Exploring how forests can rewire our tech-tired minds.
And croissants.
Welcome — I’m Deanna Duke, and I write stories that explore connection: to nature, to community, and to the networks that sustain us. My nonfiction blends forest ecology, neuroscience, and anthropology to reveal how nature can heal our modern, tech-saturated lives.
My fiction takes readers to the charming streets of Roslyn, Washington, where a bakery owner and her black pug find themselves in the middle of lighthearted mysteries.
Silver medal winner in the Health/Medicine/Nutrition Category of the Independent Publishers Book Awards, 2012
Deanna Duke
Deanna Duke’s Book Releases
I’m an IPPY Award-winning nonfiction author, soon to be Certified Forest Therapy Guide, and creator of the Rusty Quail Bakery Cozy Mystery series. Whether I’m writing about mycelial networks in Wired Roots, or murder in a small town, I believe every story is about finding connection.
Spotlight: New & Upcoming
Wired Roots: What Forests Can Teach Us About Healing in a Digital Age (Nonfiction), 2026
Beneath every forest floor lies a vast mycelial network — an ancient internet of fungi and roots that sustains life through generosity, balance, and connection. Blending forest ecology, neuroscience, and anthropology, Wired Roots shows how nature’s hidden systems can guide us to rewire our own lives, escape digital burnout, and thrive in a connected world worth belonging to.
Murder in Runje Park (Fiction), 2025
When ex-tech exec turned small-town baker Cassandra “Cassie” Anderson stumbles across a dead body in Runje Park — with her snorting pug Dingus Khan by her side — her quiet new life in Roslyn, Washington, crumbles like a burnt croissant. As Cassie balances bakery chaos, nosy neighbors, and a trail of family secrets, she’ll have to whip up more than pastries to solve the mystery before the killer adds her to the menu. Murder in Runje Park is the first in a cozy mystery series full of warm pastries, quirky locals, and cold-blooded crime.
Available for PRE-ORDER now at Amazon!
In The Non-Toxic Avenger, Deanna Duke lays out what could otherwise be confusing information in a straightforward, non-hysterical, and relatable way. The beauty of this book is that readers can apply Deanna's nontoxic avenging in small or large ways, taking as tiny or as enormous a step as they like. Either way, it will make readers think a little harder about the things we humans surround, slather, coat, and feed ourselves with. It was an eye-opener for me.
Ree Drummond, author and host of The Pioneer Woman cooking show (Food Network)
Reviews
Duke offers a revealing look at the dangers lurking within our clothing, food, and household products -- her personal battle against these is at once deeply moving and totally hilarious.
Vanessa Farquharson, author, Sleeping Naked is Green
Deanna Duke provides wonderful insights in this very personal exploration of the toxic chemicals hidden in every single part of our lives. An important and timely guide to understanding our toxic world.
Bruce Lourie, co-author Slow Death by Rubber Duck