Category Archives: Joe Nichols

FEELING BIG

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Feeling Big

Why is confidence so fragile? How do we let one negative happening destroy our memory of all the times when we were successful? And when everything clicks together one time, all our confidence can return just as fast. One day you feel out matched by a sick chicken, the next day you’re sure you could knock King Kong down and stomp on him. I truly admire people who can level out the highs and lows to remain focused, and at peace.

Donnie Williams in TRAILS END has no belief in himself. Yet, his determination allows him to succeed at times. His self-worth soars in these moments, then crashes shortly after. As the story progresses and he matures, he figures out the important, and the insignificant aspects of life.

I think most of us struggle with our self-confidence often. I hope this novel will capture your interest and you can relate Donnie’s challenges to your own.

When you’re on top, stay humble. When you’re on the bottom, look back to your successes, then look up.

Thanks for reading and check in next Wednesday.

Joe Nichols

AGING WITH HONOR

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Aging with honor

Getting older doesn’t happen to everybody. You have to stay alive first, as my previous blog about my cousin Bryan solemnly reminded us. For those of us dealing with the physical slow down that comes with the years, I think we have to stay active as possible, yet accept what we can no longer do without complaining or becoming depressed about it.

In my novel TRAILS END, seventy-eight year old Robert Jarrett is determined to ride and train the young colt (Trails End) by himself. This causes a spat between the rancher and his wife, Allie. Because I am trying to make the story as realistic as possible, Allie wins.

Robert decides to have Donnie Williams, (the homeless boy he bailed out of jail) ride Trails End for him. This puts enormous pressure on the boy, but Robert believes it will build his confidence. I believe this demonstrates an example of admitting your limitations while helping someone else. Aging with honor.

Rare But Special continues his race carrier at The Downs at Albuquerque. As of this year, the New Mexico track is excepting all ages of horses. This will also allow a good horse to “Age with honor”.

Joe Nichols

RARE BUT SPECIAL

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RARE BUT SPECIAL

We all are faced with tough decisions concerning our animals. It doesn’t seem appropriate, but sometimes the emotions we have dealing with pets and livestock traumatize us more than our family situations.

Rare But Special ran his best race. He broke from the starting gates in the lead, and easily maintained that position until the straightaway. Down the stretch, a horse challenged him on the outside and took the lead by a half-length. In only a short distance, our horse regained the lead and left that horse behind. At that point, we thought victory was ours.

We wanted that horse to win so bad. He evolved from a starved unbroken five year old, to a serious contender in a sanctioned race. Because of his age, he needed to win first to continue his racing career. Two horses inched passed him in the last fifty yards, and he won third. This was his first long race, 870 yards. The mental and physical conditions are strenuous for that distance, and the race he ran was amazing under the circumstances. My wife and I are so proud of him, yet heartbroken he didn’t win. He may be out of options, and we’re faced with deciding his future. He really isn’t suited for any other purpose.

Donnie Williams witnesses this type of situation in chapter three of TRAILS END. It’s a hard part of owning animals. They can become so close to you, they are part of who you are.

I don’t know the topic of the next blog, but it’s going to be fun and positive, opposite of the last two. I hope to have you back for next Wednesday.

Joe Nichols

Tribute to a Patriot

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Tribute to a Patriot

 

There won’t be any promotion of my novel or cowboy talk this time. I would like to pay tribute to my cousin, Bryan Nichols.

I’m sure most everyone is familiar with the Chinook helicopter shot down recently in Afghanistan. Bryan was the pilot. The funeral overwhelmed me in so many ways. My heart aches for his wife Mary, his son Braydon, my uncle Douglas and aunt Cindy, and all the family. The military service was precision and included a fly over by two Chinooks at the gravesite. My wife and I were in total awe. The words spoken about Bryan by his fellow service men was high emotion. But let me tell you what had the most effect on Dianne and I.

We saw the worst, and the best of America. The worst? The Baptist loons from Topeka were there doing their protest. One woman’s sign read, “Thank God for dead soldiers.” When you see on television or hear about what they do, it makes you mad and disgusted. When it’s directed at one of your own, there is a completely different set of feelings.

Let me assure you, the good far out weighed the bad. I’ve never seen that many American flags in one day in my life. The American Legionnaires stood six feet apart and completely lined the street and grounds of the school where the service was held. They all held flags, the sincerity chiseled on their faces. They did the same thing at the cemetery and there had to be close to 500 of them. Several of them had come from Olathe Kansas the day before, attending a funeral for another soldier killed in the same incident. These men and women are all volunteer and not compensated. God bless them.

The most amazing thing of all that restored and validated all my pride and love for this great country, were the everyday citizens who lined the highways and city streets showing their support. It was forty miles to the cemetery, and people with flags were there for the entire route. The two small towns we passed through were ten people deep on both sides of the street. This was not organized or planned or promoted by any group. These folks, on their own, knew of the fallen local hero and took the time and effort to demonstrate their appreciation for Bryan’s service and his family’s sacrifice. I would have thanked every one of them personally if I could.

Please remember everyday what these fighting men and women are going through. They ain’t doing for the money. They do it for you and me and their country. The greatest country on earth.

Joe Nichols

“RACE BRED”

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“RACE BRED”

Rare But Special is a horse you would call, “Race bred.” His sire comes from linage of the great Easy Jet, owned and raised by Oklahoma breeder Walter Merrick. The dam (mother) goes back to another super horse named Dash For Cash. The point being, these are winning racehorses, not only successful on the track themselves, but also at producing winners in their offspring. The same selection process to breed cutting horses, reining, jumping, endurance, whatever equine discipline there is, these horse are specifically bred to be the best at what they do.

In Chapter two of my novel TRAILS END, Donnie Williams learns of his new boss’s attempt to breed the perfect cow horse. Robert Jarrett uses a method that involves mating animals that are already related to each other. If it works, it’s referred to as line breeding. If it fails, people call it inbreeding. The result of this project is the ranch horse named Trails End.

Rare But Special came in fourth in his last race. Not too bad, but he has to win first to continue his race career. He has one more chance on August 28. I hope you’ll be rooting for him, he’s a kind sweet horse that didn’t have much of a chance early in life. A lot like my character Donnie Williams.

Joe Nichols

WRITING HORSES

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WRITING HORSES – Joe Nichols

After several days of 100+ degrees in my home in the Texas panhandle, I head south to Fredericksburg where it’s really hot. I do have a good reason to be here for sure. I hauled a horse owned by my wife and I to the Gillespie County Fairgrounds to run him in a Quarter Horse race.

My whole life has been involved with fast horses, rodeo broncs, and cow horses. Cow horse? A cow horse is used to handle and work cattle, such as gathering and driving them to different pastures, or to a corral to be sorted, doctored, branded, or shipped to market. Modern times will never replace this valuable tool still used on today’s ranches, feedlots, and livestock auctions.

A working cow horse provides the nucleus for my current novel and the reason for this blog. I would like people from all walks of life to enjoy my story. If I can help the folks not familiar with the western lifestyle to understand it better, the story of Donnie Williams will relate to anyone.

In chapter one of TRAILS END, the prominent aging rancher, Robert Jarrett, learns that sixteen-year-old Donnie is in jail. When Robert decides to go to the police station, it begins the transformation of Donnie’s life.

Next Wednesday, we’ll talk more about the story and some “cowboy terms”. Also, I’ll give you the results about “Rare but Special” in his race.

Click on the author page above to connect with Joe.