To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.
Soren Kierkegaard

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Author Anita Alan’s Big Sur Inn: The Deetjen Legacy (Gibbs Smith) won the 2008 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Bronze Award (Society of American Travel Writers) and the 2007 Gold Award (Independent Publisher). Big Sur Inn reveals the poetic inspiration that compelled Helmuth Deetjen to journey from his native Norway to the California redwoods. With his wife, Helen Haight Deetjen, he created an intimate refuge for locals, world travelers, artists, writers, and celebrities. In 1990, the Department of the Interior recognized Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn and its distinctive vernacular architecture by listing it on the National Register of Historic Places. Big Sur Inn’s chapters begin and end with poetry by NEA Big Read poet Robinson Jeffers, Deetjen’s friend and Carmel Point neighbor in the 1920s and 1930s. Fine art and vintage photography guide the reader through the Inn’s natural surroundings, cozy rustic rooms, and enchanting restaurant. Deetjen’s kitchen shares coveted recipes with the reader. This coffee table volume brings the warmth of Deetjen’s hearth into your home. Alan attended New School University in New York, received her BA from the University of Southern California, and MA from Monterey Institute of International Studies. She (as Paula Anita Walling) taught for Carmel Schools in Big Sur and Carmel and worked as a reading and language arts consultant for several publishing companies. Alan is a member of SCBWI and the California Writers Club—Central Coast Branch. She worked as a reporter, photographer, columnist, and editor for the Big Sur Gazette and The Coast Gazette. In addition to freelance journalism, Alan writes for the Travel section of Norwegian American Weekly, and gives slide presentations to various groups.