June 24, 2008 NEW JOURNEY, NEW PATHS I seem to be branded with the label “western writer” at a time when the western novel is losing its grip on an audience. My westerns are all selling very well, but the publishers are holding on to the earnings as “reserve for returns.” This money draws no interest for the writer, but only for the publisher. These funds are held in reserve in case bookstores don’t sell all the copies ordered and return them to the warehouse. Yet, there seem to be very few returns. Still, the royalties sit there in the publishing vaults and the bills pile up as unpaid. I do have other book proposals out there, floating from one house to another. Non-westerns. Mainstream, fantasy, mystery. Editors these days seem slow to read, and even slower to buy. So, what does a writer do when his or her livelihood depends on selling the written word? Keep writing, of course. And, now, I have taken up teaching the craft of writing. This is very fulfilling, but does not pay well. No matter. I am doing what I love to do. And, further, I have written a book called THE MAGIC OF WRITING. This book will not go to a publisher just yet. Rather, it offers a complete writing course for beginners on CD. And, moreover, the document has been converted to Power Point by a very intelligent and good friend, Vickie Anderson. The text now has sound, special effects, animation, art, and plays like a movie on a computer. Or the presentation can be shown on a screen with a Power Point projector, or on a TV screen or large monitor. I have Verakey which transmits the lessons to a television screen. And, in my classroom, there is a projector which beams the lessons on a large movie screen. And, the CD is powerful stuff. It can be used by teachers or students. It brings forth the muse and eliminates all obstacles in the writer’s path. It is simply written and easy to follow and understand. Yet, it is a breakthrough in the teaching of writing, I feel. Vickie’s graphics and sound bring the points home in no uncertain way. The presentation is a bit expensive to produce yet I’m offering the package, for a limited time, at a price of $39.95. The regular price is $59.95 and should be even higher for what the course offers. If a person is truly interested in writing, and in selling what he or she writes, then this course is a sure way to break in and keep writing for a lifetime. The introduction is posted on this website’s home page and can be played on any computer with the latest version of PowerPoint. Take a look and see if you don’t agree that it offers a great deal at a low price. So, I am taking a new and different journey, and taking many paths along the way. I know who I am and what I do. I am a writer and that’s what I do. I write, come what may, and I know, down this new road, that I will find someone willing to publish me again without tagging me as a one-trick pony. Over the years, I have published many non-western books, articles, stories, essays and articles. Somewhere, along the way, on that journey, I got branded, and the brand has stuck. I’m going to unstuck it. LATE BULLETIN As I was finishing this journal I got a call from my former agent, and she offered me a two-book contract at Berkley. I was waiting for word that they might buy a 4th novel in THE VIGILANTE series, but my editor wants a fresh new series. And, what do you know? So do I. So, hang in there. I’m back on that old road, but riding a fresh horse. It feels pretty good after crossing the long dry desert of recent months. The new books? The series, if it becomes that, is called SIDEWINDER. I think my readers and fans will like this character. I call him Brad Storm. J.S.