TIM FREELAND

I am proud to talk about my families literary skills.  My dad Al, brother Andy, grandma Esta and uncle Kent have all published books over the past 10 years.  I've placed them all here in one spot and have linked them to their respective Amazon.com listing for purchase and review.  I am still working on my first book that will probably be on a topic nothing close to these and probably less interesting. Following is some background from my Dad on his writing experiences.

I always enjoyed reading juvenile or junior reader books - even as an adult.  I have never really psychoanalyzed myself as to why this is so - I just enjoy them.  An easy read - I enjoy pictures - I hate the presumptuousness of the 2000 page books??  Not sure why.  This being the case, I guess that sets the stage for the three books that I have published. 

In the early 80's I started taking canoe trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Northern Minnesota.  I fell in love with the area, as well as the mystic of the Indian lore, the voyager traders traveling across the landscape so many years ago, and the danger and excitement of the area.  After many years it hit me that there were many types of books written about the BWCA, but not any or at least many, written from a young reader's perspective. 

I consulted with one of my sons about some ideas that would lend themselves to an interesting book about this area.  We soon had an outline of the first book Pursuit up North.  I developed a couple of main characters that were in high school, and had some interesting adventures up North with terrorist (this was long before 9-11 happened).  After learning the ropes of writing and self-publication (through a wonderful online company called iuniverse), I proceeded to write two more books, sequels to the first.  The books included the same two protagonists that understandably got older with each book.  The next two books were Warrior's Hill and then Wolfman.

After starting down the publication road, I caught the interest of my brother Kent and mother Esta.  I soon pried out books of adventure and personal autobiographies from both.  I have one more partially done and my Mom has two more waiting for the printer.  Kent has one submitted and two more ready to launch.  It is fun, but as yet - not very profitable.  The key is the fun of writing, and the true joy of seeing your published work in your hands.

Al Freeland

Click any book to view full Amazon.com listing

Synopsis

Pursuit up North is an adventure story of two high school boys being pursued by terrorists in a wilderness canoe area in Northern Minnesota. The authors have created the thrill of the chase, the dangers of wilderness travel, and the ingenuity that is spawned by living a life in the woods. How often have you been on a trip and upon returning to civilization, wondered if the world had radically changed? This is what happened to Linus and Erik in the book Pursuit up North.

Warrior's Hill is an adventure story of two high school boys on a mission to the wilderness canoe area in Northern Minnesota. Their mission is to gather information from the site of a mass suicide that took place in the 1800's. During their fact-finding task, they rescue two young girls that had been trapped by a band of "ghost Indians¿. The story unveils the tragic past of an ancient Indian tribe, and the promise of some of today's modern youth in helping to recapture the spirit of the past.

Whitney Tales from England will attract the reader with its warm development of the characters in this historical fiction story. Generations of a family named Whitney show bravery, humor, and fortitude. The reader is given a glimpse into the lives of the men, women, and children in this historic family. The story begins with the first Lord of Whitney in the thirteenth century in Herefordshire in western England. The reader follows successive generations of Whitneys who experience economic success, perils of a plague, and the ups and downs of daily life. The story progresses with one of the Whitneys moving to the capital city of London to begin a career in the commercial world. By the time the story comes to a climax, in the seventeenth century, the Whitneys have been caught up in the Puritan religious dissent and decide to leave England for a new life in America.

Journey’s Edge is a humanistic story—partly true and partly fictionalized—of generations of a family named Whitney. From the seventeenth century into the twentieth century, offspring of John Whitney make their way from Massachusetts to Iowa. The natural style of the writing in Journey’s Edge draws the reader into the lives of the men, women and children of this brave clan of people. Colonial life in New England sets the stage for the opening of the book. As John Whitney begins life in the Boston area, he has to find a house to live in and establish his business as a tailor. His children don’t all feel compelled to remain in eastern Massachusetts. Some move further from the coast, only to find the dangers that reside in the frontier. Later Whitney generations select occupations such as clergyman, leather tanner, silversmith and farmer. Finally, the westward journey of the family leads to Iowa, where the Whitneys buy land and settle.

Odyssey to Iowa is about a young couple and their children from Wales who leave their homeland to start a new life in the United States. They experience the frustrations of uprooting themselves from friends and family, to settle in the Midwest.  Adventure and excitement are part of this book of historical fiction.

Norwegian Saga  Andrew's life seemed to stop when he found out his father was dead and that his mother and siblings were going to move, not to another town, but to a different country. The new country was America in the 1880's, and the prairies were still a lonely place to roam. Young Andrew finds his place in his adopted home with the new love of his life. He faces the challenges of raising a family with all the problems of language, prejudice, and fears that have accompanied immigrants throughout history. Family tragedies of death, relationships destroyed, and heartbreaks end in a victory that you must read.

It Can't Get any Better than This You hear the term "melting pot" applied to the American Experience over and over again, but it seldom hits home until you put a face on those that are "melting". Esta Freeland Cox is one of those faces. Her grandmother was an emigrant from Wales and her father from English ancestry. Racy stories of early family members serving at the King's court in London can be found on one side of the family, as well as knights fighting Moors. Interspersed among the famous are lists of those common folk: farmers, small business owners, men and woman, miners, and entrepreneurs.  Among them all is found this wonderful woman, 91 years old at the time of the publication of this book. She was one of a family of 12 kids, going through the depression years, numerous wars, marriage, and the deaths of siblings and two husbands and two sons.   Yet this 91-year-old still shovels her own snow and walks two miles a day.   I am sure you will find these writings an inspiration for your life as you see the mind of this saint in print.

Words of Wisdom is a book about living, and the wisdom garnered from 93 years of hard work, raising a family, watching loved ones pass away yet persevering. How does one persevere in life and not be overcome by the flood of tragedy and sorrow that we find at times? How does one learn to celebrate the gifts we all enjoy or should enjoy in life? Esta Freeland Cox hopes to pass on some thoughts on these subjects, together with some bits of wisdom picked up over a life time. She hopes you enjoy these reflections on life and living, and that you will be blessed by their impact on your life.

Prairie Pioneer is the story of a band of religious saints from Norway that come across the ocean from Norway to Iowa to form a new land and a new life.  It is a historical fiction story of the trials of the early wilderness and what type of people it takes to make a new home in a strange country, with only their love of God and their love of family to hold them together.

• Al Freeland
• Andy Freeland
• Esta Freeland-Cox
• Kent Freeland