From the bestselling author of "Look Away" and "Until the End" comes a sweeping historical saga about the pivotal years before the American Revolution. From the shores of Lake Champion to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, the British and the French battle over the unclaimed territories of the West--and experience the fury and passion of war.

Offers hundreds of character and conflict profiles and an overview of the author's detailed plot-building method in order to help build original stories.

"In 1851, a war began in what would become Yosemite National Park, a war against the indigenous inhabitants that has yet to come to a real conclusion. A century later - 1951 - and about a hundred and fifty miles away, another war began when the U.S. government started setting off nuclear bombs at the Nevada Test Site. It was called a "nuclear testing program" but functioned as a war against the land and people of the Great Basin."--

One man, alone, without weapons, tools, extra clothes, or any help from the outside world struggling to survive a year in a snowy wilderness-except that he wasn't really alone. He had only himself to depend on, but there were others who watched. It was a scientific experiment, well funded, with scouts, support, cameras, and maps, but through accidents and luck, weather and injuries, the subject of the experiment gains control of his own destiny. An incredible account of one man's courage, determination, and ingenuity, Savage Winter is an powerful tale of survival and adventure.

Sixteen nationally acclaimed authors reflect on how their Midwestern heritage has affected their attitudes, values, and development as writers. Includes brief biographies and bandw photos of contributors. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This is a veritable thesaurus of exciting plot twists and story moves that work for any composition of any genre.

What happens when society finds a wild boy alone in the woods and tries to civilize him? A true story from the author of The Fairy Ring. One day in 1798, woodsmen in southern France returned from the forest having captured a naked boy. He had been running wild, digging for food, and was covered with scars. In the village square, people gathered around, gaping and jabbering in words the boy didn’t understand. And so began the curious public life of the boy known as the Savage of Aveyron, whose journey took him all the way to Paris. Though the wild boy’s world was forever changed, some things stayed the same: sometimes, when the mountain winds blew, “he looked up at the sky, made sounds deep in his throat, and gave great bursts of laughter.” In a moving work of narrative nonfiction that reads like a novel, Mary Losure invests another compelling story from history with vivid and arresting new life. Back matter includes an author’s note, source notes, and a bibliography.