Wild Road Home
Memoir of an Adventuress
It wasn’t a difficult choice. Following five years on the road Christina Nealson faced an ultimatum: stop traveling or her marriage would end. She had hit her stride during those years, as writing and photography converged with her naturalist self and led her deep into the wild; she wasn’t about to go domestic. She traded the motorhome and husband for a 4WD pickup and a nineteen-foot travel trailer and headed solo for Alaska. Wild Road Home is the story of a courageous unfolding, from the icy waters of Alaska to the warm sands of Mexico; from the arms of guy guides who drink too much to the wild animals and landscapes that inform her spirit. Synchronicity reigns and secrets are revealed on her quest toward home
Praise for Wild Road Home
“Wild Road Home is a constantly interesting and loving paean to the natural world, to the wonders of the country we live in, and to a peripatetic soul seeking a grail that she often finds in many different wild places … and then moves on. One is reminded that the greatest journey is usually to be found in the spirit and in the mind.” ~John Nichols, Author of The Milagro Beanfield War and My Heart Belongs to Nature.
"Christina Nealson writes about the American West with poetic imagery, grit, and compassion. She fully realizes what's at stake here – not just the continued existence of dynamic species and sacred places, but also our very humanity and last vestiges of sanity." ~Stephen Jones, author of Peterson Field Guide to the North American Prairie and Colorado Nature Almanac.
“Utterly courageous, Christina dares to do what we would do were it not for fear.” ~Charlene Baldridge, Author of The Warriors’ Duet and The Rose in December.
"Christina Nealson is a storyteller of the highest caliber. You’re bound to think of rough and tumble Edward Abbey, but in her latest book Christina writes from the heart as a sensitive, observant lover of nature.” ~Jack Challem, author of the best-selling The Inflammation Syndrome and No More Fatigue.
“Wild road, indeed! When you travel with Christina Nealson, keep your seatbelt fastened. It's pedal to the metal and don't look back!” ~William deBuys, Author of The Last Unicorn.
“Christina Nealson's raw and spirit-affirming memoir makes you yearn to go beyond the safety of your comfortable life and meet the world with open-eyed wonder. Eloquent and down to earth, Wild Road Home bespeaks a woman's courage, freedom and commitment to craft. Take your place in the passenger seat as Nealson unfurls a passionate, perilous quest to find the meaning of home.” ~Ginny Williams, Career & Executive Coach
Drive Me Wild
A Western Odyssey
Colorado Book Award Finalist; La Femme de Prose Quill Award Finalist
“Once in a while a book leaps out at you for its sheer energetic force. Nealson's memoir, Drive Me Wild: A Western Odyssey, does just that.” ~The Taos News
Praise for Drive Me Wild:
“The feminine energy espoused in Drive Me Wild: A Western Odyssey is surpassed by none. Christina Nealson brings us on an incredible journey to reach one conclusion: we must preserve, embrace the beauty, and respect nature, the earth, and all of its connectedness. For these reasons, she has been chosen Focus on Women Magazine's Author of the Year.” ~Joslyn Wolfe, Publisher
“… there's a lot of wisdom here: "Why," she wonders, "was it some pushed back and others pushed over, content with the status quo?" And she's certainly no pushover herself: whether she's facing a mother bear and her cubs or the painful reality that her marriage may be in trouble, she always jumps in with an adventurous spirit and an open heart. A soulful account of Western vistas ...” ~Kirkus Reviews
“Drive Me Wild is an odyssey about the wonders of this planet, the vicissitudes of a marriage, the wild heart of many places. It is a mixture of great joys and deep sorrows. There are whales, dolphins, mountain lions, moose, sea turtles and grizzly bears ... even a miraculous gastrolith! This is a lovely book, a lyrical disquisition on a very complex journey, told in simple and crystal-clear prose. It is crammed full of delights, beautiful country and sudden little miracles. Diamonds of experience and information glitter on every page. Turn in your badge, Jack Kerouac, there's a new sheriff in town and her name is Christina Nealson.” ~John Nichols, The Milagro Beanfield War
“This book's a wild ride, a deep story, a journey that will open your heart and prompt your soul to speak. It's not easy, but no real journey is. It is beautiful and funny, scary and sad, honest and compelling. It pairs words we often think of as antithetical: "motorhome" with "enlightenment," "aging" with "power." Read it and be swept away.” ~Susan Tweit, Walking Nature Home
Living on the Spine:
A Woman's Life in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
It’s the rare woman who creates the opportunity to discover who she is outside of others’ expectations. Facing forty, a spiritual vacuum and a daughter who was college-bound, Nealson moved into the rugged mountains of Colorado in search of a “different kind of learning.” Untethered from the roles that defined her - mother, wife and psychotherapist - she endeavored to live one year alone within the movement of the four seasons. She built a small, remote cabin and marked the passage of time with the moon and sun as she melded with landscape and the wild beings who inhabited her terrain.
Living on the Spine (Papier-Mache Press, 1997; Earth Tales Press, 2001; Wildwords Press, 2013)
Praise for Living on the Spine:
"It is gentle, gracious and profound." ~Library Journal
"Christina Nealson is the West's answer to Annie Dillard, yet Nealson's voice is so authentically her own. This is a book of eloquent witness to questions that cannot be answered, only lived."
~Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way
"If you dare to nourish yourself with a woman's truth, the colors of solitude, and Nature's randy humor, grab this book, take it home, and go to bed with it. I guarantee satisfaction!" ~Susun Weed, author of Healing Wise and Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way
"Christina's achingly beautiful descriptions bring the Sangre de Cristo landscape to life. Her knife-edged imagery cuts through pretension ad emotional detachment, leading us into a sumptuous, sometimes violent wilderness." ~Stephen R. Jones, author of The Shortgrass Prairie
"This is a spare and gentle and passionate book, written with much heart and great feelings of love." ~John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War
New Mexico's
Sanctuaries, Retreats and
Sacred Places
Wildwords Press, 2014
New Mexico's dramatic landscapes, diverse cultural heritage, and enduring traditions of faith have long attracted and inspired spiritual seekers. Woven into the fabric of everyday life, the state's customs of reverence set it apart as a prime location for both public celebrations and inner reflections.
Praise for New Mexico's Sanctuaries, Retreats, and Sacred Places:
"It is perfect for organizing road trips to dramatic landscapes, prehistoric sites, local cultural gems, and the state's most inviting adobe chapels and retreat centers that you can visit. I like that Nealson expands the definition of "sacred" to include such wonders as the VLA antenna site, White Sands missile range, and places to observe hawks, bats, and snow geese in the wild. Her glossary and tips at the opening of the book will set you in a proper frame of mind for enjoying the color and calm of these hidden gems across New Mexico. Places that let you hear what the spirit has to say to you." ~Tim Tattan, Executive Producer, Travel with Rick Steves
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