Discovering that riding off into the sunset was a lot easier on a computer screen than in real life, not to mention those saddle burns, Paisley Kirkpatrick began her career as an author. Hiding in the Sierra Mountain Range of California with her husband of 44 years, Paisley Kirkpatrick spends her time roping in the cowpoke of her dreams, or can be found wandering the streets of California's gold rush towns to find inspiration for her books. She might not have found gold in them there hills, but she did find a love for the old west and the prickling of the stories that make up her Paradise Pines series.

Drawing on family history and a healthy imagination, Paisley kicks off her wild ride on a dusty trail with Night Angel. Don't worry your little heads, though. It's the first of many adventures in a time when men were men, and women knew how to put them in their place. If you love your cowboys rugged with a sensitive side, and your heroines with enough fire to light up the western sky, you've got a home waiting in Paradise Pines. Just be sure to bring a six-shooter because the Lady Paisley aims for the heart, and when she fires, she never misses.

Great, Great, Grandpa.

If the desire to write comes through our genes, then I was doubly blessed.  My great, great grandparents, Charles and Mary Ann Kirkpatrick were pioneers in writing.  Charles kept a journal traveling on a wagon train across country in 1849.  It’s considered a piece of California history and is kept in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.  This amazing accounting gave my first story roots.  Mary Ann is said to be the first woman to have stories printed in a magazine.  All seven are kept in the archives of the State of California Library in Sacramento.  This is powerful work to live up to.  It’s no wonder I’ve always had a strong desire to write. 

My husband I reside in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Mountain range in California.  It’s a perfect spot to gather information for my stories which reflect the Gold Rush Era.  Not only am I able to see the places I write about first hand, but I’m still able to find old timers who love to share their memories from what their elders experienced.