Leigh Bale Talks About Hotshots!

Hotshot wildfire fighters, that is. A hotshot is an elite wildfire fighter. Structure firefighters are very commonly known…we rely on them to save us if we have a house fire. Smoke jumpers get a lot of press because they leap out of airplanes into forest fires. But man-for-man (or woman), a hotshot is in just as superb physical condition as a smoke jumper. But hotshots work as a team. No one builds fireline faster than a hotshot. They are highly trained, highly skilled at fighting wildfire. In fact, they eat small fires for breakfast. They go where no one else will go, hiking through the most difficult terrain you can imagine in order to face walls of flames.

In my new release out this month titled THE FOREST RANGER’S HUSBAND, the book is jam-packed with intense, page-turning scenes. The hero is a hotshot who almost dies and loses one of the crewmen under his command during a wildfire. His near death experience changes him in ways he doesn’t understand. He suffers from survivor’s guilt and begins to question his priorities. Feeling adrift professionally and spiritually, he seeks to restructure his goals.

This book is the second in my new Forest Ranger series and can be read as a standalone title. Look at the beautiful cover they gave me! They almost got it perfect, except the boots aren't quite right. Wildfire fighters wear White's boots (White's is the maker of the boots), with at least 6-inch lug soles to protect their feet from the super-heated ground and fire. The hero on the cover looks just like I remember my father looking when he would leave to go fight wildfire. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Do you know any firefighters, either for structure fires or forest fires? Maybe yourself, a husband, family member, or friend? They’re an amazing breed of people, aren’t they? Truly an American hero.