My father was a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. In his prime, he and his crew got dropped into places out West like Colorado and Montana to fight wildfires. He’d be gone for three weeks at a time and would come back home to southern Mississippi bearded and thin from the experience.

I grew up hearing his stories about close calls and how one time, they got caught and had to seek shelter in some huge rocks. My father said the fire had blown up and had sounded like a freight train bearing down on them. His best friend wanted to make a run for it but my dad wouldn’t let him. To this day, his friend credits my father with saving his life. The fire burned over them so hot that day that it singed the tops of my father’s ears and melted the name tag off of his hard hat.

This is real hero stuff and it continues every year. As someone who lives in northern California, an area that is now regularly required to evacuate for wildfires, I am personally indebted to all the firefighters who work every fire season, to all of their hard work and bravery.

I first thought of writing SLOW BURN after a particularly scary event my wife and I experienced.

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I first thought of writing SLOW BURN after a particularly scary event my wife and I experienced. We had gotten stranded on Interstate 80 while trying to evacuate to Sacramento during a summer of wildfires. While we were driving east on the interstate, two fires converged and jumped the freeway, closing all lanes in both directions with flames within sight, climbing down the hillside. I’ll never forget that day. The mere smell of smoke brings the memory back in an instant.

Hopefully I was able to capture some of these real-life experiences, past and present, in SLOW BURN. Stay safe out there.

Here’s more about SLOW BURN.

Firefighter Grayson Reeves barely survived a harrowing California wildfire, and the experience has shaken everything she believes about herself. Returning to her hometown of Sky Valley, NC, to heal and regroup seems like a good idea, but past mistakes and a small town that never forgets are painful reminders of why she left.

Faith Owen didn’t grow up in Sky Valley, but when an opportunity arises to relocate to one of her favorite childhood haunts, she jumps at the chance. A new environment is just what she needs to refocus on her art and regain her confidence after her last ill-fated relationship left her with loads of self-doubt.

When Faith meets Gray, she sees a suffering soul in need of saving. Gray can only see a woman for whom she could never be enough. Despite their misgivings, their mutual attraction ignites passions neither can fight.