Readers of my Sinners on Tour series typically say that the heroes of the series—the five members of the rock band Sinners—have a strong camaraderie that enriches each of the books. They joke around with each other constantly, which also adds to the humorous flavor of the series. I suppose if you live in a bus with four other guys for six months out of the year, you’re bound to form strong friendships, drive each other insane, or a little of both. Jokes will be made. Pranks pulled. Four of the five members of Sinners have been together since high school. They’ve known each other for over ten years. They understand each other’s quirks and limits. They accept each other. They’ve formed a surrogate family over the years and defend each other almost as much as they give each other a hard time. The newest member of the band, Jace Seymour, has only been a part of the band for three years. It’s a dream come true for him. Still, he has a difficult time finding where he fits in this close-knit group. Jace’s book, HOT TICKET, is like the rest of the books in the series, in that a…

If you look at the cover of my new book, you might think being “Cowboy Tough” was all about muscles. Or you might think it meant sticking to the back of a bucking horse for eight seconds. But being “cowboy tough” means something quite different here in the West. It’s not about physical strength; it’s about the strength of your mind and your heart. It’s about dedication, determination, and fighting against the odds. I’ll give you a few examples. If you’ve ever watched steer wrestling, you know it’s one of the most physically challenging events in rodeo. The contestant bursts out of a chute on horseback and chases a grown steer down the arena, then leaps from his horse onto the back of the steer, using momentum and skill to halt the steer’s run and bring the animal to the ground. You couldn’t possibly pay me enough money to even try to do that—but in February, World Champion Stan Williamson showed the crowds at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo that you’re never too old to compete. Williamson won his first buckle in 1979, his second in ’82, but at 65 years of age, he still managed to halt…

I’ve learned as I write, that books have background layers. That which appears behind the dialog, plot, and action. The readers may not even be aware of their influence, but they impact shapes and changes the novel. For me, they are what brings out the emotion, the heart of the story. My latest release in my “Night Stalkers” series, WAIT UNTIL DARK, can be looked at in a variety of ways when viewed through these different layers. Location layer This adds spice and a picture to the novel. WAIT UNTIL DARK includes several settings, traveling far and wide just as the helicopter pilots of SOAR (the U.S. Army’s secretive 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) do. They are at the nation’s beck and call, saddling up at a moment’s notice to respond to the next mission. Culture layer This is the setting of the people in my novel. In the “Night Stalkers” series, it is military heli-aviation. It sets a tone, it sets strictures on how the character can react and interact. They are highly trained, SOAR requires a minimum of five years experience in military aviation before you can even apply, then the tests are brutal and the training can…