'The Land Holds the Plot' — Author explores setting as character in talk and book signing

When author Janet Hitland Yeager sits down to map out a gripping scene, the physical surroundings are rarely just a passive backdrop. For Yeager, the rugged peaks of Montana, the crushing waves of the North Atlantic, and the silent pressure of isolated geographic spaces don’t just host her stories — they drive them. 

On Sept. 24, Yeager will host a book signing and presentation titled "The Land Holds the Plot" at the Whitefish Community Center. The 30-minute talk starts at 6:30 p.m. and will dive into the craft of transforming raw, physical landscapes into living, breathing literary characters that challenge her protagonists at every turn.  

“An earlier concept for this talk was called 'Ghosts in the Landscape,'” Yeager said, “but I don’t write ghost stories. What I write are stories where the land leaves an undeniable mark. The geography and geology act, react, breathe and force the human characters to make high-stakes choices." 

Yeager, a Whitefish native living in Oklahoma, will share how real-world exploration and spatial isolation shape a narrative. The presentation will pull back the curtain on the distinct geographic worlds of Yeager’s three books — "Brothers by Honor," a historical fiction novel; "Two Birds, One Stone," a tale of romantic suspense; and her latest release "Erratic Behavior," a contemporary Western. Her short story “Beattie Gulch Bellows,” featured in the "Echoes of Tradition" anthology, tells of the Swan Valley Massacre and a buffalo hunt near Yellowstone National Park. 

Appetizers will be served. The Whitefish Community Center is located at 121 E. Second St., Whitefish. 

 For more information on the upcoming talk, visit Janetryeager.com