Excerpted “Author R Lawson Gamble has published the 10th novel in his “Zack Tolliver, FBI” series titled “TULARE.” The long awaited novel is now on pre-sale at Amazon.com. The longest book of the series, so far, takes the reader from the Navajo Nation, where the story begins, to California’s Central Valley, where Tolliver and Eagle … Continue reading TULARE AUTHOR INTERVIEW with the SANTA YNEZ STAR

Early readers of TULARE, Zack Tolliver, FBI #10 now on pre-order at Amazon, have been puzzled by the concept of a Two-Spirit person, as personified among the Yokuts in the novel. I have leaned on an essay by Deborah A. Miranda, of the Ohlone-Costanoan Esselen Nation, Chumash. Her title, Extermination of the Joyas : Gendercide … Continue reading TULARE’S TWO-SPIRIT PEOPLE

The benefits to an author from placing a book on pre-order (allowing readers to purchase copies before its release) is clear. Many publishers facilitate the practice and many authors do it. However, there are risks. The benefits to readers are dependent on a number of factors, but those who enjoy the author and would purchase … Continue reading TULARE is on Pre-order: Is That Good?

As I have observed before (probably too many times), my fiction is binary in nature. I simply place my protagonists in a location with an idea. The characters then make a series of decisions from the beginning of the story to the end. Yes or no? Up or down? Left or right? These decisions determine … Continue reading TULARE IS HERE!

Books and wine go together like a horse and carriage, or for those too young for that pairing - pen and paper, toast and jam, keyboard and monitor, government and taxes - take your pick. Here in central California, books and wine are most appropriately paired. Which is why I hold author events at vineyards … Continue reading BOOKS AND WINE

As recently as 1850, Tulare Lake, in the San Joaquin Valley, was the largest body of water in the United States west of the Great Lakes, its shores thick with cattails and tule reeds, speckled with brilliant wild flowers, and inhabited by migratory waterfowl and birds of every description. Deer, antelope, and elk drank from … Continue reading Tulare

On a recent trip to Utah, I stayed in St. George for a night. While there, I decided to drive north into the Bull Valley Mountains to visit the site of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, an event that has long fascinated me. 1857 was a tumultuous time in the Mormon ruled enclave with mounting pressure … Continue reading A Massacre

“The Curse Of Matilija” is now an exciting new audio book narrated by Case Matthews. Case's' deep, resonant voice enshrouds the listener in a swirling cloud of mystery and intrigue from the opening moments. The reader drifts helplessly into the vortex of Matilija’s curse within a somnambulant, hypnotic tide produced by this narrator's vibrant expression. … Continue reading NEW AUDIO BOOK WITH CASE MATTHEWS

Those of you who have read CANAAN’S SECRET will remember the splendor of the landscape where jagged red walls rise abruptly above arid plains to proclaim the coming of Zion just beyond their summits. Here nestles a community of the Fundamentalist branch of the Mormon Church split by the border of Utah and Arizona, a … Continue reading Going Back to Canaan

When driving north from Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley today, you will experience a variety of sights from oil rigs to vineyards, dairy barns to orchards, and ultimately croplands stretching to the horizon. The primary impression here is flat, dry and hot. It is surprising to learn that this waterless landscape was once the … Continue reading Tulare Lake