Mark Mitten's Blog, page 2

The Steamboat Pilot - article

The Steamboat Pilot and Today mentions "Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave" in an article. In the novel, the Pilot (which began in 1885) is mentioned in conversation between a deputy & an outlaw. That little bit of information almost derails a prison break...

The Steamboat Pilot & Today is the newspaper that circulates in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/20...

The Summit Daily - book review

Here is a very positive book review of SIPPING WHISKEY IN A SHALLOW GRAVE. It's in The Summit Daily, the newspaper for Summit County in Colorado. This circulates in Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, etc.

http://www.summitdaily.com/entertainm...

EXCERPT:

"Employing easy, rustic dialogue and seamlessly converging the various story arcs into a dramatic climax, Mitten awakens images of “Gunsmoke” and “The Magnificent Seven,” painting thrilling scenes of vigilante justice, with posses on the trail of outlaws on the run, as well as the more mundane realities of frontier living, namely the dusty drudgery of rough vaquero living, with its campfire cooking, saddle sores and dangerous stampedes...Certain to be a favorite of equestrians, modern ranchers and history buffs, “Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave” is a reminder of the divergent yet interconnected histories and topographies of Colorado."

Top Ten List of New Frontier Fiction of 2013

"Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave" made the Top Ten List of New Frontier Fiction of 2013, on the western blog Buddies in the Saddle.

http://buddiesinthesaddle.blogspot.co...

"Buddies In The Saddle" Book Review

Thanks to Ron Scheer, who writes a book review blog called "Buddies In The Saddle". He read SIPPING WHISKEY IN A SHALLOW GRAVE and gave a very solid and thoughtful review.

Read it here:
http://buddiesinthesaddle.blogspot.co...

NOMINATED - 2013 Peacemaker Award

Great news. "Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave" was just officially nominated for a 2013 Peacemaker Award. The category is Best Western New Novel, and these awards are presented by the Western Fictioneers. They will make a final decision on June 1. Hoping for the best.

www.westernfictioneers.com

Western Authors & Readers Group

If you are a western reader, writer, or if you just like horses, cattlemen, ranching and the American West...join this group:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

SIPPING WHISKEY - Give-a-Way

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave


by Mark Mitten

Giveaway ends May 02, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Into The Silence - book review

Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mr. Davis did a very thorough and meticulously researched bio on George Mallory, and the team members on the 1921, 1922 and 1924 Everest expeditions. It is a substantial tome, but a very worthwhile read for anyone with a dedicated interest in the history of mountaineering, and of course Everest in particular. I remember when Conrad Anker found Mallory's body on the mountain, and everyone was hoping the mystery would be solved concerning whether or not Mallory & Irvine made it to the top. Davis explores the question, and suggests (following Anker's lead) that it is unlikely. If Irvine's body is ever discovered, and if their camera is found with it, then perhaps the answer can be objectively known.

As someone with a lifelong passion for mountain climbing, and a personal interest in mountaineering literature, this book was fascinating. I don't really have any criticism, but if I were to offer a critique to readers, I would prepare them for the extensive background of the team members' experiences in the first World War. It is thorough, unsanitized, and certainly affords a grim look at what the horror of war is like. Yet it is a part of who these men were, and informed their characters and actions, and helps explain the psychological necessity, the collective conviction, for the Everest ascent--something positive, something "good", a pure achievement of the human spirit, following such a dark period in European history. A second critique, would be that Davis explores the homosexual experimentations in men's private-school settings during that time period in the UK. This seems unnecessary to the story, and because of its placement early in the book, feels like the author may be trying to capitalize on sensationalism to solidify his readership. Does an author need to capitulate to our culture's preoccupation with political correctness, revisionist assessments, and "gotcha" journalism to sell a story? This portion of the story is not extensive in content, and so does not become too distracting.

The three ascent expeditions make for a very satisfying read. Again, thoroughly researched. Including personal letters to & from family members. The expedition members are no longer names to the reader, they are people. This, as much as anything, will give readers today a sense of what was accomplished--even without the actual summit. The story reminds us how unique and rich (and unrepeatable) certain moments in time are. Everest today, while still a worthy goal, is a very different scene. A highway of commercialism, where the summit is lined with paying clients with little to no mountaineering experience. The greatest danger is not the mountain--it is standing in line in the Death Zone, waiting behind less competent climbers, and playing Russian Roulette with frostbite. Not quite the same existential award. Paying for any achievement that is better earned, seems to violate what ought be sacrosanct. There is something so meaningful in the struggle to achieve, that seems lost on the mountain today. Which makes the lesser known peaks, the road less traveled, the more desirable path.

A must-have for any Everest aficionado! A satiating read, and inspiring.



View all my reviews

Libraries - in Colorado

Two major library districts have agreed to acquire copies of SIPPING WHISKEY. The Pikes Peak Library District (Colorado Springs area), and the Arapahoe County Library District (Denver area).

I'm putting in a lot of effort to reach out to Colorado libraries right now, since the book is based there. Several other libraries have replied, saying they are forwarding the info to their Acquisitions Teams for consideration.

More on this when I know more.

PS--anyone with a library card can put in a request at their home library. Many websites have a "purchase request" link for members. Get SIPPING WHISKEY into your library!

Debut Novel is Published

Hello - here's a quick overview. My novel is called "Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave." It is a western, historical fiction. The story takes place in the late 1800s, when the golden era of the American West was still in full swing...but the end was already in sight. Fences were being built, homes dotted what once was hostile territory, and railroad lines were crossing the plains.

It is 1887. Snow is falling in the high country of Colorado. Bill Ewing led a bank heist in the small mountain town of Kinsey City...but just woke up tied to the back of a mule.

This is straight off the jacket:

"Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave" is an epic novel, chronicling Bill Ewing's gang of thieves and the posse that takes after them, the cowhands of the B-Cross-C, and the unexpected turns of life which bring them all together.

Read more in an author interview I did with "The Western Online": http://www.thewesternonline.com/inter...