Happy Friday, everyone! It’s finally the end of the week and I can’t wait to be done with work. It’s also fun because the #8in2 readathon is starting at midnight 🙂 I loved doing the #25in5 readathon, so it’ll be nice having less days and hours to keep track of.
Thanks to North Star Editions for the advanced copy for my honest review! Also, a big thank you to the author for participating in my Q&A. It’s always fun to read through the answers! The Google one made me laugh pretty hard.
A TOWN CALLED VENGEANCE – Kevin Wolf
This one is book two in the Brokeheart series, so I highly recommend checking out book one: BROKEHEART (see my review here)
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars!
Last year I read BROKEHEART by Kevin Wolf and I really enjoyed his writing style and the mix of Western/historical fiction and a mystery novel. I know Western isn’t always a popular book genre, but the mystery elements were great! A TOWN CALLED VENGEANCE is book two in this series, and I would definitely recommend reading book one first!
Kepler, the frontier newspaperman, is back and he has a new story that is drawing him in. He hears stories about an Apache war party that is being led by a she-wolf. His curiosity gets the better of him and he is determined to finish those battles in the Colorado mountains.
We get plenty of action throughout this book. Everything from stagecoach attacks to shootouts and even days stranded in the deserts of Arizona without water. With this being a shorter book, I don’t want to give away too much more and accidentally give out some spoilers.
If you want some good Western action, a hint of mystery and suspense, then this is definitely the book for you!
About Q&A:
How many hours a day do you write? My creative ability times out at about three to four hours. But most days I try to write 2 hours. That’s actual writing not research or planning. I retired recently and I am looking forward to re-inventing my process.
Do you have any strange writing habits? Some days I wear a cowboy hat while I’m at the computer.
What is your least favorite part of the writing / publishing process? Favorite part? I enjoy seeing the story take shape on a computer screen. I like to get to know the characters. I’ve come to look forward to working with an editor who has the vision and talent to make the story better. I don’t look forward to the business portion of being an author. Websites, s0cial media and PR are necessary evils
How many unpublished/half-finished books do you have? I have the completed manuscript for traditional western. I’m working on a sequel to THE HOMEPLACE now. There’s a finished contemporary thriller, set in Rocky Mountain National Park, that need’s some tweaks.  Still on my computer is my first completed manuscript. It will never see the light of day. I’ve read it several times and it doesn’t get any better. But it was my first.
How long does it usually take you to write a book? I get asked that a lot. Ideally, from first word on the page to “the end” eight to ten months, lay it aside for three months then look at it with new eyes. Editing can take another three months, then send to proofreader. That’s ideal. It never works that way. Someday maybe.
What are you working on now? What is your next project? I’m very excited about the sequel to THE HOMEPLACE. The working title is SINS AND OTHER SHORTCOMINGS. I plucked one of the secondary characters from the first book. Birdie Hawkins in lady game warden on the eastern prairies of Colorado. It county fair time when the mischief begins.
What’s the best money you ever spent as a writer? Dues to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. My advice to any new writer is to tap into the resources and support of a local writing group.
Do you google yourself? Several years ago, I googled my name and found a website for another Kevin Wolf. He was a gay porn star. Fortunately, now references for my writing come up at the top of the list.
What’s one piece of advice you have received that has always resonated with you? After I signed a representation contract with my agent (Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch Literary), we worked through the edits on that first manuscript. We were sure the book was ready for submission. I asked what I should do next. Gina said, “Writers write. Write another book.”  Not overly profound, but very true.
What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you recently? I mentioned one of my characters is lady game warden. I wrangled an invitation to ride along with a lady game warden in eastern Colorado. That day she received a call that a mountain lion had killed a calf at a ranch in her district. As we drove, she told me that she hadn’t met this rancher but the Tucker family owned several ranches in the county and that were brothers, uncles and cousins involved.  He was waiting in a pickup near the pasture with the dead calf. We pulled up, she leaned out the window and asked, “You the Tucker that lost your thumb over to the rodeo at Crowley the other night?” He raised his hands and wagged two perfectly healthy thumbs and said, “No. that was one of my cousins.”
I can’t wait to use that in my writing.
Keep your eyes peeled for a giveaway coming for both BROKEHEART and A TOWN CALLED VENGEANCE on my Instagram!
–Jess
Jessicamap Reviews 
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