Monday, April 4, 2016

C - COLDFOOT


IS FOR COLDFOOT



Known as the world furthest north truck stop, Coldfoot, Alaska, sits on the Dalton Highway, or Haul Road, as most viewers of the television show Ice Road Truckers know it. 254 miles from Fairbanks and 240 miles from Deadhorse or Prudhoe Bay, Coldfoot is the last stop for fuel, food, or accommodations.

"The town was originally a mining camp named Slate Creek, and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Middle Fork Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around." Wikipedia.


Coldfoot has the supplies needed to continue the journey north for trucks and other vehicles but it also has an airport. All which figure highly in my novel Murder & Obsession.


Murder & Obsession
Excerpt:

Steven finally reached Coldfoot, and spoke with Sarah before moving too deeply into the mountains.
 “Saturday is just too far away.” She sounded wistful.
His pride swelled with her words, but her pensiveness bothered him. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s just… I don’t want to go on this trip. I’m sorry. I’m being foolish. I wish we’d waited, or stopped in Seattle before we flew home.”
“Don’t go; let your attorney handle the business issues. Join me. We can start the honeymoon now.”
She laughed. “Oh, my gosh, we do sound like lovesick teenagers. No, I’ll go to Seattle and take care of business. You have a right to some time alone to make your decision. Just promise me that we won’t be apart again for a long, long time.
I’ve taken her away from home again. “I’m sorry, Sarah, we should’ve
“No, Steven. We both know our responsibilities; besides, I’m the one who insisted on a wilderness honeymoon. I’m just being silly.”
They talked for an hour because he had a hard time saying goodbye. After the phone call, a cold wind took his attention skyward, where the warnings of a storm floated above the horizon, and its foretelling gave him a chill he could not shake.

*****



Add my books to your Goodreads Account.
Murder, Madness & Love
Memories of Murder
Murder & Obsession

And try for a free copy of 
Murder & Obsession on Amazon.
(just click the links)



Please support my Thunderclap!

Remember every comment during the A to Z will be an entry to win a 
paperback copy of the trilogy!
(signed if I can send by mail)


79 comments:

Sue H said...

I work with two people who live in Alaska, although not nearly that far north. One of the guys keeps sending me calendars with beautiful pictures of all kinds of scenery.

I'm going to have to look up the show "Ice Road Truckers" because it sounds like the type of program my husband likes to watch.


Sue Hernandez
Wordpress Blogs: writing and A to Z Challenge

Yolanda Renée said...

We used to enjoy watching it too. Sometimes it's shot in Canada. Thanks for stopping by Sue!

Michelle Wallace said...

Great snippet.
I can sense an undercurrent here, very subtle though...and the ominous tone at the end confirms that something nasty is on the horizon...
Writer In Transit

Elizabeth said...

That's an interesting name origin story for Coldfoot :) And I do enjoy the suspense of your book excerpts!

msmariah said...

I've always been fascinated with Alaska. I love the name of the town..."Coldfoot." What a great idea. Love the excerpt too. Great work here.

msmariah said...

I've always been fascinated with Alaska. I love the name of the town..."Coldfoot." What a great idea. Love the excerpt too. Great work here.

Nilanjana Bose said...

You are brilliant at conveying the mood in subtle ways! I could so feel the wistfulness and the hankering. Well Crafted!. Kudos, Yolanda.

And Alaska place-names are totally wanderlust inducing. Big Lake, Coldfoot, Anaktuvuk - make me want to drop everything and charge off. The pics you post don't help much either in controlling it.

Ann V Friend said...

Very interesting (smile) I enjoyed your post. Blessings and enjoy your day!

Tasha Duncan-Drake said...

I love the origin of the name :) I imagine many people get literal cold feet as well :)
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

Unknown said...

Your posts makes me fall in live with Alaska even more. The excerpt is brilliant.

Rhonda Albom said...

Makes me glad I bought your book. I want more. . . . Although I personally never would have agreed to a wilderness honeymoon.

Jo said...

I like the origin of the name. Didn't realise you were running two blogs.

Christine Rains said...

I love getting all these Alaskan facts. You make research easy for me! :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Continue the journey north? What's beyond Coldfoot?

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Alex, so much more. LOL

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Christine, we still have an ongoing conversation don't we. LOL

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Jo, 2 and one tenth with the Parallels blog too. But hey, it's all in a day, right?!
LOL never again!

Yolanda Renée said...

It makes me very happy. Thank you! I would do a wilderness honeymoon, I can't imagine a better one. LOL

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, Ramya, I've never fallen out of love with it. :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Natasha, the fun part is getting those cold toes warm! :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Ann, thank you!

Yolanda Renée said...

Oh, Nila, you make me smile. THANK YOU! :)

Pat Hatt said...

I think I'll pass on ever going any place named Coldfoot. I like my feet warm.

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, msmariah, it's such an interesting place. A lifeline, in the roughest form!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, Elizabeth, that means the world! :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Michelle, that moment when all is still well with the world but the hint for trouble is all around. Thanks!

Yolanda Renée said...

You have fur, or cat slippers, that should do you fine! LOL

Misha Gerrick said...

I love the name and where it comes from. :-D

Ella said...

Brrr..now, I really feel like I am in Alaska~ Happy Birthday, Renee!!! I hope your day is beautiful and filled with sunshine~ I love that you received a Tickle you pink bouquet-so sweet~ @>----------xo

cleemckenzie said...

I love some of the names they give Alaska towns. Coldtoot is just another very descriptive one that makes me smile.

cleemckenzie said...

I love some of the names they give Alaska towns. Coldtoot is just another very descriptive one that makes me smile.

Guilie Castillo said...

Loved this excerpt, Yolanda... full of foreboding. It's the kind of scene that makes me wish I could jump into the scene and—well, change things :) What a place, Coldfoot... "the world's northernmost truck stop"—and it has an airport! You know, I've never seen Ice Road Truckers, never really appealed to me, but now I'll keep an eye out for the show, in case Coldfoot is mentioned :D

Thanks for the visit over at Life In Dogs ... What a sad, sad story about Lady. You had me in tears. How awful for you, too. I hope that landlord met a nasty, painful end.

Libby said...

Ohh, I like that setting. I just finished watching a show set in a remote glacier town in Norway. Soooo good!

Rosa Temple Writes said...

Another yummy snippet. Thank you!
Rosa
@RosaT_Author
Rosa Temple writes...

Sophie Duncan said...

Coldfoot - what a great name!
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles | Wittegen Press | FB3X

D.G. Hudson said...

Liked the excerpt, and wish you well with Murder and Obsession. . .I read about a few real life murders that took place in Alaska, and it usually was over money. . .

I have watched (only for a few seconds mostly) that Ice Road Truckers. It would give me cold feet too, I think, to go so far north. I don't like extremes of heat or cold.

Jeffrey Scott said...

Love the name Coldfoot. I've never been a coldfoot in wanting to visit Alaska, it's just finding the time and the money.

Yolanda Renée said...

I know what you mean. But what a great journey! Hi, Jeffrey!

Yolanda Renée said...

Greed is a huge motive! Extremes are hard! Hi, D. G.!

Yolanda Renée said...

Isn't it! Hi, Sophie!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thank you, Rosa!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Libby. Sounds good, I'll have to find it!

Alleigh said...

Working my way down the A to Z Challenge and I enjoyed the excerpts so much that I added your books to my good reads listing. I'll be on the look out for the first two. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. I'll have to send a copy to my step sister who lives in Alaska, she'll probably recognize the landmarks already!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Guilie, Thanks, Coldfoot comes up frequently, the truckers stop there all the time. Don't know what happened to him or the puppies. Horrid man!

Yolanda Renée said...

Me too, Lee, always an interesting reason behind the name!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, Ella, it's a wonderful day to spend with family, but I'm finding it hard to concentrate on A to Z duties! LOL

L.G. Keltner said...

Coldfoot is definitely an appropriate name! I love it!

@LGKeltner from
Writing Off the Edge
Parallels

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Misha, thank you!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Allison, that's wonderful, thank you!

Melissa Sugar said...

I want to scream at her, "Don't go!" You know, like you scream at people on the movie screen not to go somewhere when you know they are about to get killed. The name of the truck stop is eerie enough for me to around and go home or back to Seattle. The last stop for food, fuel or accommodations ... you just know something bad is going to happen. I loved the excerpt. The suspense and foreshadowing is excellent.

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Laura, thanks!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Melissa, thank you, I was hoping it'd be read that way! :)

Pat Garcia said...

This excerpt sounds like you have written a cool book that I would enjoy reading. So yes, I am putting it on my Goodreads list and will buy it when it comes out.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange

Yolanda Renée said...

Thank you Pat, I'd love to hear your opinion. Thanks for adding me to GR!

Susan A Eames said...

Hi, Yolanda - you've chosen a fantastic setting. Alaska is on my wish-list to visit sometime.

Elephant's Child said...

A very happy birthday to you. Your C post is Cool, in every sense of the word. And those Cold-Climes Call to me. Loudly.

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, EC, thanks, me too!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Susan, I hope you make it!

Sandra Cox said...

Yikes, Coldfoot is a long way from anywhere.....
Another great excerpt.

Anonymous said...

Coldfoot sounds too cold to me!!!

Truedessa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Samantha Bryant said...

Great story of the place name!

@mirymom1 from
Balancing Act

Tyrean Martinson said...

Chilling foreboding in that story! (Love that you mention Prudhoe Bay - I haven't been there in a while, but I remember it as a vast plain of snow.)

Kala Ravi said...

Ohhh! What an out of this world place Coldfoot sounds! The name in itself is drawing visual images in my mind! I am seriously worried about Steven and Sarah!
@KalaRavi16 from
Relax-N-Rave

Emma said...

Wow! Makes me want to find out what happens next. Great job.

Deborah Drucker said...

What names, Coldfoot and Deadhorse. They evoke the wilderness. The excerpt is an intriguing scene. :)

Unknown said...

When I started reading, I knew Coldfoot sounds familiar then Fairbanks, then I remembered it from the Ice Road tv series about Alaska trucking :)

Rajlakshmi said...

The place looks amazing. The excerpt is interesting. Wondering what happens next.

Visiting from A to Z Challenge
Pam's Unconventional Alliance Team
A Whimsical Medley
Twinkle Eyed Traveller

Shilpa Garg said...

Coldfoot... that's an interesting story behind it! Liked this intriguing excerpt of the book! Great going, Yolanda :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, Shilpa, appreciate your visits!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks, Rajtakshmi, something interesting for sure! :)

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Zeljka, Ice Road Truckers, they've been everywhere! LOL

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Deborah, they do, don't they. Thanks!

Yolanda Renée said...

I love hearing that Emma, thanks!

Yolanda Renée said...

Yes, they are a worry at this point! Hi, Kala!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Samantha, thanks, appreciate it!

Yolanda Renée said...

Cold it is! Hi, doggiecaperz!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks for the Birthday wishes, much appreciated!

Yolanda Renée said...

Yes, a vast plain. And a lot of it on unsupported gravel. :)