New Compton cover

I was looking around the various bookstore web sites when I came across the cover to my upcoming Compton book. It's very orange. Then again, I thought the same thing about the second Man From Boot Hill book and that one grew on me. This one will really jump out at you on the shelves! In fact, this may not be the highest quality scan of the picture. If I find a better one I'll put it up. Anyway, this is what it looks like. I think it's pretty cool.

This was a fun one to write. I got the idea for this story from an article I read in the newspaper about a thief who stumbled upon some evidence of a kidnapping while committing a crime. He knew he'd be putting himself at risk with the law if he handed over the evidence. If he didn't hand it over, he knew the kidnapping victim would never be found. A very interesting dilemma for a criminal. Stealing is one thing, but taking part (even indirectly) in a violent crime that may escalate to murder is another. Anyway, this story obviously isn't EXACTLY the same, but it's where the idea for this book came from.

It hits stores on April 7th, so line up early! Actually, there should be plenty for everyone. Just pick it up whenever you get the chance.

Ahhhhhhhh....

That’s the contented sigh I let out when a completed manuscript is dropped off at the Post Office. I just finished my newest Ralph Compton book and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. There’s still a few editing phases to go through, but this part’s done and, even better, it’s done ON TIME!

Reports are coming in from the Western Writer’s convention and it sounds like it was a good time. Lots of good folks showed up, but only a few editors were among them. This harkens back to the dry spell I wrote about a few posts back. As I said back then, the market ebbs and flows. So long as good stuff keeps getting written, things will come around eventually.

It’s hot here on the prairie, but at least it’s not sopping wet like it is in Missouri. My Mom lives in the thick of all that, but she’s tough and is doing as well as can be expected. Even so, I’m sure I’ll be headed down there as soon as she needs a helping hand. That’s why I’ve got the ol’ laptop. It may not be one of those new, slim models, but it gets the job done. Actually, by computer standards, my laptop is a brick. All I need it for is to work on Word documents, and even a brick can handle that.

See ya in April

My next book in the Ralph Compton series just got put up on Amazon.com with a release date of April of '09. These are always fun to do and I think this one turned out pretty well. The Western Writer's Convention wrapped up this weekend and so I'm waiting to hear back from the folks that were lucky enough to be able to go. If you went, send me some pictures and let me know how it turned out.

What's in a title?

Actually, a lot.

Usually, I come up with a title before I start a project or get one not long after I'm into it. I like my titles to have some meaning and reference something in particular as opposed to something that just sounds cool without being specific to the story. I like there to be that moment when someone's reading that they go, "Oh, that's where the title came from." It's a dumb little thing, but I always think about it. I've done my fair share of ghostwriting for other series and get sick of stuff like, "______ River Vengeance" or "Hellfire on the _____ Trail". Just fill in the blanks and you've got about six dozen different books in a dozen other series.

I don't always get to use my own titles, which can throw me off. THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL wasn't my original title for the series. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and I like it just fine now.

Some titles are happy accidents, like NO ANGELS FOR OUTLAWS. That one just came out as dialogue from Nick's father and I instantly knew that had to be the title for the next one.

Some titles can be somewhat generic, but still very cool and appropriate for the book. The reason I'm bringing all of this up is because I'm trying to think of a title for the next Compton and am having some trouble. I had an original title in mind, but that got shot down. It's fine, because I wasn't too crazy about it anyway. The problem is that nothing else is coming to mind. Oh well. I'll think of something. Times like this, it's always good to just keep chuggin' along and wait for that title to hit you. It will hit you. If little creative things don't hit writers every now and then, they shouldn't really be writers.

Look what I found

I was looking online for the release date of my upcoming entry in the Ralph Compton series and I found something even better: the cover! Usually, the editor sends me a copy of the cover, but sometimes they just come out on their own. This was a very pleasant surprise and I am really happy with it. Take a look for yourself. Pretty cool, huh? I particularly enjoyed this book because it’s an idea I’ve had kicking around in the back of my skull for quite a while. It was an idea that never quite fit into any of my own series and I rarely get to do standalone books. This was an opportunity to finally get this story out there. Personally, I’m glad to see that title on a real cover. It was just one of those titles that I’ve been itching to use. The book comes out on April 1st (no, that’s not an April Fool’s joke…I hope that doesn’t jinx anything). Hope you like it.

First Compton

Well, my first Ralph Compton book is out. It's called THE BLOODY TRAIL and I'm curious to see what the Compton fans think about it. Most of the stuff I write isn't exactly "traditional" Western fare. I like to think I always stay true to the spirit of adventure and action that goes along with that genre, but I've gotten a bit of flack from the traditionalists. I've always looked at it as watching Gunsmoke vs Deadwood. Sure, they're both Westerns, but one couldn't be more different than the other. That's what makes a genre great. If there wasn't any variety, then there might as well just be one show, one author and one definitive movie. Of course, then there'd also be one funeral for whatever genre that decided to limit itself that way.

In writing the Compton books, I hope to put my mark on that series without stepping outside of

it. Comptons are more traditional and I had a lot of fun writing it. I read somewhere that a Compton fan saw I was going to write this, so they bought a BOOT HILL book to scope me out. He was thoughtful in his review and he said something to the effect that the tone of BOOT HILL wasn't for him, so he had some concerns about the upcoming Compton. To be honest, I wouldn't expect a fan of strictly traditional Westerns to like BOOT HILL. Not every fan of Gunsmoke will appreciate a show like Deadwood (and vice versa). Hopefully, that reader will pick up THE BLOODY TRAIL and enjoy it because I tried to write a Compton instead of another BOOT HILL.

I think I did the job and am very happy with THE BLOODY TRAIL. Hopefully, the Compton fans will like it too.