LOOKING FORWARD TO FALL? HERE’S WHAT’S ON TAP FOR GEAR BOOKS!
We hope this finds you all well, reading in health, and recovering from a summer that has spawned smiles and remarkable memories. That’s certainly been the case for us. Our memorable summer started with the Frank Waters Award for contributions to Western literature, followed by Kathleen’s Spur Award in short fiction from the Western Writers of America for her “No Quarter” short story in the Rebel Hearts anthology. “No Quarter” ended up garnering a finalist position in short fiction from the Western Fictioneers. And, as of this writing, remains a finalist for short fiction in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards. We’ll discover if it’s the winner at the awards banquet in Fort Worth this October.
And, of course, Kathleen was inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame on September 11th, which makes her fourth “Hall of Fame” induction! Some say Michael married well.
In between events we have been working nonstop on the reissue of older, previously out-of-print books. Doesn’t matter that it’s a reissue. Scanning from the original hardback introduces all kinds of new errors, typos, weird formatting issues, and the like. We have to think up creative new titles, where to break books into separate volumes, cover design, and catalog copy. It gives us a chance to go through and add another layer of polish to the story.
Much to the delight of our long-time readers, Wolfpack will be reissuing the Anasazi Mysteries!
Yes, gang, Dusty and Maureen along with Browser and Catkin get a new lease on life! If you have the original Forge Books editions of The Visitant, Summoning God, and Bone Walker you’re golden. For those who have never read the Anasazi Mysteries, the novels follow both modern and prehistoric timelines as modern archaeologists Dusty Stewart and Dr. Maureen Cole discover an ancient murder in one of their excavations. At the same time, the story follows War Chief Browser and his deputy, Catkin, in the 12th century as they hunt the legendary witch, Two Hearts, and his daughter, Shadow. And, yeah, you got that right. In a vote on the Gear Fan Club on Facebook, Shadow tied with Ganajero as our most diabolical villain ever! We take Southwestern witchcraft very seriously!
Starting on October 10, the Anasazi Mysteries will be released as a 6-part series starting with The Visitant followed every two weeks by Where the Basilisk Dreams, The Summoning God, The Two-Hearted, Bone Walker, and Hunting Shadow.
Here’s the link to The Visitant Part One! https://a.co/d/caQwcx3
Why 6 out of 3? Markets and reading habits change. In the digital age, an increasing number of readers want to download smaller files for their iPhones, computers, and Kindles. It’s how a new generation approaches storytelling. A shorter read gives them a taste of the story, and if they like it, they can read in installments or wait and binge on the whole work all at once.
Additionally, Kathleen has just finished an article for Bison Review on using gene editing of bison…and why it’s a looming disaster!
Bison have evolved into amazingly adaptable animals. The last thing we need is humans messing up their genomes.
Meanwhile, Michael, when he gets a spare moment, continues to work on his screenplay for Outpost.
He’s finished the first draft and is now in the process of polishing and revising. Then he will write the screen treatment and start the unenviable search for a film agent.
Next on the list? Preparing for the re-release of Michael’s The Athena Factor.
Never heard of it? It’s a genetic thriller, and the most elusive and rare of his books ever published! Consider that a teaser until our next newsletter!!
In the meantime, be well. Read in health. And enjoy the changing colors as we head into fall!
Warm Regards,
Michael and Kathleen