The Voyage of the Alaska Union Adventure, Danger, Scurvy, Romance. By Mr. Whitekeys

"Eighty Greenhorns from Chicago set out to strike it rich in Alaska in 1898. It was the largest Gold Rush expedition ever launched, and they had no idea what they were in for.

One of the prospectors, Charles Harris, toted a 40-pound camera with him during the entire odyssey, but his images have remained unseen for 120 years."

Mr. Whitekeys' words are overly diplomatic. Just listen to our interview podcast and you'll agree these boneheads should have a place in Guinness they even survived! Further, had they known it would be documented with a 40-piound camera, they would have died from embarrassment! No one struck it rich except us, the reader, through BIG fantastic photos, entertaining stories and through the storytelling genius from one of the best, Mr. Whitekeys! 

https://www.mrwhitekeys.com/voyage-of-the-alaska-union.html

The Spaces Between: Stories From the Kenai Mountains to the Kenai Fjords By Doug Capra

This entertaining Alaska gold nugget packed with Seward's colorful history makes you feel like you live there. Besides an excellent author and historian, Doug Capra is a storytelling educator whose attention to historic detail brings these stories and people alive while camouflaging the painstaking research behind them. Looking for a binge-worthy true Alaska reality show? Eureka!

Listen to our podcast interview  with Doug about Seward's Christmas Tree and Rockwell Kent's Fox Island Christmas!

Doug Capra article: The Luxury of Forgetting

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

by Velma Wallis

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine.

Find it here on Amazon

It's Only Fishing: Tales of Alaska, fly fishing and young adulthood

It's Only Fishing: Tales of Alaska, fly fishing and young adulthood

by Joe Jackson

2020 was a year of change. Caught between occupations and a global pandemic, 24-year-old Joe Jackson decided to write an essay for every fly-fishing trip he took. And just like the fishing itself, these essays drift from the metaphysical to the wholly matter-of-fact.

Hear the extended interview!

Chad Carpenter Tundra Comics Celebrate 30 Years!

Inspired by Garfield's creator, Jim Davis, Chad Carpenter set out on his own cartooning path with Tundra Comics.

Decades later with over 10,000 cartoons and punchlines, Chad and Tundra celebrate 30 years with his Anniversary Special Edition of Tundra, including the foreward penned by Jim Davis! Check out Chad's podcast interview!

Bonfire Saloon

Steven Levi's Bonfire Saloon is a narrative poetry snapshot of the Alaska Gold Rush, Nome, December 3, 1903.

Purchase at Barnes and Nobel or Amazon.

Listen to Steve Levi's interview podcast on the Big Alaska Show.

The Hunger of Crows

Richard Chiappone's debut novel is a chilling chase through rural Alaska, in which a woman running from her past must outwit the deadly assassins on her tail.

Listen to Richard's interview on the Big Alaska Show

The Hunger of Crows by Richard Chiappone at Amazon

Out of the Wilderness

Elishaba Doerksen's account of her life, escape and healing as part of the Pilgrim family under the reign of an abusive, charismatic father, Papa Pilgrim.

https://www.outofthewildernessbook.com

Listen to her account. [Elishaba Interview Podcast]

Cabin and Upstream by Eric Wade

Certainly not a path most young English teachers would take. After 35 years, Eric and his wife, Doylanne, still travel to their remote cabin built by Eric where he took his young family, venturing hundreds of miles by small boat just to get there. They chased away bears, marveled at giant eagles, stalked moose, and discovered a greater under-standing of family and nature. Cabin is about the cabin building experience. Upstream is a continuation of Cabin and reflecting on life and the challenges that come with aging.

Podcast interview with Eric and our Big Alaska Show Book Club panel:

Ghost Light by Stan Jones

Stan Jones blends Alaska culture, fiction and mystery making it hard to believe it's not non-fiction! Might as well be.

As Stan was telling us, "With the help of a demented Alaska Native elder, Chukchi police chief Nathan Active hunts for the killer who left a woman's expertly dismembered body in the ice cellar of an abandoned Inupiat Eskimo fish camp."

There's more good stuff. Read the book! You can find it here on Amazon

Listen to Stan talk about his book along with authors, Lolo Paige and Chris Lundgren!

Dagnabit! by Mike Gordon

We're fortunate Mike Gordon wrote this book. Not just because his life is colorful and filled with entertaining Alaskan stories that morph over the decades into legend.  We're fortunate because Mike Gordon has kept Ruben Gaines' legacy alive.

A broadcaster, writer, cartoonist, creative storyteller, mentor and close friend to Mike, Ruben Gaines helped define Alaska's character. But Mike does a better job explaining it in our interview.

Just like his first book, Learning the Ropes, Mike's writing style is comfortable, fun to read that takes you from a Rustic Alaskan Saloon to the 7 tallest peaks in 7 continents. Plus, makes you wish you had met Ruben Gaines! https://www.mikegordonauthor.com/store

Listen to our interview with Mike Gordon!

Archie Ferguson: Alaska’s Crown Prince and Craziest Pilot in the World

Archie Ferguson is the last of the original fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants Alaska Bush pilots to be subject of a biography. But he was much more than an Alaskan bush pilot. Alaska has a history of colorful characters that border on vaudeville, like Archie Ferguson! Who better than author and historian, Steve Levi, both in print and in entertaining radio interviews to capture the humor, craziness and lasting legacy of Archie Ferguson.

Listen to our interview podcast with Steve.

Find Steve Levi’s books here: https://authormasterminds.com/steve-levi

Fun video about Archie Ferguson and Steve Levi’s book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBKrJRoDB90

Open Carry

Author, Marc Cameron, joins us to talk about his book, Open Carry, and his background in law enforcement.

This suspense-packed page turner features U.S. Marshall Arliss Cutter tracking down a murderer of a Tlingit Indian girl in Prince of Wales.

Find the book Open Carry on Amazon

For more Marc Cameron books visit: www.marccameronbooks.com 

Here the podcast interview with Marc Cameron!

Auditioning: What They Say When You Leave the Room By Mary McCusker

Hollywood’s award-winning directors, busiest casting directors, leading showrunners, and successful actors share their expertise on landing the job in the unique art of auditioning. Acting coach Mary McCusker’s in-depth interviews with these industry experts, give specific insider tips for actors to apply in the audition room. These Hollywood giants have been the creative forces behind many award-winning films and television shows.

 WEBSITE:

marymccuskeractingstudio.com

INSTAGRAM:

mary_mccusker_studio

YouTube interviews from the book:

Auditioning: What They Say/Mary McCusker

Mary McCusker joined us on the Big Alaska Show to share her experience as an acting coach and give us a little behind the scenes what her job entails.

In this podcast segment Mary talks about her book,  Auditioning: What They Say When You Leave the Room.

 Listen to Mary’s entire interview on the Big Alaska Show:

Actors Behind the Scenes

Purchase her book now on Amazon

Accidental Adventures: Alaska True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness

Reading Chris Lundgren’s book, Accidental Adventures: Alaska True Tales of Ordinary People Facing Danger in the Wilderness, one wonders how many other Alaskan misadventures of ordinary people go unrecorded. Which is unfortunate. Who would believe them?! Fortunately, Chris captures 20 stories for posterity of those lucky enough to have survived unlucky situations! We were lucky to have recorded this podcast of Chris Lundgren telling us about her book.

Purchase her book here!

 Accidental Adventures Alaska on AMAZON:  

 Listen to the podcast with author Chris Lundgren!

Tundra Kill

Tundra Kill is the 5th book of Stan Jones’ fiction Nathan Active series. Nathan Active is an Inupiat Eskimo and borough police chief who patrols the coldest beat in America: The tiny Inupiat village of Chukchi and the surrounding region, located on the windswept shores of the Chukchi Sea somewhere north of the Arctic Circle. Author Chris Lundgren says of Stan Jones’ work: “He’s an incredible writer, elegant writing style, unforgettable characters, unguessable mysteries, and the landscape is just baked into the whole package. Reading his books is quite an experience.”

Purchase his book here!

 Alaska Kill on AMAZON:  

 Listen to the podcast with author Stan Jones!

Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series by Lolo Paige

Alaska Blaze: Enemies to Lovers Workplace Romance

Alaskan firefighter Raynie Atwood thinks she knows what she wants—until a walking encyclopedia disguised as a hotshot firefighter storms into her life. Grieving loss and betrayal by the man she once loved, Raynie sets her sights on a top command post for wildland fire ... read more...

Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart

Travel writer Dayna Benning tours Europe to write a feature story for a travel magazine. Along the way, she helps her bestie scatter her husband’s ashes. When Dayna accidentally sprinkles Alex Mendes with dried rose petals intended for the deceased, she senses a chemistry with the silver fox airline pilot. Just one catch—he wears a wedding band. Read more...

ALASKA INFERNO

Can a string of wildfires lead to true love under a midnight sun?

Jon Silva is back as a wildland fire investigator, along with his well-earned reputation as a crack firefighter and notorious serial dater. But things have changed ...

Award Winning author, Lolo Paige, knows how to pack romance into one of the hardest and hottest jobs on the planet! We do a poor job describing it here, so we let her tell us about it. She and our Science Guy, Dr. Gordon Snyder, then take us behind the scenes to a world of wildland fires and the men and women who fight them!

GET THE BLAZING HEARTS WILDFIRE SERIES ON AMAZON

Alaska Spark: The Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series By Lolo Paige

Lolo Paige takes us into the Land of the Midnight Sun where romance, sabotage and wildfire are an explosive mix!

Purchase her book here!

 ALASKA SPARK on AMAZON:  

LOLO PAIGE WEBSITE:   https://www.lolopaige.com 

 Listen to the podcast with author Lolo Paige and Dr. Gordon Snyder!

Learning the Ropes: An Alaskan Memoir

Learning the Ropes: An Alaskan Memoir

By Mike Gordon

Mike’s story is the Last Frontier’s entertaining version of the Odyssey. Mike created and operated one of the most successful nightclub saloons in the world, Chilkoot Charlie’s.

Opening in 1970 and for the next 45 years before retiring, Mike went through the cash rich Alaska Pipeline years, boom and bust economies, fought the Hell’s Angels, drugs and personal demons, climbed the seven tallest mountains in seven continents, went back to college after 48 years away from it to get his B.A. and M.A. But wait, there’s more!

Hear Mike’s interview!

The book can be purchased from his website or from Amazon

Look inside and buy it on Amazon 

The Man Who Sold Alaska/The Man Who Bought Alaska - Mike Dunham

The Man Who Sold Alaska

A short biography of Tsar Alexander II of Russia focusing on the sale of Alaska to America in the context of the other major events of his life.

Look inside and buy it on Amazon

The Man Who Bought Alaska

A short biography of William H. Seward, the man who bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. The first biography of Seward written by an Alaskan, Mike Dunham, and the first to focus on the purchase in the context of his other achievements, this is the story of a patriot, gambler and 19th century visionary who saw the world from a remarkably modern perspective.

Look inside and buy it on Amazon