A Bit Slow This Week

The first work, The Rumble of Wheels, is going through the 4-week editing process. After what looked to be a nothing week, the promotional text and author bio arrived today, or perhaps yesterday. I don't recall checking the Member Dashboard yesterday though I try to do that on a daily basis. I will plead one small excuse. The roofers were here yesterday. My advice: do not try to write in your home office when the house is getting a new roof. The cats and I looked pretty much the same at the end of the day: hair standing on end, claws out, and big, staring eyeballs; you know, sort of like people do after the latest Paranormal movie.

Promotional text is a purchased package of descriptions for the novel and the author. The Createspace specialists make very short, short, and extended descriptions such as you might find on the dust jacket flaps for a book cover, or on the back book cover of paperbacks. I downloaded the descriptions and they did a far better job than I could manage to do in the questionnaires. The author bio even sounded interesting. The book description sounded like something I would buy at the bookstore. Hope they get it in sometime soon. I want to read this one! An odd feeling to be sure when I realize that I wrote the thing.

The work on the first of the Tribulation Warriors novels continues. I did not turn it in this week as I realized that through a bit of mucking around in it I had, well, mucked it up. The logical flow of events between Rome, Virginia, and Wyoming had become confusing even to the writer (oops, that's me!).

For your enjoyment, the promotional text for my first novel, and a bit about some fellow who thinks he can write.

Title: The Rumble of Wheels
Author: Bucky Denzil
This is a working draft of your promotional text. Please let us know what changes need to be made. Should you choose to revise on your own, please adhere to the character limitations next to each description. The sections that do not have a character limit included do not have a restricted word count.

Sentence Description (200 characters, including spaces) A unique work of Christian historical fiction, The Rumble of Wheels by Bucky Denzil relates the story of Toledo Ted, who becomes the new state marshal of western Nebraska.

Short Description (2,000 characters, including spaces) The Rumble of Wheels by Bucky Denzil tells the story of Theodore Lagenfells. When his English aristocratic father dies his elder brother becomes the titled heir, and with the help of four thugs, arranges for Ted’s passage to America to avoid any trouble. Just in time for the Panic of 1893, Ted lands in Boston and is recruited by Pinkerton’s Detective Agency, which has mysteriously been keeping track of him. Ted ventures out to explore the new country on horseback, but gets lost in the white birch forests of upstate New York. Exhausted, he promises his life to Jesus, and following the south shoreline of one of the Great Lakes, he arrives in Toledo, which is far short of his intended destination. From then on, he is dubbed Toledo Ted. Training for his job takes him to Chicago during the Columbian Exposition, and although posted to Denver, he never quite makes it to Colorado because of his habit of leaving the railroad to explore.

In Omaha, Governor Crounse arranges with the Pinkertons to hire Ted as the state marshal for western Nebraska, and sends him off to Sidney. Everyone seems to know Ted will be arriving in town, and Sam, a civil war veteran, preacher, teacher, and bounty hunter, gathers together some deputies. A team that includes Zeph De Beers, who is heir to a diamond fortune and originally from South Africa; Long Rain, a local farmer, farrier, and gunsmith who comes from the Nez Perce tribe in Idaho; and Bo, a farmer and blacksmith who tinkers with just about any machine or technology. However, the reader soon learns that someone wants Toledo Ted six feet under. Could it be the mastermind behind the recent train robberies? Or Jayne Crowe’s father, Big John, who is opposed to Ted’s interest in his daughter? Feelings can linger a long time in the West. Does the threat to Ted’s life have something to do with the Wyoming range war? Faith-filled and fun to read, this Western thriller is guaranteed to keep readers gripped until the very last page.

Extended Description

Narrated with a few anecdotes and comments by Long Rain, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, The Rumble of Wheels by Bucky Denzil tells the tale of Theodore “Toledo Ted” Lagenfells. Set in late nineteenth century America, the story opens with Toledo Ted, the new state marshal of western Nebraska, clinging precariously to a cliff face while he wonders how long it will be before Zeph, one of his deputies, doubles back to check on him. Birds are eating the seeds he gathered in his britches, and he can’t help but laugh—carefully. Following yet another stage robbery, Zeph had galloped after the crooks while Ted turned his horse, Artos, up the bluff to cut off the gang’s escape route. However, the dust from the prairie brought Artos to an abrupt halt, and after a short flight, Ted found himself in this predicament. Trying to swing a leg up only causes him to almost lose his grip several times, and he is sure it is only a matter of time before he drops into what he is certain is a vast ravine below. “Are you busy down there, marshal?” says a voice from above. Ted wonders if it might be God speaking to him, until he identifies an amused Long Rain, who happens to be another of his deputies. When Ted dares to look down, he discovers the ground is not too far away. A big ledge breaking up the cliff stands a mere foot higher than a fully outstretched Ted, who lets go with a grateful sigh, sending the birds fluttering in every direction. Flexing his hands to get some feeling back into them, Ted can see Zeph on the stage road below. The gang has made a successful getaway yet again. As Long Rain waits for his orders, Ted wonders what would happen if the quiet, yet capable Indian ever met up with his bombastic and inept brother in England, the new Lord Lagenfells, who is behind the very reason Ted landed in America in the first place. As time goes on, it’s obvious someone wants to end the new marshal’s life, but who could that be? The mastermind behind the robberies? Ted shows an interest in Jayne Crowe when he visits the Fair Breezes Ranch, a misnamed ranch if ever there was one. Does her father, Big John, want him killed? Ted doesn’t know, but when he finds out, it all has a lot to do with betrayal. “Toledo Ted is much like us,” says the author. “We pick up names we don’t like, are often wrong in our assumptions, and have friends and a God who cares about us.” Humorous, compelling, and full of dramatic action, The Rumble of Wheels is a fun and entertaining read.

Back Cover Text (250 words or less)
Everyone in Sidney seems to know that Toledo Ted will soon take over as the new state marshal for western Nebraska. He has quite a history. Born Theodore Lagenfells, he’s the second son of a late English lord. Unfortunately, with the help of a bunch of thugs, he was shipped off to America when his brother inherited the estate. Arriving in Boston in 1893, he was hired by Pinkerton’s Detective Agency, but on his way to Chicago to learn his job, he ended up in Toledo, completely lost, and turned to Jesus for guidance. Having a tendency to wander off, Ted eventually found himself in Omaha, and this is when Governor Crounse asked him to deal with the lawlessness in a town that has run rotten long enough. Meanwhile, a motley crew of deputies eagerly awaits Ted’s arrival, but it soon becomes apparent that someone wants the new marshal dead and buried. An action-packed thriller, The Rumble of Wheels shows God has a sense of humor, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

Denzil “Bucky” Buckle served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the workforce as a dishwasher, cook, truck loader, dock foreman, security guard, cable installer, cabling systems designer, and finally a network administrator. Just before getting the boot after nearly twenty years with Cabela’s Inc., Bucky earned a BS in Information Technology. Raised in Nebraska, the author shares his life with two very particular and well-fed cats.

Author Biography (1,000 characters, including spaces) Raised in the panhandle of Nebraska, Denzil “Bucky” Buckle failed at studying nuclear engineering before he served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Grenada and Lebanon. He then joined the working world as a dishwasher, cook, truck loader, dock foreman, security guard, cable installer, cabling systems designer, and finally a network administrator. Just before getting the boot after nearly twenty years with Cabela’s Inc., Bucky earned a BS in Information Technology. He has written a Christian daily devotional for more than five years and is the author of The Rumble of Wheels, a Western thriller filled with faith, fun, and adventure. As long as the litter box and feeding duties are taken care of on a regular basis, Bucky is allowed to live with two cats.

First Person Author Biography (1,000 characters, including spaces) Raised in the panhandle of Nebraska, I failed at studying nuclear engineering before serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in Grenada and Lebanon. I then joined the working world as a dishwasher, cook, truck loader, dock foreman, security guard, cable installer, cabling systems designer, and finally a network administrator. Just before getting the boot after nearly twenty years with Cabela’s Inc., I earned a BS in Information Technology. I have written a Christian daily devotional for more than five years and am the author of The Rumble of Wheels, a Western thriller filled with faith, fun, and adventure. As long as the litter box and feeding duties are taken care of on a regular basis, I am allowed to live with two cats.

First Person Author Biography (140 characters, including spaces) Raised in Nebraska, I worked for 20 years with Cabela’s Inc. & earned a BS in Information Technology. The Rumble of Wheels is my first book.