I'm excited to announce the latest book by author Cheryl Grey Bostrom, What the River Keeps. This is a book that will enchant you with its descriptions of the Pacific Northwest while unraveling the complicated emotional lives of the characters. If you're looking for a love story steeped in nature and layered with mystery, suspense, and subtle spiritual themes of forgiveness and healing, this could be your next read. Join us as we celebrate the launch of this book with a giveaway and an interview with the author.
But before we get to that, here's more about her book:
Cheryl Grey Bostrom has a writing voice unlike anyone else. When you see the world through the eyes of her stories, you see a beauty and depth few authors can achieve. What the River Keeps is a deliberate
and thoughtful portrait of a young woman searching for truth and for herself, perfect for fans of authors
such as Erin Bartels and Leif Enger.
--Katie Powner, Christy Award–winning author of When the Road Comes Around
Hildy Nybo is a successful biologist, her study of the Pacific Northwest’s wild fish both a passion and a career. But behind her professional brilliance, Hildy’s reclusive private life reflects a childhood fraught with uncertainty. Haunted by the confusion of her early years, she now records her life in detailed diaries and clings to memory-prompting keepsakes.
Then her mother’s health fails, and Hildy accepts a job near her childhood home, joining a team of scientists who will help restore her beloved Elwha River after two century-old dams fall. There Hildy settles into a cabin on her family’s rustic resort—a place she both loves and dreads, for reasons she can’t fully explain.
When a local artist rents an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio, Hildy resists the intrusion—until intriguing Luke Rimmer arrives to help with the cabin’s renovation. Now a few years beyond a tragedy that brought him to his knees, Luke recognizes a kindred soul in Hildy. As he earns her trust, they uncover her mysterious history, and Hildy dares to wonder if she can banish her shadows—and follow her river’s course to freedom.
Publisher: Tyndale Fiction (August 12, 2025)
ISBN: 1496481585
ISBN: 978-1496481580
AISN: B0DK3ZW85L
Print length: 368 pages
Purchase your copy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, Kobo and Audible. You'll also want to add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Cheryl Grey Bostrom
A keen student of the natural world and the workings of the human heart, Pacific Northwest author,
Cheryl Grey Bostrom captures the mystery and wonder of both in her lyrical, riveting fiction. Her novels Sugar Birds (Christy finalist, Amazon bestseller, and Book of the Year) and Leaning on Air have won more than two dozen industry honors, among which are CT’s Fiction Award of Merit and American Fiction, Reader’s Favorite, Carol, Nautilus, Best Book, Foreword Indies, and International Book Awards.
An avid birder and nature photographer, Cheryl lives in rural Washington State with her husband and three irrepressible Gordon setters.
Website: https://CherylBostrom.com
Birds in the Hand blog: https://cherylgreybostrom.substack.com
Facebook: Cheryl Grey Bostrom
Facebook: Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom
Instagram: @cherylgreybostrom
--Interview by Jodi M. Webb
WOW: Congratulations on your latest book, What the River Keeps! This book peeks at the life of Hildy, a biologist working on the rivers of Washington state. How do you know so much about things like dismantling dams, fisheries and the life of a biologist?
Cheryl: Thanks . . . and thanks for asking!
I was practically weaned on those topics. Raised a few miles from Olympic National Park’s Elwha River, I first roamed the pristine Elwha Valley with my grandparents, who taught me to treasure its ecosystem. Too, I rowed on the Lake Aldwell reservoir and fished for the Elwha’s giant, dwindling chinooks in Port Angeles salmon derbies. Our family visited hatcheries, and we smoked, grilled and canned salmon we caught. Because a childhood friend’s dad worked in the Elwha powerhouse, that dam was on my early radar, too. When I married a veterinarian similarly intrigued by rivers and fish, my interest only grew.
Regardless, I’m not an expert, so when I decided to have the river’s re-wilding parallel Hildy’s release from mysterious generational strongholds, I looked to others for accuracy about the Elwha’s restoration. Fortunately, online materials were endless. Since the Elwha project was the largest dam removal to date anywhere, Tribal and government researchers and scientists accumulated reams of data, photos, analyses, and videos. I also consulted several experts involved in all phases of the restoration—including a 30-year fish biologist with the Lower Elwha Klallams and a USGS research ecologist. Their insights (and manuscript checks) were golden.
WOW: Since you wrote nonfiction for many years, I suppose you’re researching and interviewing skills came in handy. Can you talk a little about your journey into fiction?
Cheryl: Ah . . . I fell in love with writing at age five, when Mrs. Obermeyer gave me my first fat pencil at school. I still have early poems I scrawled in soft graphite on my wide-ruled tablet. I was ten when I told my grandmother I’d write a novel someday, but by my late fifties, I was still chin-deep in non-fiction writing.
Then my first grandchild Gwyn arrived, and my focus shifted. Wanting to write for her and her someday self, I dove into fiction, learning all I could about the craft. When a workshop sketch about a tree-climbing girl turned into Sugar Birds, I dedicated the book to my Gwynie.
WOW: In What the River Keeps you lightly touch on the characters’ faith and beliefs. How do you think the inclusion of faith elevates your writing?
Cheryl: Few would deny that we humans are physical, emotional, and spiritual beings—and that whether we acknowledge it or not, we all choose beliefs that direct our worldviews and guide our choices. Whether readers believe in the God of the Bible as I do or in something else entirely, when they engage the spirituality of my characters (whose beliefs vary), they enter depths of human motivation that are rich fodder for discussion and introspection.
My books grapple with real life in this beautiful, but broken world, where spirituality shapes outcomes mightily. Themes of restoration and redemption thread my plots, but I don’t hard-sell faith, nor do I offer platitudes or easy solutions to life’s trials. Even so, some won’t be interested. I get that. Not every book appeals to me, either.
WOW: As with your first two novels, Sugar Birds and Leaning on Air, this book captures the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with breathtaking language. Any tips on how writers can effectively capture the essence of a place? Your writing is so vivid it made me wish I was an artist so I could draw the places you described.
Cheryl: The only sketching I do is with words, so I love hearing that!
I guess I’d suggest that writers draw their settings not as static backdrops to story, but as characters. We could brainstorm for hours about ways to do that, but one thing’s sure: when a story’s humans engage with a dynamic setting, the synergy can be magic. As place mirrors and interacts with character motivations and themes, readers will feel that setting’s pulse.
WOW: Have you ever considered writing a book outside of the Pacific Northwest?
Cheryl: Not yet . . . I’ve hardly tapped Pacific Northwest settings I know best, and since they’re the places I love to inhabit as I write, I think I’ll stay. My next book’s set in Washington’s San Juan Islands with earthquakes and wildlife and the living, breathing Salish Sea. You couldn’t tear me away.
WOW: Until today I had never heard of the Salish Sea and now I can’t wait for your next book! Thanks for giving us a peek at your writing life.
--Blog Tour Calendar
August 11th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Cheryl Grey Bostrom's nature infused love story What the River Keeps. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.
August 12th @ One Writer's Journey
Stop by for a post about the Five Birds that Make Life Better and a review of What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.
August 13th @ Writer Advice
Novelist Cheryl Grey Bostrom is visiting with her thoughts on The Deliciousness of Book Clubs.
August 14th @ Knotty Needle
Read a review of What the River Keeps and author Cheryl Grey Bostrom's guest post: Re-wilding Ourselves Through Nature Novels.
August 16th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Enjoy a fun interview with novel writer Cheryl Grey Bostrom.
August 18th @ What Is That Book About
Luxuriate in nature with a spotlight on the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.
August 19th @ Word Magic
Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom is stopping by to write about Nature as Guide through Wilderness of Heart.
August 20th @ Nikki's Book Reviews
Nikki's sharing her thoughts on the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.
August 21st @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews & Interviews
Meet the author behind What the River Keeps and other novels set in the Pacific Northwest.
August 25th @ Beverley A. Baird
Need a good read for the waning days of summer? Beverly's sharing her review of What the River Keeps.
August 26th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Enter to win a copy of What the River Keeps. Have fun with author Cheryl Grey Bostrom translating Bird Language for Our Inner Lives.
August 27th @ Create Write Now
Cheryl Grey Bostrom writes about the power of nature in Created to Heal: How Nature Illustrates the Design of Our Hearts.
August 28th @ Words by Webb
Jodi reviews a novel that is ideal for nature lover and women's fiction: What the River Keeps.
August 29th @ Beverley A. Baird
Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom is visiting with a guest post on What's the Draw to Faith in Women's Fiction?
September 2 @ A Storybook World
Novelist Cheryl Grey Bostrom is writing about Three Ways Nature Novels Speak to Our Hearts and recommending a few of her favorites.
September 4th @ Reading Is My Remedy
Take flight with author Cheryl Grey Bostrom with Bird Lessons - What Winged Creatures Can Teach Us. They'll also be a review of her latest novel What the River Keeps.
September 5th @ Storeybook Reviews
Check out the spotlight on Cheryl Grey Bostrom and her latest novel What the River Keeps.
September 9th @ Boys' Mom Reads!
Looking for a new book for a new month? Karen's reviewing the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.
September 10th @ Choices
Cheryl Grey Bostrom shares lessons she's learned after writing three novels.
September 12th @ Chapter Break
Today's guest is Cheryl Grey Bostrom, author of several novels set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
September 14th @ Jill Sheet's Blog
Today's the last day for the blog tour for What the River Keeps! We're ending on a high note with a post by author Cheryl Grey Bostrom about Improving Your Writing through Photography -- and Other Art.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a print copy of What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends August 24th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
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