I was born in 1956 and raised on a small cattle ranch in central Texas, not far from Llano. My childhood was filled with dirt roads, hot summers, and early mornings feeding livestock before school. My parents weren’t big talkers, but they worked hard and taught me to stand tall and keep my word. Right after high school, I joined the Army and spent several years overseas in an armored unit—experiences that changed me, both for better and worse.

When I came home, I married my high school sweetheart, Ruth. Together, we built a life—three sons, a house we poured sweat into, and a welding shop that helped put food on the table when ranching alone couldn’t. We didn’t have much, but we had each other. Losing Ruth in 2012 was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced. The boys had grown and gone off chasing their own dreams, and suddenly the house felt too quiet, too empty.

That’s when I picked up some old Westerns—Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, C.J. Petit—books I hadn’t read in years. One day, I just sat down and started writing. I wasn’t trying to be a writer; I just wanted to clear the noise from my head and get my memories down on paper.

Now, I tell stories about good men living through hard times, about land that will break you if you don’t respect it, and about justice that isn’t always legal but sure feels right. These stories are for folks who believe in honor, grit, and doing the hard thing because it’s the right thing.