Booklist reviews gives my new novel, STRANDED, a jim-dandy assessment:
“Mayo, an accomplished and award-winning author, has taken a small historical incident and developed a readable tale of frontier challenge and survival. The Riker family— father, daughter, and two sons—leaves Missouri in 1849, heading for Oregon Territory, looking for a fresh start in life. They travel alone and foolishly leave too late in the season. When the father and sons disappear on a hunting expedition, 14-year-old Janette is left alone in the Montana foothills, with the chill mountain winds announcing winter’s arrival…. As she struggles for survival, her inexperience leads her into errors, but her determination and tenacity force her to act in her own best interests. Stranded is a well-written and interesting page-turner. Mayo skillfully exposes Janette’s strengths as well as her weaknesses—readers will be rooting her onward one moment and saying, “oh, no,” the next. This is a good read, suitable for readers who enjoy adventure with a western tinge.”
—Booklist