An Interview with Yvonne Osborne About Her Latest Book, "Black River"

By Elizabeth Gracen:

Yvonne Osborne has been a regular contributor to Flapper Press for many years, and we were thrilled to hear about the her newest novel, Black River, published by Unsolicited Press this summer.

"Romance, deception, and murder erupt when the use of modern-day practices pits one farmer who has faith in the ancient wisdom of husbandry against another who uses chemicals and exploits farm workers, while the son of the first and the daughter of the last try to rise above the war that engulfs them. Black River is a gripping tale of love, survival, and the heavy price of silence in a place where secrets flow as deep and dark as the water itself." — YvonneOsborne.com

Yvonne Osborne

Yvonne Osborne lives with her husband on the fifth-generation family farm in the Thumb of Michigan founded by her great-great-grandfather. Under the guidance of a Shakespeare-loving grandmother, she grew up steeped in story, then attended Northwood University, where her love of writing took root. A Pushcart-nominated poet and novelist, her work has appeared in numerous literary journals, most recently in the Slippery Elm Literary Journal, Flapper Press, and Milkhouse Literary Magazine. Her debut novel, Let Evening Come, was published by Unsolicited Press on April 2, 2024, and her sophomore novel, Black River (a rural noir literary thriller), was published on July 28, 2026.

I reached out to Yvonne to talk about her latest book and the deeply rooted influences that inform her work.

Please welcome Yvonne Osborne!

Elizabeth Gracen: Yvonne, congratulations on the publication of your newest novel, Black River. From what I read about this "rural noir literary thriller," it sounds chock-full of drama and thought-provoking issues, not unlike the great Edna Ferber novel Giant. I look forward to reading it! Please tell our readers a bit about the novel and why you decided to write it.

Yvonne Osborne: Black River, set in the upper part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, takes place in the present to near future and explores the conflict between organic and chemical farming and the treatment of migrant workers, many of whom are employed here in the summer months. I started writing this shortly after I first spotted a drone flying overhead. The black, peering, winged thing hovering in the sky creeped me out. Thus, the opening scene of Black River, with the analogy of buzzards circling overhead, was conceived.

The impetus to write this novel came from the stories my father, a long-time dairy farmer and newspaper columnist, told around the table—crop dusters dumping their load on the wrong farm, suspicious deaths of migrant workers, hot cancer spots on the map—all coalesced into a story I needed to tell.

EG: You are steeped in a family history of sustainable farming. It's a life most people know nothing about. You grew up in Michigan, moved away (is that correct?) and then returned back home to the farm. What is unique about your childhood and the farming life? What can people take away from reading about such a life in Black River?

YO: Yes, I grew up on a farm—learned to drive a tractor before I learned to drive a car—but I never really left. The farming life is something that stays with you regardless of what path you embark on. My childhood was unique in many ways. Namely in that we did not have a television. My father refused to let one in the house, and I attribute that to seeding my and my siblings' lifelong love of reading.

I hope people will take away an understanding of the beauty and heartbreak embedded in the farming life as well as an appreciation for the small family farmers who have been undervalued and forced, through ruinous farm policies, to “go big or get out,” letting agribusiness and chemical giants take over agriculture in America, signing the death warrant for family dairy farms.

EG: The autobiographical nature of Black River digs into subjects like the climate crisis, patriotism, blind trust in the military and government, and reproductive rights—all the hot-button topics of the day. Even though I have not read your book yet, I'm drawn to your courageous march straight into these complicated issues. How difficult was it to address these issues while still creating an entertaining narrative that keeps people turning the pages? 

YO: It was difficult, but once I was committed, I had to forge ahead and be true to myself, my experience, and what I see going on around me. I’ve seen migrant workers in their big hats and baggy pants hauled to the fields on the back of flatbed wagons with no taillights, legs dangling precariously over the sides in the predawn darkness. I’ve seen crop-dusters buzzing overhead. I’ve seen the slow erosion of women’s reproductive health care, particularly in rural areas, as those in power have tightened the screws on access, narrowing choices to those with money and connection. So, while it was difficult to include hot-button issues like the mushrooming military-industrial complex, abortion, and immigration issues, in the end, if I wanted to be honest, choice was taken from me.

EG: I'd like to talk a bit about your process. I've only written one novel, and it took me forever—which involved leaving it on the shelf for years before I decided to finish it. What kind of writer are you? Can you share a bit about your process? What makes you want to dedicate yourself to writing a novel?

YO: As to your own experience, we are advised to put a novel away for a few months before reading it again with fresh eyes. Years is a bit of a stretch! A writer is either an outliner (a plotter), a pantser (writing by the seat of their pants), or a mix of both. I am a pantser. Outlining, for me, would destroy the creative process. I don’t know what a character I’ve created will do until they do it, often surprising me, and I love every minute of it. I often start with just a single memory or image, and sometimes what might be just a short story will grow legs and take off.

EG: I truly enjoy learning about a writer's influences and inspirations. What other writers, musicians, films, and art inspire you to create and why?

YO: I read Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson when I was thirteen, and it left an indelible impression on me. Also, novels by Louise Erdrich, Charlotte McConaghy, Barbara Kingsolver, Peter Heller, and Philip Caputo inspired me to write and write better. Music by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Janice Joplin taught me love of country and to question authority. Poetry by W. H. Auden, his empathy for innocent suffering—"about suffering they were never wrong"—and writings by Czeslaw Milosz, Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon, and Mark Strand leave me wonderstruck and imbued with empathy for the human condition.

EG: Finally, what did you discover or realize unexpectedly while writing your book? What did you learn about your life, your past, your future?

YO: While writing both Black River and my debut novel, Let Evening Come, I discovered that character love is a real thing. I first felt that when writing what started out as a short story but turned into my first novel-length manuscript, a Vietnam-era love story that will be published in 2029. When writing these characters, I felt closer to them than the real people around me. I stayed up late into the night with them and took them to bed with me. Finally, I’ve learned that my past is something to celebrate and the knowledge passed down to me by my parents and grandparents is something to value and pass on to others.

EG: Yvonne, thank you for taking the time to talk to me about Black River. I'm wishing you all the best with it, and I'd love for you to tell our readers where they can find out more about you and your work. 

YO: Thank you, Elizabeth, for this wonderful opportunity to reach more readers and for the thoughtful questions. I strived to answer them satisfactorily and honestly. Black River can be purchased directly from the publisher here, or on Bookshop, where readers can pick their favorite independent bookstore to support. I also encourage library users to ask their library to order the book. Patron requests go further than one may think. Here is the link to an in-depth review by Maria Ashford at Bookshelfie, the companion book-review site to BlueSky. Readers can contact me directly through my website here, and I also have a monthly newsletter if anyone is interested in hearing about upcoming events or reading more about the trials, tribulations, and joys of living in Michigan where we are never more than seven miles from the beauty of moving water.

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Elizabeth Gracen is the owner of Flapper Press & Flapper Films.