Please join me in welcoming Bonnie Leon to the blog this week. She shares a fascinating story behind her latest release, In the Land of White Nights. Here’s a little bit about the book.

The lure of the nineteenth-century gold rush calls to Erik, a civil-war veteran. He and Anna, his Aleutian bride, set sail for a new life together in Sitka.

Anna stands strong against the adversities of the new land with its unfamiliar culture and fearsome challenges. She fights her fears and the prejudice of others, while growing her newfound faith in the white man’s God.
When forced to move farther north and begin again, Anna refuses to give up, allowing nothing to stand in the way of her family’s happiness. They discover joy as well as heartache in the Alaskan wilderness. But will Erik’s love of gold put all they’ve worked so hard for in jeopardy?

1. Why did you pick to write about the Alaskan wilderness and gold mining?

I have roots in Alaska. My mother is native and was the only one in her family to leave the state.  It is always fun to dig into my ancestral past, plus Alaska is one of the most formidably beautiful places on the planet—a stunning backdrop for a historical tale.

When the brutal harvesting of furs played out, the gold rush of the nineteenth century launched the territory of Alaska into the next era of change. Wealth and a growing population altered the northern wilderness forever. It is a fascinating time period for anyone who loves history.

2. Have you ever been to Alaska? If so, tell us about it. If not, would you like to go some day?

Although most of my family has lived in Alaska at one time or another I have not. And though I’d love to visit the state more often, I’ve only been there once. My family traveled the Alcan Highway when 1200 miles of the 2400 mile journey was a gravel road.

That trip is etched into the place in my brain reserved for extra fabulous experiences. Traveling north from Seattle, it took seven days to get to Anchorage. We spent two weeks exploring the state and visiting family. I was privileged to visit the homestead where my mother spent some of her growing up years, a place I used in my Alaskan Skies series.

Trying to return from my grandparents’ cabin near the Susitna River, we were storm bound and had to hold over in a seal hunter’s cabin. There were a lot of us for two tiny cabins. At one point we were left afloat on a barge in Cook Inlet where we waited for two of my uncles to pick us up and transport us to the fishing beach. We had encounters with moose and bear, and even made our way, by dory, through a pod of beluga whales in Cook Inlet.

I long to return and I’m determined to make it happen. I have family to see and spectacular places to explore.

3. What kind of research did you have to do into the Aleutian culture? How did you go about it?

Research always begins with people and books. The many acquaintances and my Alaskan family were an unbelievable help. They happily answered my flow of questions and helped make the scenes believable. I borrowed books from the University of Alaska and purchased many used books about the state, its history, culture, and its people and native artifacts. I have a small library on Alaska and Alaskan history. One fabulous prize was a book of stories written in the native language on one page and on the opposite the English translation.

I read some fabulous books on the history and personal stories of Alaska gold-mining during the 1800’s. I also found amazing resources on native culture and history where I planted myself trying to capture the essence of the time and place.

Gold miners love to tell tales and there are numerous accounts of what it took to be a gold-miner in Alaska during the nineteenth century.  The daring early adventurers who explored the territory provided fodder for my brain and helped bring my story to life.

4. What do you hope your readers take away from reading this book?

There are two main themes running through the story. One touches on the way mankind judges one another, relying on outward appearance rather than the condition of a person’s heart to decide what a person is all about. The second is our need and often inability to forgive one another for wrongs done against us, real or imagined. I hope readers will consider their own biases, especially the ones we’ve been unable or unwilling to see. We all possess prejudices. Secondly I pray that the principle of forgiveness will grab hold of readers. It is in forgiveness that we find freedom and true joy. A bitter heart cannot be made whole or healthy, but forgiveness is possible with God’s help.

5. What’s up next for you?

I am presently revising book three in the Northern Lights series, Return to the Misty Shore. I’m enjoying revisiting the story of Anna’s daughter Luba who returns to the Aleutian Islands where she discovers her heritage, but at great cost.

I have a couple other projects I’m working on, one is a contemporary novel that takes place in Northern California and the other is a historical that plays out right here in Southern Oregon. In fact, my characters may well travel right through my back yard. I’m dipping into both stories, trying to decide which one I want to jump into.

Bonnie Leon is the author of twenty-one novels, including the recently released To Dance With Dolphins, the popular Alaskan Skies and bestselling The Journey of Eleven Moons.
Bonnie’s books are being read internationally and she hears from readers in Australia, Europe, and even Africa.
She enjoys speaking for women’s groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions and especially delights in mentoring young authors. These days, her time is filled with writing, being a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.
Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.

You can find bonnie at

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Bonnie is giving away a copy of the book. Scroll down for instructions on how to enter.

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Thanks for joining us, Bonnie! It’s been great to have you.