David Kokernot Now Available!

Finally. A whole pallet-load of David Kokernot: Rogue Soldier of the Texas Revolution arrived at the publisher, Kullyspel Press, and the first shipment has been sent to the wholesaler, Ingram Books. They are beautiful. The dust jacket has a smooth matte finish with a coating that resists scuffing in shipment. The hardback cover is cloth in a deep burgundy with gold lettering. The paper is smooth and just yellow enough to be easy on the eyes but close enough to white to not dilute the tonal range of the grayscale images. Because the printing was done by offset press--not print-on-demand digital press--the photographs reproduced very well. I am pleased.

The major retailers, including Amazon, will not ship orders until June 15 or July 1 to allow time for the supply pipeline to fill and for the pre-publication reviewers to do their thing, if they choose to. Barnes and Noble is taking pre-orders at $18.18, which is a very good price, since full retail is $26.95. Your favorite book retailer should be able to order you a copy, too, since most have an account at Ingram. If you want immediate shipment I am selling copies at the publisher website for the Barnes and Noble price. You'll need an Amazon account and shipment will be by USPS Priority mail.

What do Theodore Clapp, Congo Square, and galjoots have in common?

They're all persons, places, or things found in the index to David Kokernot: Rogue Soldier of the Texas Revolution. So, too, are "grand larceny," "O6," and "Old Igo" among the 1007 entries in the index.

Indexing is surprisingly difficult. The indexer must place himself in the mind of the reader to imagine the information he would seek and the terms he would use to find it. The author is probably the least able to do this, especially if he has worked a decade writing the book. I tried it, quickly gave up, and hired a professional indexer, Melody Englund, to do it. Take a look. I'm sure you will agree she did an excellent job.