Authors Linda Strader and Nancy Villalobos
Originally from Syracuse, New York, Ms. Strader moved to Prescott, Arizona with her family in 1972. In 1976, she became one of the first women on a Forest Service fire crew in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. She’ll be speaking to us about finding a small publisher.
Q: What inspired you to write your book, Summers of Fire: A Memoir?
A: Multiple losses … within 5 years time, I ended my 23 year marriage, lost my job, and lost my mom. Because my years as a firefighter were some of the best times of my life, I returned to them—not necessarily to write a book, but to write down some of the events. However, after doing so, friends encouraged me to write more. And I did. Four hundred pages!
Nancy’s real-life story will be featured in the Next Chicken Soup for The Empowered Woman’s Soul