Accused of being an adrenaline junkie, Kate’s debut, "Dances with Fire," grabs readers to pull them along on her action-packed adventure on a 20-person Hotshot crew. Kate learns to endure the most adverse conditions in challenging terrain while learning the important practice of teamwork in the midst of constant chaos, change and challenge in wildland firefighting’s harsh environment. She writes with humor and heart as she describes real people readers will love, crew camaraderie and often risky situations. Her story opens at a tragic fire near Payson, Arizona, and chronicles her experience working with crews on fires all over the West, including the massive Yellowstone Fires, and fires in the Florida Everglades. This book has all the grit you might expect as she recounts fleeing from lightning strikes at a scary desert storm east of Phoenix, dodging a flaming barrel cactus careening down the steep slope of King’s Canyon in California, and suffering through a wretched stomach flu in the war zone of the fireline. Strangely, it was love for the job (and the paychecks) that kept her returning each summer.
Maybe because she was dubbed Big Talk by fellow firefighters, or because she taught high school English for 10 years, Kate shares with ruthless honesty about her burgeoning faith, her so-called love life, as well as awkward situations while working on crews of mostly men.
With the devastating tragedies caused by raging wildfire that we’ve recently witnessed, Kate aims to provide a closer look at the world of wildland firefighting while also encouraging others to step into the unknown, do hard things and enjoy their own adventures.
Kirkus Reviews gives a thumbs up to "Dances with Fire: Lessons in Life, Faith & Firefighting."
It's an honor to be selected to showcase my book at the Tucson Festival of Books.
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