The following e-mail is from Fernanda Santos, a journalist with the New York Times.
Hi, everyone. Today is the day The Fire Line starts landing in bookstores and mailboxes in cities across the United States. Today is a day of gratitude – for the courage to take on a challenging project, the support I got from my family, and the trust placed upon me by the families and friends of the nineteen Granite Mountain Hotshots killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire. They believed I could tell their story truthfully and faithfully, and for that I am eternally grateful. I hope all who read my book can learn about wildfires, the men and women who fight it, and this band of brothers who loved their families, loved one another, loved the job they did and chose to stay together until the end.
On Sunday, the New York Post picked The Fire Line as one of five must-read books this week. On Monday, Jerry Harkavy of The Associated Press wrote in his review that the book is “reminiscent of Norman Maclean’s classic ‘Young Men and Fire'” and described it as a “gripping account of one of the nation’s most deadly wildfires and an inspiring look at the men who put their lives on the line and the loved ones they left behind.”
The best part of my day, though, was spending time at Deborah Pfingston’s English class at Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center, an early-college high school in Prescott Valley. I spoke to her students about my book and career, and got to answer their excellent questions. Deborah is the mother of Andrew Ashcraft, one of the nineteen brave men who died in the fire, but whose memory I hope will forever live through my book.
I’ve been adding links to reviews and stories about The Fire Line to the “Press” page on my Website, including a great piece by Donna Rossi of CBS-Channel 5 in Phoenix that aired on the 6:30 p.m. newscast on Monday. You can also write your review on Goodreads and Amazon, tell your friends about The Fire Line, and post an endorsement of the book on your social media feeds. Every good word about the book is much, much appreciated.
If you live in Phoenix, come by Changing Hands Bookstore on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. If you’re in Prescott, meet me at Peregrine Book Company in Prescott on Saturday at 5 p.m. I’ll be reading from my book, signing copies, answering questions and distributing hugs.
Related: Sole survivor of Yarnell Hill Fire speaks out ahead of 3-year anniversary
