Writing a novel has been both the most fun thing I’ve ever done and also the hardest thing. Three+ years in the making, The Meadowlark represents the “Idaho” book I always knew was in me. The first full draft was finished right before the pandemic. From there, the journey had tortuous moments, ploddingly slow moments, rejection, and triumph. To have it go live on Saturday, November 19, 2022 was a dream, a culmination of blood, sweat, and tears (well, no blood, but significant deep feeling).

Here’s the overview:

In 1885, southeastern Idaho was the last part of the country to open for homesteading. Young Cassie Rapp arrives with her family to farm a country overrun by sagebrush and lacking water. With others they meet, they harness the mighty Snake River and turn 100,000 acres of barren earth into the rich farm community it is today.

Meanwhile, modern-day character Emma Rose, a notable speaker and business consultant, is trying to make sense of her recently deceased father’s request to be buried in a small Idaho town. Her journey of discovery begins from there.

The Meadowlark is a sweeping saga of generations of powerful women set against the building of the American West and a modern discovery of deep family roots. Rich in historical detail and human emotion, this is the story of the uphill struggles endured by the people settling this country and the pride, perseverance, and faith it takes to succeed then or now.