Ash profile picture

Ash

I have not yet begun to defile myself.

About Me

Check out the photos for the sequel to "Borrowed Time," "Holliday in Tombstone" out now! Photo shoot took place in Tombstone, Arizona. Comments are always welcome!---------------------------------------------------- ------- My first book, an historical fiction western, titled "Borrowed Time" is available from Trebleheartbooks.com or through your favorite bookstore. For an autographed copy with a personal dedication, or to read an excerpt, check out my website at www.smballard.com. If you love Doc Holliday (and who doesn't really? Be honest now), you'll enjoy "Borrowed Time!" And, it's the first book in a trilogy. Myspace Backgrounds

My Interests

Horses, riding and ranching; animals of all sorts including donkeys, rats (I've had many pet rats and rate them as tops in the pet department - only drawback is their short life span); my bull terrier, Scarlett; my kitty, Luka; gardening, quilting, target shooting, yoga, reading (mostly research) and of course, writing.

I'd like to meet:

Most of the people I'd like to meet have passed on to whatever waits on the other side: Teddy Roosevelt, John Henry Holliday, James Stewart, Sheb Wooley, Audie Murphy, Vic Morrow.I've already met some of my favorite folks - Buck Taylor, Harry Carey, Jr., Dick Jones, Richard Chaves.

Music:

Varied and in no particular order: Metallica, Marty Robbins, Gene Pitney, Tom Waits. I'm also fond of classical.

Movies:

Too many to list really, but here are a few and again, in no particular order: Tombstone, Holiday Inn, Red River, almost any Errol Flynn movie i.e. The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, Rocky Mountain etc., The Princess Bride, any of the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, Rio Grande, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Hour of the Gun, Calamity Jane, all the old Universal horror flix - Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Werewolf, Dracula - Yankee Doodle Dandy, Destry Rides Again, Second Hand Lion, Casablanca, A Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, To Hell and Back, I Remember Mama, To Kill a Mockingbird and on and on...

Television:

Right now I watch Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Professional Bull Riding, CSI, CSI NY, and Survivor. I'm also watching The Rifleman when time permits and reruns of most of the Star Trek series, including Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise! Deadwood was amazing. Just got to watching Rome when it ended! All time favorite tv show - "Combat!" Running second - "Rawhide."

Books:

To Kill a Mockingbird, War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Giver, All Quiet on the Western Front, Bambi (my absolute favorite as a child), almost any of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, all the Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Doyle, The Red Badge of Courage, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I'll post more as I remember them!

Heroes:

In no particular order: Teddy Roosevelt; Audie Murphy; any soldier, sailor or marine who's fighting for his country and his beliefs now or in past wars or military actions. My father-in-law who fought a losing battle with cancer so bravely, I only wish I had known him longer; the Navajo Code Talkers, my husband Brian, my friend Vicky who decided to go back to college and get her degree later in life than most!; Susan Butcher, 4-time winner of the Ititarod who died this past year - a true trailblazer in every sense of the word! And today I've added Benazir Bhutto, a truly brave woman who gave her life for her beliefs.

My Blog

Yojimbo and "Borrowed Time"

The classic movie, Yojimbo, atarring that consumate actor Toshiro Mifune,was on IFC this morning. You might not know this, but director Akira Kurosawa based "Yojimbo" on the American gangster movie, "...
Posted by Ash on Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:12:00 PST

I broke my what?

..TR style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes">..TR>..TR>..TR> ..TR> ..: ..TABLE> In an escapade right out of some old time movie serial, I was run over by one of my own horses and in th...
Posted by Ash on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:16:00 PST

In Memorium to a fellow Evanstonian, Charleton Heston.

Sad news, the death of actor Charleton Heston of complications of Alzheimer’s on April 5, 2008. Few people remember he was a civil rights activist in the 1960s preferring to remember him as the ...
Posted by Ash on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:57:00 PST

Blatant Pitch for "Doc Holliday’s Dilemma!"

Check out my Amazon Short over at Amazon.com! For a paltry .49 you can read a wonderful addendum piece to my Doc Holliday novels, titled appropriately enough Doc Holliday’s Dilemma. And ple...
Posted by Ash on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:52:00 PST

Tombstone Book Signing

Had a most successful book signing in Tombstone yesterday at the Old Fire House courtesy of the ladies, and gents, of the Tombstone Friends of the Library. They put out a lovely buffet and treated me ...
Posted by Ash on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:46:00 PST

"Holliday in Tombstone" is out!

Received my first copies of Holliday in Tombstone from the publisher today! It looks fantastic. Check it out at the Treble Heart Books website or at my website, www.smballard.com While you’re at...
Posted by Ash on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:12:00 PST

Amazon Shorts!

Found out last evening my first effort for Amazon.com's Amazon Shorts is up and running. Hooray! Thought it would never come to pass. It's titled "Doc Holliday's Dilemma" and of course is part and par...
Posted by Ash on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:29:00 PST

Snow!

Yes, I know, it does snow here in southeastern Arizona, but not that often and usually it waits until March! :> Just thought I'd give my friends up north a feeling of solidarity with those of us who u...
Posted by Ash on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:33:00 PST

Holliday in Tombstone publication date!

Finally, I've been given a publication date for Holliday in Tombstone. It's set for March 20th, but naturally that's subject to change. I'm hoping Holliday is out by March 15 which is the date of the ...
Posted by Ash on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:38:00 PST

Anxious for "Holliday in Tombstone" to debut.

Well, between Keith, the graphic artist, me and Brian, (and with help from the comments received on MySpace) we've gotten the cover to Holliday in Tombstone pretty much where we want it. I have to wai...
Posted by Ash on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:18:00 PST