The Finer Points

Good day, all!

So at the moment, I have sent off all the contacts I could think of for press, media, TV, etc., so the marketing folks at the publisher can send out a press release. I get to proof it and in the meantime, if I think of anymore contacts, send those off too :)

The wonderful folks at Strategic Book Publishing/ AEG are fabulous. From the moment I saw the cover design that the wonderful woman in the art department came up with, I knew I was dealing with competent and original people. I have nothing but good things going on with this book deal. I often wonder if I will be able to open up one of the many book flyers and see my name and book title soon. I can't wait to find out what the release date will be. Once I know, all of you will know.

I've been asked a couple of times, why did you choose to write about Tombstone?

And here's a couple of answers: The time period in which the book takes place was such a chaotic time in America, and in Arizona especially. It was a time of great change, or at least approaching change. From the aftermath of the Civil War to the dawn of the new century, things were changing all over the country. In that little corner of the Southwest, it was still a rebellious, troublesome place.

It was full of colorful characters whom people still debate about. There's a plethora of information on some individuals, and yet almost nothing on others. I try to flesh out a little bit on some of the folks, like the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday. Men like Billy Clanton and his brothers, Ike and Phin, are almost lost in the shuffle. Curly Bill Brocius, John Ringo, John Behan... There is a lot of debate on these men. Some say they were merely cold-blooded killers. A few resources say that Curly Bill was a boisterous, fun-loving man who provoked trouble as almost a joke. Some say that John Ringo rarely pulled a trigger, and was a quiet, reserved gentleman who fell in with the outlaws.

I especially had fun fleshing out the Earp women, Josephine, Allie, Mattie, Louisa, and Bessie. They were just as much a part of the infamous town as their men were. The only lady I was sad to leave out was Kate Elder, Doc Holliday's lady friend. In earlier drafts, there were a few good scenes with her. Unfortunately, as the story changed, Kate had to become a sidenote. For a really intriguing story about her, however, I highly recommend "Doc Holliday's Woman," by Jane Claudia Coleman.

It's hard not to find this fascinating. The town of Tombstone still thrives on this one incident in history: the shootout that happened near the O.K. Corral. It didn't even occur inside the actual corral, yet became a legend, a stamp of what the Old West was about. Many people still don't realize that there were so many factors that led up to the fight, from a deal gone sour between Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, to Wyatt's political ambitions crossing paths with John Behan's.

So your book is about the O.K. Corral? you may ask.

Not so! My book does bring up some of the possible reasons for it, but it is far a tale solely on that infamous seconds-long shootout. I only bring it up because one of the questions Deanna, the heroine, has to face is: how would you deal with letting history unfold as it already has?

So there are my deep thoughts for the day. I look forward to bringing you all more gems of information soon.