2008
To all my fans:
I’ve been hitting the computer hard this winter on book # 3 in the Herschel Baker Series, working title “The Sun Down Chaser” for Berkley-Jove. This make the third novel on the Texas cowboy who came to Montana on a cattle drive in my Spur award winning novel, “The Horse Creek Incident.” In this new book, you’ll meet his father Thurman, the man that rode off to chase sunsets when Herschel was a teenager. I imagine it will be on the racks in ’09.
Another project I am into next is “The Burns Family Texas Ranch” for Kensington. The late Doc Sonnichson at the University of Arizona wrote some great historical books on the Texas feuds. Bloody feuds that rivaled the Kentucky ones. I was fortunate enough to talk at length to Doc about the elements of these ruthless events when even women and children were senselessly murdered for revenge. Even as late as the 1950’s in the southwest, I knew of a man who went back to some of this bloody ground in his life and was murdered.
Last fall, Pat and I visited the Texas Hill Country, and did research following the time line for that area. The Comanche’s were bad enough—the feuds were brutal.
The Working title is “Texas Feud.” It too will be on the racks in “09.”
Besides being busy full time on writing fiction, I write a column on fiction writing in “Storyteller Magazine” a great place to break into if you write short stories. For information-- storyteller1@hightowercom.com. And I do a column for a local ag magazine “Farm and Neighbors” called “All We Need Is One More Rain.” For more info http://www.ozarksfn.com/.
Besides sitting on the board of several writer groups including Oklahoma Writers Federation, Ozark Writers League, and President of the Ozark Writers Conference held the second week in October in Eureka Springs, Ark. You can find them easy on the web. http://www.ozarkcreativewriters.org/.
I work as a committee man on the local PRCA Rodeo of the Ozarks, July 1-4. This year we’re a Wrangler Tour Rodeo with Stace Smith stock, contractor of the year and Boyd Polhemus, announcer of the year—ranked as one of the top outdoor large rodeos, it’s a show to see. http://www.rodeooftheozarks.org/.
Then I serve as a director of Ozarks Electric Coop. An electric coop that serves 63,000 meters in Arkansas and Oklahoma. And I am on the Oklahoma Electric Cooperative statewide board as well.
May 13-16th in Branson Mo. I will be teaching a fiction writers workshop for Ozark Adventures again. This intensive course is for folks that have written some fiction but need that last push and some help to get published. I have helped folks in all genre. Room, board and all under 300 bucks. But the class is limited. Contact this web site at info@ozarkadventures.org, or by calling 417-239-0203.
Saturday May 17th my auctioneer partner Cotton Smith and I will be doing a charity auction at College of the Ozarks for the Ozark Writers League. Then during Western Writers of America Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. June 10th through the 14th, the two of us will chant again to raise money for the Homestead Fund. That convention is open to anyone—you think you want to be a western writer or fan even, look it up on the web. I’ll moderate a panel there about Zane Grey with some real experts. http://www.westernwriters.org/Labor Day Weekend Friday thru Sunday, we’ll be at the National Chuckwagon Racing Championship on the Bar Eoff Ranch at Clinton, Arkansas. It]s NASCAR on iron wheels. Wildest horse event in the world. I imagine Cotton and I will rattle some at the Horse Sale there too. http://www.chuckwagonraces.com/ .
The following Friday and Saturday Sept 6 and 7 you need to be at the Cowboy Symposium and Gathering at the civic center in Lubbock, Texas. WWA is having a book fair there and Alvin Davis tells me it will be the biggest event ever. With five stages going on at the same time with singers, cowboy poets and story tellers, you won’t want to miss the 25th anniversary. I’ll be on a panel of the western writers. Don Edwards, Waddy and lots more promise to be there. I almost forgot there’ll be authentic chuck wagon cooking going on Saturday—man, that’s always good eating. http://www.cowboy.org/.
I better get back to book writing. One more thing, my Spur winning short story in two parts is on Amazon.com shorts—“Comanche Moon” Part one and part two. Check it out. Also if you don’t have it you can order “Waltzing with Tumbleweeds” from OWOC.com. That’s a collection of my published short stories. I get lots of compliments about it.
Hope to shake your hand soon,
Dusty Richards
2007
Saturday June 16 was the highlight of my life. At the Western Writers of America Convention I was awarded two Spurs. Spurs are the highest honor in western writing in the various categories. They have a fifty-three year tradition of being the award of merit for that year in things written about the west. In Springfield , Missouri at the WWA awards banquet that evening I was awarded the Spur for “The Horse Creek Incident” as best paperback book of the year. This book is in my series about Herschel Baker, Yellowstone County Montana rancher turned lawman for Berkley Jove.
My editor Carolyn Morrisroe was there to accept the Spur for Berkley. Also in audience were my daughters, son in laws, grandchildren, brother, sister and an out pouring of my writer friends also came up for the presentation. My super agent Cherry Weiner was home with her daughter’s graduation from college—gnashing her teeth over missing it. Cherry we missed you too.
The second Spur was presented to me for best short fiction of the year. A novella, it is on Amazon dot com shorts—“Comanche Moon” part one and two. My editor at Amazon Dan Slater and his associate were there to receive the award for their organization. Dan and I had worked on several books together in past and is a wonderful guy.
In the history of the Spur contest no one has ever won two Spurs in one year. So these were very special to me. I was flattered and pleased by the judges’ decisions and thank Tracy Hutton the Spur chair-person for all of her hard work. Not to miss my web man Steven Law who put on a great WWA convention this year.
For more information on the Spur Award past and present winners go to the Western Writers of America and hit on awards. Very easy to pull up.
At home I serve on the Rodeo of the Ozarks as a director. June is a busy time for me in the weeks preceding the four day event. A highly recognized PRCA rodeo hosting four performances and two huge parades over July 1-4 with a PBR Bull riding on the 7th. Then on July 20-21 we have a large gospel sing in the arena. You can find all that at www.rodeooftheozarks.com.
On August 18th I will be speak at Ozark Writers League in Branson, Mo on how to talk to an agent about your novel. www.ozarkswritersleague.org
August 21st I speak to the word hungry lions at the Tulsa Night Writers meeting. They may eat me up. www.nightwriters.org
Of course, Labor Day weekend Saturday and Sunday I’ll be in Clinton Arkansas, Bar Eoff Ranch at the National Chuck Wagon Racing Championship as a guest of Dan and Peggy Eoff. This is super horse event if you ever attend you’d hate to miss it. www.chuckwagonraces.com
September 7th the second Montana book will be on the shelves “Montana Revenge.”
September 7-8, I will be selling books and moderating a panel with many of my writer friends at the Lubbock Texas during the National Cowboy Gathering and Symposium. This is an unbelievable event if you like western music, poetry, story telling and a great western trade show. Chuck wagon cooking and it goes on and on—usually they have a horse breaker there demonstrating all day.
Sept 17 and 18, Friday I will be in Ash Flat Arkansas speaking to the local writers that evening and on Saturday at a gala book signing at The Seventh Annual Festival of the Arts with many other authors at Ozarka College. Contact: massies@centurytel.net for more information.
October 11-13 Eureka Springs Arkansas for the Ozark Creative Writer Convention> this year main stream author Jody Thomas and Don Coldsmith will headline the program. This is a great, reasonably priced affair held each year in an interesting Victorian city. I will be speaking in a session there. www.ozarkcreativewriters.org
November 16 and 17 Ozark Writers League meets in Branson with a special meeting spread over two days to get in all the requests to see the agent My good friend Terry Burns is now a Christian book agent. He is actively looking for writers in this field.
Before I leave I want to thank all my fans for the neat emails I have received. I do have a new email address— dustyrichards@cox.net
In 2008 several sessions are planned on how to write fiction hosted by me. If you ever get the idea you want to write a novel, one of these similar events has been the starting point for many successful writers who are now published. The sessions are directed toward all genre fiction writing. I will post them as they become available.
One last shot “Waltzing with Tumbleweeds” is a collection of my published short stories and so many folks have told me how much they enjoyed them. They would make a good gift too. They can be ordered from AWOC.com
And check out my short stories on Amazon,com. I’ll be adding more as the year goes on—have a great one.
Dusty Richards
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The National Cowboy Symposium and Gathering in Lubbock Texas presented Dusty with their life time achievement award (National Cowboy Culture Award) for western writing ) for his writing and generous efforts to help others in their endeavors to write as per Alvin Davis, the Symposium chairman. Past recipients include Max Evans and Elmer Kelton to mention a few. |
Dusty writing in Zane Grey's Chair in newly constructed cabin in Payson Az (the old one burned 12 years ago). For more details see the October '05 issue of True West Magazine.