In hindsight, trying to finish four major sewing projects, three large calligraphy pieces, two presentation boards, and a (partridge in a pear tree) novella in the space of three months was… er… overambitious.

BUT I did finish the book and one of the sewing projects, published a second book, and made significant headway on the quilt that will now need to be finished this summer, and I still have four days to complete one calligraphy piece and (maybe) another sewing project before I take off for the sunny, windswept vistas of historic Fort McKavett! West Texas Heritage Days is this coming weekend, and I’ll be speaking at the noon meal about my Loyal Valley series, in particular the portion of the just-completed second volume that relates to the history of Fort McKavett. In real life (and therefore in my series), Loyal Valley was home to Herman and Willie Lehmann, whose capture by Apache raiders inspired the novel /Savage Sam/. That incident also prompted the patrol by Sgt. Emanuel Stance and nine enlisted men from the Ninth Cavalry–the Buffalo Soldiers–that resulted in the Battle of Kickapoo Springs, and Stance’s gallantry during that action earned him the first Medal of Honor presented to a black soldier after the Civil War.

The things you never learn if you don’t live here….

Meanwhile, the other book I’ve just released, /Look Behind You/, is in more of a World War II-era guns-and-fairies fantasy vein. I’ve posted a couple of excerpts over on Open Range, including one that’s highly appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day. Both books are available for purchase from Amazon and other online retailers–but alas, the ebooks for /Loyal Valley: Bystanders/ will have to wait until next week.

Will I manage to get my act together by the time West Texas Heritage Days rolls around again *next* year? Aheh… we’ll see….