Review in Shroud Magazine - Empire of Salt

Shroud Publishing  reviewed my novel Empire of Salt. So far everyone likes it. Isn't it odd that a big guy like me can write a story with a 19 year old girl as the star?

In my first novel, Scarecrow Gods, I have a host of male characters, from a young teen boy, to an aged African-American, terribly disfigured Vietnam War vet, to a Roman Catholic Monk, to a homeless man who speaks only in palindromes and anagrams. Guys I can do. Guys are easy. Even my next three novels had strong male leads. So why did I decide to have a 19 year old girl as the hero?

Because I've always been surrounded by strong women and know what they are about. From my wife, to my mother, to all my girl friends, there's not a wilting lily among them. Firm and decisive, yet soft and beautiful, those are the types of women I am used to and the types of women I write. Not to mention that I have a 19 year old daughter, so getting into the mind of a teenager wasn't so hard.

Anyway, thanks to Shroud Magazine for the stellar review. We are one step closer to getting a second printing.

-Weston
Mexican Border