WHEATLAND –  On Saturday, 2008 Wheatland High School graduate Charles MacDuff “Charlie” Westerman will be at The Wanderer on Gilchrist for a sample reading of his new book, Where Heaven Meets Cheyenne, published by Atmosphere Press.
The story has been a lifetime in the making for Westerman, who lived the real story throughout his life, having been 14 months old when events started unfolding in his family that led to the eventual creation of this masterpiece.
Having grown up hearing anecdotes of the incidents leading to the formation of his blended family, Westerman began writing the story after college at the age of 22. It was a project he worked on for three years before setting it aside to pick up nine years later to revise and complete it for its debut on October 29, 2024.
The story is classified as autobiographical fiction and is based on the family story of the blended family of Kirkbrides and Westermans. He chose to make the story in a fictional format because, “It’s a good story in real life, and I wanted to do my best not to mess it up, so I wrote it in a fictional format with fictional characters to give myself artistic license and not be speaking specifically for them (the people behind the characters.)”

Westerman’s mother, Lynn Kirkbride of Chugwater, said she thinks her son did an excellent job writing the story of the family’s experiences. She had read the story 12 years ago and though she thought it was good, after Westerman refined it and she read the finalized version, she was truly impressed.
“Though it was kind of bizarre reading about myself – from my son’s perspective,” Kirkbride said with a smile. “There are good messages in the story, especially for someone dealing with trauma and loss. He shows how the sun can shine again, but he’s not cliché, because the healing takes time… I’m proud of him.”
As for the cover of the book – Kirkbride also thinks the artwork perfectly fits not only the setting of Platte and Laramie counties, but also the true story behind Where Heaven Meets Cheyenne.
“When I met Dan (her husband and Charles’ step-dad), he had a big brown horse,” Kirkbride shared.
“I am the youngest of three brothers and do not remember my father, but I’m told: of my three brothers I’m the most like him,” Westerman said. He explained, in a way, the experience of writing the story is one way to connect to the man his father was. Westerman added, he is blessed to have been raised in a family of faith, which was instrumental in helping them work through tragedy in a healthy way.
Westerman added, there were a some “great teachers at WHS” who helped spark his interest in literature. Journalism teacher Pat Mitchell was his instructor at the school newspaper, the Bulldog’s Bark, and she encouraged him to write in his own voice and gave him leeway to be creative in his writing. British literature instructor Bill Pentland was successful in getting Westerman interested in Shakespeare and classic literature.
“They piqued my interest in writing and reading. That’s what I studied in college and have pursued for a career,” Westerman said.
The Wanderer on Gilchrist will host a reading of Where Heaven Meets Cheyenne by Westerman on Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Westerman’s brother Mick will be narrating the book in the next month for an audiobook which should be available by the new year. The book is available to purchase at the Wanderer, or wherever books are sold.