Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than 40 books, including Beneath the Bending Skies, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and five Will Rogers Gold Medallion Awards. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Rupert.
In this interview, Jane talks about a fan shared the story of one of the first female mail carriers, who braved the most treacherous route in Oregon to help her heal from heartache and loss. It’s a fascinating story Jane was delighted to based her latest fictional novel on.
FF: Please tell us about your new book, Across the Crying Sands.
This story is based on the life of Mary Gerritse, the first female mail carrier on the rugged Oregon Coast in the 1890s, as well as her rather unconventional yet inspiring life. It’s the first of a trilogy titled the Women of Cannon Beach, which is about strong women and the men in their lives and is set on an isolated section of the North Oregon Coast.
FF: What inspired you to write about Mary Edwards Gerritse, one of Oregon’s first female mail carriers in the 1890s?
A fan of mine drove several hours to attend a signing of another book I’d written and said, “You have to write about Mary!” Her enthusiasm, persistence, and help with research encouraged me.
FF: You’ve written extensively about pioneering women in history. How does Mary’s story differ from or complement your other historical heroines?
I’m always looking at where these pioneer women got their strength so Mary’s story complements the other stories I’ve written about strong female characters. But the differences between the stories are in the challenges of a rugged coast, the near loss of life, Mary’s difficulties with having children so close together in age, and how she managed her struggles.
FF: Mary takes on the dangerous postal route to reclaim her joy after loss. What drew you to explore grief and renewal through this particular lens?
Loss is a very common thread in the tapestry of human lives. Loss of loved ones, jobs, purpose, homes, identity, and more. Grief is one of the prices we pay for loving and caring and risking loss. People have a variety of ways of dealing with grief. Sometimes we skip over it and go directly to anger or despair. Working out that knot in the thread can be revealing to us, and I hope how Mary unraveled her thread offers some insights for readers.
FF: Across the Crying Sands touches on Mary’s questions about her family of origin. How common were such identity struggles among frontier women?
History is full of stories of parents of all races dying from disease or disaster and how orphaned children were often given to relatives to be raised. Many children may have never been told of their family of origin. It was not uncommon for families to “give up” a child because of an inability to provide for them. Some orphanages kept children with the idea that eventually a parent would return to claim them. Adults with such questions didn’t have the benefit of massive online databases to seek out their biological families, so it’s only now that descendants are discovering where they came from. Many family origin questions went unanswered. So I think Mary’s wonderings would have been a more common struggle than some might imagine.
FF: Can you tell us about the real-life historical figure who inspired Mary’s character?
Mary is a beloved person, iconic among Oregon Coastal pioneers. Her real-life trials involved homesteading in a rugged environment, dealing with the challenging landscape, a husband who was absent due to work, looking after her parents, dealing with four children who were close in age, and a medical emergency that almost took her life. But she persevered. With the help of others, she started the local library, wrote poetry, ran a boardinghouse, and eventually became the first woman mail carrier. Mary was written up in The Oregonian for her intrepid ways and good humor.
FF: The relationship between Mary and John Gerritse represents a strong partnership in homesteading. What historical sources helped you craft their dynamic?
I’ve researched and read through old diaries, interviews, letters, and collections of books about homesteading. In addition, my husband and I homesteaded for a number of years, so I was able to bring some personal experience into the research. I’ve included several official documents/books as part of my author notes.
FF: The Oregon coast’s “crying sands” were known for their treacherous conditions. Can you provide some insight into why this coastal area was given this name?
“Crying Sands” refers to the indigenous name for the place Mary loved and worked as a mail carrier. In the 1700s, several Native American women were swept away by a tsunami while they dug for mussels and clams. When you walk on that beach, the sand has a singing sound to it that the Nehalem Tillamook people said was the sound of the women crying.
FF: What did you learn about the unique challenges mail carriers faced on these routes?
The mail carriers had to deal with anything from gale-force winds to determining the tide before trekking across the sands with pack horses and mailbags. They also had to be aware of sleeper or sneaker waves that could unexpectedly sweep people and horses out to sea without warning. In addition, dangerous and high-elevation climbs and narrow passageways posed a great threat as the carriers wound their way along the Oregon Coast.
FF: Why do you think your stories featuring strong women from the past resonate with modern readers?
Resilience and creativity inspire us regardless of when they occur. I think it’s part of our journey as spiritual beings to discover who we are and to learn from the barriers put in our way. Reading about how other historical women maneuvered their trials gives contemporary readers hope.
FF: What lessons or takeaways do you hope readers will gain from reading your book?
That asking for help is a sign of strength and that family, friends, and faith are our greatest allies in this journey of life.
FF: What are you working on next?
Book 2 of the Women of Cannon Beach series. Mary anchors this story, and readers get to meet new historical women who are making their way on the remote beach.
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Across the Crying Sands
The Women of Cannon Beach, Book #1
Jane Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Revell
Genre: Historical
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
ISBN-10: 0800746090
ISBN-13: 978-0800746094
Book Summary:
In 1888 Mary Edwards Gerritse is a witty and confident young woman who spends as much time as possible outdoors on the rugged Oregon coast where she and her husband, John, have settled. The two are a formidable pair who are working hard to prove their homesteading claim and build a family. But as Mary faces struggles of young motherhood and questions about her family of origin, she realizes that life is far from the adventure she imagined it would be.
After losing the baby she’s carrying, grief threatens Mary, but she finds an unconventional way to bring joy back into her life–by taking over a treacherous postal route. As Mary becomes the first female mail carrier to traverse the cliff-hugging mountain trails and remote Crying Sands Beach, with its changing tides and sudden squalls, she recaptures the spark she lost and discovers that a life without risk is no life at all.
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