Another year comes to a close. Dang! How did that happen so fast? But then, we just survived Wyoming’s traditional “Thanksgiving Blizzard!”
This happens most years, snarling traffic, closing roads, and signaling the true beginning of winter. Not that it concerned us. Thanksgiving this year was celebrated by just the two of us. Michael made his signature stuffing for the turkey and cooked it to perfection despite our malfunctioning oven. Kathleen surpassed herself with from-scratch cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and her most-remarkable gravy! (We’re eating turkey burritos for breakfast for the foreseeable future.)
This has been a wonderful year considering all the great things we have enjoyed.
First, of course, was the announcement that Kathleen’s “No Quarter” short story about the Alamo, published in the Wolfpack Rebel Hearts anthology, won the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award for best short fiction of the year. It would go on to pick up a Will Rogers Medallion Award, and finish as a finalist in the Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers.
Then came the news that FOURTH QUADRANT won the International Book Award in the Thriller/Adventure category, while THE ICE GHOST was the winner in Young Adult Fiction.
Following that, we were both recipients of the Frank Waters Award given by the Pikes Peak Library Association in May.
Last but not least, Kathleen was inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame on September 21st. She is now in four Halls of Fame. The other three are: the Women Who Write the West Hall of Fame, the California State University Hall of Fame, and the Western Writers of America Hall of Fame. (That’s two up on Michael…but who’s counting?)
Looking back, it’s a bit stunning and sobering. Our goal has always been to write good stories that entertain, educate, and touch peoples’ lives. In the end, that’s what really matters to us, but we are grateful for the recognitions.
THE ANASAZI MYSTERIES!
On December 5, Part Five of the Anasazi Mysteries will be released on eBook and in trade paperback. Then on December 19, Part Six, HUNTING SHADOWS, will be available. Again! If you have the original hardbacks, you need not splurge for the 6-part art series. The only changes result from our latest line edits. The content is the same. Dusty and Maureen are just as lovable as ever. Browser and Catkin’s plight is every bit as tenuous, and Shadow Woman remains one of our most terrifying villains ever. (The last time we held a contest, she tied with evil old Gannajero from the Iroquois quartet that began with People of the Longhouse).
Why 6 parts to the Anasazi series? That’s a relic of the changing marketplace for digital books. Many readers today prefer shorter books. Something they can try, see if they like, and then go on to binge later if they’re hooked. We, too, were surprised. To see for yourself, check the ratings for COYOTE SUMMER (released in July) in the “Saga of the Mountain Sage” series vs the ratings for THE FOUNDATION (released October 2021), which downloads as a 550 page file.
As authors, we’re delighted that Wolfpack is in the process of re-releasing so many of our classics, especially since this is the first time some of them have been available on digital format.
On December 24th, Michael’s short story “Bad Choices” will be released as the lead title for this year’s Wolfpack short fiction anthology! The volume is called RIDIN’ WITH THE PACK! Now, the rubber hits the road: Will Michael’s “Bad Choices” set in the Wyoming Chronicles universe garner as many accolades as Kathleen’s “No Quarter?” Download them both. Read, and you be the judge!
We are also happy to announce that our Middle-Grade/YA novel, part one of CHILDREN OF THE DAWNLAND will be released on December 26. Chosen by numerous library associations, this is another of our long-time favorites! Set at the end of the last ice age, 12,800 years ago, Twig and her best friend Grayhawk are given into the care of an eccentric Spirit Elder. Under his curious tutelage, Twig will undertake a Spirit journey that will allow her to save her people from the devastating aftermath of what archaeologists call the “Clovis Comet.”
You can reserve your copy on Amazon today. Check out the great cover Wise Wolf has produced! If you’ve never read CHILDREN OF THE DAWNLAND, we’ll be looking forward to your reaction. Please post your ratings and reviews!
COMING IN 2024! ATHENA UNLEASHED, GENESIS ATHENA, and ATHENA’S WRATH!!
First off the line is Michael’s ATHENA series! Part One, ATHENA UNLEASHED releases on January 16. Of all of Michael’s novels, the original hardback ATHENA FACTOR is his “best-kept secret.” Just one of those things that happens in every author’s career, it never got the launch it deserved. Michael even trained with the elite Heckler & Koch executive protection training school as background for the novel. (Yes, he’s a certified bodyguard!) Now you can read the entire thrilling “Athena” story: Top-List Hollywood actors endure the most humiliating invasions as their DNA is stolen to serve a market for obsessed fans. And yes, it is coming.
Our final wish is that this finds each of you in good health and spirits.
May your holidays be filled with splendid feasts, may your cups run over with the finest of drink, and may all companions be hale, hearty, and well met!
Until 2024, Read in Health!
Michael and Kathleen