A relatively recent resident to Wrangell took a novel view of the place, in February self-publishing a fictional adventure set here.
K.E. Hoover’s book West of North follows character Josh Campbell, a man who has come to Wrangell looking for a new start at life. He makes some new friendships – and new enemies – in the process, learning to live in the Alaskan wilderness.
“It’s a thriller in addition to an adventure story,” Hoover explained.
One of the characters is loosely based on his own father, Jack Hoover, a resident of Wrangell. “Most of what I write about him is accurate,” he said, resulting in the prospector Silver Jack, who takes Campbell under his wing.
As well as developing his lifelong love of the outdoors, it was through his father that Hoover had become familiar with Wrangell, and the manuscript for his story was finished in the winter of 2007-08. It was his first work of fiction, though he had previously worked on a number of professional projects.
A school administrator in Colorado and Washington, Hoover co-authored a book written to assist former principals and teachers take on the financial responsibilities of district administration. Superintendent and the CFO: Building an Effective Team was written with Brian Benzel and published in 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield.
“It’s a different kind of writing. There’s a lot of craft as well,” Hoover said, compared with writing fiction. “It’s so different, in fact lots of time publishers don’t want to hear about your professional writing.”
An avid reader, he explained the move to writing fiction was a natural one. “I get an idea about a premise and I almost can’t help myself.” Writing projects also give Hoover an excuse to do some research, and present a challenge to create compelling characters and stories.
“There’s a lot of research in here,” he said of West of North. “The history of the region is so rich that there’s lots to choose from.”
Southeast Alaska is fascinating and full of history, and with the story he also wanted to convey what it’s like living in a small community.
After completing his manuscript Hoover left the project for more pressing responsibilities. “I was just so busy with work that I couldn’t put in the editing polish that it required.”
A school superintendent, after retiring in the middle of 2015 Hoover and his wife, Kimberly, bought a boat and moved to Wrangell the following summer. The two now live on board in Heritage Harbor. Though still “actively retired,” as he put it, Hoover was able to devote more time to finishing his novel.
“It was fun,” he said. The original version was 127,000 words, which on reflection he felt was a little long. Trimming it down to about 104,000 words, he was satisfied with the final product. “I was forced to really think a lot about what was in here. It was a bit about tightening it up – pacing is an important element of any writing.”
Publishing the book was its own process, with Hoover going the do-it-yourself route. Speaking with Wrangell museum, he is arranging to have the book made available there. It is also available on Amazon for Nook and Kindle e-reader devices. And of course, copies can be obtained at the Petersburg and Wrangell libraries.
Irene Ingle Public Library will be hosting a “meet the author” event on May 22 at 6 p.m., where Hoover will talk about his book, the writing and publishing processes, and his own background exploring the backcountry with his father. The presentation will include a brief slideshow from a trip they took back in 2007.
“I selected a few to demonstrate what it’s like back there,” he said.
“I talk a little bit about the characters and the character choices that I make,” Hoover added. He won’t give away too many details however, so as not to give away West of North’s surprises.
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