JOKO

FACT: 1884. US Newspapers report the capture of Bigfoot by a train crew. They call the Sasquatch Jacko and say: "He resembles a human being with one exception; his entire body, apart from his hands and feet, is covered in hair. He possesses extraordinary strength."

FACT: 1884. Bigfoot mysteriously disappears, presumably back into the wild.

FACT: 1880s. James Gilchrist Swan, one of the most distinguished pioneers of the American North West, spends much time in the wilderness and records Native American folklore and mysteries in his journal.

FACT: There is still a $1,000,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Bigfoot.

THE STORY: In 19th Century America, young railroad hand Johnny and best friend Joko are on the run - from all mankind. Because the price on Joko's head is higher than that for the capture of any Wild West outlaw. He's Sasquatch; one of the last surviving members of the legendary and elusive Bigfoot race . a goldmine for unscrupulous circus and freak show owners. For a while, Johnny evades their relentless hunters by protecting Joko in civilization by passing him off as a moonstruck teenage boy. But when their stalkers get too close for comfort, the desperate runaways take to the wilds, where their roles are reversed, as Joko becomes Johnny's protector. In the wilderness, they meet the famous frontiersman James G. Swan, who takes them under his wing. But can a cunning disguise and modern education prepare the young Bigfoot for a place in the human race? Much more than a spellbinding adventure for readers of all ages: master story-teller Karl Kofoed seamlessly blends fact and myth to look at the world from two vastly different points of view and examine what it really means to be 'human'.

Karl Kofoed is a graphic artist with over 30 years of commercial experience. Karl describes himself as wearing two professional ‘hats ’. He is owner of Kofoed Design, specializing in graphic design, illustration, photo retouching and restoration. Deep Ice was Karl’s first venture into the world of traditional prose.

His other professional ‘hat’ is that of a science fiction illustrator and writer. He is well known to the SF community and has done scores of book covers and interior book and magazine illustrations.

Karl’s Galactic Geographic © feature (GalacticGeographic.com) appears in Heavy Metal magazine.  Using his Macintosh computer he has single handedly designed, written, illustrated, and produced the Galactic Geographic Annual 3003, which he describes as “a coffee table book from the future”. Published by Chrysalis/Paper Tiger Books, it is now available at book stores everywhere.

Karl and his wife Janet, a popular jewelry designer, live in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA; a suburb of Philadelphia. They each have a daughter named Lisa, from previous marriages.