Here's the Book Summary: When a tsunami washes away an entire village in Alaska during the 1850s, two young sisters must decide whom to trust. A successful walrus hunt means Anna and her beloved Kinauquak will soon be joined in marriage. But before they can seal their promise to one another, a tsunami wipes their village from the rugged shore … everyone except Anna and her little sister, Iya, who are left alone to face the Alaskan wilderness. A stranger, a Civil War veteran with golden hair and blue eyes, wanders the untamed Aleutian Islands. He offers help, but can Anna trust him or his God? And if she doesn’t, how will she and Iya survive?
My review: The
Journey of Eleven Moons
The Journey of Eleven Moons is a lovely, captivating story
of love, loss, faith and courage set in the Alaskan islands in the late 1800s.
Bonnie tells the story of Anna, Iya, and Erik well with an intriguing sense of
place, allowing us to see life through a native Aleutian woman’s eyes and feel
her fear and her need for courage to face an uncertain future. Though just 16, Anna
is a strong but gentle young woman you can’t help but admire and root for. Her
young sister Iya is a caring little girl you also can’t help falling in love
with.
When a tragic disaster wipes out Anna’s village, Anna as
sole survivor must take on the role of mother to her young sister and ensure
their survival. She knows only life on the island and is dependent on the sea.
She can do all the things she’s skilled to do—gather food and make baskets from
grass and pouches and clothing from hides. But without the men and their ability
to hunt, the girls cannot survive the coming winter on their own. They need
help. And yet there is no one to whom they can turn—no one except a tall,
handsome stranger, and yet the girls know full well not to trust “outsiders”.
Erik is quiet but strong with a kind heart. He too has
suffered loss. Anna and Erik must unwillingly join forces to survive, working
together as a team while facing treacherous conditions of both the land and sea,
the threat of treacherous, heartless men, and the threat of becoming bound by
love to someone you can’t have. Most of all, they must find the courage to surrender
to a God who sees the beginning and the end when all they see is the
frightening unknown.
This story brought tears to my eyes as I shared in the
heartaches and the hopes of all three. I would love to see this book made into
a film! I enjoyed it very much. What a touching, intriguing story!
This book is available at:
MEET BONNIE LEON!
Q: Where did the idea for The Journey of Eleven Moons come from?
Q: You’ve written several books that take place in Alaska.
Why Alaska?
A: My
heritage is Aleut, an Alaskan native. My grandmother and great grandmother were
Aleut and they left a colorful and fascinating heritage for me. My mother is
the only one in her family who left the state. She was only eighteen years old
when she moved to Seattle during World War II. Talk about be brave.
When I
jumped into researching the Alaskan culture and its people all the family
stories came alive for me and I felt truly connected with my ancestors and the
native culture for the first time. My heritage is part of who I am and I love
sharing it with readers.
Q: Where did the idea for The Journey of Eleven Moons come from?
A: Most
of my stories originate from real experiences or history. The Journey of Eleven Moons came from both. Alaska history is
intriguing and even a little mysterious—a perfect back drop for any story. Plus, one of the stories told by my
grandmother has always stuck in my heart and mind. She lived in Unalaska and
was a young woman when she stood on a bluff overlooking a small bay. Without
warning the water in the bay receded and was soon followed by a powerful
tsunami. The experience has always stayed with me and when I decided to write
the story of The Journey of Eleven Moons that’s
where began, there on that bluff with
my grandmother.
Q: Just for fun. If
you could have any super power what would it be?
A: What
an exciting idea. I’d fly.
For
those who know me, you understand how I feel about heights—I don’t like them.
But being able to fly removes any fear of falling so I figure that my fear of
heights would evaporate. And can you imagine how amazing it would be to have
the freedom of flight? It would be like dancing in the air. I sometimes watch
birds and marvel at their acrobatic skills, and their joy is evident as they
swoop and glide and even spin. How I wish it were one of my special skills.
Q: If you could do
one thing over, what would it be?
A: That’s
a really difficult question (my daughter asked me this). I’m not certain. Right
off the bat, I think I’d make sure not to be on Little River Road, the day the
log truck hit my van. That moment changed my life in so many ways.
Since
then, I’ve lived with chronic pain and disability. I really do not like that and sometimes I dream
about what life would be like if only I’d never been hit by that truck. But I
have to remember that God is sovereign. He didn’t just stand back and say, “Oh
no. That truck is going to hit Bonnie. Oh dear! What should I do?” No. He had a
plan and I trust Him. I don’t think I would have written if I’d not been hit
that day. I turned to writing when everything else had been taken away.
So,
the answer is . . . I wouldn’t change anything except maybe love others better.
There is nothing that touches me that God has not allowed. And either I trust
Him or I don’t.
Q: Where can readers
order your new book?
A: The Journey of Eleven Moons is available on http://www.amazon.com in paper back and
on Kindle as well as http://www.barnesandnoble.com. You can order directly from Ashberry Lane
Publishing at http://www.ashberrylane.com. And of course if
your local store does not carry the book you can ask them to order it for you.
Q: Where can readers
find you online?
A: I’m
always available on my website at http://www.bonnieleon.com and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/BonnieLeonAuthor.
I love
to hear from readers so I hope some of you will drop me a line.
MORE ABOUT BONNIE:
Storytelling has always been an integral part of Bonnie Leon’s life. From childhood, she cherished the legends and family history
handed down through her Aleut ancestors.
Throughout the ensuing years, Bonnie dabbled at writing but
didn’t seriously consider becoming a professional author. Instead, as a
young woman, she happily stepped into the full-time profession of homemaker and
mother. Pollywog hunting, finger-painting, blackberry picking, and
creating fun messes in the kitchen with her children are some of her most
precious and irreplaceable memories.
When her youngest child was nine years old, Bonnie decided
it was time to return to the working world. She took a position in
her hometown of Glide, Oregon, working with the elderly and handicapped.
Then on June 11, 1991, her world was shattered when a log
truck hit the van she was driving. The accident left her unable to work,
and after months of rehabilitation she was told by physicians that she would
never return to a normal life. Facing a daunting fight to reclaim her life
and feeling as if she had nothing to offer the world, she asked God to give her
something to do that mattered.
His answer came when she received a scholarship to
attend the Oregon Christian Writer’s Summer Conference. That conference
ignited Bonnie’s passion for literature and for writing, and she has been
writing ever since.
9 comments:
I cried through the last ten pages of this book. Love it!
Did you know that is my little Lili on the cover?
You only cried through the last ten pages? I'm terribly disappointed. I try hard to keep readers bouncing between tears and laughter. :-)
And your Lili is special. She did a fabulous job of becoming Iya for the book cover. Give her a hug from me.
Wonderful interview, Bonnie! I love your godly attitude. Hugs!
I won't disappoint you, Bonnie! :) I laughed, smiled and cried through the whole book! Even though I read the original version several times over the years, I fell in love with the characters and story all over again with the revised edition! Have you got that 2nd book's revision done yet? Ha! I can't wait!
Thanks, Ann. If only I could ALWAYS have a godly attitude. So grateful God is full of mercy.
Hugs back to you.
Joni, I love you!
You always make me smile . . . and laugh. If only the 2nd book's revision was complete. I'll keep you updated for sure. I know you'll like it better than the original.
Camille, just a note. I want you to know I've had several personal responses to this blog, all positive. So lots of reading, just not lots of posting. :-)
Thank you for hosting me.
Christina, I cried too, which I don't often do, so that should tell you something. :)
Bonnie, thank you for the opportunity to host you and your lovely story. You're such a fabulous story teller! I can really see this being made into a movie one day....hoping.... :)
Camille, there is a screen play that's been done, but no movie yet. I'd love to see it happen too.
Let's just keep praying about that. It would be such a great movie.
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