I write.

BREAKING NEWS.04

August 13th, 2025, Sterncastle Publishing and myself, author joe c smolen, signed a Publishing Agreement beginning the publishing process of my mystery/romance novel, Lostine: An Homage to a Girl

‍ ‍The Story

Chet’s just a sleepy, schoolyard centerfielder, but his left arm is a rifle. When his rock throw kills a man climbing out of the swamp onto the ballfield – trying to kidnap a first grader – Chet’s private world of wonder, attraction and love for the mysterious new girl, Lostine, is swallowed by the gloom of what county maps call Coffin Marsh.

After finding a severed child’s finger in the swamp, and certain they’ll scoop the police and uncover the fate of “Dead Kid Theo,” Chet and his friend Koz paint up like recon Marines and raft into the marsh.

Instead, they find Lostine already there, calling the shots – and Chet is forced to confront the truth about the girl he loves: she is a dragon lady.

See LOSTINE’S first eleven Advance Reviews in THEY SAY on this site. The M/S went out to Trade Reviewers in April.

Lostine: An Homage to a Girl, is expected to launch September, 2026.

Just in, here is review #12:

“This story, told by sixth grader, Chet, will have you hooked by the first page. A life-changing event has happened and Chet is writing down for the court what he remembers. And the facts are there in black and white. BUT, those facts are surrounded by some of the most delightful prose I've seen in years. The story is compelling. The characters are in full color, practically alive!

“Be good to yourself. Read a few pages. You won't be sorry.”

• Blaine Hopkins, Waldport, Oregon

Another Advance Reviewer, Steve Garbarino in Portland says:

"Reading Lostine, I was drawn to read more and more, partially  by a sense of apprehension and suspense of the plot.  Would they get out of the swamp? Would he get the girl?  Did she really drown?  Jeepers.  I  don't know if you meant to seduce the reader with a quiet thriller, but you did.  Finished in about 3 days of part -time reading. 

The characters also had parts of each of us we all want to be, or think we have within ourselves: Hero and coward.  Villain and prey. Cool kid and nerd. I guess that means I wanted all the good guys to succeed , which they did but not without a cost."

Tom & Marianne Fitzgerald over in Portland, OR say about Lostine:

"This story captures your not normal Jr. high school angst for a pair of brave young boys.  Throw in a girl, vivid descriptions and you have an intriguing read."

Next reviewer tells me:

“I enjoyed this coming of age tale set in a gritty, rural NW landscape. The legacy of the Vietnam War haunts the characters as they reveal the pain and joy of being human and struggle to resolve the mysteries they are confronted with. Some unique turn of words, some great action and a bit of dark humor encountered along the way make this a spicy story well worth reading.”

-Garth Galyon, Portland, Oregon

“An engrossing wade through the swamp of a boys mind as he searches for honor, truth and something like love. A well paced tale that entertains with a unique voice and rivets with suspense. 

Join young Chet as he probes a literal labyrinth swamp and the mysteries of loyalty, dawning manhood and basic right and wrong. The pace and prose will engage and entertain readers of any generation. 

A 6th graders head holds plenty more questions than it does answers. Let young Chets unique voice lead as he and a pal step from the solid ground of middle school into a no foolin', no kids stuff swamp. A swamp that holds lessons in trust, dawning manhood and basic right and wrong. And a special girl. The pace and prose will engage and entertain readers of any generation.”

-Erich Koeller, Portland, Oregon

“Lostine: an Homage to a Girl”, is more than an homage to a girl. It an homage to the mystery of first love/infatuation, loyalty in friendship, bravery, honor and responsibility, and coming to terms with loss, all through the mind and experiences of a 12 year old boy.  The story is filled with imagined adventures and, then, real danger, as Chet and his best friend, Koz, navigate the swamp where they live in order to uncover its mysterious secrets and rescue Lostine from two armed men. When I finished the book, I imagined that Chet had a sense of who he was becoming as a young man and of what he valued most.

-Ricki Peterson, Waldport, Oregon

“I loved Lostine. Joe perfectly captures the angst and excitement of that ‘first love’ feeling from junior high when we really don't quite know what to do with those feelings. All of that set in the rich context of a boy's adventure, Lostine makes a great read, it reminded me fondly of Stand By Me.  I can't wait for the movie!”

-Katie McNeil, Waldport, Oregon