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News & Announcements

Forest Legend - Preorder, Reviews, and Press Release!

Forest Legend: The Tale of Ol' Split Toe is available now for preorder on Amazon! Full Release March 31, 2026.

 

Make sure to order your copy to ensure you are one of the first to dive into the ever-changing world of Ol' Split Toe as he navigates both time and space, revealing the steadfast plans of Mother Nature and how humans have forced themselves into the fold.

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Interested in hearing what early readers have to say? Check out the steady flow of reviews posted on Goodreads, such as this one:

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5/5 Stars - Rosemary Boze

"Ellens weaves a delightful tale from the perspective of an unlikely character, Michigan’s buck of legend. Ol' Split Toe traverses portals to several epochs, encountering beasts, peoples, nature, and the great discoveries that changed our world. His enchanted experiences prove more than a good read for young adults; they inspire respect for and stewardship of the delicate balance between nature and mankind. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a window to the past and hope for the future wrapped in a thoughtful, humane, and wondrous story." 

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Interested in more Forest Legend news? Check out the latest news release on this novel by Mission Point Press!

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Forest Legend - Coming Soon!

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“A captivating, gritty tale that blends folklore with raw, emotional depth, leaving readers both enthralled and moved by its unforgettable characters and powerful storytelling.”​

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Michael Gabrion

 Chairman, Muskegon River Watershed Assembly.

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“Through the eyes of a mythical, time-traveling whitetail buck, this rich tale explores humanity’s relationship with nature. A really good read.”​

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E. L. Stanesa

Avid fly fisherman and conservationist.

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“Ol Split Toe, the majestic, time-traveling deer, takes us on a magical ride through ancient forests, the land of the First People, colonial settlement and deforestation, and modern times. An epic adventure story that will transform how you look at our land, and inspire you to conserve it.”

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Bill Gleason

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“A relevant tale of conscientious stewardship, set at the crossroads of history and the divine, where care for our Earth echoes from the past with sacred purpose.”

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Garrett Bowman

Director of the Fortune Bay Expedition Team.​

Mother Nature struggles to maintain equilibrium in a changing world while fire, disease, logging, human displacement, and war destroy one forest of centuries-old trees after another. Split Toe, a legendary deer chosen at birth for an extraordinary education, travels through time on a sweeping adventure as he learns about the inner workings of Michigan’s forest and begins to understand the place of humans in the natural world. Along the way, he meets: Ice Age hunters who trap a mastodon; a young Ojibwe hunter who stalks Split Toe through swamp and forest; loggers clearcutting Michigan’s white pines; a forest woman advocating for the trees; early pioneers who become a first generation of family farmers; scientists from the future studying the impact of nuclear radiation. Split Toe sees two hundred years of conflict building between humans who fight to control the natural world and Mother Nature, who repeatedly reaches for balance. Split Toe wonders whether human ways will overtake Mother Nature until he meets a boy who changes everything.

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