4 June 2003 Early last month, I finally finished writing THE BARON HONOR for Forge Books (Tom Doherty & Associates), and delivered the 600 page manuscript to my agent.  I do not know when this novel, the sixth in the Baron series, will be published.  There are two more novels under contract for this hardcover series, THE BARON DECISION and THE BARON LEGACY.  When all of the novels are completed, they will then be placed in chronological order, beginning with THE BARONS OF TEXAS and ending with GRASS KINGDOM. I am currently working on a novel for Berkley entitled BLOOD RIVER, which begins in Texas and moves to the Colorado Rockies.  The book deals with a ranching family driven from their land by Comanches.  They journey to Jefferson Territory (present-day Colorado) to start fresh in 1876, but encounter similar difficulties with the Utes.  This is a novel that examines courage and is told in first person. TEXAS DUST, another Berkley Western, will be published in January 2004. I have a new series under contract at Pocket Books called The Owlhoot Trail.  I will deliver the first of these, under an initial 3-book contract, in September.  The books deal with a man falsely accused of cattle rustling who is forced to take the outlaw trail. This month more or less marks the 50th anniversary of Western Writers of America and will see re-publication of my article, What Is A Western Writer? in this month’s Roundup, just in time for the annual WWA convention in Helena, Montana.  Editor Candy Moulton asked for my permission to reprint the article, which originally ran in the WWA magazine and I was pleased to have it reprinted for this very special occasion. The second novel in the Chill series, THE SEPULCHRE, is soon to be published as both an ebook and a paperback POD (Print On Demand) by Hardshell Word Factory.  We have corrected the galley proofs and are awaiting the cover for approval.  The title character, Russell V. Chillders, called Chill, is an investigator of paranormal activities.  The series was originally published in paperback by Pinnacle Books. THE BALLAD OF PINEWOOD LAKE continues to show strong sales in its hardcover edition.  So far, it has outstripped any of my western novels and is now on the stands as a paperback. I continue to write short stories for anthologies and help other writers with their projects, which include novels, screenplays and short stories. A friend of mine, Ruth Lee, sent me this link to a piece by my friend Neeli Cherkovski, a poet and biographer, who lives in San Francisco.  It concerns my introduction to him of the poet Charles Bukowski when Neeli was 15 years old.  His account is accurate and the link is provided here. In September, I will participate in two events, both in Abilene, Texas.  Each year, since its inception, I have been one of the celebrities in the Dove Hunting Classic to benefit DRI, Disability Resources, Inc.  I have also attended a quail hunt for the same charity, hunting with Chuck Yeager, Bud Anderson, who both still fly P-51s every year, both crack wing shots, Tommy Overstreet, Steve Kanaly, Larry Hagman, and others.  The following week I go back to Abilene for the Texas Book Festival, along with Elmer Kelton and other Texas writers of note.  This is a book signing event at the library, sponsored by the Texas Coalition of Authors. I mourn the loss of a friend and fellow writer, Earl Murray, who passed away at age 50 of heart failure following surgery for a ruptured aneurysm.  Earl wrote many fine novels of the West and has been working as a screenwriter.  He and his wife, Victoria, were planning to move from Fort Collins, Colorado to Hollywood so that he could pursue his screenwriting career.  He still had a couple of books to write for Forge when he died. My son, Forrest recently starred in a short experimental movie.  For an accounting of the shoot, click here. My wife Charlotte, a really fine writer herself, continues to proof my work, format each chapter, and help me as I deal with my blindness.  I thank her for her love and support.  I also thank the Texas Commission for the Blind, who has helped me for the past year or so, providing me with equipment that helps me continue to do the necessary research for the novels.  Without their help, I would not have been able to continue writing.  Until next time, J.S.