Lit Fest vs Huskers

Today was the Omaha Literary Festival. It was a great time and thank you very kindly to all of you who showed up! Even with a Cornhuskers game on at the same time as the panels, there was still a pretty good turn out. One thing that I thought was really interesting was the variety of folks on the panel itself. Apart from me, there was an author with a book set in the west during more modern day and based on factual events, plus a professor at UNL who writes about the west from a Mexican-American perspective. Between the three of us, we covered a lot of ground.

And kudos to the moderator, as well. All too often, moderators at panels either don't want the job or just plain don't do their job by just letting the conversation drift where it will or stall out completely. Not so this time. Although, he did introduce my first series as "The Man From Book Hill". Eh, no hard feelings. I gotta grouse about something. Seriously, great job all around and I hope to return next time!

With my head down and working on my own schedule, it's easy to forget what day of the week it is. I barely thought about it being September until I saw all the back to school stuff (which is mostly late August anyway, so that shows how on-point I am). There's so much that comes along with this, but most of it is personal and tough to express. Also, most of it doesn't need to be expressed because it's the same thing that most of us feel when we think of 9/11/01.

My big memory involves standing in line all day long to give blood. I was living in St. Louis and after I saw what happened, the news affiliates were predicting the Red Cross would need as much blood as possible to help the victims. This was while things were still happening, so they didn't know for certain whether anyone needed extra donations or not. That was the only thing I could do at the time, so I went to give. I'd never given blood before but I had to do something. When I got there, most of the city seemed to be lined up so they could do something too. I waited in that line all day long and honestly don't even know what they did with all that blood. There had to have been way more than what they (or all of the local Red Crosses) needed, but it was moving to be there and witness the entire country bleeding for our loss.

I don't appreciate being told to "never forget" as if I COULD forget. I'm also not one to feel more emotional about something because the calendar tells me to. Seeing the towers fall impacted me along with everybody else and I won't forget about it come September 14th or March 27th. Still, it is good to see everyone bleed for a good cause.

Lit Festivities

The Omaha Literary Festival is coming up on the 19th. My panel is “Wild: mythmaking and the American West,” and it will be held at 4 pm. Dave Mullins, author of the Las Vegas-set story collection, “True Love Versus the Cigar Store Indian,” will moderate. If any of you can make it, I'd love to see you there. Otherwise, it'll be me and a few other folks at a table talking to each other and nobody else. While that's not uncommon with these things, it's always better with an audience. Hope to see some of you there!

Lit Fest

I've just recently confirmed that I'll be appearing at the Omaha Literary Festival on September 19. It'll be held in, you guessed it, Omaha, NE. If you're in the area, stop by and you shouldn't be disappointed. There will be plenty of writers from the western and other genres giving talks and (hopefully) signing some books. Here's a link to a website with some details. Hope to see you there!

Until then, I'll be working on a new Ralph Compton book. Feels good to climb into the saddle again.

Too early to tell

Don't quite know what to make of this one yet. A Jonah Hex movie could be amazing or it could just be a schlocky attempt to put Megan Fox into another tight dress. Not that I'm opposed to that sort of thing, but Jonah Hex deserves something more than that.

I'm still reading the comic books and enjoying them immensely. I've kind of fallen out of love with The Man With No Name series just because it seems a bit too convoluted for its own good. Haven't given up on it completely yet, but the next few issues better be good.

I'd like to see a new Ghost Rider series set in the old west. Say what you want about the Nick Cage movie, but that one scene where he was riding alongside Sam Elliott's dead horse was one hell of a cool visual. Give me some demon banditos and I'll be a happy guy.

Tainted Interview

Gary Dobbs did a great interview with yours truly over on his Tainted Archive blog. Here's the link: http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-always-wanted-to-wear-black-hat.html

There were some really good questions that got me rambling about subjects ranging from the Clint vs. Duke debate all the way up to the state of the western genre. Go see for yourself, because that's all you're getting from me.

Fourth of Joo-ly

I can't remember the last time I've had a 4th of July where I wasn't working. That's not really a bad thing, since I have fond memories of finishing up many hopeful projects while fireworks going off outside. This year was nice. My wife cooked up some burgers and we were entertained by the show put on by our skittish dog as she ran back and forth to guard against the approaching horde of gun-toting intruders. Sure, the banditos were just poppers from across the street, but the pup's heart was in the right place.

Hope the rest of you had a great holiday as well. For those of you not in the States, shoot some fireworks anyway. They're purrrdy.

The Wild Midwest

Every now and then, I catch some flack for living in Nebraska. Usually it’s some comment about covered wagons and prairie dogs flipped my way any time I venture out of the state. I always have to defend Omaha by saying, “No, it’s really a city. Yes, there are paved roads.” And “No, it’s not the wild west.”

Today, Megan and I went to our bank and found the entrance taped off, cop cars out front and the drive-through lanes closed off. Was my bank robbed? Did I just miss seeing a bunch of gunmen storm out carrying bags of money with big dollar signs on them? Do I watch too many superhero cartoons? For all I know, somebody with a bad case of heat stroke wandered in to knock over the deposit slip racks or charge over the counter when the teller wouldn’t acknowledge they were there as they helped car after car in the outside lanes. If that’s the case, I feel for them. If it was a robbery, I’m just glad Megan and I hit the post office first. I like watching the horses thunder in from the east to drop off the new Sears Roebuck catalogs.

UPDATE -- News just came in that it WAS a bank robbery. I've already signed on for the posse.

Like a bad penny

Or possibly a well travelled penny. Since I'm referring to westerns, I could hardly use the term "Bad". We all know western novels aren't going anywhere. Western movies show up on a fairly regular cycle (but not often enough for my taste). Western TV shows are becoming rare, but still pop up every now and then. What makes me even happier is finding our favorite genre in other venues. For example, I've started buying comic books again. It's an old habit, but has become an expensive one. $3-$4 per comic. Yowch. Among the superheroes and horror stuff, there's good ol' Jonah Hex. I've also found a comic based on The Man with No Name. In fact, it's a continuation of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with Tuco, Blondie and Angel Eyes (in flashback) together again. They're well drawn, well written and a lot of fun.

I've also found a few more western video games showing up. Sure, there's not as many gunslingers as space marines, but they're out there. What's even more refreshing is how well received they are. People want more western games, comics and everything else. They just want GOOD westerns and FRESH westerns no matter what form they take. The demand is alive and well, so that's something. The tricky part is for us to meet it without shooting ourselves in the foot.

St. Pat's

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone! This doesn't rank too high on my personal holiday list since it's more of a bar hopping occasion than anything else, but have a good one anyway. My wife is cooking up some corned beef and cabbage, so that's making the house smell really good. It's one of those odors that starts off pretty bad, but builds up to something great. As of a few hours ago, it had drifted into the great range.

Perhaps it's a sign of getting older, but I've started looking forward to holidays more for what I can eat than what I can drink. I mean, the beer and whiskey are there any time of the year. It's not every day I get turkey that's been cooked in the oven all day long or corned beef and cabbage for that matter. I'd actually prefer it if the bartenders kept their green food coloring for the cookies and kept it out of my lager.

No offense meant to flag football players

I love watching poker on TV. I realize how strange it is to turn on a television and watch a card game, but there's plenty of betting strategy, personalities and thrills to keep me hooked. I also know I don't need to explain this since I'm obviously not the only one responsible for poker shows being so popular. One thing that drives me freaking NUTS is all the focus on amateur players.

Yeah, anyone can get lucky at the World Series of Poker, outdraw the pros and win millions. That's why I've stopped watching the World Series. If I'm going to watch a sport on TV, I want to watch the pros. Otherwise, I might as well stop everything I'm doing to watch kids play flag football. Unless they're YOUR kids, that's not a great way to spend an afternoon. Seeing amateurs make bonehead calls and then get lucky embodies everything that's annoying about the world. It shows loudmouthed morons succeeding against people who have studied, practiced or otherwise put in their time to excel at their craft. It shows that blind luck trumps skill and planning. It shows that quitting school and hanging out in bars PAYS off! And it shows that being a general a-hole is a good way to become rich.

Now, I'm not talking about ALL amateurs here. Some truly have skill and are just at the bottom of the ladder at the moment. They make good plays, take their beats like adults, and employ some sort of plan. The ones I'm talking about are the a-holes who pump their fists and taunt their opponents after going all in with three-ten off suit and flopping a ten-ten-three. Sure, that's a cause for celebration but don't strut for the rest of the night like THAT was your master plan. Phil Helmuth may be an ass, but at least he relies on something other than blind luck. Mike Matusow may taunt and torment the other players, but he KNOWS how to play the game.

Bring back the Professional Poker Tour!! Show more High Stakes Poker! I saw a fairly recent Poker After Dark where three internet players went against three seasoned pros. Those internet guys were tough players, didn't scream and did very well. All three of them looked like kids, but they handled themselves better than the jerk-off who mimicked Sam Farha TO HIS FACE at a World Series a few years back. That makes me long for the good old days where idiots like that were taken to a back room and taught to use their "indoor voice".

We all got it comin', kid

Name that line!
If you answered, Clint "The Main Man" Eastwood from Unforgiven, then you'd be right. That's one of those movies I always have to watch whenever it's on. I was about to go to bed and I caught it right in the sweet spot, where William Munny and The Schofield Kid kill Quick Mike in the shithouse. That's right before the speech containing tonight's line of dialogue and before the shootout finale which I think is still one of the most captivating gunfights ever filmed. Can you tell I like this movie?

I used to be the same way with Tombstone. I love that movie in so many ways, despite the cheesy Billy Zane moments. Unfortunately, there was a stretch where I couldn't flip through the channels without seeing it on one or sometimes several different movie networks. After a few months of such repeat business, it wore me down and I got a little sick of it. Needless to say, that didn't last too long. Even so, it didn't feel right to turn away from Tombstone at all.

My newest Compton is coming out in a bit. April 7th to be exact. I was at a bookstore today and saw a good number of my books on the shelf. That never gets old, to be sure, but a professional writer needs to always think about the NEXT book. That's the problem with not having a day job. It's a blessing to do this for a living, but I don't have the luxury of sitting back and savoring every little nuance. I need to make sure the books are out there and then I need to write some more. Such is the business. That said, I will still pick up that new Compton in April, smile down at it, and make sure it's facing out on the shelf just like all my other babies. Yeah, the bookstore employees just love it when I do that. To anyone reading this, be sure to keep up the tradition!

That explains all the whiskey

Man, it is COLD today! Makes me wonder how the hell people survived this back in the 1800's. I suppose the honest answer is that a lot of them didn't survive it. Sure, we've accomplished a lot since then, but we seem like a much softer species now. People complain when they have to throw on a jacket and some of them don't even remember to put on long pants when they're scraping off their cars. Yeah, I saw some guy in shorts scraping his windows in the parking lot the other day. I'm sure anyone questioning him about it will get the standard, "No, dude, I love the cold. You should try it dude!" Sure. This is what scientists call Natural Selection. Unfortunately, the modern world is much more tolerant of idiots. A hundred and fifty years ago, idiots were weeded out fairly well. At least, the idiots who don't know what to do with a coat and pants. Now, they get patched up and sent bumbling along their way to make videos of them injuring themselves for You Tube.

Appaloosa comes out on DVD today. I think it looks pretty good, so I'll check it out. Fortunately, the -20 degree winds have blown most of the snow off my car. There's still some ice on the windshield though. Maybe that dude in the shorts will scrape it off for me. Heh.

Year of The Mouth?

I just finished watching Poker After Dark. After 10 straight losses, Mike Matusow FINALLY won one!! He was playing against Andy Black, so I would have been fine if either one of them won. Andy’s a gentleman player with some real skill and Mike has become a personal favorite of mine.

Sure, when I watched Matusow play several World Series of Pokers ago, I couldn’t help but notice what a complete dick he was. Taunting other players, strutting, screaming, CRYING. The man actually cried after taking a bad beat. What the hell? There’s no crying in poker no matter how much it’s warranted. They call him The Mouth for a reason, but still. Not the sort of guy who grows on you.

I don’t keep track of personal stuff with these players, but he’s changed. Mike’s still The Mouth, but he’s toned it down just enough for me to relate to him. Sure, it may be obnoxious, but who hasn’t carried on a bit too much after a savory win? Haven’t we all flipped some grief to other players no matter what game we were involved in? Then there’s Poker After Dark. Mike’s been in 10 of these things without winning once. Many times, he gets beaten by truly horrific strokes of bad luck that would have brought ME to tears. But Mike kept plucking away.

Any writer who’s made it to any level knows a thing or two about coming back from being knocked down. The more I see Mike play, the more I find myself rooting for the guy. He does make some truly great plays. His skill at reading other players can be uncanny. Then, again, he may just throw it away with a famous blow-up where he puts it all in for some unknown reason with a crappy hand. Even then, more often than not, he’ll admit he screwed up. Plenty of professional players out there would rather call someone an idiot for calling a bluff than admit any sort of mistake was made. As a guy who’s screwed up plenty of times, I can respect someone who at least admits it when they derailed. And still, Mike comes back with his eyes on the prize.

Well, tonight Mikey won! I hate to see Andy Black lose, but Mike put in his time for this one. It’s nice to see good things come to those who keep fighting for them. Go get ‘em, Mouth. Just don’t let this go to your head.

New Year '09

Taking a breather for New Year's Day. Haven't decided if I'll take the full day off or not, but I'll definitely take it easy. The wife and I didn't really do much for New Year's Eve. Usually, we really don't do a lot. Just sit at home with a bunch of junk-food type appetisers, pig out and watch movies. To be honest, it's pretty great. I'm not a real party animal, so it's nice to do something I enjoy instead of something I feel like I HAVE TO do because it's New Year's Eve. It may sound lame, but it was fun.

In a few weeks, publishers will be back from vacation and getting back to work. That's when the fun starts. Getting a book contract rolling is hard enough under regular circumstances, but now that everyone's cutting back it's even more difficult. That's just the way it goes. Unless you're a big-time, amazingly popular author who calls his / her own shots, you need to pester (but not too much) and hope for the best. I've got plans for the next Boot Hill and Accomplice. My editors like both series, but now I've gotta wait for the higher-ups to get their ducks in a row. Persistence pays off and I'll let you know once I get some definite dates and such. I've also got plans for a new series, which would be a lot of fun to do. Again, lots of interest, but the wheels grind slowly.

That's about it from this end. Hope everyone had a great holiday and has an even better 2009.