Change in the works

First, thanks to everyone who subscribed to my two email newsletters on the Substack platform, “The Montana You Barely Know” and “Sky Dreamer.” Like any author, I sincerely appreciate reader engagement like that ... almost as much as actual purchases of our books.

I've decided to move everything over to the Ghost blogging platform, a low-cost, open-source arrangement. For anybody with modest techie chops like me (enough to be dangerous), Ghost offers a straightforward way to blog without a lot of the overhead and hack-prone aspects of WordPress. I speak from some experience, having used WordPress off and on for a good share of the past decade.

Enough of the nerd stuff. Here's the deal. If you subscribe (free) to this email newsletter, not only will you stay in the loop with future tidbits about “Sky Dreamer” and other books I'm planning, I'll give you a modest free gift.

That gift, a short e-book (PDF, Amazon format or the format used by Barnes & Noble's Nook reader, Apple Books, etc.)  is the introduction to my next book, a nonfiction work called “Lindbergh in Montana.” As some know, Charles Lindbergh, then the unknown 20-year-old son of a Minnesota congressman by the same name, came to Montana as a member of a Lincoln, Nebraska-based barnstorming outfit in the summer of 1922. Not only did Lindbergh show off his wing walker skills at fairs in Lewistown and Billings that year, he also worked for a short while as an airplane and auto engine mechanic at Bob Westover’s garage on First Avenue North in Billings.

Lindbergh returned to Montana in 1927 after his epic transatlantic flight. His visit to the Treasure State was part of a nationwide tour to boost commercial flight following his nonstop, solo jaunt from New York to Paris in The Spirit of St. Louis.

I hope it will be a fun read and help shed light on Lindbergh’s lasting influence on Montana, perhaps best epitomized by the official renaming of Echo Lake in the Swan Range to Lindbergh Lake.

Meanwhile, mark your calendars for two events related to “Sky Dreamer”: the book launch on Saturday, April 9, 1 p.m., at This House of Books in downtown Billings and May 11 when I'll join other authors for a virtual Montana author showcase hosted by Country Bookshelf in Bozeman. I'm not sure of the time for the latter; I'll update when I know.

Copies of “Sky Dreamer” are now available or will be available very soon at both stores.  And if they run short, please ask store representatives to order you a copy. I'll definitely sign copies at the Billings launch. For Bozeman readers, it's likely I'll have to provide author book plates. If you fit that description, drop me a line, and I'll snail mail you my John Henry.

Finally, if you prefer to deal directly with me and get a signed copy of “Sky Dreamer” in the mail, see the order page below. Thanks!

P.S. As I build out the “buy” page, I'll include my two earlier books, “Win Em All” and “Midway Bravery.”