Then The Trees Said Hello

She spent her whole life hiding who she really was. The forest had other plans.

Sara has spent her entire life feeling like an outsider. Working alone in the forests of Washington State, marking trees for logging, she's found peace far from the people who never understood her. Then one day, the impossible happens: the trees begin to speak.

At first, Sara thinks she's losing her mind. But as the whispers grow clearer, she discovers an ancient truth that will shatter everything she thought she knew about the natural world—and lead her to Ilanaly, a hidden realm where nature and humanity exist in perfect harmony.

But Sara's gift comes with a price. Her jealous brother Brian will stop at nothing to exploit what she's found, setting devastating wildfires that threaten to destroy everything she loves. Now Sara must embrace abilities she never knew she possessed, even if it means facing her deepest fears and the ridicule of everyone she's ever known.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Maxine discovers Sara's hidden journal in a desert cave—and embarks on her own journey of self-discovery that will intertwine their fates in ways neither could imagine.

A luminous tale of courage, connection, and the extraordinary power that awakens when we finally listen to the world around us.

If you love stories where nature holds ancient wisdom and ordinary people discover extraordinary gifts, this book is calling to you.

HJ Corning can be found dancing in the woods and through life eating Montezuma's 100% chocolate and drinking Zevia. Then the Trees Said Hello is her debut novel. It is the first in a series. It sprouts from a life lived in the woods, hiking, backpacking and just sitting under trees far from civilization. She lives in the mountain southwest with her engineer husband, rescue dog and lap loving cat.