About
Julie McDonald Zander, an avid fan of history, earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University of Washington. After working two decades as a newspaper reporter and editor, she launched a personal history business to capture and preserve life stories. Her company, Chapters of Life, has published more than seventy-five books. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, where they raised two children.
Her nonfiction book about Matilda Koontz Jackson, "Washington Territory’s Grand Lady: The Story of Matilda (Glover) Koontz Jackson," was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award and the Will Rogers Medallion. It can be found at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers.
Her debut novel, "The Reluctant Pioneer," releases in the fall of 2024.
Featured Work
The Reluctant Pioneer
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 Koontz and their four young sons embark on the grueling journey westward. Fresh graves testify to dangers of disease, accidents, starvation, and a multitude of hazards threatening her family and her beloved’s dream.
With new struggles at every turn, Matilda wonders how she can protect her sons on such a perilous journey. Will they reach the trail’s end? Will the babe growing inside her womb survive?
When tragedy strikes, the question changes: How can she possibly continue?
This novel of a pioneer woman’s journey is inspired by a true story.
