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
