Cactus Country II Is Now Available

Last week, while I was getting ready to leave for the Erma Bombeck Workshop in Dayton, my good friend Lou Turner, who is the Publisher and Editor of High Hill Press, took time from her unbelievably busy schedule to drop by my house and deliver a copy of Cactus Country (Volume II).

Even though Lou is an award-winning writer and publisher, she is sweet and considerate like that.

Anyway, I'm so excited that my short story "Keeping Faith" is included in the Cactus Country Volume II anthology, along with stories, articles, and poems from some famous Western writers, as well as a few writing friends.

If you like reading about the West, or if you enjoy good writing, Cactus Country II is an anthology not to be missed. 

The anthology includes works from: Dusty Richards, Jory Sherman, Delois McGrew, Brett Cogburn, Lucia St. Clair Robson, Pat Carr, Claudia Mundell, Ellen Gray Massey, Regina Williams, W. E. (Bill) Mueller, and many more talented writers.

Yesterday at critique group two writers purchased copies from Lou then asked for my autograph. What fun!

So, I hope you'll gitty up, pony up a few bucks, and get yourself a copy of this anthology. 

Here's a link to the Cactus Country book store with information on how you can buy a copy, as well as a link to submission guidelines if you want to submit something for a future Cactus Country anthology.

Storms, Luck, Randomness and Winners

A fierce strom with tornadoes blew through our area last night leaving damage and destruction in its wake.

Thank God, we are okay and suffered no damage. Just across the Missouri River, folks living in the cities of Maryland Heights and Bridgeton in Missouri, and on across the Mississippi River, people in Granite City, Illinois, weren't as lucky.

Lambert International Airport suffered damage and has been closed, and there were some minor injuries reported.

My sister Bridget's mother-in-law and sister-in-law's homes not far from Lambert were damaged, although I haven't heard how badly yet. They were all at the Cardinals' game last night and came home to the bad news. My brother Tim works for the City of Maryland Heights, but I haven't talked to him yet to find out how badly the damage is there. I also haven't talked to my friends and former co-workers who live in Granite City, but I pray their homes were spared.

The good news is no one lost their lives in this terrible storm.

There's no smooth way to segue from a discussion of the powerful tornado that touched down on Good Friday to an announcement of winners in this week's contest--except possibly the connection between the phenomenon of randomness and luck. In last night's storm, some neighborhoods were hit hard, while others were unscathed.

So, I'll just plunge ahead:

* The name selected at random to win a copy of David Lee Kirkland's book of poetry, Tanka Moments: A Man's Journey is: SIOUX

* Due to the overwhelming response from visitors commenting on my two-part interview with Lou Turner, CEO of High Hill Press, Lou has decided to give away not one, not two, but three copies of Jory Sherman's Master Course in Writing book.

The three lucky winners selected by Lou are: Bookie, Marcia, and Barb Hodges

To all winners, please e-mail me at dvolkenannt (at) charter.net to make arrangements to get the books to you.

Until next week, I wish you all a joyful Easter, and I pray for good weather and quick healing for all those affected by the Good Friday storm.