Fire in Progress

Franny Callahan inherits her uncle's house in rural West Virginia. Arriving with memories of happy childhood summers, the down on her luck artist is unprepared to face unpaid property taxes, threats from artifact hunters disguised as land developers, and visits from ghostly Indians. She is burdened by feelings she doesn't understand and questions about her uncle's refusal to pay the taxes. All fundraising efforts fail. With the impending loss of her home, Franny learns to trust others and accept help. The unexpected responsibility of an orphaned infant thrust upon her forces Franny from her self-centered pessimism. The surprising answers come in unexpected ways.

WHAT READERS SAY...

Heidi Hartwiger's personal experience living in Appalachia infuses her writing with an easy-going familiarity and lends credence to this heart-tugging tale.
Betsy Bethel, associate lifestyles editor of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling, WV

If you like the Appalachian world of Sharyn McCrumb, you will love this novel set amid the storied hills of West Virginia.
Parks Lanier, Facilitator, SELU Writers' Retreat Radford University, Radford, VA

Heidi Hartwiger's novel, 'Fire in Progress', is a well crafted story, filled with plot twists, Chaucer motifs and memorable characters. Her beloved West Virginia glows - from the locals' respect for the landscape, to storytellers seated on the general store porch. Maya Angelou said, "You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's alright." Franny Callahan, a young artist, out of work and disgruntled in Pittsburgh, returns home to inherit her uncle's house, land and a host of troubles. Yet, she discovers home again when she rediscovers herself and finds love, You may not be from Appalachia, but this rich story will take you home as well.
Bill Brown, Poet and Teacher, Greenbrier, TN

258 pages, 6 X 9 inches, Softcover, PublishAmerica, LLLP, ISBN: 978-1-62709-208-1