Winner, National Outdoor Book Award

"Part quest, part rebirth, Heacox's debut novel spins a story of Alaska's Tlingit people and the land, an old man dying, and a young man learning to live."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A splendid, unique gem of a novel."
-Library Journal (starred review)

"Heacox does a superb job of transcending his characters' unique geography to create a heartwarming, all-American story."
-Booklist

"What makes this story so appealing is the character Old Keb. He is as finely wrought and memorable as any character in contemporary literature and energizes the tale with a humor and warmth that will keep you reading well into the night."
-National Outdoor Book Awards

Old Keb Wisting is somewhere around ninety-five years old (he lost count awhile ago) and in constant pain and thinks he wants to die. He also thinks he thinks too much. Part Norwegian and part Tlingit Native ("with some Filipino and Portuguese thrown in"), he's the last living canoe carver in the village of Jinkaat, in Southeast Alaska.

When his grandson, James, a promising basketball player, ruins his leg in a logging accident and tells his grandpa that he has nothing left to live for, Old Keb comes alive and finishes his last canoe, with help from his grandson. Together (with a few friends and a crazy but likeable dog named Steve) they embark on a great canoe journey. Suddenly all of Old Keb's senses come into play, so clever and wise in how he reads the currents, tides, and storms. Nobody can find him. He and the others paddle deep into wild Alaska, but mostly into the human heart, in a story of adventure, love, and reconciliation. With its rogue's gallery of colorful, endearing, small-town characters, this book stands as a wonderful blend of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and John Nichols's The Milagro Beanfield War, with dashes of John Steinbeck thrown in.

• Advertising: Ingram e-comm.
• Events: Author signings and presentations in AK, NYC, MA, CT, PA, MD, DC, VA, NC, SC, TN.
• Materials: Posters, bookmarks, how to make a canoe flyer.
• Online: Jimmy Bluefeather Facebook page, featured on author website and Facebook, featured on graphicartsbooks.com, YouTube trailer with Kim's photos and him reading an excerpt.
• Promotion: Goodreads and Indie Advance Access giveaways.
• Review: Targeted reviews and excerpts in national trade, cultural, environment, conservation, nature, and regional media.
• Publicity: Author interviews targeted to NPR, Alaska Public Radio Network, National Native News, etc.
• Sales: Targeted special sales promotion to Independent booksellers.
• Tradeshows: Featured at PNBA, MPIBA, Alaska Wholesale Gift Show, Seattle Gift Show, Alaska Library Association conference.

About the Author
Kim Heacox is an award-winning author, photographer, and motivational speaker. He lives with his wife in Southeast Alaska and is the author of several books including John Muir and the Ice that Started a Fire and the novel Caribou Crossing. His feature articles have appeared in Audubon, Travel & Leisure, Wilderness, Islands, Orion, and National Geographic Traveler. His editorials, written for the Los Angeles Times, have appeared in many major newspapers. When not playing the guitar, doing simple carpentry, or writing another novel, he's sea kayaking with his wife, Melanie or watching a winter wren on the woodpile.

Reviews

"A superb addition to Alaska-indeed, American-literature."
-Nancy Lord, former Alaska State Writer Laureate and author of Early Warming

"Kim Heacox's love for the land and people of Southeast Alaska shines forth in this character-driven saga, brimming with craft, humor, and deft turn of phrase. Jimmy Bluefeather easily makes the short list for the great Alaska novel."
-Nick Jans, author of A Wolf Called Romeo

"A convergence of ocean, land, and spirit as only Kim Heacox can tell it, with wisdom, humor, and grace. A welcome new novel of relationships, forgiveness, and re-inventing oneself."
-Deb Vanasse, author of Roar of the Sea

"Heacox, a writer and explorer of renown, offers a genuine, funny and tender portrait that is rare in the literature of the 49th state."
-Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of Annie and the Wolves

"With humor, passion, and respect, Kim Heacox brings us a voyage of discovery like no other. . . You'll be torn between packing your bags for Crystal Bay and living more fully in your own storied place."
-Maria Mudd Ruth, author of Rare Bird

"The force that drives Jimmy Bluefeather is the figure of Old Keb Wisting, the last canoe carver in his Alaskan Indian village. Keb is a powerfully drawn portrait of an indomitable spirit facing down his own death-with fierce determination, blasting a Tlingit song into the cold wind blowing off the glaciers. This is not just a well-crafted picture of an elder; it is unforgettable, in the direct lineage of The Old Man and the Sea."
-Doug Peacock, author of Grizzly Years

"Every page glistens with authentic genius born from Kim Heacox's wise and deep-rooted sense of place. . . The characters seem like people we've known; they ring true, and feel vivid."
-Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

"A masterful work of fiction. . . A book to be savored."
-Bob Osborne, Northern Passages

Praise for On Heaven's Hill:

"Heacox deftly weaves lyrical tributes to the healing power of nature with a fast-paced plot that builds to a heart-pounding conclusion." -Gwen Florio, author of Silent Hearts and the Lola Wicks series

"Kim Heacox is the bard of Alaska, drawing stories from the power and music of the land itself. His new book, On Heaven's Hill, is truly a novel to match Alaska's mountains." -Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Earth's Wild Music

"Few writers know Alaska's wildlands and human landscapes like Kim Heacox. In this remarkable novel, humans and wild things circle each other until they collide in gripping and inspirational ways. Whether you seek stirring insights, entertaining prose, or both, On Heaven's Hill will capture your days and dreams to the last page. This is Heacox's finest work." -Daniel Henry, Pushcart Prize winner and author of Across the Shaman's River: John Muir, the Tlingit Stronghold, and the Opening of the North

"On Heaven's Hill is the kind of story the planet needs right now." -Kimi Eisele, author of The Lightest Object in the Universe

"A dazzling tale of a young girl, a desperate father, and a silver wolf caught in the middle of a battle between an Alaskan band of war veterans and corrupt land developers. Another compelling read from the author of Jimmy Bluefeather and The Only Kayak." -Lynne M. Spreen, author of Dakota Blues and We Did This Once Before

Awards
Winner of National Outdoor Book Award 2015 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9781943328710
Author Kim Heacox
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint West Margin Press
Publisher West Margin Press