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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Discover California’s Fascinating History through This Adventure

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Yosemite Trail Discovered by Marie Sontag continues the exciting adventures of the Whitcomb Discoveries series for youth. via @chautonahavig

California’s history is full of adventure, and author Marie Sontag dives in with her Whitcomb Discoveries series. Beginning with the California Trail (and characters who were part of the ill-fated Donner party), Sontag mingles actual historical figures with her own characters to the past to life for today’s youth.

Marie Sontag Yosemite Trail Discovered

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Discover California’s Fascinating History through This Adventure

Mystery, adventure, ill-fated treks across the wilderness, new paths across uncharted territories–Marie Sontag offers it all.  Not only that, but you see the good and bad of all sides of history in a frank look at California before it was settled after Westward Expansion and statehood.

Not only that, but Marie Sontag also has new middle-grade and YA fiction coming that showcases other historical eras and places. I loved hearing about how she met readers who were connected with both series in one way or another.  And I also loved learning that her website offers videos she took while in the very places she writes about.

Check out the Whitcomb Discoveries and see if Daniel ever learns what happens to his parents, how he knows the Donner Party, and what life was like during the Gold Rush era.

The Yosemite Trail Discovered Marie SontagThe Yosemite Trail Discovered by Marie Sontag

Join sixteen-year-old Daniel Whitcomb as he juggles a growing relationship with Virginia Reed, one of the survivors of the Donner Party, helps his Miwok friend learn how to read and write, and manages the account ledgers for his guardian, Jim Savage at his trading posts in the California goldfields.

Is Jim correct when he says, You can’t possess what you can’t protect? Does that justify fighting the Yosemites after they attack Jim’s posts or the Mariposa Battalion’s entrance into Yosemite to rout out the Ahwahneechee? And will Daniel ever make it back to Illinois to solve the mystery of his parents’ deaths?

Yosemite Trail Discovered provides an intriguing read for YA readers as they explore the clash of cultures that led to the whites’ first public discovery of Yosemite Valley.

You can learn more about Marie Sontag on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget to check out those videos!

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 572: A Chat with Kari Trumbo
byChautona Havig

Mystery is my absolute favorite genre, so when I heard that Kari Trumbo had taken her Wayside Ranch and spun it off into a mystery series, you know I was excited. Kari? Plus mystery? Listen in and hear why Beneath Still Waters is next on my “must read” list!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Okay… mystery that isn’t focused on romance? That’s like this book was tailor-made for me! EEEP!

I love what Kari is doing with this series and now this spin-off. This is gonna be great!

Beneath Still Waters by Kari Trumbo

Fresh out of training and still haunted by a near-fatal shootout, Ferd Kincade retreats to Wayside Ranch to heal.

She expects quiet. Instead, she finds a body. When she discovers a mysterious boat washed ashore on a nearby lake, nothing about the scene makes sense and Ferd can’t walk away. Pulling Piper’s Ridge detective Duke Campose into the investigation, she soon uncovers signs of something far more dangerous than a simple murder.

Someone is hiding a deadly secret.

And they’re willing to kill again to keep it buried.

As the truth points to a ruthless drug operation, Ferd becomes the next target. Now, she’ll need every ounce of her training, and a lot of faith, to survive long enough to bring a killer to justice.

Don’t miss the giveaway that ends September 7th. Books will be shipped to US addresses, but feel free to enter from anywhere and have the book sent to a friend! No purchase necessary! Just click HERE to enter.

Learn more on Kari’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple
  • Castbox
  • Google Play
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  • and more!
Episode 572: A Chat with Kari Trumbo
Episode 572: A Chat with Kari Trumbo
August 19, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 571: A Chat with Lucas and Shauna Fischhaber
August 17, 2026
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Episode 570: A Chat with Niki Florica
August 15, 2026
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Episode 569: A Chat with Fayla Ott
August 10, 2026
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Episode 568: A Chat with Chelsea Bobulski
August 8, 2026
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Episode 567: A Chat with Roseanna M. White
August 5, 2026
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Episode 566: A Chat with Clint Hall
August 3, 2026
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Episode 565: A Chat with Taylor S. Newport
August 1, 2026
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Episode 564: A Chat with Sheri A. Bradley
July 27, 2026
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Episode 563: A Chat with Stephanie Mack
July 25, 2026
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