Today’s special guest is author Joan M. Griffin to chat about her adventure memoir, Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle the John Muir Trail.
She’s touring with Wow! Women on Writing and the tour stops are listed below so you can visit other blogs to learn more about Joan and her memoir.
Bio:
Joan lives under the spell of wanderlust. She takes wing, whenever possible, for actual destinations near and far and for literary locales in the pages of books. A native Californian, Joan lives in the Northern California foothills of the majestic Sierra Nevada, a world she loves exploring. Joan navigated her way through two careers—marketing computers, then sailboats—before applying her love of storytelling to her dual passions for teaching and writing. In addition to working on her next book, Joan teaches women’s history and literature for the OLLI programs at Sierra College and UC Davis Extension.
She earned a BA in Psychobiology from UCLA and a Masters in Contemplative Education from Naropa University in Colorado. Joan retired after teaching seventh and eighth grades for twenty-five years.
Welcome, Joan. Please tell us about your current release.
Force of Nature is equal parts gripping adventure tale, personal memoir, and vivid nature writing.
One reviewer, Cam Torrens, author of False Summit, said “Force of Nature is like Wild meets A Walk in the Woods.”
And Kirkus Reviews called it, “An inspiring, empowering memoir by a talented new author.”
Synopsis from the back of the book:
Three friends, women in their fifties, set out to hike “the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world,” the John Muir Trail. From the outset, their adventure is complicated by self-inflicted accidents and ferocious weather, then enriched when they “adopt” a young hiker abandoned by her partner along the trail.
The women experience the terror of lightning at eleven-thousand feet, the thrill of walking through a towering waterfall, and the joy of dancing among midnight moonshadows. For a month, they live immersed in vast natural beauty, tackle the trail’s physical demands, and find camaraderie among an ensemble cast of eccentric trail characters. Together, they are pulled forward toward the trail’s end atop the highest peak in the High Sierra, Mt. Whitney, and the culmination of their transformative journey.
What inspired you to write this book?
I had such an amazing experience hiking the John Muir Trail that, when I got back, I wanted to tell everyone. But I found it difficult to put it into words when I was talking to someone. It was too big, too majestic, too grand. My short descriptions fell far short. I decided the only way to convey the whole story was to tell the whole story, not just bits and pieces. So, I spent 10 years writing it down and polishing it. Now, people can go with me and experience the whole amazing adventure and witness the wild beauty of the environment.
Excerpt from the first page of Force of Nature:
We were hiking uphill as fast as our fifty-year-old legs would carry us. Behind us, the sky was a bright California summer blue. But ahead, above the granite mountain ridge we were climbing, it grew gray, then grayer. Still early, it was barely two in the afternoon. Our plan was to be over the pass and setting up camp down in the valley on the other side long before the Sierra’s typical evening rains began.
Cresting eleven-thousand-foot Donohue Pass, however, we were shocked to find ourselves face to face with a monster storm lurking behind the ridge. Angry black clouds now rose like towers, filling the sky.
Shoulder to shoulder, we froze. Not only did this army of lightning-laced thunderheads block our forward motion, but it was charging directly at us, riding on an icy wind. There was no time for the three of us to retreat to lower, safer ground.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’ve begun writing another memoir. It’s been sitting on the back burner for a couple months while I focus on the launch of Force of Nature, but I’ll pick it back up in the new year, because I think it’s important to write. I was adopted as an infant in the 1950s, something that was not uncommon back then. I always knew I was adopted, but it was a closed adoption, so no information about my birth-parents was given to my “real” parents.
As an adult, I have now met both of my birth-families, and we make an interesting group. That’s become a pretty common situation these days, because of AncestryDNA. It seems everyone is finding a secret or long-lost relative. All of the stories are interesting, but what I find fascinating about my story is that none of the tales my generation has heard match up. The four people who made all those big decisions back in the fifties are long gone, so there’s no one to ask anymore. But the three sets of family legends around my birth do not align.
What is the truth? How did the stigma of “out of wedlock” pregnancy and birth influence people’s perceptions and the stories they created to explain the facts? I think it will be interesting to work with my newly found half-siblings to research and to speculate. It’s kind of a “Who am I?” story.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That’s a fun question. For 25 years, until I retired in 2015, I taught English—Reading & Writing essentially—to seventh and eighth graders. That’s when I became enthralled with the process of writing. For the last 12 of those years, my eighth-grade classes participated in NaNoWriMo and wrote intensely for a month. I began calling what they wrote “manuscripts” and calling them and myself “writers” to empower us all. So, I guess that means I’ve been calling myself a writer since around 2002.
Now I call myself an author, too—a writer and an author. I started consciously doing that when my manuscript was picked up by my publisher Black Rose Writing.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
No. I’m not a full-time writer. My retired life is too full and rich to settle on one role! I am also an instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Sierra College. That’s a national program that delivers high quality academic classes to those “55 and better.” I teach history—especially women’s history, literature, and writing. I’m also a traveler and a reader and I’m politically active. Right now, during Force of Nature’s debut, I have a single focus, and most everything else has taken a backseat! I’ll get back to writing my new memoir when things calm down in the new year.
I am a member of several writing groups, including two wonderful critique groups. They help me with not only the quality of my writing, but they keep me accountable, see that I’m meeting my goals and deadlines. I don’t know what I’d do without their influence on my writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Verbosity. I tend to get on a roll and write long sentences and long stories. Then I have to go back and revise, revise, revise, leaving lots of “my darlings” on the “cutting room floor.” Force of Nature was originally 175,000 words. With the help of my editor, we trimmed it down to 130,000 words. It’s a much better book as a result—tighter, crisper, clearer—but it took a lot of work to do that trimming.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher. I loved school and books and learning. It took me years after graduating from UCLA before I found my way back to that dream. I had to try marketing computers for IBM and running my own sailboat store, Watersports Limited, before I went back to school to get my Teaching Credential. Then I spent 25 years doing what I love, love, loved—working with adolescent students. I’m really grateful I did find my way back to the classroom and my passion.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I think Force of Nature is an inspirational book, an empowering book, for those who love to hike and those who love to be out in nature, as well as “armchair adventurers.” It provides a rich vicarious thrill to readers who want to feel what it’s like to be out in the wilderness on what many consider to be “the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world.”
Links:
Website | Substack/Blog | Facebook Author | Instagram
Blog Tour Calendar
October 23rd @ The Muffin
Join us at The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Joan M. Griffin’s memoir Force of Nature. You’ll get the chance to read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book. https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 23rd @ Rockin’ Book Reviews
Visit Lu Ann’s blog for her review of Force of Nature. You also get a chance to win a copy of the book! https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
October 23rd @ Just Katherine
Join Katherine who is featuring an excerpt of Force of Nature on her blog today. https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
October 24th @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine’s blog again where she features a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about immersing your reader in sensory details. https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
October 25th @ One Writer’s Journey
Visit Sue’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. https://suebe.wordpress.com/
October 25th @ Rockin’ Book Reviews
Lu Ann shares a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the John Muir Trail, the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world. https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
October 27th HERE!
October 29th @ The Mommies Reviews
Join Glenda for her review of Force of Nature. http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
October 30th @ Choices
Join Madeline for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about why you should write your life story. http://www.madelinesharples.com/
November 1st @ One Writer’s Journey
Join Sue for her interview with Joan M. Griffin about her writing journey and her book Force of Nature. https://suebe.wordpress.com/
November 1st @ Pages and Paws
Join Kristine’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. https://pagesandpaws.com/
November 2nd @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about smart planning for a major challenge. https://www.astorybookworld.com/
November 3rd @ Stranded In Chaos
Sara shares a spotlight of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. http://www.strandedinchaos.com/
November 6th @ Maddie Gudenkauf’s blog
Join Maddie for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. Don’t miss her review of this inspiring book! https://maddiegudenkauf.com/
November 7th @ Fancy That!
Visit Nicole’s blog for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about five things she learned hiking the John Muir trail. https://fancythatblog.com
November 8th @ Sara Strand
Sara shares a review of Force of Nature on her Instagram page today. Don’t miss it! https://www.instagram.com/sarastrand9438
November 9th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
November 10th @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie’s blog for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the difference between memoir and autobiography. https://chapterbreak.net
November 11th @ Three Things on a Saturday Night
Join Nicole as she features Joan M. Griffin on her Substack, 3 Things on a Saturday Night. https://beingthewriter.substack.com/
November 12th @ Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
Join Linda for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
November 13th @ Boys’ Mom Reads
Join Karen for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. https://karensiddall.wordpress.com
November 15th @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. You also have a chance to win a copy of the book too! https://worldofmyimagination.com
November 17th @ Deborah-Zenha Adams’ blog
Join Deborah for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about hiking as walking meditation. You’ll also have a chance to win a copy of the book, too! http://www.deborah-adams.com/blog/
November 19th Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
Visit Linda’s blog again for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the healing hand of nature. https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
November 21st @ Musings of a Literary Wanderer
Join Angela for her feature of an excerpt from Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. http://musingsofaliterarywanderer.blogspot.com/
Thank you for spotlighting my book Force of Nature and posting my interview!