My 12th book, Saving Her Prairie, has just been published, and I thought you’d like to meet my main character, Dede Hume.

Me: Dede, thank you for being my heroine for my new book. Tell us who you are.

Dede: I’m a multi-generational small rancher. I was a minor character in your book Rescue Ranch Rising, when Sam’s boyfriend Brad interviewed me for a documentary.

At age 22—much too young—I was thrust into ranch management with my younger brother, Tommy. My father and my mother left on a year-long RV country-wide trip after Dad was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s.

Me: That must have been difficult. Were you ready for the responsibility?

Dede: No! They said they had complete faith in us and weren’t worried. But I sure was! Now it was up to me to make the day-to-day decisions—when to gather cattle, when to brand and ship, when to harvest. And then, I discovered there was an outstanding equity loan that was coming due.

Me: That must have made for some sleepless nights.

Dede: Oh my goodness, yes. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents and lose the ranch. I wracked my brain for ways to cut back on expenses, whether to sell off a bunch of cows, and/or give up our grazing lease. Add to that worry, the Western Wildlands Preserve was hovering in the background, quietly buying up acres of ranchland to create a wildlife park, featuring thousands of bison and elk, which are known to carry a deadly disease, brucellosis. They offered to buy our ranch.

Me: Was that a tempting offer?

Dede: Oh no! I wasn’t about to give in. I’m a fighter. I joined the Save the Prairie group and did whatever I could to get the word out to ranchers not to sell to that organization.

Me: Then you met Dirk Winslow.

Dede: Yes. He moved onto the neighboring ranch as a foreman for the WWP. Friend or foe? Was he a good neighbor or was he trying to get me to sell? I didn’t know whether to hate him or trust him.

Me: So, that is the crux of your dilemma. What do you want to tell our readers?

Dede (grin): Read the book and find out what happens!

Me: Saving Her Prairie is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book https://tinyurl.com/459hxjcd and on my website http://www.heidimthomas.com