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When the Old Ways Became the Only Way
How Gary McAllister saved Pack Saddle by returning to his father’s “obsolete” pack trainsThere’s an irony at the heart of 1920s Idaho: the world kept telling people the pack train was dead while the mountains kept needing one. Trucks, rail, and roadbuilding pushed progress into valley towns, but steep passes, dense timber, and snow-choked trails didn’t read the newspapers. Where roads failed, pack strings still worked. Idaho State Historical Society+1The practical truthBy the mid-1920s, the headlines hailed motor freight and paved highways. In practice, however, steep canyons, high ridges, and foot trails left whole pockets of North Idaho beyond the reach…
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Welcome to 1927 North Idaho: Where Dreams Were Buried in Stumps
Step into the world of Pack Saddle Ranch, where clearing land could cost you everythingThe 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…
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Book One of Pack Saddle Ranch Done. What Next?
Hello, dear readers!I’m thrilled to share that Book One of the Pack Saddle Ranch series is now available in paperback-link below! If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, now’s the perfect time.What’s Next?I’m finalizing the outline for Book Two and will begin writing within the next couple of days. My goal is to have it ready by the end of November—ambitious, I know, especially with family celebrations and Thanksgiving on the calendar! Book Three is expected to be published by the end of December.After that, I’m diving back into the Woolsey Saga series with a story about Henry and Daniel Woolsey, the father and son who served as…
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The Beauty of Fall
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…
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Book Release: The Rancher’s Healing
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 CrooksAuthor of The Pack Saddle Ranch SeriesButton
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The Art of Finishing Strong
Grab your coffee. It’s newsletter time, and I’m elbow-deep in apples.This morning I’m starting the final preserve of the season—apple cider. My mom’s farm blessed me with another harvest, and I’ve spent weeks transforming those apples into butter, sauce, and fermented goodness. But cider? Cider is the grand finale. I’ll cut up every last apple, toss them in my roaster with oranges, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, then let the whole glorious mess roast for twenty-four hours. My house will smell like spiced heaven. Tomorrow I’ll jar it up, and that’ll be it. Canning season: complete.Well, almost complete. There’s still jelly…
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Why I Write Like I’ve Lived It (Because I Have)
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…
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From Amy’s Pen – Weekly Newsletter
Meet Evelyn Bennett.She’s a city girl. A nurse. Completely out of her element on a rural Idaho ranch in the middle of nowhere. She was just doing her job—caring for a man foolish enough to blow himself up with dynamite. But to do that job properly, she needed to whip three bachelor brothers into shape and scrub their filthy house from top to bottom. Otherwise, the man she was charged with healing would never survive his own home, let alone his injuries.In this week’s excerpt, Evelyn has been scrubbing for days. She’s attacked ash and grime, fought off a vicious…
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52 Ancestors: Flora May (Manning) Connor & Baby Geneva
I wrote this post back in 2009 on my other blog, “Untangled Family Roots.” This is one of my favorite treasures from my genealogy research days. Some day I’ll write a book about this experience and Grandma’s life. However, it’s one of those books that I keep starting and then putting down because it holds a special place in my heart, and I want it to be perfect. ———————————–2009As a result of more than two years of research, I was finally able to give my husband’s grandmother the gift she had most wanted. When she was a child, her mother, Flora…
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Banjo Roads and Dynamite Dreams: Inspiration in the Wild
Banjo Roads and Dynamite Dreams: Inspiration in the WildLast week, I shared that I was writing a new trilogy, Pack Saddle Ranch. This week I have exciting news! You can now grab your copy of Until We Meet Again (link below in Button), the prequel, to tide you over until I finish Healing the Rancher’s Heart. I’m close, so close. Today, I plan to complete the last chapter and then proceed directly to editing. If you’ve been with me through my last book series, you know this is the part I dread the most: editing. It’s painful! I sit here agonizing over whether…