One of them said Dad always told a story about how when anyone called me Billie the Kid, I would turn beet red and steam would shoot out of my ears. “And if looks could kill, we’d ‘a all been a goner,” he quoted. So Dad nicknamed me Outlaw on the spot, which seemed to appease me. I could hear Dad on our last phone call at Thanksgiving. “Hey, there, Outlaw,” he said, sounding every bit like Sam Elliot, “what’re ya up to on this fine morning?”
Chickenshit: Crisis #1
In Crisis #1, we meet Billie, her Mom and Dad, Bill (Dad’s lawyer friend), Elliot (the hired hand), and a little grey chicken. Billie’s Dad is terminally ill and in respite care, and Billie gets there in time to spend a little time with her estranged father before he dies. She is completely blindsided by Bill’s announcement.
Chickenshit:Or How a City Girl Does Country All Wrong is Volume I of a series. Available now on Kindle, Amazon paperback November 2017. The next volume will be published in Spring/Summer of 2018.
It has been a relatively short road to completing Chickenshit. The idea was hatched (get it?) early this summer, and I took what turned out to be excellent advice (thanks Chris) to do an accountability blog. It couldn’t have been easier to stay on track. Still, a couple of times, I had technical difficulties and too many irons in the fire. Yet, I persisted, and a mere five months since conception, er, I mean inception, the piece has made it through several drafts and into e-publishing. And soon, it will be available on paperback. Five months, people. Who knew such a thing was possible?
Anyway, I will continue to blog on Wednesdays. The next nine weekly posts will offer a quote from each chapter and reveal some plot (but no spoilers), followed by some of my bullshit about something, probably my next project. I promise not to whine about formatting unless someone opens the door for that. Chickenshit Volume II is on the back burner until early next year. I am currently writing the second novel featuring Alex and Kat. I really should come up with a name for the series. Any ideas?