Her debut novel, Up from Thunder, takes place in Missouri during the Civil War. The protagonist, 16-year-old Hattie Rood, must take care of a wounded 17-year-old Jesse James. If Hattie Rood is the heart of the book – her losses, her courage, and her growing love for young Jesse James – then the state of Missouri is the ravaged body of the book. Despite the horrors being waged around them, Salzer remains focused on the characters.