Lost in the Deep Woods
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Footprints Under the Pines
 JDTV Author Interview
Dawn Batterbee-Miller was the first author interview up of 2011 on JDTV Author Blog. Jan 1-7, 2011 she answered questions about who she is, what she does, and why you need to read her works at http://www.jdsavage.com/
Interview: Nov 30, 2011 - Readers Rockin' Radio
Interview: WFHT 1390 Radio - Community Connections with Liz Ressler
Audio Excerpt as read by author
Book Trailer
Miscellaneous
Author Photo
Zipped Full Book Cover
Pioneer PotPourri 3d Cover image
Endorsements
Press Release
Footprints Under the Pines - Press Release.pdf
Extended Press Materials
Footprints Under the Pines - ExtendedPressMaterials.pdf
One Sheet
Footprints Under the Pines - PDF Copy available here
Speaker's Brochure
Standard - PDF Copy available here
Mailable - PDF Copy available here
One Sheet
Footprints Under the Pines
Dawn Batterbee Miller
Author Bio
Dawn Batterbee Miller hales from Mancelona, Michigan—logging country. Suffering the loss of her mother to tuberculosis, she overcame many challenges in her young life as she lived with twelve different families by the time she was nine years old. She married at an early age and dropped out of school but eventually received her GED, went on to college, and was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree and two Master’s Degrees (education and communication arts) from Michigan State University. Ms Miller reared five children, worked as an elementary and middle school teacher in Mason, Michigan and, after twenty-four years in the classroom, she is now retired and divides her time between Lansing, Michigan and Avon Park, Florida.
In addition to her fruitful career in public education, Ms Miller has developed an even more rewarding second career as a writer. Beginning with the hand-published Pioneer Potpourri, she has also authored God’s Family Tree, published in 1994 by Church Growth Institute. In addition, Ms Miller has had numerous articles featured worldwide in Christian periodicals produced by World Vision, Guidepost, and Focus on the Family among others. For several years she also served as editor and publisher of Women in Ministry, a denominational women’s newsletter.
Dawn Miller is uniquely equipped to write about nineteenth-century lumber camps. Augmenting her extensive research on the lore of the lumberjack, she incorporated true accounts of life in the deep woods as told to her by her grandfather who sustained his family by this dangerous and difficult line of work and an aunt who published a newspaper column about life in deep woods territory.
Book Recap
Katherine Bains lost everything when her parents died of consumption in England and she was shunted off to Canada to live with an aunt she had never known. Once she met and married Frank McLean, however, she thought her pain and sadness were gone forever. Then a tragic fire destroys her house and takes the life of her precious infant son. Katherine, Frank, and their two daughters must leave their home and start over in frigid, rough lumberjack territory. Long ago, she’d abandoned any faith in a God who would allow such devastation and despair to happen. But when catastrophe and heartbreak follow the family and a series of events finds Katherine frightened and hopeless in the deep north wilderness, she discovers she has never been alone. God’s mercy is always near, and help comes in the most unexpected ways. Footprints under the Pines tells the story of one woman’s loss and recovery, heartbreak and renewal, defeat and ultimate victory—and her long journey home to a loving Father.
Catalog Description
After losing her infant son, her new house, and her beloved husband, Katherine McLean abandons her faith in God. Can she survive in the rough world of the lumberjack and overcome her heart’s bitterness to find her way back home?
Interview Questions with Answers
- Why an 1800s lumber camp? To give a true glimpse into daily life of the camp itself.
- What are your qualifications? Grandfather was a logger.
- Does Katherine’s personality reflect yours? Both of us didn’t belong.
- Why place a woman here? Although uncommon, not unheard of.
- Is our perception of the brawling 1800s lumberjack correct? In some ways, however, inside
the camp men were simply too tired or too busy.
- What didn’t get included?
- 1875 Silas Overpack invented the big wheels. It was a device that made it possible
to do logging in the summer.
- I’d have liked to include more about the river drive.
- And then there was the Cruiser who was sent to remote places looking for new
stands of timber.
- And the summer watchman who spent long summers alone watching over the
camps. So very much that couldn’t be included in a single book.
- Did early lumberjacks ravage the forest? Why glorify it? They did but we have learned from
their example.
- How did they impact today’s industry? Selective cutting instead of clean cutting.
- What is your message to a world in turmoil? Rise to the occasion and overcome.
- Is there hope for young people? Conquer treachery by looking forward and doing what needs
to be done.
Press Release
Contact:
Ginger Marks
Phone: (727) 565-2130
Email:publisher@documeantpublishing.com
Deep Woods Survivor
Enumclaw, WA – House fire…the death of a child or spouse…wilderness survival…kidnap—any one of
these misfortunes could defeat the strongest among us. Broken down by these same hardships, Katherine
McLean struggles to make sense of the devastation that surrounds her. Set in the deep woods territory of the
upper Midwest in 1890s pioneer America, Footprints under the Pines by Dawn Batterbee Miller, tells of love,
sacrifice, desolation, and renewal.
Newly widowed with a hateful stepdaughter and a dependant toddler, Katherine McLean is forced to
assume her husband’s role as camp storekeeper in the insulated “man’s world” of the lumber camp. Isolation,
deprivation, and hard work are the norm in their new life. With too few glimpses of happiness, Katherine is
tempted to abandon hope as one tragedy follows another, until she finds that faith and perseverance prevail. Relationships can be repaired, and first love can be re-discovered.
Dr. Curtis Alexander, Associate Editor of the Missionary Church Today magazine writes,
Miller’s graphic
depictions of life in northern Michigan’s lumbering era make you almost wish you were there—until the tall
load falls and everyone runs for their lives. Or someone is sick and the medical establishment has yet to be
established. Or a little girl . . . oops, I’d better not go there. But you should, if a quiet evening, a good cup of
coffee, and a heart-warming story are your cup of tea.”
Steeped in true accounts of life in a lumber camp and the local lore of the lumberjack at her grandfather’s
knee, Dawn Miller has infused Footprints under the Pines with rich detail and authenticity. This is no tall tale
of Paul Bunyan.
For more information or to schedule interviews, contact Adam Cothes by phone at 360-802-9758, by email
at adam@winepressgroup.com, or by fax at 360-802-5748.
To order your copy of Footprints under the Pines call 1-877-421-7623, order online at
www.pleasantwordbooks.com, or visit your local bookstore.
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