Böcker av Donald F Averill

In Glacier Fires, University of Washington students Tim Michaels and Art Daniels get more than they bargain for when they travel to Mt. Baker in northwestern Washington State to test out their new telescope. With the sight trained on the glaciers, the two discover a young woman in distress; they rescue Mikka Morgan, a student from the rival Washington State University. But their adventures continue when they, Mikka, and Samantha Ashford embark on another mission to save Sam’s forest ranger father, and Otto, an Austrian mountain climber, from a deep crevasse. Rogue climbers have left Otto and the ranger in the crevasse to die. A heartwarming Christmas story, Ornaments of Value follows widow Karen Ekstrom as she tries to care for her three small children—Susan, Larry, and John—during difficult economic times. Karen dreams of using her artistic talent for the betterment of her family, and she is hired by Evan Finely, a glass blower, to decorate his store windows. Her good fortune continues as an anonymous benefactor leaves money, concealed in holiday ornaments, at Karen’s apartment door. Karen is stymied as to whom the Good Samaritan might be.

Love and mystery have a way of intertwining in unexpected ways in life. In Donald Averill’s short story collection, he traces a journey through the lives of vibrant characters driven by love who suddenly find themselves in the midst of unusual situations.In “Missing Notes,” a music department graduate student finds an intriguing composition in an old notebook and begins a search for the author. When she and another student look for a missing notebook, they find themselves implicated in a murder investigation. “The Canoe” sees retired mathematician and widower Samuel Kelly recalling past experiences involving his family canoe after seeing a canoe for sale. Following the sale of the canoe, Sam and a former girlfriend rekindle an old relationship and get involved in a holdup.In “Hidden Talents,” Clay Coleman, a young physician, misses a turn and arrives at a secluded farm house where he is attacked. Suffering from amnesia, he works his way along Interstate 84 helping people with medical problems--while his wife searches desperately for him. A seven-year-old boy who thinks he is just living a normal life in 1949 soon realizes that the only way to find out any answers about his grandpa’s past is to ask good questions in “The Pumpkin Tree.”Missing Notes, Hidden Talents, and Other Stories shares four charming stories with important messages about perseverance, courage, and, most importantly, love.

Back from the war in Afghanistan that included a stay at Walter Reed hospital, Daniel Newcomb is hitchhiking across the United States on his way home to Alaska when he takes a detour in mountainous Oregon in search for work. After he is dropped off at Multnomah Falls, Dan has no idea of the challenges that lie ahead for him in the coming months.After he agrees to what he thinks will be a mundane housesitting job at a remote cabin for the winter, it is not long before unexpected events transform the nature of his job. Even as he battles foul weather, a persistent family of dogs, and two-legged intruders, Dan finds time to learn to fly a small plane. Months later as his stint in Oregon ends and Daniel finally returns to Alaska with an adopted puppy in tow, he begins a new chapter that includes long-awaited reunions, love, and fulfilling his dream of becoming a bush pilot. Detour in Oregon is the compelling tale of an Afghanistan War veteran's journey home from the battlefields to Alaska as unlikely encounters and powerful emotions play an important part in shaping his future.