Henry, Dylan and Arla are back and this time, the gold hunters find trouble.
The three main characters of Diane Bradley’s debut young adult novel, “Wilder’s Edge,” return in “Wilder’s Foe,” which hit shelves in March.
“Wilder’s Edge came out last June, and because it was selling so well, by August, they asked me to write another one,” Bradley said of her publishing company, North Star Press in St. Cloud.
Bradley, a Two Harbors native, has a cabin on Jackfish Bay, where she spends her summers surrounded by Rainy Lake’s natural beauty.
With only a short turnaround time to write a Wilder sequel, Bradley said she extended her time at the cabin by three weeks before returning to her current home in Indiana.
“My (characters) are Rainy Lake kids and I can’t help but think of them when I’m up at the cabin,” she said.
The inspiration of Rainy and the solitude of the cabin mixed well for Bradley, who produced Wilder’s Foe by its Nov. 1 deadline.
“I went from zero to hero in three months,” she said with a laugh. “I literally had nothing at the beginning.”
Finding the story
Bradley quickly filled a blank slate with words after some research at Voyageurs National Park.
“With this book, I was looking for something a little different,” she said. “The kids are still looking for gold – that will never change.”
To avoid any spoilers, the author offered few details about the story line, but said, “Readers will never imagine something so horrific is happening in northern Minnesota.”
In addition, Bradley said she also introduces new characters, including one she calls “the eyes of the lake.”
‘A family thing’
Like Wilder’s Edge, Bradley said Wilder’s Foe is close to her heart and she hopes it engages readers and keeps them turning pages.
“I’ve done over 60 classroom visits and never thought I would have this much fun doing what I’m doing,” she said.
The sequel is also special because the cover is a photograph taken by Bradley’s husband, Jeff Kantor, who grew up in International Falls.
“We were camping at Tango Bay and my 13-year-old niece was out looking for the gold I told her about,” Bradley said.
When the publishing company came up short on finding a photo for the book’s cover, Bradley said she suggested Kantor’s image and “they loved it.”
“I was thrilled because it really makes it a family thing,” she said.
The author hopes to keep going with the Wilder’s series in the future and said new ideas are popping up daily.
“I’ve spent a lifetime wanting to do this and the story ideas are really close to the surface,” she said. “I love what I do.”
Wilder’s Foe is available locally at City Drug, Ronnings and The Coffee Landing. It can also be purchased online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
