A native of Arkansas, I was raised in Wichita and lived in New York for a while. We have returned to Arkansas where I live on an acreage in the Ozark National Forest. Fellow western writer Dusty Richards influenced my career more than anyone. He never let me give up, and there were times I wanted to. He always told me, "The road to success is littered with quitters," and I've never forgotten that. Dusty left us last December. Hundreds of authors were mentored by him and he shared his wisdom freely. He will be missed.

In 2003 I received the Creme de la Creme Award from Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., for a mainstream novel, which in Oct. 2013, was published by Wild Rose Press as Once There Were Sad Songs. In 2009 we drove to San Antonio so I could accept a WILLA Literary Finalist Award for my book on New Mexico, Fly With The Mourning Dove. This is the most important award I've ever received.
In my journalistic life I've received several merit achievement awards for my historical columns from the Arkansas Press Association, and those are important to me as well.