Valor in the Field is Muscle Memory for Dan Steffensen, But It Took All His Courage and Community to Recover From the Harris Fire
Burned Over! tells the horrendous story of Carbon County's Summer of Hell and how a stubbornly independent man, devoted to helping others, learned to let others help him through his own personal hell
By Denise Rivette
Farcountry Press and Sweetgrass Books just announced that A.J. Otjen’s new book on Red Lodge firefighter Dan Steffensen will be available in retail stores in June and available for preorder in May through Amazon. The official launch and signing event with both Dan Steffensen and A.J. Otjen will be at the Roosevelt Center in Red Lodge, Montana on June 15th. Books will be sold at the event by Beartooth Books starting at 7:00 pm. There will be a short presentation, opportunity to chat with Dan and A.J. and refreshments. For books purchased prior to the event, Dan and A.J. will begin signing those at 5:00 pm.
Burned Over: The Survival of Montana Fireman Dan Steffensen is more than just a technical retelling of the harrowing experience and aftermath of the Harris Fire near Joliet that almost killed a beloved and respected member of our community. Told within the context of Carbon County’s “Summer of Hell,” Burned Over takes the reader inside one firefighter’s solitary struggle with life and loss and how it intertwines with the job and communities he loves and serves. And, most importantly, it is the story of how he learned to allow those communities to love him and serve him in return.
At under 200 pages, this book is a riveting and fairly quick read, even when taking several breaks to process the emotional material. “Captivating” and “emotional” describe well the experience of reading this book. Otjen, following Steffensen’s journey, takes the reader into the communities of Red Lodge, firefighters, healthcare professionals and burn survivors, showing how Steffensen’s blood family and life were enhanced by the families he found in each of those communities that were in turn enhanced by his contributions. Burned Over is a story of building resilience by accepting vulnerability.
Otjen described her experience as daunting but unforgettable. “I knew I had to step up my writing skills. I tried to put love on the page and make the book worthy of Dan and Red Lodge.”
Otjen said, “Dan describes in the book how difficult it was for him to open himself up to tell his truth. I had to go there with him. We spent hours in deep and painful conversations. He reviewed every written word of what I did include about him. The difficulty of the process developed a very unique trust between us.”
Burned Over: The Survival of Montana Fireman Dan Steffensen by A.J. Otjen is being published by Sweetgrass Books, a division of Farcountry Press. The retail price is $19.99.