A busy summer so far

What an interesting few weeks this old boy has been through, promoting the heck out of my novel, Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal while doing the edits on my next novel, The Quest. My editor at Solstice Publishing says The Quest is as edited as he can make it, which means it will be a dom goot read, and I’m waiting now on the final cover selection, something that is very important.

The cover for Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal is visually stunning and I’m hoping that what we come up with for The Quest is equal to it. As I’ve mentioned before, The Quest is basically a crime mystery story, but it deals with time and space travel, with inter-galactic criminals, a deep look into why the human animal is basically not nice. Think about slavery, murder, hate, racism, oh, my, we could go on and on, and the hero of the book discovers many in the universe seem the same.

We do a little probing into the human psyche in The Quest. My next western novel is finished and will be sent to a publisher soon, and I’m putting the final touches on my next crime/mystery piece. I laid out a basic outline for a follow-up to Jacob Chance and will begin the long process of filling it out into about 90,000 words or so.

All of that said, how’s your summer going? We have not done as much in the garden as the garden wishes, meaning we have weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Bugs have been ferocious this year, but we have been beating them back some. Corn is slow, tomatoes are slow, but the beets, carrots, and onions are doing well.

Did manage to get the horses' feet trimmed. Both Patty and I agree that we need to ride a lot more than we do. Horses are just like us, and most others in the animal kingdom; they get bored.

Until next time, read good books and stay regular.

Will you join me on facebook from time to time?

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.gunn.31

Or Tweet with me, darlin’?

https://twitter.com/johnnygunn11

2015, One hell of a year!

This has been the most exciting year imaginable so far. We’ve more than half to go, and I’m on a ride that two years ago I would have thought impossible. We started the year, first week of January, being offered a contract by Solstice Publishing for my novel Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal, and here it is, June 1, and the book is available in e-book and print.

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00XWBQ0OO

https://www.createspace.com/5509244 

During these past five months I have also had several short stories published in magazines and literary journals.

On May 29, I was offered a contract on my fantasy/mystery novel The Quest, again by Solstice Publishing. It is possible that book could be on the market in time for Christmas giving. Amazing.

Maybe fifty years or more ago, I might have been enthralled to see my name in print, but having been a reporter and editor at several newspapers, magazines, and journals, that thrill doesn’t exist today. But since changing from a newsy to a writer of fiction, which is nothing more than being able to lie well, the thrill is the acceptance letter. Everything else follows along, but receiving that validation is a heart stopper.

Whether the letter comes by way of e-mail or snail mail, you know it can only be one of two things as you creep up on opening the missive. Will it be yet another rejection form letter, or, praise be to all the gods of ancient Greece and Rome, a contract offer? I’ve been known to let it sit, unopened for more than a day. I’ve tucked it away, fearful of running the knife along the envelope’s edge.

What sits in that unopened packet is a yay or nay on a product that that I have sweat over, cussed out, loved on, and feared. For how long? Jacob Chance took almost three years to write. The Quest did take a full three years to write. So, now, I open the e-mail from Solstice and very slowly read the words, “We would like to offer you a contract …”  Yes! Bless thee, O mighty editor, it’s a contract.

If it’s heart-rending writing the book, now the hard work begins. Pick a cover. You laugh, but how many times have you picked up a book because of the cover? Or a magazine, or bar of soap, or cut of meat? Yes, Virginia, that cover is important. And the editing process is a killer, because those are your words that are being discussed in less than positive voice.

Ah, then you get the word. Your book will be released on such and such a date. In the meantime, you’ve already got 50,000 words into your next offering, and the process starts all over again. It’s a wonderful life. Or, did someone already say that?

Until next time, read good books and stay regular.

Will you join me on facebook from time to time?

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.gunn.31

Or Tweet with me, darlin’?

https://twitter.com/johnnygunn11

Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal is in the house

It’s here, finally. Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal is now available as an e-book. The print version will be available soon. Believe me when I say, I’ll let you know when!! It’s a long slow process, writing and publishing a novel, one that drains one, scares one, and thrills one, and yes, Virginia, I’m in the process of doing it all over again.

For your copy of Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal, click on either one of these links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jacob-Chance-U-S-Marshal-Johnny-ebook/dp/B00XWBQ0OO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432129373&sr=8-1&keywords=jacob+chance+u.s.+marshal

Bookgoodies: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00XWBQ0OO

I love a good mystery, I can honestly say I’ve written a few good mysteries and had them published. I love a good western, and have numerous western short stories published, and now, my first western novel.

I have two full length books currently under review. One is a collection of western short stories and the other is a fantasy/mystery, and I’m writing another western novel and developing the outline for the follow-up Jacob Chance novel.

As far as the Chance stories, the second in the series will be the follow-up to the first, and then the third, that I only have in vague thoughts at the back of my head, will be Jacob Chance, the early years. I guess it’s safe to say I’m going to be busy for the next several years. That’s not to say I won’t be available for a cold brew or two. Just give me a buzz.

That goes for giving readings, signing affairs, or just showing up at your luncheon or dinner meeting and talking about a writer’s life. I promise I will not charge anywhere near as much as a member of the Clinton household might. Oh, my, the computer is beeping. Back to chapter 17 on the new book.

Until next time, read good books and stay regular.

Will you join me on facebook from time to time?

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.gunn.31

Or Tweet with me, darlin’?

https://twitter.com/johnnygunn11

Anxious and Sad

I’ve done the edit, the final edit, and the final read. Now, awaiting the announcement of the release of my novel, “Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal.” And while I’m excited, anxious, maybe even prepared, I’m also sad.

Why? Well, from this point forward, I have absolutely no control over anything. Up until this moment, I have had full and one hundred percent control, and now, no control, and that is both frightening and sad. He’s gone, my friend, my hero, my hope for good things to happen, old Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal will no longer be my daily companion.

Jacob and I have created mischief, started wars, fought criminals, fallen in love, traipsed through gorgeous mountains, traversed valleys and plains, and brought bad guys to the bar. We’ve drank beer, slurped coffee, smoked cheroots, and eaten hard tack and side meat, and we won’t do that again.

Well, now, wait just a minute, Mr. Gunn, sir. Hold on there, pard. Let’s write a sequel, and we can then enjoy this character we’ve been so close to for so long. Yup, I do believe that’s what I’ll do.

Well, then, nntil next time, read good books and stay regular.

Will you join me on facebook from time to time?

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.gunn.31

Or Tweet with me, darlin’?

https://twitter.com/johnnygunn11

A Banner Year

We made it past Groundhog Day, welcomed Spring, and passed by Tax Day, not to mention the first third of the year has almost slipped away. Along with that, my novel, Jacob Chance, U.S. Marshal will be released through Solstice Publishing some time soon, and two of my short stories will be published in up coming months.

Duke Pennell, editor at Frontier Tales has my story “Justin’s Hole” scheduled for the May issue, and Yellow Mama editor Cindy Rosmus will publish “Dead Man Talking” in June. From my point of view, 2015 is looking to be a banner year.

Notes from around the J bar P ranchero: I have plowed the vegetable garden areas, we have two, and need to make them rabbit and ground squirrel proof. I’m not big on killing animals I’m not planning to eat, so that is out. Can’t shoot them here anyway, too many people living too close, and can’t poison the little thieves, too many domestic animals running around.

So, looks like I’ll do some chicken wire fencing around the plants most likely to be attacked, beans and peas for sure. Not to worry about squash, melons, cuckes, cuz they don’t much care for the stickery leaves, and I’m putting them in raised beds anyway. We plant several thousand square feet of corn and those plants are only susceptible to rabbit attack during the first couple of weeks and we don’t have that many wild rabbits.

Tomatoes are safe, but none of the peppers are. They’ll be plotted out, Bell and Chili, along with cauliflower. The big worry is the ground squirrel attack. They ate dozens of onions from underground last year. Hmmm. Beets, carrots, and turnips can go in raised beds, but what to do about the onions?

Maybe, like with the corn, overwhelm the little buggers with numbers. Instead of more than a hundred onion sets, how about several hundred. Go for the percentage.

I’ll keep you posted. Until next time, read good books and stay regular.

Will you join me on facebook from time to time?

https://www.facebook.com/johnny.gunn.31

Or Tweet with me, darlin’?

https://twitter.com/johnnygunn11