October 1, 2026

The Latest

Hi, Reader

Happy fall, everyone. A few leaves are already dropping from the pecans, though it's tough to say how much of that is drought-related. The flurry of hummingbirds, which reaches 50 or so tiny birds at its peak here, has dropped to about three stubborn hangers-on. And one of my fantasy football teams is already toast for the year. So the calendar must be telling the truth. And I have what I think is an upbeat story to share.

Hopeful Signs

Last weekend, I was one of 20 featured authors at the annual Word Wrangler book festival in Giddings, Texas. It is a well-run, three-day affair hosted by their public library. About 800 to 1,000 people pass through, and the majority of those are scheduled school classes. I counted at least four different ISDs who took part. Other than my Zeke Gets Glasses book that I did with my old PC Cowboys bandmate John Swasey, I write books for grownups, or at least high school age and up.

As part of that book festival, I spoke to a high school class and also did a reading for the book club at a different high school. The book club came from a little town named Lexington that is known for having one of the most famous BBQ places in Texas, and therefore the world. I've never gotten to eat there. It's only open on Saturdays and generally sells out within a couple of hours. People start lining up before dawn, several hours prior to opening. I love my Q, but not that much. Anyway, Lexington HS doesn't even have school on Fridays thanks to a four-day schedule, but about 15 book club members came out to the book fair. Great kids who listened attentively.

The class I visited was at Giddings HS. They gifted me a bag full of Buffalo swag. That's their mascot. It was an Honors English class, and though there was one obligatory dude taking a nap throughout my talk, most of them were very engaged. The teacher was rather amazed that I had so many students asking questions.

But my takeaway of hope came from someplace else. All those hundreds of kids came through in single file, passing all the tables. One class had an assignment to ask questions of authors, and they were great and eager. At about 2:30, the frenzy of the morning died down, and I was a little relieved. But then something wonderful happened. At least 20 of those kids came back to the library. I recognized them since there was a bit of a slow down in front of my table as they navigated past the children's author next to me, a nice woman who was giving out coloring pages.

These returnees were back with their parents. They were excited by reading and dragged mom or dad back with a wallet to buy them books. I had already discovered that lots of high school girls apparently LOVE true crime since four of them bought books from me earlier. But in this late afternoon group were the true bookworms. In short, they were kids like me. One little guy in an NFL sweatshirt brought his mom over to buy a copy of my picture driven sports history book. "You want that one," she asked. He nodded. It's exactly the kind of thing I'd have selected when I was 9 or 10. I hope he reads the cover off that book.

It's easy to look at the world and think that people around us are getting dumber and dumber. (There's a B in that word!) I don't believe that. I think people are just learning different things. But what I observed anecdotally this past week is that there are still lots of kids who love to read and learn, even in the most rural parts of Texas. I put that down as incredibly good news.

Speaking Out

Most of y'all know that I book public speaking events - lectures and book readings - from time to time. My next one will be on Tuesday, October 13 at 6 PM at the Story Peddler in Bellville, TX. It's a little west of Houston. Come out if you can. It's a fantastic independent book store and could use your support.

I'm always looking for other speaking gigs. I can do a history lecture or tell stories about comedy or sports. It's not free, and I like to be able to sell books, too, but I can promise that it will be entertaining. To that end, I've reorganized both my website and my YouTube channel in hopes of booking bigger and better speaking work. If you need someone to speak to you work conference, please keep me in mind.

A Free Essay For You

Much of my long-form content on Patreon is behind a paywall, though the first several paragraphs of everything is always free. But about a third or a quarter of it is public. That includes one I wrote about the dreaded marketing side of being a professional creative. Spoiler alert - I don't like having to do it.

Anyway, I'm offering the link here as long-form bonus content.

A reminder that you can sign up for my Patreon at no cost and get notified every time something new goes up on the page. Unlike the capricious algorithms on other social media platforms, you actually get what you sign up to follow. You can also browse other creative folks on there.

Thanks so very much for your support. As always, positive words you spread are most appreciated. I mention here regularly that if you've enjoyed my books, please go to Amazon and Goodreads and leave a review. My book sales depends on these. Please use the buttons below to follow my social media. Find my books at Amazon or ask your favorite bookstore. Signed copies through my website store. Until next time, all things good to you and yours.