writing
-
The Most Beloved Western Novel of All Time
Larry McMurtry set out to demythologize the West and ended up making the most beloved Western story of all time. More literary than Louis L’Amour, not as bleak as Cormac McCarthy, but not as warm as Elmer Kelton, McMurtry’s Lonesome… Continue reading
-
There is no tomorrow
Think about the fight. There is no tomorrow. My biological father died last month. He made a lot of bad choices and left behind a complicated legacy that I’m trying to process. He had a “The juice isn’t worth the… Continue reading
-
ASU’s Kelton Conference Has Forgotten Kelton
For the last 29 years, Angelo State University has hosted a writer’s conference in honor of the late author and San Angelo native Elmer Kelton. The only problem is, ASU doesn’t seem to like Elmer Kelton, and the English department… Continue reading
-
On Birthdays and Dementia
My dad has dementia. Today he turns 75. Some days, he thinks he is 17 and needs to get a job. I remind him that he doesn’t have to work anymore. We don’t know what kind of dementia, because the… Continue reading
-
The Egyptian Enigma
I picked up The Egyptian Enigma because the algorithm repeatedly offered me David Darling on my feed. I then listened to his interview on the Men’s Adventure Fiction podcast and learned about this book, and pulled the trigger after that.… Continue reading
-
Do You Have What It Takes?
What is your favorite John Wayne movie? Mine is The Cowboys, potentially considered an odd choice because it is not a classic action western, and (spoilers!) the Duke dies in it. Unlike Rio Bravo or True Grit, instead of frequent… Continue reading
-
I Sold My First Short Story
I am thrilled to announce that I have sold a short story! One of my Dusty Thorngage stories titled “Snake Oil” will be appearing in a weird west anthology by Edge Weaver Books. The Dusty Thorngage stories are a blend… Continue reading
-
The Day Elmer Kelton Signed More Than My Books
I didn’t plan on taking “Art and Heritage of Livestock.” I had my senior year at Texas A&M mapped out, full of electives I actually wanted. One was a fly-tying class—“Entomology for the Angler.” But the professor died, and they… Continue reading
-
The Grind: Writing Update
It’s tough being a part-time pen name. The pulp work ethic is to write fast, don’t think, and publish often. That is good and right, but I wonder if that is a goal for writing fitness to work up to,… Continue reading
George Cottonwood Books 