August 10, 2011
Firefighter Storytellers
by Tiger Schmittendorf
Click the play button to listen to Gary's interview on Firefighter Storytellers.
Here’s Gary’s take on his recent writing success story —
My book Fire Men: Stories From Three Generations of a Firefighting Family was recently released by Tribute Books. The book tells the stories and experiences of three generations of firefighters of which I am the second or the middle of the Oreo. It relates the good, bad, ugly, and funny aspects of firefighting and how those experiences affect us. Being both the son and father of firefighters gives me an unusual perspective.
In stories ranging from the bedroom communities of upstate New York to fast paced suburbs of Washington D.C. and finally the rural hills of northeastern Pennsylvania, the constants of the business remained the same.
Anyone who has more than a couple years in this business has enough stories to fill a book of their own. The challenge was getting it all down on paper and then the revision process to get it to the point where a publisher would like it. The almost five years between first putting pen to paper publication were a fun and challenging journey, but holding the first printed copy made the ride worth while.
Tiger Schmittendorf welcomes Firefighter and Author Gary Ryman as his guest on this installment (August 10, 9 p.m. Eastern) of his Firefighter Storytellers radio show (