Thanks to Connie Shaw of Sentient Publications, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Billy (the Kid)’ by Peter Meech.
Description Billy (the Kid) by Peter Meech
Pueblo, Colorado,1932. Bootleggers thrive in a town where the sheriff is on the take and you can kill a man with impunity. In this thrilling narrative, a once-famous outlaw finds himself thrust into the middle of a bootleg war against his will. At stake is nothing less than the life of his best friend and his last chance at true love with the town beauty. But is the legendary gunman who he claims to be, or is he just a retired dentist with a vivid imagination?
In this remarkable first novel, Peter Meech reimagines the figure of Billy the Kid in a story told with verve and humor. Visually magnificent, and brimming with small-town charm, Billy (the Kid) builds to a climax that is as powerful as it is unexpected.
About Peter Meech
PETER MEECH is a writer, director and producer in television and film. His memoir, Mysteries of the Life Force: My Apprenticeship with a Chi Kung Master, has been translated into several languages.
He has an M.A. in Communications from Stanford, where he won a Stanford Nicholl writing award. He lives in Los Angeles.
Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance by Robin Elno
Publisher: IngramElliott Publishing (December 1, 2019) Category: Historical Fiction, Western Tour dates: February, 2020 ISBN: 978-1732843639 Available in Print and ebook, 218 pages
Description Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance by Robin Elno
A reluctant 1870s gunslinger with Tourette’s and a quick draw . . .
While the battle for Lincoln, New Mexico, rages on, William is consumed by his own war against Jesse Evans, the man he blames for the loss of his friends and the start of his life as a gunfighter.
But when William finds Jesse at his most vulnerable—jailed with a gunshot wound—he can’t justify pulling the trigger. A gunfight must be fair.
William braves hostile military territory to orchestrate his archenemy’s release—only to discover he has become the prime target for an army of bounty-motivated gunslingers.
The hunter is now the hunted—and William must weigh whether revenge will give him the peace of mind he has been seeking.
Can William defeat his internal tornado before he becomes one of its victims?
Review Clown William Series by Robin Elno
Nothing gets my adrenaline pumping quicker than a good western, and this one starts off with a bang—literally. As with any great Western, it starts with a gunfight, and only ends when blood is drawn.
I haven’t read the first two books in the ‘Clown William’ series, but I can only imagine that the second must have left off with one hell of a cliffhanger based on the way this one started. William is literally in a life-or-death battle with Jesse Evans, the man who killed his friends and started him on the path to becoming a gunfighter. The fight ends with Jesse wounded, but having escaped into the cold wilderness.
Of course, William must track him down but when he discovers that Jesse has been arrested and relieved of his weapons, he is unable to kill an unarmed man, even if that man is a murderer. William realizes that he must help Jesse get out of prison in order to finish his unfinished business with the man, and now he must go up against the might of the military at Fort Sumner to do it.
As I said, I love a good Western, and this was a great one. Even without having read the first two books in the series, I was instantly transported into William’s world. A world of gunfights, horses and lawlessness. Where a man’s word is his only currency and debts are expected to be paid in full—even if it means paying with your life.
Robin Elno is a talented author, who perfectly executed that view of the old west, with it’s succinct way of speaking but broad and spanning vistas. I would love to read more from this series and plan to get the first two books. I want to know what will happen to Clown William next! I give it 4.5 stars (Guest review by Bob D.)
TR: Please tell us something about Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)
RE: The original title had been Tane Mare (pronounced Tah-ne Mah- ra) , a phrase which had been in the second book. The saying was pulled from a John Wayne movie- and was said to be Comanche for cold wind which drew one’s friends closer. However, my excellent editorial team looked to substantiate the phrase as a legitimate Comanche saying, and could find only the single reference to the John Wayne movie. On the possibility that it had been a made-up phrase– and being sensitive to keeping the integrity of native American languages– the phrase was dropped from book two and forced a title change to book three.
TR: What drew you to the western/historical fiction book genre?
RE: First, I was inspired by the idea of a gunfighter with Tourette’s, the Western setting was a natural outflow. However, I do like to research my settings and keep it as accurate as possible. I feel it helps make William more real as well. But as to being drawn: My first love is fantasy and science fiction.
TR: What is your favorite scene in Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance? Why?
RE: There are many scenes which I enjoyed writing, but the one at the water hole where he waits for Jesse Evans is a special one. Here, analogous to the temptation of Christ, William wrestles with his inner demons. An affirmation that William himself must take responsibility for how he uses the gifts God has given him, that it is not okay to kill just because he can.
TR: A gunslinger with Tourette’s is such a unique character for a western, how did you come up with the idea?
RE: A footnote in an article by the neurologist Oliver Sachs called “A Surgeon’s Life” in which he wrote about a surgeon with Tourette’s, and highlighted how the poorly understood illness allows for incredible concentration at times, precision and a particular skill he called “target pointing.” He made the comment in the footnote that he had interviewed a woman with this particular trait and said, “she would have been the fastest granny in the west.”
TR: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances?
RE: No
TR: Which character do you love to hate?
RE: Jesse Evans. Billy the Kid- though it’s more of a love/hate deal.
TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?
RE: I have a wonderful design team. The cover for book three is a continuation of a thematic treatment from books one and two.
TR: How long did it take you to complete?
RE: Difficult to say. I wrote all three books as one continuous story over the course of a year or so. Then each of the three books got a rewrite over several months.
TR: Describe the room you are sitting in as though it was a scene in one of your books.
RE: I sit before the unblinking eye of a computer screen. In shadows behind me looms an overstuffed bookcase where research papers have unholy concourse with favorite fictions. I pause, and stroke the dog at my feet.. I stare out the window at a passing deer. An idea floats in, and I capture it on the screen. Most times it is set free again.
TR: What words do you use over and over that drive your editor crazy?
RE: I often suffer from too much passive tense.
TR: Using only adverbs, describe the writing process for you.
RE: Wow. I have worked hard to cleanse adverbs from my vocabulary. Distantly, sneakily, eruptively, ideally, soothingly, contentedly, mistakenly, searchingly, exhaustedly, triumphantly.
TR: You are sitting in a coffee shop. What does your writer mind see?
RE: The couple in the corner, holding hands. The barista- glancing at a college textbook between orders.
TR: What writers have you drawn inspiration from?
RE: My all-time favorite is Tolkien. I grew up admiring Michener and his sweeping storytelling. Currently I can’t stop puzzling over Larry McMurtry’s writing style and wish I could tell a story like he does.
TR: When did you first have a desire to write? How did this desire manifest itself?
RE: I wrote my first story at age 8, about an ant named Thorax and his Alexander-the- Great desire to conquer the world.
TR: What do you do when you are not writing?
RE: I still see some patients; I like to travel and of course there are the ongoing shared activities with my understanding wife.
TR: What are you currently working on?
RE: Book 4- The first of a series of three all about William’s encounters with “Running Guns”- old west desperadoes. Book 4 takes place around Tombstone.
TR: Have you thought of a movie or TV series?
RE: Yes, from the moment I first started writing. I thought that if enough people read the book and it came to a producer’s attention, then a project would naturally follow. In my head I saw it as a series: a likeable, flawed and relatable main character with a plethora of tense stories available. I thought back as far as the “Gunsmoke” TV series. I thought it would make the career of whatever actor landed the role of William.
I imagined the book would first be a movie, and the developed into a series when the movie hit big. From the beginning I thought the story big enough and “odd” enough to eventually find its true home as a TV series.
I trust the treatment of the story of a gunfighter with Tourette’s to the high production values evident these days on streaming TV: such hits as “Yellowstone,” “Hell on Wheels,” and “Deadwood” come to mind.
I have some actors’ performances in mind as models for supporting roles. Roles such as: Mississippi played by James Cann in El Dorado, Robert Redford as Sundance, De Niro in Taxi Driver. Joe Pesci in Casino.
I have not picked anyone for the role of William. I think it would be a career establishing part. In my head the character looks Yannick Bisson (currently in the role of Murdoc in “Murdock Mysteries”).
About Robin Elno
Robin Elno is a retired army colonel, semiretired psychiatrist, and full-time author. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, where he is an active member of the San Antonio Writers’ Guild. Elno’s Clown William series was inspired by the work of neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote about the unusual speed and accuracy often displayed by people with Tourette’s syndrome. Intrigued by the idea that strengths can rise from differences, Elno created the unique and compelling character of Clown William. Elno’s novels are often set against true historical backdrops like the Wild West.
Giveaway Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance by Robin Elno
This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to Canada, the U.K, and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends February 29, 2020,midnight pacific time.
Thanks to Ann-Marie Nieves of Get Red PR, I am giving away one print copy of Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim.
Description Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim
Scott Renald is an Indian agent searching for white captives. Laura Little is a former captive seeking her Comanche-born son. They meet unexpectedly on the high plains. Touched by her story, Renald leads Laura’s search while hostile tribesmen pursue them. Word of their predicament reaches Fort Sill, and agents are dispatched to grab her and recall him. Meanwhile, the army prepares for war with the Comanche. Circumstances propel all into a heart-wrenching and bloody conflict of competing loyalties and surprising discoveries against the scorched backdrop of the Staked Plain.
How does a captive become a willing tribal member? Can rescue and return be a crueler form of abduction? Comanche Captive depicts what happens after the taken has been found—in Laura’s case, forced separation from her child, unwanted psychiatric care, and finally the deadly consequences of her quest for her lost son.
An adventure novel of depth and contemporary resonance, equal parts poignant drama and playful homage, Comanche Captive offers a cast of vivid characters faced with the challenges of a divided and yet increasingly blended world.
Watch Trailer Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim
Advance Praise Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim
“Conhaim’s rich characterizations bring a fascinating period of American history to life.
Comanche Captive is a page-turning, thought-provoking read.”―Michael Belfiore, author of Rocketeers and The Department of Mad Scientists
About D. Laszlo Conhaim
n 1986, at just 17 years of age, D. László Conhaim landed his first professional writing assignment, a two-part interview in Los Angeles and Tokyo with Japanese screen legend Toshiro Mifune for Minneapolis’s City Pages. While a humanities major at the University of Southern California, he wrote for credits his first historical novel, All Man’s Land, about a former slave’s discovery of the lawman who once owned him.
In 1995, Conhaim co-founded The Prague Revue, the longest-running literary journal to serve the community of international writers in Prague. For TPR, he wrote a fictional remembrance of Miguel de Unamuno, “Feeling into Don Miguel,” which Gore Vidal “read with delight” and Alexander Zaitchik (Rolling Stone, The Nation) called “masterful” in Think Magazine. In 1999, TPR Books published his corresponding novel of mythomania in Spain, Autumn Serenade. Based in Israel, he works in international sales and communications.
Giveaway Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim
This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on December 1, 2017 midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
Billy (the Kid) by Peter Meech
Comanche Captive by D. Laszlo Conhaim
