Locals spin Camp Sherman tales

Two local authors will visit the Camp Sherman Store on Saturday, December 4, from noon to 2 p.m. to sign their very different, but nonetheless Camp Sherman-connected books.

Bethanne Kronick Blann will sign copies of her children’s book “Mr. & Mrs. Snowplow are Back!” created with her late husband, Camp Sherman’s beloved resident deputy Dave Blann.

“The book is the light in my life right now,” Bethanne told The Nugget.

One of Blann’s duties as resident deputy was to keep Camp Sherman clear of snow during the winter. Though only a few miles to the west of Sisters, Camp Sherman gets a whole lot more snow than usually falls in tow, and plowing could be a big and exhausting job.

Bethanne recalls that, “Dave came home one morning after plowing for hours in the dark and the snow, and he said, ‘I have this great idea for a story!’ We just brewed some coffee and sat down with the laptop and clumped out this story.”

The story is set in Snowville, which strongly resembles Camp Sherman, and Mr. and Mrs. Snowplow resemble a certain couple…

Life got busy, and the Blanns set the story aside for a time.

“In 2019, we pulled it out again and put the finishing touches on it — about three weeks before Dave died,” Bethanne said.

For a while after Dave’s untimely passing, Bethanne didn’t have the heart to revisit the story, but she eventually brought it out again, and began searching for the right illustrator. She found him in Max Huffman, an illustrator who lives in North Carolina, the nephew of a friend Bethanne rows with.

“I reached out to him, and oh my gosh, it was a perfect fit,” Bethanne said.

Huffman’s illustrations brought the tale of Mr. and Mrs. Snowplow to life, just in time for Camp Sherman’s (hoped for) snowy season.

Bethanne couldn’t be happier with the result.

“It would just make Dave smile to see it come to fruition,” she said.

Kronick Blann will be joined at the signing by Kris Lockard, author of a series of mystery thrillers set in the Metolius Basin. Lockard offered Kronick Blann guidance through the publishing process, and the two authors decided it would be fun to share a signing in the place where their books are set.

Lockard’s latest in her “Green Ridge” series is the recently-released “The Coldest Case.”

“Shrouded in myths, mystery, and long-forgotten legends, the Pacific Crest Trail lures hikers into the Cascade Mountains of Central Oregon. Finding hikers who never return falls upon Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff Cyril Richmond, a bunch of cagey old people, and an unlikely dog.”