Time Out

As some of my regular followers may have guessed, after ten books and hundreds of blog posts, I am on a long-term writing hiatus. I have decided to step away, at least for a few more weeks or months.

Sometimes things happen in life that seems to require a change in perspective. I hope to write, and get back to photography someday - not sure when.

Meanwhile, I am still reading books, and blogs, and working in the garden and around the house as we sort things out.  Have a terrific rest of the summer.

New Book and a Wyoming Drive

Feeling better and back to work – that’s me this week. Took nearly five weeks to get back to whatever is normal for me. The first battle with the flu I have had in many years, and the flu won this fight. But now, thankfully, looks like that is all behind me.

Reading - Spending much more time than normal sitting in my recliner had one positive outcome, I did a lot of reading. I spent quite a lot of time reading blogs and free sample pages of books I thought interesting. I found several books I added to my, to read, list.   Speaking of free pages, I love the, Look Inside, feature on Amazon, as it gives me a chance to see if it might be something I will like. I purchased half a dozen eBooks and two physical books over the last two weeks.

On Turning 70 – My newest book and my shortest is out. It is a story of reflection on turning 70 years of age. The book is not only reflective but full of humor and nostalgia. If you are getting, as we used to hear, “up there in years,” give it a try, it’s a quick hour or hour and a half read. This one, like all of my books, is available in soft cover or as an eBook. Here is the link to the $1.99 eBook.

Photo Trip – Thursday we made the hundred mile trip to Rock River, Wyoming to watch our grandson’s basketball game. For readers who do not live in Wyoming – no, a trip of 100 miles for Jr. High sports is not unusual here in the Cowboy state. The trip gave me a chance to drive through some rugged areas great for wildlife photos. All of today's photos are from that trip. You will see some snow coming down in a few of the photos, another, its that time of year, fact.

Meanwhile – Keep on reading, and for my writing friends, keep on writing.

Best Selling November

It’s almost the end of another month, not sure I am looking forward to cold weather, but with December, we know it is coming. I can still remember as a kid what fun it was to play in the snow. We skated, sledded, played our own version of hockey, fox and goose, snow forts and so much more. Now, I stay inside mostly. 

No snow here yet, but like a movie promo - It's coming soon

Remembering back - That's why I am still working on the fourth of my Mike and Moose and Me, series. Books for kids and about kids growing up. I have been pleasantly surprised to have found an older readership for this series also. Seems that lots of people who grew up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s have found a kinship for these books.

Winter - The third book was set in the winter, and I wrote it in the winter, remembering the fun those times were. The others in the series are set in the summer, the best time, out of school time.

Dinner time

Free Read - Take a look and read a free sample from the first of my three kids, Mike and Moose and Me, books HERE.

For a peek at all of my work CLICK HERE to go to my Amazon Author Site.

Meanwhile - Yesterday was a picture perfect day in our little part of Wyoming

Book Sales - Thanks, for making November my best month ever! It is both fun and rewarding to watch my sales continue on an upward trend.

Keep on reading and keep on writing.

Writing Update as Summer Cools Down

We spent some time in Rocky Mountain National Park this week, always a great place to visit.  I love being able to drive up above the timberline and a chance to see some stunning views of the Rockies.

Lots of Elk in the Park

Writing Update

Writing wise I remain a bit on the slow side. I am getting some things, ok, a few things accomplished. Most days I am able to write 250 to 400, or so, words. That’s not much output for me but not bad this time of year. Seems in winter I really crank it up getting quite a few days in the 2,000 range, but not now and this is not a call for an early winter.

Raven on a cloudy and cool day

What I’m Working On

Most of my work seems to be on my new, tongue in cheek, nonfiction book, the one I have not yet talked about here – soon, I hope. I also finished a few more pages in the fourth of my children’s chapter books. These books don’t sell as well as my others but are getting some nice comments from parents who have kids reading them or who have read them to their children. One thing I have learned, children’s books do not do as well as eBooks, should have known it, kids like books, seems they have enough electronics in their lives without books too.  I guess there is a bit of a consolation prize in that I do sell a few of these in softcover each month.

Me and my 12-year-old Grandson taking a look at a huge Elk herd.
By the way, I like this view of me :-)

What’s Next?

The great eclipse is only a couple of weeks away and we are right in the middle of it. I am doing a book signing at an event the weekend before the eclipse and then expect to stay home on the big day and watch the sun disappear from my deck. 

Snapped this one a few days ago - looks like he wants me to go away.'
So I did.

Random Thoughts About the West and Westerns

Who put the West in westerns? Sounds like a bit of an odd question, but it might be a tougher question than it first sounds. The old west, the one of so many books, is both a place and a period of time. The where is the old west is a tough question, but by most definitions it is west of the Missouri River, south to Mexico and north through Alaska. The old west as a period of time, I see as from the end of the civil war until the introduction of the automobile in America. Commonly this time period is seen as from the Gold Rush to Wounded Knee, 1849-1890.

In Wyoming, we like to say we are the last of the old west, or that we are the real west. If that is true, the west of today refers to wide open spaces. That’s the reason California and most of the highly populated Pacific coast are no longer thought of as the west. Genre westerns often were set in California, gold rush, land grabbers and city builders all made good plots. Today the west coast still makes an excellent setting for movies and books, but none are thought of as westerns. Western’s weather set in the 1800s or present day need wide open spaces.

 Today writers of westerns set in modern time seem to follow this idea. It is easier to write a western if there are wide open spaces involved, Wyoming and Montana come to mind here.  Mountains, forest, wild rivers and long lonesome highways seem to make good modern western stories.

But the real west is defined by the cowboy. If a cowboy is involved, it must be a western story. Western romance sells millions of copies each year, the book covers usually depicting a cowboy, shirt unbuttoned, hat, boots, and beautiful women. Why do they sell? Is it the western flavor, the romance element, or the wide open spaces? I would guess it is a bit of all of the above. Today the sparsely populated west is full of romance and mystery to many people, especially people from metropolitan areas.

One of the reasons we live in Wyoming is because we love the empty areas. I know, this is not for everyone. We have to drive more than an hour to the nearest Wal-Mart and nearly two hours to a Shopping Mall. For many this would be a disaster of colossal proportion. Even worse, the closest hospital is a half hour away and to find a lawyer, accountant or college we must drive at least half an hour. But we trudge on. The reason we like it here, all of the photos on this page were taken closer than the nearest Wal-Mart.

Love the west!

Photo Time or Edit Time

Someone asked me last week if I was a professional photographer, I said, “nope but I am a professional photo taker.” I took about 9,000 shots last year and was lucky enough to have a few picked up for use by organizations or other media outlets. I am always glad to oblige when people ask for some of my photos.  Looks like I may have a couple of book covers this year.

15 Minutes from town on a photo quest

I spend a lot of time out in the country looking for photo opportunities, some days are good, some not much to shoot. But every day is enjoyable. This takes up part of my writing time but it also clears my mind when I get outside. I especially enjoy going out when I am editing because editing hurts my brain. But I am just about done, three books, two young reader and one nonfiction. And yes, these are the same projects I have been blogging about since January. But I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is an end in sight.

Mountains on a frosty morning - but not too early

Editing is hard work. I enjoy writing but when I am done with something I want to write something else, but then the old editing red pen creeps in.

Think I will go look for some wild turkey tomorrow they are starting to move around, maybe a few other shoots, only a hundred or so.

The river the wagons west followed - The North Platte

Then back to editing.

If old houses could talk - what a tail they would tell

Bull Elk in the warming sun