>> From the Library of
Congress in Washington DC.
>> Thank you.
Everybody welcome to the
National Book Festival.
This is a big deal here.
Lots of beautiful faces.
Everybody interested in what's new.
So I'm getting ready to
introduce a great author.
She has had her first mystery
novel, "Spider Woman's Daughter."
Which is actually a
spinoff from her father,
Tony Hillerman's, series of novels.
And her novel was a New York Times
bestseller the first week it was
on the shelf.
Also it's the 2014 Spur
Award winner for best novel.
In addition to it, Mrs. Hillerman
would like everybody to know
that St. Martin's Press
offers a prize for anyone
who has published their first
mystery novel that is set
in the southwest for $10,000 in the
name of her father, Tony Hillerman.
The way you find out about this
prize, you go to annehillerman.com,
and she has all the
information there.
And without further adieu,
let's have Anne Hillerman
come to the stage.
[ Applause ]
>> Anne Hillerman: Well, thank
you, Latanya [assumed spelling].
Thank you all for being here on,
I have to say when I received
this invitation to come
to the National Book Festival,
I was absolutely thrilled.
But then I was thinking, gee,
this is Labor Day weekend.
Don't people want to go to
the mountains or something?
But, so it really makes my heart
feel good to see so many people here
who are crazy about books.
As some of you may know, I
live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
And I think I may be the
only writer speaking today
who is from New Mexico.
So I'm doubly honored
to have a chance
to represent my beautiful state.
As Latanya said, my book
"Spider Woman's Daughter" continues
the series of Navajo mysteries
that my father, Tony
Hillerman, created,
starting about 30 years ago.
How many of you have
read my dad's books?
[ Applause ]
Well, today I'm going to start
out by talking about my father.
Because he was really
my biggest influence.
Not only as a writer,
but also as a person.
And then I'm going
to talk a little bit
about my book and how it came to be.
And then I'm going to talk about
the challenges and the joys really
of writing a first novel.
My dad was invited to come to
this wonderful book festival.
I think it was the first
or second year when George
and Laura Bush started the festival.
And it was really one of the
highlights of all of the honors
over his lifetime of writing.
He received a lot of
honors, but he loved coming
to the National Book Festival.
And part of the reason he loved
it was he and my mom were invited
to a beautiful gala dinner.
And they were sitting at a
table with other authors.
And one of the authors
with them was a woman
who wrote books about etiquette.
And so Dad was always, he was
really a farm boy at heart.
So he was always a little
nervous about his manners.
So he was really minding
his manners.
And they had this dish of
wonderful chocolates after dinner
that they were passing
from person to person.
And everyone would take
one and pass them on.
Take one and pass them on.
And the etiquette author was about
two seats up from my mom and dad.
So the chocolates came in front of
her, and my dad loved chocolate.
So he's watching this bowl
of chocolates very carefully.
And the chocolates are in
front of the etiquette writer.
And she takes one.
And then she takes another one.
And then she takes another one.
And my dad is getting nervous
because she's not passing them.
He said, and then he looked
over at her and a little drool
of chocolate was coming
down the side of her mouth.
And I think that story, he told
that story a million times.
And that story in itself for
him was like the highlight
of the National Book Festival.
Well, Dad, let me see.
Where should I start.
My dad started out as a journalist.
And he always, I think in the
back of his mind had this dream
of writing mystery fiction.
So as he was growing up,
he loved to read mysteries.
And he was, I think his books
were particularly beloved.
Because he was one of
the first mystery writers
to take the American detective
beyond the Dashiell Hammett,
hard-boiled, male,
hard-drinking kind of guy.
And to do some experiments
or an experiment
with a different kind of detective.
Dad's detective, as you
probably know, was Joe Leaphorn.
He invented Joe Leaphorn
back in 1972.
And wrote about him until his very
last book, "The Shape Shifter."
Which was published in 2008.
Joe was Dad's guy.
And I kind of grew up hearing
stories of Joe Leaphorn.
When I was in high school and
college, you know how every family
at the dinner table,
everybody tells their stories.
And so my sisters and
brothers and I would talk
about what happened at school.
Or, and my mom would usually talk
about whatever it was
that she was reading.
Or what was new in the garden.
What was new in her life.
And then Dad's, it
would be Dad's turn.
And he would say, you know,
I'm really having a
problem with Joe today.
And we'd all know who Joe was.
You know, Joe was like
our big uncle.
Well, I think, and the other
thing besides the character
of Joe Leaphorn.
Dad also introduced American readers
to a different settings for books.
Instead of urban streets, lots
of noise, lots of excitement.
Dad took readers out to
the Navajo reservation.
And I'm really glad he did.
Because, when I was
creating my book,
it gave me such a wonderful
venue in which to set my story.
Besides his books, I
have to say I was always,
also influenced by
my dad's character.
I think every daughter has a secret
place in her heart for her father.
But my dad really was a
wonderful kind of fearless person.
He had been fearless on one level
when he served in World War II.
And he writes those
stories wonderfully
in his memoir called
"Seldom Disappointed."
And if you all haven't,
if you're mystery fans,
you may have not discovered
Dad's memoir.
And I really recommend it to you.
It's a wonderful book.
And it's really funny, funny too.
So he was fearless.
Not only in World War II,
but considering his origins.
He had started out
basically as a farm boy.
His dad was a merchant
and a teacher.
His mom was a nurse who then kind
of left her profession
to raise her children.
So, you know, Dad was
growing up on the farm.
And then after the
war, he went to college
and got a degree in journalism.
And then he worked as a reporter
and an editor for a long time.
And then he, partly because
of this burning dream he had
to write a novel.
And because of my mother's
really belief
that this is what he should do.
He had been working as a reporter
for, oh, I guess about 15 years.
And he loved journalism.
But, as any of you who have
worked in journalism know,
working as a journalist means
probably working 60 hours a week.
You know, you have to be
available when there's news.
And newspapers are
notoriously shorthanded.
And the other thing
about it is people,
news people really love being
in on when news is breaking.
So I think, even if my dad hadn't
had to work quite so many hours,
it was just, it was his passion.
So he had been doing
this for a long time.
And he would come home
at night and work
on his first novel,
"The Blessing Way."
And I remember as a girl
seeing the light under there,
he had a big rolltop
desk in his office.
And I can remember seeing the
light coming under the door.
And once in a while I would open
the door and sneak in there.
And I would just see him typing,
typing on his old electric
typewriter.
Or manual typewriter and
then an electric typewriter.
Anyway, he, eventually my mother
said to him, he had an offer
to join the University
of New Mexico.
First in administration,
helping with promotion.
And then as a professor.
And I remember very well him
and my mother discussing this.
And my mother saying to him,
you know, if you want to write
that novel, you can't be working 60
hours a week writing other stuff.
You really need to have a
little more time in your life.
And so my family moved
to Albuquerque.
My dad switched from
being a journalist
to ultimately becoming
a college professor.
And that change in careers gave him
a chance to develop Joe Leaphorn.
And then develop Jim Chee and the
whole venue of Navajo mysteries.
But, you know, I thought looking
back on it, he was pretty fearless
to kind of give up this, his very
successful career in journalism.
And reinvent himself to follow,
doing what he really loved.
And then after that he
was simultaneously writing
non-fiction articles.
Which helped establish
his reputation,
but also helped feed our family.
So some of these non-fiction
articles were published
in a book called "The
Great Taos Bank Robbery."
And the same year that that
came out, Dad's first novel,
"The Blessing Way," came out.
So he inspired me, I
guess, with his work ethic.
With the fact that I could
see from his example,
if you want to do something,
you really just need to do it.
And not make excuses.
Just go for where your passion is.
I was also influenced by
his and my mom's really love
for books and for good stories.
And I guess, finally,
I was influenced
by his love of the landscape.
It was, it's an interesting
story how my mom
and dad both grew up in Oklahoma.
And, you know, people tend to
stay where their roots are.
Where their families are.
That's the landscape
usually that people love.
And they like to be around their
relatives and around family history.
Well, right after his time in the
war, my dad got a job driving a load
of oil-drilling pipe
out to New Mexico.
And I think that was the first
time, except for his experience
in Europe during the war.
I think that was the
first time he'd been away
from Oklahoma, and he loved it.
He loved the wide open spaces.
He loved the Buttes.
He loved just everything
about Navajo country.
And even more than that,
he loved the Navajo people.
And part of it had to do with his
very first encounter with them.
As he was driving this truck,
he saw some Navajo Indians.
He didn't know they
were Navajo at the time.
He just knew they were Indians.
And they were riding horses.
And they were all dressed
in feathers
and fancy ceremonial outfits.
And it really made him curious.
So he asked a man at
the trading post,
you know, what's going on here?
Who are these folks?
And the guy said, oh, some
of our Navajo Marines have
come back from the Pacific.
And so they're having a special
ceremony to welcome them home.
And, you know, to kind of,
you know, make them feel
like they're part of
the group again.
And so Dad said, well, gee,
that sounds interesting.
Do you think I could go?
And the man he talked to, he
kind of looked him up and down.
And he said, well, you think
you can behave yourself?
And I guess he did because Dad went.
And he said, he talked
about this for many years.
And he said the sight of the Navajo
men and women in their costumes.
The sound of the chanting
and the drums.
The smell of the mutton
stew and the coffee.
The brilliance of the night sky.
All of that really made a
profound impression on him.
But he said, even more than that,
the wisdom of the Navajo culture
in understanding that these young
men needed some special attention
after whatever they had
experienced in the Pacific.
He said that kind of
societal wisdom was,
understanding that
was really the start
of his love affair
with the Navajo people.
And with the landscape
that they call sacred.
So my dad's love of the landscape
really I think permeated to me.
If you grow up with somebody who
will pull the car over and say, now,
stop and look at this beautiful sky.
Look at this sunset.
You know, when you're a girl, it
just kind of seeps into your bones.
And you think, this is
really important stuff
because look how my big dad
is so impressed with this.
So Dad did get in trouble
for writing
about landscapes after,
not "The Blessing Way."
But maybe the second or
third of his novels came out.
And he was lucky enough to get
a review in the Boston Globe.
So he was, and his
editor called him.
She was all excited.
So the review came out.
And the reviewer was kind
of neutral about the book.
But he said, you know, just when you
think something's going to happen,
Hillerman starts writing
about the scenery.
And Dad thought, he thought,
well, is that a bad thing?
He didn't think so.
And luckily a lot of his
fans didn't think so either.
So the way my book came to be,
I'm like most people
who write a first novel.
I did not have a dream
of being a novelist.
I, like my dad, was a journalist.
I worked for the newspaper
in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I started out as an arts reporter.
No, I started out as a copy editor.
Which really is a wonderful
job for a writer.
Because you get to see
everybody else's mistakes.
And then I moved from there
to writing about education.
I wrote about the legislature.
And then I wrote about the arts,
which in Santa Fe is a big deal.
Because we have galleries.
Opera. So anyway, I did that.
And then I moved on to
be editorial page editor.
Which gave me real insight into
kind of the, not only the politics
of Santa Fe and New Mexico.
But also the politics of
the newspaper business.
So I did that for a while
and then I worked for the
"Albuquerque Journal" for a while.
And as part of that, I also
started writing non-fiction books.
I wrote some travel guides.
I wrote a book about
Santa Fe gardens.
I wrote a little cookbook.
So I'm just bopping along
here, and I'm pretty happy.
And then I decided, so many
people would say to me,
oh, you're Tony's daughter.
And then they would say, you know,
without Tony I never
would have been a writer.
Because Tony endorsed my book.
Tony encouraged me.
My dad had been teaching
journalism and then creative writing
at the University of New Mexico.
Which is the biggest creative
writing department in our state.
So, and it's basically
a small state.
So a lot of people
would say this to me.
And they'd say, oh, I'm
so grateful to your dad.
So I thought rather
than saying this to me,
they should be saying it to Dad.
And it would be nice to do a
little conference together.
Where all these writers
could kind of, could come.
And Dad could talk, and
people could say thank you.
So about ten years ago
my business partners
and I organized what we called the
Tony Hillerman Writer's Conference.
And I, first of all, I had
to ask Dad if it was okay.
And he said, do I have
to do any work?
I said, no.
I said, okay, then he said, okay.
So he, and he was, at
that point in his career,
he had done so many talks he
didn't have to prepare anything.
He just kind of came
and, people loved him.
And he, you know, talked about
his writing and what inspired him.
So as part that conference,
we invited another New Mexico writer
named Michael McGarrity to come
and be our keynote speaker.
And Michael said, he writes mystery
stories that are set in New Mexico.
They're really good mysteries.
And so Michael said
he was going to talk
about the role of place
in his books.
And my husband, Don Strel, is
a professional photographer.
So Don said to McGarrity,
what if I take pictures
of the places that you write about?
And while you're talking,
we can have a slide
show running behind you.
And McGarrity said, oh,
that's a great idea.
So we did that, and my
dad is in the audience.
And when we were finished,
my dad came up to us.
And he said to Don, you
know, that was really nice.
How come you've never done
anything like that for me?
It's just like one of those
ideas that falls from the sky
and bangs you on the head.
So then Don and I thought it
would be fun to do a book,
a photo book about the
places that my dad loved.
And maybe find some of those
wonderful quotes from his books
where Chee or Leaphorn
or somebody has
to pull off the road
and, just like Dad did.
Because the sunset is so
gorgeous, they can't drive and look
at the sky at the same time.
So I, as part of doing that book, I
re-read all of Dad's books looking
for those wonderful quotes.
And then Don and I were on the road
for about a year going
to all of those places.
And when I came up
with, well, I guess,
Don and I mutually
came up with this idea.
Don, stand up a minute.
Stand up. Stand up.
This is my husband,
photographer Don Strel.
[ Applause ]
I really feel so lucky to
have him here with me today.
He's great.
So anyway, Don and I were
hoping that Dad would go
with us on these photo trips.
Because I thought how
wonderful to be with him.
And you know how sometimes when
you're in a place that you love,
you think of more stories
and more stories.
I thought, gee, this will
be such a wonderful trip.
But unfortunately for me, my dad's
brother also was a photographer.
And he and his brother had
already done a photo book.
And Dad remembered
sitting in the car
for an hour while his brother waited
for the perfect light
on the perfect rocks.
And the perfect shadows.
So he said, you two go.
And when you come back,
just show me the pictures.
We said, okay.
So at the time I was
working on that book, again,
I had no idea that I was
going to be writing a novel.
But re-reading all of Dad's
books, probably like you guys.
The first time I read them, I
just read them for the story.
I kind of inhaled them.
But this time, when I read them, I
was reading them for those quotes.
But I was also kind of
reading them for the craft.
I was thinking how did he do this?
How did he plant all of
these seeds so subtly
that at the end I hadn't
figured out who'd done the crime?
So I was, as I was reading for
"Tony Hillerman's Landscape,"
I also was kind of learning
how to write a mystery.
[ Background Sounds ]
So Don and I finished our
book, and it came out.
My dad died in 2008.
And we were just about
done with our book.
Oh, I guess, about six
months before Dad died.
And so we, Harper Collins,
Dad's publisher
and our publisher called us.
And they said, we really need to
you hustle this up because we want
to get it out, you know,
so, because it's a nice book
and a nice tribute to your dad.
So Don's original contract
had been for 250 photos.
And they said, well, the
good news is we're going
to get this out real soon.
We said, great.
They said the bad news is, because
we're going to get it out soon,
we're going to print it
in the U.S. We said, oh,
that sounds like good news to us.
They said, well, it's really bad
news because it's more expensive.
So we can only have
half as many photos.
So anyway, Don had to
cut back his photos.
Which meant I had to
cut back the text.
But I was still really glad
I had done all that research.
So then Don and I go
around the country,
and we're doing little
talks like this.
Except they were actually better
because we had the
pictures behind us.
And people love the pictures.
And so then we would say,
are there any questions?
And inevitably, the first
or second question would be,
did your dad have anymore books?
Or is there anything at the printer
just almost ready to come out?
Were there any almost
finished manuscripts?
Are there going to
be any more stories
of Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn?
And I would have to say, Dad did not
have any manuscripts at the printer.
No, he basically took
care of business.
When he wrote "The Shape Shifter,"
he was kind of, I wouldn't want
to say done with Chee and Leaphorn.
But his energy was
pretty much used up.
At that, you know, at that point
he had just kind of mellowed out.
And he was sort of, as he
said, he was getting ready
for his next great adventure.
So, and then people would say,
oh, I loved those characters.
I loved those stories.
Oh, I'm so, I feel so bad.
I feel like, I mean, and
they were really sincere.
I mean, a couple people even
had tears in their eyes.
So after I got over really
the worst of missing my dad.
And I don't think you
ever really get over it.
But after I was over the worst of
that, I was thinking, well, gee,
what's happening with Jim Chee?
What's happening with Joe Leaphorn?
I realized just like dad's fans,
I was really missing
those stories too.
So I, one thing I had realized
when I was doing the research was
that Dad had this character
Bernadette Manuelito.
And when he first introduces
Bernie, she's a rookie cop.
And the very first time the
reader sees her, her car,
her police vehicle
is stuck in the mud.
It's snow.
She has to call Jim
Chee to rescue her.
It's not a good start
for a protagonist.
And then, as the series
goes on, he develops Bernie
into being more of a crime solver.
So by the time he gets to his second
to the last book, "The
Skeleton Man."
At that point Bernie has hiked down
to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
She's found a woman in jeopardy.
She's found the stolen diamond.
She's figured out who
the bad guys are.
She's almost solved the crime, but
then Dad creates a flash flood.
Which washes everything away,
and Jim Chee comes to the rescue.
So I, as I was doing the research
for "Tony Hillerman's
Landscape," I said to Dad.
I said, you know, this Bernie
is really a good character.
And you've been building
her up through the series.
It would be, I think it would
be really interesting for you
to let her solve the crime.
To move her up from being
the girlfriend and the one
who gets the coffee to
acting like a real cop.
And, you know, how it is
with daughters and dads.
He gave me that cute little smile.
He said, oh, honey, that
is such a great idea.
But I think luckily for me he
didn't ever write that book.
So after he died and after I
realized I was missing those
stories too.
I thought, how can I write
about these characters
that Dad's readers
know so, so, so well?
How can I continue this series
and somehow manage to
give it my own voice?
And I remember the conversation
he and I had had about Bernie.
And I thought, well, thanks Dad
for listening to me say that.
And for not taking me up on my idea.
So, and actually Washington, well,
Bathesda actually also had a role
in "Spider Woman's Daughter."
There's a wonderful group out
here called Malice Domestic.
And they are a group for people
who write cozy mysteries.
Mysteries where you don't
have any graphic violence.
Kind of in the Agatha Christie mode.
And my dad had spoken
to them several times.
And so they wanted to
honor him posthumously.
So they invited me to come
and get the award for him.
So I came, and Dad's
long-time editor was there.
And I had talked to her
about continuing the series.
And she and I were
sitting at the same table.
And we're chitchatting
about this and that.
And then she says to me,
so how's the writing going?
I said, well, okay.
I said, I'm having a little
trouble with the plot.
And she said, you know, it
doesn't have to be perfect
for me to take a look at it.
And somehow just hearing
her say that sort
of released all the
anxieties I had had.
Well, not all of them.
But enough of them that I
could get the book finished.
And so if I hadn't come to that
conference, I might still be writing
"Spider Woman's Daughter."
A lot of people, when they think
about writing a first
novel, you know.
They have the challenge
of characters.
Setting. That was not true for
me because I knew, if I was going
to continue the series, it had to
be set on the Navajo reservation.
And I knew I wanted it
to be Bernie's book.
And I knew that Jim Chee
and Joe Leaphorn and some
of the other wonderful characters
that Dad had created
had to be in it.
But I also knew that I had to
create some characters of my own.
And I was lucky that Dad
had mentioned Bernie's mom.
But he hadn't really made
her into a character.
So I was able to make
her into a character.
I gave Bernie a little sister
who's a lot of trouble.
And I also was able
to resurrect some
of the characters he had
had in his earlier novels.
Because I thought it would be nice
to have kind of a dovetailing of,
you know, my book and Dad's books.
And have some things that Dad's
long-time readers would recognize.
So I was able to do that.
And luckily, if you're
writing a first novel,
if it's just a literary novel,
you have to invent everything.
But if you're writing genre
fiction like a mystery or a romance,
you inherit a wonderful
set of guidelines.
Which some people might say
they limit your creativity.
But I think they just, they're kind
of like bread crumbs that lead you
down to a successful ending.
You know, you have to
have a serious crime.
You have to have suspects
with motivation.
You have to have some false clues.
You have to have what
they call red herrings.
You have to have side kicks.
Sub plots.
You have to build up the tension so
it escalates at the end of the book.
And then you have to
solve the murder.
So I was lucky that
I had all of that.
And as a setting, I
was particularly lucky
that Dad had left us
the Navajo Nation,
which has so many,
many possibilities.
Well, the other thing you have to do
when you're writing a first novel is
come up with a good way to start it.
And so I'm going to
read you the opening
to "Spider Woman's
Daughter" in just a minute.
But also, unlike a lot of
people writing a first novel,
I had both the blessing and the,
I don't want to say handicap.
But the, maybe deterrent
of knowing that there were
so many people who
loved my dad's work.
And that when my book came out,
they would see the word
Hillerman on the cover.
And the first thing they
would think was, oh, good.
There was another Tony
Hillerman book.
And then they would see
the word Anne next to it.
And they would think, huh?
And how many of you, when you
heard that there was going
to be a new Hillerman book
were a little suspect?
Thinking can she pull it off?
Yeah. I was suspect
myself, I have to say.
So I thought I have maybe
a potential audience.
But I also have a lot
more potential critics
than the average person writing
a first novel would have.
And I think that was why it took
me three years to write the book.
I would be going on it, and
then I would think, well, gee,
there's probably somebody who
knows, out there among the millions
of people who love my dad's book.
Somebody who knows a little bit more
about this aspect of
Jim Chee than I do.
And finally, I just thought, I
just have to write this book.
And I have to write the
best book I can write.
And then we'll just
see what happens.
So I just sort of trusted
in the universe
that things would work out okay.
And they did.
I was really so thrilled to win the
Spur Award for best first novel.
Because those are like my writing
peers in the West who know,
kind of know western literature.
And it was a big honor.
And Dad had received it
for two of his books.
So that made me feel
even more proud.
So I'm going to take some questions.
But before I do, I just want to read
you a little bit from the beginning
of "Spider Woman's Daughter."
So as I mentioned, Joe Leaphorn
was my dad's favorite character.
He was the character
that started the series.
And I knew he was also, can I
say, maybe my biggest challenge.
Because Dad had been
writing about him so long.
I thought what can I
do about Joe Leaphorn
that will maybe surprise people?
So this is from the opening
of "Spider Woman's Daughter."
And Joe Leaphorn has been
at a breakfast meeting with,
along with a lot of
other Navajo big shots.
And they've invited
Bernadette Manuelito to come too
because she's still the
new girl on the block.
And they want to, you know, let her
feel like she's part of the team.
Okay. Bernie felt her
cell phone vibrate.
Jim Chee, fellow cop and husband
who'd been annoyed with her
that morning, calling from
his office in Shiprock.
"Got to take this.
I'll be right back."
She stood, all five foot two of
her, and headed to the lobby.
Leaphorn scooted his chair back.
"You guys have boring
bureaucracy to deal with.
I'll get out of your hair.
Thanks for the breakfast."
Leaphorn strolled into the lobby,
nodding to Bernie,
cell phone at her ear.
"Say hi to Chee for me," he said.
She watched him head to the parking
lot, noticing he was limping a bit.
She knew he had a bunch of, a
touch of arthritis in his knee.
She should have asked
him about that.
And about Louisa.
"Hello, beautiful," Chee said.
"Done with the meeting?"
"Not quite.
The lieutenant had
some good stories.
Now the humdrum stuff
looms on the horizon.
Your timing was perfect."
Through the lobby window,
she saw someone climb
out of a blue sedan backed in
next to Leaphorn's white truck.
She watched Leaphorn
walk toward the truck,
extract the keys from
his pants pocket.
"You still grumpy?"
Chee asked.
"I got off to a bad
start this morning."
The person extended an
arm toward the lieutenant.
Bernie saw a gun.
Heard the unmistakable
crack of the shot.
Saw Leaphorn stagger back,
falling against his pickup.
Crumple to the asphalt.
She dropped her phone
as if it were on fire,
Chee still talking, and ran.
Pushing the restaurant's
glass doors open,
she raced towards Leaphorn,
reaching for her gun.
She watched the shooter
scramble into the car.
And heard the sedan's tires on
the asphalt as it sped away.
Keeping the car in her peripheral
vision, she reached the lieutenant.
Squatting down, Bernie pressed
her fingers beneath his jaw,
feeling for the thread of a
pulse against her fingertips.
So I was hoping when
people got that far,
I hoped that maybe then they
would turn the next page
and read the rest of the book.
So I want to say just a couple
more words about setting.
The Navajo reservation includes
so many wonderful places
you can set a mystery.
But one of my favorite
places is Chaco Canyon,
World Heritage Site, National Park.
It is, if any of you
ever go to the Southwest,
you should go to Chaco Canyon.
It's hard to get there,
but it's worth the effort.
It is, I think, the
biggest conglomeration
of Native American
ruins in the Southwest.
It was a huge metropolis.
And it's full of its own mysteries.
You know, who lived here?
Why did they live here?
Why did they leave?
How did, was it a ceremonial center?
Or was it more of an
actual community?
I mean, it's just, it's a
great place for a mystery.
And Dad had used it
in "Thief of Time,"
which is my favorite of his books.
So I really liked the continuity of
taking readers back to that site.
And the other place I used
as a setting is Santa Fe
because that's where I live.
And I thought, since this is my
first novel, I might as well try
to make things a little
bit easier for myself.
So, and so far the response
to it has been good.
I haven't heard too many people
complaining that I got things wrong
at Chaco or got Santa Fe wrong.
Well, listen.
I think I've talked enough.
If any of you have questions,
I would love to have a
chance to answer them.
Thank you very much.
[ Applause ]
>> So how long will it take
you to write the second book?
>> Anne Hillerman: Oh,
that's a good question.
The second book is almost finished.
I sent it off to my editor.
And she sent it back to me with
some really good observations
on things I could make better.
So as soon as I get about
three weeks to just sit
at my computer again and
get my brain back flowing,
it should be done.
It's called "Rock With Wings."
And part of it is set
in Monument Valley.
And part of it is set at Shiprock.
And one of the plots
concerns a movie
that they're filming
at Monument Valley.
And the other plot concerns
solar energy and corruption.
And I really had a
lot of fun with it.
>> I had a question.
Amongst the many Navajos, did
anyone ever confront your father
that he wasn't a Navajo
writing about them?
>> Anne Hillerman: Oh, probably so.
But the Navajo Nation
honored my dad.
They gave him, I think
it was in 2005.
They basically made
him an honorary Navajo.
They named him Friend of the People.
They invited him to ride in
the big parade at Window Rock.
You know, there are always people
who complain about everything.
But I think part of
a novelist's job is
to stretch the limits a little bit.
And I think also because Dad had
grown up in Oklahoma with Indians,
he was, he didn't really
feel like an outsider.
A lot of the, and a lot of the
Navajo culture is a rural culture
with which he was very familiar.
Through his work at the
University of New Mexico,
he did a lot of both academic
research on Navajo culture.
Religion. Language.
And also through his teaching,
he had a lot of wonderful
Navajo students
who introduced him
to their families.
So even though he wasn't a Navajo,
he really was a friend
to the Navajo.
And if he got much criticism,
he didn't ever mention it to me.
>> Hi. My question kind of
piggybacks off that one actually.
Speaking as somebody who's adapting
characters who are not necessarily
from your cultural
background officially.
How much is understanding the
culture that you're writing about.
Showing cultural sensitivity.
But also sort of embracing
the character in your head.
And where do you find that balance?
>> Anne Hillerman: Oh,
that's a lovely question.
I think for me it's
kind of a give and take.
I, if I know I'm, I try to do
as much research as
I can before I start.
Both academic research and
talking to Navajo friends.
And then, as I'm writing, of
course, things always come
up that I hadn't anticipated.
So sometimes I just
write it the best I can.
And then I will ask some of my
friends and consultants to sort
of check it over and see
if it's in the ballpark.
The other thing with writing
fiction, writing fiction isn't
like writing anthropology.
You know, besides getting
the details right,
you also have to have
the pacing right.
You have to have the
energy of the story right.
You have to have your
characters true to themselves.
So it's an interesting balance.
And it's really is a
wonderful challenge.
And I'm tremendously grateful to the
generosity of all my Navajo friends
for kind of keeping me on
the straight and narrow.
And not letting me get
too far into fiction.
But at the same time helping me keep
the story moving on with details
that are accurate and correct.
>> Great. Thank you.
>> Anne Hillerman: Sure.
Thank you.
[ Background Sounds ]
>> Do you have any tips
for consistently writing?
Because, as a person who
usually has a ton of ideas,
but doesn't necessarily have
a lot of time to write them.
I'd kind of like to know how
you keep up with writing things.
>> Anne Hillerman: I find
that I can, I write the best
if I really approach it as a job.
If I, my writing schedule
is, I get up early.
My dog and I go for a walk.
And she and I talk about
what I think I'm going
to be working on that day.
And then I come home
and have some coffee.
And maybe have a little breakfast.
And then I go to work.
And then Don answers the phone
and just kind of takes care of all
of those details that
can be so distracting.
And I try to write pretty
solidly from 8:00 until noon.
And then I'll take a break.
And if things are going
really well, I might go back
and write some more
in the afternoon.
And if things are going terribly,
I'm glad to be done at noon.
And then I just, you know,
let my imagination kind
of play during the day and go
back to it the next morning.
But I find having that
regular schedule really,
really helps me make progress.
And, I mean, it doesn't
have to be morning.
People, it kind of depends on
what your own biology says.
But just having your brain get used
to the fact that this is the time
that I work I think
really helps work get done.
Yes.
[ Inaudible Comment ]
Well, I just got a compliment
from a lady here in the front row.
She said that she spends
part of her time in Arizona.
And she loved my dad's books.
And she read them all.
And she hopes I write
many, many more.
Well, thank you.
Me too.
[ Applause ]
Actually, my editor was pleased
enough with the second book
that they're offering me a
contract for three more books.
[ Applause ]
So in one of those books, I'm going
to have to deal with the baby issue.
You know, now that I have, now that
Dad had Bernie and Chee married
in his last book, "The
Shape Shifter."
So now, you know, one book.
Two books.
Three books.
Eventually, I think that question
is going to have to come up.
But they're not ready yet.
[ Background Sounds ]
[ Inaudible Question ]
Oh, I just got a question here.
Any estimate on when the
second book will be out?
Well, first I have to finish it.
And usually after a book's finished,
then it's about a year
before it gets published.
So I'm hoping maybe
this time next year.
Thank you all for your attention.
It's been a lovely talk.
Thank you.
>> This has been a presentation
of the Library of Congress.
Visit us as loc.gov.