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About Me / Bio |
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 I've never really believed in reincarnation, but my fascination with and ties to the Old West are undeniable. I lived there -- breathed in the dust, listened to the coyotes, stalked bad men down the creaky boardwalks - and I still live there.
As long as I can remember, I've been drawn to that era, when life was less complicated but just as dangerous as today's world. I grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, 50 miles north of the Texas/Mexico border. I traversed the desert, explored ghost towns, rode horses, and headed for a life in rodeo, riding barrels - until I moved to the Philippines at the age of 15. Height of the Viet Nam war and all that. I learned of living on a Naval military base, worldwide traveling, and lived through many experiences that few people believe. Certainly no one in the Old West would believe me.
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Funny how life's turns change plans. I moved back to Las Cruces attended New Mexico State University. Teaching seemed the path of least resistance, so I got married, moved to Albuquerque, and started a career of sharing life's lessons with teenagers.
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All the while in front of the students, my mind raced with gunfighters, cowboys in stampedes, women struggling to stay alive in a rough world, men and women of the Old West. They wouldn't let me rest. My friends from a past life were knocking on my door and I let them in. |
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Since then, I've shared their life tales in novels and short stories. Come with me. Read some of their trials and tribulations. I still don't believe in reincarnation, but the tendrils of the past are just as strong as ever.
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 The Old West springs to life every Sunday when I perform with the New Mexico Gunfighters in Albuquerque¹s Old Town. As "Mad Mel", facing a Colt .45 gives me new perspective into the lives of outlaws and people who lived and died by the gun. I know what it feels like to shoot a sheriff (fortunately, ours gets up to play again) and get "shot" myself. Our season runs February thru Thanksgiving. Come visit.
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