Joan M. Griffin’s
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Force of Nature
Force of Nature: Three Women Tackle The John Muir Trail
Book Summary
Three friends, women in their fifties, set out to hike “the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world,” the John Muir Trail. From the outset, their adventure is complicated by self-inflicted accidents and ferocious weather, then enriched when they “adopt” a young hiker abandoned by her partner along the trail.
The women experience the terror of lightning at eleven-thousand feet, the thrill of walking through a towering waterfall, and the joy of dancing among midnight moonshadows. For a month, they live immersed in vast natural beauty, tackle the trail’s physical demands, and find camaraderie among an ensemble cast of eccentric trail characters. Together, they are pulled forward toward the trail’s end atop the highest peak in the High Sierra, Mt. Whitney, and the culmination of their transformative journey.
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (September 2023)
ISBN-10: 1685132812
ISBN-13: 9781685132811
ASIN: B0CGRP2V35
Print length: 396 pages
Purchase a copy of Force of Nature on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
Guest Post – Creative Nonfiction: The difference between memoir and autobiography
Someone once told me, “If you cross an autobiography with a novel, what you get is a memoir.”
The word memoir comes from the French mémoire, meaning memory or reminiscence. So, a memoir is a true story from the author’s life and point of view told using the creative storytelling techniques of a novelist. It’s part of a larger category of literature called creative or narrative nonfiction. Memoirists use storytelling methods—dialogue, characterization, suspense, flashback, metaphor, and all the rest—to tell a nonfiction or factual story.
Memoirs—unlike autobiographies, which usually tell about someone’s whole life—focus tightly on a short period of time or one narrow thread or theme over a longer timeframe. In other words, while an autobiography is the story “of a life,” a memoir is a story “from a life.”
My memoir, Force of Nature—which I refer to as an adventure memoir—takes place almost entirely over 28 days. Yes, there are a couple flashbacks and a bit of an introduction before the 28 days begin, but it’s specifically focused on those few very intense days out in the wilderness on the John Muir Trail and their impact. As the author, I am the main character and the adventure is told purely from my perspective, including my observations, inner feelings, thoughts, and discoveries.
Memoirs, by definition, are true stories, and their truth is in the experience of the author, who can focus on the theme of her life, rather than the plot. It’s about finding emotional truth as much as factual truth. For that reason, some say a memoir is Truth with a capital-T, because it is based on one person’s true perceptions, memories, and understanding of events and their personal meaning.
Anne Lamott puts it this way: “You’re going to feel like hell if you wake up someday and you never wrote the stuff that’s tugging on the sleeves of your heart: your stories, memories, visions & songs—your truth, your version of things—in your own voice.”
In addition to sharing memories, a memoir is an exploration of a life. An exploration that often results in new discoveries on the part of the author, which can make it revealing as well as interesting to read.
Memoir is the best of literary worlds then—a magic potion made from equal parts of two powerful ingredients—truth and story.
About the Author
Joan lives under the spell of wanderlust. She takes wing, whenever possible, for actual destinations near and far and for literary locales in the pages of books. A native Californian, Joan lives in the Northern California foothills of the majestic Sierra Nevada, a world she loves exploring. Joan navigated her way through two careers—marketing computers, then sailboats—before applying her love of storytelling to her dual passions for teaching and writing.
In addition to working on her next book, Joan teaches women’s history and literature for the OLLI
programs at Sierra College and UC Davis Extension.
You can find her online at:
Website – https://www.joangriffin.us/
Substack/Blog – https://joangriffin.substack.com/
Facebook Author – www.facebook.com/joangriffinauthor
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/griffin.joan/
Blog Tour Calendar
October 23rd @ The Muffin
Join us at The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Joan M. Griffin’s memoir Force of Nature. You’ll get the chance to read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 23rd @ Rockin’ Book Reviews
Visit Lu Ann’s blog for her review of Force of Nature. You also get a chance to win a copy of the book!
https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
October 23rd @ Just Katherine
Join Katherine who is featuring an excerpt of Force of Nature on her blog today.
https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
October 24th @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine’s blog again where she features a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about immersing your reader in sensory details.
https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com
October 25th @ One Writer’s Journey
Visit Sue’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
October 25th @ Rockin’ Book Reviews
Lu Ann shares a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the John Muir Trail, the most beautiful long-distance trail in the world.
https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
October 27th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa for her interview with Joan M. Griffin, author of Force of Nature.
https://lisahaselton.com/blog/
October 29th @ The Mommies Reviews
Join Glenda for her review of Force of Nature.
http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
October 30th @ Choices
Join Madeline for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about why you should write your life story.
http://www.madelinesharples.com/
November 1st @ One Writer’s Journey
Join Sue for her interview with Joan M. Griffin about her writing journey and her book Force of Nature.
November 1st @ Pages and Paws
Join Kristine’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
November 2nd @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about smart planning for a major challenge.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
November 3rd @ Stranded In Chaos
Sara shares a spotlight of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
http://www.strandedinchaos.com/
November 6th @ Maddie Gudenkauf’s blog
Join Maddie for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. Don’t miss her review of this inspiring book!
November 7th @ Fancy That!
Visit Nicole’s blog for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about five things she learned hiking the John Muir trail.
November 8th @ Sara Strand
Sara shares a review of Force of Nature on her Instagram page today. Don’t miss it!
https://www.instagram.com/sarastrand9438
November 9th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy’s blog for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
November 10th @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie’s blog for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the difference between memoir and autobiography.
November 11th @ Three Things on a Saturday Night
Join Nicole as she features Joan M. Griffin on her Substack, 3 Things on a Saturday Night.
https://beingthewriter.substack.com/
November 12th @ Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
Join Linda for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
November 13th @ Boys’ Mom Reads
Join Karen for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
https://karensiddall.wordpress.com
November 15th @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole for her review of Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin. You also have a chance to win a copy of the book too!
https://worldofmyimagination.com
November 17th @ Deborah-Zenha Adams’ blog
Join Deborah for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about hiking as walking meditation. You’ll also have a chance to win a copy of the book, too!
http://www.deborah-adams.com/blog/
November 19th Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
Visit Linda’s blog again for a guest post by Joan M. Griffin about the healing hand of nature.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
November 21st @ Musings of a Literary Wanderer
Join Angela for her feature of an excerpt from Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin.
http://musingsofaliterarywanderer.blogspot.com/
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