JOURNEY TO THE MIDNIGHT SUN
(events in story that I borrowed from real life)
Chapter 1:
Please see the section labeled, “About this Book,” to know events from real life that I applied to chapter one.
Chapter 7:
Near the end of this chapter, when John tells Laureal about Ellie’s surprising ability, and he then goes on to tell about riding Ellie while she runs through the night; these are fully accurate descriptions of my Clydesdale horse, Reba.
Chapter 8:
First paragraph in this chapter is reflective of my personal beliefs during the first five years of writing Journey to the Midnight Sun. My girlfriend and wife-to-be was spiritual but I was not. I believed that science held the answers and the truth. I still love science, but I have changed my view.
Chapter 10:
At the wedding table, the story John tells of the young mother deer and bluebird is true. The event happened exactly as described in the story. I was practice-hunting to get a feel for how it may have been for primitive hunters. I was barefoot. My spear was a dull broomstick. Afterwards, the deer really did come to my camp and scold me. To train my feet for barefoot hunting, I took walks barefoot on my gravel road. I did so at night, so my neighbors would not think I had lost my mind.
At the wedding table, the story John tells about trimming Ellie’s hooves is true. The only changes are as follows: I did not make the hoof stand from a branch but from lumber scraps. And after I fell and got up and spoke to Ellie, I did not say, “Thank you, Ellie.” I said, “God bless you, Ellie.” She immediately brought her muzzle over and rested it on my heart. It was a powerful moment.
At the wedding table, the story Laureal begins to tell about the bear cub is taken from a real experience I had with a bear cub. It is not part of the story and therefore I will come back and tell the story of the cub after I have entered all the chapters.
Chapter 11:
The story of the dove is taken from a real life event, and I will describe it here but not until after I have enter Chapter 15.
