Two New Jane Kirkpatrick Books

Any history buffs or quilters out there?

I really liked Jane Kirkpatrick's Change and Cherish Historical Series, which featured Emma Giesy and her life story as she moved west with her husband in the 1800's. He and several other men were members of a scouting party sent out by their religious leader seeking to establish a new communal colony. They eventually founded the Aurora Colony in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

With that in mind, I was excited to get my hands on this beautiful new non-fiction book, Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community, and Craft. It is a combination history book and quilt book. Featured are quilts made by members of the colony, family photographs, histories, and lush descriptions of the fine colony crafts and skills which intertwined the colony members with the surrounding villages.

Kirkpatrick's detailed research with the Aurora Colony Historical Society and direct contact with descendants of colony families makes this hardback book a rich delight to read.




If you like historical fiction, get ready for Jane Kirkpatrick's newest novel, A Flickering Light. It was inspired by her grandmother who traveled and worked as a photographer's assistant in the early 1900's.

"Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F. J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.
With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man's profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attaction to the very married Mr. Bauer.
This luminous coming-of-age tale defly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing--and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on."

This is the first book in Kirkpatrick's Portrait of a Woman series.


Both books are published by WaterBrook Press.
They can be purchased through www.randomhouse.com