The course to Kalispell author Steve Brady's debut novel was first charted in a class at Flathead Valley Community College.  

Brady, 74, who always enjoyed writing, took a continuing education course for budding novelists with the encouragement of his wife Trish. After a few lessons under the tutelage of instructor Dennis Foley, he found out the class was geared more toward practical application than the study of the theoretical.  

"I hadn't intended to write a novel, but [Foley] said you might as well start one if you want to take this class," Brady recalled. 

Five years — and a lot of writing and revising — later, Brady released "Downwind to Baja" as an e-book and paperback in March. Available through Amazon, the book is part adventure, part thriller set on the high seas between Seattle and Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California peninsula. 

The tale follows Ben Reilly, a hastily hired skipper tasked with getting the luxury sailboat Calisto — unbeknownst to him outfitted with groundbreaking technology worth killing over — to the Mexican resort city in time for an international sailing race.  

But all of that came to Brady much later. Back in Foley's class, he remembered deciding to write what he knew and loved.  

“I said, 'Shoot — I like sailing,’” Brady recalled. “And I like adventure.” 

THOUGH BRADY grew up in Deadwood, South Dakota — not exactly known for its sailing — he held a steady interest in all things nautical. As a boy, he built model boats and learned about famous sailing vessels.  

But it wasn’t until his career in the U.S. Forest Service brought him to Washington in his 20s that he had an opportunity to learn how to sail himself. He joined the Seattle Sailing Club and fell in love with the water, departing from Anacortes, Washington, for weekend trips around the San Juan Islands.  

“Once you’ve motored out of the harbor and the wind’s taken over your sails, you heel a little bit and it’s quiet and you can feel the boat move through the water,” he said, trying to describe what it was about sailing that hooked him.  

“It’s mostly just the feeling of moving under natural power,” he finished.  

His real-life maritime adventures included chartering trips with his wife and later taking the family, which by then had grown to include two boys, on camping trips aboard a cabin cruiser he owned while working in Alaska. A more recent trip saw him tour the Turkish coast by boat, pulling into the occasional cove to explore ruins dating back to antiquity. 

“It’s peaceful,” Brady said of sailing.  

Then he chuckled and added an afterthought.  

“Except when it’s stormy.” 

PENNING A novel for the first time wasn’t without its share of rough water.  

The writing part was smooth sailing, Brady recalled. He found himself up late into the night or even early into the morning working on the novel. Breaking away to focus on real-world tasks, like getting an oil change, proved challenging.  

“Your imagination takes hold and that side of your brain kicks over,” he said before giving pause.  

“I have to say the editing part was less addictive.” 

Thankfully, Brady had a crew to help with the work. After finishing Foley’s class, Brady enrolled in a series of creative writing courses taught by Kathy Dunnehoff. The topics of the classes might not have addressed a particular problem he faced, but they kept him motivated. 

Dunnehoff, in turn, connected him with a writers’ critique group and Authors of the Flathead, a nonprofit organization that aids nonfiction writers, screenwriters, poets, and burgeoning and experienced authors. Members of the writers’ critique group, Brady included, took turns swapping chapters and reviewing them for one another.  

One of the best lessons Brady learned came from Foley. He encouraged Brady to write his rough draft without spending too much time looking back. Foley, he recalled, likened it to listening to a child tell a story. If you want to get to the end, don’t interrupt.  

“Just write your first draft because you’ll get stuck in loops trying to fix it,” Brady said. “It’s a different side of your brain that [edits]." 

When that time to revise finally came, he received support from his writers’ critique group and had at least six people review his earlier versions of the story. Their help, plus the tools he learned from Authors of the Flathead, proved instrumental in getting the tale into print, he said.  

His advice for aspiring writers? Get connected to the resources offered in the Flathead Valley.  

“If you’re in this community, I’d get in touch with Authors of the Flathead,” he said. “I’d look at the slate of classes at Flathead Valley Community College. They can show you a path.” 

THOUGH HE learned plenty about the business side of publishing a book, Brady opted to self-publish “Downwind to Baja.” 

He can understand why some authors would want to connect with an agent who could then pitch their work to publishing houses. The process, though, can take years, he said.  

“Being 74, I didn’t want to wait for an agent to find my book,” he said. “I admire people who go through that process, but I wanted to get it out.” 

He remains busy learning the marketing side of being a published author these days. Part of that includes learning to navigate social media as a way to promote the novel, which Brady admits is uncharted territory for him. 

But he's not done writing. He has a couple of ideas for a second work, including a sequel to “Downwind to Baja.”  

There’s also an idea for a book focused on women firefighters. Having fought plenty of fires during his decades with the Forest Service, Brady admired his female colleagues, who soldiered on despite facing chauvinism.  

“I’ve got time to kick it around,” he said.  

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].