A young woman’s discovery of her hidden past illuminates her present in this new novel What the River Keeps from the award-winning author Cheryl Grey Bostrom ➱ Book Tour with Guest Post

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

of

What the River Keeps

By Cheryl Grey Bostrom

Tour Begins August 11

 

Book Summary

Kirkus Reviews recently chose What the River Keeps for its “Best Indie Books of June 2025” list

                                                      ***

Reclusive biologist Hildy Nybo returns to her childhood home on Washington’s Elwha River, where she untangles her mysterious past.

Hildy Nybo is a successful biologist, her study of the Pacific Northwest’s wild fish both a passion and a career. But behind her professional brilliance, Hildy’s reclusive private life reflects a childhood fraught with uncertainty. Haunted by the confusion of her early years, she now records her life in detailed diaries and clings to memory-prompting keepsakes. 

Then her mother’s health fails, and Hildy accepts a job near her childhood home, joining a team of scientists who will help restore her beloved Elwha River after two century-old dams fall. There Hildy settles into a cabin on her family’s rustic resort—a place she both loves and dreads, for reasons she can’t fully explain. 

When a local artist rents an adjacent cabin for her pottery studio, Hildy resists the intrusion—until intriguing Luke Rimmer arrives to help with the cabin’s renovation. Now a few years beyond a tragedy that brought him to his knees, Luke recognizes a kindred soul in Hildy. As he earns her trust, they uncover her mysterious history, and Hildy dares to wonder if she can banish her shadows—and follow her river’s course to freedom.

Publisher: Tyndale Fiction (August 12, 2025)

ISBN: 1496481585

ISBN: 978-1496481580

AISN:  B0DK3ZW85L

ASIN: B0DYG3PK8T

Print length:  368 pages (also available as ebook and audiobook)

Purchase a copy of What the River Keeps on

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/What-River-Keeps-Cheryl-Bostrom/dp/1496481585/ref

Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-the-river-keeps-cheryl-grey-bostrom/1146416644?ean=9781496481580

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-the-river-keeps-cheryl-grey-bostrom/21884304?ean=9781496481580&next=t

You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220587152-what-the-river-keeps

Guest Post:

Bird Language for our Inner Lives

Around our home in the rural Pacific Northwest, birds outnumber humans, and their music brightens my waking hours. For me, however, birdsong is far more than a country life soundtrack. I’ve learned that when I adopt bird language as my own, it can ground and nourish my inner life. I especially try to mimic these:

Gratitude Songs

At first light and at sunset, solitary robins perch high in firs or cedars dotting the landscape and sing. While others within earshot remain quiet (listening?), each singer faces the rising or setting sun, lifts its beak, and warbles. 

They feel like a pause songs to me. Benedictions. Psalms of gratitude or even worship to their Creator. When I take a similar pause at the start and finish of each day, I’m steadied, more present, thankful, and reverent. More open to joy.

Connection Calls

With at least fifteen vocalizations, the chickadees around here are chatty, chatty. Whether they’re sharing food sources, warnings, or simply saying hello, the little black and white beauties don’t go it alone. At every opportunity, they’re checking in with each other, connecting audibly. 

By nature a bit solitary, I especially note these calls, determined to copy them. When I hear chickadees’ two-toned “see-saws” reverberate between trees fifty yards apart, I feel the birds’ community, their inclusiveness, and I ask myself how I can up my own connections. Whom can I call with a hello and a listening ear? With encouragement or aid? When I follow up on that bird nudge and reach out, my relationships grow stronger, my sense of belonging deeper. Connected to my people, I find purpose and meaning. 

Boundary Calls

A red-tailed hawk has claimed the small woods near our pond. Since he roosts and tends his family here, he patrols the area, clarifying the lines he’s drawn. While he’ll use talons as backup, most of the time his cautionary scree from an updraft deters potential encroachers. Crows . . . eagles . . . our dogs . . . all know the sound of that call. Unless they’re itching for conflict, they honor those boundaries.  

As a result, skirmishes are few. Because he guards his personal space, he and his family usually live in peace. 

That hawk—and other birds defending territory—have helped me understand and guard my own. When I clarify and honor my personal boundaries, then maintain them through steady words or actions, my relationships are healthier, my life satisfaction better. Without breaches to my safety or values, I am freer to love and serve others well. 

Songs to the Creator, calls for connection, cries for boundaries. Bird language I try to make my own. Does bird music resonate with you like this? Another way? I’d love to hear. 

About the Author, Cheryl Grey Bostrom

A keen student of the natural world and the workings of the human heart, Pacific Northwest author Cheryl Grey Bostrom captures the mystery and wonder of both in her lyrical, riveting fiction. Her novels Sugar Birds (Christy finalist, Amazon bestseller, and Book of the Year) and Leaning on Air have won more than two dozen industry honors, among which are CT’s Fiction Award of Merit and American Fiction, Reader’s Favorite, Carol, Nautilus, Best Book, Foreword Indies, and International Book Awards.

An avid birder and nature photographer, Cheryl lives in rural Washington State with her husband and three irrepressible Gordon setters.

You can follow the author at:

Website: https://CherylBostrom.com

Birds in the Hand (blog): https://cherylgreybostrom.substack.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cgbostrom/ and https://www.facebook.com/cherylgreybostrom/

IG: @cherylgreybostrom  https://www.instagram.com/cherylgreybostrom/

Giveaway:

Join us as we celebrate the launch of Cheryl Grey Bostrom's nature infused love story What the River Keeps. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

#WhatTheRiverKeeps #WomensFiction #christianfiction #booktour #guestpost #Giveaway #CherylGreyBostrom #womenonwriting #wow

Twitter: @WomenonWriting  @crazy4fiction 

Instagram: @wow_womenonwriting @cherylgreybostrom @crazy4fiction

Blog Tour Calendar

August 12th @ One Writer's Journey

Stop by for a post about the Five Birds that Make Life Better and a review of What the River Keeps by  Cheryl Grey Bostrom.

https://suebe.wordpress.com/

August 13th @ Writer Advice

Novelist Cheryl Grey Bostrom is visiting with her thoughts on The Deliciousness of Book Clubs.

https://writeradvice.com/blog/

August 14th @ Knotty Needle

Read a review of What the River Keeps and author Cheryl Grey Bostrom's guest post: Re-wilding Ourselves Through Nature Novels.

http://www.knottyneedle.blogspot.com

August 16th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion

Enjoy a fun interview with novel writer Cheryl Grey Bostrom.

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com

August 18th @ What Is That Book About 

Luxuriate in nature with a spotlight on the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.

www.whatisthatbookabout.com

August 19th @ Word Magic

Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom is stopping by to write about Nature as Guide through Wilderness of Heart.

https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com

August 20th @ Nikki's Book Reviews

Nikki's sharing her thoughts on the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.

http://nikkitsbookreviews.wordpress.com

August 21st @ Lisa Haselton Book Reviews & Interviews

Meet the author behind What the River Keeps and other novels set in the Pacific Northwest.

https://lisahaselton.com/blog/

August 25th @ Beverley A. Baird

Need a good read for the waning days of summer? Beverly's sharing her review of What the River Keeps.

https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com

August 26th @ A Wonderful World of Books

Enter to win a copy of What the River Keeps. Have fun with author Cheryl Grey Bostrom translating Bird Language for Our Inner Lives.

https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/

August 27th @ Create Write Now

Cheryl Grey Bostrom writes about the power of nature in Created to Heal: How Nature Illustrates the Design of Our Hearts.

https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog

August 28th @ Words by Webb

Jodi reviews a novel that is ideal for nature lover and women's fiction: What the River Keeps.

https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog

August 29th @ Beverley A. Baird

Author Cheryl Grey Bostrom is visiting with a guest post on What's the Draw to Faith in Women's Fiction?

https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com

September 2 @ A Storybook World

Novelist Cheryl Grey Bostrom is writing about Three Ways Nature Novels Speak to Our Hearts and recommending a few of her favorites.

https://www.astorybookworld.com/

September 4th @ Reading Is My Remedy

Take flight with author Cheryl Grey Bostrom with Bird Lessons - What Winged Creatures Can Teach Us. They'll also be a review of her latest novel What the River Keeps. 

https://www.instagram.com/reading_is_my_remedy/

September 5th @ Storeybook Reviews

Check out the spotlight on Cheryl Grey Bostrom and her latest novel What the River Keeps.

https://www.storeybookreviews.com

September 9th @ Boys' Mom Reads!

Looking for a new book for a new month? Karen's reviewing the novel What the River Keeps by Cheryl Grey Bostrom.

https://karensiddall.wordpress.com/

September 10th @ Choices

Cheryl Grey Bostrom shares lessons she's learned after writing three novels.

http://madelinesharples.com

September 12th @ Chapter Break 

Today's guest is Cheryl Grey Bostrom, author of several novels set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

https://chapterbreak.net/

September 14th @ Jill Sheet's Blog

Today's the last day for the blog tour for What the River Keeps! We're ending on a high note with a post by author Cheryl Grey Bostrom about Improving Your Writing through Photography -- and Other Art. 

https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/