A. Cort Sinnes

In 1952, my family moved to a house about five blocks from where I now live. Growing up in the Napa Valley in the 60's could only be described as idyllic – with an emphasis on all things outdoors. As a teenager, my best friend and I explored one end of the valley to the other on our 10-speed bikes – from the derelict stone ruins of Napa Soda Springs, to ghost wineries almost no one knew about and, yes, to the summit of Mt. St. Helena, which would loom large in more than one of my future books.

Following my interest in outdoor living, which included gardening, I went to work for the legendary editor of Sunset Magazine, Walter Doty. With a handful of others, Walter and I started the immensely successful Ortho Book Series out of his garage. He was 85 years old, legally blind and deaf, and I was 22 and knew my way around plants and – just as importantly – knew how to type. I went on to write some 18 books on gardening and eight cookbooks.

The trilogy, The Silverado Journals, was a true labor of love, taking decades to write and illustrate. Combining fact, fiction, and fantasy, it tells an engaging, believable adventure story for all ages, one that spans the globe and generations, beginning and ending on the very real Mt. St. Helena.