GOAT – Writers & Books

 GOAT – Writers & Books

I often see lists, lots of lists. Most are a top ten or bottom ten of something. America's ten best or ten worst fast food items or places. The best football or basketball player of all time. The greatest writer or book of all time. Fortunately, all of these lists are fantasy. Can we compare Mickey Mantle to Babe Ruth or players in modern-day – different times and circumstances?

One of my favorites (favorites to be irritated by) is the ranking of Presidents of the United States by IQ. These are often drawn up by someone pushing a particular political party. And what IQ test did all of them take?

Lately, we have invented the acronym GOAT, or greatest of all time. Who knows? You get the point: Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, John Lennon, Joan of Arc, Catherine II., Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Twain.

But, what we can do is say who our favorites are, and here are a few of the writers that got me started reading westerns, and to this day, I still love reading and writing them.  

1. Elmer Kelton – I have read almost all of his westerns. Not sure I may have read them all. My two favorites – The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys

2. Louis L'Amour – Some love him, others can't stand him. Some of his books seem a bit formulaic and flat, but others are some of my favorites. The Quick and the Dead, Hondo,  and Silver Canyon are favorites of mine. L'Amour sold over 200 million books, and they are still selling, leading me to believe there must be a lot of good reads among his works.

3. William W Johnstone – Johnstone wrote in many genres, but I have read only his westerns. I enjoyed his early works, with Preacher and Smoke Jensen, two of my all-time favorite fictional characters. The Last Mountain Man is my favorite of all the mountain men books I have read.

4. James Michener – Not everyone considers Michener a western writer, but he is one of the best to me. Centennial might be my favorite piece of fiction, and his novels Alaska and Journey are beautiful reads.  

5. Noel Gerson – This might seem an odd pick as Gerson wrote under nine different pseudonyms, including Donald Clayton Porter (the White Indian Series) and Dana Fuller Ross (The Wagons West series. When I read those two series many years ago, they were most enjoyable. The Wagons West series was continued by another terrific writer James Reasoner.

 

There you have it. A few writers and books to add to your reading list.

Here is a link to my books on Amazon – take a look and enjoy!

Keep on reading and keep on writing.

Photos – From our recent trip to warmer weather. 😊

 

 

Christmas Slowdown - But, Not Much

 December 20, 2021

Writing –  My writing slowed down a little this week. Too much Christmas shopping and a couple of doctor appointments slow me down. Only a few over 2,000 words for the week. When I set goals, I wrote well over 300.000 words each year. Without goals, I write about half that. I still have not decided if I will set a word goal for 2022 or continue writing as I have been the past three or four years. We will see. 

I am doing heavy editing on my long-finished historical mystery/western. Trying to rework the second half – love the first half of the book.

As often happens, a new inspiration – yes, I started another book. Mostly notes and thoughts so far.

 

Reading – David Baldacci’s Memory Man. Off to a good start, and so far, it has kept me interested. Looks like a good one 

 

Weather – Cold and wind this week. A few days of blustery snow. All in all, typical December weather.

Quote of the day – “Any word that doesn’t advance a story slows it down. Which is reason enough to avoid expletives. Contrary to popular misconception, the term ‘expletives’ refers to a whole class of empty words, not just gratuitous profanities. Most expletives simply fill out the syntax of sentences. The most common is ‘there are, ‘there is,’ ‘there was.’ ‘it is,’ ‘it was,’ and son on.” -  Jack Hart

 

Today’s Photos – All shot on my walks this week. 

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Writing Update - May 2020

Here we are, almost through May, and for most of us, nothing has changed. We all look forward to a more normal life sometime soon, and I am sure it will eventually get here. 

Wyoming's Snowy Range last weekend.

So What Have I Been Doing?  Some wiring, a bit of hiking, lots of gardening, and quite a bit of reading.

Writing - I have completed everything for my latest non-fiction books. What does that mean? I have the back matter completed (stuff on the back cover), and I have a cover. Release date - still not sure, but sometime in the next 60, or so, days.

The Next Blade Holmes Novel - Nothing for sure yet as my work production is slow, but it looks like I can make it (Book 3) by September 1. Fingers crossed!

Book 5 of My Kids Chapter Book Series - Hoping before Christmas. 

Wyoming State Bird in Guernsey State Park

Anything Else? I am doing a bit of work on a mystery I started seven or eight years ago. This one is fun, it combines two of my passions, a good murder mystery, and golf. It will be fun if I ever complete it. 

Osprey looking for dinner in the North Plate River

Writing - End of January Update

Writing Takes Much Time and often is an exercise in futility. I am reminded of old-time movie scenes where a wannabe writer, or sometimes an established writer rips page after page from the typewriter, wads up the paper and throws it at a wastebasket. Those scenes may be long outdated but the premise still stands. In today's world, we simply write it, in my case, read it, highlight it and hit delete. Writing takes time and can, at times, be hard work. I have long considered myself a hobbyist writer so maybe it should not matter. But, after twelve books, it does matter. I hate it when I write myself into a corner or need to tie something I missed along the way, together. And that is where I stand in my writing today. It will work out, it always does, but I may have a hurting brain before I figure all this out.

Sales - On the other hand, I can happily report that sales are still a bit on the rise. For this, I am happy. Both my sales numbers and KDP pages read are up for the third straight month. I may not be on the way to bestseller status but things are looking up.

Writing Update - I am finishing up two books, one fiction, and one non-fiction. The fiction book is the third in my, Blade Holmes, historical fiction/western series. These books are set mostly in Wyoming and have been well received by western readers. My other work, now in my first rewrite, is a nonfiction follow-up to my book, On Turning 70, and should be out soon – hope by March 1, 2020.

On a Local Note – We are enjoying incredibly mild Wyoming weather with many days hitting 50 or more degrees. This beautiful weather has allowed me to spend more outside time. Outside for me means, ten rounds of golf in January, lots of photo trips, and a few walks in our beautiful weather. It almost makes me want to start my indoor garden plants – almost.

Enjoy the day and the rest of the week – cheer for your favorite in Sundays Super Bowl.

See all my books here on Amazon – all are available as books or ebooks.

Life of a Resting Writer

"Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window."
William Faulkner

I have spent quite a lot of time over the past few months reading and working on projects and precious little time writing. I guess with as much time as I have, I can do as I please, so I do. At one time I spent several hours each day, year-round, writing. I hope that someday I will get back to that.

What am I reading now? – Ernest Hemingway’s -A Moveable Feast

 I am getting some writing done, but so far, nothing finished. Along with a lack of writing I am also doing less photography than I was a year ago, maybe out with a camera once or twice a week instead of four or five times.

So what is the point of this? It is alright to ease up and take a break.

Soon the snow will be falling along with the temperatures, and writing will, once again, take up most of my daytime hours. It looks like that may be coming soon – snow forecasted for Thursday.

Book Sales - I am grateful that my books are again selling well. After my sales went through a case of the summertime Blues they are now close to brisk, at least for me. Thanks for reading! See all my books here on Amazon. 

Today's photos were taken this fall in Guernsey State Park two miles from our home.

Writing and Making Money as a Writer

Last week I said I was back, it's true I am, but not going too fast. I did work on a short story for Christmas and edited on my WIP, but didn’t write all that many words – but, it’s a start.

I am not sure if I will get back to writing every, or nearly every day of the week, maybe when winter comes, I will get a little more prolific. It is always rewarding to write a scene I like, but re-dos, do-overs, cuts, and adds, are tedious and can be downright dull hours on my laptop. 

It may be that I was enjoying writing more when I was not checking sales and looking at my writing income every day. What started as a hobby became more of a business, which is nice, but the business end takes time from, watching Baseball, playing golf, hiking, photography, gardening, and sitting around doing nothing – being retired.

I remember my first sale and the first check for more than $100. I keep a copy of that check

Of my twelve books, I have only two with sales over a thousand, but several more getting close. One of my books sits at less than 20 sold, guess they don’t all work.

What is Selling Now?

·                     1) Romance/Erotica

·                 2) Crime/Mystery

·                 3) Religious/Inspirational

·                 4) Science Fiction/Fantasy

·                 5) Horror

A few facts for new writers – or - how to not get rich quick.

The average traditionally published book sells 3,000 copies in its lifetime and only about 250-300 copies the first year.

To make the New York Times Best Seller list, a book needs to sell 9,000 copies, or more, the first week.

Most self-published eBooks sell less than 250 copies in their lifetime

Most self-published-only authors, make less than $1,000 per year, some much less than that.

I write, westerns/historical fiction, kids chapter book adventures, humor, and historical non-fiction.  Humm, don’t see any of those on the list above. I do write mystery into my historical fiction, that should help.

My Point for the day –

Write because you love it, write for the pure joy of putting words to a story -  and don’t quit your day job, not yet anyway.

Today’s photos are from Guernsey State Park, five minutes from our home.

Want to see my work?      Find all my books, available in softcover, and eBook here -

Back to Work

I may be back, or at least I hope I’m back. With a little luck, a fast horse, the grace of God, and lots of fair weather and sunshine, I am going to attempt, again, a five or six times a month blog post.

It’s been a long year. I have dealt with things I never wanted to, none of us do. Family, health, finances, aging, the same things all of us have, or will have to deal with at some point in our lives. I didn't handle any of them well and wrote only a handful of blog posts and little of anything else in an entire year. I have several books in various states, one a finished rough draft, one 80% complete and another off to a good start. Goal - I will finish something before the year's end.

Did I learn anything from my time off? Yes. The less I did, the more my sales fell – I know, shocking. I also kind of missed the three or four thousand words a week I was writing.

Thank you to all my patient readers who keep asking when the next book or blog is coming. Looks like there will be more.

Wanna take a look? Find all my books, available in softcover, and eBook here. 

Today’s photos are from an enjoyable drive and hike last weekend into Wyoming's Laramie Range west of where we live.

Now back to work on the third in the series of my Blade Holme’s Western Mysteries, this one, tentatively titled after a completed rough draft - Wendover

Writing Westerns and a Trip to the Laramie Range

The garden is planted, the flowers are blooming and summer is here. I remember watching so many old (maybe as old as me), characters in TV westerns when I was a kid. They often talked about the sun making it easy on their old bones, now it’s my old bones enjoying the warm weather. Think I must have reached that point in my life. I spend time every day in the sun, and more in the shade, but still outside on these terrific summer days.

Writing – Blazing away on my third Blade Holmes western mystery, or at least working along on it. I have also taken some time to polish my second book of Christmas short stories this week. Kind of fun sitting in the sun and writing about cold and snow.

Reading – Much of my reading is centered around research for the books I’m working on, but I always take time to read for relaxation also. Right now I am enjoying, William Kent Krueger’s, Minnesota adventure, Iron Lake.

Selling Books – As is to be expected this time of year, sales are slow, glad my writing income is only part, and presently, a small part of our income. I have had a few weeks with only a handful of sales and darn few KDP pages read, but in the end, it will all work out when fall arrives.

Writing tip – Start with a character, preferably your protagonist, and put them in a mess – yep, create conflict, keeps readers turning pages. Here is how I started my second Blade Holmes novel, The Ghost Dance.

The man riding alone on his horse should have heard the shot, but he was already dead. The huge .52 caliber slug had torn through his shirt an instant before the sound reached his lifeless body. The noise from the big gun reverberated through the canyon, but only the shooter heard it.

Less than an hour later U.S. Marshal Blade Holmes found the body, vultures looked to have arrived shortly after Jimmy Spear had been blown from his saddle. The young, smallish Appaloosa he’d been riding was grazing oblivious a hundred yards away.

Todays Photos – From west of town on our Sunday drive and from our backyard.

It’s hot outside, super time to get in some extra reading and writing. 

Late May Writing Update

Seems pretty quiet around here. Schools out, and the pool and golf course are busy. I am spending time working on my lawn and garden, and my wife is planting flowers. As far as my writing, I am doing some, but not as much as I should be, churning along at a pace of 500, or so, words a day. I am still working on both a fiction, and a nonfiction project at the same time, most often working nonfiction sometime during the day and working the fiction story late at night when I should be sleeping.

Another Book About to Go – An odd time of year for it, but I am putting the finish touches on my second volume of Christmas stories, to be released in mid-October. It has been complete, except for one last story, since January, right now I am adding the front and back matter.

Book Sales – After a slow couple of weeks, sales are picking up once again. Happy Days.

Now Reading – I should say looking through, Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters, by Bill O’Neal, interesting nonfiction read.

Photos today from our Memorial Day trip up into the Snowy Range.

Meanwhile, enjoy the start of summer, and keep on reading and writing.

Find all of my books here on my Amazon Site.

Marketing Books

Last week’s (wow has it been two weeks?) eBook give away seemed to be a success. If nothing else it let me know I am reaching a few more people. Next year I will try another with hopes to give away 100 books. Not close to that yet, but when I passed 20 I felt good about it.

Book Sales – Surprisingly my latest book – On Turning 70, is selling pretty well, not only in the eBook form, this month I have sold more regular books with this one than any of my others. Maybe because it is a large print edition has helped with sales to people my age.  I sell a few of my CCC nonfiction book in the soft cover version every month and now that it is warming up my humorous and helpful look at gardening is doing better.

Book Marketing – I have been reading more and more about bookselling and marketing, trouble is, I read about it but do not do much – guess that’s not working. Like many writers I spend too much time writing, messing around on social media and unlike many writers, I spend lots of time gardening, playing golf and shooting photos outdoors, all fun, but not a huge help when selling a book or two.

Writing – Spending most of my time on the third book in my Blade Holmes western mystery series. The book, tentatively titled, Cattleman, is set from Platte County to Johnson County Wyoming.

Reading – Sioux Dawn, by Terry C. Johnston, the book is based on the 1866 Fetterman Massacre, so far a well written and fascinating read.

Today’s Photo’s – Breaking spring in Wyoming

Keep on reading, and keep on writing, see all of my books on my Amazon author site – here. 

Writing Update and Easter Guests

Looks like March does not want to go out like a lamb. Two or three inches of snow last night and looks like we will struggle to reach 40 degrees today (Thursday, March, 29).

Lots of guests here at our house recently, and that has made for good times, but not much writing. I have got out a little with my camera and taken a few photos. Now with Easter Eggs died, and the weather outside not fit for man nor beast, maybe, just maybe, I will get some writing done. Lately, most of my attention has been on the fourth book of my kid’s chapter book series, the Mike and Moose and Me series. They are fun to write and sell pretty well, but this one, the fourth is scheduled to be the end of the series. Might be a chance at another, but not right away, if ever.

Writing Goals - I am quite a bit behind on my writing goals, three books, to be exact. I hoped to have the kid’s book, I mentioned above, plus my nonfiction book, and the third of my historical fiction series, all complete by June first, now I hope to finish at least one by then. Such is the life of a procrastinating writer.

New free offer coming soon – One of my books, Ghost of the Fawn, has consistently underperformed, just does not sell many copies. The problem seems to be I wrote it with teenagers as the main characters, because of that it seems my adult readers are not giving it a look. I love the story, think it is a really fun read for all ages. In a couple of weeks, maybe sooner, I am going to put it up for a few days only - as a free book. Take a look here and read the free three chapters, I think you will like it.

Today’s photos from the Laramie Range a half hour west of our home in Guernsey, Wyoming

As always keep on reading and keep on writing - have a wonderful and safe Easter weekend. 

See all my books here on my Amazon page.

Spring is Here and the Writing is Easy

Spring is here, and I say, it is about time. We, my wife and I, had a bit of a tough winter, flu, colds, and too much ice and bad weather. Now we are back walking and enjoying time outside.

Writing and Researching - My writing, or at least my researching is picking up. I always have trouble getting sidetracked when doing historical research – too much good stuff. The problem is I find stuff I will never use, at least on my current work in progress, but it is much too interesting to put down. Oh well, it can lead to several hours of enjoyable reading. I am managing to write, at least a few hundred words each day, not bad, when writing nonfiction.

Reading – Finished The Killing of Chief Crazy Horse, terrific nonfiction read, now I am back to fiction, reading Elmer Kelton’s, Texas Vendetta, Kelton’s western fiction is always enjoyable.

I have also pulled up some of the works I was stuck on and hoping that after a break I can get going again.

Spring Fever - Should have mentioned I am also reading several new seed catalogs, kind of a gardeners spring fever thing. I have started planting my early seed flats, with a little luck, the new plants will be ready for the garden in the middle of May.

My Gardening Book & my Newest Release – Last year I released my gardening book, Beginning Gardening and Other Entertaining Lies, the book has garden information and includes four garden Murder Mystery short stories. With spring approaching it is starting to sell again, thankfully, as March is a traditionally slow sales month, at least for me. My newest release, On Turing 70, a humorous and reflective look at my new age is off to a good start. If you fall into my age group or hope to reach it someday give it a look.

Today’s photos are from our Monday hike in Wyoming's Guernsey State Park

Want to take a look at all my books? Click to See my Amazon Author Site - here