Richard F Dee

Born a Texan and fortunate to have access to "the family ranch", Richard learned to ride and shoot at an early age. His love for the American West and its larger-than-life individuals - both personal friends and historical characters - has only grown more deeply rooted through the years.

Over those years he found the opportunity to earn a living working cattle, guiding elk hunters, packing mules, hunting wild pigs and raising sheep. He learned to shear in New Zealand and spent several seasons in the good company of good keen men who could each deflece 200 Romney ewes in one 9 hour day. This task was, on occasion, accompanied by the skurll of bagpipes to keep happy hands moving briskly.

Richard has regularly written of his experiences focusing on the humor found in the shearing shed, in the bush, and on pack-in elk hunts. Some of these writings have appeared in exotic places including: Utah State University's literary collections and "The New Zealand Pig Hunter" magazine.

In "Mordecai Lincoln" and following novels, Richard aims to remind us that - though the "Old West" was truly wild, lawless and often brutal - real men and women not only survived there but THRIVED. These did not waste a lot of mental anguish on the daily possibility of disaster. Instead they chose to take all in stride and lap up the Good Times with unfettered Gusto!!

All of Mordecai's "doins" are true to his times and to those who lived them.