Season 1, Episode 8 – Ashley E. Sweeney

Next up on History Through Fiction: The Podcast is historical novelist and writer of women’s adventure stories set in the West, Ashley E. Sweeney. Her novels include Eliza Waite, which tells the story of widow who heads north during the Alaskan gold rush of 1898, and Answer Creek, a gripping tale of adventure and survival based on the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party on their 2,200-mile trek on the Oregon-California Trail from 1846 to '47. In this episode, Sweeney talks about the importance and challenge of adhering to historical accuracy, the value of having deadlines, and the discoveries she made traveling along the Oregon trail.