Darby Patterson had a long career as a journalist. Starting as one of the first female radio announcers in Minnesota and moving on to report for several newspapers, online publications and as editor-in-chief of a national technology magazine, she wrote her way across California and the nation. In addition, she owned a small-town newspaper and a monthly lifestyle tabloid carried throughout Central California cities. It was this experience, in the hamlets of the Sierra Mountains, that led to The Song of Jackass Creek. It was her tenure as a publisher a community newspaper in a mountain village south of Yosemite National Park that served as inspiration for The Song of Jackass Creek. “During those years I interviewed scores of 'everyday' people - ranchers, teachers, grandmothers, tribal elders, bartenders, loggers and so many others,” says Darby. “I was profoundly moved by their stories and their character. I felt their lives had great meaning, and they were never far from my heart.”After a 25- year career in journalism, Darby turned her attention to helping people tell their personal stories and capture their family memoirs as a publisher, co-writer, and author. At the same time, she wrote a well-received children’s mystery, "Meow.org, the Cat-Napping Caper," and a number of non-fiction books. The Song of Jackass Creek is her first adult mystery novel.Read more about this authorRead less about this author