Western Humor
The September issue of True West has a review of my latest novel by Spur Award-winning author Rod Miller. Of Bluster’s Last Stand, Rod says “if there’s one thing missing from most western bookshelves, it’s humor.” He goes on to praise me for filling the gap with my protagonist H.H. Lomax. He concludes the review by […]
Good Humor Man
I received word today that my historical novel Bluster’s Last Stand on the Battle of the Little Bighorn has been named a finalist in the Western Humor-Written category of the 2018 Will Rogers Medallion Award competition. It is an honor that my humor can now be associated with the name of Will Rogers, who […]
True Story
One of the most enjoyable things about being a member of Western Writers of America is the creative people you get to meet, like Lee Goldberg this year. He invited me a couple years ago to become a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers for my previous novels based on the Bonanza television series. […]
Two-Thirds There
An old adage has it that everyone has at least one book in them and a few people can come up with two, but it takes three published books to be considered a legitimate author. So, I was pleased when New Mexico Showdown first appeared in print. Pinnacle published New Mexico Showdown in 1989 and […]
Stealing History
We just returned from a trip to Ruidoso and the obligatory visit to Lincoln, N.M., where Billy the Kid rode into legend. I’ve been there many times over the years to walk what President Rutherford B. Hayes once called “the most dangerous street in America.” I’ve climbed the stairs where Billy the Kid made his last […]
Back in the Saddle Again
Writing is a creative, yet solitary endeavor. What makes it worse is that writers, unlike painters or sculptors, don’t really have anything to frame or display when they are done other than a thick stack of typing paper, which is not very glamorous. That’s why it’s always fun to get a new book cover of […]
True History
Earlier this month I had the chance to attend the Texas State Historical Association annual meeting in San Marcos. Those are always wonderful meetings if you love history and enjoy meeting people who have the same passion. The meeting gave me the chance to catch up with Paula Mitchell Marks, who was ending her term […]
Not Killing Custer
My favorite fiction genre is the historical novel. I’ve always loved history and have enjoyed reading and writing novels that insert fictional characters into historical events. One of my favorite western historical novels of all time is The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer by Douglas C. Jones. When I started writing westerns, one of […]
Writing Insights
Like many folks, I’ve been a fan of Peanuts for as long as I can remember because of the wonderful characters and the understated philosophical insights into life that Charles Schulz provided on a daily basis for half a century. There’s an old adage in writing that it is harder to write short than long, […]
Thumbs Up for Bluster’s
Last year ended with a flurry of great Web reviews for Bluster’s Last Stand. What is most gratifying is that whatever flaws the reviewers found, they all liked my protagonist, H.H. Lomax. The Lone Star Literary Life website started its review this way: “Reading nineteenth-century Old West memoirs can be a fast way to fall […]