Is a Gift Card an Appropriate Gift?

My kids called to find out what I wanted for Christmas. When I asked for a gift card from Amazon, they said that would be impersonal. I didn’t argue, but it made me wonder why they asked.

Their response made me think about the appropriateness of gift cards. I think they’re great. If emailed, shipping costs are nil, they arrive at the speed of light, and I get to pick my own gift at the time of my choosing. What could be better?

Then I thought about it. What would be better is a present the giver enjoys giving. A gift is not one-way social exchange. Fathers used to be effusive when they received ugly ties. There was a reason. The giver was a loved one … perhaps a loved one with lousy taste, but a loved one nonetheless. You don’t make someone feel crummy because you didn’t like their gift.

That said; I’m getting an Amazon gift card for Christmas. How did I convince my kids? I told them I would email them a thank you each time I bought a book for my Kindle and send them my review when I finished the book. That promise overcame the biggest negative of gift cards; the giver never knows what the recipient does with it ... or if it's lying in a drawer somewhere.

Gift cards are becoming ever more popular and they are changing the ebb and flow of book sales. Print sales are best before the holiday and ebooks are better after the holiday. You can almost feel people using gift cards to load up their electronic devices.

By the way, if you expect a gift card, download samples of my books now so you can decide where to spend your largess.

Take a vacation from all this nonsense with a good book.

Top 10 Tips for Book Gift Giving

 

A book is unique. Reading fiction is like taking a mini vacation without leaving home. An engrossing story makes a person’s worries fade to the background. Reading nonfiction can entertain while learning how-to tips, gaining perspective, adding to knowledge, or finding enlightenment.

At times, friends and relatives can be hard to buy for. Some seem to have everything. Due to age or illness, others may be less mobile than in years past. Some don’t really want much. Families scatter across this huge country and selecting a gift, packaging, and shipping can be a chore. 

A book is always a great gift … especially if you take the time to match the recipient’s taste in fiction or nonfiction. There are books about every hobby and interest in the world. Picking the right book shows you care, and your thoughtfulness becomes part of the gift. Whether your relatives or friends are interested in the Civil War, literature, romance novels, westerns, paranormal fiction, railroads, guns, cooking, collecting old comic books, antique automobiles, or anything else, there's always a book that will bring a smile to their face.

Here are my Top 10 Tips for Book Gift Giving

1. Write a personal message on the flyleaf that won't get tossed out like last year's holiday card. 
2. Write surprise messages in the margin of random pages. If you don’t like writing in books, use yellow sticky notes.
3. Create an eye-catching bookmark that reminds the recipient to call or write.
4. Search out an author signing for your recipient’s favorite author or give a collector’s edition of the recipient’s favorite book.
5. Shop at an independent bookstore to receive personalized professional help.
6. If shipping is not free, mail books early to take advantage of media class at the U.S. Post Office.
7. Give a book as a piece of art, like a fine print book, unique coffee table book, favorite childhood book, or collectible cover art.
8. College students will appreciate cash or a gift card tucked into the flyleaf. 
9. If your friend or relative already owns piles of books, consider a unique set of bookends to hold them in their proper place.
10. Give a bookseller gift card for e-book and audiobook enthusiasts.

Children's books are also great gifts. We search for autographed storybooks for our grandkids. Bookstores always have children book signings around the holidays, and this is one area where we join the crowd. The icing on the cake is that we get to read from one of these books when we visit.

Books are a great entertainment value. They provide hours upon hours of personal pleasure, and then can be passed on to another person ... or even another generation. What could be better?

Old Haunts has joined the Steve Dancy Tales.

Old Haunts Excerpt

Honest westerns. Full of dishonest characters.

 

Readers are giving Old Haunts great ratings. After two months, the new Steve Dancy Tale has nearly a hundred Amazon ratings for a score of 4.5 and a Goodreads ratings of 4.7. 

Here is an excerpt.

What happened next surprised me. The marshal cold-cocked him from behind with his pistol. The supposed Cutler offspring crumbled like a scarecrow cut from his supporting stick. He had been knocked out twice in as many hours. I bet this confrontation wasn’t how he had envisioned it in his imagination.

The marshal gave me a sideways glance. “What’s your beef with this man?”

“None. He seems to think he has a beef with me, but I never saw him before he accosted me on the train. I told him he was mistaken and asked him to return to his seat. This was the first I saw of him since.”

The marshal shook his head, “Well, I guess I gotta sort this out. I’ll hold him for a day or so. Damn, this morning started out nice and quiet.”

Sharp asked. “Ya need help with ‘em, marshal?”

“Ah do,” the marshal replied.

“Give ‘em a hand, Steve,” Sharp ordered.

“Jeff, I thought you were offering.”

“Me? Hell, it was you he wanted to kill. ’Sides, I’ll get our bags and have them sent over to the hotel. Meet ya at the marshal’s office.” He threw this last over his shoulder as he sauntered down the platform toward the baggage car.

I laughed and grabbed my assailant’s legs while the marshal lifted from the armpits.

“What’s your name?” the marshal asked as we stutter-stepped down the platform steps.

“Steve Dancy.”

“Staying?”

“The General Palmer … unless you can suggest better accommodations.”

“None better except Mrs. Prescott’s, but she full up. You say you never saw this man before?”

“Never. He claims I killed his father in a street fight in Nevada, but I live in California.”

“You the writer?”

“I am,” I was suddenly wary. My novels didn’t sell that well. “How did you know?”

“Not that common of a name. Read all your books. Good yarns. Unrealistic, but that’s to be expected.” He walked a couple more steps before adding, “Several of your stories take place in Nevada.”

This man was smarter than he appeared. “Yes, I lived in Nevada one summer. Many, many years ago.”

“Happen to kill anyone?”

I smiled. “Marshal, my books are all in fun.”

The marshal nodded toward the man we were carrying. “This man looked serious.” The marshal remained quiet for a few steps. “Many, many years ago there was a gunman named Dancy. Like I said, uncommon name hereabouts. That be you?”

 There was no question that this marshal was savvy enough to get the complete story out of the Cutler offspring. I decided to quit concealing my past.

“I am that Dancy … and twenty years ago I did kill the man he claims to be his father. Cutler had raped a woman and was trying to kill my friend. I approached him with my gun holstered. Things got out of hand and we both pulled. I was not charged … nor have I ever been charged for any crime. I didn’t deserve my reputation as a gunfighter, but stories grew. Get exaggerated. I do it myself in my books.” When the marshal didn’t say anything, I added, “Brian Cutler was a bad man. Worse, he did his criminal deeds for hire.”

“I see,” he finally said. “Nothing I can do about it anyway.” He smiled at me. “However, some of your exploits were in Colorado.”

An uncomfortable observation. “Passed through Denver many times and lived in Durango for a while. Used to own a house here. I gave it to Maggie McAllen as a wedding present.”

“That’s quite a wedding present. You must be nicely fixed.”

“I am,” I answered without elaboration.

“Hmmm,” was all he said.

We arrived at the marshal’s office and plopped our burden onto a narrow cot in a big empty cell. There was a cot against each wall, so this must have been a communal holding pen.

After locking the cell, the marshal asked, “Know Maggie’s pa?”

“Joseph?” He nodded. “On our way to visit him and Maggie’s family. We ride out tomorrow.” I paused. “I assume you know him?”

“You might say. He’s the one who got me started on your books. Also told me some yarns not in your books.”

“Joseph’s not talkative.”

“You sure got that right, but he can get downright chatty in the right circumstances.”

“What might those be? I’ve never seen that man chatty.”

“Late at night around a campfire with family and good sipping whiskey.”

That stopped me. “Are you related to Joseph McAllen?”

He hung the cell key on a peg behind his desk. “My uncle.”

Now Available: Old Haunts, A Steve Dancy Tale

Honest westerns. Full of dishonest characters.

 Old haunts is now available in hardcover, trade paperback, and Kindle. Get a copy while they're still hot off the press.

The Shopkeeper Free? Oh, yeah!

Honest westerns. Full of dishonest characters.

As a promotion for the soon to be release of Old Haunts, The Shopkeeper ebook will be free from April 24th through the 28th. If you haven't started this great series, go grab yourself a copy of the first book of eight Steve Dancy Tales.

The Steve Dancy Tales has exceeded 100,000 Kindle Sales

 

Honest westerns. Filled with dishonest characters.

This feels like a major milestone, so I guess it must be. In January, The Steve Dancy Tales (7 books) exceeded 100,000 Kindle sales. Sales are over 120,000 when print, library large print, and audio are considered. (That’s really fun to type.)

More important, the Tales have over 2,000 Amazon ratings for 4.5 stars and over 4,000 Goodreads ratings for 4.4 stars.

Thank you to all my readers. I appreciate you.

Now, if only I could get my thriller series to catch up.

War on the Waters, James M. McPherson

 

With the exception of the Monitor vs. Merrimack (CSS Virginia), naval battles get short shrift in Civil War books. McPherson certainly fills that gap with War on the Waters, The Union and ConfederateNavies, 1861-1865. Land battles were certainly decisive, but the Union may have lost the war without Gideon Welles and the Navy Department. McPherson even makes a strong argument that Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut deserves to be ranked with generals Grant and Sherman when giving credit for the Union victory.

Inventions and innovations by both the Confederate States and the United States revolutionized naval warfare. Steam-powered ships, screw propeller driven ships, ironclads, submarines, weaponry, and naval tactics all made major advancement during those four years. By Appomattox, the United States owned the largest navy in the world, and arguably the most technologically advanced.

War on the Waters does an admirable job of describing blue water and brown water (river) battles and in explaining the significance of each clash. I found the battles that required cooperation between the Army and Navy of particular interest. As an added bonus, International law on blockades is more fully described than in other history books.

McPherson’s no nonsense writing style can sometimes verge on dull, but he always pulls the reader back to the narrative in the nick of time.

I recommend this book to all those who have an interest in the Civil War, naval battles, technology advancement, or military politics. War on the Waters is informational and a good read.

(This is a research book for Maelstrom, a sequel to Tempest at Dawn.)

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah

Books make a thoughtful present and are a great entertainment value. They provide hour upon hour of personal pleasure, and then they can be passed on to another person. What could be better?

"The Shut Mouth Society is a fast-moving, well-written novel." David M. Kinchen, Huntington News

"Best makes this a compelling—indeed frightening—story. Deluge is a highly recommended natural disaster thriller, written with acute attention to reality and little, if any, needless melodramatics." Jack B. Rochester, Fictional Café

The Steve Dancy Tales

Goodreads: Nearly four thousand series ratings for 4.4 stars

The real story of our nation's founding.

"This is by far the BEST book on the origins of the U.S. Constitution . . . and it's a novel. But Best gets all the motivations and details right as any "history" book. Get this!"

Larry Schweikart, author A Patriot's History of the United States and over a dozen other history books

Tips from the best writers in history.

A great stocking stuffer for the writer in the family.

Order Today

Musings on the CoronaVirus

My stomping ground, sans people.

We winter in San Diego. Nothing against the grandkids, but everything against snow, cloud cover, and biting cold. This year we got chased home before Easter by something we couldn't even see. A little bugger. For a couple days, I wondered if we did the right thing. Our San Diego condo is walking distance to everything. If fuel became a problem, we could still live there forever.

Now, I'm glad we're ensconced in Omaha, Nebraska. During the Cold War, the Air Force put the Strategic Air Command in Omaha because it was smack-dab in the middle of the country, which made it harder to hit with a big ol' honkin' ICBM. Evidently, that pesky little virus has trouble hitting it as well. At any rate, we have the bug, but not nearly as severely as the rest of the country.

In the meantime, California has gone coconuts. The whole state is in lock down. You can't walk with anyone who doesn't reside in the same house. You can't walk on the beach. You can't walk on the strand. You can't go in the ocean. You can't surf. (By the way, the best surfing is getting a wave to yourself. So, social distancing helps make a great day in the water.) The police can even ask you why you're walking on the sidewalk.  I wish people well and hope this isolation protects the health of Californians.

As for Nebraska, we're under similar guidelines but, for the most part, enforcement is on the honor system and disciplined by peer group pressure. I'm not sure it's any different, but it feels less onerous. I hope it continues along this line, but that will depend on the behavior of people. So far, so good.

As for myself, I haven't left the house and yard for a few weeks. Okay, a few walks around the neighborhood. But that's it. Honest. My daughter keeps calling to see if I'm bored yet. I keep reminding her that I'm a writer. I just sit down at a keyboard and transport myself to another place and time. Without friends, relatives, or the ocean interfering, I'm getting more done than usual.

I am getting nostalgic, however. I pine for the days when I could run out of the house on a whim, hug my grandkids, and have dirty hands.

Ah, for the good ol' days.

By the way, if you're bored, try one of these. They'll take you to another place and time. Unfortunately, when you set them aside, they'll drop you right back in the same world.

Honest stories filled with dishonest characters.

Roundup Magazine reviews No Peace

No Peace (Steve Dancy Tales Book 7)

Now a married man, Steve Dancy hopes that his life will become one of normal, marital bliss. But if you've read any of the author's work, then you'll know it isn't likely to happen, especially when Dancy's friend, Jeff Sharp, appears on the scene. This author pens a riveting story, every page brimming with action and suspense.

                                                                          R. G. Yoho

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

A Christmas Gift for Steve Dancy Fans

Honest Westerns filled with dishonest characters.

The seventh book in the Steve Dancy Tales is available for the holidays. Steve Dancy fans will enjoy the gift of a print or Kindle copy. Take my word for it. Why would I lie?

________________________________________________________________________________

Dancy has married and settled down but without warning his world reverts to the savagery of his bygone days. There will be no peace.

No Peace, A Steve Dancy Tale

By the way, if they have gotten behind in the series, you can gift them more than one book.

The Steve Dancy Tales

Read an excerpt here

18 Ideas for Gifting Books

At times, friends and relatives can be hard to buy for. Some seem to have everything. Due to age or illness, others may be less mobile than in years past. Some don’t really want much. Families scatter across this huge country and selecting a gift, packaging, and shipping can be a chore.

A book is a perfect gift ... and a great way to avoid the crowds. Books provide a great entertainment value, delivering hour upon hour of pleasure. Reading fiction is like taking a mini vacation without leaving home. An engrossing story makes worries fade away. Reading nonfiction can also entertain while learning how-to tips, gaining perspective, adding to knowledge, or finding enlightenment.

If you take the time to match the recipient’s taste in fiction or nonfiction, your thoughtfulness becomes part of the gift. Whether your relatives or friends are interested in the Civil War, literature, romance novels, photography, westerns, paranormal fiction, fishing, railroads, guns, cooking, collecting old comic books, antique automobiles, politics or anything else, there's always a book that will bring a smile to their face.

Top Tips for Book Gift Giving

1. Write a personal message on the title page that won't get tossed out like last year's Christmas card.
2. Write surprise messages in the margin of random pages.
3. There are books about every hobby and interest in the world. Picking a book that fits you’re your recipient’s interests shows you care.
4. Search out an author signing for your recipient’s favorite author.
5. Gift an entire series, like a complete set of Harry Potter books.
6. Gift a collector’s version of the recipient’s favorite book. (I’d like a First Edition of The Virginian.)
7. Shop at an independent or specialty bookstore to get professional help selecting your book.
8. With Amazon Prime, gift wrapping and shipping is free and the book can be sent direct to the recipient.
9. Mail early to take advantage of media class at the Post Office.
10. Give a book as a piece of art, like a fine print book, unique coffee table book, favorite book as a child, or collectible cover art. (I like early 20^th Century Westerns with period cover art.)
11. Make a highly personal photo book with ShutterFly or Mimeo.
12. Give a bookseller gift card for e-book and audio book enthusiasts.
13. Give a new model Kindle or a nice cover to an e-book enthusiast.
14. College students appreciate gift cards for their campus bookstore. (For fun, I put it inside a trashy novel for them to read on Spring break.)
15. As a bookmark, tuck in crisp currency.
16. If your friend or relative already owns piles of books, give a unique set of book ends to hold them in their proper place.
17. Children's books are great gifts. We search for autographed storybooks for our grandkids. The icing on the cake is that when we visit, we read these books to them.
18. Coloring books now come for every age.

If you choose to gift one of my books, thank you.  I appreciate it.

Deluge Reviewed at jackboston.com

A First-Order Disaster Story About an Atmospheric River

It’s to his credit that he focuses his attention on the human element of the deluge, rather than going all technical on the reader. We read as citizens, law enforcement, academia, politicians and outlaw gangs deal with the deluge. In the process, Best makes this a compelling—indeed frightening—story. Again and again I was impressed with Best’s characterizations and grasp of how profoundly a storm such as this can disrupt life. The potential power of water stayed with me for days. This is a highly recommended natural disaster thriller, written with acute attention to reality and little, if any, needless melodramatics.

Read the full review here.

Storms, politics and street gangs pummel California ... and that's not the scary part.

Buy print or Kindle at Amazon

Author Interview at NFReads.com

Today, NFReads published my author interview. They ask good questions, so if you want to know my dark secrets, take a gander. Just kidding. I kept my darkest secrets in a closet under two tons of rubbish.

P.S. Don't forget to pre-order No Peace, A Steve Dancy Tale

No Peace is one step closer to publication.

I have used the same editor for eleven books, and once again, I'm beholden to her for saving me embarrassment. I always think I've submitted a perfect manuscript, only to discover a prodigious amount of red ink on every page. Contrary to popular belief, novels are not entirely a solitary task. Beta readers, editors, book designers, and cover graphic designers all play a major part in bringing piece of fiction to market. I am grateful for them all.

New Review for the Shut Mouth Society

JackBoston.com has reviewed the Shut Mouth Society.  Read the full review here:

The Shut Mouth Society was a great and unexpectedly satisfying read. I’ve read several (not all) of Jim Best’s Steve Dancy novels and enjoyed them, but this novel is considerably more sophisticated and, well, interesting. Kind of like Russian Kachinka dolls, its setting is contemporary but within that it’s a historical novel. Like any historical novel, fact is married to fiction, and in this book it all works well together: the story carries the day and you don’t really know or need to care if every single thing is factual.

An Odd Setting for a Western

Del Monte Hotel, Monterey, California

No Peace, A Steve Dancy Tale takes place at the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California. A resort overlooking the Pacific Ocean may seem an odd setting for a Western, but not to worry, Steve finds a way to get into trouble.

Actually, it's difficult to get further West than the Pacific Ocean, and California had its share of desperadoes. The Hotel Del Monte provides an interesting setting and remains in use today. During WWII, the building and grounds were requisitioned by the navy. In 1951, the Naval Academy postgraduate school moved from Annapolis to facilities in Monterey. The hotel is now called Herrmann Hall, the main building of the Naval Postgraduate School.

No Peace takes place a few years after Steve and Virginia ride off to enjoy their honeymoon at the end of Crossing the Animas. Life has been quiet for the newlyweds, so a family gathering in Monterey seemed to pose no apprehensions. Steve could not be more wrong. A duly elected sheriff and gang leader has consolidated his outlaws with the local Mexican bandits and a Chinese tong that controls the docks. With peace between the three rival gangs, there is no peace for the residents and visitors.

“How can I find this leader of the white gang?” Dancy asked.
“People don’t go looking for him. Ever. He sends people to find you. If you did find him, you’d be out of your element … and outnumbered. He never meets anyone alone. He’s always got mean killers around him. Ruthless men, capable of anything.”
 “I have friends,” I said.
“A gentleman like you doesn’t have the right kind of friends for men like this. My advice: pay the ransom, go home.”
“I may pay the ransom, and I certainly will go home.” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “If you won’t tell me how to find him, at least tell me his name?”
Nelson looked down at his lap and shook his head. Eventually, he looked up at me and shrugged. “Listen, his name is unimportant.” He leaned forward, hands folded, both forearms on his desk. “Stay away from him. He’s a murdering cutthroat who’d skin alive his own mother if there was money to be had. These are bad people. Very bad. Pay … and get the hell out of here.”

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

No Peace: Progress Report

Honest Westerns filled with dishonest characters.

My beta readers have finished and I've incorporated their suggestions. (Or not, depending on my mood.) Subsequently, I competed my third draft and sent No Peace to my editor. When she returns it, I'll have a final set of red ink to deal with. After that, it's book design and cover. Actually, we started on the cover, but so far haven't made any decisions. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's a snippet to whet your appetite.

I thought about all of this and became dejected. “So, all the outlaws in the region have been consolidated into a single gang and the law’s in bed with them. In fact, it leads them. Combined forces of over two hundred. The main culprit is a greedy, duly elected sheriff who fancies himself a dandy, and to top it off, he kills indiscriminately.”

Nelson looked sympathetic. “That’s about it. He likes the high-life, controls every outlaw within a hundred miles, and is on the lookout for a big stake.” He hesitated. “One more thing, he’s exceptionally handy with a gun. Also knifes and fists. If fighting’s involved, he mastered the tools and techniques. Worse, he applies his skill with a rage you would never believe until you see it.”

“He sounds crazy.”

“Now, you’re beginning to understand.”

I stood to leave.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Not sure. What do you think I should do?”

“If you can figure out a way to run, run like hell.”

The Steve Dancy Tales

No Peace, A Steve Dancy Tale

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

My new Steve Dancy book takes place in 1885, three years after Steve and Virginia took off for their honeymoon in San Diego. A lot has happened off-page. You'll soon be able to catch up with Steve and all of his friends in his latest adventure titled No Peace.

Maybe soon is the wrong word. I've finished the second draft and now two of my beta readers are spreading red ink all over the manuscript. When I finish incorporating their notes, it will be ready for my professional editor. Then she'll send back another red ink-stained manuscript. After I incorporate her changes, it will be ready for the book designer, who will format the word files for print and electronic versions. Simultaneously, my son will design the book cover. (As I've mentioned before, I'm getting back his Art Center tuition one book cover at a time.)

If everything goes without a hitch, No Peace, A Steve Dancy Tale should be available sometime this summer.

In the meantime, if you haven't tried Deluge, download a sample onto your Kindle or buy the paperback. Deluge is the most adrenaline you’ll can experience while reclining in a Barcalounger. 
And if you haven't tried them yet, there are two Steve Dancy Short Tales in Wanted and Wanted II.

4,000 Goodreads Ratings. Cool!

Woke up this morning and went through my normal internet routine with my first cup of coffee. I check Twitter, Facebook, and my book sales and reviews. At Goodreads, I saw something that made me smile. I had hit exactly 4,000 ratings for my books for 4.0 stars. Thank you to all my readers, especially those who take an extra moment to write a review or rate the book.