I write fiction set in the American West, and possess an abiding appreciation for our environment and the natural world. My husband recently retired from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and my two daughters are employed in the conservation arena. I live in Folsom, California, and am a liberal married to a conservative. For some reason it works!
THE BRIDGE AT VALENTINE is due from Tres Picos Press this August. Set in 1890's Idaho, it recounts the story of July Caldwell, the daughter of a sheepman, and Rory Morrow, the son of a cattleman. The men's desire to control the rangeland and their children ultimately deals July and Rory a fatal blow, despite the young lovers' struggle to separate themselves from their fathers' feud. The book's theme -- love, violence, and disputes among families -- demonstrates how trouble comes not from the head, but the heart.
The challenge in writing my book was creating a protagonist willing to oppose her Mormon father to love a Gentile, while conveying the message that women trapped by fate or circumstance always have a choice, but with choice comes consequence -- and sometimes, hope for the future.
Photographer in the Making
Steve at Humboldt State, circa 1976. Until I met him, I'd never been camping. Never held an ax in the woods. Now I do both, simultaneously, while standing on one foot. But I still burn the creme brulee.
Website
Alex Rose, an award-winning writer, designed my website (click on pic to go there), and the cover of my book (coming in August 2010!).