Headstall

Hey, all. Dentist today.

He said he had an affliction, not was one.

Poor spikey.

I feel sick now.

Hey, all. I received a couple of wonderful chapter comments for my new western this morning. They made me happy. Hope all of you are well and enjoying life.

I love blue cheese!

Hi, Leo! Thank you so much! It's a simple story, already completed, but there are layers that I believe will keep the readers engaged, so it's nice to hear you already see some promise in it. I like the characters in this tale, and I hope you will too. Yes, there are many Bearpaw Mondays ahead, and I look forward to them too. I truly appreciate the encouraging comment from you... see you Monday, my friend.

Thank you, James! What a wonderful comment to read this morning. I'm not ashamed to admit I always have some doubts when first posting a new story, and sometimes need reassurance from faithful readers. You've just given be a big wallop of that, and I appreciate it. You're are right that there are many, many great online authors, and to be considered one of them is satisfying and encouraging. You readers and your comments have more impact than you know. I never expected westerns would have much success, but I wrote my first one anyway, more or less for myself. Since then I have written four more, and it still astonishes me that there is an eager market for them. Despite having written many other genres, I don't mind at all being considered a 'western' writer. Thanks again for the boost. It was greatly appreciated. Yep, Bearpaw Mondays are now a thing, and I look forward to sharing this little journey with you. Cheers! Gary...

Welcome, Flame! You can learn a lot from this site. It's a great place to explore, and to fine tune your writing skills. Good luck to you! Gary.

Another Yeehaw is welcome, Dan. It's exciting for me to be going west again too. I've been looking forward to this... there is something about writing another western that makes me happy. It is such escapism for me, taking me back to my childhood, to some of the good parts. We have a long road to travel yet, and I thank you for coming along. Please be so kind as to leave chapter like/reactions when you read each one so I know more of what you thought. Cheers, my friend.

Hey, all!

Hi, Man! Another rainy day here.

Aloha, Albert!

Lol. Jubal-ations! You never disappoint, Ivor, with your cleverness. Looking forward to all the dad jokes you can muster, my friend. Cheers!

Thanks, Man! It's you readers who make me want to keep writing these westerns. Appreciate the shout out, buddy.

Hi, Tris! Welcome! I can't tell you how many readers told me they weren't normally fans of westerns, yet ended up being avid readers and supporters of my stories. In case you weren't aware, I don't just write westerns... my catalogue is quite varied and I how you will choose to check some of it out. My first western was a short (13000 words) story for an anthology, called "Finding Refuge", and it remains one of my all time favorites. It was really difficult at first to break so many 'rules' with my western speak, but now it is something that feels so natural I actually think in it. You're right about the good company... for some reason, I have the best bunch of people who keep coming back for more. It is humbling, and makes the process a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy this new ride. Cheers and thanks... Gary....

Wes!! You're back! Hope you have been well... and behaving yourself. My Mondays have meaning again too. Feels good to be starting a new journey with all you good people. We'll be meandering down the trail for a good while... hope you like where we go. Cheers, my friend.

Thanks, Terry.

Hello, wonderlakes! Happy to have you come check this story out. Glad you liked the first chapter, and yes, I post regularly. The story is complete, but I work on each new chapter during the week (I'm a bit of a perfectionist in that regard) and post every Monday, usually early afternoon. We will refer to them as Bearpaw Mondays. It's been a tradition for me to post stories on Mondays, going a long ways back, and readers are used to my schedule. I Hope you stick with the story... I've written four other westerns before this one. Cheers... and thanks for sharing your thoughts in a comment and leaving a chapter like/reaction. Gary....

It was pretty fast, wasn't it? I wouldn't say it was an easy one, but it did flow out fairly consistently. And yeah, there isn't a lot to go on yet, but expect more very soon. We are seeing Jubal at his lowest, but it's really only the tip of the iceberg. I hope the pace of the story works for readers... it's a little different for me, but that's the fun of writing. As I said in another response, I can't reinvent the wheel every time out, and there are some similarities to other stories because of the genre, but all in all, I'm satisfied with it. Looking forward to many more of these Mondays with you and the rest of my faithful ones. Cheers, spikeman.

Thank you, my friend. I was anxious as I always am to see how readers would be react, but I've settled down and am enjoying the ride again. Happy to have my group back, and feel their encouragement. Glad you're looking forward to this one... I'm looking forward to the whole experience of Bearpaw Mondays. Cheers!

That was awesome, Terry. Thanks, pardner. I didn't think I'd be posting for at least another week and maybe two, but I guess I was eager to get started, so worked hard at getting the first chapter ready. Lucas was an easier character to come up with than Jubal was. Jubal was a challenge. All I can really say is I had his backstory from the beginning but had to figure out how he would act/be/think as a character. There was a lot about him I wanted to show, but how to do it was that challenge I mentioned. It feels good to be so immersed in characters again, and for the story to be set in the old west. Happy to have you ride along with me, buddy. Cheers!

Me too... and I've been there.

Yeah... ah... don't forget your glasses either. Thanks for the welcome back. It's a great feeling to be posting again.

Thanks, B.