GREAT FALLS — Writer Dave Carty spoke at Cassiopeia Books in Great Falls on Thursday, April 4, 2024, and gave a reading of his new novel in which his admiration for Montana shines through.
Moving to the Bozeman area 38 years ago, Carty made his career in freelance writing for outdoor magazines, but his real passion is in literary writing.
“I really didn't have any idea that there was such a big writing community here," Carty said. “I moved into the Bozeman area and all of a sudden there's Tom McGuane and Jim Harrison, who I ended up getting to know a little bit. I had no idea that Montana had this kind of literary tradition, so it's really kind of cool to be here. I feel right at home. I moved to Montana because I wanted to write primarily about the outdoors and that's always what I've done. My books that I've written are all set in outdoorsy rural sections. I wrote three or four books before I got my first one published.”
Partnering with Canadian publishing company Working Conditions, his first book, Leaves on Frozen Ground, debuted in 2019.
His newest book released April 1st, titled Red Is the Fastest Color, follows a man's return to Montana to take care of his artist sister, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and her husband. Carty describes that at its core, the book is about the value of friendship.
Carty explained the inspiration for the setting of the novel, “This book, Red is the Fastest Color, is set in Shields Valley, which is the next valley to the east of the Gallatin Valley, where I live, where the town of Bozeman is. And it's a very, very beautiful country, incredibly beautiful."
For more information about Dave Carty and his writing, click here to visit his website.
