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437 ratings | 17 reviews | avg rating:4.29

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Bruce Blizard

Goodreads Author

Born

in Bakersfield, California, The United States

Website

http://www.bruceblizard.com

Twitter

bruceblizard

Genre

Western, Young Adult, Christian

Influences

Larry McMurtry, Henry David Thoreau, Annie Dillard, William Edgar Staf ...more

Member Since

October 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/bruceblizard

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I am a recently retired English and history teacher and track and field coach living in the Inland Pacific Northwest. My wife of 37 years, Tina, and I live on 25 acres in the southeastern section of Washington state with various dogs, cats, and horses. Before I became a teacher, I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for 14 years.

23 posts
Bruce Blizard's Blog

Where I Live

Rattlesnake Ridge

There is always a mystery

The land where I live rushes north, up from the Yakima River to the crest of Rattlesnake Ridge and then away to the northeast and into the mystery of the Technological Century. As we ascend the southern slope of the ridge on horseback, my daughter and I meander upward away from the comfort of our primitive home. We can see the thin ribbon in Interstate

Combine Editions
Bruce Blizard’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 25 ratings · 13 reviews · 9 distinct works

	God's Instant 4.13 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Man of the Oval: The International Legacy of John Chaplin and WSU Track & Field 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Better Place: really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dark Canyons: A Young Adult Western Novel of Loss and Discovery it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	God's Instant: Rodeo, Revenge, and Redemption 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Always a Runner 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	God's Instant: Rodeo, Revenge, and Redemption 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Better Place: Originally Published as Dark Canyons 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Better Place 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Bruce is Currently Reading

Bruce Blizard is currently reading

A Doctor for Lady Denby (The Hope Clinic, #2)

by Trisha Messmer (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 15, 2026 03:21PM

Bruce Blizard is currently reading

The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma (The Hope Clinic, #1)

by Trisha Messmer (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 14, 2026 03:17PM

Bruce Blizard is currently reading

Let Sleeping Murder Lie (Eve Holdsworth Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

by Carmen Radtke (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Aug 27, 2026 03:17PM

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Bruce’s Recent Updates

Bruce Blizard is currently reading A Doctor for Lady Denby (The Hope Clinic, #2) by Trisha Messmer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 15, 2026 03:21PM · like
Bruce Blizard is currently reading The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma (The Hope Clinic, #1) by Trisha Messmer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 14, 2026 03:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma by Trisha Messmer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Reluctant Duke's Dilemma by Trisha Messmer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bruce Blizard finished reading What's a Little Poaching Between Friends: A Romantic Victorian Country House Mystery (The Etty and Tris Victorian Mysteries Book 3) by Lynn Morrison (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 06, 2026 01:34PM · like
Bruce Blizard finished reading What's a Little Duelling Between Friends (The Etty and Tris Victorian Mysteries, #2) by Lynn Morrison (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 06, 2026 01:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What's a Little Duelling Between Friends by Lynn Morrison. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What's a Little Duelling Between Friends by Lynn Morrison <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bruce Blizard finished reading A Murder at Kew Gardens: A Victorian Historical Mystery (Rosalynd and Steele Mysteries #5) by Magda Alexander (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 30, 2026 12:50PM · like
Bruce Blizard is currently reading A Murder at Kew Gardens: A Victorian Historical Mystery (Rosalynd and Steele Mysteries #5) by Magda Alexander (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 28, 2026 02:11PM · like
Bruce Blizard is currently reading Let Sleeping Murder Lie (Eve Holdsworth Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Carmen Radtke (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 27, 2026 03:17PM · like
Bruce Blizard is currently reading Mystery in the Highlands (The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency, #3) by Lydia Travers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 24, 2026 03:15PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mystery in the Highlands by Lydia Travers. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mystery in the Highlands by Lydia Travers <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bruce Blizard is currently reading Murder At Ashcombe Hall: A 1920’s Historical Cosy Mystery (The Lady Ashcombe Murder Mysteries Book 1) by Felicity Penn	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 15, 2026 04:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Murder At Ashcombe Hall by Felicity Penn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Murder At Ashcombe Hall by Felicity Penn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bruce Blizard is currently reading Murder Most Foul (Harvey Ross Coastal Mystery #1) by Theo Harris	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 11, 2026 07:31PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Murder Most Foul by Theo Harris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Murder Most Foul by Theo Harris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Bruce’s Quotes

“The greatest sin you can commit against your own life is to know what you want and not to act.”
― Kim Stafford, Lochsa Road

7 likes

“When his life was ruined, his family killed, his farm destroyed, Job knelt down on the ground and yelled up to the heavens, "Why god? Why me?" and the thundering voice of God answered, There's just something about you that pisses me off.”
― Stephen King, Storm of the Century

tags: god, humor, religion

7984 likes

“Humor is almost always anger with its make-up on.”
― Stephen King, Bag of Bones

1787 likes

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
― Stephen King

tags: writing

3941 likes

“There are books full of great writing that don't have very good stories. Read sometimes for the story... don't be like the book-snobs who won't do that. Read sometimes for the words--the language. Don't be like the play-it-safers who won't do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book.”
― Stephen King

tags: great-writing, on-writing, stories, storytelling

1470 likes

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recent posts
Bruce’s Groups

Western Authors & Readers — 440 members — last activity Sep 12, 2026 07:11AM
The western genre is a niche, and this is the place to gather. Where authors & readers can find each other, and talk about what's new. Post your wes ...more

Connecting Readers and Writers — 3966 members — last activity 20 hours, 56 min ago
We connect adventurous readers with Indie Authors. This group is about connecting writers with readers in a way that has not been done on Goodreads b ...more

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57694 members — last activity 2 hours, 39 min ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

Literature & Philosophy — 28 members — last activity May 08, 2020 03:09PM
Here you will reflect on your SSR selections and comment and respond on others' reflections. ...more

¡ POETRY ! — 22494 members — last activity Sep 21, 2026 02:04PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

Rodeos, Cowboys, Outlaws and Ranchers — 15 members — last activity Dec 11, 2013 03:39AM
There's nothing like the old west: traveling rodeo circuits, waking up to miles of sky and open land, working hard on a ranch... AKA: reading about so ...more

Making Connections — 14978 members — last activity Sep 25, 2026 01:15AM
Read, Review, and Make Connections

Oprah's Book Club (Official) — 88123 members — last activity 18 hours, 28 min ago
Welcome to the official Oprah's Book Club group. OBC is the interactive, multi-platform reading club bringing passionate readers together to discuss i ...more

New Adult Book Club — 20274 members — last activity Jul 02, 2026 07:09AM
This group is for everyone to share their love of New Adult fiction - the rapidly growing catagory for books that have the same coming of age feel as ...more

HERBOOKLIST — 12 members — last activity Jul 25, 2013 02:46PM
Everyone has a book list. Not everyone's book list is the same either. It will change from time to time. Herbooklist is about those individual book ...more

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