Been AWOL...

...but not for nothing!

At long last, I have a full draft of my nonfiction project for Simon & Schuster, all 540 doorstoppin’ pages of it. To be honest, this beast is not yet licked, but a major hurdle has at least been cleared—which gives me an overdue opportunity to check back in at the Bluff.

The effort itself has been all-consuming for well over a year, in part because I got a late start out of the gate. As it happened, the publisher pulled the lever on the proposal the same week the New York Times green-lighted "Cat Country," in the aftermath of the mountain lion attack on my nephews, so right off the bat, the book got de-prioritized. Once I was finally able to give it the attention it required, I had to crank that back-burner up, and never stop stirring.

As a refresher, Perch of the Devil recounts the origination story of Butte, Montana, and the copper mining that played a crucial role in wiring the modern world for electricity. Two powerful personalities rose to dominance in that time—1880-1900—and stayed at each other’s throats for nearly all of it, in what is still remembered as the War of the Copper Kings. It’s an amazing story, from a time when frontier Montana directly impacted the conditions we now take for granted as everyday life. I’m honored to bring it to a contemporary audience, and will update here as things move ahead—so stay tuned, on your electronic device! Powered through that outlet in the wall! Still, to this day, brought to you by…copper!

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When I say Perch has been all-consuming, I mean right down to my reading roster, which has almost entirely consisted of 19th newspaper accounts and relevant research titles (a particular shoutout to my friend and fellow traveler Brenda Wahler, whose books on Copper King Marcus Daly have been indispensable).

I’ve got some catching up to do, and a great excuse to dive back into fiction—my pal Josh Weil just launched a novel set in Gold Rush California. Titled What Came West, this one has the added bonus of Josh’s exquisite line drawings, detailing various natural history features of the Sierra Nevada. I’m looking forward to connecting with Josh here in Missoula in September, at Fact and Fiction Books…details to follow…

Also at the top of the queue: The Lost Cities of El Norte, by Peter Stark. This one describes Coronado’s legendary-yet-delusional quest for the mythical Cities of Gold in the American interior, not 50 years after Columbus misconstrued the Caribbean for Southeast Asia.

Peter’s resume is staggering, from his assignments for Outside to the towering Astoria. He’s one of the premiere spinners of historical adventure narratives currently at work, and a generous, big-hearted guy in general. I was lucky enough to drop by his new podcast recently, which he produces alongside broadcast veteran and all-around Renaissance man Jimmy Mac. We had a rambling conversation and a lot of fun, bantering about outdoor adventure, interior discovery, and getting lost, both figuratively and literally—not to mention willfully!

Check it out here: Last Empty Places

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Otherwise, I’m pained to admit that I have yet to wet a line this summer, let alone launch the drift boat or pitch a tent. That’s called nose-to-the-grindstone, and it couldn’t be avoided. Now hopper season’s coming on, my favorite time to flog the water, which means I’d better flog myself into something resembling a balanced life…just in time, of course, for the worst spell of wildfire smoke we’ve had in this neck of the woods in years. Fingers crossed for clear air, and a clear calendar…

Thanks for riding along. More soon—I swear!