David Milton McGowan: June 2017

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Busy times interfering with the writing.

Mr. & Mrs. John Bowren

I’ve been extremely busy the last few weeks delivering fuel and haven’t done a great deal of writing. There is a short break apparently this week but then there is always something to do around the place which also interrupts the keyboard time. We need an electric fence around the garden to keep from feeding the deer the tender new growth and save it for ourselves. That job is about half done but today’s rain has shut that job down long enough that I can do this.

Another oil field job starting tomorrow but, as usual, no thought of scheduling for those not a part of the immediate on-site crew. They want their fuel after supper.

For now, though, a short break to put a few letters together and form some words.

I have few things on my calendar for the summer; a book signing at Cole’s in Ft. St. John on June 17^th, reciting my rhyme contribution to the “Alaska Highway 75^th Anniversary” CD at Dawson Creek’s Pioneer Village June 24^th (their opening day for the season) and a couple more of those over the summer at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery.

“Cattle Business”, my next novel is ready and waiting for production but that won’t be happening anytime soon … unless I receive a big inheritance from a rich relative I don’t know exists.

I’ve also been working on two new novels, one of which is a continuation of the characters introduced in “Partners”. At this point I’m calling it “Underbelly” a look at some of the less than pleasant parts of life in Barkerville during the late part of the 1860s as the price of gold was dropping. The picture above is of Mr. and Mrs. John Bowren, BC and Barkerville pioneers. He was an “overlander” and walked, with a group of about 160 others from Fort Gary (Winnipeg) through Fort Edmonton, the Yellowhead Pass then down the Fraser to reach the goldfields.

In the mean time here are some excerpts from previous novels, the covers of which are off to the right.