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Great News!
The American Library Association's "Booklist Online" has named “City of Rocks” one of its Top 10 Westerns for 2012.
Booklist Online is a website for subscribers to Booklist, a book-review magazine published by the American Library Association. It features more than 135,000 book reviews and thousands of features for librarians, book groups and book lovers.
Fall Off and Sit a Spell
Welcome to Michael Zimmer's little spread on the Internet Range. Back in the day, the phrase "Fall off and sit a spell" was a fairly common greeting. It meant: "Welcome. Come on in and have a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
It means essentially the same thing here. "Come on in. Have a look around. I'm glad to see you, and hope you can stay awhile."
This is where I should probably tell you a little about myself, or at least that part that pertains to my writing. Besides the basics -- I live in the Great Basin, west of the Rocky Mountains, and I've been married to the same wonderful woman for over thirty years -- probably the quickest way to introduce myself is through the information that is already out there. For example, the author's bios on my first two novels, which read in part:
"Michael Zimmer grew up on a small Colorado horse ranch. Later, as a high school student in Indiana, he began to break and train horses for spending money. An American history enthusiast, he has done extensive research on the West..."
That was written at the publication of my first novel, "Sundown," in 1988. In the years since then, my interest in history has continued to grow. I'm especially fascinated by the more obscure aspects of the 19th-century West, a land in a constant state of transition. Whether it was the mountain man era giving way to the expansionist period or cattlemen displacing the hunters and trappers, it was a wild, wonderful, and uniquely American experience.
You may someday read a Michael Zimmer novel about a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas, or a stand-tall Marshal taming a frontier town. But you'll be more apt to read about buffalo hunters, outlaws, or Indian traders.
Historical Accuracy
As a writer, one of the things I'm most proud of is my research. The author's bio in the 2009 British printing of "Cottonwood Station" elaborates a bit more than what appeared in "Sundown."
"Michael Zimmer grew up on a small Colorado horse ranch...[yeah, yeah, if you started at the top, you've already read this part; here's the new stuff]...His personal library contains well over 2,000 volumes covering that area west of the Mississippi from the late 1700s to the early decades of the 20th century.
"In addition to perusing firsthand accounts from the period, Zimmer is also a firm believer in field interpretation. He’s made it a point to master many of the skills used by our forefathers, and can start a campfire with flint and steel, gather, prepare, and survive on natural foods found in the wilderness, and has built and slept in shelters as diverse as bark lodges and snow caves. He owns and shoots a number of Old West firearms, and has done horseback treks using strictly 19th-century tack, gear, and guidelines..."
In other words, I'm a re-enactor. I've cooked food over a buffalo-chip fire – and ate it. I've trekked through National Forests and ridden horseback through them, using period tack such as Santa Fe saddles and gourd canteens. I've wandered the mountains in all seasons, wearing buckskins and wool, and I've slept – comfortably -- in 12-degree weather using just a pair of Hudson Bay blankets and a piece of black bear hide for my mattress.
I feel that these skills enhance my understanding of the American West, and that the adventures I've experienced, no matter how mundane compared to the real deals, are reflected in the finished product. I hope you agree.
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