Future Plans

I likely will stick to only short stories and a few novelettes after I finish the current work. It takes far too long to do novels. Some writers have been known to turn out completed novels in a couple of weeks. I could never join their ranks. But I will persevere, until Mexican Red and the rest of the good guys and bad guys meet for the final showdown.   

Speculation: Artists vs Writers

I mentioned earlier that my Gwenn Wrenn story might make a good graphic novel. I still think it. But, after subscribing to a group dedicated to comic book artists looking for work, I realize it's a project for those with money to spend. They don't want to work on speculation. It's hard to blame them, but it's what I do as a writer. I think my brother Sam would have liked the project enough to do it, but that's just a guess. I once wrote him a script for a comic strip, at his request. He said it would sell, in his opinion, but he didn't wish to work on it. I contacted other artists, without success. So, you never know, dealing with artists. They could be more temperamental than writers, even.

Elmer a link to other important characters

The Elmer Ford thing is a paraphrased excerpt. His character was used as a link to introduce an important kid from his ranch - a 17 year old, who becomes a dangerous man, in a short time. The kid in turn leads us to Emilio Cortez's cousin, the biggest, baddest, hombre of them all.

Writing Habits

Some days I don't add a word to the current project, or more than a couple of sentences. But it's because I don't know how I want to proceed with an episode. I constantly wrestle with it all day and sometimes for multiple days. I don't consider it writing time wasted, because it helps me do the best I know how, in the final analysis. I know where I want to go, but not always how to get there. 

Poor Elmer Ford

When Elmer Ford caught some men returning his loose cows, he mistook them for rustlers and dealt a raw justice that saw them dead.When Dan, foreman for Sam Precker, brought some hands to the ranch, Elmer sat alone on the porch. They asked him if they could use one of his horses, which he allowed. A fine paint was brought around and Elmer placed upon it. After the rope was placed upon his neck, Elmer said he understood that he had to pay for the innocent lives lost, but that he was innocent of murder at the moment of killing them, because he had judged them rustlers, caught red handed. "I guess that's all," were his final words.

Social Commentary

There is bare minimum social commentary in my novel. But I threw in a few bones. Mostly about attitudes toward Mexicans and Indians. But, at one point, Dan tells his wife, he believes when the land becomes settled, folks won't have much need of guns. His new wife responds by laughing it off. "There will always be polecats needing to be killed," she counters. There is no actual preaching in any of it.

Corrida

Not official, as in Mexico. Not a real matador. Jose, the reluctant, to star.