Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Authors Road, Tony Hillerman, as told by his daughter, Anne Hillerman

Once again we traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to meet and interview several authors about their work and insights.

This time we lucked out with a two-for-one special: We had arranged to speak with Anne Hillerman, daughter of bestselling Southwest mystery writer, Tony Hillerman (1925 - 2008), and we discovered that she too was an accomplished writer. Like her father, she worked as a journalist in New Mexico and published several books, including two photo books working with her husband, noted photographer Don Strel. One of these books, Tony Hillerman's Landscapes, was their effort to capture the beauty and magic of the same Southwest landscapes depicted in her father's books.

Anne recently published her first fiction novel, Spider Woman's Daughter. The book picks up where her father left off in his 19 mysteries. Anne's novel features Bernadette Manuelito, one of the Navajo police officers working with her father's legendary characters, Jim Chee (Bernadette's husband) and Joe Leaphorn. Published by HarperCollins earlier this month, the book immediately reached the New York Times Bestseller List.

In this interview, Anne talks about her father's start as a journalist, his transition into becoming one of the most famous writers in the Southwest, and his continued impact on writers through an annual conference and writing prizes dedicated to him and his legacy. Stay Tuned: Our next interview is with fantasy, horror, sci-fi and screenwriter George R.R. Martin.

Thanks for . . .

. . . joining us . . .

. . . on the road!