Tracking Chinook: January 3, 2022

Hello and a Happy New Year to everyone! I hope this new year is happy and healthy for all!

Last month I gave you some wolf facts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am learning right along with you, too!

Wolves reach adult size by one year of age.

Their colors range from white to black with gray being the most common.

Teeth: Four canines, sometimes measuring 2.5 inches.

Wolves have a keen sense of smell and hearing.

Wolves pant like dogs to keep cool.

Wolves usually hunt in their own territory. The territories can be anywhere from 50 square miles to 1,000 miles, depending on the availability of prey.

Wolves can travel as far as 30 miles a day and can trot at 5mph and run up to 40mph.

Now for some "behind the scenes" from my book #chinook: King of the North. If you remember, last month I told you the story in chapter 3 was a true story. If you haven't read it, it is in my December blog. The story in chapter 4 is also true. My Aunt told me this story many times at my request over the years. Luckily I wrote it down. She grew up in a literal "Little House on the Prarie" in South Dakota in 1912. They lived in a sod house, small but serviceable in between two Indian Reservations.

She remembered a native elder, traveling between reservations to visit relatives, who used to come into the house, sit down and read her Ma's magazines. He would then get up and leave without saying a word.

My aunt also remembered that her Ma would bake pies/bread, etc, and put them on the windowsill to cool. Well, one day she put some pies out to cool, turned around and they were gone! She went outside and saw a very old, almost toothless Indian sitting on a stump eating one of her pies. He looked up at her, smiled his toothless pie-covered grin, and said, "Pie good!" She just smiled and said, "thank you. " From then on, they would take the pies or bread, etc., eat the contents and then wash the tins, bring them back, and put them back on the windowsill. Sometimes they would leave small gifts. From then on, her Ma would bake extra pies for her "guests."

Later they moved to Wyoming and lived in a small log cabin. It was there that she attended a one-room schoolhouse. The incident in chapter 4 where Rebecca confronts Samuel is a true taken from one of her many stories that I cherish to this day.

See you next month!

P.J. Wesley

Tracking Chinook December 2021

Hi again!

I hope everyone had a joyful Thanksgiving with family and friends! We certainly did.

Glad you could join me in my journey with Chinook. If you haven't read about how I came to write my story, please refer to my November blog post on my website https://www.pjwesley.com .

Since I featured a wolf in my book, #Chinook: King of the North", I'll start this month with a few facts about wolves. I thought it best to start at the beginning. Since I am not an expert in this field so I did some research about this fascinating animal and this is what I found.

Wolves (Canis lupus) are a member of the scientific family Canidae, which includes dogs, foxes, coyotes, and wolves. “Scientists once thought that dogs descended from gray wolves. But now, according to Becky Oskin”s 2015 article in livescience.com, “Through genetic studies, researchers know that dogs and wolves share a common ancestor instead of a direct lineage.” You can read the rest of the article titled, “Ancient Wolf DNA Could Solve Dog Origin Mystery,” https://www.livescience.com/50928-wolf-genome-dog-ancient-ancestor.html . It”s a short interesting read.

More Wolf Facts:

Average wolf characteristics from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The average male wolf height is 5' to 6.5' from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail and weighs between 70-115lbs (in Alaska, they can reach up to 145lbs.). The height at the shoulder is between 26-32". The female is slightly smaller at 4.5' to 6' long and weighs between 60-100lbs and the same height at the shoulder as the male.

These are just a few facts to get you started. Now, on to an interesting back story of #Chinook: King of the North." I will try not to spoil anything for those who have not finished it yet.

For those who knew my Mom, I named Will's Ma after her middle name. Mom, at my urging, would retell the story you will read in chapter 3. Yes, it is a true story. This took place in South Dakota in the early 1930s. Of course, I added my own characters and embellished the scene at the campsite. Other than that, it is all true. Mom and her friends were so frightened, they kept their dog hidden for a whole week!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little newsletter. If you have any questions about the book, please email me at pjwesley@pjwesley.com and I will try to answer them in the following newsletters.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

P.J. Wesley

PS: If you no longer want to get these newsletters, please write me at pjwesley@pjwesley.com and I will take you off the list and no worries, it's OK, thanks!

Tracking Chinook: November, 2021

My book, "Chinook: King of the North" is presently in the publishing process. I'm hoping it will be out sometime in November. I do however want to tell the back story of how and why I wrote this book and some of the backstories involved.

I wanted to write a story about a wolf and a boy. for quite a while. I have always been intrigued by wolves. I don't know why, they just fascinate me for some unknown reason. Maybe, a primal connection? I did actually see a huge white wolf while riding to a trailhead in our truck. We were stopped in the road and a large white wolf walked in front of us and stood there looking at my husband and me. We could not tear our eyes away. I can still "see it" in my mind's eye. I could not even take a picture because I was so much in awe of its size and beauty. That is what prompted me to make Chinook a white wolf.

The story has evolved, changing dramatically from when I first began as well as my writing skills, (at least I hope so!). The original name for my book was Wolf Songs. I eventually changed it to the present title, "Chinook: King of the North."

This is all for now. Stay tuned for more!

P. J. Wesley