The Reluctant Pioneer: Inspired by a True Story
by Julie McDonald Zander
February 24-27
2025 Finalist for the Western Writers of America Best Historical Novel Spur Award
Silver Will Rogers Medallion of Inspirational Fiction
American Bookfest’s 2025 Best Book Award for Religious Fiction
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 sons embark on a 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 pioneer woman’s journey is inspired by a true story.
Universal link for the book on Amazon
About the Author
Julie McDonald Zander, an award-winning journalist, earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from the University of Washington before working two decades as a newspaper reporter and editor. Through her personal history company, Chapters of Life, she has published more than 75 individual, family, and community histories. Her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, won a Will Rogers Medallion and was a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award for Best Historical Novel. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, where they raised their two children.
