There are few authors who write books that will appeal to every resident and visitor of Eagle Valley. One of those authors is Denver author Peter Heller, who fortunately just published a new book and is returning to our community.
The Bookworm is excited to welcome Heller back to the valley to celebrate the release of his new book, Burn, about two men who have been friends since childhood and who come from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian land plagued by disorienting violence. This event will be held at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley. There will be a question and answer session and book signing following Heller’s presentation.
Readers may be surprised to hear that nationally successful author Peter Heller doesn’t plan his books in advance, but instead follows his creative flow wherever it takes him. For his latest book, that flow took him to rural Maine. “I write in a coffee shop in Denver,” Heller said. “I put on headphones that listen to the Oregon rain, open the laptop and go. Since I don’t plan or outline, I just let my mind sail where it wants. And so this time, with ‘Burn,’ it flew to the great forests of northern Maine. It’s a place I love. In college, I went there with my friend Landis and we kayaked down the Kennebec River and the Penobscot. I’ve fished in the remote lakes up there for a million-year-old species of brook trout. And seen huge bull moose on the banks shaking their antlers during rutting season. I just love it up there.”
These and other outdoor experiences, as well as Heller’s journalistic career, influenced the harsh settings and landscapes that often appear in his novels. “As a journalist, I wrote a lot of extreme adventure stories,” Heller said. “I was an expedition kayaker, and on those trips I saw characters – people – under pressure. Myself included. It was a great experience for fiction. And I guess I’ve always loved Westerns. In which the landscape is the most important character and the human drama is always stripped down to its essence.”
Among the essential elements of the human drama in “Burn” is the redemption found in a chosen family. “The friendship in ‘Burn’ was inspired, I think, by the merging of some strong friendships,” Heller said. “Jess and Storey aren’t exactly like any other friends — their backstories and families are different — but the tenor of the friendship is very similar to the friendships I’m fortunate to have. I loved writing about the two of them together: the gentle way they treated each other, the generosity and forgiveness. Humor, toughness, resilience. Despite the difficulty and craziness of their situation, it made me really happy to write about the two of them.”
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Heller’s characters certainly needed toughness and resilience to navigate the novel’s conflicts, which were inspired by the current political climate. “I never plan too much or really know what I’m getting into when I start a novel,” Heller explained. “I start with a first line that I love the music of and write it into the story. And then after a few pages, I usually hit on what really worries me. I’m worried. A lot. About the state of our rare and wonderful nation, where Americans – who are big-hearted people – are finding it hard to even talk to each other anymore. Who are finding it harder and harder to reach a hand across the divide. It’s heartbreaking.”
As readers read his book, they will find that Heller is not without hope, as strong friendships and kindness have healing powers. “Caring for others makes us more resilient,” Heller said. “Forgiveness always makes us stronger.”
