Fertile Soil: Stories of the California Dream

by Mary Smathers

The eleven stories in this collection bring to life every day, hard-working Californians who demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. Light and dark sides of contemporary society emerge as the reader meets:
• a teenager who tries to survive and complete her school work even though her father frequently locks her out of their apartment
• a minimum wage earner who needs three jobs to support her family and battle the shrinking value of her dollar in the San Francisco Bay Area
• an elementary school principal who provides leadership for his impoverished Central Valley neighborhood beset by immigration tensions
• a suburban working mom forced to add cancer treatments to her busy schedule
• a homeless man and a finance executive whose lives intersect on the streets of downtown LA
• two little boys who confront wildlife danger as they walk home from school
The final five stories spin a loosely connected thread from Mexican and Gold Rush era pioneers to their descendants at the development of Silicon Valley and on to the economic disparities Californians face today. The entire collection portrays the state’s innovative residents struggling with complex issues, amidst its quintessential landscape, a never-ending target for dreamers.

248 pages, ebook

Published August 6, 2016

About the author

Mary writes fiction for adults and children. Unfamiliar Territory, released in May, 2025, follows a key character from her first novel into Gold Rush California. In This Land of Plenty, a family saga set in California history, was popular with book clubs and won multiple awards, including the 2021 Fiction Book of the Year from BiblioLab’s Indie Author Project--California, and a Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Western Fiction. Mary also has published a collection of contemporary short stories, Fertile Soil: Stories of the California Dream and a bilingual children’s picture book series set in the tropics, Tropical Tales.

Before focusing on writing, Mary had a full career in California public education, serving as a teacher, administrator, teacher trainer, grant writer, and educational entrepreneur, helping to found three education companies and a public charter school. She divides her time between California’s Monterey Peninsula and Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast.

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent set of short stories that capture the joys and sorrows and complexity of living in CA through the years. I especially liked the series of stories that touch on one family at different points in their lives: different years, different dreams.

[Karen Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For whatever reason, I was expecting historical stories...the 1800's type. Fooled me. lol It was however, an interesting read. You were drawn in to each vignette and end up wanting to know more when it was finished. I did like how the last several chapters tied in to each other. It was well written and enjoyable to read.