SUNDAY SAMPLE

KEEP ‘EM FULL AND KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’

With a blend of photography, ranching heritage, and real cowboy food, I pitched my brilliant idea for a book to an editor at the Western Writers of America Conference several years ago. She told me the book would never sell because bookstores could not determine where to shelve it. Coffeetable book? I’m not a professional photographer. Cookbook? It has nonfiction text about cowboy work and cattle ranching. The Texas special interest section? Except for the recipes and food pictures.

I thanked her for her time and as I stood to leave, she asked if I might be interested in writing a book about chuck wagons. It so happened that I had toured the ranch headquarters of the man who invented the chuck wagon, Charles Goodnight. It was only an hour from my home. So yes, I would be glad to do more research and send her a proposal.

Here’s the thing Wordsmith Six friends, sometimes NO isn’t exactly a NO. I could have rejected her twist on my idea and self-published my vision. But she was right, it would have never made it into bookstores. It had no specific theme. Sometimes you need to think outside of your vision and allow your ideas to morph into a thing that might be totally different. Be open to new ideas. Consider opportunities that might challenge your talents. Long story short, after a year of research, I give you the end results, which is up for pre-order now!

KEEP ‘EM FULL AND KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’; The All-American Chuck Wagon Cookbook.

It has history, it has recipes and I got to use my ranch photographs. All the things I had envisioned except ten times better and guided by a savvy editor who wasn’t afraid to give me an honest opinion. Keep writing and keep believing in yourself. The opportunities are out there.