New Mexico Magazine Review

A huge thank you to Ashley Biggers of New Mexico Magazine! Her wonderful review of Tierra Red appears in the November, 2009 issue -- the photo of the cover at the right will take you directly to the magazine's website and the review.

Tierra Red Book Signing Date

Yep, we have another one this week in one of my favorite locations in New Mexico -- Ruidoso. An early portion of Tierra Red takes place on the western slopes of Sierra Blanca Mountain. Ruidoso is on the eastern side in one of the prettiest valleys in the whole world.

Come join me at Atticus Books & Tea House from 2-5pm!

Big Thank You to Tome on the Range!

Last Saturday was a wonderful experience -- the book signing in Las Vegas, NM was a smashing success! We had a lively crowd which made for a great discussion time.

This bookstore is a must-see if you are ever in northern New Mexico!

Tierra Red Book Signing Date

Getting ready for our visit to northern New Mexico this weekend. Our next book signing is scheduled for September 5th at Tome on the Range Bookstore on the plaza in Las Vegas, NM from 3:00 to 5:00pm. Hope to see you there!

This is an especially exciting book signing since most of Tierra Red takes place in and around the Las Vegas community.

Hastings Book Signing on June 20th

Can you tell just how much fun we had at this book signing the day before Father's Day? Hastings Books in Las Cruces was a very, very busy place!

I hope all those fathers who received a copy of my book enjoy the read . . . .

Tierra Red Book Signing News

Our first book signing was a lot of fun. COAS Books certainly knows how to make a body feel at home. In a few days, Hastings Books in Las Cruces will be hosting a similar event for Tierra Red.

We are in the process of establishing the schedule for this summer. Latest news is that we will definitely be at Tome on the Range Bookstore in Las Vegas, New Mexico on Labor Day weekend. As soon as the date has been established for Atticus Books & Tea House in Ruidoso, it will be published here, too.

Haven't meant to be so neglectful of posting historical points for Tierra Red. Look for a few new posts this weekend.

Tierra Red Book Signing Dates

Now that my federal court jury duty time has come to an end, we finally have the opportunity to do our first book signings for Tierra Red. The wonderful folks at the following bookstores have set up the following for June:

Saturday, June 13th -- 10am at COAS Books, Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, NM

Saturday, June 20th -- 12noon at Hastings Books, 2350 Lohman, Las Cruces, NM

The cast of characters and I are looking forward to meeting all of you!

Tierra Red Historical Point: White Sands Desert

The largest pure gypsum dune field in the world is located at White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. The dunes cover an area of 275 square miles, 115 square miles of which are located within the White Sands National Monument. President Herbert Hoover proclaimed and established the monument in January, 1933.

Lily's harrowing escape from the catastrophic events that occur in Part One of Tierra Red culminates in her being stranded in these dunes. It is here that she discovers the treachery behind her arrival in the Territory of New Mexico.












I found a wonderful old legend concerning the White Sands Desert on the National Park Service website -- a ghost story!

The Legend of Pavla Blanca


To the Indians of central New Mexico, one of the most enduring legends is that of Pavla Blanca, the ghost of the Great White Sands. Hidden behind the swirling eddies of the spectral white dunes, her tragic story provides one of the most fascinating tales of the Southwest.

In early 1540, a valiant, young Spanish conquistador, Hernando de Luna, left his lovely betrothed, Manuela, in Mexico City to accompany the famed explorer, Francisco Coronado. Searching the uncharted lands in present day Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas, Coronado followed every Indian clue, every tale, looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola and Gran Quivira, where the houses were said to be studded with gold and the streets were afire with jewels.

Ambushed by the fierce, proud warrior Apaches on the edge of the Great White Sands, the Spanish battled for their life. Exhausted and beaten, the survivors fled southwest to Mexico City. It is said that Hernando de Luna was mortally wounded and perished somewhere in the ever-shifting white sands. Setting out to seek her betrothed somewhere north of what is now El Paso, Texas, the lovely Manuela was never seen again. It is said that the ghost of this beautiful Spanish maiden haunts the dunes of the Great White Sands. She comes nightly in her flowing, white wedding gown to seek her lover, lost and buried beneath the eternal dunes. Some say the ghostly figure usually appears as the evening breezes sweep and dip over the stark white dunes, just after sunset.

The moderns have it that Pavla Blanca is caused by a prevailing wind sweeping over the hushed and lonely desert in the evening, whipping wraith-like eddies of dust. But the Indians say it is the ghost of Manuela, still eternally seeking her lover.

Fact or fiction, those with imagination, strolling in the silent shimmering dunes after a fiery sunset may be fortunate enough to witness for themselves the unusual sight. Thus, this legend persists for some, even to this day. This is Pavla Blanca.