Gary J. George's Blog, page 4
August 11, 2018
Underway
When my dearest Ginny died in early January, I was so grief stricken my only goal was to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Literally. I began to walk, and I walked for hours each day in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains above the San Gorgonio Pass..It was the only way I could get tired enough to get to sleep at night.
During those long walks, I began to think about another walk. I began to think about walking across the Mojave Desert on the Old Government Road, also know as the Mojave Trail. My son, Sam, said he wanted to come along. As it turned out, I don't think I would have completed that challenging walk without him.
In the middle of May, we set out from Laughlin Nevada. Over a four day period, we walked with our backpacks to the middle of the Mojave National Preserve, almost seventy miles. One of the places we passed through was Piute Gorge, the setting for most of "Deep Desert Deception." I had not been there in nearly sixty years, so I wrote the setting based on some very old memories and wanted to re-visit the locale and see if I got it right.
One of the delights of walking the gorge was encountering two bighorn sheep. . They were so unused to seeing people that they did not run away: simply stood and stared at us as we stared back. When they did move, I have to admit I envied the effortless way they climbed through that rugged terrain.
That walk turned out to be wonderful adventure through time. We walked through miles and miles of open desert down a primitive track and only saw other humans the first day.
When I returned home and resumed walking the foothills and having long conversations with my querida, I found myself stopping to write frequent notes on the little scraps of paper I carry. Those notes have now become the basis of a new novel. I am in the middle of writing that novel now, and it is flowing rapidly. So rapidly that I can hardly keep up.
I have even shortened my daily walks to have more time to write.
The title of book six in the Smoke Tree Series is : The Cross, The Carnival, and the Burning Desert.
During those long walks, I began to think about another walk. I began to think about walking across the Mojave Desert on the Old Government Road, also know as the Mojave Trail. My son, Sam, said he wanted to come along. As it turned out, I don't think I would have completed that challenging walk without him.
In the middle of May, we set out from Laughlin Nevada. Over a four day period, we walked with our backpacks to the middle of the Mojave National Preserve, almost seventy miles. One of the places we passed through was Piute Gorge, the setting for most of "Deep Desert Deception." I had not been there in nearly sixty years, so I wrote the setting based on some very old memories and wanted to re-visit the locale and see if I got it right.
One of the delights of walking the gorge was encountering two bighorn sheep. . They were so unused to seeing people that they did not run away: simply stood and stared at us as we stared back. When they did move, I have to admit I envied the effortless way they climbed through that rugged terrain.
That walk turned out to be wonderful adventure through time. We walked through miles and miles of open desert down a primitive track and only saw other humans the first day.
When I returned home and resumed walking the foothills and having long conversations with my querida, I found myself stopping to write frequent notes on the little scraps of paper I carry. Those notes have now become the basis of a new novel. I am in the middle of writing that novel now, and it is flowing rapidly. So rapidly that I can hardly keep up.
I have even shortened my daily walks to have more time to write.
The title of book six in the Smoke Tree Series is : The Cross, The Carnival, and the Burning Desert.
March 18, 2018
Kind review from a great author
I was blessed to receive a review from one of my favorite authors. It is posted below. If you haven't read any of his Navajo Nation Mysteries, please start now. You're in for a treat!
"I like this book, and I like this author. He's not only good, he's pretty damn good. First off, he knows what he's talking about--that's becoming rare in this genre. Then too, each book is better than the last, and that means he's probably going to be around for awhile. I like that too. I know how hard it is to write a book readers can believe in...my hat's off to Deep Desert Deception and Gary George."
R. Allen Chappell(Author of the Navajo Nation Mysteries)
"I like this book, and I like this author. He's not only good, he's pretty damn good. First off, he knows what he's talking about--that's becoming rare in this genre. Then too, each book is better than the last, and that means he's probably going to be around for awhile. I like that too. I know how hard it is to write a book readers can believe in...my hat's off to Deep Desert Deception and Gary George."
R. Allen Chappell(Author of the Navajo Nation Mysteries)
January 3, 2018
Characters beginning to define themselves
The three new characters who will be introduced in this sixth novel in the Smoke Tree Series, The Desert Strikes Back, are beginning to come into focus. As often happens with me, they are beginning to talk to me as I go about my daily life. When I can hear their voices clearly and understand what they want and need, I will know their stories are almost ready for me to tell.
My job will be to make the pieces of the narrative fit together and render palpable the places on the vast Mojave Desert where their stories will take place and the local people of those areas with whom they will interact.
Great fun!
My job will be to make the pieces of the narrative fit together and render palpable the places on the vast Mojave Desert where their stories will take place and the local people of those areas with whom they will interact.
Great fun!
September 8, 2017
The Desert Strikes Back
I have started work on the character and plot-line development that will become the sixth novel in the Smoke Tree Series. Lieutenant Carlos Caballo (Horse) will be the central organizing character in this tale. Three major new characters will orbit around him.
Writing this one is going to be great fun!
Writing this one is going to be great fun!
August 8, 2017
Deep Desert Decption now available!
The new book, Deep Desert Deception, is available at Amazon.com.
The print version is also now available..
On to the the next book! Tentative title: The Desert Strikes Back. I am looking forward to writing it. Horse will be the main character in this one.
The print version is also now available..
On to the the next book! Tentative title: The Desert Strikes Back. I am looking forward to writing it. Horse will be the main character in this one.
August 3, 2017
Slight Delay
Oops! Small delay. Should be read by the end of this week.
Thanks for your patience.
Gary J. George
Thanks for your patience.
Gary J. George
May 26, 2017
New book in July!
The new Smoke Tree book should be finished in July. When I first started working on it, my goal was to have it done by March. But, as somebody once said, if you want to give the universe a good laugh, tell it you have plans! I discovered once again that life intrudes on writing.
In addition, just as I thought I was nearing completion, this novel suddenly began to move in a different direction than I had anticipated when I first began writing it.
But I'm not complaining! I think the change will make it a better novel. Those kinds of changes are what make writing such a joy for me.
In addition, just as I thought I was nearing completion, this novel suddenly began to move in a different direction than I had anticipated when I first began writing it.
But I'm not complaining! I think the change will make it a better novel. Those kinds of changes are what make writing such a joy for me.
March 21, 2017
Guidance
Hard at work on the new book, "West of the Ruins". I was having some problems with the story, but the main character is finally beginning to show me where the story should be going. This has happened with each of my previous books, and it's always a joy when it does!
September 21, 2016
Back at it
I have been away from the writing desk since late June, but I've never stopped thinking about my next book. I finally have the time to get back to work on it, and it's already going off in a different direction than I thought it would. Great fun!
June 15, 2016
Next book
I want to thank all the readers who have taken time out of their lives to write reviews of my books. Your contributions are much appreciated! I also want to let my readers know that I am now at work on the fifth book in the Smoke Tree Series. This one is tentatively titled, "The Man West of the Ruins."
