About Kathleen

Before moving to the Owens Valley in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Kathleen was a nature and California history photographer based in Southern California where she grew up. She exhibited her photography at major art and garden shows, nature centers and shops, where her images of the Eastern Sierra and California historic locations found popularity. Her photography was also commissioned by the marketing departments of such corporations as Anthony Pools, Grubb and Ellis Real Estate, Prudential California Real Estate and Christie’s Great Estates, all of whom won international design competitions while using her photographs.

It was while exploring and photographing in the Eastern Sierra that Kathleen realized that her heart had found its home in the Owens Valley. After building a house in the middle of four acres of sagebrush in the Alabama Hills, she developed an acre of lush and colorful wildlife gardens surrounding the house that are registered with the National Wildlife Federation in its “backyard habitat program”—and have been featured in house and garden tours.

During her almost twenty years in Lone Pine she has completed eight historical fiction novels, with another on the way, and garnered a cadre of fans. Each novel showcases the local history and towns of the Sierra during the 1800’s and artfully weaves fictional characters (the Eastman, Perry and Carrington families) in with those who actually populated the region during the timeline of her books—and whose descendants are among her most ardent fans.

In her “real job” as the Manager of the Mt. Whitney Cemetery District in Lone Pine, Kathleen is responsible for four historic cemeteries that date back to 1865.

For several years Kathleen served on the Board of Directors for the Lone Pine Film History Museum that celebrates the hundreds of classic movies made in and around Lone Pine since 1920. (See Lone Pine Film History Museum and Lone Pine Film Festival) She also served for many years as the town’s representative on the Inyo County Planning Department Architectural Review Committee for Lone Pine, due of her construction and design background.

Kathleen is a popular guest speaker for civic organizations, book stores, Museums, and local events featuring the history of the region. Along with describing the processes of historical research and writing, she also discusses the difference between Western history as it actually occurred and as it is often portrayed in movies.