Murry Taylor spent 27 years risking his life for his work, jumping out of planes to fight wildfires. Since he retired in 2000, the job has only gotten harder, as the fires have gotten larger and more erratic.
Taylor told his own story in a memoir published several years ago, and it prompted firefighters from far and wide to share their stories with him. So he wrote another book, but a work of fiction, Too Steep and Too Rough. It tells a story of firefighters who work in the toughest conditions, despite being warned by bosses that the danger is too high.
We visit with the author again to talk about his novel and the real-life situations that inspired and informed it.