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Reevaluating Tradition: A Risky Ride Down the Sled Hill in a Snow-Starved Winter
Today, after several weeks of careful recovery from an ankle injury, I tentatively set out on my first trail run in far too long. As I walked to my usual starting point, I stopped to slip on my micro-spikes. Then, I looked up and spotted the area that’s typically buzzing with tourist families sledding down…
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Rediscovering Home: Mountains, Memories, and the Heart’s True Pull
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas—these holidays mark a season of homecoming for so many of us. But what does “home” truly mean to you? Years ago, my parents uprooted our family from the geographic place I still call my hometown and relocated us to another spot where I spent my formative years. I’m deeply drawn to both…
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Life Without Electricity: Insights from the Backcountry and Beyond
Have you ever wondered what your daily life would look like if the power grid suddenly failed? In my novel, The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, I explore a world plunged into darkness. Recently, I was challenged to describe my own life without electricity—and surprisingly, I have some firsthand experience from my college…
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Exciting News: My Interview on Voices of Taos Podcast – Diving into ‘The Long Walk Home’
Dear readers, I’m thrilled to share that I recently sat down with Ellen Miller Goins on the Voices of Taos podcast, hosted by Taos News, for a deep dive into my latest novel, The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies. We explored the gritty realities of a post-electricity world—think societal collapse, human resilience, and…
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Spoilers Ahead: Charley’s Unexpected Redemption in The Long Walk Home
Irredeemable evil has long been a staple of fiction, but in recent years, we’ve seen a shift toward more nuanced villains—from subverting expectations to exploring stories from the antagonist’s point of view. In contrast to contemporary writing tropes, in creating Charley in The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, I originally intended him to…
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Fatherhood in Crisis: What Does Fatherhood Look Like When the World Falls Apart?
With tens of thousands of books on parenthood—and over 2,200 on fatherhood listed on Goodreads alone—you might wonder how a young adult adventure novel could offer fresh insights into being a dad. I didn’t set out to write a story centered on fatherhood any more than I intended to explore cults, bullying, or leadership. Yet,…
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Unraveling the Cult at Heavenly Ranch:
How Fiction Mirrors Real Manipulation Spoilers ahead! Content Warning: This blog post contains sensitive content, such as psychological abuse, manipulation and cult indoctrination. Reader discretion is advised. By continuing to read, you acknowledge that Michael H. Ritterhouse is not responsible for your individual emotional response to the content. I am not an expert in this…
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From Bully to Brother – Charley’s Redemption Arc
Can Bullies Change? Should We Give Them the Chance? Charley starts as a bully. On the first day of summer camp, he tries to shove Tommy out of his seat. As the novel unfolds, we glimpse more of their time at Camp Wallace Creek—Charley’s hostility toward every activity, every rule, every kid. He’s there against…
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What True Leadership Looks Like in Crisis (and Why Tommy Nails It)
Leadership is a vast, timeless topic—one I’m so passionate about I could fill a whole book. We’ve seen it explored in ancient China, India, Greece, and Rome, then evolving through Medieval Europe. Think diverse thinkers like Sun Tzu, Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, and even Niccolò Machiavelli. Over centuries, leadership has shifted from innate traits to behaviors…
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10 Life-Saving Essentials Every Adventurer Needs: Lessons from Tommy’s Epic 1,200-Mile Trek
In my novel, The Long Walk Home: When the Power Dies, I dropped hints about the Ten Essentials as Tommy’s secret weapon. He mentions them just twice: once while brainstorming packs with the Browns (the family who unofficially adopts him) for their Sacramento trek, and again after grabbing extra supplies with Jason Brown—forcing the group…
Michael H. Ritterhouse 