Kristiana Gregory's Blog

Hello Readers!

 kindle & paperback

I hope you enjoy this fresh edition of My Darlin' Clementine! It's enhanced with a discussion guide, author interview and some "behind the scenes" of storytelling. Interior art and cover are by my son, Cody Rutty.

My Darlin' Clementine was originally published in 2010 by Holiday House. Inspired by a popular folksong of that name, I set it in a lawless mining camp in Idaho Territory, 1866. It's third in my trilogy of gold rush novels: Seeds of Hope and Madame Mustache and the Boys of Bodie. 

"As told by the Kidd sisters in 1867, Josie and Clementine, on the occasion of murder and romance, tragedy and redemption, not necessarily in that order, but their true account, to the best of their recollection."

2010 Idaho Choice Award for the National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress. 

 kindle & paperback

I'm happy to announce an updated Jimmy Spoon & the Pony Express! Originally published by Scholastic in 1994 this sequel to the best-selling The Legend of Jimmy Spoon includes an author interview, glossary and historical notes. New cover art by Cody Rutty.
* VOYA:  "terrific ... "* School Library Journal: "Exciting ... those who have not read Legend will certainly want to do so after finishing this one."

And no one was more qualified than Jimmy.  He had lived with the Shoshoni for years and had learned their ways.  No white boy could ride like Jimmy Spoon.  But fifty miles a day isn't an easy ride -- even for him.  And the trails are dangerous.  Living conditions are primitive; there are outlaws, angry tribes, blistering heat, and below-zero winters.  And all along, Jimmy yearns to return to his Shoshoni family, especially to rekindle his friendship with the lovely Nahanee.

Readers asking for Part 3, will have fun seeing Jimmy and Nahanee and their special surprise in The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West; Utah Territory 1868. 

The Jimmy Spoon stories are based on the adventures of Elijah Nicholas Wilson, a Pony Express rider who lived with the Shoshone Indians as a boy in the 1850s. The town of Wilson, Wyoming at the base of Teton Pass is named after him.

 

Kindle & paperback
Hello Readers,

I'm happy to announce an updated Bronte's Book Club with a new cover by my son Cody Rutty and author interview; a brownie recipe and tips for starting your own book club. The story:

It's a pretty summer day at Gray's Beach when 12-year-old Bronte moves to this small California beach town. Shy and lonely, she tries to form a book club in order to make friends. It has a rocky start with jealously, quarrels, and gossip. But as the girls discuss the historical novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, they see parallels in their lives and that of the main character, Karana, the real-life Chumash Indian who had lived alone on San Nicholas Island during the mid-18oos. As the girls reflect on, and quote from the story, they begin to discover true friendship. And of course, a good dog is involved!

Gray's Beach is also the setting for Cabin Creek Mysteries #11 & #12: The Shadow at Shark Cove and The Legend of the Haunted Lighthouse, when Bronte's cousins Jeff, David and Claire visit for the summer.

 kindle & paperbackDear Parents and Teachers, 

I'm happy to announce an updated Earthquake at Dawn, with a fresh Discussion Guide and Author Interview. Originally published by Harcourt for their Great Episodes Series, it won a 1992 California Book Award with the Commonwealth Club, and was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The story:

It's April 18, 1906, and a powerful earthquake has just rocked San Francisco. Twenty-two year old photographer Edith Irvine and her assistant, Daisy Valentine (age 15), survive the tragedy. Armed with Edith's camera, the two women set out to document the shocking devastation--even as buildings crumble around them and soldiers promise to shoot anyone trying to photograph the crippled city.

Based on a 32-page letter written by earthquake survivor Mary Exa Atkins Campbell and the actual photographs taken by Edith Irvine, Earthquake at Dawn is a harrowing story of the courage and compassion of San Francisco's citizens, catastrophically thrown together in a world turned upside down. 

** A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

** A YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

**An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

** "Touching and exciting, this close-up has immediacy and an authentic voice that brings history vividly to life." -- Kirkus Reviews

** "Gregory does a good job of making the suffering and confusion dramatically vivid, and her writing style has vigor and pace." -- The Bulletin

Hello friends! 

I'm happy to announce a new Cabin Creek Mystery for readers aged 7 to 10. It's illustrated by my son, Cody Rutty, who now lives in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, with his wife and kitty. We're grateful for the technology that lets us collaborate from different coffee shops; mine near a snowy mountain, his with palm trees and village roosters.

click here

The story: 

It's summer in the mountain town of Cabin Creek with a new adventure for brothers Jeff and David and their cousin Claire. They've started a project to help their community: the Cabin Creek Pup Express. Their caravan of bikes and wagons picks up lonely dogs who need a walk or playtime by the lake. Along the way, the Pup Express follows a strange creature they see in the woods. 

 
When the animal appears to be injured they investigate what it is and from where it came. Their search takes them along a dangerous river through the dark woods, to a surprise discovery ... then to another surprise discovery!

"The Twist"

 A new burst of whimsy graces a corner of our living room: a joyful sunflower dancing in the wind. "The Twist," painted in acrylic and oil, makes me happy each morning when I wander in, coffee in hand, to start the day. 

The artist, my son Cody Rutty, has illustrated many of my books, including my Cabin Creek Mystery series (available on Amazon). For years we've had fun collaborating, but agree that the process of creating stories and art is mostly done, as he says, "in a sort of vast solitude." 

with the artistTo see a flower standing alone in the crack of a sidewalk, is to see beauty. It's just there, doing what it must. "Hello there!" it seems to say. This painting shows a solitary sunflower, "standing ebulliently wrapped in a scroll of its own making," says Cody. "It reminds me of the act of artistic creation."

 The water temperature was 46 degrees when these Seattle swimmers plunged into Elliott Bay last April. Some wore wetsuits, others were bare armed. Yikes, I thought, as I watched from the beach with these two seagulls. 

This reminded me of an editor's comment: "Kristi, I noticed that in all your books a character goes swimming. Even Cleopatra." Well, yes, of course! I'm a swimmer. When writing about Egypt, the Oregon Trail, or a sunny beach in California I get thirsty. Hot. Oh, if only Bronte or the Cabin Creek cousins could jump in and cool off ... hey, wait! They can! My pen soon describes the scene and all is well. I can finish the story. 

The Shadow at Shark Cove

Bronte's Book Club and Cabin Creek Mysteries #10 and #11 are set in Gray's Beach, a small town by the sea on the West Coast. It was fun to add sharks and octopuses, boogie boards and salt water. Diving under waves is a cold thrill but definitely 20 degrees warmer than in Seattle. 

I'm not sure if I'll write about an ice water swim. But you know, on second thought, I've heard that an amazing creature lives deep in Elliott Bay: the Giant Pacific Octopus.  Now that is an interesting story!

Hello Friends and Readers!  I'm excited to tell you about a recent update for the Cabin Creek #10: The Shadow at Shark Cove.

click hereCousins Jeff (13), David (11), and Claire (10) fly to Gray's Beach, California to spend the summer with their cousin Bronte Bella (13). 

Home of the GPO, Giant Pacific Octopus, they hope to see one up close. Their curiosity is sparked further when they learn about ancient cave drawings in one of the shoreline cliffs: a sea monster with eight arms sinking a canoe. Did this really happen or is it just a legend? 

When a shadowy creature bumps their little boat then swims into a forest of kelp, they have another mystery to solve! 

** Bronte's Book Club introduces Bronte when she moved from New Mexico to this small town by the sea.

5th graders, field tripIn 1960, in California, a few of us neighborhood kids started the Manhattan Beach 4th Street Book and Snack Club That wasn't its official name, but that's how we thought of it. We were nine years old. With younger siblings tagging along, we rode our bikes to the pier then up the hill to the library where whispering--quiet whispering--was strictly enforced. There we roamed the stacks until we each found a book to check out, its plastic cover then crackling against our handlebars as we rode home, fast, because of the treats that awaited us. It was the best part of the club, eating our snacks while looking out at the ocean. Though we never actually discussed the stories we read, we sure had fun. 

old friendsThe other day my niece Hailey sent a photo from a nearby library where she found a modest section of my books. "We're on a field trip to the Palos Verdes Public Library," she texted. "And here you are." My heart soared to see original editions from the Dear America and Royal Diaries series, somewhat ragged, but still in circulation. I have reprinted several different titles through Amazon, and thought it would be fun to post a link here.
The Great Railroad Race was one of my favorite to research and write:  click here
As the daughter of a newspaper reporter, 14-year-old Libby West keeps a diary account of the exciting events surrounding her during the building of the railroad in the West in 1868. 
I'm still thrilled to read letters from teachers and students studying American history. And our public library is still one of my happy places.

Jack, ferryboat captain
    The most fun playing with a three-year-old is their imagination. I recently hung out with our grandson Jack after he broke his leg on a trampoline. Despite his red cast he scooted around the house, rolled, and spun, laughing and narrating his games. The toy I brought him was a familiar kitchen item: an empty paper towel tube. He immediately knew its purpose and over several days put it into action: a sword, a telescope, a stick for his bongo drum. Among Legos it became a house chimney, an airport control tower, then a tunnel for tiny race cars. When he called himself a ferryboat captain I asked if he could see a lighthouse.     "Umm ... yes. There!" he said, aiming his spyglass at the dog. 
    I look forward to when Jack and I can read a Cabin Creek Mystery together. He's a little young now but I'm sure he'll be able to imagine a giant Pacific Octopus, a shark, and the tall haunted lighthouse.
click here