Special Days

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of all kinds out there, be you biological, adoptive, or 'like a mother' gals. No matter how well your kinfolk and pards treat you today, take a few minutes to reflect on what's made you the woman you are, because that's your true gift to the world. And the world needs all the good women it can get. None of us would be here or last here without you.

My hat's off to all the mothers all over. You gals done good.

Yours,
A.E. Stanton

Another Day, Another Dollar Spent on a Research Tome

I have a confession. My name is A.E. Stanton and I'm a research addict.

Oh, sure, I know, there are a lot of us out there. And we can say that our addiction doesn't hurt anyone. And that's probably true.

However, I think my little problem might be going nova. I'm running out of bookshelf space.

I already have cases in the garage dedicated to books on history, biographies, interesting tomes that I refer to now and then, boring books that contain key nuggets, and so forth. And not all of them are on the Old West, either, I feel forced to add. (A lot are, to be sure, but not all.) But everything's full to bursting, and most are stacked at least two, sometimes three deep, and my spouse suggests that I should somehow either get rid of some of these books (the horror of the idea!) or stop buying new and old ones alike.

I'd love to do that, but I just can't. It goes against my grain. A book is with you for life. And a book can influence your life forever.

Nope. I can't part with any of them. Why, I'd sooner part with my motorcycle. And dear? That's not happening any time soon.

Yours,
A.E. Stanton

To Dialect or Not to Dialect?

Is that even a question any more?

I have it on good authority -- my agent's and a variety of editors' -- that using dialect in novels and short stories is a hard, if not impossible, sell.

I can't argue that too much. I don't use dialect all that often. I'm a firm believer in the 'one vocal tic per character' rule.

And yet, there are plenty of works done in dialect that I enjoy. And not all of them are from the 19th century, either. Sure, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens used dialect all the time, but today's response is that they were writing at a different time. But I've read dialect-heavy stories in The New Yorker, and those recently. Most of them weren't in the Western genre, however.

So, what're your thoughts? Love it, hate it, couldn't care less about it, it's fine if it works but it's hard to make it work?

Yours,
A.E. Stanton

Howdy, Pards

Like so many of my peers, I’m dragging myself into the world of blogging. Why? Because I’m an author and it’s one of the things we’re told to do. I’ve resisted as long as I could -- I love reading other folks’ blogs but haven’t wanted to do my own -- possibly because I’m worried I’ll run out of things to say.

I write historical novels set in the Old West and futuristic novels set in what I like to think of as the New West. I’ve dabbled in a few short stories, but mostly I’m a novelist. I have a great agent who’s shopping my first historical. Will it sell? I believe so, yes, but since it’s set in the Old West there’s a tendency to hear “We’re not looking for Westerns”. It’s the risk I knew I was running when I started out. But, like horseback and motorcycle riding, I write for the love of the thing.

I’m going to focus my blog on my two passions -- writing and riding. So, welcome, friend, and set a spell.

Yours,

A.E. Stanton