Intersection Column | With a Little Help from My Friends

by Jane Kirkpatrick

It's my fan's fault. Suzy Wintjen, who reads my books based on the lives of historical women, drove several hours thirteen years ago to a signing I had in another state just to tell me about the woman anchoring With the Enduring Tides. Mary Edwards Gerritse was the first woman to deliver mail by horseback along the often treacherous and rugged North Oregon Coast in the 1890s. She was married with four children at home when she made that momentous choice. I encouraged my fan Suzy to write the story; but she kept encouraging me.

Finally, three years ago, with my husband's health deteriorating and knowing I couldn't travel as I had for research—he usually went with me and drew all the maps, came up with important tidbits for the plot, too—I thought I'd give this story a try. I pitched it to my editor as a three-book series and lo and behold, she liked the idea! Revell named the series "The Women of Cannon Beach" and Across the Crying Sands is book one.

I hadn't written a series in over twenty years. I remembered that the second book can become the muddle in the middle with the storyline having to answer the questions of book one while posing new questions that will hopefully be answered in book three! But God is good and He sent me that special fan who not only loved the story of Mary, but turned out to be a great researcher and story consultant. Another plus was that her husband and mine became friends along with their writerly wives.

What surprised me in writing book two is that the theme of finding purpose after a significant life challenge wasn't what I'd planned to write about. I thought it would be a story about friends helping each other—and With the Enduring Tides is about community and care. But it is also about discovering who we are in the hard times and trusting who we belong to in that journey called life.

Plot-wise, Mary must decide how to support her daughter who doesn't want to live with her family, but with her grandparents. Mary learns of her mother's problems when her father tells her he's hired a caretaker rather than moving back to live with Mary’s family. Meanwhile, other women, one widowed, another hoping for a marriage that cannot be, and an indigenous woman, are also exploring where they belong and to whom they belong.

I wrote most of this book while caring for my husband. He passed away when the book was in its editing phase, when wonderful editors post "queries" about "Did you mean…?" a polite way of saying, "This wasn't clear. Maybe make this change." I found it gratifying to know I worked on a story that he had a part in, and had rejoiced with me when I finally discovered where Jewell (of book one) had disappeared to, and had scoped out possible complications for Olivia and Herbie, Mary and John, Virginia and her little girl Cora, as well as Henrietta, the elder of the women of Cannon Beach. Through it all, I could call my super fan Suzy, and ask her landscape questions, historical queries, and whether what I'd written rang true to her discerning mind. She baked dozens of cupcakes for my husband's memorial service, too. She's obviously more than a fan now, she's a friend.

And in an odd but comforting way, the poem I wrote for my character's pen turned out to comfort me in the great loss of my life. God and friends helped Mary recognize the endurance of love, riding on the metaphor of the enduring tides. It's my hope that any readers facing challenges will find inspiration, ideas, joy, and healing in this book. And really, who isn't facing a challenge? Whether it’s about how to help a child with a school problem, how to support a young family on a tight budget, or how to make a career change. Or, like me, how to find a new purpose when no longer part of a marital team.

It's my hope readers will see the friendship between me and Suzy appear in the story, and find comfort about how historical women made their way with the help of family, friends, and faith.

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About the Author

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than forty books. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and five Will Rogers Gold Medallion Awards. Jane lives in Central Oregon with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Rupert. Learn more at JKBooks.com.

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About the Book

Inspired by a true story, this heartwarming tale of female friendship, family reconciliation, and pioneering spirit set on the Oregon coast explores themes of identity, forgiveness, and finding strength through faith and community in early 1900s American West.