Uncover the hidden stories of California’s past
Unfamiliar Territory, releasing May 6, 2025, continues the story of Juanita Castro de la Cruz, a member of the Castro/Brennan family introduced in In This Land of Plenty.
Left with nothing at the end of the first novel, Juanita must summon courage and ingenuity to survive in her rapidly changing home. Set against the backdrop of California’s Gold Rush and Civil War years, this sweeping tale follows one woman’s relentless determination and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.
Follow Juanita’s captivating journey through the Gold Rush
As Gold Rush-era California becomes an American state in 1850, Juanita, a third-generation Mexican land grantee, has lost everything—her ranch, her son, and most of her family. Now, she must navigate a rapidly changing world, adapting to a new country, language, economy, religion, and culture. While struggling to survive, she embarks on a desperate search for her son, determined to reclaim a sense of family and home.
Praise for In This Land of Plenty
In this epic tale, Mary Smathers captures the grand sweep of California history from the arrival of the Spanish to 21st-century Silicon Valley through the bloodline of a single family. Secrets interweave with ambition, passion, betrayal, and upheaval as we follow the trail of Spanish, Franciscan, Mexican, and Californio settlement of a land that housed Native peoples for thousands of years.
Who are the saints, who the sinners, and the question of how we repair ourselves pulses throughout this story. You’ll ache for some of these people, loathe others, and be left with much to ponder on the complexities of love, culture, and family. And then you’ll want to read a sequel.
—Larry Habegger, Executive Editor, Travelers’ Tales
Short story collection
Fertile Soil: Stories of the California Dream
In Fertile Soil: Stories of the California Dream, Mary presents the light and dark sides of contemporary California, the perseverance of its residents, and the richness of its culture. Mary focuses on those who demonstrate tenacious resilience as they tackle adversity, accepting challenges they could more easily shirk.
Bilingual children’s books
Tropical Tales Series
Discover Tropical Tales, a delightful children's book series, written in English and Spanish. Each book features a jungle or ocean animal who faces challenges which a young child might experience. In addition, to combining a good story with Claudia’s gorgeous illustrations, Mary intends for these books to introduce the existence of different languages, and the concept of bilingualism, to very young children.
About Mary
Mary writes fiction for adults and children. Her debut novel, In This Land of Plenty, a family saga through California history, won multiple awards, including the 2021 California Book of the Year from BiblioLab’s Indie Author Project from America’s librarians, and a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Western Fiction. She’s also penned a collection of short stories set in California. In 2022, she published the first two bilingual children’s picture books in her Tropical Tales series. In early 2025, a sequel to her novel, set in Gold Rush California, will be available.
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