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“Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones.” —Thomas More

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Good morning on this Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — a month best known for marking the transition from summer to autumn, the start of the school year, and the changing of the leaves. 

A couple of personal announcements I wanted to make. 

. . .Consider this an invitation to check out my revised website TomRizzo.com. In addition to a place to explore my writing about the American West, you’ll find a tab to enter my art gallery, mostly focused on Old West landscapes and brief stories that accompany them. 

. . .Several years ago, I had a health issue, and my treatment affected my ability to provide the energy and focus necessary for my writing. To satisfy my creative side, I turned to art. Read the full story at TomRizzo.com and check out my artwork, with more pieces on the way. 

Many thanks to Kathryn Lloyd (kathrynlloyddigitalagency.com) for her creative structure and design.

. . .My new novel, Bullet Crossing, a classic Western, is in the editing stage and will be available soon. I’ll keep you all posted on the timeline as the launch date nears. It’s an exciting story of regret, revenge, and redemption.

Thanks and stay tuned!

Now, enjoy this week’s Roundup 

- WILD WEST ROUNDUP -

1. US Marshal Heck Thomas once single-handedly escorted forty-one prisoners to Fort Smith—believed the largest single group of felons ever delivered to the court. Click here to read all about “MAN OF COURAGE."

2. Joel A. Fowler lived his life by a code of violence. Some say he killed twenty men. Others say seven. The last time he killed someone, an angry mob decided to deliver its own brand of justice. "COLD NIGHT FOR ANGELS."

3. I’m in the process of trying to nail down a cover design for my new novel. While searching for designers, I came across an article published by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It features cover art from Westerns of the Forties and Fifties.

- FROM MY MAILBOX -

4. It seems that every few months or so, an article appears about the benefits or drawbacks of coffee. Popular Science debunks four myths about coffee drinking. 

5. The cloaking devices used by the Klingons and the Romulans rank among five inventions influenced by TV's Star Trek. Click here to boldly go to the future.

6. Some plants experience movement after the sun goes down. And, according to a team of scientists, birch trees actually appear to sleep.

7. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of different surveys, from serious to wacky. This one ranks states by how quiet or loud they are.

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“A fool is known by speech and a wise man by silence.” —Pythagoras

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