It's Alive!!!

Hey, everyone! I got word this morning that "Dan Powell" is now available for purchase! The easiest, fastest, (and most profitable for me--no middleman) avenue to buy it is to go to Booklocker.com. You can buy it as a paperback or an ebook.

Please also see the Awesome August Blog Hop below for a chance to win a SIGNED FIRST EDITION COPY of my book, plus lots of other prizes from other bloggers.

Now I'm off to paint--canvas. Not the house or anything.

Fabulous Family

We have great kids—all of them are so talented, generous, kind and fun-loving. I am thankful for all of them every day (in-laws and grandkids included). But today I need to make special mention of two of them who have helped me immensely in launching this first book.

Cami did the photography for the cover. She chose the setting, the model, and did every part of the shoot herself. Then she worked her PhotoShop magic to make it just exactly what I had envisioned. I can’t stop looking at it. I’m thinking of framing a copy and hanging it over my desk.

Meanwhile, Adam has been cranking away at the website. I haven’t built a website for a while, so my skills are not only rusted stiff, but the software has passed me by. He volunteered to build me something way beyond my capability. It will be ready soon. (I’m not pushing it, as he is working it in between his job, other website builds, and a large family that will soon be one person larger. I’ll let you know when it’s up. Meanwhile, if you want to get information on the book, it should be on http://booklocker.com in a few days.)

These are just two examples of the spirit of cooperation and support that our kids have embraced. We are so blessed.

Thanks, guys.
Love you tons!

Awesome August Blog Hop! Win Prizes and Connect to Great Blogs!

Welcome to the Awesome August Blog Hop, where bloggers from all over the Internet have come together to throw a summertime party! Every blog on this hop is offering a fun prize, and entering is quick and easy. Simply follow the instructions on each blog, leave a comment, and bop right along to the next blog. You can win multiple times, so be sure to check out all the participating blogs!

On my blog, the prize is a SIGNED FIRST EDITION COPY of my novel, "Dan Powell: The Making of an American Cowboy." This is a story based on the life of Dan Powell, founder of the town of Powell, South Dakota, who live from approximately 1852 to 1929. The work is based on the facts gathered by Dr. Albert “Britt” Karns, a descendant of Powell. It weaves the documented places and people involved in Powell’s life with a creative interpretation of what may have driven him from place to place, and the people he may have encountered.

To enter:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. "Like" my book on Facebook.

3. Leave me a comment and tell me that you've done both things. If your e-mail isn't available through your profile, I'll need you to leave that, too - I can't tell you if you've won if I can't contact you!

This blog hop runs through Wednesday night at midnight, so be sure to enter before then! The winner will be notified by e-mail.

Now that you've entered my contest, come meet all my other blog friends and see what fun things they are offering!

Awesome August Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author 2. Karen Hoover 3. Michael Young 4. Kristy Tate 5. cindy Hogan 6. Julie Bellon 7. Margot Hovley 8. Laurie Lewis 9. Mandi Slack 10. Melanie Jacobson 11. Joyce DiPastena 12. Renae Mackley

13. Debbi Weitzell 14. Donna Hatch 15. Carolyn Frank 16. Marsha Ward 17. Stacy Coles 18. Bonnie Harris 19. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan 20. Diony George 21. Lisa Asanuma 22. Susan Dayley 23. Christine Bryant @ Day Dreamer 24. Stephanie Humphreys

25. Ranee` Clark 26. Tamera Westhoff 27. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 28. Heather Justesen 29. Rebecca Talley 30. Jennifer Hurst 31. Aimee Brown 32. Cheryl Christensen 33. Rachelle Christensen 34. Imaginary Reads 35. Andrea Pearson

Learn more about Awesome August Blog Hop here.
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Livin' the Dream

I’m going to put politics aside for a while and get back to what really rocks my world—writing. Well, that’s just one of the things that rocks me, but it’s the one this blog was intended to be about.

Tonight is a milestone. I just sent the final galley proof of Dan Powell: The Making of an American Cowboy back to the publisher. My first “real” book. How many years have I been planning to be able to say that? It is only the first of many. I intend to finish a trilogy in the next few months as well: Book I is in final revision, Book II is well underway, and Book III is outlined. I also have a booklet that I self-published a few years ago that I am thinking of revising and making available online. Then I can get to the myriad of other ideas I want to develop, including screenplays and plays. In short, at long last, I am a full-time writer.

With all those projects comes a lot of marketing work. That will eat up the rest of the hours that I’m not asleep. I haven’t figured out how I’m going to garden, cook, clean, etc. as well. (Does anyone want to volunteer?) But there has to be a way, and I’ll find it. I’m livin’ the dream.

I love what Janette Rallison has to say about being a writer (wwww.janetterallison.com, Top 10 Reasons, at the bottom of the page). She’s learned to keep it all in perspective.