A boat I lived on during my first years on the Yukon River. A moose leg on the bow
About Miles Books
I have 7 books out so far. I began the series when I was a teen. Born and raised a middle class WASP. I am a product of the 60's, among those who wanted to tune in drop out but without the drugs and without the commune.. I dreamed of more then off the grid as a Mountain Man. I'm among the few who tired it, succeeded and made the dream reality. It took 20 years to finish the first book in the days before computer when I began with pencil and paper.
I have always been known as a writer. Since I moved a lot in my youth, my social life was the written word keeping in touch with those I moved away from. This is before the days of cell phones computers and the telephone long distance was costly and complicated. The days there was only one phone in the house. I would write 100 to 300 page letters to girlfriends. I was not so great with written rules and did not do well in English class, but I learned how to express myself through the written word. Not much happened with my writing until I was in the wild and had something to say!
I wanted my style to resemble or be a blend of those writers I admire. Hemmingway, Mark Twain, Robert Service, Jack London, Edgar Rice Boroughs. These were more rough and tough guys from the street, more then university educated with degrees and gold stars. I developed my own style, not biography, nor historical novel. True adventure, with the elements of fast moving fiction.
All my books are written first person at the time events happen, not as a memoir. My early years read much like the famous book- movie "Into the Wild" about the fellow who went into the Alaska wilds and died after a few months living in an abandoned school bus. Same age, area, time, upbringing, maybe similar purpose. He died. I lived, same circumstance.
I get rescued, build a houseboat and return to live the next 25 years on the boat year round, traveling all over the interior of the Alaska wilds. I'm a Mountain man, trapper, homesteader, dog musher, not just off the grid, off the map. I acquire 4 homesteads, deal with getting lost, bears, being alone, while giving a a lot of detail as to why, and how, along with making it a high adventure story along the lines of Hemingway, Mark Twain. Filled with insight concerning land claims, Indian rights, gun trapping issues, politics, issues facing a chosen lifestyle. For anyone who contemplates or admires a wilderness Mountain man story. But also a psychological study. Oddly what comes to mind is "In Cold Blood' maybe "Alive," "Lord of the Flies." General reading with information about rules, laws, land and moral issues, in some ways a spiritual read- finding oneself, figuring out how to survive, while still being a decent person. I study personality types, make mistakes, mature, grow becomes someone different then how I started out (as most of us do) Begin with a dream, be it president, fireman, carpenter, doctor. Reality comes along, the dream is readjusted. Getting there is a long hard journey that never ends, filled with accomplishments, but also prices to pay and pain. .There is I hope, a lot of general knowledge good to have as background stuff for a well rounded person. I'm an artist. Where does your art, ring necklace come from? How is it prices, who gets the money? How many fakes are out there? There are stereotype gun owners, hunters, in fiction. that civilized people accept as a truth they may never have thought about. As person outside civilization most of these years with no electricity, how do laws work, what do such people do about taxes, jury duty, permits of all kinds?
My houseboat sinks 3 times and I lose everything. My home gets burned down by a neighbor, who is murdered a few days lager, and I am the number one suspect. I end up with 4 homesteads, 200 miles of trail I cut, 100,000 miles on a dog sled. I later am # 5 in the world running a web store selling raw materials from the world. Arrested, jail time a felon and begin yet another life. I think of it as a life of Indiana Jones. "Figure out what you like to do, and find a money angle," I have said from the beginning. Get paid to have fun. I take life seriously though, but on my terms. Just what does that mean and cost and what are the rewards? My serious may give insight a pause, have an effect on life choices!
Finished books are listed with Amazon as EBooks for $2.99 or POD (print on demand paperback) for $20 - $25.
I have always been known as a writer. Since I moved a lot in my youth, my social life was the written word keeping in touch with those I moved away from. This is before the days of cell phones computers and the telephone long distance was costly and complicated. The days there was only one phone in the house. I would write 100 to 300 page letters to girlfriends. I was not so great with written rules and did not do well in English class, but I learned how to express myself through the written word. Not much happened with my writing until I was in the wild and had something to say!
I wanted my style to resemble or be a blend of those writers I admire. Hemmingway, Mark Twain, Robert Service, Jack London, Edgar Rice Boroughs. These were more rough and tough guys from the street, more then university educated with degrees and gold stars. I developed my own style, not biography, nor historical novel. True adventure, with the elements of fast moving fiction.
All my books are written first person at the time events happen, not as a memoir. My early years read much like the famous book- movie "Into the Wild" about the fellow who went into the Alaska wilds and died after a few months living in an abandoned school bus. Same age, area, time, upbringing, maybe similar purpose. He died. I lived, same circumstance.
I get rescued, build a houseboat and return to live the next 25 years on the boat year round, traveling all over the interior of the Alaska wilds. I'm a Mountain man, trapper, homesteader, dog musher, not just off the grid, off the map. I acquire 4 homesteads, deal with getting lost, bears, being alone, while giving a a lot of detail as to why, and how, along with making it a high adventure story along the lines of Hemingway, Mark Twain. Filled with insight concerning land claims, Indian rights, gun trapping issues, politics, issues facing a chosen lifestyle. For anyone who contemplates or admires a wilderness Mountain man story. But also a psychological study. Oddly what comes to mind is "In Cold Blood' maybe "Alive," "Lord of the Flies." General reading with information about rules, laws, land and moral issues, in some ways a spiritual read- finding oneself, figuring out how to survive, while still being a decent person. I study personality types, make mistakes, mature, grow becomes someone different then how I started out (as most of us do) Begin with a dream, be it president, fireman, carpenter, doctor. Reality comes along, the dream is readjusted. Getting there is a long hard journey that never ends, filled with accomplishments, but also prices to pay and pain. .There is I hope, a lot of general knowledge good to have as background stuff for a well rounded person. I'm an artist. Where does your art, ring necklace come from? How is it prices, who gets the money? How many fakes are out there? There are stereotype gun owners, hunters, in fiction. that civilized people accept as a truth they may never have thought about. As person outside civilization most of these years with no electricity, how do laws work, what do such people do about taxes, jury duty, permits of all kinds?
My houseboat sinks 3 times and I lose everything. My home gets burned down by a neighbor, who is murdered a few days lager, and I am the number one suspect. I end up with 4 homesteads, 200 miles of trail I cut, 100,000 miles on a dog sled. I later am # 5 in the world running a web store selling raw materials from the world. Arrested, jail time a felon and begin yet another life. I think of it as a life of Indiana Jones. "Figure out what you like to do, and find a money angle," I have said from the beginning. Get paid to have fun. I take life seriously though, but on my terms. Just what does that mean and cost and what are the rewards? My serious may give insight a pause, have an effect on life choices!
Finished books are listed with Amazon as EBooks for $2.99 or POD (print on demand paperback) for $20 - $25.
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To order autographed print copies direct from me, Autographed Books
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