News
As I research, write, and just live life, I often discover things I'd like to share. This News section will have book recommendations, author news, as well as just about any subject that happens to cross my mind.
Welcome from the Beautiful Lake Chapala, Mexico
After many wonderful years in Salt Lake City, Utah, my wife, Diane and I bought a home in Lake Chapala in the Spring of 2022. With our beloved pitbull Kady Bird Johnson in tow, we moved to Mexico full time in July 2023. Although well into our retirement years, Diane and I decided we still have an adventure or two to live. We decided on Lake Chapala for a myriad of reasons.
The Mexicans are warm and friendly and welcoming. The climate is temperate year round. January is the coldest month with averge temperatures of 70 degrees F. We can do that! May is the hottest month, and temperatures can rise into the low 90's. The climate is a reflection of a high desert mountain community that sits at the foot of Mexico's stunning Sierra Madre Mountains, some 5,000 feet above sea level. Beyond the climate, and with the wonderful Mexican people, we share this beautiful place with several thousand like-minded expats, primarily from the U.S. and Canada.
Things to do are endless. We can walk out the door any day, and within minutes, we can be involved in something fun and interesting. We (residents) enjoy theater, concerts, film festivals, golf, pickleball, tennis, biking, volunteering, hiking. Well, you get the idea. Whew! Oh, and the restaurants. Much to our delight, the area offers outstanding restaurants of every type. And all of this exists for a fraction of the cost of living we were accustomed to. (We estimate the cost of living in Mexico is about 35% less than in the U.S.)
When we moved, we left our children and grandchilden as well as a network of close friends. In our decision about where to move, Diane and I also factored the distance from Lake Chapala to our former home in the states. Fortunately, we can return to Utah quickly and easily. We live about 40 minutes south of Guadalajara International Airport, and we can fly to Salt Lake City in three-and-a-half hours on a non-stop flight.
Well, enouth prattling on about the many factors that contributed to our decision to become Mexican expats. I'm sure more will follow under this News section.
Two Excellent Western Novels by Amy Harmon (9/10/24)
I just finished reading two western novels by author, Amy Harmon. If you haven't read her yet, you should. She's excellent. Harmon is a New York Times best selling author best known for writing historical fiction. Harmon is not particularly well known for her western novels; however if you enjoy reading exciting 19th century, western fiction, these stories are outstanding. Where the Lost Wonder is a fast-paced story about a family struggling along the Oregon Trail. The Outlaw Nobel Salt is a fictional tale about the outlaw Butch Cassidy.
Revisiting Elmore Leonard and 3:10 to Yuma (9/20/24)
I recently read a Google news story that reminded me of the deceased western and mystery novelist, Elmore Leonard. His 19th century western short stories and novels prompted yours truly to begin writing my own western fiction. The news story featured a 2007 western movie titled 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. The movie was based on a Leonard short story and will be airing on Netflix soon.
So, if you are a dedicated reader of westerns as I am, and you haven't read Elmore Leonard, you're missing one of the best authors of western fiction and contemporary mysteries. Do the names of these Hollywood western films sound familiar? Hombre, Last Stand at Saber River, Valdez is Coming, and Joe Kidd? They should because they all came from the pen of the legendary writer, Elmore Leonard. Check 'em out.