Ask the Author: Patricia Prijatel
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Patricia Prijatel
I first thought of writing a book entirely about the forest fire in our remote Colorado valley where we spend the summers in a homemade cabin in a little family enclave, on land bequeathed to us by our parents. I would show our experience as we evacuate—the sights, sounds and smell of the fire and our plans to rebuild. What an adventure, I thought. But I quickly realized that was not the book at all—sadly, too many people could write that one.
What I could write would be about what happens in the years after a fire—flooding, weeds the size of Bigfoot, hungry, orphaned bears, toxic air, and human stress and illness. I developed PTSD and, in the span of six months, my husband was diagnosed with a serious liver disease, my brother had digestive issues, his wife was diagnosed with melanoma, and I had a second bout of breast cancer. The fire and its aftermath were not the only factors in our illness, but they had to have an influence.
The book now chronicles the fire and our escape, but that happens early and the primary focus is on what comes next. And, like a good journalist, I did plenty of research on wildfires and ended up convinced that those of us in our little mountain valley are a microcosm of climate change, a giant petri dish showing how all this plays out.
What I could write would be about what happens in the years after a fire—flooding, weeds the size of Bigfoot, hungry, orphaned bears, toxic air, and human stress and illness. I developed PTSD and, in the span of six months, my husband was diagnosed with a serious liver disease, my brother had digestive issues, his wife was diagnosed with melanoma, and I had a second bout of breast cancer. The fire and its aftermath were not the only factors in our illness, but they had to have an influence.
The book now chronicles the fire and our escape, but that happens early and the primary focus is on what comes next. And, like a good journalist, I did plenty of research on wildfires and ended up convinced that those of us in our little mountain valley are a microcosm of climate change, a giant petri dish showing how all this plays out.
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