Indigenous Peoples Day

Posted on by

Last weekend I went out of town to visit my folks and soak up some fresh mountain air before the weather goes bad and road trips are no fun. My mom would tell you that the air wasn’t that fresh because there was some fire training going on but I thought it was fine.

For Indigenous Peoples’ Day we went to Ashland, Oregon to see, Off the Rails a play written by an NDN playwright about Indian boarding schools and tribal people the Old West. Great performances — lots of natives in the cast. There was humor and music to offset the more terrible parts. It was powerful seeing it in a room filled with native people. I recommend.

And the Goodreads book giveaway is still on. Enter here. I’m doing a terrible job of promoting it so your chances of winning are good.

Lovesick Braves Giveaway

Posted on by

If you’d like to be in the running for a free paperback of Lovesick Braves, click over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway.

This is an early view of the sunflowers. They are now all dried up and I keep thinking it’s time to pull them up but every time I look back there, I see birds going to town. The dead sunflowers remain for now.

Right now I’m on track to have Book #3 Still Untitled out in May 2018.

Back to work.

Paperback Available

Posted on by

Vendome Station, Montreal

Paperback is available! You can get it from Amazon. Or from Createspace. (Technically, still Amazon.) If you buy your books elsewhere you should be able to order using my name and the title. If you run into a problem, drop me a note and I will do my best to help.

I’ve got a Goodreads free book giveaway starting in a few days. I’ll link when it starts.

Arms of Steel

Posted on by

Turns out planting a tree in the middle of our lawn is harder than we thought. The lady at the nursery warned us that the ground would be hard at the end of the summer so we’ve been watering that spot all week.

Yesterday I did phase one and was quickly dismayed by how hard the ground was. It wasn’t impossible but it took a lot of effort. I dug up all the grass part (it may be dead but it’s a thick layer of root ball) and chopped up the dirt as best I could before my arms turned into noodles. I watered it again.

This morning did phase two and worked in a bunch of the soil conditioner and chopped away until it resembled a nice pile of dirt. Then I put that baby in.

This is supposedly a fast growing fig. We’ll see if it grows fast enough for me.

A Podcast and a TV Show

Posted on by

Coquille Indian Reservation

Book #1 will be free for a few more days so if you want it, grab it now. Links here.

Also I finished a new prequel story, Not Your Mascot, about Linda and Arnie in college. The files went out to newsletter subscribers. If you want to read this story and don’t want to have anything to do with the newsletter, send me a note via the contact page and let me know kindle/epub/pdf and I will send it your way.

Meanwhile, a pdf of the The Season of Us teaser story, How Dewey Got Lost, can be found here. If you prefer a kindle or epub file, drop me a note.

Other topics of the day:

I’m always a few years behind the times but I recently discovered a podcast called My Dad Wrote A Porno. It is hilarious. I was listening in the car and I was afraid I would have to pull over I was laughing so hard. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a guy and 2 friends reading and reviewing an erotic romance written by his dad. You don’t really have to listen in order. Just pick one. If you need a laugh, this will take care of you.

And we just powered through the Netflix TV series GLOW. It’s set in the 80s and about women wrestling and it is fantastic. Somehow we messed up and watched the final episode first thinking it was the pilot. Then we watched episode #2 and so on. At some point we realized that the events in the “pilot” we watched happened after all these other episodes but we thought it was intentional. It wasn’t until we were ready for the season finale that we realized we’d already seen it. We watched it again. *Then* we watched the pilot. It says something about how well this show is written that it still worked great watching it in out of sequence. Recommend.

I’ve started work on Book #3. We’ll see how soon I can get it out to you.

Book #2 Is Finally Live!

Posted on by

(but not paperback)

Yesterday was the official release day except I made an amateur error and it wasn’t available at all the main retailers until after I went to bed. Sorry if you were left hanging.

Here are the purchase links:

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Apple

I still haven’t checked a proof of the paperback and I don’t want to press the publish button until I make sure it looks okay. Probably a week — I will post here when it’s ready.

Here is the blurb:

The future of the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center remains uncertain.

Ester Parker has it under control. She’s committed to her work with tribal people, she manages an untrustworthy roommate, and on the side she’s developing the skills to go after a new love—filmmaking. If only she had the courage to approach her secret heartthrob.

Theo Dunn left rez life behind long ago. Now, he juggles jobs and sacrifices sleep, doing whatever it takes to finish college and make his family proud. When the irresistible Ester shows up at not one, but two, of his jobs, Theo finds himself frustratingly—and pleasantly—distracted. But the more he gets to know Ester and the crew at the urban Indian center, the less he sees a place for himself in that world.

Ester knows Theo is the one, but can she convince him that he needs her, too?

Book 1 is on a free promotion until the middle of the month:

Kindle | Nook | Apple | Kobo

Warning! Unresolved story issues continue into the next book. I’m working on it now.

Thanks for your support. Hope you enjoy the books.

Book #1 is Free

Posted on by

In case you missed it — Crooked Rock Book 1 Heartbeat Braves is free until the middle of the month.

Here’s the blurb:

There’s never a dull moment at the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center.

Rayanne Larson knows firsthand the struggles of native people. Working at Crooked Rock gives her the chance to do good work for Indians living in the city. She has high hopes for the Center’s progress until its new leader hands her special project over to his underachieving–and distractingly sexy–nephew.

Henry Grant’s life is going just fine. Though he knows rez life, he’s always been an urban Indian. He has no interest in the Indian Center job his uncle pushes on him. That is, until he meets Rayanne. She’s attractive and smart, and like no woman he has ever met.

Rayanne is determined to keep her distance but when the Center faces a crisis, the two of them are forced to work together and she can no longer ignore the sparks between them.

Download links:

Kindle | Nook | Apple | Kobo

Summer Bounty Recipe and Free Book Promo

Posted on by

Someone needs classes on foods photography.

This is a recipe I found in a cookbook or magazine at my mom’s. I thought I had the original source but I can’t find it so this will be my adaptation. I thought I had a lot more squash but this was the last of it. When I was in CA visiting family people gave me huge bags of squash to bring home.

This is my best tomato crop in eons. I’ve already harvested more than I’ve had in the last 3 years and there are tons more on the way. Lesson learned: get plants that were made to grow in your area.

Here’s the finished product which looks terrible. Sorry! It’s delicious. If you like vegetables, this is a keeper. Also if you’re the kind of cook who likes precise instructions, this will be a disappointment.

End of Summer Vegetable Bake

1-2 onions, thinly sliced
Selection of zucchini and/or squash that you’re trying to get rid of, thinly sliced. Tossed with olive oil and thyme.
Selection of tomatoes that you’re trying to get rid, thinly sliced OR 14 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes
7 oz. can of fire roasted green chiles
Half a loaf of cotija cheese or any cheese that turns your crank, grated or cubed or crumbled.

Cook in large lasagna type pan unless you’re making a small version. Then use small lasagna type pan.

Saute onions in oil until limp and a little bit brown. Spread in the bottom of your dish.

Spread squash in a layer over the onions.

If you’re using the canned tomatoes: combine with the green chiles, drain a little bit, and spread over the squash.

If you’re using fresh, spread the chiles around and then layer the sliced tomatoes.

Finally, spread the cheese over the top. Bake at 375 for an hour to 75 minutes and let cool for a bit before you serve.

The first time I made it I was worried because the cheese turned so brown but it tasted amazing. Great as leftovers, too.

It’s a very adaptable recipe. I’ve used every kind of cheese depending on what I had on hand. The original recipe doesn’t use the green chiles and uses Parmesan. You can use a couple of cans of Rotel instead of the tomatoes and chiles.

FREE BOOK PROMO — Heartbeat Braves is FREE right now. If you haven’t already read it or if you know a friend who might like it: now is the time.

Kindle | Nook | Apple | Kobo

Lovesick Braves September 5th

Posted on by

Finally!

The manuscript is finished and I’m getting the details finalized.

Book 2: Lovesick Braves will be available on September 5th.

Book 2 is the story of Ester and super-hunk Theo who she worships from afar. The Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center continues to struggle and Arnie and Linda can’t stop insisting they’re “just friends.”

You can read Book 2 without having read Book 1, but I think you’re better off reading them in order. I’m going to do a free promotion on Book 1 soon. I’ll post more information as soon as I have it.

So So Close to Having News

Posted on by

I spent a long weekend last weekend visiting family. There was a fire upriver and we had to go through part of it to get back to the highway. I have another photo of the fire crew but I can’t find it at the moment.

I have a cover and about 90% of a blurb. I hope to share all the news next weekend. I would promise but there are variables so I’ll just do my best.