Thanks for joining us at YAOTL, Tim. Please tell us a bit about The Powell Expeditions.

Thanks for inviting me. The Powell Expeditions is the story of Jubilee Walker, a young man whose mother dies when he is seventeen, leaving him to decide whether to continue farming or pursue a life of adventure, which he has often dreamed of. He turns to Major John Wesley Powell, a family friend, for advice, and learns Powell is leading a group of students on an exploring expedition in the West. Jubil sets his sights on joining Powell. But his plans for a life of adventure are complicated by his deepening feelings for his best friend, Nelly Boswell. She is very independent-minded and reluctant to spend her life with a man who insists on such a dangerous lifestyle. We join Jubil as he navigates the hardships and lawlessness of the American West and grapples with choosing between a life of adventure and the girl he loves.

This is based, in part, on “real-life adventures,” as you put it. What drew you to the story of Major John Wesley Powell?

 

During one of my early trips to Rocky Mountain National Park, I hiked the Longs Peak Trail. Afterward, exhilarated by the challenging climb, I purchased a book on the history of the mountain and learned that the first person to summit it was Major John Wesley Powell. Researching Powell, I was surprised to learn he had close connections to my hometown, Bloomington, Illinois. Much of Powell’s life struck me as something out of an adventure novel, but I did not find any fiction that had dramatized it. I carried the idea with me for years before finally deciding to make an effort to write the novel I wanted to read.

 

I love long-and-winding stories of how authors finally saw their dream come true. How did you come to be a writer?

 

Though I have always had an artistic nature and enjoyed music and writing as hobbies, I chose the more expedient path of making a living in the business world rather than the risky world of the arts. After I retired, my wife was taken ill and passed away, and I was lost for what to do with myself. I tried following my hobby of music but could no longer find joy in it. But writing provided me with a means to block out my internal dialogue and pass the days doing something constructive. These days, I follow my curiosity to research topics that appeal to me and then weave those into fictional stories that I would like to read myself.

 

How did you balance fiction and fact in The Powell Expeditions?

 

The story adheres closely to the historical record of Powell’s 1867, 1868, and 1869 exploring expeditions and the people who participated in them. I think memorable historical events have all the elements of good fiction stories, so I don’t find it necessary to alter any of the salient facts.

I use fictional characters to add layers and liveliness to the historical story and to deepen the reader’s awareness of what life was like during the period. Putting words in the mouths of historical figures is an unavoidable challenge of writing historical fiction, but I do my best to keep their dialogue true to their nature. Having heroic historical figures talk to everyday fictional characters helps me bring them down to earth and make them more human, both for myself and for the reader.

 

I love your straightforward storytelling style - from the beginning, you pull the reader in with simple prose, but you also show a glimpse of how life promises to change for Jubil: “In late February, while winter still had a grip on the prairie, Jubilee Walker’s mother fell ill.” Did that storytelling style come naturally? Or did you work through multiple drafts to find it?

 

Thank you. I believe the storytelling style comes naturally to me, but it wasn’t until I began to work with a wonderfully patient and talented editor that the simplicity emerged. It took several drafts to carve away the things that, interesting or not, didn’t need to be there.

 

So rarely do we see historical fiction in YA. (Or we find books in which “historical” means the late ‘90s!) Why did you decide to publish historical fiction in the YA realm? The story of Jubil and Nelly has a definite YA aspect to it–but what other aspects of the book led you to believe YA was the right category?

 

I didn’t specifically set out to write a historical fiction adventure novel for a Young Adult audience—that’s just what I ended up writing. I chose a young man’s coming-of-age story as a vehicle to showcase some of the adventures of Major John Wesley Powell and to examine life during that era. But a lot of work in the Young Adult fiction genre, especially in recent years, is also enjoyed by an adult audience, and this is how I see my work.

 

What are your favorite parts of Jubil’s adventure?

 

Vicariously summiting Longs Peak is a highlight for me, as it is something I have never achieved in real life. I have hiked up the mountain to the final approach several times, but summiting requires braving more exposure to a fall than this flatlander can stomach. Also, Jubil’s ride down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was exciting, but it’s the closest I’ll ever need to get to having that experience. Even a safe whitewater rafting experience is frightening—what Powell and his men did in the Grand Canyon was well beyond brave.

 

What do you hope readers will take away from the story?

 

The protagonist, Jubilee Walker, is a young man who knows more about what he doesn’t want to do with his life than what he does want. He makes most of his decisions by following his passions and doing what his heart tells him is right. His good-natured personality, enthusiasm, reliability, and calm demeanor in the face of difficult circumstances win him the support and friendship of most people he meets. Jubil’s philosophy of following his passion and his heart is a worthwhile message for anyone.

 

What’s next for Jubil?

 

When I first started writing The Powell Expeditions, I didn’t know where the story might lead me. As I wrapped up the book about Jubil’s participation in Powell’s expeditions, it seemed there was plenty of room for his life of adventure to continue. I did some initial research about what was happening in the years after The Powell Expeditions ends, and the Jubilee Walker series was born.

 

The next book in the series is The Yellowstone Campaign. In this story, Jubil is drawn into the 1870 Washburn expedition that paved the way for the first formal geographic surveys of the Yellowstone Basin in 1871 by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden and Captain John Barlow. Jubil and his fellow adventurers find themselves in a wonderland of exotic geography that can be as deadly as it is awe-inspiring.

 

The Yellowstone Campaign will be released in July 2024.

 

Where can we find you?

 

Connect with me at http://www.timpiper-author.com, or on Facebook: @Tim Piper - Author.