Kilby Q&A: 10 Things You Always Wanted to Know About “Forrest for the Trees” (But Were Afraid to Ask)
It's time for another Kilby Q&A in honor of my new book, Forrest for the Trees, Book 1 of Green Valley Heroes, published by Penny Reid’s Smartypants Romance. Read on for all the hidden secrets of my grumpy/sunshine rom-com, that was so, so, so fun to write…
Q: Were there elements of your original concept that didn’t make the final version of the book?
A: Sierra’s name, as I originally wrote it, was Naomi. After I turned the manuscript in, the Smartypants editorial team reminded me that Green Valley already had a Naomi Winters. It followed that if Forrest and Sierra got married, and that if Sierra changed her name to Winters, that there would be two Naomi Winters in Green Valley. Based on that, I changed Sierra’s name to, well…Sierra. I chose it because Sierra is from California (where I live) and she loves mountains (just like me) and here, we have the Sierra Nevadas. I also thought it would be nice if both of them wound up with names that are representative of something they love.
Also…Forrest wasn’t supposed to be a firefighter! I originally envisioned Forrest and Sierra both as rangers, but Daisy Prescott was already deep in a ranger series, so I switched Forrest’s profession. Penny reminded me that even though she had created firefighters like Carter McClure and Grizz Grady in her Winston Brothers series, that we didn’t have any true firefighter romances, and that I might want to consider writing one 😀
Q: Are Bacon Bites a real thing?
A: You bet they are. And they are seriously delicious. I even shared the recipe with folks! That habit, of loving to cook, but making a lot more than you or anyone in your house can eat, is a trait that Sierra and I share. I have made many yummy cakes, breads, loaves, and savory goodies and shared them in the break room at work. I’m also known for the food (even moreso, the wine) I bring to writing retreats.
Q: Are the Elysian Fields a real place inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
A: Sadly, it was a product of my imagination. I loved the idea of Forrest knowing secret places since he grew up inside the park, on Bandit Lake, and I loved the idea of him knowing Sierra’s favorite place.
Q: Was Dennis based on a real character?
A: Dennis is an amalgamation of a lot of people I’ve encountered over the years. I turned him into a bit of a caricature to show him as symbolic of an entire system. Sierra is clearly excellent, and Dennis is clearly mediocre. Yet, Dennis is using everything other than merit to get ahead (and he’s got a real shot at success). I’ve found that being overlooked and undervalued at work is a pretty common experience of women in U.S. workplaces (and is doubly the experience of women from marginalized groups). Making Dennis emblematic of an entire culture paved the way for me to explore Forrest’s and Sierra’s relationship at a deeper level, since Dennis and Forrest benefit similarly from the system.
Q: How do you know so much about national parks?
A: I kind of love them. I’ve been to a bunch and I even have that park passport that you can stamp every time you go to a different one. The forest is my happy place and I could live happily for the rest of my life in a cabin in the woods. When my children were born, we seriously considered naming them after some of our favorite national parks. We decided against Bryce (too pretentious) and Haleakala (a special place to us, but too much cultural appropriation). I wanted Denali or Acadia, but Mr. Blades stole my fun. I reminded him that both of those were better than Badlands, but the conversation just got sillier from there, so, yeah, we ended up not doing that.
Also, apart from what I came in knowing, the amazing historical author, Sherry Ewing, helped me with the details given all her years working for the parks service. I was very flattered by compliments I received from folks who work in the parks service who told me my details were realistic. Thank you, Sherry!
Q: Where did you get the idea for Morel Support and the “old biddies” who love mushrooms?
A: I once dated an Austrian guy and, relatedly, spent a lot of time in Austria. We frequently went “schwammerlsuchen”, which (quite straightforwardly) translates to “looking for mushrooms.” Foraging is something an astounding number of Austrian people I met knew how to do. Mushrooms are one of the first things I think of when I think of forests and I, myself, notice mushrooms whenever I hike. It made sense to me that folks with the good fortune to live so close to a national treasure like Great Smoky Mountains National Park would find good reasons to visit. As for Morel Support, I can’t take credit for that. Author Eva Moore is one of my plotting buddies. If you’re an author, befriend her. She’s got all the great ideas. Morel Support was one 🙂
Q: Did Eva come up with Forrest for the Trees as a title as well?
A: No. I actually think of punny titles all the time. I thought of the title Forrest for the Trees years before I wrote this book. Based on the title alone, I thought it might be about a tree-hugging environmentalist (named Forrest) who was trying to protect the habitat of some endangered weevil against a corporate land developer charged with bulldozing the habitat. He would be the love interest, of course.
Q: Will Eddie Claypool and Jake Stapleton have their own love story?
A: Probably not, though Jake is very dear to my heart. I had the idea fairly early on for Sierra to be protecting someone living in the park, and for that person to be escaping the Wraiths, but I didn’t have much of a vision for the character beyond that. As I was writing, Jake’s backstory just flowed out of me. I wanted him to be someone Sierra had an inclination to protect (a kid) and someone whose reasons she could get behind. I might’ve gotten a little misty-eyed writing the final scene when Sierra and Forrest bid Jake and Eddie goodbye. Jake is still very much a sulky teenage boy and Sierra wraps him in a warm, maternal hug he’s too proud to admit he wants but secretly needs.
Q: Are there other parts when you cried while writing the book?
A: Honestly? No. Compared to a lot of my other books, this one was mostly fun.
Q: What about parts where you laughed?
A: At chowhound Forrest and his food. What other romance character do you know who would use his Barry White voice to croon “I’ve been waitin’ for you, girl…” at a BLT?