LATEST NEWS


UNDER A FLAMING SKY has been named a 2007 Washington State Book Award finalist.


The Salt Lake County Library System has nominated UNDER A FLAMING SKY for its Readers' Choice Award.


The American Library Association's Booklist Magazine has granted UNDER A FLAMING SKY its "Editor's Choice" award, naming it one of the "Best Books of 2006."


LATEST REVIEWS


"The story of the crematory fires has been told before, of course, but never so masterfully."
---Minnesota Monthly, September 25, 2006


“...emotionally searing...you’ll burn up the pages getting to the end."
---Superior Daily Telegraph, August 5, 2006


"... a thrilling re-creation of one of the great natural disasters in American history..." ---The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 30, 2006


A STARRED REVIEW IN BOOKLIST:

"Riveting, moving, white-knuckle reading to rank with classic accounts of the 'perfect storm,' Krakatoa, and other storied calamities."
---Booklist Magazine, April 26, 2006


"...a compelling read...capturing the stories of heroism and loss with imagination and attention-grabbing skill."
---The Minneapolis Star-Tribune


"It’s a churning, burning cauldron of horror—the true story of a Minnesota lumber town destroyed by wildfire in the late summer of 1894. The lasting image is of a packed passenger train, desperately slashing through searing sheets of flame, the engineer’s hands welded to the wheel."
---Foreword Magazine


MORE NEWS


The Chicago Tribune recommended UNDER A FLAMING SKY as one of two historical narratives on its "Summer Reading" list.


UNDER A FLAMING SKY joins Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN, John Grogan's MARLY & ME, and Nathaniel C. Fick's ONE BULLET AWAY among recent selections for Barnes & Noble's Discover Great New Writers program.


MORE REVEWS


"A wide range of characters evoke the reader's pity and respect in these well-researched and highly readable pages….this deft slice of regional history will attract disaster and weather buffs as well as fans of Norman Maclean's standout book, Young Men and Fire."
---Publisher's Weekly


Click here for the complete PW review.

"...[It's a] heroic, spine-tingling story of two railroads...a compelling history that reads like an action-suspense novel."
---Historic Rail.com

Under a Flaming Sky

Several years ago, I set out to learn more about what exactly happened in Hinckley Minnesota on the first day of September, 1894--the hot, dusty day that my grandfather's world exploded in flames. As I dug through musty old newspapers, tattered books, and faded letters, I discovered an extraordinary tale about an almost unbelievable event, and I've recorded that tale in my first book, UNDER A FLAMING SKY.

Selected as one of the "Best Books of 2006" by the American Library Association, UNDER A FLAMING SKY tells a gripping and inspiring story.

In the sidebar at the left, you can check out some of the critical praise it has garnered.

Or click here to order a copy.