“The Dam is Coming” is a fictional history novel about the largest wood-pile dams in the world, built in 1890, located just 12 miles north of Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin on the scenic Saint Croix River. The story is told by Paul C. Wellington a twelve years old growing up a mile from Never’s Dam in what is today Wild River State Park. With his friend Paul, they give a firsthand account of the Nevers Dam construction that finally tamed the wild Saint Croix River and how the lumber was delivered to the saw mills. Join Paul and Peter as they watch this historic Never’s Dam become the most talked about, man made structure ever built on the upper Sent Croix River, and forever will be part of the history of the Saint Croix River Valley.
Interview with Fred:
1. Tell me about “The Dam is Coming” and why you decided to write it.
Local history on the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway between Minnesota and Wisconsin has always been a passion of mine. Since I love both fiction and youthful adventures I placed Paul, a curious 12 year old boy growing up with his pioneer family watching the loggers in 1889 coming in and building the world’s largest logging dam across an untamable river. “The Dam is Coming” helps me explain to the public one of the most spectacular construction projects ever attempted on the historic Saint Croix River. Most people don’t know it ever existed. Someone had to tell the story and I did so in the form of a fictional history novel.
2. What do you hope to accomplish as an author?
Nationally I want to be a noted “Romantic Author” and Destiny Whispers Publishing LLC has given me that opportunity with Romantic Western Adventures, “Letters from the Heart” was the first with a sequel out in February, 2016. A Third novel “Flyaway Love” will be scheduled for the summer of 2016.
Locally I want to be recognized as an author knowledgeable of Northern Wisconsin with its rich history in logging, the Saint Croix River, the glaciers that formed this region. This was the “Wild West” before the Wild West was the Wild West. Not much has been written nationally to bring Wisconsin onto the national stage. Many of my 15 self-published novels take place in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is much more than dairy farms, cheese or the Green Bay Packers. The forest of northern Wisconsin built the cities like St. Louis, Minneapolis and Kansas City. All that lumber came through the gates of “Nevers Dam” which was an engineering marvel at the time. No electricity in homes, all manual labor but a lot of family unity.
Thirdly I teach classes on how to self-publish using
CreateSpace and their free options. All my self-published titles cost me nothing but for printing. There are thousands of aspiring authors in this new age of Amazon and Kindle that want to get published but don’t know how. I can save them a lot of time and money and have been very successful in presenting programs that can get anyone self-published.
3. Who/what inspires you to write?
I have a need to keep my mind active and working on several projects at the same time. Multiple plots, sub-plots, characters and scenes. It’s a thrill to see the finished product and the creative process at work. I want to keep challenging myself and moving forward, never stopping. There is so much history that can be explained through stories or novels and as long as I am at it, why not though is some passion and romance turning them into love stories. I have a quote I use to explain my writings.
“Sometimes love follows you. Through thick and thin, over streams and through time. True love will find a way. Keep faith that somewhere, someone is looking for you, all you have to do is slow down and let them catch up.”
Author Fred A Brede
Sharing my experiences with my family who have inspired me. I pride myself on raising my two boy and one lovely daughter along with my wife. Many of the interactions, adventures and experiences my characters have come from time I spent teaching and allowing them to grow up. They are the best family anyone could have.
Wanting to share my experiences with my readers is a driving force. I want to leave my reader with hope a future that is positive in a world that seems to be coming apart. I want them to remember what it was like when they were younger and exploring the world for the first time. My romance novels is just the next step in finding out what the world has to offer and my romance books always end with them living happily ever after.
4. Do you have any works in progress? What are they?
Besides “Letters from the Heart with Destiny Whispers Publishing and my self-published books, I Just released “Inheritance of Love” A Wisconsin Romance”.
For future release, “Stagecoach of Desire” and “Three signs of love”.
I am currently researching for, “Sunrise Landing” about a youth leader with five boys canoeing down the St. Croix River in modern times and discover the modern day ghost town of Sunrise. (A real location) A Story teller relates historical events with local characters that lived at various rime in the history of the area that revealed themselves to the boys who are convinced the ghosts are real.
5. If you could have one wish granted, what would it be?
I wish I could have had the luxury to start writing years ago. My employer through physiological testing identified my talents as a story teller but I used it to communicate with prospects and customers. It’s only after retiring that I had the time to start writing. Years ago they didn’t have the technology to help the writer like computers and spell check. I wish Windows 10 had come out twenty years ago.
6. What would you like your readers to know about you?
I love both history and romance. Some of my stories are contemporary romance, some historical fiction and some a combination of the two. I write only wholesome adventures meant for a general audience. I even have my wife read over my stories before publishing. If it passes her muster it goes to print.
My working years after college at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay I worked in banking, insurance, as a stock broker, leasing, student loans, retirement planning and investments. What I enjoyed most was spending time in the outdoors and with my boys hunting and fishing. Now I get to live these adventures all over again in my stories and make some up as I go along.
Where you can find The Dam Is Coming:
https://www.amazon.com/Dam-Coming-Nevers-Project-Glacial-ebook/dp/B01AYKYXNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468831669&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dam+is+coming+fred+brede
Where you can find Fred:
fredabrede@aol.com