1.) Quickly, give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline:
title: Blood and Bond, genre: ADULT. Novel of the West
tagline: Middle-aged Eddie CloudRunner experiences odd occurrences that parallel his ranching community’s environmental problems and draw him into circumstances that challenge his spiritual beliefs.
2.) Who is your favorite character and why?
My favorite character in Blood and Bond is Martin Bradley. He’s a very perceptive, rough-edge city adolescent; he was fun to write.
3.) If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?
The cover on the print-edition. It looks too murky.
4.) Give us one interesting fun fact about your book or series:
A fun fact about Blood and Bond. The book is pretty serious. Hmm. I can’t think of one.
5.) How can we contact you or find out more about your books?
Information about my books can be viewed at www.KAIOS.com/books.htm. I also have a Goodreads author page (www.goodreads.com/uppitywoman/) and a blog (www.mentalgeysers.blogspot.com/).
6.) What can we expect from you in the future?
From me in the future–is the future! 
I’m completing a speculative fiction book; the Kindle edition should be available by the end of November.
Also, the second printing of The Adventures of Elizabeth Fortune (historical western) is due out in August (Kindle edition is currently available); another historical western will be in print and on Kindle this autumn.
7.) And now, before you go, how about a snippet from your book that is meant to intrigue and tantalize us:
…Eddie kept a moderate check on the trail he followed through the canyon pastureland. The August morning was warm, and the only disturbance to the grass was from movement of his chestnut gelding’s legs. Usually he enjoyed riding his horse in the mountains and dales of the area. Even on roundups he felt a sense of freedom, being horseback in the open. Today’s venture, however, had him sitting tense in the saddle and frowning at the land. Mae Stanton had telephoned the previous night and asked him to check a possible problem in the canyon. Her son, Jess, lived and worked out of state, and daughter, Kendra, and her husband were in Moran on a business trip. If Eddie hadn’t been available, he knew Mother Mae, as he called her, would have made the ride herself—something not advisable. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome had weakened her, and although she managed all the paperwork and had developed the marketing for the organic beef they raised, it wasn’t prudent for her to get out and ride the range as she had with her husband and Eddie’s parents years ago.
“Two ranch hands were repairing some of the cross fencing, and said the damn cows stampeded right past them toward the front gates,” Mae had told him over the phone. The front gates were eight miles from where he was now. “They said they heard them before they saw them; nearly got trampled,” she went on. “I can’t imagine what would cause that.”
Last night, he bristled against the idea of riding in the canyon. But he had agreed, succumbing to a sense of family duty: he certainly couldn’t let Mother Mae make that ride alone. It wasn’t as if he had something pressing to do today. Three more weeks and he’d be back at school. When he had finished grading ninth and tenth grade final exams seven weeks ago, he was aggravated to the bone and couldn’t wait for the school year to end. He even considered resigning.
“Too late for it now,” he muttered, trying to clear his head and enjoy the pleasant day.
He had been content since his return to Lamp Creek eleven years ago, even six years ago when Kendra married Zach Larson and the One Way suddenly didn’t need Eddie as ranch manager. Eddie started his own little ranch adjacent to the One Way and began teaching at the new Lamp Creek Valley Consolidated High School .
The day grew warmer as midday approached. To his right, Taggart Peak towered white-topped from the Fontenelle range. Rugged slopes spread north and south, forming the eastern barrier of the immense, fertile canyon. Two miles of grass and pine forest stretched to the west before more sheer slopes walled out the rest of the world.
From under the rim of his straw hat he again checked the trail. By the tracks, the seventy-five head of cattle had been running hard. Very strange. He had considered the ranch hands could have exaggerated the situation of hard-running cows. He reined up his horse and stared at a large patch of churned earth. By the amount of torn-up grass, he could tell the cattle had milled around several times—been frantic. He stepped from the saddle and began circling the area, examining the ground. No nearby trees in which a cat would hide, no copses for bear to shamble through. He shook his head, certain that predators weren’t the answer; he had never heard of meat eaters coming off the slopes.
He was now twelve feet out from the disturbed area and found nothing. He frowned, even more confused. Absolutely nothing—not even cattle tracks. Perplexed, he straightened and pulled at his sweaty work shirt.
In the distance, where grassland met the eastern rock wall, he noticed something on the move. The blurred form looked like a horse and rider, but when he squinted toward the object it shimmered and vanished. Heat mirage? It had to be, he reasoned. He had passed the ranch hands this morning as he trailered his horse to valley entrance. No one else could be back here in this huge blind canyon. The ranch was named the One Way because the only entrance to the canyon was south at the gates.
His head began to hurt. He took a bandana from his pocket and wiped his brow. He wasn’t sure what else to check, nor what he could tell Mother Mae…
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