Renée Thompson
Books
The Plume Hunter
from Torrey House Press
A moving story of conflict, friendship, and love, The Plume Hunter follows the life of Fin McFaddin, a late-nineteenth century Oregon outdoorsman who takes to plume hunting—killing birds to collect feathers for women’s hats—to support his widowed mother. The novel brings to life an era of our country’s natural history seldom explored in fiction, and follows Fin’s relationships with his lifelong friends as they struggle to adapt to society’s changing mores.
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The Bridge at Valentine
from Tres Picos Press
In this remarkable retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Bridge at Valentine presents a realistic and poignant portrayal of life in 1890’s Idaho. July Caldwell, the daughter of a sheepman, and Rory Morrow, the son of a cattleman, find themselves embroiled in their fathers’ bitter feud to control the rangeland. The battle over grazing rights pits family against family, resulting in a tragedy from which July and Rory struggle to recover. But with tragedy comes triumph and hope for the future—and ultimately, a young woman’s determination to strike out on her own.
“...profoundly resonant and deeply satisfying.”
— Chad Peterson, Managing Editor, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink
- The Spectacular, The Saturday Evening Post (reprinted from Narrative Magazine), March/April 2025
- The Knowing, Reed Magazine, 2025 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction, Finalist (Judged by Tommy Orange)
- The Corner of Broadway and Badass, StoryBottle Co., Winter 2025
- The Blue Hairs, Emerald City, 2025 Pushcart Prize Nominee
- The Blue Hairs, Emerald City, Spring 2024
- The Spectacular, Narrative, Fall Story Contest, Winner, 2023
- The Spectaculars, The Missouri Review’s Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize, Finalist, 2023
- The Winterist, Narrative, Fall Story Contest, Second Place, 2018
- Shackled, Literary Death Match Bookmark Contest, Second Runner Up (judged by Roxane Gay), Winter 2017
- Brilliance, Cactus Heart, Issue 12.5, Summer 2015
- Recovery, Manifest West #4, Western Press Books, Summer 2015
- The Volunteer, Crossborder, Fall 2014
- The Language of Farewell, Chiron Review, Fall 2014
- Radio Gal, Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine, Spring 2014
- Radio Gal, Narrative, Fall Story Contest, Finalist, 2012
- The Limits of Certainty, Literal Latte Fiction Award, 2nd Place, 2012
- The Limits of Certainty, Glimmer Train, Fiction Open, Finalist, 2012
- Twelve Pencils, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink, “Best Of” (Volume II, 2012), Literary Writers Network
- Twelve Pencils, 10,000 Tons of Black Ink, 2012
- Fences, Arcadia, 2011
- Farallon, Narrative Magazine, Story of the Week, 2010
- Old Will Road, Narrative Magazine, Story of the Week, 2009
- Little House on the Perry, Writer’s Digest, Annual Writing Competition, Literary/Mainstream Fiction, Second Place
- Lip Balm, Glimmer Train, Fiction Open, Finalist
- Muddy Lagoon, Writer’s Digest, Annual Writing Competition, Literary/Mainstream Fiction, Top 10
- Liberty Tree, American Western Magazine
“…fresh, innovative, courageous, and compelling…Renée Thompson’s work brings heartbeat
to the page.”
— Krista Minard, Editorial Director, Sacramento Magazine
- The Bright Unknown, The Missouri Review, Perkoff Prize, Finalist, 2023
- Can I Get an Amen?, Twenty Twenty: 43 Stories from a Year Like No Other (Essay Anthology—edited by Dorothy Rice), 2021
- Into the After, Narrative, Fall Story Contest, Finalist/Story of the Week, 2019
- Summertime Muse, Sacramento Magazine
- Pelican’s Island, Nevada Magazine
- Bawdy Bird Watcher, Nevada Magazine
- Tagging Canvasbacks, Bird Watcher’s Digest
- Woman’s World
- American Baby
Renée Thompson writes about her love of birds, wildlife, and the people who inhabit the American West. Her second novel, The Plume Hunter, received outstanding endorsements from David Sibley, Bill Thompson, III, and Tim Gallagher. Her first novel, The Bridge at Valentine, received high praise from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry, and was selected as the Woodland Reads 2014 Community Novel. She lives in Folsom, CA.
