2022 - And Off We Go

January 3, 2022

As always, it seems odd to switch to a new year. I’m talking about writing 2022 instead of 2021 on anything I need to date. I wonder how long it will be until I write 21, 20, or maybe 19 as the year on something?

Writing – My writing rate was - I will give it an ok. I wrote just under 3,000 words the past week – not great, but for a busy week, not bad. I was somewhat distracted from writing by so many football games on television. We have not done anything special for years to celebrate New Year’s Eve or Day, which allowed me to put a few extra words on paper. 

I am still working on the editing portion of my historical mystery/western. It looks like I am about a third of the way through. I’m still not sure about the ending, but I did work on it.

 

Reading – Lawrence Blocks, highly entertaining, The Thief Who Couldn’t Sleep.   I am a long time Block fan but somehow never got around to this Evan Tanner series

Weather – Dipped under zero for the first time this winter. About one inch of new snow and lots and lots of wind, which I can do without for the rest of winter.

Quote of the day – “I was brought up in the great tradition of the late nineteenth century: that a writer never complains, never explains and never disdains.”  James A. Michener

Today’s Photos – All shot from my walks this week and a trip to the state park a couple of miles north of here.  

Have a great week. Keep on reading, and keep on writing.  

Indian Summer

Indian Summer - It has been a most interesting week. Cold and now back to wonderful fall weather. Technically, it is too early for Indian Summer, which according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac cannot start until the middle of November. Thinking that they are not taking elevation, where I live in Wyoming, into account, I have decided that it has started. After all, by definition Indian summer starts after a hard freeze, we were down to 10 or 11, which should qualify.

The term, Indian Summer most likely started with the eastern tribes and settlers. Winter cold brought on peace, as the harsh weather kept both settlers and native people working hard just to get through. But, if the weather turned nice again, it could bring on the fighting between the tribes and settlers of the East Coast.

From the Old West – “A go-getter is a cowboy who forgot to hobble his horse.”

What Am I Working On? – I should finish the first draft of my 4th kid's chapter book today or tomorrow followed by, edits, readers, a few other touch-ups and publish. After that, it will be back to my third Blade Holmes western mystery, tentatively titled – Wendover. By the way, that working title is the fourth for this book.

My first Blade Holmes (Commitment) novel continues to sell quite well on Amazon, the second one, (The Ghost Dance) which I really like, does okay but has never sold as well.

What Am I Reading? Still - Reading Wallace Stegner - Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs: Living and Writing in the West.

My Photo of the Week –

As always, you can find all my books here on Amazon

 Or

Follow me here on twitter at @wyohistoryguy

Keep on reading and keep on writing – have a great weekend!

Places to Find Me and My Stories

Looks like Google + will be shutting down. Hate to see it, as I enjoyed being on the site. According to their news release, Google+ has not been doing well, but the huge data breach is what pushed it out.

With Google+ shutting down soon, anyone that would like to continue following me (and I hope everyone follows), can find me here on my new Facebook author site -

Or join my 800 followers on Twitter @wyohistoryguy

I will still be on Blogger but may start doing more with my WordPress site just in case Google abandons it blogs also. I am also considering a new WordPress author/writing site - news coming soon. 

Guess what? First snow of the season here this morning - not much but snow is snow. Have a terrific week.

I Think I Am Back

After taking two months off, I am back to writing. Went through, what we all do, some tough times, and just couldn't do it. Proud of myself for putting down almost 8,000 words in the last four weeks. That is not a lot by most writing standards, but for me, it was pretty good after nothing for ten weeks. Was able to finish my new book of Christmas Stories to follow up on the one from 2015. They are not all westerns but many are, and all are set out west. 

Next, I hope to finish the fourth in my kid's chapter books series, and then on to book three of my Blade Holmes western mysteries.

Hopefully, I will be back here more often.

A Writers Week

Here in Wyoming, we have been blessed with the wettest May and June in the 35 years I have been in the state. Seems almost like I am back in the Nebraska farm country where I grew up. Gardens are looking terrific, now bring on the sunshine.

Writing – I have been spending more time researching people that served at Fort Laramie, for my next nonfiction offering, coming out in early 2019,  than I have spent putting words on paper. To some writers, research can be tedious, but I have run across countless wonderful stories. I am getting some work done on that book, and some on my third Blade Holmes western mystery, not a lot, the Blade Holmes book, about 1,500 words this week and the nonfiction, just over 300. Let me see, if my math is correct, I am only writing about 250 words a day. Why so little? Well, I have been playing golf about three times a week, spending time taking wildlife photos and building wooden tomato cages for what I hope will be a bumper crop.

Reading – Not sure how I missed this one but am reading and enjoying Mari Sandoz’s, Love Song to the Plains, terrific book. I am also spending more time reading about book marketing, probably won’t change the way I do anything, but it does put forth some good ideas.

Selling Books – As seems to happen this time of year, my nonfiction CCC book on the building of Guernsey State Park is selling pretty well. The rest, well, I will say they, like me, are moving along, but not as fast as they once did.

Today’s Photo’s – Backyard garden, and from the Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC), built Guernsey State Park.

Summer Reads – Want something lighthearted and quick? I have two books that will fill the bill – my latest, On Turning 70, and my book of garden tips and short stories - Beginning Gardening & Other Entertaining Lies, which Includes - 4 Garden Murder Mysteries. Give one or both a try, click the link and read the free first chapter or more.

Enjoy the summer and keep on reading and writing.