The Skinny on Siler

This week, the Lifestyles page (8A) features an intensely personal account of the life and writing struggles of one of my favorite Montana writers, Jenny Siler (aka Alex Carr). She and I have some history that’s worth mentioning.

Many years ago (I don’t care to admit just how many), I read Siler’s debut effort Easy Money, a blisteringly straightforward thriller featuring a strong female lead that earned the following praise from Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times Book Review: “Once in a blue moon, a new writer speaks up in a voice that gets your attention like a rifle shot. Jenny Siler has that kind of voice.” I liked the book enough to start work on a treatment for a screenplay adaptation and actually drove to Missoula with my mom to meet her.

While nothing ever materialized on that project (yet!), I began a remote relationship with Siler that included her generous sponsorship of rather a large number of college credits that allowed me to write a book of my own.

Since that time, her career (and place of residence) has taken some strange and inexplicable turns. The account of the intervening years which she shares in this week’s edition is the very first I’ve heard about most of the details. It’s honest, sincere, and, well, penned for love by a writer with a voice like a rifle shot. I hope you’ll give it a look.