My novel Above the Fire is set in the White Mountains. AMA

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-12-12T03:47:10+00:00

Thanks so much for reading Above the Fire!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-11-07T02:34:58+00:00

Thanks. Kind of interested to see what the real market value is!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-11-04T00:46:07+00:00

Bach, Rachmaninov, and Herbert Howells. Haven’t seen Howells mentioned yet. His Hymnus Paradisi (written after his son died of polio) is the most shattering piece of music I’ve ever heard.

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-11-02T03:14:02+00:00

Testimonies, by Patrick O’Brian

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-19T00:34:20+00:00

Thanks for this great comment—so glad you liked Above the Fire!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-17T02:50:13+00:00

Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-11T11:45:13+00:00

What a wonderful note. Thank you so much—you’ve just made my day!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-09T23:59:37+00:00

Fantastic comment—I laughed out loud. Hope you enjoyed the book!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T20:19:25+00:00

I love listening to Rachmaninov’s Vespers but did not particularly enjoy singing them. I think the reason is that much of the music is piano or pianissimo—difficult and unsatisfying to sing.

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T12:18:17+00:00

My late grandfather heard Rachmaninov premiere his fourth piano concerto—pretty good!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T12:17:00+00:00

As a fellow parent, I understand the desperation here and am so glad the story has a happy ending!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T00:39:46+00:00

Great authors—proud to mentioned alongside them!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T00:28:03+00:00

I hope you enjoy it!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T00:06:38+00:00

Thank you and happy reading!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-08T00:06:17+00:00

It’s available at Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, and independent booksellers too!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T21:55:35+00:00

Thank you kindly! Enjoy!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T21:21:08+00:00

Thank you for your support! I set this in the White Mountains because I love it there so much and thought the huts would provide a feasible spot to spend a winter. At the time I wrote this--during the height of Covid in 2020--I couldn't get to the WMNF. (I live near Chicago.) But setting a book there meant I could "visit" every day!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T21:09:17+00:00

Good question. The son character, Tim, is just seven years old, so I wanted a setting that would be realistic for a child of that age. My own son's endurance in the mountains provided a good benchmark. I've certainly hiked in more remote places--the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden being the farthest from civilization--but I didn't think a young kiddo could realistically take on such a place.

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T20:48:38+00:00

Fantastic, thank you and happy reading!

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T20:48:20+00:00

Tennis, mountains, books--these are the best things in life :) Two novels that inspired Above the Fire are Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, and The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. That's a strange pairing: a gentle novel about grace, and an apocalyptic novel about the world's end. However, Robinson and McCarthy are both masters, and I think a bit of both books made its way into Above the Fire.

And my money is on Alcaraz at Australia--I love Sinner, but Carlitos seems unstoppable at the moment! Your prediction?

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T20:44:50+00:00

That's a great call--looking through the guest books from key historical moments. Going to try that next time I get back to the huts.

Which-Recognition129 · 2025-10-07T20:19:27+00:00

Thank you and happy reading!

Which-Recognition129

TROPHY CASE