Some time in the early 80s, around the time I was twelve or thirteen, the age Finn is now, my mother convinced a neighbor of ours — a writer, as it happens — to give me his collection of Stephen King books. I spent that summer with Cujo, The Stand, The Shining, Carrie, and, still as traumatizing today as it was then, Salem’s Lot.

There was a moment somewhere in between the deliciously self-inflicted nightmares that it kind of dawned on me: they actually pay this guy to write these books. I figure it was around then that I decided I wanted to be a writer.

No idea what a writer is or does. Then or today. I think writer is more like… a personality trait.

Anyway, it’s thanks to a mountain of garbage manuscripts, a bigger mountain of rejections, Stephen King, and my mother — maybe not in that order — for getting me here today.

I give you my first published book: Rip Crowley in Fox Osage.

Too many people to thank besides Mr. King and my late mother (who I wish like hell could see this). But important to thank Two Gun Publishing for believing in this story, and for shepherding me through the process.

A very important word of gratitude to my friend, the artist of immense talent, Dan Boyd, for the cover.

I also want to express deep gratitude the outstanding Arkansan, historian, and curator of all things Arkansas, Wes Goodner. This book would not be real were it not for his generous time and invaluable resources.

I need to say thank you to Rip Crowley, too, a strong but flawed character whose voice never quite left me. Rip is a quiet man who survived a lot and just wants to raise his family in peace. When that becomes impossible, he recruits his young, creative son to help him find that peace. Someone said it sounds like I’m Rip Crowley, and if that’s the case, I got it wrong.

At its heart, Rip Crowley in Fox Osage is about a man taking his son, who can never fill his shoes, to work with him. So, with that in mind, it’s important to thank my father, Joe Kirby, as well.

Finally, a thanks to you: deeply grateful for you, and to have you read Rip Crowley in Fox Osage.