Jane Viehl

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Updates from the
Hundred Acre Wood Blog

JANUARY 9

Yep, my birthday. A week in on the shiny new year. No resolutions here, but maybe an early birthday more of less gives you a do-over? Probably not. I mean, every day is the first day of the rest of...

A NEW YEAR

Hello, 2026! Larry and I celebrated the newest year in the traditional way, with a party at the Ball's home in Black Butte Ranch. Historically, we play a game in which, on arrival, Robb sticks a...

TEST RUN?

So the photos I'd posted for my last episode did not get loaded on everyone's computer/phone. What? looked perfectly fine from where I'm sitting, but apparently that's not good enough. My apologies....

Featured Books

INDIGO BIRD

by Jane Viehl ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2024

A quietly moving portrait of an unexpected family

Book Reviews
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Indigo Bird is a recent book by Oregon fiction writer Jane Viehl that explores the delicate dynamics of family, resilience, and unexpected connections. Rainey Morgan, a widowed mother and commercial artist, has carefully built a life of stability for herself and her twelve-year-old daughter, Shiloh.

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Though she faces everyday struggles, Shiloh’s challenges in middle school, a faltering relationship with her partner Pete, and her own frustrations in an adult painting class, Rainey manages to keep things under control. But when her sister Leah requests a favor, to take in Leah’s seven-year-old son, Caleb, for a few weeks while she works in Germany, Rainey’s well-maintained equilibrium begins to shift.
Rainey discovers new layers of herself and her family as she navigates this unfamiliar terrain. With quiet emotional depth, Indigo Bird paints a moving portrait of an unexpected family.

Jane has once again done a masterful job as a contemporary fiction author. It’s a must-read if you are a fan of functional books by Oregon authors, who excel at crafting deeply human stories with rich emotional landscapes.

The Blackest Crow

by Jane Viehl ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2012

Yet another one on the list of must-read books by Oregon authors, the Blackest Crow is a gripping tale of suspense and survival. Life moves at its usual quiet pace in Biscuit Corner’s small, snow-covered town until two boys, James and Tiger, go missing in the remote Strawberry Wilderness.

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As the community braces against the harsh winter, law enforcement, townspeople, and the boys’ father, who has traveled from Portland, unite in a desperate search. When James’ abandoned red sports car is found behind a weir on the Little No Name, it becomes clear that the boys have chosen to stay in Oregon.

When a victim’s rights organization offers a reward, it draws bounty hunters into the search, and the race to find the boys intensifies. Can they find the boys in time? As the cold deepens and time runs out, their fate remains uncertain.

Jane, a contemporary fiction author who also writes a country living blog, tells a haunting tale of danger and determination in The Blackest Crow.

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Indigo Bird, Reader Reviews
There's so much I love about this novel. It manages that rare feat of being many things at once: funny, endearing, heartbreaking, suspenseful, hopeful, and tragic. Viehl delivers what I always look for in novels but seldom find--a freshness of voice, and beautiful sentences, of course, but most of all a story about real people, ...
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Molly Gloss
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
There's so much I love about this novel. It manages that rare feat of being many things at once: funny, endearing, heartbreaking, suspenseful, hopeful, and tragic. Viehl delivers what I always look for in novels but seldom find--a freshness of voice, and beautiful sentences, of course, but most of all a story about real people, people we have met, our friends and family members, finding their way through life's surprising obstacles with wry good humor, and infinite compassion. It's deeply moving, immediately engaging, there is no turning back once you've opened the cover. It's a wonderful book. I feel sure, if you have loved the early novels of Barbara Kingsolver or Ann Patchett, you will love Indgo Bird.
Molly Gloss
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
I found the book an engaging study of the messy relationships we have all had with our parents, siblings, children, lovers, mates – and the issues of the larger world as we try to make sense of it all. Her crafting of sentences, and her insights into all the...
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Vik White
Portland OR
I found the book an engaging study of the messy relationships we have all had with our parents, siblings, children, lovers, mates – and the issues of the larger world as we try to make sense of it all. Her crafting of sentences, and her insights into all the ways we can hurt and heal each other are astounding.
Vik White
Portland OR
I loved the way Indigo Bird entered into the different characters’ experiences bringing transformation. I rejoiced as each character found their voice and began to follow their dream. It was just what I needed to read, a song of hope and forgiveness. I loved, loved, loved the book!
Jeanne Ederer
Seattle WA
I loved the way Indigo Bird entered into the different characters’ experiences bringing transformation. I rejoiced as each character found their voice and began to follow their dream. It was just what I needed to read, a song of hope and forgiveness. I loved, loved, loved the book!
Jeanne Ederer
Seattle WA
Viehl’s prose is strong; her story of familial drama (which includes moments of humor) flows along with great pacing and language that is evocative without feeling overly ornate. A quietly moving portrait of an unexpected family.
Kirkus Review
Viehl’s prose is strong; her story of familial drama (which includes moments of humor) flows along with great pacing and language that is evocative without feeling overly ornate. A quietly moving portrait of an unexpected family.
Kirkus Review
I finished reading Indigo Bird last night, and today I’m missing Rainey, Shiloh, and Caleb. I enjoyed every minute of the story – warm and touching with lovely moments of humor and deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking reflections along the way.
Liz Schutt
New York NY
I finished reading Indigo Bird last night, and today I’m missing Rainey, Shiloh, and Caleb. I enjoyed every minute of the story – warm and touching with lovely moments of humor and deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking reflections along the way.
Liz Schutt
New York NY

WE’RE A REAL FARM AGAIN

Mar 29, 2025 | 0 Comments

Or at least a real ranch. You'll see what I mean. Back to work on Tuesday: Some years ago, a tree in the pasture surrounding the barn had fallen,...

SPRING 25

Mar 12, 2025 | 0 Comments

After relentless excavation of this blog’s digital archaeology, Cole, of Lamplight, was able to find/create a pathway for me to write a new post....

SURPRISE

Mar 1, 2025 | 1 Comment

Hi, and welcome! If all goes well, you're being met by my new website, created by the amazing Lamplight Creatives, who have been working with me to...

PROBLEMS

Feb 21, 2025 | 2 Comments

Last post, I listed the tools we have collected to address life here in the country on our "farm." I'm not sure we can call it a farm, of course,...

TOOLS

Feb 11, 2025 | 2 Comments

If you've been with me from the beginning, you may remember that this account began in a farm equipment store, with the protagonists purchasing a...

An Introduction to Indigo Bird

Jan 22, 2025 | 0 Comments

by Jane Viehl Released June 1, 2024, Dorrance Publishing HI! I’m Rainey Morgan, and this is my story. So what’s an indigo bird anyway? Google it and...

JANUARY 25

Jan 13, 2025 | 3 Comments

Before I start on the farm, a word about the Altadena fire and the Viehl family living there: still all safe on this Monday morning. The house not...

WINTER?

Dec 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

No, it's not legally yet the solstice, but living under an inversion for the past 10 days or so as we have been, I think it's fair to say winter is...

862

Sep 23, 2024 | 2 Comments

Ten years ago in June, I first wrote about our little house in the country. Not a house yet, just a piece of beautiful property on which slumped an...

SEPTEMBER 1

Sep 1, 2024 | 2 Comments

Okay, test passed. STILL AUGUST published. So I will try again to post all the lovely photos I tried to show you yesterday: But first, a little...

STILL AUGUST?

Sep 1, 2024 | 2 Comments

Oh what? You allow me to open my Word Press site? Shall I try again? Fooled me once? I wrote this whole blog yesterday when it was still, actually,...

TOMATO SEASON

Aug 19, 2024 | 1 Comment

Again with a post? Already? I know, but I wanted to get these photos registered. Alan, one of the landscape guys (the cute one) has started his own...