Mule Days Celebration Coming Up

Jere D. James will be attending this year's Mule Days Celebration as a guest author in Moonlight Mesa's vendor booth. Although his newest title, Canyon of Death, is still a month or so away from being in print, Jere will sign his other two Western books, Saving Tom Black and Apache.

"I'm disappointed that Canyon of Death won't be with the other two books, but the publisher assures me it'll be present for the Pinetop event over Labor Day," Jere said. "I plan to attend that event also since I'll be in the high country most of the summer getting ideas and the setting for my next novel, High Country Killers."

"The next book will be a difficult one as I'm really striving to make it much more historical than the first two. Saving Tom Black was somewhat historical, and Apache was 'socially historical,' but the next one I'd like to make much more factual, yet still keep a good fiction tale in it. I'll be writing a Western mystery, so it'll be a challenge," the author said. "The publisher told me she didn't care, as long as the project is completed on time."

Jere will be heading to the high country at the end of June most likely, and will start off once again in the Prescott area before moving on to Pinetop. "I need to do some terrain to get my mule and horse back into shape. In fact, my horse may not be able to do much this summer in terms of long, rugged rides. He's in a bad way right now. He's older and his knees aren't what they should be. Might just be the mule on this adventure," Jere said.

Jere won't give any hints as to what may occur in the next book, but he does say that people will be surprised about the main character's womanizing ways. "I'm trying to keep it respectable, but spicey. The publisher and editor will keep me from going off the fun, deep end," Jere said, laughing.