As a lover of our wildlands in the American West, I fought wildfires in several western states. I love writing about the grit and determination required to be a wildland firefighter.
As a female, it was a constant challenge to
prove I could do the physical aspects of the job. Sometimes I worked with
old-school thinkers who thought women had no place on a fire line. I worked
hard to prove myself and earned the respect of my male counterparts, even the
old-school thinkers who still didn’t think women belonged on the fire line. I
write about this in the novel. Many women face this in professions that have
been traditionally male-dominated. Now, women make up a healthy portion of wildland
fire crews.
My husband and I were both firefighters for the
U.S. Forest Service in Montana and I didn’t have to reach too far to write the
romance in the story. I had so much fun writing it!
Firefighting made me grow up. I learned that not only did I have the responsibility to watch out for my own safety on the fire line, I watched out for my crew members. We trusted each other; without trust it's difficult for a crew to congeal and work successfully as a team. Firefighting was one of the most exhilarating work experiences of my life.
I’ve just finished writing Alaska Inferno,
the second book of the Blazing Hearts Wildfire series, and again I had an
absolute blast writing it. This book continues the firefighting adventures of
the Alaska Fire Service Aurora Crew and will be released in late March. I
raised the ante on the crime elements in the second book with a serial
arsonist. I write women who are strong, guys that are calendar-worthy hot, and
the romances that are passionate. Romance, fire, and sabotage are an explosive
mix.
What has made all of this so special was a
reader who said, “Your words moved me after having gone through a traumatic
experience fighting a bad fire in Southern California. It helped me to know I’m
not the only one who has had these experiences.” This is why I write. If I can
make a difference to just one reader, I’ve done my job as a writer.
As I say on my taglines when promoting Alaska
Spark: Hope creates heroes and love creates miracles!
LoLo
worked as a wildland firefighter for the Missoula Smokejumper Base and the U.S.
Forest Service in Missoula, Montana. She moved from Montana to Alaska, seeking
romance and adventure and found both! After an action-packed career that
included fighting fires in Montana, California, and Alaska, LoLo took up
writing full time. LoLo lives in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever,
enjoying summers at their oceanfront cabin, fishing for halibut and salmon…and
writing. Her next book, Alaska Inferno, will be released in March.
Lolo
plans to launch two more series in 2021: A romantic suspense crime thriller
series set in Alaska and a “seasoned” romance series with older characters and second
chance & friends to lovers themes.
Links to Website and Social Media
AMAZON BOOK PAGE https://amzn.to/3pOUe4B
LOLO PAIGE WEBSITE https://www.lolopaige.com/
GOODREADS BOOK PAGE https://bit.ly/3oepCZL
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE https://bit.ly/3rVSRTq
BOOKBUB AUTHOR PAGE https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lolo-paige
BARNES & NOBLE PAGE https://bit.ly/38Zu0pk
FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE https://www.facebook.com/LoLoPaigewildlandfire
TWITTER https://twitter.com/LoloPaigeAuthor @LoLoPaigeAuthor
13 comments:
LoLo, love the authenticity and passion you bring to your books. And in this day of raging wildfires consuming hundreds of thousands of acres of forest, range, farms and towns knowing more about the heroes and heroines who are on the front line is gift to your readers.
LoLo, I have the honor of your friendship and of reading drafts of your books. You are special, and it shows in your work! Hope lots of people go find your books from this post. :-)
Thanks so much, Judith and Lynn! Thank you for inviting me to participate with a guest blog, it's truly an honor.
LoLo
LoLo - this sounds like an amazing story, written by one who has experienced the work. I used to work in the admissions office at Unity College in Maine, where we trained forest service and game wardens. One of my students, who is now a warden, fought fires out on the west coast a few years ago. To say I was so worried about him was an understatement, and after hearing his stories when he arrived back, I have to say I worry about all the brave people who fight our fires. He and his roommate (who is now a police officer in my town) also worked as volunteer fire fighters and on the search and rescue team in the rural town where the school is. They used to text me when they arrived back from a fire, even though I had already left work, since they knew I would be up all night worrying about them if they didn't. :-) I was their school mom while they were away from home. Best with your new release!
Deb, thank you so much. Unfortunately, wildland firefighting is still dangerous work. But rest assured, the agencies who employ and train firefighters make sure they know what to do in most every circumstance. Safety is the number one priority for both firefighters and the public they protect. I love happy endings, so chose the romance genre to tell stories of what goes on behind the scenes. Thank you for sharing!
Lolo, this sounds like such an exciting book!! And I adore your name.
First, I thank you for being a firefighter. I have several friends who have worked National Forest Service fires for their entire careers. I know how time consuming and dangerous it can be.
I love when a writer is able to take their personal experience and infuse their books with the reality of that experience while crafting a great story. The fact you've done that makes me want to read it. I also love your name! When DH and I first married we built a log cabin on Mt. Hood and the crossing road was Lolo Pass, part of the Oregon Trail. I believe there is also a Lolo Pass on the border of Montana and Idaho that was used by the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
What a wonderful name to have and a salute to your work in firefighting in the forest.
Thank you and your husband for your service as Fire Fighters! My grandson is a Fire Fighter in CA. I know the danger and time constraints being a fire fighter puts on your life. I'll be adding the book to my TBR pile. When We were vacationing in Montana and all I wanted was to see a moose, the clerk in a candy store told us go to Lolo, its crazy with moose! We went, but never saw one moose! I love your name too.
Shannon, Maggie, and Diana,
Thank you so much for your kind comments! LoLo is a nickname my family called me back in Montana. I was the youngest of five and my brothers and sisters always told me I was named after the LoLo National Forest...and LoLo Pass. When I graduated from the University of Montana (Go Griz!) and went to work with the U.S. Forest Service, I mentioned this to someone and the teasing was endless LOL. In the winter my husband and I volunteered at the LoLo Pass Visitor's Cabin for the cross-country skiers. We'd have to dig up and out of the snow to get out some mornings, snow was so deep up there. Diana, if you come to Alaska you have a better chance of seeing a moose, and a few glaciers too :) Thank you so much for your interest in wildland firefighting! Pray for our firefighters this upcoming season. I wish I could say wildfires will decrease.
LoLo
Can't wait to read this one! My husband was a wildland firefighter in California for one season after high school. He loved the work, but was number 8 in the Draft lottery, so he jined the Coast Guard because he wanted to save lives, rather than be drafted into the army.
We were stationed on Annette Island, Sitka and Kodiak in Alaska, as well as several places in the Lower 48.
I hear you about the wildfires being so bad. Praying we get a reprieve this year.
Thank you for Guesting at RTG.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for posting! So cool your husband joined the Coast Guard. I always wanted to work for them, but making those decisions was hard. I'm so happy you're interested in reading Alaska Spark. I hope you enjoy it. Some of the scariest experiences I had while fighting fire were in California. The Santa Ana winds challenge every ground and air resource when they get going. Wow, Kodiak! I've been a couple times. Beautiful, but a tad isolated for me. I'm spoiled here in Southcentral, with access to both city stuff and the wild country. It's been an honor to be a guest at RTG. Thank you so much!
LoLo
Oh, this Lolo! I realized occasionally that I held my breath while reading her book. She writes about fires with authority and about love and passion... I would say, yes, she does that as well. I often wondered if the hero in "Alaska Spark" was her great love... and maybe even became her husband. You can't blame a reader getting involved with feelings and thoughts... especially if the reader is also a writer. I wish the same kind of success she had with the "Spark' for the "Inferno..."
I'll surely read that again, too!
Giselle, thank you so much! Well I do write from personal experience, and my husband and I were both firefighters, so...write what you know, right? I am so honored that you read my book! You are such an amazing author, thank you <3
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