (Follow the clues in Tor Loken & the Death of Chief Namakagon and you will agree that his death most likely involved foul play and a subsequent cover-up.) 2.The solution to the disappearance of a fugitive wanted for murder in 1846. This man was a celebrated adventurer, war hero, and popular author who gave it all up, changed his identity, and hid out in the wilds of Wisconsin. The facts within The Secret Life of Chief Namakagon are sure to amaze and fascinate. "Moose" is a collection of poignant short stories based on events that took place in northern Wisconsin long ago. Each story opens a new door into the past. Featured over time in Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Boys Life, and School Arts magazines, Brakken is also a 1stplace winner in both the 2013 and 2014 Lake Superior Writers competition. A short story in this collection recently won the coveted Wisconsin Writer's Association's Jade Ring Award. The author writes from his home in Wisconsin's Bayfield County. A historian and conservationist, he earned statewide recognition for his work to protect and preserve the lakes and streams of northwest Wisconsin through his writing. Brakken publishes his own books as well as those of other writers. Of James Brakken's writing, Publisher's Weekly Magazine and Amazon Books said, "Difficult to put down, a great read," and "the flow of words is like an old fashioned song."