The Writing Trail
In the life of a writer certain moments are particularly rewarding, such as seeing the cover art for the first time, getting your author’s copies or receiving a royalty check. For me the most gratifying event of them all is completing the first draft. Without it none of the other moments will follow and, most […]
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 […]
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 […]
Bluster’s Dozen
In researching Bluster’s Last Stand, I read close to a hundred books on Custer and the Little Bighorn in search of historical details and odd facts I could use in my novel. The nice thing about writing fiction is that you can use the accounts that serve your story best without having to confirm their […]
Lomax Is Back!
With the release of Bluster’s Last Stand by Wild Horse Press this fall, my loveable scoundrel H.H. Lomax has returned with another misadventure, this time culminating at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The story of Lomax goes back to the mid-1990s when the editor of Bantam approached me about working with Book Creations Inc. […]
A Camel Born at Sea
My latest young adult novel, Just Call Me Uncle Sam, has now been published by Wild Horse Press. This is my third juvenile novel, but the first where I had actual kids help me write it. The book is the third in my Animal Legends series which looks at our Texas heritage through the eyes […]
Gentleman of Letters
I am proud to report that my western caper The Fleecing of Fort Griffin has received the Elmer Kelton Award for best creative work on West Texas from the West Texas Historical Association. It is always an honor to see your work rewarded but this recognition is especially meaningful. First, it comes from an organization […]
Old-Timer
You know you are getting old when you read a history book and realize you knew nine of the people mentioned. Encountering those names was an unexpected pleasure when I got a review copy of Rounded Up in Glory: Frank Reaugh, Texas Renaissance Man by Michael R. Grauer. Reaugh (1860-1945), pronounced “ray,” was a Texas artist […]
Ideas Aplenty
Probably the most frequent question I have gotten as a published author is this: Where do you get your ideas? My wife once asked me where I came up with all that stuff, though “stuff” was not her exact phraseology. Even my daughter gave me a Father’s Day Card one year that read, “Fatherhood: the […]