Local author releases latest novel

Camano Island author Mary Trimble’s latest novel, “Tenderfoot,” is set for release this month. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, spewing lava, ash and the historical backdrop for Mary Trimble’s third novel, “Tenderfoot.”

“Tenderfoot” is a suspenseful story of the drama and romance between a professional writer and a weathered rancher. Set in the context of a working cattle ranch and a cantankerous volcano, the novels roots reach back 29 years and tap Trimble’s “long interest in modern ranching,” she said.

Trimble and her husband, Bruce, were in Africa with the Peace Corps when news of Mount St. Helen’s eruption came to them over the radio waves, in a British newscaster’s accent.

When the couple returned to the states in 1981, they traveled to the areas surrounding the eruption site. Trimble, who has written more than 400 magazine articles, knew exactly what to do.

“I planted myself in a barber shop and talked to people,” Trimble said.

She was also introduced to a woman park ranger, who told Trimble a story of fishing near the mountain when it blew.

“They were just getting set up for fishing when it erupted,” Trimble recounted.

The woman’s hair-raising journey to safety earned a place in “Tenderfoot,” along with other tidbits Trimble gleaned from years of research.

“I took the timeline of events and some historical facts, people and quotes, and I wove my story around it,” Trimble said. “It was a very exciting project for me.”

Trimble said designing the cover was fun, too.

While traveling through Eastern Oregon with her husband, they stopped to watch some ranch hands on horseback. Her husband photographed them as they unloaded a stock trailer and sorted cattle.

When discussion turned to the book’s cover, Trimble’s husband pulled out one of the photos.

What about this, he asked?

Trimble saw only one problem: The ranch hands were all men, and Trimble’s protagonist was a woman.

“So, he slimmed her down and gave her a pony tail,” Trimble said.

Perfect.

“Tenderfoot” follows in the tradition of Trimble’s other novels, “Rosemount” (2000) and “McClellan’s Bluff” (2002), both of which were released in electronic format first, followed by print a year later. However, “Tenderfoot” is debuting in electronic and print formats simultaneously.

Copies of Trimble’s book can be purchased at Snowgoose Bookstore in Stanwood and Karen’s Kitchen at Camano Plaza.

For more information, visit www.marytrimblebooks.com.