Check in Time

Wow, what a month it has been! Red Tails in the Sunset has been out for a month now and I hope a lot of readers have been enjoying it. It is still a special story to me and always will be. I have over fifty works now in the Deirdre O'Dare backlist at Amber Quill  (www.amberquill.com/store/m/137-Deirdre-O-Dare.aspx) and of course I do have my favorites.

I know, that is not quite politically correct because like the mom of many kids, we are supposed to deny that we have a fave and just smile sweetly and say each one is special in his or her own way! And that is also true. I would not write a story I really didn't like but some are just a little bit closer and dearer and maybe hold a little more of me--past, dreams, fancies and passions--than others. Certainly Red Tails was one of those. If you haven't at least taken a peek, please do. Prior blogs posts cover it pretty well!

Oh, I almost forgot--there is a special sale today at the Amber Quill main page on our collection of stories, Working Stiffs, featuring blue collar guys. Another of my faves, Workin' on the Railroad is a part of that group. Go check it out!!

Now it's time to look ahead, though. Coming in September is the Silver Foxes PAX while will contain my somewhat out-of-the box tale,  A Game of Hearts. It's a love affair of an older man and a younger one who has a case of hero-worship on the former. And it is very much a "heart" story. I am a strong believer in organ donation and in letting loved ones live on by using parts from their bodies to help others survive or improve the quality of their lives. I carry a card in my wallet that says I want to contribute anything that can be taken when I am gone to help another. I approved the process for my youngest brother when an aneurysm took him far too young back in 2005. We have the science and technology to do this and I feel it should be done whenever possible. That premise is a part of this tale.

It will be released the third weekend of the month as most of our PAX collections are and I will share more of it when that date nears. After that, at a date not yet determined, we'll be doing a 1960s PAX and it will have my story Midnight Cowboys which is submitted, contracted but not yet edited nor a cover done. It could be out in November, I think, and I will let you know as soon as I do.

One more note in passing: yes, I was gone for three weeks to our northernmost state and very much fell in love with Alaska. For a desert rat who lives on sunshine that is a strange admission perhaps, but true, If I could have I would've stayed at least until the snow began to fly. As it is, I may be back well before this winter melts and fades because I have set myself a project of doing a non-fiction book about the heroic and tough women who train and run sled dogs in the great endurance races such as the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. I met a few of these ladies and their wonderful canines on my trip and was totally swept off my feet. They are truly awesome!!  Now I know beyond a doubt this is a project I am meant to accomplish!

To follow this adventure as it takes shape, please visit my new blog: http://gwynnmorganalaska.blogspot.com  I have also set up a "go fund me" page to help raise the funds to cover the expenses of several more trips to Alaska to gather more information and get my boots in the snow for a real feel of what this mushing business is like! I'm seeking to become a volunteer for one or both races in the 2015 season. The linkto my funding page  will appear often on that blog if you are moved to help me on the endeavor. Every small donation will help, be deeply appreciated and acknowledged with a personal note of thanks. I'm not a registered charity so it is probably not tax deductible but there will be free copies of the book for all of my supporters when it is published!