The Ancestral Pen

  Most of you like historical fiction, but this book is a little different. This one is non-fiction with a little creative flair to make it enjoyable to read. This is another story where I reached my 2x great-grandparents Jerry and Rachel Roe and couldn't find records to grow my tree further back in time. I didn't even have any suspicions or ideas about where to find the information. So this one remained unsolved for more than fifteen years until my mother did a DNA test for me. It wasn't long before a lovely lady, Rhonda, contacted me to say she was a cousin. She asked me a strange question: "Did your mom speak Romani, and were your mom and dad both gypsy?" I really did not know how to answer that, other than, "No, why?" As it turns out, we were descended from a long line of Romani ancestors who came to America in the mid-1800s to escape persecution in England, only to suffer the same fate here. But this time the families began to systematically assimil...

  Step into the world of Pack Saddle Ranch, where clearing land could cost you everything The first thing you need to understand about northern Idaho in 1927 is this:  the land didn't want you there. Not in a mystical sense—though the old-timers might argue otherwise after too much whiskey. No, the land resisted in a far more practical way. After the great lumber companies swept through like locusts, harvesting centuries-old pines and leaving behind a moonscape of stumps, the real work began. Welcome to stump ranch country. What Was a Stump Ranch? Picture this: You've just bought "cleared" timberland at a bargain price. The lumber company took the trees—those magnificent western white pines and Douglas firs that once towered 150 feet high. What they left behind were stumps. Hundreds of them. Some ten feet across, roots running twenty feet deep, refusing to surrender even in death. Your new "farm" looks like a graveyard of wooden tombstones. This was the real...

  Hi everyone! I'm writing to you from my favorite spot—my chaise lounge by the big window, looking out at beautiful fall colors. It's too foggy to see much today, but a few days ago I caught a glimpse of snow on Switzer Mountain peaks. Winter is just around the corner! The seasonal preserving is mostly done (all those apples are finally put up!), though I still need to grab some pumpkins for holiday cooking since I didn't grow any this year. And speaking of having more time, my husband and I finally finished restoring the Hummer H2 we've been working on! I got to drive it for the first time a few weeks ago when I picked up apples from my mom's. It's such a beast of a vehicle—I love it, though parking is... an adventure. Definitely not a tight-spaces kind of ride! On the writing front, I'm deep into outlining Book 2 of the Pack Saddle Ranch series,  The Outlaw's Redemption . For the first time, I'm using AutoCrit to help with the outlining process. I...

  Book Release 👉  Get your copy on Kindle today! And if you enjoy it, leaving a quick review on Amazon helps more readers discover the series than you can imagine. 💛 Thank you for being part of this journey — from my research notes to your Kindle screen. I'm still finalizing the paperback cover, but the paperback should be available soon for those of you who prefer a physical book in your hands. The next story (Alfred’s!) is already taking shape, and I can’t wait to share what’s next at Pack Saddle Ranch. Warmly, Amy Crooks Author of The Pack Saddle Ranch Series Button

  And no, I'm not talking about a ghost story or other forms of woo-woo. I'm writing this newsletter on my laptop while jars of applesauce, apple butter, and fermented apples cool on the counter. My daughter just came in from collecting eggs, warning me that Butt Head (yes, that's really his name) is being particularly aggressive today. In my upcoming novel,  The Rancher's Healing at Pack Saddle Ranch , there's a scene where Evelyn battles a vicious rooster with a broomstick. That scene came straight from my experience with Butt Head. We literally keep a stick by the coop door for exactly that purpose. This is why I write historical fiction. One Foot in the Past, One in the Future From age four to sixteen, my family belonged to an Old Fashion Pentecostal church in California—yes, that was literally its name. We dressed like we were from 1920, gardened, raised goats, rabbits, and chickens. But we weren't Amish. We had cars, a microwave, and here's what I'...

  View in browser   Well, summer is almost over. For me, that means canning season is about to begin—but this year, I’ve added writing a good ghost story into the mix. In my last newsletter, I shared that I’m entering the Writers of the Future contest. The work is well underway: I now have a cover and a first draft. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be polishing it up and preparing to submit it by the end of the month. Here’s a sneak peek from  The Crossing Hour : When Clara invests everything she has into restoring Willowshade Manor, she envisions fresh paint, polished antiques, and a thriving bed-and-breakfast. What she doesn’t expect is the house’s past reaching out to claim her. The Whitmore family’s diaries reveal unspeakable horrors, while strange symbols carved into doorframes hint at a curse that binds the living and the dead... the past and the present. Each discovery pulls Clara deeper into a web of bloodlines, betrayal, and restless spirits. Now Clara must choose—d...