Holiday Ramblings

Well Thanksgiving is over now and Christmas lies just ahead. It is a time to take stock of what is important in our lives and express our gratitude for those things. I find it amusing that everyone says that they are thankful for this or that in their lives but they fail to say who they are thankful to. Christians and people of other religions give thanks to God as they see Him, but who does the Atheist give thanks to? Well since I am a firm believer that I didn't survive my life to this point by accident, it was with God's help I will leave that question to those who believe in no god to answer that question.
The truck has been keeping me pretty busy but I have found time to get my first book up (as an independent since I am also the publisher) on Kindle and out in paperback after a few real screw ups on my part. That is what happens when I get in a hurry and don't check things out before hitting the approve button. The corrections have been made and everything is up and ready for sale. Use this link to find it, A Tree for America.
I also finished the edits for The Last Raid and published it on Amazon in Kindle format only. Since it is only a novella I was leery about publishing it as a full length book. Even though it is about the same length as A Tree for America since it is not a Christmas book I didn't think it would sell well. If you think differently please let me know.
Here is hoping that you get the things that will benefit you most over these holidays and that they may bring joy to your life no matter who you believe in.

11-11-11

Some people are making a lot out of this, but they are missing the main thing about the date. Above all else it is the day we set aside to honor our Veterans. So in honor of my brothers and sisters who served I offer this attempt at poetry.

Who Are They?

His hair if he has any has turned to gray

Nothing like it was in his younger day.

His back is bent and he doesn’t stand as straight

He doesn’t move as fast with this slower gait.

But when he sees the young ones standing proud

The band is playing the Anthem so he sings right out loud

For he walked among them when he was a younger man

No matter what the trouble they never turned and ran

They wore the uniform of green, or white or maybe blue

In the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and the Coast Guard too.

He was young back then and so was she

The woman who served by his side on land air or sea.

Their country called and they gladly went the extra mile

Even when so many others said it wasn’t the thing in style

Through the times when it was not the thing to do

They went to serve our country and protect me and you.

Some faced the enemy and fought in the fires of hell

Others barely got more than some funny tales to tell

But all of them served where ever needed, and never asked “why”

And they stand a little taller when the new ones go walking by

Because a Veteran comes in many shapes, sizes and colors

Less interested in themselve’s than in helping others.

Call them many things but always call them veterans

The backbone of our country, and Pride of all Americans.

Edd Voss  4/6/11

Also if you have the time check out the interview on my friend Robert Bidinotto's page. It is about me and the book Rambling. It is all here at The Vigilanty Author

Roy Rogers 100th birthday

Well October is gone and November is here. Where has this year gone? I found out that the 5th will mark the 100th birthday of one of my childhood idols, Roy Rogers. Saturday morning was not complete without a half hour spent with Roy, Dale, Pat Brady, Bullet, and of course Trigger. When my mother passed just before my 10th birthday, I had this dream the he and Dale would adopt me. Obviously that didn't happen but he continued to be an influence in my life. In an article written about him just after his death, I read that he quit drinking beer, even when he was out of the media's eye. He was concerned that it might set an example to kids that drinking was okay. Can you imagine a modern entertainer taking a stand like that in their personal life? Roy tried to set the standard that we wanted to believe all cowboys lived up to. Of course it was a standard that very few could actually attain but it was the one you wanted at least try for. Since those days we have taken our heroes and tried our best to turn them into villains but Roy managed to stay above all of that. His image still remains untarnished. While in my writing I try to treat the west honestly not whitewashing, the European settlers, the freed blacks, or the Native Americans who settled the area, I wish that they were all like the world I saw watching Roy Rogers every Saturday morning.

A Christmas Tale

After a learning curve that resulted in a false start A Tree for America is now available in both print and Kindle editions. The link above is for the Createspace store where the print edition is for sale now. They have assured me that by November 7th it will be on Amazon and linked with the Kindle Edition  which is up for sale now. This story was published in 2005 by a publishing company. While they lived up to their part of the contract I felt there was a lot more they could have done to promote it. I also was not impressed with the price tag they put on it. I am grateful to them for giving me the start, but I am much happier to be in control of my story now. There is also a place to Preview the book and comment on a portion of it. I have posted a good part of chapter one to wet your appetite. It is a story of two men who travel across the country in a semitruck hauling a large Douglas Fir to be displayed in front of the White House.

 

So now that the weather is getting colder and the snow will soon be falling, climb up in the cab of Ken Rainey's big red Freightliner. Settle in for the journey of a lifetime and just enjoy the ride.

Youtube promo.

Down time

Well once more I am sitting at my dining room table writing this before the sun is even peeking over the horizon. It is just getting light in the east and the day will soon begin in earnest. It will be a day of insulation, paint, drywall and light fixtures. By the end of the week we will start the move from the main house into the cabin. It is all part of a long term plan, to replace the main house. With all the leaks and opportunities for the rodent population to invade the main house we decided that we had to do something. What exactly we are not sure yet. Over time we will save the money we need to make the next move, isn't that supposed to be the American way? Work hard save your money and follow your dreams. I may not have all the time I wish to pursue my dreams of writing full time, but I do have the tools to work at them one step at a time. It was 2005 when my first effort at writing was picked up by a publisher. While the experience with the publisher wasn't bad, it wasn't all that great either. Thankfully it was the catalyst  that got me started. Since that time I have participated in a few short story projects and have published them all in a single volume Rambling.  Now the rights to my first book have reverted to me so I am in the process of getting it up as a Kindle product and figuring out the process for reissuing it in paperback. Along with that the novella "The Last Raid" is in the final editing stage and the cover design is set and approved. I hope to have my first work "A Tree for America" back up and available well before Christmas, because it is a good Christmas tale.

Revisiting old friends

When I wrote Apache Tears the idea was just something that intrigued me. After it was published I got to thinking about it and realized that there was much more to the story than I had written. As many authors will tell you sometimes characters take on their own persona. Pablito, and Sgt O'Connell had more to tell along with a few new characters like Eyes Turn Red. So in the tradition of Louis L'Amour's turning a short story called "The Gift of Cochise" into his break out novel Hondo I decided to revisit the whole legend and give it another try. While it is still only novella length I am in the process of publishing it under the title "The Last Raid".
Another character, Tommy Loving, has been poking me to tell more about him and his family. Christmas on the Mesa is one story that seems to sell year round and s few people have mentioned that they would like to revisit the ranch and know more about the life there. I would like to tie it in with a charity in that area that has captured my attention but I haven't heard back from the owners of the charity. All of the characters will return and some of the questions that have been asked about the original tale will be answered. Patch has been stamping his feet ready to go see what lies beyond his stall. The original idea for this story was headed one way and had to take a turn when I couldn't get any answers from the copyright holder of a song that inspired it, so who knows where it will go this time.