After the Frost
Literary fiction- Published 2014, 2nd. edition 2025. Published under pen name PG Owyns
In the majestic forests of 1928 Pacific Northwest, Julian Powell seeks solace from a life of suffocating expectations. Fleeing a grim fate, he escapes to a weathered farmhouse where time slows, and the trees whisper secrets. There, tending to a childhood friend, Julian finds an unexpected family and peace in quiet moments and the rhythm of the land.
But he harbors a secret from those around him: he is D.S. Remington, the elusive author whose words captivate the world. As winter thaws into spring, Julian discovers healing in nature, friendship, and a love he never expected. Will revealing his secret mend his fractured heart—or shatter the refuge he’s built?
After the Frost is a lyrical tale of resilience and renewal, where the heart finds strength in the embrace of the wild.
About After the Frost
The healing power of nature
My life has always been filled with the wild. My first camping trip into the wilderness areas of Montana was when I was six months old. Nature has always been a calling for me. It hums in the back of my head, and whispers to me when I escape the city. Sometimes the longing for the quiet, richly scented forest becomes almost overwhelming and I must go into the wild. It was that love that began After the Frost.
I’ve been asked why the main characters are male. There is a simple truth here—they are loosely based on distant family members. When I began writing After the Frost, I thought bringing some of their story into the book was important. One man ill with something never quite diagnosed. (Not uncommon at the time.) And the other scarred by The Great War. It seemed both a part of the past and something very current. So they reside now, happily I hope, in a small house in the woods where the pines whisper.
In writing, I tried to keep my style close as close to the style of the 1920s as I could. I wanted it to feel like the book had been written then. With the new edition, illustrations of a few things were added, some to show what they look like, others to add beauty I know Julian would appreciate.
After the Frost is a labor of love from beginning to end. I hope my love of the Northwest shines through here and the reader can truly see the world as the characters see it.