The Author Stories Podcast with Hank Garner
Many thanks to Hank and Dawn Garner for this wonderful opportunity to talk about my story, life, and writing! Because this interview has been archived, you will need to find me in the archive list (Episode #483). Right click on the link to download the audio file. Click the image below to get started. (This is a great interview, so I hope you'll check it out!)
My interview with Wildfire Women
Meet Linda Strader: Firefighter
Dateline NBC talks to women about changing the Forest Service
DATELINE NBC
Parade Magazine featured my book today!
My firefighting years as a collage
 |
| From the upper left corner going clockwise: Helispot maintenance day, 1976. My first experience flying in helicopters was scary, but thrilling! Once I got used to it, I loved flying. Northern California. Klamath National Forest, Hog-Fong Fire 1977. At over 50,000 acres (considered huge back then) this would be the largest fire I would fight. I'd be out there for nearly 3 weeks, losing track of time, working until I was a walking zombie, and would have a pretty darned scary close-call one night. My "Red Card." Firefighters receive these to prove they passed the fitness test in order to be able to work on the fireline. A backfire on the Hog-Fong Fire on the Klamath National Forest, 1977. Here, we are setting fire to fight fire by burning out the fuel ahead of the main blaze. Rather terrifying, I must say. The ticket stub for my train ride on the Whitehorse Narrow Gauge Railroad from Whitehorse, Canada, to Skayway, Alaska in September 1980. Sadly, half of this route closed the year after I took this ride. Such a shame. A C-47 aircraft drops slurry on the Box Fire, 1976. This is my second fire, and it just so happens I was underneath that drop--a very dangerous place to be. So how did I get this shot? The photo was not taken by me, but by another firefighter who found my camera in our truck, and took photos for me. Imagine the surprise when I developed them and found these! Me and Smokey the Bear, October 1976. It was my last day at Florida Ranger Station, and the guys were getting ready for the Green Valley Parade. If I look a bit uncomfortable, it's because the guy inside the bear suit is someone I did not get along with, whom in fact I rather despised. He was mean to me, degrading, and told me to my face a couple weeks earlier that I didn't belong there, and that I should quit. My Smokey the Bear key chain. The Hog-Fong fire in Northern California. A night shot, which adds to the drama. Part of my crew riding in the back of Army transport trucks to fight the Hog-Fong Fire. The dust was so bad we covered our faces with bandanas. I finally closed my eyes because of the dust, too. I worked for the Coronado National Forest for 3 summers, and wore this patch on my fire shirts. The other two photos are also of the Hog-Fong fire. In the center: My 1976 journal, open to my first week at Florida Ranger Station. My Hopi necklace, which I wore every day and still wear often. It was purchased on our first trip out West. A friend told me the center stone represents the Earth, and the swirls of silver, the Universe. |
More proof that things remain the same
A humorous look at a serious topic-sexual harassment in the workplace
Writing truth in memoir
What I learned about being resilient: a guest post
Hate book promotion? Me too. My tips on how to make it easier
What is it about firefighting that made me love my work?
I recently saw a post
asking what being a wildland firefighter means to people. This to me is
what it's about. The camaraderie you have with your crew. The nights
spent out at a remote spike camp, sitting around a campfire after a long
shift talking like you haven't been around each other 24/7 the whole
summer. Jokingly complaining about how awful the line, food, coffee or
hike in or out was, but looking back and being satisfied with the
progress the crew has made. More and more I feel like firefighters are
being told they're glamorous, adrenaline fueled heroes doing an
extremely dangerous job, battling the forces of nature and more and more
inexperienced firefighters are believing it and thinking that's what
this job is about. It's sad and about as far from the truth as you can
get. It's all about teamwork, camaraderie, and a few clear, calm
decisions to solve evolving problems.
Kyle Miller
I couldn't have said this better. This is what I miss. This is what made my job special, and far more than just a job to me. This time in my life was the only time I felt that way. There is no doubt I am quite lucky to have had those experiences.
Kyle Miller
I couldn't have said this better. This is what I miss. This is what made my job special, and far more than just a job to me. This time in my life was the only time I felt that way. There is no doubt I am quite lucky to have had those experiences.
Diagram of how a fire crew works
Book review in the Green Valley News
Some can't visit the actual article, so here it is:
“Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage”
By Linda Strader
Bink Books
247 pages
Summering
at the rustic Florida Ranger Station in our Santa Rita Mountains may
sound ideal to some of us Southern Arizona desert dwellers, but surely
not if we had to fight fires and clear heavy tree limbs up and down the
steep slopes! But it was a dream come true for 20-year-old Linda Strader
when in 1976 she began seven years of seasonal work with the U.S.
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.Kudos to Strader for pursuing a career as a firefighter in the 1970s and early '80s, and persevering as one of the first women hired on a Forest Service fire crew. No easy task in a male-dominated profession. From the Santa Ritas to the Santa Catalinas, up to Flagstaff, then in Alaska and Colorado, Strader shares it all: the excitement, hard work and danger; the camaraderie and her love interests; and her tremendous personal successes and hard knocks on the job and in her personal relationships.
As a first-time author, Strader's writing is insightfully descriptive, from nature's wonders and brutality, to times when she survived only on sheer willpower, truly pushing herself physically to the brink, and the rewards she found working in the great Western outdoors. Strader cites support from several local writers and her friend, advisor and writing coach Joanne Burch. She put their advice to good use. This well-written memoir will have readers caught up in the adventurous twists and turns to very end.
Karen Walenga
How to accept critiques gracefully
There’s probably nothing scarier
than asking for a beta read of your book. Most writers are very defensive of
their writing, and I fully understand why. The amount of hard work it takes to write a
story is nothing to make light of. It’s even harder when you are writing
memoir, because now you are talking about some really personal stuff. I’m
certainly guilty of diving into the defensive mode:
NO, I am NOT changing that! I like it this way.
But do you need to listen to suggestions, or ignore them? I’ve learned over
the years I spent perfecting my story, that refusing to make edits may hinder
or prevent a better book. In fact, that is one big reason why publishing traditionally worked for me. Had I been the one to make the decision alone, or based on a few reader comments, I would have published long before it was ready.
After my memoir was published, I
started beta reading (reading final drafts for fellow writers, and offering
advice on story flow, construction, and looking for typos, minor grammar
issues, etc.) Many have been wonderful to work with, and even remained in
contact with me. I have no problem with writers who choose to ignore my
suggestions. That’s their prerogative. But what really upsets me, to the point
that I am tempted to refuse to help, are the people who retaliate with nasty
comments, or who say absolutely nothing. How hard is it to simply thank me for
my time, even if you don’t agree with my feedback?
Hey, I get it! It’s downright
hard not to get defensive about your work-in-progress. After all, you
slaved over it for hours, maybe into the wee hours of the morning, editing, perfecting…reworking
it the next day, the day after that, for weeks, even months! The thought of
handing over what you wrote for feedback is terrifying. Will they hate it? Will
they think you can’t write your way out of a paper bag? However, there comes a
point when you are going to have to let someone else see your work—unless you
intend to be the only person that ever reads what you wrote. What fun is that?
My beta reading experiences have
been varied. While many writers are open to comments and suggestions, inevitably
one comes along that gets angry with me when I tell them they need to work on
some serious issues. For example, a woman wrote about a traumatizing event in
her life as though she was narrating a movie. When I explained (and offered
examples) the idea of ‘show don’t tell’, she became defensive and told me that
she ‘knew’ that, but wanted me to read all 75,000 words anyway. I had to pass. However,
I kindly told her that if she reworked two chapters per my suggestions, I’d be
happy to reread.
Her response was loud and clear:
Crickets.
This hurt. After all, I was just
trying to help. I reached out and apologized. She ignored me. It took me a few
days to convince myself I’d done nothing wrong. This upset me enough that I
stopped accepting drafts for a while.
A few weeks later, though, I
offered to beta read a mystery. Only two pages in, the dialog was so
horrendous, I just couldn’t continue.
This is how it went, more or
less:
“I never told you that,” Frank
said.
“Yes you did,” Doris said.
“No, I did not,” Frank said.
“Well that’s what I remember,”
Doris said.
“You have a bad memory,” Frank
said.
“I do not,” Doris said.
Yikes.
I edited a page, giving him
examples of how I learned to write effective dialog. His response?
A lengthy and irritated
explanation about how a previous reader had told him they couldn’t tell who
said what, therefore he’d fixed the problem by adding lots of “saids.” When I
explained he overdid the ‘fix,’ he shot back: “Well, fine. Nobody else wants to
read the whole thing. Why can’t you read it anyway?”
Again, I suggested he revise two
chapters and resend so I could see if he was getting the hang of it. He refused,
complaining that all he wanted was someone to read to the end.
Let me share some tips on how
new writers can gracefully accept critiques, whether you choose to use the advice or not:
1.
Stay objective. It is unlikely that someone
reading your work to provide feedback is out to make you feel incompetent. We
do enough of that on our own.
2.
Resist the urge after reading the comments to
have a fit and scream: “Never!” (Unless you are alone. Then you can scream all
you want. Get it out of your system. Make the neighbors wonder.)
3.
Let the feedback sit for a day or two to calm
down. Is the comment valid? Only you can be the judge. If it is valid, make the
change. If your gut is screaming ‘No!’ then don’t.
4.
If feedback is simply “I love your
story!”—That’s not particularly helpful. Even though it feels great, what you
need to know is why they loved your story, something you can learn from
and expand upon.
5.
It can be hard to separate criticism of your
work from criticism of you as a person. You need to remember you are not your writing.
My experience has been that most
fellow writers want you to succeed and want to help you. That’s why I am
willing to share what I’ve learned with new writers. However, don’t be the
defensive stubborn mule and chastise the reviewer for feedback you didn’t want
to hear. Please keep in mind that beta readers have feelings, too.
Book signing event at Barnes & Noble, Tucson Arizona
Next, a young woman came to talk to me. She told me she was in training to become an EMT. After talking for a while, she picked up my book and read the back. "You were 20 when you started? I'm 20..."
She bought my book and said she needed to think about the possibility of trying out wildland firefighting. Excellent!
Finally, when I was ready to leave, the store manager expounded on how wonderful he thought my book was, and that he wanted me to sign 10 remaining copies to put on their shelf for autographed books. How exciting!
All about wildland firefighting tools
Wildland firefighters have always carried far less gear than
those who work for city fire departments. There are at least two reasons why.
First, wildland fires are usually in remote locations, requiring either long
hikes, helicopter transport, or parachuting in. All of these methods require
that weight and gear are kept at a minimum. Second, unlike a structure fire
which might take hours to put out, forest fires can takes weeks, if not months,
to be considered truly “out.” Carrying enough supplies for that long of a
period is impossible.
My first fire season in 1976, protective gear consisted of
only a shirt made of fire resistant Nomex fabric, goggles to protect our eyes
from debris, a metal hard hat (even though lightweight fiberglass was
available, it wasn’t melt-proof), leather gloves, and leather work boots with a
minimum 8” top and no steel toes. Steel-toes were not allowed because if you
stepped into a bed of hot coals, the steel would transmit the searing heat to
your feet, and would continue to do so even after you moved, resulting in
serious burns.
 |
| Nomex fire shirt |
It wasn’t until 1977 that wearing both Nomex pants and shirts
became mandatory even when not working on a fire. No one on my crew, including
me, wanted to wear Nomex clothes because they didn’t breathe well in the summer
heat, but we had no choice. Also introduced that summer, was the first fire
shelter, which we also protested. Not only did we not want the extra weight,
but we didn’t believe they would work.
The first fire shelter, still in use today, resembled an
aluminum foil pup tent. The idea of the shelter was to save our skins should we
be entrapped by flames. However, the shelters were by no means failsafe. In
light fuels, such as a grass fire, one might survive with minor burns on elbows
and feet, but in heavy fuels, such as thick brush or timber, that would be the
least of your injuries. In cases such as these, fire burns up all of the oxygen,
suffocating you, or your lungs burn from the superheated air. Not a pleasant
way to die. Here's a video of fire shelter deployments:
Because of the 2013 tragedy of the Granite Mountain 19 Hot Shots,
where 19 men all died while in their shelters, new fire shelters are now under
development. However, the prototypes are a problem. For shelters to be more
effective, they would weigh far more than anyone would want to, or could,
carry. Most firefighters interviewed about whether or not they would carry
these new shelters say they would not, and would prefer to take their chances
with the older version.
Firefighting hand tools used then remain the same ones used
today: The Pulaski, shovel, McLeod, and backpack pump.
 |
| Firefighter building fireline with a Pulaski |
The Pulaski, invented
by the early forest ranger, Ed Pulaski, is a combination hoe and axe. Weighing
in at about 8 lbs, this tool is often the preferred fireline building tool
because of its multi-functionality.
A firefighter’s shovel is not an everyday garden shovel.
This version has a shorter handle to make it just as useful to scrap the ground
to remove flammables as it is to shovel dirt. To further set it apart from a
garden shovel, the lip is sharp in order to cut small roots when clearing line.
A McLeod is a heavy-duty rake with a broad hoe opposite the
tines. This tool is best for scraping pine needles and the duff underneath,
limiting its usefulness.
The backpack pump (aka bladder bag, piss-pump) is handy for
putting out hotspots, but a royal pain in the rear to carry, especially in
steep terrain because the water inside wants to follow gravity, pulling you
downhill, making walking on steep terrain a challenge.
While not a hand tool, I’m often asked about slurry, also
known as fire retardant. Slurry is basically a mixture of water and fertilizer
used to aid in fire suppression. What many people don’t understand is that
slurry does NOT put out a fire. Its main purpose is to dampen flames in order
for fire crews to be able to move in closer and build line. Without hand crews
ready to jump in, the water evaporates quickly, and the fire moves on to new
fuel. The purpose of the fertilizer is solely to aid in the regeneration of new
growth after the fire is out.
How to find a small publisher for your book
Do you want to find a literary agent to get your book published? That's what I wanted. But after reading close to 100 rejections, my tenacity started to waiver. Most of the time, I heard nothing but crickets, but when I did hear from an agent I'd queried, I heard:
“Your story didn’t grab me in the first page.”
“It’s not right for our
agency.”
"The memoir market is flooded."
“Memoirs are too hard to sell
unless you are famous.”
Okay. That was discouraging. But I still did not want to give up.
I knew there were other options,
such as self-publishing (where you bear all of the publishing expenses) or
hybrid publishing (where you share in the publishing expense). However, in both
of these cases there is a huge financial risk. You may not ever come close to
recouping your investment. Frankly, I could not afford to do either of those
options. I also believed it was important to be vetted by the industry.
Because I wanted to stick with
traditional publishing, I took a different approach. I decided to look into
small publishers (aka small presses).
I’m going to discuss
the steps to finding a small press, but first, let me dispel some myths:
MYTH #1: Small publishers
require agent representation.
No,
they do not require that you have an agent.
MYTH #2: You won’t need a
professional query letter or book proposal.
Just
like with agents, you will need a query letter and you may need a book
proposal.
MYTH #3 Small publishers will
charge a reading fee.
If
they do, pass. There are plenty that don’t. Also, I’d be leery of anyone that
asks for money upfront. (See Myth #4.)
MYTH #4 You will have to pay to
publish with a small press.
If
they ask you to pay, this is not a traditional publisher. While the publishing
world is changing, at this point in time, publishing with a small press does
not cost you a dime.
MYTH #5 Small presses don’t do
anything to help you market your book.
The
reality is no matter how you publish, you will be involved in the marketing
process. How much your publisher participates varies, but in reality, it's pretty much going to be your job.
OKAY, SO HOW DO YOU FIND A SMALL
PRESS?
1.
Querytracker.net has both agent and small
press listings. It’s a free service, and the website keeps track of queries for
you.
2.
Another great resource was Poets and Writers. (pw.org).
This is where I found my publisher.
3.
University Presses. They often have narrow
interests, but if your book fits, why not?
QUERYING
ALWAYS read requirements for submission before sending a darned
thing! Just like with literary agents, the requirements vary. I found that 50%
of the agents and publishers I queried wanted a book proposal. Be prepared. You
don’t want to be writing a 40 page book proposal at the last minute.
EVALUATE
How do you know if the publisher
is legit?
Literary Agent Janet Reid’s blog
(if you don’t know of her, do check her out) has this helpful info on how to
evaluate a small publisher:
1.
Ask to see the boilerplate contract. A
Google search will provide all kinds of articles to read about red flags in
contracts.
2.
Ask if the terms are negotiable. Can you delete,
amend, or add clauses and/or change royalty rates? If a publisher says s/he
doesn't negotiate, you've got a big red flag.
3.
Look at the books they're publishing. Do they
look professional? Or cheap and poorly designed? Trust your instincts here on what
does or does not seem quite right.
4.
Can you only purchase books through the
publisher's website? If the only way to buy books from this publisher is
on their own website, that's a problem. Also check:
A. Are books for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com?
Verify by checking the list prices.
B. Are the books listed at Ingram and Baker & Taylor? If they're not, your chance of getting into bookstores and libraries other than as a special order is practically zilch.
A. Are books for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com?
Verify by checking the list prices.
B. Are the books listed at Ingram and Baker & Taylor? If they're not, your chance of getting into bookstores and libraries other than as a special order is practically zilch.
5.
What about book pricing?
Are hardcovers over $25.00?
Are trade paperbacks over $15.00?
Are Ebooks over $9.99?
Overpriced books are a problem.
Are hardcovers over $25.00?
Are trade paperbacks over $15.00?
Are Ebooks over $9.99?
Overpriced books are a problem.
6.
How long has the publisher been in business?
You do not want to be first. Even being in business less than five years is not good. This industry requires many years of experience to do things right.
You do not want to be first. Even being in business less than five years is not good. This industry requires many years of experience to do things right.
7.
Does their website focus on writers or readers? A
publisher should be focused on books. If the website is more about how to
become one of their authors, how to query etc, that's a problem.
ONE LAST SUGGESTION BEFORE YOU
ACCEPT:
When a publisher
made an offer, I contacted some of their authors and asked:
“How did you like working with
this publisher?”
“Did they let you participate in
the editing process, or force edits on you?”
“Did you have a say in cover
design?”
“Did they work with you in
marketing your book?”
All were quite willing to share
experiences.
I had two small publishers make
an offer on my memoir. After carefully evaluating each one, and corresponding
with some of their authors, I chose Bedazzled Ink Publishing in California.
It had been a dream of mine to
land an agent, but it didn’t work out. However, it had also been important to
me to publish traditionally, and I did. I’m pleased with my book cover design,
but felt the editing process could have been better. Only time will tell about
the marketing aspect. Despite those issues, I still would not have published
any other way. All of the rejections I received forced me to not only take a long hard look at the quality of my writing, but to work harder at making my story the best it could be.
Oh, and as a side note, whatever you do, don't get sucked into a vanity publisher. First off, vanity publishers are unlikely to provide wide distribution or marketing. There's no reason to be bothered! They make their profit by overcharging YOU. It's hard enough to make back what you could spend self-publishing, but trust me: you will never make back your money if you go with a vanity publisher.
My advice is no matter what route you decide to take, don’t give
up. I think many authors give up too soon. I also think many rush to publish before their book is ready. It’s not an easy road to
publication, but with determination and persistence, it IS possible.
UPDATE: So how did my marketing go? If you'd like to know, check out my recent guest post on book promotion.
UPDATE: So how did my marketing go? If you'd like to know, check out my recent guest post on book promotion.
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