Anne Hillerman had some very big shoes to fill when she stepped up to continue her father Tony Hillerman’s much loved Joe and Jim Navajo mysteries, an 18-book series adored by fans as well as admired by critics.br /

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Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and in Binge Reading this week Anne talks about how she came to assume her father’s mantle and write five more Navajo mysteries which are all New York Times best sellers.br /

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And we’ve got three E book copies of her latest, The Tale Teller, to giveaway to three lucky readers. A mysterious anonymous donation . . . a precious artifact stolen, linked by a seemingly random murder. .  . br /

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Enter the draw on the Joys of Binge Reading website Giveaway page at the joys of binge reading.com or on the Binge Reading Facebook page. Draw closes June 6, 2020.br /

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Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:br /

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How Anne came to take on her father's mantleWhy writing non fiction led to fictionThe tragic strength of the Navajo peopleHow a fine dress became a holy relicPlaces to go in Navajo countryWhat she wishes she'd asked her Dad Tony Hillermanbr /

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Where to find Anne Hillerman: br /

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Website: https://annehillerman.com/br /

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Facebook: @authotannehillermanbr /

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What follows is a near as transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.br /

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Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Anne. Hello there Anne and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.br /

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Anne Hillerman: Hello Jenny. Thank you so much for asking me.br /

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Introducing author Anne Hillermanbr /

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Anne Hillerman - Navajo country mysteries carried on from her Dad Tony Hillermanbr /

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Jenny Wheeler: We're both in a global pandemic at the opposite sides of the world and I wonder how you are managing with social distancing. Has it made much of an impact on your life?br /

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Anne Hillerman: Yes and no.  I think anyone who's a writer tends to have some pretty strong introverted genes and so in some ways I have been glad to have an excuse to say, no, I can't go to lunch, no, I can't talk to your Kiwanis group, to your Rotary group because of social distancing, and to have more quiet time to focus on my writing.br /

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But the downside of that is I write about real places, and part of my process always has been going to the places that are in the book and then trying to talk to people who live there to get a real sense of what the community is like.  br /

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Getting through a pandemic wholebr /

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With the book I'm working on now, I had two big interviews set up right before New Mexico, the state where I live, went on not exactly lockdown, but pretty darn close to it.  One of the interviews was at a school and of course they were all closed and the other was at a scientific facility and the person I was talking to did the public tours so those were all closed.  That's been a downside of it.  But I think once things open up again, I'll be able to put those pieces together.br /

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I miss my friends and I miss being able to go out to dinner but all in all, I think we just have to all do what we can, so we'll be done with this.  I guess that's a long answer to your short question.br /

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Summertime is coming soon...br /

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Jenny Wheeler:  That's absolutely right.  If we all do our bit, then hopefully.  I heard somebody on the TV this morning say, well, it's going to be like this for the next two years or until we get a vaccine and I guess none of us really wants to think of it that way,