Although he had been writing poetry for 18 years, it took a near-tragic accident for Glendora resident Greg Morton, 39, to finally tackle his first novel. 

On a snowy January day in 2008, Morton attempted to climb the summit of Mount Baldy.

During the hike, Morton found himself clinging to a slippery, icy slope after falling 50 feet, slipping slowly further down before San Bernardino Search and Rescue airlifted him to safety.

Thankfully, Morton wasn’t injured, but the terrifying accident compelled Morton to finally pick up a pen and begin what he says is his true calling – writing.

The result—two self-published mystery adventure novels, The Fury of the Bear and To Catch a Fox.

Morton’s first novel The Fury of the Bear, publish in 2010, centers on a team of mountain rescuers from Colorado who find themselves in the Andes uncovering a mystery of a missing ancient Incan treasure. A beautiful woman hires the team to find the remains of a 60-year-old plane crash, a crash that holds a key to the Incan mystery. Morton published the novel’s sequel, To Catch a Bear, the following year.

Morton, who left a career in distribution to pursue writing fulltime, said his stories are inspired by the heroes in his own life -- search and rescue teams and police officers.

“I had always been kicking around the idea for a novel, but never got around to getting started,” said Morton. “I didn’t know anyone who wrote a novel. I just enjoyed telling stories and making things up.”

For aspiring writers hoping to pen their first novel, but struggling to get through even the first page, Morton understands the challenges.

“The easiest answer to that would be to just start writing. Simple as that,” said Morton. Morton said he first wrote short notes on a notepad to help him develop a clearer vision for his novel.

“Some people look at that blank page and get intimidated,” said Morton. “Sometimes you fall, you make mistakes, but you get back up and keep going. You take it one step at a time.

“It’s a lot like climbing a mountain,” said Morton.

Morton will be signing his books and talking about his novels at the Village Book Shop this Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. For more information call the Village Book Shop at 626-335-5720.