William
C. Keats, or simply Bill Keats to his friends, is what
some would call a literary late bloomer.
The
former military man and native son of Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland,
has already released a pair of CDs and has a third on
one in the can.
In
October, the 69-year-old Orléans balladeer put
down his guitar long enough to write a western-themed
book about a fictional town named Lonesome and some of
its more colourful residents.
Tales
of Lonesome is actually a collection of short stories
all based in the same town, with each story involving
a different character or characters. At only 195 pages,
the book is a relatively easy read with each chapter able
to stand on its own.
"I
wanted to write something that you could pick up and read
a couple of chapters, or just one chapter, and put it
down," says Keats. "There are 12 different characters
in the book and some of them cross paths in some of the
chapters."
Keat's
interest in the western genre can be traced back to his
youth growing up in Newfoundland.
"When
I was a kid I wanted to be a cowboy," says Keats.
"I watched all the old westerns like The Rifleman
and Bonanza. My favourite was Richard Boone who played
Paladin in a show called Have Gun – Will Travel."
As
he got older, Keats became a huge fan and ardent reader
of western adventure novelist Zane Grey (1872-1939) and
Grey's more modern day contemporary, Louis l'Amour who
wrote 89 western-themed novels before he died in 1988.
Keats
wrote Tales of Lonesome in just three months. He
did it, he says, not to get rich or to get famous, but
rather "just for the hell of it".
"It's
really something to do in life to get over the hump, "
says Keats. "I'd always thought about it, so I just
did it."
"Tales
of Lonesome" is available through Chapters Indigo
at www.chapters.indigo.ca
for just $15.08.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
Orléans
singer songwriter Bill Keats has published
his first literary work entitled Tales
of Lonesome. Photo supplied
