Heather Hansman: Write What You Want To Read
In this interview, author Heather Hansman discusses writing the book she wanted to read with her new environmental nonfiction book, Fierce Country.
Heather Hansman is an award-winning freelance writer and the celebrated author of Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns and the Future of Chasing Snow and Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Outside, among others. She lives in Durango, Colorado, right by the river. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
In this interview, Heather discusses writing the book she wanted to read with her new environmental nonfiction book, Fierce Country, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Heather Hansman
Literary agent: Andrianna DeLone
Book title: Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild
Publisher: Hanover Square
Release date: July 14, 2026
Genre/category: Nonfiction, environmental, outdoor adventure
Previous titles: Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West; Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow.
Elevator pitch: Three women—Georgie White, Anne LaBastille and Dolores LaChapelle—shaped the way we think about recreation and conservation in the U.S. Curious about why you’ve never heard of them? Let’s go.
What prompted you to write this book?
I was writing into the void I felt existed in common adventure stories. I wanted to write a book that I wanted to read, but that didn’t exist. I’ve worked in the outdoor world (as a guide and then as a magazine editor and journalist) for my whole adult life, but it took me until my 30s to realize that I didn’t have any heroes in that space who looked like me or whose stories encompassed what I think is important about being outside: both the adventure and the ethic of caring for place. When I found these women’s stories (which are filled with wild adventures) they gave me a more complete picture of the history of American recreation and environmental ethics, where the gaps are, and how I fit into the story.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took at least five years. I pushed my deadline back more than once. Part of that was because it was hard to find these women’s stories, since they’d been left out of a lot of common narratives. I really had to dig. And then part of it was because I wanted to be clear and thorough about their context and how it led to our current environmental policy and how we get outside. That took digging into everything from the Wilderness Act to World War II factory policy, to the tribal history of the Northeast. Every wormhole opened another wormhole.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Editing this book was a lesson in paring back, and in figuring out what the reader needed to know to understand the story.Like, maybe they didn’t need to know every detail I learned about factories. I really had to step out of my own experience and keep the story tight, while also making sure it contained the right amount of context. I learned a lot about balance.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The women I wrote about have all passed away, so much of my reporting came from talking to secondary sources, and people who had known them when they were alive. I was constantly surprised and blown away by their generosity with their time and their memories. And by how crazy and adventurous some of those memories were. I got transported to another time and I’m really grateful for that.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope it will give them a broader picture of the outdoor world and who belongs in it. And at a time when the future of the world around us feels tenuous I hope it will give them ideas for how they can. That’s what the women I wrote about showed me. I also hope they have fun along the way.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Write what you want to read. Think about the kinds of books you love and try to make one of them. Don’t try to write what you think you should write. It has to come from somewhere real.
