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writers and thinkers. For Henry, any discussion of philosophical thought about the environment leads directly to a single book--Graves' haunting work, Goodbye to a River.

After reading Graves, Henry came to believe that his life's calling was to write. "I'd admired writers for as long as I could remember. And, although he was referring to fiction, Faulkner's comment about "the human heart in conflict with itself" probably best describes the urge I feel to put words on paper." 

In 1990 Chappell submitted his initial efforts to publications such as Field and Stream, Sports Afield, Gray's Sporting Journal, Gun Dog and Texas Parks and Wildlife. The following year he sold his first piece to Wing & Shot, and went writing full time in May 1996. Since then, scores of his articles and essays have appeared in the country's most prestigious outdoor magazines.

His first book, At Home on the Range with a Texas Hunter contains a collection of very personal essays. The lyrically written anthology on hunting, family, the environment, and life in general, established Henry as an articulate conservationist, and an essayist of merit. Inspiration originates, he says, "With place. The plains; the desert; the Southern Pinelands. I write about the relationships between people and country." In March 2002 the Texas Outdoor Writers Association honored the book with its Excellence in Craft Award. 

Next, he turned his attention to fiction. "I wanted to get inside the minds of decent yet deeply flawed men, each a product of his time and culture. So, in The Callings, I pitted an aging Comanche war chief against a young Christian idealist from Kentucky." The Western Writers of America recently announced The Callings as a finalist for the WWA's 2003 Medicine Pipe Bearer Award. 

Blood Kin, a tale of the Texas Rangers, should make its debut in the spring of 2004. His work with Texas' most renowned photographer, Wyman Meinzer, on a book about the Four Sixes Ranch, is scheduled for release that fall. "I've also started research on a novel about the Texas Rangers in the Mexican War. My editor is prodding me for another essay collection. And I have the beginnings of a book about fly-fishing. I'm busy."

When asked if he had any advice for aspiring writers Henry said, "Read the best. Don't spend your time journaling and dreaming. Research, write, polish, submit. Try to entertain your readers and challenge their perceptions." That old gunfighter Jack Ballas hit it dead center--a writer's writer. ¦