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Kent Ball
Kent Ball has seven books in various stages of completion, most in the genre of western historical fiction. Over the course of more than two decades, Kent has spent a lot of time a...view moreKent Ball has seven books in various stages of completion, most in the genre of western historical fiction. Over the course of more than two decades, Kent has spent a lot of time and effort learning western lore and horsemanship. A life member of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), Kent has owned several AQHA mares and Lucky Barker, AKA “Black Jack,” a grandson of Bar Tender.
When interviewed by a Writer’s Guild member, Kent had this to say: “I have a background of diverse experiences qualifying me in multitudinous areas, but I focus in Horn Creek on the natures of cattle and of humans. My protagonist runs a gauntlet of adversaries to bring a herd of a special breed of cattle and his extended family from Washington to New Mexico territory for a new life.
“Pride, challenge, terror, and growth are elements of my story set in the period when telegraph lines followed western movement after the civil war and President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration.
“I have been in the position of some of the Horn Creek characters:
• experiencing the love of wife and children
• riding as a greenhorn learning the protocol on a cattle roundup
• moving in the spheres of influence surrounding military/law enforcement officials
• being responsible for a business enterprise
• riding Palo Duro Canyon on horseback
• living in Texas, once near Hereford, where that cattle breed was first introduced in the West
“A major part of my air force assignment was writing standardization procedures where air crew members learn to communicate and react. I have kept my interest in educating while adding the goal to entertain. In you, I hope to find an audience for my interests.
“Now retired and in relationships with a wife of fifty-eight years and with a roan mare, I read the words of Lauran Paine, Louis L’Amour, Elmore Leonard, and Elmer Kelton. I write 20 or more hours a week while managing a household and attending to the needs of my ailing wife.”view less