Read Em’ Cowgirl

Joyce Carol Oates once wrote, “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” I hoped to be able to encourage young people to want to read at this latest book event in Missouri. I was pleased when a mother approached me after the talk to let me know how excited her daughter was to read the western books I’ve been fortunate to pen. Her daughter won a library of my books and a set of saddlebags at the Saddlebags and Stories signing in Norborne, Missouri. I’m happy that the soon-to-be sixth grader has an interest in pouring over tales of the accomplishment of the brave women heading west in the mid-1800s. It makes being a writer a rewarding venture. On the other hand being at the location where my brother Rick once lived was heartbreaking. I still miss him. I guess that pain will always be.