Hi George! Welcome to Susan Finlay Writes blog site. Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where do you live? What kind of work do you do or did you do in the past?
Some twenty years ago my wife and I moved to New Mexico. I am a transplant from Illinois. I was born during the depression in St. David, Illinois. Bradley University offered me a football and track scholarship. I was drafted into the US Army during the Koran conflict. Upon discharge, I enrolled at Western Illinois University, where I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. While teaching in Elementary and Secondary schools, I was accepted into the Ph.D. program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I have experience as a school teacher, school administrator, Educational Consultant, fish farmer, and business owner. As a private pilot, I saw the vast landscape of the United States from on high.
I must admit I am insecure as a wordsmith creating passages that allow me to paint a good word picture. I attribute the insecurity to my early education. In my elementary school years, there was a change the way reading was taught. The emphasis on phonics was replaced with a concept of sight-reading. Those elementary school years and my aging ears have caused me to question my writing skills. But on the positive side, I continue to practice and learn from other writers.
You’ve written a huge variety of books. Do you have a favorite type of book to write?
I enjoy the storytelling escapades of Chile Charlie. He is my fictional character that spends his time researching the many ghost towns in New Mexico. Each of the abandoned towns has its history, culture, and economic reasons for its demise. In some cases, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Would you please tell us about your popular Chile Charlie series? I know it’s a series of short stories featuring a fictional character that brings some of New Mexico’s past to life. How did you get the idea for the character and the series?
Chile Charlie, like me, is a transplant from the Midwest. His name in the Midwest was Prairie Grass Pete. He did not like the cold weather of Illinois. So he decided to find warmer weather and selected New Mexico as his destination. It was a long and arduous trip on his John Deere tractor. When he arrived in Clovis New Mexico he was arrested for selling Illinois Chilies which was definitely against New Mexico law. Prairie grass Pete was incarcerated for six months in the county jail. The district attorney finally was getting tired of him and decided he could be released if he did three things. He could change his name, clothing, and mode of transportation. Prairie grass Pete changed his name to Chile Charlie, discarded his Chicago Bears T-shirt and hat, and dressed in cowboy attire traded his John Deere tractor for an early model El Camino truck.
How many books does the Chile Charlie series have? Are you planning more books in the series?
I have three self-published Chile Charlie books and one published by Dorrance. All of those books have their setting in New Mexico. I am in the process of writing two additional Chile Charlie adventure books. One of the books takes place in Gallup, New Mexico that explores the similarities and differences between the Navajo and Zuni tribal spirituality and the Western Bible. There is also a bit of intrigue of a serial killer. The second book is about Chile Charlie’s adventures to graveyards throughout the United States to photograph and provide content about the famous and near famous people interned. There is also a book on the very back burner about Cimarron, New Mexico, and the cattle drives.
You have a new book out called ‘Never Too Late’, a murder mystery set in Madrid, New Mexico. Can you tell us about that book?
Gold, silver, and turquoise deposits were discovered near Madrid, New Mexico in the 1840s. The lure of getting rich brought miners from everywhere including Mexico to the area. Recently married Ramon and Rosetta were among those from Mexico who made the journey seeking prosperity– hatred of foreigner minors flared. Rosetta was killed when she attempted to save her husband from a savage beating.
Weeks later the bodies of five men were found in a ditch with bullet holes in their heads. A mystery was born– who massacred them? Chile Charlie became interested and decided that he would try to solve the mystery.
Arriving in Madrid, Chile Charlie gathered individuals who might provide him with background information about the ghost town living, conditions at stagecoach stops, camels to replace mules as a beast of burden, and fighting for the heart of beauty.
These side stories were great, but did Chile Charlie find out who killed the five men in the ditch– you’ll only find out by reading my book Never Too Late
Another of your series is about the musings of an Ostrich farmer. Are you that farmer or is he a fictional character? How did you get the idea for the series? Would you tell us about the series?
No, I was not an ostrich farmer, but I did have a large fish farm. I borrowed the title from a departed friend who published a series of newspaper articles in a book using the title musing of a goat farmer. I could have used fish farmer but that didn’t ring as well as an ostrich.
Dipping my toes into the fiction writing pool, I was trying to discover what works for me and what didn’t. A book of Musings of an Ostrich Farmer was my cup of coffee.
Musings of an Ostrich Farmer is a true and not so true set of short stories that I had the privilege of experiencing. There are stories about his grandfather coming from Croatia, about experiences of classmates from high school, tales of growing up in a small community, and any information about one of the smallest communities in New Mexico—Chez, population one.
The stories are told so that the reader can crawl inside my brain and feel my emotions and curiosity. There is no plot or theme discernible within the book. George has crafted each story to give the reader the pleasure of escaping reality. The stories give the reader a chance to think back to their own childhood experiences.
The meat of this book is far more focused on details of action than character building. The author is a free-spirit writer who sees no end to painting good word pictures.
Several of your books are non-fiction, about Education, Proposal Writing, Networking, etc. Would you briefly tell us about those?
Fundamentals of Proposal Writing is for beginning want-to-be grant writers or administrators responsible for securing federal, state, or foundation funds. The book is a quick overview of all the items that go into a winning grant.
The book provides the fundamentals of how a grant writer can shape a basic project into a clear, well-organized document that is not unique but appealing to the reader. The fundamentals are mastered before creativity takes over.
Fundamentals of Proposal Writing creates the framework for a simple, practical step-by-step approach to winning a grant. The book will walk you through the major elements that should be included in any proposal: needs assessment, objectives, activities, personnel description, evaluation plan, and budget.
Building Stronger Communities Using Community Education is about establishing a process to share a vision, solution, and results. In today’s world, sharing is difficult when resources are scarce. Our community problems grow bigger when there are battles for funds.
This book is about how schools and communities shared visions can lead to solutions resulting in scarce resources and the battle for funds. The most significant investment we can make in our communities is our investment in schools and local government. Creating community visions that involve all stakeholders to focus on solving problems or offering services that do not duplicate themselves is what local citizens expect of public officials. Citizens want lower taxes and government not fragmented. The authors promoted that government cooperation and shared vision implementation affords citizens and economies of scale and efficiency without sacrificing local control or identity.
Digging Deeper into Networking looks at how a robust business network can take your confidence and career path to new standings. We will also give pointers on how to build and maintain valuable connections. No matter what industry you’re in, networking is always a good idea for business professionals wishing to develop relationships and grow their influence.
The reader will learn the benefits and skills that will: lead to new business, make you more visible, provide fresh ideas and prospects, give you access to other business leaders, keep you in the know, and lead to new friendships,
The book stresses the most important thing to remember when networking is staying sincere in your efforts. Not every connection will prosper into a business relationship, but every contact can teach you something. If you approach networking with this mindset, it will be an enjoyable and fulfilling process that yields personal growth for years to come.
I noticed you wrote a short tribute book under ‘Grief and Bereavement’ category about your wife, Jean N. Pintar. What a wonderful thing to do in her honor. What does your family think of the book?
Thank you for the kind words but I don’t want to add any additional information to this question. It is just too painful.
That’s understandable, George. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Are you currently working on a new book or have any books planned for next year?
I am in the process of writing two additional Chile Charlie adventure books. One of the books takes place in Gallup, New Mexico that explores the similarities and differences between the Navajo and Zuni tribal spirituality and the Western Bible. There is also a bit of intrigue of a serial killer.
The second book is about Chile Charlie’s adventures to graveyards throughout the United States to photograph and provide content about the famous and near famous people interned. I am co-authoring this adventure with my son, who does the photographing of tombstones
There is also a book on the very back burner about Cimarron, New Mexico, and the cattle drives.
Did you have to do a lot of research for your books? If so, where/how do you do your research?
All of my books required major research time. The sources for my research included Branigan Library, my library, the Internet, and personal travels to ghost and towns and villages cited in each book
Who designed your book covers? Can you tell us about the design process? What inspired the designs?
My book covers came from the stock covers found on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). I am not very artistically inclined therefore, I use the stock covers available. I will attempt to design my cover for the two new books coming out in 2022.
What would you like to tell readers about yourself or your writings?
I am best known for my fictional character Chile Charlie. In series of short stories, I portray what life was like in some ghost towns in the southwest corner of New Mexico.
I am a prolific writer. I have published eight fiction books and four nonfiction books. My language style is colorful and direct. I let Chile Charlie interview others to extract a storyline.
Do you have any upcoming author appearances planned? If so, when and where can readers meet you? Where else can they buy your books?
On December 11, 2021, I will participate in the Las Cruces Writers event at the Mesilla Valley Mall. I have no other things scheduled for 2021. What 2022 will bring is still questionable.
All of my books can be purchased at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/George-Pintar/e/B09GBCMRN2
I have books in the following retail outlets:
The Book Nook located at 225 E. Idaho
Coas Bookstore downtown
Mesilla Bookstore in Mesilla
Also, I have books to sell at my home 853 Chile Court.
Author Bio: George Pintar, an educator and business owner, is a contemporary New Mexican author who hails from the Midwest. He spent 25 years as a grant writer and now focuses on fictional pursuits. George started writing at 87 years of age and firmly believes it’s never too late to start a new career.