A question I’m often asked is why I started writing about smokejumpers. It’s a great question and has a rather complicated answer.

When I first started writing WHERE HE BELONGS, I was trying to decide on a career for my hero, Wade Winslow. I knew that he was a very physical man who took risks, liked change, and would probably work with his hands. I didn’t want to go with the usual romance-hero jobs of DEA agent, cop, military, etc. because they’d already been used so much, but I needed to find something as equally exciting and “macho” for my hero.

Then one day, my husband forwarded me a list he’d received of the “Ten Most Adventurous Jobs.” Here’s the list:

1. Adventure Travel Guide
2. Coast Guard Officer
3. Firefighter
4. Herpetologist
5. Pyrotechnician
6. Bounty Hunter
7. Commercial Diver
8. Fisherman
9. Photojournalist
10. Smokejumper

Now, the reason my husband sent me this list was because he is a retired Coast Guard Officer — an exciting job, for sure, but I just couldn’t see my hero in that role (Wade wouldn’t have wanted a long-term commitment, for one thing). Smokejumper sounded like a possibility, though, especially since it’s a seasonal job. I remembered that a friend of ours, Ron Rockwell, used to be a smokejumper, so I asked him about it.

Now, Ron has led the perfect romance-hero life. He grew up on a Montana cattle ranch, was a smokejumper, DEA agent, and was even in the military. He’s also a really friendly guy and a great source of information. He answered my endless questions about smokejumping, lent me some smokejumper magazines to read, and gave me a pretty good idea of what smokejumpers were like.

Once I decided that my hero was definitely a smokejumper, I really kicked into gear. I watched videos about smokejumping, read articles and books written by smokejumpers, joined the National Smokejumper Association and even visited the Missoula, Montana base.

By then, I’d gone off the deep end. I talked incessantly about smokejumping. I lectured friends on the role of fire in the forests, boring everyone I knew. I even tried to convince my youngest son to join a hotshot crew (he declined and joined the Coast Guard instead).

And by the time I finished writing WHERE HE BELONGS, I was so hooked on smokejumpers that I decided to write another book about them — but this time, I wanted to show them in action. That’s when I began FACING THE FIRE.

Of course, I still had a million questions, things only a smokejumper would know — like “What do you do when you get injured?” “What happens to your boots when you cross a river?” “Where do you carry your knife?” Fortunately, around this time I discovered Forest Service Spokesman Tim Eldridge, who was happy to answer my questions (well, he seemed happy - I’m sure he must have rolled his eyes and laughed at quite a few). And when I visited the Missoula base again, Tim gave me a private tour, let me climb inside a jump plane and demonstrated how a fusee worked. He even read FACING THE FIRE and checked it for accuracy (and I was thrilled when he said he liked it!).

Around this time, I also wrote an article for the National Smokejumpers Association magazine, letting them know that they were the heroes of my books. Amazingly, I began receiving emails and phone calls from various smokejumpers who’d read my article. This only confirmed what I already knew, that they are a really interesting bunch of guys (and women!). They are also generous, brave, exciting, intelligent, AND fun to be around.

Will I write about smokejumpers again? You bet! As soon as I finish my current project, I’m heading back into that forest. And I’ll be sure to let you know what sexy hero I find there.

Now, let’s talk. One person who leaves a comment will win a signed copy of my April book, FACING THE FIRE.