Lost Valley, Utah is no ordinary small town. Stop by Barbara’s Desert Café to solve the mystery of the disappearing petroglyphs, share some piñon pie and coffee, and a few laughs… and a few local recipes.
MORRISON, CO, June 18, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — Colorado publisher Foolscap & Quill is releasing Kevin T. Jones’ quirky Western adventure novel, Barbara’s Desert Café, on June 26, 2025.
Lost Valley, Utah was no ordinary small town. It was founded in the 19th century by a convoy of Mormon settlers who became lost in the mountains on their way to establishing a new settlement. They were saved by a band of Utes and shown how to survive the winter. Soon after they learned that valley was surrounded by canyons filled with art and artifacts of a race far more ancient than the Utes themselves. All agreed there was something magical about the place, though not all agreed exactly what it was. The isolation of the valley and the circumstances of the town’s founding bred a degree of independence among the inhabitants of the place that even the Church of the Latter Day Saints could not reign in, even though they tried.
In the mid-19th century, Porter Rockwell, a Mormon “Avenging Angel” visited the Lost Valley Inn of Bill and Maggie Baggs, founders of the town, to encourage their conformity with the ways of the Church. No one ever said exactly what happened that day in the Lost Valley Inn, but Porter Rockwell was said to walk a bit awkwardly when he left.
When the territorial governor of Utah said he would “give Lost Valley to the heathens in Colorado, where it would fit in nicely,” the Lost Valley delegation to the parade celebrating Utah statehood expressed their disapproval in unique ways during the parade, getting representatives of Lost Valley banned from future parades.
Even the toughest men of the Wild West like Rex Jex were changed forever by a visit to Lost Valley. After the Cast Iron Miracle, Rex Jex became a world-renowned fashion designer, and some said that he and Clyde Smythe weren’t just friends.
Rumors were whispered that there was a curse set upon the town by Brigham Young; some said an ancient power had rested in that place in the mountains before the Utes or the Mormons ever entered. For others, it is just a way of life.
But now someone is desecrating the sacred places. Someone is cutting the Falling Man petroglyphs from the canyon walls surrounding Lost Valley and stealing them. Who could be responsible? Is the thief selling them to wealthy collectors? Are the thefts connected with fires and odd weather phenomena plaguing the valley? Are the Watchers angry? Will they destroy the town? What is this curse people speak of?
Stop by Barbara’s Desert Café to solve the mystery, share some piñon pie and coffee, and a few laughs… and a few local recipes. Find out what the Cast Iron Miracle was, what a Lost Valley Clanger is, and exactly what you should do when you’ve been zucchini bombed.
Barbara’s Desert Café is highlighted by charming pencil sketches by Carel P. Brest van Kempen and beautiful cover art by Brad Wolverton. The twenty-six recipes interspersed in the novel, including Lost Valley Clangers, are a delightful bonus which quite literally add local flavor to the story.
What people are saying about Barbara’s Desert Café:
Stephen Trimble, author of The Capitol Reef Reader and The Mike File, describes Barbara’s Desert Café as: “[A] delightful cross between Tony Hillerman and Tom Robbins…. A picaresque novel, a mystery, and a deep dive into archeology and Native culture, a story steeped in local color and Utah history and landscape. No one but Kevin Jones could have written this alternately rollicking, tender, hilarious, fascinating, and compassionate book—with recipes.”
W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, New York Times bestselling and Western Writers of America Hall of Fame authors, described Barbara’s Desert Café as “Wonderful. Quirky. Unique. [A] worthy odd-caliber classic to compare with Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang.”
Lisa C. Taylor, author of The Shape of What Remains, Impossibly Small Spaces said “Barbara’s Desert Café immerses a reader in the prejudices of pioneer days carried over into current times but it does so with consummate skill, a sense of humor, lessons learned the hard way, and recipes like Dill Pickle Slaw and Maggie’s Triangle Dance Cookies.”
An excerpt from an earlier draft of Barbara’s Desert Café is included in Four Corners Voices: Stories, Poetry, Essays, an anthology currently a finalist for a 2025 Colorado Book Award.
Author Kevin T. Jones is an anthropologist and archaeologist. Kevin served as state archaeologist of Utah for seventeen years. He has written many peer-reviewed scientific papers, monographs, book chapters, and popular articles. Kevin is also a musician and writer. He played mandolin and guitar, and sang in the award-winning bluegrass band The Lab Dogs and in the rock band Hammerstone for over 20 years. He lives off the grid in southwestern Colorado with his wife Barbara.
Kevin is participating in both the Mesa Verde Literary Conference and the Mesa Verde Literary Festival in Mancos in early July.
Foolscap & Quill, LLC is a publishing company located in Jefferson County Colorado.
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