Works

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View all of Janes’s books here.

  • Jane speaks about the qualities of power and the historical women she has researched and written about. Those qualities are found in each of us today too. Enjoy this bookstore presentation with laughter and hope. Watch the trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • This video is designed to encourage the reluctant writer to take the next step. Is it to write more powerful letters? Is it to begin that family story? Is it to discover through writing what your life is all about? Novice to experienced writers will benefit from Jane who knows better than most what it takes to be a truly great writer. The Writers Classes Collection are recordings of Jane’s Beachside Writers Workshop presentations. Watch the trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Nine essential ingredients to a novel that will keep pages turning, bring meaning to a reader’s life, and tell the stories of the human heart. Novice to experienced writers will benefit from Jane who knows better than most what it takes to be a truly great writer. The Writers Classes Collection are recordings of Jane’s Beachside Writers Workshop presentations. Watch the trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Jane shares her own writing tips and those of several award-winning and best-selling authors hoping to help YOU find your path toward completing your writing goals. Novice to experienced writers will benefit from Jane who knows better than most what it takes to be a truly great writer. The Writers Classes Collection are recordings of Jane’s Beachside Writers Workshop presentations. Watch the trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • "If you’re looking to learn some history you may not have been taught in school, Eminent Oregonians: Three Who Matter should be your next read. By authors Jane Kirkpatrick, Steve Forrester and R. Gregory Nokes, this quick read recounts the lives of three trailblazing Oregonians that paved the way for future generations: Abigail Scott Duniway, Richard Neuberger and Jesse Applegate. As with any biography on influential people throughout history, this book provides merely a snapshot into the lives of these individuals within the context of their time. As Forrester, a co-author, tells Eugene Weekly, “Oregon has become such a myth, but these are reality tales.” A consistent theme for me while reading through this book was, as Forrester put it, a string of “‘I didn’t know that’ moments.” For all the history classes I had taken, including a few at the University of Oregon, I’d not heard of anyone like Duniway, who was one of the first women to ever form her own newspaper. So for any history buffs out there looking to expand your knowledge of historical Oregonians, be sure to pick up this volume and give it a read." —  Sienna Riley, the Eugene Weekly "An inspiring and moving account of three people who helped create modern Oregon. One was a pioneer who fought attempts to make Oregon a slave state. Another was a legendary female journalist and advocate for women's rights. A third was a senator who overcame anti-Semitism and helped nurture modern environmentalism. Oregon has a complicated history, sometimes a painful one, and this is history that is sometimes painful as well as inspiring. But it's always riveting!"-Nicholas Kristof, Author, Pulitzer Prize winner, Human Rights advocate Read the Nov. 3, 2021 Wilmette Week review here! NOTE: This book is not available for sale on this website (JKBooks.com) Discover more and order here. View Jane's interview conducted by moderator Kerry Tymchuk for the Oregon Historical Society. Her co-authors Steven Forrester and R. Gregory Nokes participated in a lively discussion of the book. Interview was conducted on October 5, 2021.
  • Not Available At This Time. Based on historical characters and events, A Sweetness to the Soul recounts the captivating story of young, spirited Oregon pioneer Jane Herbert who at the age of twelve faces a tragedy that begins a life-long search for forgiveness and love.  In the years that follow, young Jane finds herself involved in an unusual and touching romance with a dreamer sixteen years her senior, struggles to make peace with an emotionally distant mother, and fights to build a family of her own. Filled with heart-warming insight and glimpses of real-life pain, A Sweetness to the Soul paints a brilliant picture of love that conquers all obstacles and offers a powerful testimony to the miracle of God's healing power. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 1995-1996, Christian Booksellers Association (CBA)
    • Winner, 1996, Western Heritage Wrangler Award, Western Novel, National Cowboy Museum
    • Oregon Humanities Award: Oregon 100 (one of the best books about Oregon published between 1800-2000), Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission
    • Oregon 150, (one of the best books about Oregon for 150th anniversary of statehood), State Library of Oregon
    Other books in this series:  Love to Water My Soul, A Gathering of Finches, Mystic Sweet Communion Reviews: “Jane Kirkpatrick’s particular gift is for capturing the authentic feel and flavor of frontier life; A Sweetness to the Soul is absolutely true to the people and the land as they once were. This is a novel that calls up a period early in the history of Oregon marked not only by hardship, sudden death, spiritual fortitude, and physical endurance but also by community, one person reaching out to help another so that they might all survive.” Molly Gloss, winner of the Whiting Writers Award and author of The Hearts of Horses “This book portrays a love that conquers all obstacles and offers testimony to the miracle of God’s healing power.” —Bookstore Journal “In A Sweetness to the Soul, Kirkpatrick offers a testimony to God’s ability to fulfill our dreams, in spite of our human propensity to question the why and how of situations. Through the eyes of Jane Sherar, readers come to recognize that blessings are hidden in the midst of everyday life and often only understood within the context of the passing of time.” —Cascades East Magazine Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Jane offers questions to ask before beginning that family story and provides creative comments to share with other family members saying “What? That never happened?” Discover yourself inside your family story. Novice to experienced writers will benefit from Jane who knows better than most what it takes to be a truly great writer. The Writers Classes Collection are recordings of Jane’s Beachside Writers Workshop presentations. Watch the trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • A remarkable story of God's constancy and provision for all lovers of history, romance and faith...  Based on historical characters and events, Love to Water My Soul recounts the dramatic story of an abandoned white child rescued by Indians. Among Oregon's Paiute people, Shell Flower seeks love and a pace of belonging...only to be cast away from her home.  In the years that follow, she faces a new life in the world of the white man--a life filled with both attachment and loss--yet finds that God faithfully unites her with a love that fills all longing in this heartwarming sequel to Jane Kirkpatrick's award-winner, A Sweetness to the Soul. Awards: 
    • Guideposts Condensed Books, 1998
    Other books in this series:  A Sweetness to the Soul, A Gathering of Finches, Mystic Sweet Communion Reviews:  "...Rich with sensory imagery, well-developed characters, and peppered with native words, the novel brings alive the traditional and transitional lives of the native people of Oregon in the late nineteenth century. The details about the flora, fauna, and tribal traditions bear evidence of meticulous research...." —Christian Library Journal  “This is a book that is impossible to put down....Kirkpatrick's prose is chiseled in graphic wrenching images that drive one into the story and engage one's senses....It is this flowing miracle of love which, in the words of the old Puritan prayer, watered the lost child's soul...Kirkpatrick has written another fine western novel." —Persimmon Hill Magazine, a Publication of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center “Like a tumbleweed blown by a desert wind, this book carries the reader along. The wide space of Oregon history and the inner space of personal growth fill the pages of this treasure of a book. It is about the individual and community, the internalizing of values reflected from one’s childhood family, and the journey toward wholeness that most of us make.”—Sally White, Scio Public Library Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available at this site at this time. Set in turn-of-the-century Florida, this frontier saga traces the life of Ivy Cromartie Stranahan, the first English-speaking teacher in the region, as she struggles to teach school in the Seminole Nation and lead Indian families to Christ. Ivy is disliked by tribal leaders in spite of her obvious love for their children, yet she eventually overcomes their resistance and serves as their spokesman in negotiations with the U S government. Already scarred by her mother's tragic death in childbirth, Ivy overcomes her husband's suicide and other devastating disappointments to share her faith with her adopted people and eventually earn their love. Like all of us who search for meaning, Ivy yearns to experience the power of faith, understand the limitation of human protection, and learn the importance of perseverance in caring for those we love.  Other books in this series: A Sweetness to the Soul, Love to Water My SoulA Gathering of Finches Reviews:  "Spinning a tale of love, adventure and history, Kirkpatrick draws readers into the lives of Frank and Ivy Stranahan, real-life influential settlers of Florida.  Readers will forget this is fiction based on fact as they read about the unusual love story that took place amid daily danger and great hardship....Kirkpatrick thoroughly researched this couple and their impact on the Seminole tribe and the founding of Fort Lauderdale. As a result, readers will feel they're a part of the Stranahan life and times. Highly recommend this book to men and women." —Christian Booksellers Association Market Place “Her research gives the book depth; her empathy gives it a soul.” The Sunday Oregonian "With a compelling literary style, the reader is drawn into the story and immersed in the hardships and triumphs of the early settlers and the surviving Seminoles...Ivy is revealed to be an early visionary and crusader for the environment and women's rights." —Marco Island Eagle, Florida Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available on this site at this time. Please visit the Aurora Colony Gift Shop to purchase. The people of Bethel, Missouri, seek to live with simplicity and generosity, existing in the world of the 1850s but remaining set apart from its distraction and vanities. Rather than finding peace in the would-be utopia, spirited young Emma Wagner chafes at the constraints of a culture that values conformity over independent thought, especially women. When Emma’s outspoken ways growing skepticism lead to a clash with the colony’s beloved leader, she finds new opportunities to pursue her dreams of independence. But as she clears a pathway West to her truest and deepest self, she discovers something she never expected: a yearning for the warm embrace of community.  Based on a true story. The first book in the Change and Cherish trilogy. Awards:
    • Finalist, 2006, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
    • Finalist, 2007, WILLA Literary Award, Historical Fiction, Women Writing the West 
    Other books in this series: #2) A Tendering in the Storm, #3) A Mending at the Edge Reviews:  "A Clearing in the Wild is a joy to read as a coming of age story, a story of the western frontier, or as a spiritual quest. It satisfies on every level."—Historical Novel Reviews "A Clearing in the Wild is Jane Kirkpatrick at her finest. The story is quickly paced and engaging from the first to the last. One of the most difficult tasks for a writer - and Kirkpatrick's specialty - is to contemplate the lives of real and to re-create a believable episode in those lives that is accurate yet interesting, to both inform and entertain. The dialog sings masterfully with perfect tone, building characters and pushing the storyline in succinct phrasing that never overstates.  Emma Wagner Giesy's story feels a genuine as if she herself were telling it." —Nancy E. Turner, best-selling author of Sarah’s Quilt and The Water and the Blood Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available on this site at this time. Please visit the Aurora Colony Gift Shop to purchase. A story of tender truths about a women’s desperate efforts to shelter her family. Emma Giesy, a strong-willed German American, believes her young family will thrive in the light of their newfound freedom, after she and her husband branch off from their close-knit and repressive religious community in the spring of 1856. Determined to raise her children on her own terms, Emma suddenly finds herself alone and pregnant with her third child, struggling to keep her family secure in the remote coastal forest of the Washington Territory. With loss and disappointment as her fuels, she kindles a fire that soon threatens to consume her, making a series of poor choices that take her into dangerous relationships. As clouds of despair close in, she must decide whether to continue in her own waning strength or to humble herself and accept help from the very people she once so eagerly left behind. Rich with historical details and vivid characters, A Tendering in the Storm poignantly gives voice to a mother’s fears for her family and a women’s search for her truest self. Based on a true story. The second book in the Change and Cherish trilogy. Awards:
    • Winner, 2008, WILLA Literary Award, Original Softcover Fiction (Trade or Mass Market), Women Writing the West 
    • Finalist, 2008, Christy Award, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
    • Finalist, 2009, Oregon Book Award, Portland Literary Arts Organization
    Other books in this series: #1) A Clearing in the Storm and #3) A Mending at the Edge Reviews:  "Jane Kirkpatrick again proves herself to be one of the finest writers working in historical fiction today. In A Tendering in the Storm, Kirkpatrick applies her usual meticulous research and rich period detail to give readers a wonderful story with strong, unforgettable characters. Beautifully and thoughtfully written as always, this novel will capture your attention, your imagination, and your heart."B.J. Hoff, bestselling author of the American Anthem series, An Emerald Ballad series, and Harp on the Willow "An excellent sense of place and time period...with historical details...that don't get in the way of good fiction or interrupt the flow of the narrative. A difficult balance and one that Kirkpatrick admirable achieves."FaithfulReader.com Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available at this site at this time. For Madison "Mazy" Bacon, a young wife living in southern Wisconsin, the future appears every bit as promising as it is reassuringly predictable. A loving marriage, a well-organized home, the pleasure of planting an early spring garden--these are the carefully-tended dreams that sustain her heart and nourish her soul. But when her husband of two years sells the homestead and informs her that they are heading west, Mazy's life is ripped down the middle like a poorly mended sheet forgotten in a midwestern storm. Her love is tried, her boundaries stretched, and the fabric of her faith tested. At the same time, she and eleven extraordinary women are pulled toward an uncertain destiny--one that binds them together through reluctance and longing and into acceptance and renewal. Based on an actual 1852 Oregon Trail incident, All Together in One Place, speaks to the strength in every woman and celebrates the promise of hope that unfailingly blooms amidst tragedy and challenge. The first book in the Kinship and Courage series. Based on a true story. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 2001, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
    • Bestseller List, 2001, Christian Booksellers Association (CBA)
    • Best Inspirational Books, 2000, Affair de Coeur
    • Finalist, 2001, Reader’s Choice Award, Romance Writer’s of America
    • Nominee, 2001, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, Romance Writer’s of America
    Other books in this series: #2) No Eye Can See, #3) What Once We Loved Reviews:  "...This beautiful novel speaks to the heart of human relationships - full in love. Jane Kirkpatrick's book is a treasure, well worth reaching beyond our genre to experience."—Romantic Times, 4.5 stars "Jane Kirkpatrick has, almost literally, created her own genre of fiction. Her books enfold a reader...whisper 'let me tell you about a woman who...' They find a secret place in each of us and bring it gently to the surface."Salem Statesman Journal Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Novice to experienced writers will benefit from Jane who knows better than most what it takes to be a truly great writer. These videos are recordings of Jane’s Beachside Writers Workshop presentations.  Learn how to encourage yourself to start to write, the nine essential ingredients to a novel, writing and editing tips, and researching that next big idea.  This collection of four DVD includes:
    • Video 1:  I Would if I Could…But I Can’t
    • Video 2:  Nine Points to a Novel
    • Video 3:  Writing and Editing Tips
    • Video 4:  Researching and Writing Your Family Story
    Price includes shipping and handling.
  • When blind and widowed Suzanne Cullver reaches California with a group of women who have survived tragedy on the Oregon Trail, she sets her mind on doing for herself all that must be done. Though she cannot see, she rejects offers of assistance, unwittingly risking her children’s safety – and her own. Her companions blindly falter as well, held hostage by their own pasts. As Suzanne attempts to control her life in Shasta City, Ruth defends against past errors, failing to see how she limits love. Meanwhile, Mazy’s vision seems to be permanently clouded by her late husband’s betrayal. But when a young stage-driver risks all for a Wintu Indian, his life becomes entangled with the turnaround women – and together they are changed forever as they discover that No Eye Can See all the good God has in store for those who love Him. The second book in the Kinship and Courage series. Based on a true story. Awards:  Reviews:  "...the author brings her heroines alive with full complements of both endearing and frustrating qualities, keeping them on even footing with each other and leaving the reader unsure what they might do next. Kirkpatrick is convincingly insightful about the conflicting emotions these women experience during a dramatic life change, allowing them to struggle, change their minds, make mistakes and start over on different tracks....satisfies overall as entertainment, as historical fiction and as a thoughtful exploration of human character and community." —Publishers Weekly "....Kirkpatrick can strike to the heart with deceptively simple language that somehow goes straight to the soul...What these women face, what they endure and the truths of the spirit they discover make up what is part historical romance, part spiritual quest, part something wholly Kirkpatrick's own."—Salem Statesman Journal Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available on this site at this time. Please visit the Mental Health Museum in Salem, OR to purchase.  Born to an unavailable mother and an abusive father, Dorothea Dix longs simply to protect and care for her younger brothers, Charles and Joseph. But at just fourteen, she is separated from them and sent to live with relatives to be raised properly. Lonely and uncertain, Dorothea discovers that she does not possess the ability to accept the social expectations imposed on her gender and she desires to accomplish something more than finding a suitable mate. Yearning to fulfill her God-given purpose, Dorothea finds she has a gift for teaching and writing. Her pupils become a kind of family, hearts to nurture, but long bouts of illness end her teaching and Dorothea is adrift again. It’s an unexpected visit to a prison housing the mentally ill that ignites an unending fire in Dorothea’s heart—and sets her on a journey that will take her across the nation, into the halls of the Capitol, befriending presidents and lawmakers, always fighting to relieve the suffering of what Scripture deems, the least of these. In bringing nineteenth-century, historical reformer Dorothea Dix to life, author Jane Kirkpatrick combines historical accuracy with the gripping narrative of a woman who recognized suffering when others turned away, and the call she heeded to change the world. Reviews:  “Jane Kirkpatrick has the rare ability to use what’s known about historical women as the foundation for compelling historical fiction. Here, Kirkpatrick shines her light on the remarkable life of Dorothea Dix, seamlessly blending fact and fiction to illuminate Dix’s journey from a girl struggling to save her family to a woman championing all those in need. Dorothea Dix can still inform and inspire modern readers, and One Glorious Ambition is a story to be treasured.” —Kathleen Ernst, award-winning author of the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries “Read this book and have Dorothea Dix transform your life. Be uplifted not simply by the grand trajectory of Dix’s singular journey but by the irresistible voice that Jane Kirkpatrick compels you to hear. A deeply sensitive and intelligent young woman overcomes trenchant pain and social barriers to fight tirelessly for those who have neither a voice nor an advocate. Her impossible life is unraveled and liberated in this novel. And read with a sense of urgency, for the battles fought by Dorothea Dix more than a century ago are very much in need of being waged again.” Charles Kiselyak, producer and director of award-winning films including Completely Cuckoo, Fearful Symmetry, and A Constant Forge “A must-read! I was moved to tears by the sense of history, tragedy, and hope of Dorothea’s life work accomplished on behalf of people with mental health challenges. Every human being should know Dorothea Dix’s story. Jane Kirkpatrick captures it magnificently!” Gina Firman Nikkel, PhD, president and CEO, Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available on this site at this time. Please visit the Aurora Colony Gift Shop to purchase. “Of all the things I left in Willapa, hope is what I missed the most.” So begins this story of one woman's restoration from personal grief to the meaning of community. Based on the life of German-American Emma Wagner Giesy, the only woman sent to the Oregon Territory in the 1850s to help found a communal society, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick shows how landscape, relationships, spirituality and artistry poignantly reflect a woman's desire to weave a unique and meaningful legacy from the threads of an ordinary life. While set in the historical past, it's a story for our own time answering the question: Can threads of an isolated life weave a legacy of purpose in community? Based on a true story. The third book in the Change and Cherish trilogy. Other books in this series: #1) A Clearing in the Wild, #2) A Tendering in the Storm Reviews:  "Jane has a gift for breathing simple beauty into the lives of remarkable historical women characters. In A Mending at the Edge, Emma comes off the page and shows readers an unforgettable picture of a very unique Oregon community. I love living within view of Mt. Hood even more now that I better understand those who shaped the tenacious beginnings of this region."–Robin Jones Gunn, author of the bestselling Glenbrooke Series and the Christy Award-winning Sisterchicks novels "In A Mending at the Edge, Jane Kirkpatrick completes the literary quilt of the Emma Wagner Giesy trilogy, piecing together the historical fabric of Emma's personal story with that of the Aurora Colony. Emma's efforts to find a house–and a home–in this communal society in Oregon once again reflect the conflict of individual and community needs represented in Kirkpatrick's earlier two works in the Change and Cherish Historical Series. Based on a solid historical framework of the Aurora Colony and the broader social, political, and cultural landscape of the 1860s, Kirkpatrick offers a story of hope and achievement that captures the spirit of giving, sharing, and receiving central to 'mending' within a communal settlement."–James J. Kopp, communal historian and Board Member of Aurora Colony Historical Society Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available at this site at this time. Out of the wilderness… Three women. Three eras. Three miracles.  1901: Plagued by loneliness on the Big Muddy Ranch, a sheepherder’s wife awaits the outcome of her husband’s trial for murder. He is sentenced to life in prison—and she to life without him. But a startling event could redeem their pasts and transform their future. 1984: Against a backdrop of attempted murder, federal indictments, and the first case of bioterrorism in the U.S., one woman seeks to rescue her granddaughter from within the elaborate compound of a cult that has claimed the land. 1997: On the much-reviled, abandoned cult site, one woman’s skepticism turns to hope when she finds that what was meant to destroy can be used to rebuild—and in the process realizes a long-held dream.  For three women seekers united across time, a remote and rugged stretch of land in the Pacific Northwest proves to be a place where miracles really happen—and the gifts of faith, hope, and charity are as tangible as rocks, rivers, and earth. Based on true stories. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 2005, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
    • Finalist, 2005, Spur Award, Western Writers of America
    Reviews:  "If you can't read the first two pages of A Land of Sheltered Promise and not want to read the rest of it, it must be that you simply don't care for novels that speak directly to your soul...Classic Kirkpatrick: That is, it is tightly written, honestly conceived and executed, deeply moving, and exciting...Kirkpatrick uses language that is like liquid in its ability to change directions and reveal or change landscapes and secrets. In her case, language is key to her ability to touch so many people so deeply...In one sense it is calculated to make you feel, but it is also calculated to make you think, to examine the concept of choices, of options." —Dan Hays, reviewer Salem Statesman Journal A Land of Sheltered Promise is historical Christian fiction at its best. The reader comes away with a clear vision of the land, of the people who occupied the land, and of a Supreme Being who ties it all together.”—The Historical Novels Review Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Not available at this site at this time. A circle of courageous women discovers the meaning of independence, forgiveness, and love.   Ruth Martin had a dream: to become an independent woman and build a life in southern Oregon for herself and her children. But when her friend Mazy's inaction results in a tragedy that shatters Ruth's dream, Ruth must start anew and try to heal her tender wounds. Her friends are also moving on. Mazy wrestles with her understanding of what faith and family really mean; Tipton discovers that marriage requires more than she's ready to give, and Suzanne's challenge is to keep seeing with new eyes. Together, the turnaround women travel to arenas of untested promise where they'll find a hope that sustains them and relationships they'll cherish all their days. The third book in the Kinship and Courage series. Based on a true story. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 2002, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
    Other books in this series: #1) All Together in One Place, #2) No Eye Can See Reviews:  "Masterful storytelling continues in this real-as-rain portrayal of the Oregon-California 1850s frontier. A Compelling tale." —Craig Lesley, bestselling author "While Kirkpatrick's Kinship and Courage Series is set over 150 years ago, it speaks to contemporary issues of loss and hope, sorrow and regret. We are transported to another time and place, walking with women of depth through a journey of healing and hope." —St. Helen's Bookshop Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now a mother of two, Eliza faces a new kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Haunted by memories and hounded by struggle, Eliza longs to know how her mother dealt with the trauma of their ordeal. As she searches the pages of her mother's diary, Eliza is stunned to find that her own recollections tell only part of the story. Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick's literary journey which will take readers into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman's heart. Get swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 2015, Christian Booksellers Association (CBA)
    • Winner, 2016, Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award, Inspirational Fiction
    • Finalist, 2016, Spur Award, Best Western Historical Fiction, Western Writers of America
    Reviews:  "Kirkpatrick exercises her considerable gift for making history come alive."—Publishers Weekly "This heart-stirring new historical novel has romance, mystery, and adventure." — RT Book Reviews Listen to the book trailer. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • A mother's tragedy, a daughter's desire and the 7000 mile journey that changed their lives.    In 1896 Norwegian American Helga Estby accepted a wager from the fashion industry to walk from Spokane, Washington to New York City within seven months in an effort to earn $10,000. Bringing along her nineteen year-old daughter Clara, the two made their way on the 3500-mile trek by following the railroad tracks and motivated by the money they needed to save the family farm.  After returning home to the Estby farm more than a year later, Clara chose to walk on alone by leaving the family and changing her name. Her decisions initiated a more than 20-year separation from the only life she had known.   Historical fiction writer Jane Kirkpatrick picks up where the fact of the Estbys’ walk leaves off to explore Clara's continued journey. What motivated Clara to take such a risk in an era when many women struggled with the issues of rights and independence? And what personal revelations brought Clara to the end of her lonely road?  The Daughter's Walk weaves personal history and fiction together to invite readers to consider their own journeys and family separations, to help determine what exile and forgiveness are truly about. Awards:
    • Bestseller List, 2011, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
    Reviews:  “Kirkpatrick has done impeccable homework, and what she recreates and what she imagines are wonderfully seamless. Readers see the times, the motives, the relationships that produce a chain of decisions and actions, all rendered with understatement. Kirkpatrick is a master at using fiction to illuminate history’s truths. This beautiful and compelling work of historical fiction deserves the widest possible audience.”Publishers Weekly**Starred Review** "Jane Kirkpatrick brings immense integrity to historical imagination, using her consummate skills as a historian sleuth and psychologist. A compelling portrait of Clara's own bold entrepreneurial spirit gives readers believable insight on how a mother and daughter's love survives financial hardship a courageous thirty-five-hundred-mile walk, family tragedy, and estrangement. Bravo!." Linda L. Hunt, award-winning author of Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America "Jane Kirkpatrick's attention to detail and ability to craft living, breathing characters immerses the reader into her story world. I come away entranced, enlightened, and enriched after losing myself in one of her novels." Kim Vogel Sawyer, best-selling author of My Heart Remembers Watch the book trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.

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