Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

They don't think I'm hardboiled enough.

Hey, readers of all kinds of genres. Tikiman and the Viking will be selling and signing their books at Half Price Books, 8145 E Kellogg, Wichita, KS on May 16, 2026 from 2p to 4p. We look forward to meeting you at this truly amazing book store. #books @weatherviking.bsky.social

Olive oil herb bread. Peanut butter cookies (the bulk of which were given to my mother in law with a sweet tooth!).

A jazz poem, for a change of pace.

Give us a listen.

I appreciate that she is patiently waiting for the author to appear for the book signing. #booksky

On the road in 2026.

The beard is a lot neater here. #booksky #authors

I will be there along with @weatherviking.bsky.social . Tikiman and the Viking Podcast will be well represented.

I'm not sure how many "ace crime reporters" of the 20's and 30's had big beards. I might have been one of the few. #booksky

The scene reminds of something out of "Sweet Smell of Success" #booksky

While I prefer the time period, I'm not sure how Hemingway or Fitzgerald would have responded to the beard. #booksky

F. Scott Fitzgerald said "There are no second acts in American lives." Well, I consider this my third act.

Grandfather of the Beats? #booksky

www.instagram.com/p/DUgHQ0SEa9... #booksky

meta.ai/media-share/... Paranoid? Me?

MIXED GENRES We were fortunate enough to interview Jim Butcher for Tikiman and the Viking Podcast. He was very engaging and came across as a teacher more than a best-selling author. His work is a mix of fantasy and noir. There are not a lot of writers who can pull off the notion of mixing genres…

Just a 1950's writer-at-the-beach fantasy.

#TheWichitaChronicles #booksky

#historicalcrimefiction #booksky

AM I DOING IT WRONG? You could be starting out as a writer or have a couple of books under your belt. Maybe you’ve sold some but want to sell more. Perhaps you’ve immersed yourself in one genre and want to jump to another. Everywhere you go, any place you look, there will be countless resources…

My first sourdough loaf.

WHERE TO NEXT? I started writing historical crime fiction in 2016, with the first book of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles published in 2017. The series was completed in 2021. The new series, the Wichita Chronicles is underway. Book Four and Five will complete the series. There is a new…

Part Two of our interview with @jennablum.bsky.social @weatherviking.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/64aw... #booksky

#TikimanandtheVikingPodcast #booksky @weatherviking.bsky.social

Time enough at last?

#tikimanandthevikingpodcast @weatherviking.bsky.social

Tikiman and the Viking Podcast: Two writers and creatives in the Midwest trying to find their muse among the wheat and where we talk to other creatives about their process. @weatherviking.bsky.social youtu.be/GwY9HTbtGKk #BookSky #WritingCommunity #podcast #writers #writing #AuthorInterview

There is an element of craft involved with what might appear to be the "simple" process of baking bread.

I know the cigarette is a prop, but I don't smoke. #TheWichitaChronicles #historicalcrimefiction #writingcommunity #writers #books

Please feel free to provide any comments or feedback regarding your experience with Tikiman and the Viking Podcast.

#writingcommunity #writers #books #TheWichitaChronicles #TheCropOfWickedness I actually own a London Fog overcoat AND a black fedora!

#writing #writingcommunity #historicalcrimefiction #TheWichitaChronicles #books

A perfect time of year to review the past while focusing on the future.

A 1950's vibe from a 1980's photo. AI makes me look more hardboiled than I ever have in real life #writing #writingcommunity #historicalcrimefiction #hardboiled #noir

@tikimanvikingpod.bsky.social @weatherviking.bsky.social Come and give us a listen. We ARE this colorful!

THE CLASS SYSTEM I began to notice the man character in my Wichita Chronicles series sometimes takes issue with the wealthy people who hire him. After WWII, lucky enough to get an apartment in a city which saw an influx during the war, he should be happy with whatever cases he gets and for the…

#books #historicalcrimefiction #writers #writingcommunity #thewichitachronicles #thecropofwickedness

A SHORT PIECE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION The best thing a writer can do is to venture beyond their comfort level. Whether it is genre or medium, you can’t sharpen a dull knife. It’s important to maintain your edge. I have written plays, screenplays, short stories, novels, and poems. However, shorter…

READJUSTMENT A quote widely (but perhaps erroneously) attributed to Albert Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting different results. The truth is most of us do change, modify, adapt, whether it is intentional and measured or simply happens out of necessity.…

FOLLOW YOUR OWN PATH I have attended the OWFI writers conference for several years, was former president of KWA, and was a speaker at the Kansas Authors Club conference. I am co-host of Tikiman and the Viking Podcast. This is not intended to be a resume or a job interview. The point is that I am…

You'll be inspired by this man's passion for the craft of Writing. Give it a listen.

A POEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION I recently had the opportunity to go to VAN GOGH: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE. I do enjoy museums greatly and am not typically into high-tech exhibitions such as this. However, given the nature of the artist himself, I quickly understood what it was like to be him and to…

#historicalcrimefiction #writingcommunity #blueskybooks Just leaving this here for any writers or readers of historical crime fiction to connect.

THE JUDI EDITS I signed my first contract with The Wild Rose Press in 2016 and my first book with them was “Ark City Confidential” which was released in January 2017. My first editor with them was Cindy Davis. I had two prior books released through another small press which is now defunct and…

Tikiman and the Viking at the Craft of Writing Conference in Tulsa. #TikimanandtheVikingPodcast #booksky #books

These were the first two books of my FIRST historical crime fiction series, #ArkCityConfidentialChronicles. And now I'm on my second series, #TheWichitaChronicles. AND...I started work on my third series. Ain't writing fun? #booksky

RELEASE DAY!!!! #booksky #writingcommunity #books #historicalcrimefiction #writers #TheWichitaChronicles