Flavor saver

Thanksgiving is almost here and I'm making the necessary preparations. First of all, I've got a nice pair of pants with an elastic waistband. Absolutely essential. Second, I'm growing out my beard so, in the words of Little Bill from Unforgiven, I can "taste my soup a few days after I ate it". The line was something like that anyway. Third, I'm doing some deep breathing exercises so I can get my second wind that much quicker.

See? Thanksgiving isn't just an easy thing. Sure, I'm not cooking the big meal, but I'm doing my level best to enjoy it properly. I'll also be squaring myself away in front of the TV for the coveted "parade/football" combo. I am most definitely thankful for Thanksgiving!

Have a great one, everybody.

Interview at Western Fiction Review

Recently, I was approached by a fellow blogger who puts together an excellent western site. Steve is a great guy and he wanted to do an interview with yours truly. Needless to say, I obliged and it turned out great. Here's the address to check it out: http://westernfictionreview.blogspot.com/

Despite his taste in interview subjects, it's a very well-done site. Heh. Seriously, though, there's a ton of great reviews which are put together with genuine affection for westerns in general. Have a look and check in often.

On the shelves

It took a little while, but I finally spotted The Silent Partner on the shelves of a local Borders. Granted, I haven't been combing the stores lately, but this is the first time I actually got my author copies before spotting the book out in the world. Either my publisher is on the ball, or the stores are a little behind. Either way, everyone's got their copies so we're all happy. Now go out and buy some!

5 Stages of Waiting

Here’s another process that’s very important to being a professional writer: Waiting.
You come up with your ideas, write them and edit to hit some deadline or a window of opportunity for submitting it somewhere. That’s a whirlwind of work, creation and refinement also known as “the good stuff”. The waiting comes when you must deal with the rest of the world.

And I’m not referring to those fortunate writers who submit something and have to wait through a whole weekend or two before they get their deal. That’s great if it happens, but it’s not the norm. It’s more like earning your salary by winning the lottery. And that’s nothing against the talent of those quick-dealers. The whole system is generally very slow and any writer will tell you that you have to wait for any results whatsoever. Wait a LOT.

While I’m waiting to hear back from submissions, I’ve found I go through some pretty basic stages. These held up when I waited to get a short story published in a small press magazine, to get an agent, and now to get a book (or series) published. Maybe some of this seems familiar to some other writers out there. For those of you new to the craft, it’s something to look forward to. After all, in the immortal words of GI Joe, “Knowing is half the battle”. And if you’re one of those folks who got your huge contract in less than eight months, good for you. I do hate you, though.

Stage 1: Denial – “This time it’ll be different! I’ll send it in and the first person who’s lucky enough to read it will trip all over themselves to give me a deal! I’d better be ready for the landslide that’ll follow this one. Should I subscribe to Publisher’s Weekly so I can read the awesome news before it hits the news stands?”

Stage 2: Bargaining – “Come on! It’s been what, three weeks? I haven’t heard anything so that’s gotta be good. That editor must be wondering if I can truly handle following through on the amazing idea I showed them in that proposal. I can handle it! I swear, if I get my chance with this, I’ll run with it! I’ll RUN like the WIND!! Who am I talking to? It doesn’t matter. The forces of good will carry my desire and happy thoughts to where they need to be. I can’t doubt for one moment that this is gonna happen or I’ll jinx it. Oh, shit! Did I just jinx it? No. I can DO THIS!!!”

Stage 3: Anger – “Damn it! It’s been three months!! Freaking editors are always on vacation. Freaking system doesn’t even move. What the hell is going on out there?! I should stomp into whatever break room they’re using to suck down their coffee and show them my GENIUS!!!! This is ridiculous! If I had the crappiest office job imaginable I’d never have to wait this long to get results from handing something in! I crank out more starlight from my printer and they take a month off for ONE HOLIDAY!!”

Stage 4: Depression – “It’s been over six months. I’m not gonna hear anything. Honestly, what did I expect? Those editors have either tossed my submission away like the garbage it is or they’re laughing at it. I think that telemarketing firm is hiring. Maybe I’ll try that.”

Stage 5: Acceptance – “Eh, screw it. I did the best I could, so I just need to wait for something to happen. There’s not much else for me to do. Actually, I’ve got an idea for something else. Maybe I’ll try that.”

Unfortunately for my wife and anyone else who has to deal with me (a big sorry goes out to my agent who still returns my calls and answers emails from every one of these stages), I may go through this cycle several times while waiting for one submission. If this sounds familiar to anyone out there, at least I’m not alone. That’s the problem with not working in an office. I don’t get to gripe to fellow co-workers.

As far as waiting goes, the simple truth is that you gotta do it whether you go through these stages or any other sort of ritualistic torture. Cry, whine, howl, work, shrug, it doesn’t matter. In the end, you’ll still be waiting. Of course, every so often, the waiting is worth it. And when it is. . .it’s REALLY worth it.

Sounds like a good one

I've been hearing some really great things about the new movie Appaloosa. First of all, I think Viggo Mortenson is one of those guys who's tailor-made for westerns. Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott are another two that come to mind. I hope to see this one fairly soon, but I'm so busy with editing right now that it's tough to get out to a theater.

Snuck up on me

Wow, time really does fly. It's already the end of September, which means the beginning of October isn't far away. That, for the readers patient enough to make it this far, means it's almost time for the third ACCOMPLICE book to hit store shelves. The Silent Partner covers a small period of time where Doc was supposed to have been in Deadwood. It's also rumored he may have crossed paths with Wyatt Earp, but might not have officially met him.

When I wrote this one, I thought I'd have a little piece in Deadwood and then move on. Turned out half the book wound up in Deadwood, simply because it was fun to write. Those of you who watched the HBO series (Deadwood) will probably recognize some familiar characters. While I based these guys on accounts of their true activities, so did the people who made the series. I really liked that show and, thanks to DVD, still do. Also, I've been to Deadwood a few times recently so writing that section was great.

I didn't want to rush the ACCOMPLICE books too quickly toward Tombstone. I've always said that Doc had a hell of a career before the OK Corral and wanted to take my time with a period in Doc's life that isn't so familiar. That being said, a lot happens in this book. Once Doc hit his stride in the gambling scene, he met a lot of famous folks and kicked up a lot of dust. The Silent Partner covers a span where he meets Wyatt (in Deadwood as well as the more "official first meeting") along with Kate Elder. Kate was a lot of fun to write. There's almost as much contradictory stuff about her as there is of Doc and I had to pick and choose which "facts" to run with.

I didn't really intend on doing such a long post about this. The book's coming out on Oct. 7. I've got to be honest about the cover. I'm not crazy about it. Caleb doesn't look anything like I imagine and I don't know who that third guy is supposed to be. At the very least, I suggested changing Doc's cane into something a dandy like him would actually use. The suggestions were passed along and nothing was changed. Oh well. I had fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it.

---edit 9/23 --> I just got an advance copy of the book today and it looks ok. I still don't think this cover is up to par with the first two, but never fear. The stuff between the covers is just fine!

Still kickin'

Yes, I’m still alive. Just taking some time to put together a bunch of different projects. Writing professionally is tricky enough. It gets REALLY tricky when you don’t have another (dreaded) day job. Not all regular jobs have to be tedious and mind-numbing. Lots of authors are also teachers or lawyers. I’m not fortunate enough to be quite so smart. I write and write some more.

Writing for a living is a constant hustle. For those who’ve read my ACCOMPLICE books, you’ll know Doc and Caleb make their money in a lot of different ways besides sitting at a poker table and giving suckers…I mean other players…a hard time. For me, I’ve got projects in other genres like horror and fantasy to go along with my western stuff. Do I like some genres more than others? Sometimes, but it changes. Variety and all that.

Here’s where all the risk and uncertainty of a writer’s life pays off. Hustle enough and you can move along doing what you love. Like Doc, we get to leave our day jobs behind and forge a trail of our own choosing. I don’t get to carry pistols and get into saloon fights, so I’ll take my comparisons to Doc wherever I can get them. There’s a lot of more surefire ways to make a buck, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. As a lot of writers will tell you, any money you get from selling your work feels like a victory. And in the words of Fast Eddie Felson, “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”