Thorhild author Juanita Krause recently published her third science fiction book

               “Ice is a fewer than 15,000 words novellette,” she said. “I wrote it for youngsters who are beginning to read chapter books and for older youths who think they don’t like reading and prefer shorter books with short, action-filled chapters. I think people of any age who like a good story will enjoy it.”

               Krause has been writing for over 30 years. She published High Orbit Hero in 2012 and c-Surfer in 2014. She was the local reporter for The Review newspaper during the past three decades.

               “I like writing about teenagers and young adults because they are going through a very interesting phase of life,” said Krause. “It’s at that age they make decisions on what kind of men and women they are going to be and develop the strength to take the actions to get themselves to that place. It can also be the time they get themselves into difficult situations they might know how to avoid later in life.”

               Ice is the story of sixteen-year-old

Mark Olson when he volunteers to stake his family’s claim to a piece of comet, a precious chunk of ice cargo, by camping out on the frozen lump to protect it from pirates. He faces isolation, equipment failure and a deadly raid by thieves who want to steal the ice for themselves.

               “What’s really special about this publication is the title on the front cover,” said Krause. “About 15 years ago, when I wrote this story, my friend Kathy Chin read it to her son, Kabre. He was only five or six at the time, but he liked it so much that they drew pictures of Mark having his adventure on the ice in space. In one of those pictures, Kathy drew blocks of ice chiselled into the letters I C E. As soon as I saw them, I knew that if I ever published this story, those letters had to be on the front of the book.”

               Krause has created stories for as long as she can remember, usually just creating them in her head and not undertaking the work involved in putting them on paper.

               She grew up on a farm west of Thorhild and recalls sitting on the straw bales in the yard, writing stories of adventures on the moon when she was still in elementary school.

               “I was young enough that I still named my heroes after my dad,” she said.

               Now half a century older, she is still writing science fiction stories about characters living on the moon and out in space. The difference is that she now understands plot lines, story arcs, and the requirements for discipline and skill with language.

               Even so, to aspiring writers, Krause said, “Just sit down and write. Write what you have to say, then worry about the re-writing. If you can’t spell or don’t have good grammar, there are people who can help you with that.”

               She said outlines are useful tools, but authors shouldn’t be afraid to change them as their stories evolve.

               “I’m a linear thinker,” said Krause. “I start at Chapter One and work my way to the end. I know other people who write all mixed up: chapter four, then part of chapter one, then maybe chapter eight. You have to do whatever works for you.”

               After graduating from high school in Thorhild, Krause worked in an office in Edmonton for a year before joining the Canadian Armed Forces. She served 18 months, then left the army to get married and raise four children in the Thorhild area.

               Krause is an active volunteer with several organizations in her community. During her decades as a community newspaper reporter, she received the Bronze Quill award from the Canadian Community Newspaper Association (CCNA) and won the CCNA Environmental Writing award and Historical writing award. She also received the University of Alberta writing award through the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association, contributed to three provincial Fire Prevention Week awards and won a national photography award. She also received letters of commendation from the Stollery Children’s Hospital for articles written about two children with cancer.

               Another highlight of her reporting career was a trip to Bosnia to interview and write about local soldiers on overseas duty. Her professional expertise has allowed her to participate on the media panel at the Alberta Teachers Association communications conference as well as serve as a CCNA competition judge and a judge for the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers better newspapers awards.

               ICE is currently available from Krause at authorkrause@gmail.com or through Friesen Press at https://books.friesenpress.com. It will be available through other online outlets in the near future.