WHY HOT SHOTS ARE HOT!

MJ Frederick today, talking about one of my favorite subjects: Hot Shots. MJ is a Samhain and The Wild Rose Press author, who writes adventure romance I'm afraid to pick up because I know I can't put it down.

This is a book you've got to read:

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Shot-M-J-Fredrick/

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I’d never heard of Hot Shot firefighters until the Colorado wildfires of 2000. One of the members of SARA, my writer’s group, had just moved to Colorado and was on the verge of the fire. She would email to tell us how heroic the Hot Shot firefighters fighting the fire were. The idea sparked and I started researching.

Hot Shots are physically fit-they have to be to hike to the fires, to work the incredibly long hours doing hard labor, tearing fuels away from the dirt so the fire can’t advance. They sleep on the ground when they’re in remote areas, which is most of the time.

Hot Shots are brave. They walk among the flames, face the dragon nose to nose. They go where most people will never go, mountains, deep in the forests, working to save property and human lives. They know fire behavior-they have to in order to remain safe. Mistakes can get them killed.

I love firefighters, men and women who go into danger instead of away from it. Their bravery is legendary. They see things day in and out that no one should have to see, from car accidents to people who lose everything. They have a bond with each other from working so closely, living together, depending on each other.

At the same time there’s a kind of arrogance, which my heroine Peyton sees in the hero, Gabe Cooper. I think there has to be a kind of arrogance, though, to do a job like that, to believe you can face the danger and beat it down. For Peyton, it’s a challenge and a turn-on, but when she can give as good as she gets, the sparks fly.

Are firefighters a particular favorite for you? What about cops? Who are your favorite heroes to read about?

MJ Frederick