Jean Hackensmith, Author
My Newest Release
My Newest Release
"The Silent War",
Book Eleven in
The Wilderness Saga
Now Available on Amazon!
When the Wachsmann family finds that their lands border a massive “cutoff”—a vast, stump-laden tract of land left behind by the lumber companies—they find themselves on the precipice of a devastating natural disaster. A subterranean peat fire has been smoldering for years and begins to surface on their property, threatening to swallow their grazing lands from below. To add insult to injury, the generous wages offered by the docks and shipyard in Superior siphon away their workers, forcing the family to return to a simpler time—a time when they each worked the dairy farm with their own two hands.
Meanwhile. a wealthy investor arrives with a brutal lure: dam a vital creek on their land to generate hydroelectric power. The proposal becomes a spark that detonates a generational rift. The younger members chase a future powered by electricity and progress; the elders fear the irreversible toll on the land’s wild heart and the legacy they’ve sworn to protect.
With the environment being overrun by disaster, finances on the edge, and loyalties strained to the point of rupture, the Wachsmann’s must wage a silent war against time itself.
Over 25,000 Copies Sold
Jacob made Rebecca a promise 14 years ago--one that he's determined to keep.
Exclusively on Amazon.com
Check out my new "Reader's Corner". This page features comments from actual readers. To have your comment displayed in the "Reader's Corner," simply join my Mailing List below and write a review. That comment will then appear in the "Reader's Corner within a day or two! If you leave a comment, it will be assumed that you are giving your permission for it to appear in "The Reader's Corner. Good or bad, I want to hear what you think!
Want to be notified by email when a new book is released? Sign up now!
If you liked "The Promise," you will LOVE
"Seeds of Hope"
Book One in "The Dirty Thirties Saga"
Where ambition forges
with resilience
What Am I Working On Now?
Ingrid Jones, Cover Illustrator
I’m an Australian designer and artist now living in Cape Town with my family, where I get to combine my love of creativity with my passion for storytelling. Designing is my way of evoking emotion and working with Jean Hackensmith has been a truly special journey. Her excellent stories—whether set in the rich farming times of the 19th century or the thrill of modern crime—have not only inspired me but also taught me so much about those eras and lifestyles. Together we’ve found a wonderful synergy, and I feel very lucky to create covers that capture the heart of her stories.
The surgery went well, and I am back to work on "In The Comet's Shadow," Book Twelve in The Wilderness Saga. The book is complete. Once it goes through the editing process, I'll make it available on Amazon. (I anticipate this happening around the beginning of March.)
I am also about 50 pages into Book Four in "The Dirty Thirties" Saga, titled "Into The Dust". This will be the FINAL book in that series. I jumped 30 years to the beginning of The Dust Bowl, for the simple reason that, if I hadn't done so, I think the series would have gotten boring and that's the last thing any author ever wants. Hopefully, after reading "Into The Dust", you'll agree I did the right thing. Unlike The Promise," which was basically a romance that just happened to take place during the Dust Bowl, "Into The Dust" IS the Dust Bowl. The reader will see The Dirty Thirties from every angle, including what caused it, how families coped (or didn't) and how it finally came to an end. It will be an epic you won't want to miss.
Below is the blurb for "Into The Dust"
Nate Adammson is the last guardian of his family’s 320-acre kingdom, a legacy his father, Lucas, carved from the prairie after escaping the deadly Pennsylvania coal mines forty years ago. But as wheat prices collapse and the "Great Plow-Up" turns the soil to powder, Nate is doubling down on a dying hand—breaking more sod and inviting a disaster that threatens to bury them all.
When Micky Kaluza, the sharp-edged daughter of a miner from Lucas’s past, arrives with a tin box of secrets, she brings a bracing truth: the land Nate is killing himself to save is becoming his grave.
As the first "Black Rollers" of the Dust Bowl era scream across the Panhandle and the Bank of Beaver City moves to seize the deed to the farm, Nate must choose. Will he cling to the pride of a farmer, or find the grit of a survivor? The Anonymous Miner is silent. Now, his son must find his own voice before the dust swallows him whole.
A Note From Jean
I am excited to announce that, due to Amazon's Kindle Translate BETA testing program, almost all of my books are now available in Spanish, with many more languages coming soon. The translation is done by AI, but I am told by some spanish-speaking friends that it does a very good job. So, here's hoping! There are a few books that are still awaiting Amazon's approval for Kindle Translate, but hopefully they will be availabe in Spanish as well very soon.
Jean Hackensmith
I have been writing since the age of twenty. (That’s 49 years and, yes, I’m disclosing my age.) I am the proud mother of three and grandmother to four wonderful grandchildren. After losing who I thought was the love of my life, my late husband Ron, in November of 2011, I met Rick. So, it is definitely possible to have more than one "love of your life." Rick and I were married in July of 2018 and are still going strong today. He is my soulmate, my confidant, and my biggest fan. He has read every book I have ever written (even the romances!)
Next to writing, my second passion is live theater. I founded a local community theater group back in 1992 and directed upwards of 40 shows, including three that I authored. I also appeared on stage a few times, portraying Anna in The King and I and Miss Hannigan in Annie. I am sad to say that the theater group dropped its final curtain in 2008, but those 16 years will always hold some of my fondest memories.
I moved from Superior 15 years ago, seeking the serenity of country living. I also wanted to get away from the natural air conditioning provided by Lake Superior. We moved only 50 miles south, but the temperature can vary by 20-30 degrees. I guess I’m a country girl at heart. I simply love this area, and am lucky to, once again, have someone to share its beauty. I love the solitude, the picturesque beauty of the sun rising over the water, the strangely calming effect of watching a deer graze outside your kitchen window. Never again, will I live in the city. I am an author, after all, and what better place to be inspired than in God’s own back yard.
BOOK EIGHT
In The Wilderness Saga
Now Available In eBook, Audiobook
and Paperback!