The Chris Voss Show Podcast – Across the Creek: Buried Legacy by Kaaren Terry

Apr 2, 2026

Kaaren Terry, a San Diego-born author and former real estate broker, talks about her novel Across the Creek: Buried Legacy. She describes a skeleton discovery that sparks a small-town media frenzy. She discusses blending Julian history with contemporary mystery. She explains her protagonist’s troubled past and her plans for a series set in a close-knit town.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Skeleton Discovery Sparks Small Town Chaos

Kaaren Terry describes a married couple who move to a historic mountain town and uncover a skeleton while building a pond.
The discovery triggers local media, police attention, and a great-grandson who believes the skeleton is his ancestor and seeks buried gold coins based on family lore.

INSIGHT

Research Turned Fiction Toward Real Local History

Research altered Kaaren Terry's story direction when she learned Julian had no stagecoach gold robbery, leading her to discover real immigrant lumber workers in the town's history.
She used that historical thread about Orthodox Jewish laborers at cedar mills to ground the plot while keeping it fictional and contemporary.

ANECDOTE

Protagonist Is A Traveling Cat Burglar

The protagonist is a skilled pickpocket and self-styled cat burglar who watches late-night news from motels while traveling to avoid arrest.
Kaaren frames him as a calculated sociopath whose criminal craft and stalking drive the novel's tension.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Across the Creek: Buried Legacy by Kaaren Terry

https://www.amazon.com/Across-Creek-Buried-Kaaren-Terry/dp/B0GHC1K9V2

Kaarenterry.co

While watching the late-night news a thief discovers a skeleton uncovered on a couple’s property, is his great-grandfather. This story quickly evolves into a small-town media frenzy. The thief finds himself drawn into a complex web of family history and dark secrets that have long been buried. As the investigation unfolds, he confronts the legacy of his families past, uncovering layers of deceit and betrayal that threaten to unravel both his life and that of the couple.

Armed with only the memories of his grandmothers stories, he will stop at nothing until he discovers his buried legacy. Will the unsuspecting couple become aware of his motives and the dangerous lengths he will go before it’s too late?

Across the Creek delves into themes of identity, family loyalty, and the lengths individuals will go to protect their legacies. With a backdrop of small-town dynamics and the relentless pursuit of truth, this contemporary novel keeps readers engaged as they explore the intricate connections between past and present, ultimately revealing how history shapes lives in unforeseen ways. About the author
Kaaren Terry is from San Diego and her family has called this home for generations. She and her husband moved over an hour away from the hustle and bustle of the city, up to a small historic gold-mining town called Julian, California. They would call this home for the next 20 years. Surrounded by nature and abundant wildlife , commuting to the city for work and essentials, the dichotomy of the two lifestyles became apparent.

Kaaren’s degree is in Graphic Design which nurtures her creativity. She has worn many hats: to name a few; mother, grocery clerk, glass artist, and now retired Real Estate Broker.

Although the skills needed for each job may be different, at the heart of each is working with people. What makes them tick sets her imagination into overdrive. As an avid reader, fascinated by what an author could do with words, she was inspired by her own life experiences and the people she’s met. She spins a tale that invites the reader to climb aboard and hang on to the very end.