10 Days in December
. . .where dreams meet reality
by Eleanor Deckert

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In 1978, 20-year-old newlyweds, practical Kevin and idealistic Eleanor, explore the Canadian mountains in their VW van, find land, and build a tiny log cabin. Setbacks and self-denial test their love and commitment. For 4 months: Kevin builds, swinging his axe, alone in the wilderness, while Eleanor is paid $2.57 per hour, working as a waitress at a truck stop, earning $300 for cabin supplies. After Christmas: Eleanor’s cozy dream meets winter’s harsh reality: Bitter cold. Enveloping darkness. Sudden poverty. Crushing isolation. Readers notice four layers in every chapter: Eleanor’s backstory and purpose, her daily experiences and challenges, her inner turmoil and clarity, her motivation and hope for the future. Eleanor’s wholesome, richly textured writing invites readers to see both her transformation as well as their own. IDEAS: “I want to get married, go out west, build a log cabin, raise a bunch of kids, volunteer in my community, and then write a book about it.” ICE: “I told everyone we would be in by winter. If the first snowfall is the beginning of winter, do my coworkers see me as a failure, lazy, a liar, or a fraud? Their doubt feeds my self-doubt.” ISOLATION: “Nobody in the whole world knows where I am right now. I am a spec. Millions of mountains. Trillions of trees. Zillions of snowflakes. And me: Alone.” IDEALS: “Daddy told me, ‘Ideals are all very well and good, but nobody can actually live by them.’ But, I thought my father would be proud of me?” 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION FEATURES: - 70+ photos & drawings - 30+ inspiring quotations - Chart compares westward movement of the mid-1800s to ‘Back-to-the-Land’ movement of the mid-1900s - Book Club Discussion - Write Your ‘Coming-of-Age’ Memoir - Links to Eleanor’s newspaper articles - Endnotes indicate more content found in 10 DAYS–1 VOICE series -

eleanordeckert.com

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...eloquent storytelling, humor, insight and hope - this book has it all... —Keith McNeill, Editor, North Thompson Times, Clearwater, BC

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Memoirs honour our ancestors and inspire our descendants. In 1966, my Grade 3 teacher read aloud Laura Ingalls Wilder’s ‘Little House in the Big Woods.’ On the last page, Laura writes: “This is now... it can never be a long time ago…” I wondered: Will 1966 someday be a long time ago? When I was 8 years old, I decided to write about my life, like Laura. To practice, like Laura, I wrote a newspaper column. Then: my first manuscript. Should I write ‘BOOK 1’ on the cover? Could I write 10 chapters for each month? Would I write a series of wholesome, true stories, like Laura Ingalls Wilder? People asked me, “How did you do that?” Now, I lead seminars to encourage and guide new writers to preserve their backstory and dreams, experiences and observations, turning points and hopes for the future. For nearly 50 years, my husband and I have raised our family while continuing to live the ‘Back-to-the-Land’ lifestyle in a picturesque river valley in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada.

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Contributors

Author

Eleanor Deckert

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FriesenPress Editions

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