Julie McDonald Zander

Author Bio:

Julie McDonald Zander, who holds a bachelor’s in communications and political science from the University of Washington, worked as a newspaper reporter and editor before launching Chapters of Life (www.chaptersoflife.com) to capture and preserve life stories. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, where they raised two children. Her nonfiction book about Matilda, Washington Territory’s Grand Lady, was a finalist for two national awards. Her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, released on September 20, 2024.

The Reluctant Pioneer

Matilda Koontz cherishes her life as a wife and mother on a Missouri farm, but her hardworking husband wants to claim free farmland in the Pacific Northwest. When he suggests selling the farm to trek two thousand miles across the Oregon Trail, she balks. But in the spring of 1847, Matilda and Nicholas…