The previous edition of Plains to the Pacific won a national award in the Spiritual and Inspirational category with IndieReader in 2017. The emergence of this project is due to a fascinating discovery by coauthor James Harman: his great-grandfather Robert Slothower (born in 1871) had written a life-story manuscript.

Robert's story represents a challenging life met with great courage. The son and grandson of Civil War soldiers who fought on the Union side, Robert Slothower clearly inherited the strength of a bygone era.

Farming, homesteading, and painful lessons of loss are part of Robert Slothower's life. Being separated from the rest of his family for seven years as a boy. Then as a young man, the pain of losing his young wife on the remote Wyoming homestead is overwhelming, but Robert Slothower overcomes adversity and rebuilds his life.

A growing relationship with God, along with a new life out West, takes Robert Slothower and his family from the Great Plains to Southwest Washington State, where he finds his second love and is blessed with triplets.

Plains to the Pacific, a historical narrative, reminds us that life was not always so easy, but from great trials can emerge great joy.