"...rife with secrets and hidden depths." - Kirkus Reviews One stormy May night, just as Tom Olsen is about to leave with his Native American friends to visit his grandfather's grave deep in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula wilderness, he answers a knock at his door to find an abandoned thirteen year old girl. The girl announces her name is Sarah Cooley and that Tom is her grandfather. She tells Tom he lives at the end of the earth. All she sees is dripping forest, tall trees, rain and wind. Astonished, all Tom sees is trouble. He knows he should cancel the trip and deal with Sarah, but when his friends suggest bringing Sarah along, Tom reluctantly agrees, hoping a backpacking trip might teach Sarah some sorely needed lessons about character, responsibility and grit. All too soon, Tom and his friends have reason to wonder - are they taking Sarah Cooley on this journey, or is she taking them? Adventure, scientific inquiry, a tinge of mystery, and a hint of the unexplainable infuse this meticulously-imagined tale, the first in the Strong Heart series. In a story matching the breathtaking scope of its Pacific Northwest and North Pacific setting, Sheldon's tale startles, yet challenges us to think.

Strong Heart

Literature & Fiction

Sheldon, Charlie

Genre Fiction

Charlie Sheldon

"Stirring...A rich tale of spirituality, grit, and danger." - Kirkus Reviews
When the Seattle Express goes adrift... The Seattle Express, a 700-foot container ship bound for Seattle, is on fire in the Gulf of Alaska.
Three hundred miles away, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Larry and Louise fire up their old tug, Warhorse, and head into the open ocean to salvage the burning vessel. The money from a salvage claim might just save their business. But it's a race against time, the elements, and the secretive, powerful Buckhorn corporation, owner of the Seattle Express, who launches its own high-speed tugs hot on Warhorse's tail.
Onboard the crippled ship, William (whom readers of Strong Heart will remember), fears this disaster may become a dark homecoming for him on the jagged shores of Haida Gwaii, the remote islands off British Columbia, where William was born and where he now may meet his fate. After William's lifeboat goes missing for days, William's daughter, Myra, and friends Sarah, Tom, and Sergei form a desperate plan.
Strong Heart took readers deep into the storied wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. In Adrift, Sheldon, a veteran of the sea himself, carries the story into a beautiful, brutal frontier of ice, wind, slicing cold, roiling waves, and ancient, mystic faith.
Praise for Adrift: 
I loved it! From the first page, Adrift swept me away to an adventure. Anchored in the hands of a great storyteller, the characters come alive on the pages making me care about them, the sea, the future and the past. I read every word. Get on board this truly fine novel! Jane Kirkpatrick, best-selling author of All She Left Behind.
*
This is one compelling novel. Having spent over 40 years working on ships I can honestly say this is very well written mariners tale. It is a definite page-turner. Captain Hans W. Amador, Master Mariner
*
Grabs hold of you on the first page and won't let go. Sheldon writes about the temperament and power of the sea as well as anyone I've ever read. Adrift was a pleasure to read. John Evison, best-selling author of West of Here and Lawn Boy
*
As a mariner who has spent a bit of time in the Bering Sea, North Pacific Ocean and Northwest Coast of North America I can tell you that Charlie Sheldon captures the essence of the hazards faced by mariners in those waters. His time sailing on large ships provides accuracy that any mariner can envision while reading his works. What I find most engaging is the character development and interaction. Charlie captured not only shipboard human interaction and relationships, but those we witness in everyday life. Adrift is a stand alone sequel to Strong Heart and a very good read. I recommend reading Strong Heart to fully appreciate the back story. Captain Steven A. Palmer, Master M/V APL Saipan
*
As a Merchant Seaman for 44 years, many of them in the brutal, cold Northwest waters and islands, and also a former shipmate of Charlie Sheldon, I can totally relate to this seeming true to life adventure. I'm just glad it didn't happen to me. A stand alone sequel to Strong Heart, the story flows excitingly from character to character. It is a great, fast paced sea story from the first page to the very last. Richard Sanderson, SIU Chief Steward, over 10,000 days at sea.

Adrift (Strong Heart)

United States

A land of history, magic and legend....?. Sarah Cooley, 14, and her friends want to return to Bear Valley in Olympic National Park before Buckhorn begins mining erbium, a substance rumored to detoxify coal. Carl Larsen, saddled with his difficult niece Laurie, is investigating mysterious elk kills on nearby National Forest lands. Victoria Oldsea, Buckhorn's project manager, hopes to take her son Jared camping as a break from work before the mining begins. A terrible windstorm upends everything. Strange , inexplicable animals appear. Ancient visions of an ancient people, perhaps dreams, possibly memory, are reported. Are the Olympics more mysterious than anyone knows? Does the answer lie in Bear Valley? Totem is the third and concluding tale in the Strong Heart series, starting in Strong Heart, continuing in Adrift, and now following Sarah Cooley and her friends to an astounding conclusion as they face conflict, danger, mythical legend, and ancient truth.

Totem (Strong Heart)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Fantasy

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Books by Charlie Sheldon