H. Alan Day's Blog, page 3
June 11, 2014
The Morning Scramble – Sandy Moss
Watch H. Alan Day’s interview by Sandy Moss on AZ-TV’s The Morning Scramble from January 28, 2014.
The post The Morning Scramble – Sandy Moss appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
June 9, 2014
A Cowboy Hits the Writing Trail
I came to writing in a very oblique way. I never had dreams of writing a book while I was growing up or during adulthood. But then one day, the phone rang and my sister Sandra, who is pretty plain spoken and gets to the point in a direct fashion, said, “Alan, I think we should write a book together.”
After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I said, “Tell me more. Why would we want to write a book? And what would that book be about?”
Sandra said that we had been raised in a very unique environment that had taught us both a very strong work ethic. Being raised on the Lazy B cattle ranch, a 200-square-mile chunk of Sonoran desert, taught us to be problem-solvers because out on the ranch nobody was going to solve your problems for you.
I had never taken any writing classes and certainly had minimal skills in that department, so the book Sandra was suggesting felt about as big as that ranch. I had a hard time getting my arms around it. Sandra was far more skilled than I in terms of writing ability.She wrote many legal opinions which weren’t graded for literary quality but were read by many lawyers and historians.
After stumbling and fumbling with an answer and not wanting to look like a fool, I finally said, “Well, how do I go about this? How do I start to write a book?”
Her answer was Sandra simple. Yellow legal pad and number two pencil.
“What if the product sounds dumb or doesn’t make sense?”
“Whatever you have on paper submit it to me and we’ll make it work,” she said.
I have a feeling that not many would-be authors get that kind of a send off in their writing careers. Having been given an assignment, however, I rolled up my sleeves and tackled it.
A lot of days I would only get a paragraph or two written, and then after sitting and contemplating it for awhile, I’d tear it up the sheet and throw it away. Other days, I would say to myself, okay big boy, today’s the day for writing. And then I would find fifteen excuses why not to write. Progress was very slow.
After six months of writing, I had several chapters that seemed a little bit appropriate. I sat down and read everything that I had written. It was so bad that shame consumed me. The thought hit me that even if I could rewrite these pages twice as good, they would still be bad. In a fit of depressed anger, I tossed it all away.
I had attempted to write the history of the ranch chronologically beginning in 1880 when our grandfather settled on Lazy B. I decided I needed a whole different format to make it more interesting. Since I didn’t know what other formats were used by writers, I gave myself two weeks to come up with another way to write the book. I spent time each day jus trying to think up a different way to write the story. Toward the end of my two week self-imposed deadline, I finally had a bright idea.
I asked myself the question: which author do you most enjoy reading? The answer was Larry McMurtry. I then asked why Larry McMurtry? What is it that draws you to his writing? My answer to that was I admire his character development. I mentally bond with his characters and want to go on their adventures with them.
As I reached this point in my thinking, the light bulb went on in my dimly lit cranium. Ohmygod. I have on the ranch six characters and each one is worthy of a book, or at least a part in a book. This idea hit me so hard that I could feel the truth of it inside me.
Two of the six characters were my parents and the other four were cowboys who worked on our ranch, each for more than fifty years. I had huge respect and admiration for all six of these people. I thought golly, if I can just bring them back for readers in the same bigger-than-life mode that I saw them, readers will be very entertained. The heart of the Lazy B was right there in front of me.
I immediately went to writing a chapter about each of the characters. The writing became easier and the pages started flying off the yellow tablet. Sandra was very accepting of what I had written and incorporated the stories into the book Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest. She sold it to Random House in 2002 and it’s still out there, finding its way into the hands of new readers.
The post A Cowboy Hits the Writing Trail appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
June 2, 2014
Spring in Salt River Wild Horse Country
Today’s photoessay comes from Becky Standridge, a professional photographer whose work focuses on the wild horses living in the Salt River Canyon outside of Phoenix. I met Becky at a book signing and she was kind enough to send a copy of her beautiful 12-month Salt River Wild Horses calendar. You can see more of Becky’s work on Facebook.
Spring is a favorite season, not only for what it symbolizes but also for what it actually brings. Symbolically, it heralds the renewal of life. It breaks the grip of winter, frees the spirit and fills the senses with hope for the coming season. It’s an incentive for fresh starts and new beginnings. Anticipation abounds.
As Mark Twain wrote, “It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
The arrival of spring brings with it ever-longer periods of sunshine and warmth which awaken the earth to new signs of life. Mother Nature’s pallet replaces winter’s shades of grey with a bouquet of fragrant color. New life bursts forth greeting the world with the sight and sounds of jubilation. As Dr. Seuss would say, “Oh, the things that spring brings.”
Springtime in the Sonoran Desert along the Salt and Verde Rivers in Arizona plays out as it does elsewhere but with the added attraction of wild horses, known as the Salt River Wild Horses.
Living in what is recognized as the lushest desert on earth, food is plentiful so the horses choose their favorite food for the season.
The hummingbirds raise their tiny chicks,
bees swarm to start new hives,
and mares begin to foal.
Yearlings begin their journey to independence,
bachelor stallions contemplate a family of their own
and band stallions proudly defend the family they hold so dear.
It’s a season of promise and a special time of year that not only warms the earth but warms the heart as well.
Becky Standridge has spent several years photographing, documenting and observing the Salt River Wild Horses. For Becky, it is all about the horses. She signs her photographs using the name SAM. She appreciates its gender neutrality and its representation as an acronym for “Sunshine and Me” – Sunshine is the love of her life. Through her photography, Becky hopes to inspire hearts and minds by capturing the spirit of the Salt River Wild Horses in images that portray their magnificence and value to humanity.
The post Spring in Salt River Wild Horse Country appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
June 1, 2014
Stable Scoop Radio Show
Listen to Stable Scoop Episode 301 – A Couple of Tough Cookies with H. Alan Day
May 23, 2014
The post Stable Scoop Radio Show appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
The Todd Newton Show
Listen to the The Fred and Jeff Show interview with Alan Day and Lynn Wiese Sneyd
May 15, 2014
The post The Todd Newton Show appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
April 6, 2014
It’s time for the Virtual Book Tour!
I’m thrilled to be embarking on a twenty-day virtual book tour and look forward to meeting new and interesting people along the way while sharing my memoir The Horse Lover. Thank you very much to my hosts who have agreed to be part of this journey.
The Horse Lover: A Cowboy’s Quest to Save the Wild Mustang is my story about starting the first government-sponsored wild horse sanctuary in the United States. As a long time cattle rancher, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be working with 1500 wild horses. As it turned out, the horses and I shared a four-year journey filled with adventures – some happy, some not so happy – that turned out to be the highlight of my career as a rancher and cowboy. Woven into the wild horse story are recollections of cowboying adventures astride some of my best horses – Little Joe, Aunt Jemima, Tequila, Blackberry and more. Each one taught me indispensable lessons about loyalty, perseverance, and hope.
During the tour, I’ll share my thoughts about horses, the West, the ranching and cowboy life and what I’ve learned from my experiences. You may laugh, you may cry, you may want to buy a pair of boots, a hat and a saddle, and go find a horse to call your own. Regardless, I hope whatever you find in these writings and interviews will in some way enrich your life.
Here’s how the tour works. Every day from now through May 2, I’ll visit a different blog or radio show. Below is the complete tour schedule. Visit the Virtual Book Tour page each day when a new link will go live. You also can follow via Twitter and my Facebook page. Leave comments, share your personal horse stories, and invite fellow horse lovers to travel with us.
Thanks for joining the tour. I look forward to hearing from you.
Happy trails,
H. Alan Day
Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Date
Blog Host
Day 1
Alan’s Blog
Day 2
TheMustang.de
Day 3
Verses in Motion
Day 4
Real Talk with Lee
Day 5
Virtual Writers Inc
Day 6
HorseTalk NZ
Day 7
Conversations Live with Cyrus Webb
Day 8
Dallas Live
Day 9
Book Marketing in Five
Day 10
Brummet’s Conscious Blog
Day 11
Linda Leon
Day 12
TBA
Day 13
TBA
Day 14
HorseJunkies United
Day 15
TBA
Day 16
TBA
Day 17
TBA
Day 18
TBA
Day 19
TBA
Day 20
TBA
The post It’s time for the Virtual Book Tour! appeared first on The Horse Lover book.
March 17, 2014
Sunsets: The Glory of the Day
Flip open a travel guide to Tucson, Arizona, my current hometown, and you’ll find a healthy list of interesting events and places. We have Rodeo Days at the end of February, a four-day stretch of barrel racing, team penning, and bronco riding. Earlier in the month, we host the largest gem and mineral show in the world. Our Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum houses insects, reptiles, mammals and plant life that intrigue young and old alike. Trails for hikers and bikers crisscross through washes and over hills. Golf courses are found every-which-way you turn. Then there are the mountains. And margaritas. And mountains of margaritas.
But probably my all-time favorite event is something that happens everyday of every year. Not mentioned in many travel guides, it comes free of cost. It started long before I was born and hopefully will continue long beyond my demise.
The sunset. That’s what I’m talking about. In Tucson, the sun shines an average of 350 days per year, which means we have ample opportunity to watch that fiery globe tuck itself into the horizon. This time of year, when the circulating air is quick to usher out smog and haze, the sun’s departure is particularly eloquent.
I’ve been blessed to witness sunsets in Key West, Florida and Del Mar, California. I’ve seen the sun float above the edge of the South Dakota prairie, buoyed by summer humidity. I cried leaning against the railings of a cruise ship as it entered a volcano crater in the Greek islands, the sun’s last rays bouncing off perfectly calm water and “Chariots of Fire” echoing off the jutting mountains. I’ve seen the glory of a Santa Fe, New Mexico sunset with purple and pinks that inspired painters like Georgia O’Keefe.
Still, one of my favorite places to watch a sunset is in Tucson, especially on the golf course about four miles from my home. If I’m out at the range in late afternoon and hitting the ball well, I’ll take a cart out and play nine holes. On almost every hole, I have a clear view of the western and eastern skies. Rarely do I run into people.
Somewhere around the eighth hole, the shadows begin to lengthen. I tee off, facing west and have to judge by the feel of the club head hitting the ball whether or not I’m in the fairway because glaring sunshine blinds my eyes.
About the time the ball drops into the tin cup, the show begins. A roadrunner dashes into the middle of the fairway and stops. Quail chortle. Somewhere in the distance a motor revs. I turn eastward.
The mighty Santa Catalina Mountains have shed their earthy browns for a golden pink. The sun throws its rays against layers of granite and gneiss, turning the pink to a magnificent deep rose. Then as the minutes pass, the mouthwatering hue turns iridescent. For a few still moments, the world feels enormous. Nothing seems as important as being present in this moment. It’s as if Mother Nature is calling out for everyone to stop what they are doing and pay attention to the glory around them.
Then a sheen of purple appears, and the curtain begins to descend. The tops of the mountains reclaim their browns first. The swath of purple narrows as it sinks into the valley floor, a cue for the desert to resume its movement. The quail bobble into their nests. A lone hawk swoops overhead. I hop in my cart and drive to the ninth tee, the western sky blazing with darkening orange and purple clouds.
I’ve seen hundreds of these desert sunsets, some from the golf course, others from my backyard or through the windows of my car while driving. Occasionally, I’ll pull over to watch the performance. Sunsets are like snowflakes and fingerprints – no two look exactly alike, but all leave an imprint on your soul and carry you through to the next day.
If you happen through Tucson during the winter months, you’ll want to pull up a chair and watch the show. And why not?
The experience and the memory are there for the taking. All you’re required to do is savor.
This article was first posted on Boomer-Living Plus.
The post Sunsets: The Glory of the Day appeared first on The Horse Lover.
March 16, 2014
The Fred and Jeff Show
Listen to the The Fred and Jeff Show interview with Alan Day and Lynn Wiese Sneyd
March 9, 2014
The post The Fred and Jeff Show appeared first on The Horse Lover.
4TH ST8
Read the 4TH ST8 blog featuring Alan Day
March 7, 2014
The post 4TH ST8 appeared first on The Horse Lover.
Arizona Daily Star
Read the Arizona Daily Star article featuring Alan Day
March 6, 2014
The post Arizona Daily Star appeared first on The Horse Lover.
