Update on the Book
Finally - a publication date! Goodbye Wifes and Daughters is scheduled to come out in January of 2010. I plan to read from it in Red Lodge or Bearcreek that February, in time for the anniversary of the disaster. I'm still not sure what the cover will look like after the designer is finished, but I'm excited to see it. I met with some University of Nebraska folks this weekend and they were very nice, which makes me even more excited about the publication process.
Hi, I am going to buy the book as soon as possible. I have one comment for people who want to make Montana a big game preserve or a historical site. They need to remember there are real people, with families, who make a real living ranching and farming, and to put them out of business for a preserve or a site would be a crime. I realize that the movie stars are taking over the western part of the state, and there are many newcomers who are trying to escape the big city or live in peace, or sell their California home, and buy more than they ever could have had back on the west coast. Naturally, these newcomers are changing the personality of the state, but go to the eastern part—Garfield County in particular, and you will find these real people, who are fiercely dedicated to their way of life, which is a hard one, but honest and true to Montana. The people, born and bred in Montana, are what make the state what it is.
I was born and raised in Garfield County, Montana, and even though I have lived in Texas for years, my heartstrings are still tied to the sagebrush and barbed wire of Garfield County. I have family who live on the same ranch my grandparents, bought in the 40's. They still rope calves and brand them in the traditional way; these people are a breed unto themselves, and they make Montana what it is. Good luck with your book tour!