A New Book

November 2, 2021 - By Brandi

You may recall a time when I had a podcast of sorts a year ago. Ha! I can hardly imagine doing that now while my kids are at home with me again as well as a puppy and my husband. As we all try to feel our way through another pandemic year, now with even more stuff (political, health, etc.) getting time for myself is near impossible. You’ll know what I mean if you follow me on Instagram.

Anyhow, while I was busy juggling homeschooling, one of my past interviewees, a memoirist that I grew quite fond of, wrote another book! If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, you can catch up here.

She sent me a snippet of her book a prequel to her original memoir Summers of Fire. It reads like a novel. You’ll see what I mean in our short interview. Please let me know what you think!

I hear you have a new book arriving December 1st. How exciting! Please share what it’s about.

It is! Thanks so much for asking. Here’s the back cover blurb:

It’s 1972, and seventeen-year-old Linda Strader’s parents do the unthinkable—they move from Syracuse, New York to Prescott, Arizona. At first, Linda is furious and doesn’t want to move. True, life in Syracuse isn’t perfect, but all her friends are there. Then she has a thought: maybe this move won’t be so bad. What if she can make herself into someone new?

Expecting a desert, Linda is surprised to find Prescott surrounded by pine-covered mountains, lush canyons with clear, cold creeks, and best of all, several new friends willing to show it off to her. Her new friends also share her love of music and even provide some romance in her life, although she holds out hope for a boy she had liked in Syracuse who joins the Navy.

When her father begins a new job in Tucson, he moves there until the house in Prescott is sold, taking Linda with him so she can job hunt. She learns about a Forest Service job on Mt. Lemmon and jumps at the chance, realizing the one constant in her life is her love for the outdoors and nature.

In this prequel to Summers of Fire, Linda learns, in her quest for independence, she’s not made for mediocre employment. That fateful move to Prescott sets her off on a career path that not only changes her life forever, but helps open the world of fighting forest fires to women.

Cool! How did you come up with the idea?

After I sent the final version of my first book, Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love, and Courage, off to my publisher, I found myself feeling lost with nothing to write. I dug out old journals, and began to read about my life before I took on a firefighting career. What I found made me think I just might have another book…and I did!

How long did it take you to write it?

It’s pretty funny to me now to think that I’d assumed the second book would be easier than the first. I couldn’t have been more wrong! While it didn’t take me quite as long (4 years as opposed to 6), it was still very hard work.

That is funny! I would assume the same thing. Ack that means it doesn’t get easier?! Was the process different than writing the first book?

Well, considering that the first time I had no idea what I was doing, I’d say that the process was different because this time I had a clue! There’s no doubt that my writing had improved, which made it easier to focus on the story rather than worrying myself to death about whether or not the sentence structure worked. That being said, I still went over and over sections to make sure there weren’t any glaring errors.

What can readers expect from your new book?

This is a story of perseverance and determination in finding work that fed my soul…tossing in the challenges of learning the differences between friendship, love, and infatuation.

To me, it reads like an exciting fictional story. How were you able to do this and as a memoirist, how do you decide what parts to add or leave out?

Thank you so much! What I learned after writing my first book is how important it is to “inhabit the moment;” which is another way of saying “show don’t tell.” Immersing yourself in a scene brings it to life, and makes it easier for the reader to relate and put themselves in your shoes. At least, that’s how I see it. As far as what to leave out or remove, that was tough. I worried about sections being too repetitious. That’s where my beta readers were especially helpful. They could see repetition where I could not.

What do you do about memories that are less clear especially when you’re writing about something that happened so long ago?

I’m very fortunate to have kept detailed journals during these times, and I also kept letters and cards from friends and boyfriends. I also have a pretty darned good memory. Just like with Summers of Fire, I also found that the more I wrote the more I remembered…as though writing about an event caused more memories to arise. I think that’s the case for many people who write memoir.