The Pumpkin Trails of Three Spruces is Almost Here!

I’ve been spending most of September buried in illustrations, editing, formatting, and all the other little things that go into finishing a book, but The Pumpkin Trails of Three Spruces is finally getting close!

This one is a little different from my other children’s books. It’s a cozy middle-grade chapter book for roughly ages 8–12, and the first book set in the fictional town of Three Spruces, Oregon, tucked into the Cascade Mountains.

And Three Spruces takes October pretty seriously.

Every year, kids from around town head into Wandering Spruces State Park for the Great Pumpkin Hunt, following maps, solving clues, and searching the trails for hidden pumpkins. This year is the 50th Great Pumpkin Hunt, and ten-year-old Evelyn is determined to finally get her hands on the pumpkin trophy.

Evelyn is a nature nerd, a bookworm, fiercely competitive, and happens to have a limb difference. She heads into the hunt with her best friends, Vivian and Wyatt, but between rival teams, tricky clues, family antics, and a whole lot of pumpkins, things don't exactly go according to plan.

It’s an autumn adventure with flashlights in the woods, jack-o’-lanterns, evergreen trails, crisp October weather, friendship, competition, and plenty of pumpkin-related chaos. There are Halloween elements throughout, but it isn't a scary Halloween book, so I especially wanted it to be something kids who love this time of year could enjoy without needing to be into spooky stories.

Hopefully coming with me to Spokane on October 3!

I’m currently aiming to have the first copies ready in time for WSECU Fall Fest in Spokane on Saturday, October 3, where I’ll have a vendor booth for the day.

The event runs 11 a.m.–5 p.m. at Riverfront Park & River Park Square in Spokane, and admission is free. There will be activities happening throughout downtown for families, so if you’re local to Spokane or the surrounding area, come find me!

Assuming everything stays on schedule with the book, I’ll have copies of The Pumpkin Trails of Three Spruces there along with my other books and some of the book goodies I’ve been putting together.

Preorders are open now

The Pumpkin Trails of Three Spruces is now available to preorder directly through my website. I also put together some pumpkin plushie + book goodie bundles for anyone who wants the extra fun stuff along with their copy.

Once the book officially releases, the regular book by itself will also be available through Amazon and other major online booksellers, so there will be plenty of ways to find it if you aren't local or don't need a plush pumpkin tagging along. :)

For now, I’m back to finishing the last bits and hoping all of my publishing timelines cooperate so I can bring a stack of brand-new pumpkin books to Spokane on October 3.

I’m very ready to finally see this one as an actual book instead of approximately 900 different files open on my computer.