Pitts & Wisdom

As an author I primarily work alone. I co-write material with Howard Kazanjian, but he is in Los Angeles and I’m in the northern portion of the state. My day begins at my desk by myself and ends the same way. I’m not complaining. I couldn’t write any other way, but there are times I wish I had someone close to discuss the industry with. I found out yesterday that the Elizabeth Custer book will be released in March. I’d like to know the best way to launch the material to the general public. I need wise counsel. A life coach. Someone in a top hat maybe to pop out just before I make a crucial error singing a song entitled Mistake. I have been invited by the Single Action Shooting Society to participate in their annual holiday conference in Las Vegas in December. It sounds like a lot of fun, but so did attending the Western Writer’s Association meeting last year in San Antonio and that turned out to be one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. And I’ve had some awful experiences. My judgment making skills are not state of the art. The initial financing for the film Thunder Over the Prairie fell through at the last minute, but it looks like Nomadic Pictures will pick up the project. They produced a movie with AMC entitled Broken Trail. I have every confidence they will do right by Thunder. It’s an odd career I’ve chosen for myself. At 49, however, I’ve got too much time invested in it to give up now. Although, some serious vocational changes will have to be made in the next few years. There’s got to be nothing more pathetic than a 50 plus year-old woman hanging around Hollywood still trying to pitch screenplays. My publisher asked me to update the book Outlaw Tales of California for a re-release date in 2012. I’ve got that along with the Sam Sixkiller book due to be released in May 2012. I know I’m going to need more to keep going financially and to combat the hurt and torture deep inside that has brought about the sadness deep in my soul and the scalding pain of hate over my brother’s situation. As long as there is a western story to be told with revenge as the central theme, I think I’ll make it through. As I mentioned, I need wise counsel. So did Charlie Pitts in 1876. Pitts was a gang member who was killed in a gunfight near Madelia, Montana in which the Youngers were captured after the Northfield bank robbery. A derringer belonging to bank teller, A.E. Bunker was found in Charlie’s pocket. Even if Pitts weren’t killed there was no way he was going to get away with saying he had nothing to do with the Northfield robberies. Then again, I’ve seen liars get away with murder, so maybe Pitts could have talked his way out of the situation.