Because I write adventure mysteries and base much of what I write about on
my own
experiences, I was asked recently, “What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve
ever
done?”
Since the answer to that question was long and involved and complex, and
included
some boring topics like “perceived risk” and “managed risk,” I decided to
rewrite
the question into “What’s the earliest adventurous thing you remember doing?
What’s the one experience that started it all?”
When I was fourteen, my father, who at the time was working as a marine
zoologist, accepted a research assignment on the island of Tutuila, American
Samoa. My mother--not to be left behind for the summer--plucked my two older
sisters and me out of our cocoon in a conservative western-Michigan town and
flew
us 5700 miles west to the tiny island in the south Pacific.
It didn’t take long for my sisters, ages 18 and 20, to pal up with some of
the
island palangis (whites)--university students manning a satellite tracking
station. If anyone minded little sister tagging along, no one ever said
anything
to me.
It was a summer of adventure firsts for me: my first close encounter with a
shark--while snorkeling the airport lagoon, my first mountain climb--to the
top
of Matafao, the island’s tallest peak (only 2100 feet of elevation gain,
but,
hey, it was my first one). But one adventure stands out above the rest.
At that time, only one plane departed the island each day--at 1 o’clock in
the
morning. I don’t remember why or how I was out so late at night, but I do
remember crouching beside my sisters and three or four young men behind the
heavy
vegetation lining Pago Pago airport’s one runway. Off to our left, the Pan
Am jet
moved into position, its lights brilliant white starbursts in the darkness.
The
jet lumbered forward, engines growing louder and louder until it rolled by
us. As
a group, we ran from our hiding places and lay down half-on, half-off the
runway
pavement. At the end of the runway, the jet made its turn, then surged back
toward us for take-off. I squeezed my eyes closed and pressed my hands over
my
ears to shut out the screaming engines.
I can still feel the blast of heat and stones from the massive jet engines
as the
wing passed right over our heads.
Born, raised and, except for one year of high school in Hawaii, schooled
kindergarten through college in Michigan, Rowland comes by her adventurous
spirit
honestly. Her mother was Grand Rapids, Michigan’s first woman city
commissioner.
Her father—a neurosurgeon and marine scientist—was a world traveler and
member of
The Explorer’s Club. After college, Rowland lived and worked in Florida,
Missouri, Connecticut and New York City, finally settling in the mountains
of
southern California where she and her husband, Mark, joined the local Search
and
Rescue (SAR) team.
During her twelve years on Search and Rescue, Rowland participated in
hundreds of
search and rescue missions and trainings, including technical ropes rescues
and
recoveries, helicopter insertions and evacuations, and searches for lost
children, hikers, snowboarders, mountain bikers and criminal evidence, in
alpine,
desert and urban environments. She served as the team’s Training Officer and
participated in community events and public speaking engagements. Trained in
land
navigation, and desert and winter survival, including avalanche awareness
and
self-arrest, she also holds a certification in tracking from the State of
California. Much of what she writes about in her Gracie Kinkaid Search and
Rescue
Mystery Series is drawn from her and her husband’s SAR experiences.
Rowland also served on the advisory Board of a Colorado County Sheriff’s
Department All-Hazards Incident Management Team (IMT) which manages local
search
and rescue operations, brush and wildfires, planned community events and
other
critical incidents.
Rowland is an avid political activist, naturalist and environmentalist.
She’s an
accomplished painter and loves to snorkel. Topping her bucket list:
snorkeling
with whale sharks. She has traveled to all fifty United States and
throughout the
world, including Kenya, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Europe. As often
as
possible, she hikes and explores the slot canyons of Utah.
Rowland lives with her family in south-central Colorado.
Website | Blog
The Search and Rescue mystery series returns readers to Timber Creek,
where
the hot, dry Santa Ana winds are blowing. But more than just the threat of
wildfire endangers the tiny mountain community...
Gracie and her Search and Rescue teammates are searching along the highway
in the
middle of the blisteringly hot Mojave Desert when they make a grisly
discovery—a
trash bag containing human body parts. Not long after, Gracie's growing
friendship with a ten-year-old runaway draws her unwittingly into the
secretive,
hate-filled world of the boy's family—a group of gun-toting extremists. As a
wildfire roars into Timber Creek, Gracie finds herself caught up in an
explosive
plot that, unless she stops it, will destroy countless innocent lives.
1 comment posted.
After reading your posting, it made me reflect back on things that I've done in my life. Although not as exciting, I must commend you for all the good works that you've chosen to do with yours. I should add with your Husband!! It takes a special type of person to want to do the type of grueling work that you do, which sometimes is a thankless job, and other times is filled with joy. You've also done enough to fill 10 lifetimes, and have so many incredible memories to last you, from the time you were growing up. It seems that if you grow up in Michigan, all things are possible!! I've lived here all my life, and am constantly amazed by things that even I have accomplished!! Congratulations on your latest book!! I'm looking forward to reading it, and am sure that it's going to do well!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:31am August 18, 2015)