For the record, I’m an Alaskan hockey mom whose wardrobe includes outfits suitable for different seasons and climates in all 50 states. If the Republican National Committee wants to outfit their Caribou Barbie and family with a $150,000 wardrobe from the likes of Niemann Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, they’re going to have to come

Authoring is not a race, so there are a couple of arguable points on the question of whether first is best in this business. One is how often books that top the charts in sales are actually the “best books.” I’d love to hear other opinions on this, but my sense is that, unlike the

Having just finished Seth Kantner’s Shopping for Porcupine , I was reflecting on how, in a few short paragraphs, I could convey the way Kantner spreads the real Alaska before his readers like a humble gift. Stark. Powerful. Intimate. In stunning contrast with the un-Alaskan theatrics being played out on the global stage by Governor

There’s still time to read John Straley’s The Big Both Ways, a featured Alaskan book this fall at 49 Writers. In online book club format, you’re invited to stop by 49 Writers on November 1, post your comments, and read comments left by others. I’m nearly finished with this newest book of Straley’s, and while

Guest blogger Deb Vanasse here again. Last week I talked about Alaskan picture books, read-alouds typically marketed for children ages 4-8, though most can be read to any child old enough to be propped in your lap. This week I have a few thoughts on books for older young readers, classified in the book industry

Prolific and popular Alaskan mystery writer Dana Stabenow announces that the first chapter of her 17th Kate Shugak novel Whisper to the Blood is now available for an online sneak peek. You can also preorder a signed first edition. If you’re one of the few who are unfamiliar with Stabenow’s work, fair warning – it’s

Cold is what our early Anchorage winter has delivered, but it’s not how most of us want to characterize our careers, unless we’re professional skiers or snowmachiners like the newly-illustrious Todd Palin. With the economy sending pre-Halloween shivers down most every spine, the book industry is not exactly in fine shape. Indeed, as the New

With the election less than three weeks away and the gap in the polls widening, it looks like Alaska may get its governor back – or some semblance of who we thought she was. Having penned coming of age novels, I hope we’ll look back on these past few months as a coming of age