Book Brouhaha

Summary: A collection of Western short stories that go beyond the standard action and adventure of the genre to focus on character and conflict. In the award-winning "Disturbing the Peace," honorable mention in the 2010 Rope and Wire short story competition, a sheriff experiences a revelation about himself and his relationship with the people of his town, while in "The Outlaw's Wife," a country doctor worries that his young friend is falling for a married woman whose husband is rumored to be a wanted criminal. From the suspenseful "Cross My Heart" to the comedic romp of "A Rangeland Renaissance," to a Western twist on star-crossed romance in the title story, "The Ranch Next Door," these stories will appeal to a variety of readers, as well as established fans of the traditional Western. Review: I'm kind of a sucker for westerns.  I love the setting and Foley's collection is a perfect example of how artlessly it ...

Thanks for agreeing to interview, Daniel. I love your concept! I think people often forget that some of the most memorable short stories are, in fact, children's stories. Why don't you familiarize us a bit with The Kingdom of Patria? Last summer I started a company, Trojan Tub Entertainment, which publishes and promotes my humorous Kingdom of Patria stories for middle grade readers. What is the Kingdom of Patria? Well, you've heard of the U.S. Government's mysterious Area 51? Have you ever wondered about Area 1? For 3,000 years a tiny, unknown kingdom has existed in the remote woods of what we know as northern Indiana. The kingdom was founded by a hearty bandy of refugees from the Trojan War who sailed across the Atlantic in a reconfigured Trojan Horse. Good thing they packed extra sandwiches! In the first book in the Patria series, Stout Hearts & Whizzing Biscuits, Oliver Stoop, age 11, moves with his family to a remote piece of land in the country, and soon...

It's astonishingly easy to spend a lot of money while being a self-published author.  Far more than you could ever hope to make back in the first few years of writing (unless you somehow get lucky).  I've discussed briefly before things that I feel are definitely not worth the money.  So I thought it would be worthwhile to mention things that I think are  worth the money.  Or, at the very least, produce solid results. 1)   Cover art.  Yes, this can be tricky and expensive as a short story author since you're cracking out a new story every month.  But make an effort to put nice covers on what you feel are your "feature" pieces.  Stories that seem to sell well for you or stories that you want to become known for.  Good cover art can only help this cause. 2)   Facebook ads for your FB fan page.   Not for anything else.  Just for your fan page.  Facebook users are "like" crazy.  Having an ad run for a few d...

The city was enormous.  Bigger than anything she had ever seen.  Her tribe lived mostly in tents made of animal skin.  In the cold season they would have makeshift mud huts. But this... This was beyond anything she could have imagined.  There were beings everywhere.   Merchants  lined the street selling goods.  Crowds flowed through the street like blood through veins. Where should she even begin?  Who should she talk to about the invaders she had found? Calen shifted her pack slightly to a more comfortable spot.  The blood had already drained from the severed heads of the Imperium  soldiers  that she had killed.  Still, they were heavy.  Taking a calming breath she decided to trust The Spirits to guide her and pushed her way forward in the crowd. She wandered for what seemed like an hour.  The streets grew more crowded.  Calen started to look around for a place where she might rest when a voice cut th...