Bio: I was born and raised in eastern Oklahoma?formerly known as the Indian Territory. My home was only a half-day?s ride by horseback from old historic Fort Smith, Arkansas, home of Judge Isaac C. Parker, who became famous as ?The Hanging Judge.? As a young boy I rode the same trails once ridden by the likes of the James, Younger, and Dalton gangs. The infamous ?Bandit Queen,? Belle Starr?s home and grave were only thirty miles from my own home. I grew up listening to stories of lawmen and outlaws. For as long as I can remember I love to read, and the more I read the more I wanted to write. Hundreds of poems, songs, and short stories only partially satisfied my love of writing. Dozens of stories of the Old West gathered dust on the shelves of my mind. When I retired I began to take down those stories, dust them off, and do what I had dreamed of doing ever since I was a small boy?writing historical western novels.