MY STORY

Patricia Hartmann

Patricia Hartmann treasures the warmth of small-town life in Ojai where shopkeepers know your name, as well as your business, and where no one is in too much of a hurry to stop and chat. She is a lover of nature and enjoys portraying the beauty and grandeur of the natural world in her novels as a living counterpoint to her character’s own struggles and triumphs.
“A good story has the power to change lives,” she says. “I want to give my readers hope, courage and an awakened appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. And renewed trust in the strength and resilience of the human spirit.”
Using her own unique life experiences, Patricia weaves in the distinct flavors of topics ranging from the sea, tide pooling, citrus ranching, Christmas tree farming, school teaching, house building, being a landlord, nature, cooking comfort food, nurturing life-long friendships, mature love and the value of elders.
She is a master story-teller whose novels give the reader a sense of hope, expectancy, and faith in the power of love to redeem hearts and lives.
She is also an historical scholar of the history and legacy of her home town of Ojai, California and of Yosemite National Park, her two historical novels reflecting her deep love and commitment to these special places.

Patricia’s Books

Lonesome Mountain

When her great-aunt Daffodil dies, Lizzy unexpectedly inherits “Sweet Apple Farm” near the town of Buttermilk Falls in Northern California—the spot where she spent an idyllic summer as a child.

She hires Gabe to repair the farmhouse and bonds with his timid daughter, Chloe, as a stray dog shows up, a runaway illegal faces an uncertain fate, and a mysterious light on the mountain hints at trouble.

In the shadow of Lonesome Mountain, will Lizzy and Gabe finally accept Aunt Daffy’s nearly forgotten invitation to Live Simply, Love Deeply?

Secrets of Sandpiper Cove

The salt air bristled with lightning as Rachel stepped nervously out onto the precarious widow’s walk of the old lighthouse. Suspended between earth and sky, she scanned the angry, wind-whipped sea for any sign of the man whose marriage proposal she’d just refused.

Rachel battles to make a future for herself and her young daughter, Angela, by turning her Grand-Papa’s old Victorian into a bed and breakfast. But disturbing revelations shake her confidence.

Against the backdrop of a vast and eternal sea, shadowed by the worst kind of betrayal, can Rachel triumph over her fear that love breaks all …

Yosemite—One Last Golden Summer

Colby was born and raised in Yosemite. Desperate for healing, he returns to the “granite womb” as a park ranger. The summer is both a homecoming and a last chance to reconnect with his estranged son, Jake.
Skylar’s husband has gone missing in the park’s backcountry. Facing an uncertain future, she tries to put the past behind her as she spearheads a project to restore the crumbling Wawona Hotel fountain.

Yosemite, dominated by iconic Half Dome, holds both danger and promise. Can Colby and Skylar find in each other, the healing grace of this one last golden summer?

Ojai—Pink Moment Promises

The simplicity of Ojai farm girl Meggie Baxter’s life is shattered when she must choose between loyalty to her rough-hewn friend, Rusty, and the dashing Charles.

Amid tragedy and loss, Meggie clings to the promise of God’s love. The “pink moment,” the evening sunset casting a rosy hue like a prayer across the Topa Topa Mountains, points her again and again to faith and courage.

Midst the idyllic beauty of the Ojai Valley and the crushing forces of change, will Meggie stay true to her roots? Will the sacrifice …