A Land Divided

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A Land Divided: My writing journey and a Synopsis of the novel.

My journey: Although we find Shawn Bryant, the protagonist of A Land Divided, in Afghanistan at the beginning, my new novel creates a fictional story parallel to the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. The refuge lies approximately 30 miles south of Burns-Hines, Oregon. The occupation lasted from January 2 to February 11, but the repercussions lasted longer.

I value the refuge a great deal, and I was shocked and dismayed by the occupation. My emotions eventually settled on the writing of this novel.

Initially, I was totally focused on my frustration with the forces that supported the occupation, but in reflecting on my own past as a young boy raised in a small town and working on the family farm, I realized there was more to the story.

The result is this novel. The synopsis from the novel’s back cover:

In January 2016, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in Oregon is seized and occupied by angry ranchers and armed militants. Tension develops between the occupiers and law enforcement, and the citizens of Harney County find themselves in a land divided—those in favor of the occupation and those opposed.

At the same time, Navy SEAL Shawn Bryant returns home to Burns, Oregon after narrowly avoiding a criminal conviction in Afghanistan. He is faced with his mother’s illness, a blossoming romance and emotions surfacing from his childhood and from his time at war. Soon he and his extended ranch family are swept up in the turmoil surrounding this quiet, rural community. He is forced to rely on his SEAL training to protect his family and himself from a rogue group of militants and ranchers attempting to expand the occupation.

Suspenseful, provocative, and even humorous, A Land Divided is a surprisingly redemptive novel that will leave you wanting more.

The Mountains Are Watching: My writing journey and a synopsis of the novel.

I have been aware for a long time that the boundary between Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area is significant and often deadly for wildlife transitioning from one to the other. I decided that my contribution to raising awareness about this issue was to write a novel about the struggle to survive as wildlife, carnivores in particular, experience crossing a legal boundary. In one side of the boundary, wild animals are protected and on the other side of the boundary, they are fair game. Unfortunately for animals, they receive no notice of the change as they travel the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. My novel addresses these issues.

A synopsis from the back cover of the novel:

In The Mountains Are Watching, ex SEAL Shawn Bryant finds himself caught between poachers and a large grizzly bear in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area north of Yellowstone National Park. In this follow-up to the first book, A Land Divided, Bryant must use his skills to stay alive and to try to prevent a crime. While friends and romantic interests complicate his quest, Bryant learns more about himself in the struggle to protect wildlife and manage relationships. Mystery pervades the outcome of his venture and leaves Bryant stunned.