SANTA FE, NM (KRQE) — Anne Hillerman is no stranger to writing. As the daughter of prominent author Tony Hillerman, Anne knew she would become a storyteller but never imagined that she would follow so closely in her father’s footsteps and delve into novel writing. Now she’s taking up the mantle and continuing the beloved streak her father started.
After living most of her life in Santa Fe, Hillerman attended the University of New Mexico and majored in journalism, just like her father. “When I was in my late teens, early 20s and thinking about what I wanted to do after college, journalism just seemed like a logical choice because my father had enjoyed his career in journalism so much,” Hillerman said.
She has written for The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Albuquerque Journal, and various other outlets, in what Hillerman described as an experience that helped her rethink her life in her 60s. There were many skills she learned as a journalist that she could apply as a writer, such as learning how to work with editors and how to write concisely.
Her background in journalism is something she is grateful for as it gives her a unique perspective on the landscape she calls home. “I got to visit a lot of places in New Mexico that I probably wouldn’t have visited as an average 20-year-old, and I met so many different people. I think the combination of places and people taught me a great respect for diversity and how interesting living in New Mexico is,” Hillerman said.
She never intended to transition from writing non-fiction to fiction, but it was a decision she made after her father died and she realized she didn’t want his famous Leaphorn and Chee mystery series to end. She and her late husband, Don Strel, undertook a journey through Navajo country as research for their non-fiction book, Tony Hillerman’s Landscape: One the Road with Chee and Leaphorn.
“I got to see firsthand the beautiful scenery my father wrote about. I also talked to dozens of people and all of that, I didn’t think I would write novels at the time, but all of that really helped prepare me for my next career,” Hillerman said.
However, the task was daunting as Hillerman had never written a novel before continuing the Chee and Leaphorn series. “I loved his characters, I loved his series, and I hated the thought that those stories wouldn’t exist anymore. But I knew I could never be Tony Hillerman,” Hillerman said.
Her father had written about a minor character on the show named Bernadette. She was a young and naïve Navajo police officer, and Hillerman wanted to continue her story with her version of the series. “She was sort of a guiding star that made me want to continue the series and gave me the courage to write it,” Hillerman said.
In Hillerman’s latest book, The Sacred Bridge, due out in April, she says Bernadette wants to work towards becoming a detective. Hillerman says that a number of people from the Navajo Nation, particularly women, have reached out to her to express their appreciation for having a strong Navajo woman represented in a series revered by so many.
Hillerman will reach out to a couple of retired Navajo police officers if she wants to make sure she accurately represents the Navajo community. With each of her previous books, Hillerman has made it a priority to visit the places she would write about in her novels. However, due to COVID, she didn’t have that opportunity, so she relied on previous research she had done to help her set up the environment.
As for returning to nonfiction, Hillerman said she’s trying to stay focused on the task at hand, but hopes to return to nonfiction writing soon. Meanwhile, she’s finishing another book in the Chee and Leaphorn series. “When I start these books, I never really know how they’re going to end. That’s part of the joy of writing it,” Hillerman said.
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