I got to see the true reality that other people were facing beyond the façade of my well-padded existence there . It made me more aware of the struggles of the people who didn ’ t have resources or choices . Once you have that kind of awakening , you can ’ t ever go back to seeing the world in the same way .”
In 1991 , Finn moved to Los Angeles , where she worked for Hollywood screenwriter and director Zalman King as a writer for his erotically-charged SHOWTIME ® series The Red Shoe Diaries . “ He was an incredible mentor ,” says Finn . “ He really helped me to grow as a creative writer , and he was a truly stand-up man in a milieu that could so easily have been toxic .”
After working in Hollywood for several years , Finn left Los Angeles and resettled in Taos , New Mexico in 1994 . While there , she returned to her work as a journalist and penned numerous articles for UKbased broadsheet publications such as The Independent and The Guardian . Finn then returned to Eastern Africa in the early 2000s , where she wrote her first novel , Away from You , which was published in 2004 . “ Away from You is my most autobiographical novel ,” says Finn . “ The main character , Ellie , returns to Africa after her father ’ s death for the first time in several decades . She is then forced to come to terms with the two opposing sides of his character before she can move forward with her life . My father was also a flawed man who possessed many of the same qualities as Ellie ’ s father . It was a really cleansing experience for me to write Away from You , and I got to confront many of my own ghosts head-on in the process .”
Finn ’ s experiences in Eastern Africa also directly influenced her 2016 novel , The Gloaming , and made her realize that she had to do something to help improve the healthcare access in rural Tanzania . “ I founded a nonprofit healthcare organization called Natron Healthcare with my mother-in-law , Penny Aeberhard , in 2008 . We wanted to provide women , children , and men with basic healthcare education and options in remote Tanzanian areas . Our work continues to this day , and I ’ m grateful to be able to work with the villagers of Magadini and Wosiwosi in Tanzania to help make a difference in any way that I can .”
At the same time that Finn was working with her mother-in-law to build and organize Natron Healthcare , she was also working with her husband , Matthew Aeberhard , to develop the mesmerizing nature documentary , The Crimson Wing . “ The Crimson Wing showcases the awe-inspiring beauty of the Lake Natron region ,” notes Finn . “ There are annual algal blooms in Lake Natron with incredibly vivid colors . Every year , flamingos come to nest in the middle of the lake and feed on the algae . My husband is an EMMY ® Award-winning nature photographer and cinematographer , and he brought the visual aspect of the film to life in incredible ways .” Finn and her husband are currently working on a film project about The Birds of America , which reframes the famous John James Audubon nature book in a contemporary manner and sheds light on the current state of birds in the United States .
After The Crimson Wing was nominated for Best Script at the Wildscreen Film Festival , Finn wrote the script for Turtle : The Incredible Journey , a striking nature documentary that traces the path of a small loggerhead turtle following in the footsteps of her ancestors . In 2013 , Finn moved to Vermont ’ s Northeast Kingdom with her husband and two girls . After purchasing property in Kirby , she and her husband let the land grow back to its wild state . “ When we first moved here , there were still large logging machines and massive destruction ,” says Finn . “ We felt that the land needed a break , so that it could heal .” In the years that followed , Finn put down deep roots in Vermont and wrote two books inspired by the time she had spent in the Green Mountain State . Published in 2018 , The Underneath tells the story of Kay Ward , a former war journalist who rents a farmhouse in Vermont . After Kay spends several weeks at the farmhouse without her husband , she discovers a series of troubling messages written on the house ’ s walls . As her suspicions continue to fester , she begins to independently investigate the fate that has befallen the home ’ s owners . Over the course of the novel , she crosses paths with Ben Comeau , a local logger with a troubled past , and their stories intersect in fascinating ways .
“ The Underneath paints an unbiased picture of both sides of Vermont ,” says Finn . “ Vermont is a gorgeous place , and it ’ s populated with real , hard-working people . Several of the characters in The Underneath deal with unresolved trauma and substance use disorder , which are very relevant issues in Vermont today . As someone who has faced struggles with trauma in my own life , I want to use my books to articulate those experiences through my characters . I think creative people have a duty to share their experiences with their readers in a meaningful way .”
Finn ’ s most recent novel , The Hare , was published in 2021 . Lauded by Marie Claire as “ daring and unputdownable ,” The Hare tells the story of Rosie Monroe , who finds herself broke and alone with a small child in an unheated cabin in the Vermont wilderness . The novel serves as a profound statement on female empowerment and features a scene that incorporates the longstanding Vermont tradition of deer hunting . “ In the scene where Rosie hunts the deer , she goes from being a weakened and downtrodden person to becoming a self-sufficient woman who is deeply in-tune with her surrounding environment . It ’ s a significant turning point in her relationship with herself and the world around her , and I think it perfectly encapsulates the perseverant and self-sufficient spirit of Vermont and its people .”
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