Spring has finally begun to show its greenery in our part of Wyoming! The grass is starting and out on the BLM land the sagebrush buttercup has its first little yellow flowers. To our consternation, the trees are leafing out. We think that’s a bit early since Wyoming was always prepped for the Mother’s Day blizzard. Spring didn’t officially start until after that last hooraw by winter.
We did, however, cook our first buffalo burgers on the Traeger yesterday. Hip Hip Hooraw! And we accented them with fresh pineapple cut into slices and then seasoned with a chili-chocolate powder before roasting them on the grill. Wow! Outstanding! (Though God knows how we managed to get a ripe pineapple at our local Cody grocery.) Yes, indeed, we are ready for warm afternoons sipping a glass of wine on the deck and drives up the North Fork.
Betcha you’d rather get the latest book news.
BUFFALO JUSTICE
The big news, of course, is the release of our new mystery/thriller, BUFFALO JUSTICE. Originally scheduled for July, Wolfpack Publishing has pushed the pub date up to May 27!!!! You can preorder now from Amazon.
We’re delighted because we’ll have copies for our signing at ThrillerFest in June. Michael will be presenting on a panel Friday Morning at 10 that deals with Point of View (POV). That’s first person, second person, third person for you non-writer types. If you’ve read SWITCHING GEARS you know that we use POV to great effect, especially when we mix it with present or past tense. In addition, this is the 20th year celebration for ThrillerFest. We’re happy to be there, and it should be a heck of a party!
You ask, “So…what’s BUFFALO JUSTICE about? And why did you write it?” Here’s the background: We raised bison for thirty years at Red Canyon Ranch. During that time we were at the forefront of the “purity” controversy and oftentimes threatened or berated by the conservation movements. So we know of what we speak. BUFFALO JUSTICE is set in the dark underbelly of the modern efforts to have Yellowstone bison declared a “distinct population segment” under the Endangered Species Act. That opens the stage for BUFFALO JUSTICE. Conservation attorney Ryman Banks is headed home from his girlfriend’s house after a bad meeting with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Yeah, bad day all around, huh? When he opens his front door, it triggers a shotgun tied to a chair. Ryman takes both barrels in the chest. But who done it? Ryman’s jilted wife, a beef rancher that Banks ruined, or could it be billionaire Tormey Tanner who’s taken up with Ryman’s wife? But suspect No.1 is Wyoming bison rancher John B. Cody, who has been a thorn in Banks’ side for years.
Enter Montana Department of Justice Agent Jillian Masterson. She’s tasked by the Montana governor Brewster to bring the case to a close. Immediately. For Jillian, the case becomes ever more murky as she figures out that nothing is what it seems. Is Cody is being set up? By whom? And the entire time, lurking in the background, the mysterious Seeley Atherton is stalking her. When a geneticist decides to spill the beans, he’s shot in front of Jillian. And then she, too, walks into Atherton’s crosshairs one dark and snowy night. Ultimately, the solution to the case comes down to a final act of buffalo justice.
We really had a blast—no, a shotgun wasn’t involved—writing BUFFALO JUSTICE. We got to live with the bison again, and we enjoyed the time spent with Cody, Jillian, and the evil Seeley Atherton. We hope that you, too, find as much entertainment.
And, yes, the screenplay has already been submitted to Phiphen Productions. We’ll see if we can’t interest them in the film rights.
SPEAKING OF FILM RIGHTS
We have just sold the Option/Purchase rights for ATHENA UNLEASHED, GENESIS ATHENA and ATHENA’S WRATH to Phiphen Productions. They have our co-authored screenplay and will begin developing the project. Now, before you bombard us with “When’s the movie coming out?” you need to know that the good folks at Phiphen still have a long way to go to a movie. They need to see if they can attract other production companies, attach actors, directors, and other talent. A lot of pieces have to click into place, but they’re going to do their best to make it happen. And, waiting in the wings, they’re interested in optioning OUTPOST and have the DISSOLUTION screenplay in hand as well.
Haven’t read the ATHENA books? You can order the trilogy today from Amazon or your local bookseller.
WHAT ABOUT THE DONOVAN BOOKS?
We hear you! Everyone would like book 7 of the Donovan series. Michael would love to write it! But we have no publisher for it. And there, as they say, is the rub. Is there hope? Maybe. If Phiphen Productions does pick up the film rights, and if it does get made, and the movie is a huge hit, we’re pretty sure that we can find a publisher who’d pick up a 7th book. But there’s a lot of “ifs” in that formula. Welcome to an author’s life.
TRANSLATION RIGHTS
While all of the above has been keeping us busy, EK-2 Publishing in Germany has bought the translation rights to the CONTACT: BATTLE FOR AMERICA series starting with COMING OF THE STORM, to be followed by FIRE THE SKY and A SEARING WIND. As is common in the market today, the books are being broken into parts for release. EK-2 also picked up BUFFALO JUSTICE and has just contracted for Kathleen’s “Light” trilogy. So, look forward to German translations for AN ABYSS OF LIGHT, TREASURE OF LIGHT, and REDEMPTION OF LIGHT in the near future.
RE-ISSUES
For those of you who have joined the fold and are waiting for the next installment of the “Moon” books. PEOPLE OF THE MOON Part One was released on April 8 and will be followed by the second half DYING MOON Part Two on May 6, 2025! When we first released PEOPLE OF THE MOON back in 2005 it was a second-place finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award in Historical Western Fiction. A lot of our fans consider it to be one of the best prehistory novels we’ve ever written. If you have the original Forge Books edition, you need not buy the re-issue. DYING MOON is nothing new, just the second half of the novel.
Coming in June Wolfpack Publishing will re-issue PEOPLE OF THE NIGHTLAND Part One and Part Two, NIGHTLAND: DARKNESS. More to come on those titles as we get into summer.
Got to close this and go do chores. It’s the time of year we have to burn the dry weeds in the irrigation ditch. Next comes trimming and chipping the branches. And, yes, we have more writing projects in the hopper, too!
As always, we extend our thanks for your support of our books over the years. We hope this finds you in good health and spirits. Until next time!