Local historian and author to hold book-signing event for debut novel ‘The Reluctant Pioneer’

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Fresh off the release of her debut novel “The Reluctant Pioneer,” local historian and Chronicle columnist Julie McDonald Zander will hold a book-signing event at the Lewis County Historical Museum on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The event will run from noon to 2 p.m. at the museum, located at 599 NW Front Way in downtown Chehalis. Zander will be joined by Carol Ponder and James Stafford, who will also be signing copies of their biographies that Zander wrote.

“The Reluctant Pioneer” is a fictional tale based on the true story of Matilda Koontz, a survivor of the Oregon Trail who settled in Lewis County in 1847.

Zander owns and writes for Chapters of Life which helps people put their family stories to pen and ink, and published a non-fiction account of Koontz’s life in 2019 titled “Washington Territory’s Grand Lady: The Story of Matilda (Glover) Koontz Jackson.”



Despite this non-fictional accounts success, including being nominated for two national book awards, Zander wanted to explore Koontz’s story more, leading to her writing her debut fictional novel “The Reluctant Pioneer.”

The book is currently available through local businesses such as Book ‘N’ Brush, Tilikum Books & Bindery and the Lewis County Historical Museum. It can also be found in an e-book version on Amazon’s website.

For more information about “The Reluctant Pioneer” and Zander’s other work, visit https://mczander2024.ag-sites.net/index.htm