It seems like something out of a science fiction novel, doesn’t it? For the month of August I camped in several national forests and Glacier National Park. On my first night in the mountains, I was treated to a spectacular sunset. Many of the clouds took on vivid colors, and even the rain came down pink. I’d never seen this phenomenon before and was mesmerized by the beauty.

OK, so maybe there’s a touch of orange and red in there too. But pink is close.

So why spend all that time in the wilderness, tossing and turning in a tent as all kinds of critters patter by in the night? For scenes like this, of course. This is an area I visit every year. I’ve been tempted to reveal the location, but there are people I know who would kill me (and people I don’t know) if I gave it away. I can say the area is in Montana, and it’s where the first group of mountains rise above the prairie coming from the east. There are several ranges here, one of them a distinct “island range”. We’re looking south in the image towards Yellowstone, as this is part of the eighteen million acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

As spectacular as the view was, the aural experience was just as good…the rustling cottonwoods, the faint chewing and hoofing of horses in a nearby pasture, the whisper of a fast-moving river in the distance. But sometimes what is left out is most important of all. And in this case it was the absence of motors. Airplanes, cars, motorcycles, lawnmowers, weedwackers, gone. You don’t notice how dominating those noises are until they’re removed.

Eventually the storm drifted east over the prairie, losing its colors. There’s something about light in the mountains. It’s cleaner, more vibrant, even restless. I wasn’t surprised as it faded above the flatlands. There’s magic in the wilderness and those peaks, enough for clouds to absorb when they pass over.

The fall issue of Ghostlight Magazine is out, and with it my story “The Red Aspen”. It’s a tale of dark suspense featuring Forest Service Ranger Matt Jenson as he searches for his missing ex-girlfriend in the wilds of Northern Minnesota.

You can pick up a digital or hard copy here.

Ghostlight Magazine does great work. You can’t go wrong checking out an issue. The cover reminds me of fall, too (my favorite season in Chicagoland).

I’ve always been fascinated by bears, and this has led me to some of the best bear habitat in the country. This image was taken a couple weeks ago in Glacier National Park, Montana. It’s a healthy male black bear returning from a drink at the lake. This shot took me about six hours to get after first spotting the bear on the slopes at sunrise. I waited him out and sure enough he came down to the lake for a drink at noon. I used a long lens (420mm on a 1.6x crop sensor).
Glacier National Park is stacked with healthy berry patches which these bears love. Sometimes you can see up to a dozen bears on the high slopes making their way slowly through the berries. After this guy got his drink, he went right back to the huckleberries.

Upon seeing this photo, a friend of mine asked me if I feared bears, and why I don’t carry a firearm. There are a couple reasons. First, I carry bear spray, which has been proven more effective than guns as a bear deterrent. Secondly, while bears are indeed wild animals, I find that a little common sense pays off. These are not blood thirsty maniacs thundering through the forests. They are intelligent and well-behaved for the most part. I do not approach them or act in any way which alters their behavior. It’s also important to follow food storage precautions in places like Glacier. A bear’s sense of smell is unmatched by any land animal, and seven times stronger than a bloodhound. The part of a bear’s brain devoted to smell is five times the size the human portion devoted to smell.

For a little reality, see this fascinating “odds of dying” chart:

Odds of Biting It

A few more odds:

Odds of dying by a grizzly in Yellowstone: 1 in 3 million
Odds of dying by a cougar attack in California: 1 in 32 million
Odds of dying via attack by any animal not a dog or pet: 1 in 4,200,000
Odds of dying by accidental firearm discharge: 1 in 5134
Odds of dying by firearm assault: 1 in 324
Odds of dying from heart disease: 1 in 5

As you can see, there are many worse things to worry about. As for our bear friend, eventually he sauntered off into the woods, no doubt stuffed with berries. My fascination with bears (and the wild in general) has led to these topics frequenting my fiction. My short story “Revenge on Apex Mountain” features a grizzly (due for release any day now in Fearology 2). My novel INVASIVE also has bears, as does the novel that takes place in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which has no grizzly bears, but is thick with black bears.

Sometimes I see the bears I’ve photographed as I drift off to sleep. But it’s not the perfect shot, or the best image of the day, only the last glimpse before they disappear into the shadows at tree line. Strange, but I think that’s how they want to be seen, and in the end, no matter the photo, that’s how I remember them.

Is it August already?

I’m leaving tomorrow for a few weeks across the Badlands and Northern Rockies (Montana for the most part). I’ll be visiting places such as Glacier National Park, The Gallatin National Forest, the Flathead National Forest, and the Bitterroot National Forest. It is these wild public lands which are the inspiration for many of my stories. My novel INVASIVE also takes place in Montana. Speaking of INVASIVE, revisions are going well and I couldn’t be happier with my agent (Laura Wood). It’s rewarding to have thoughtful and productive conversations about your work with a professional. Laura really knows her stuff.

The “other” novel is with my first reader and so far, so good. It also takes place in a remote area, although this time the location is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a windswept orchard surrounded by millions of acres of boreal forest. I don’t want to give too much away because the concept is pretty damn cool. Once it’s polished I’ll spill a bit on it. The next draft is the fifth and I hope to have a sixth and final draft soon. There’s a bit of chopping to do, but much like the ravaged U.P. forests, it was always inevitable.

Novel # 3 is simmering in the back of my mind, but I won’t start it until these other projects clear. Too much crossover or contamination in thoughts and energy.

I’ll see if I can post a photo or two from the trip, but these are remote areas with poor internet access. And in a way, that’s a very good thing for writers. It’s about the story, and Twitter/Facebook/Forums won’t get it done.

The road is calling me back to wilder things–things that don’t require you to “sign in”. I’ll embrace it. I don’t plan to stay in a hotel for a single day. My lodging will be Forest Service and National Park campgrounds. I’m expecting around thirty days of camping. In the mix is writing, photography, and fly fishing. For many people, church is a comfortable structure with creaking pews and loafers shuffling on wooden floors. For me, it’s the last wildlands in the lower 48.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve signed with agent Laura Wood at FinePrint Literary in New York City.

It’s a great fit and the plan for the novel is fantastic. We’ve changed the working title from ECO MORPH to INVASIVE.

However, the work has just begun. I need to go through a revision and then Ms. Wood will submit the book to publishers as soon as it’s as strong as it can be.

This is a huge opportunity and I’m grateful for it. I worked my tail off on INVASIVE and I’m looking forward to the rest of this process. But for now, I need to head back into the Apex Valley, where Bishop and Angela are realizing things are not as they should be….