Phil Truman

Visit my Website to get a free copy of my short story collection "Skins Game": www.philtruman.com I'm a native Oklahoman, born in the small town of Miami in 1945. Spent most of my life here in the Sooner State, except during my military time and a couple brief sojourns to Texas and Missouri. I earned my bachelor's degree in English from the University of Tulsa in 1970. As a Vietnam Era veteran, I served with the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division near the Korean DMZ from 1967 to 1968. Fresh out of college I worked as a high school teacher and coach, but transitioned into the business world after a few years where I morphed into an IT geek. Slogged through that grind until 'retiring' in 2007 to become a full-time writer. I have five books published, all novels, all set in Oklahoma, present day and past. I grew up in small-town heartland America, and feel very blessed by that. My books, I hope, reflect that. GAME, is a coming of age novel set in the fictional small town of Tsalagee the corrupted phonetic of the Cherokee word Tsalagi - CHA-la-gey). Treasure Kills, Legends of Tsalagee, set in the same town, was/is a branch into a different genre - one of mystery and adventure. Always a fan of westerns, and recognizing Oklahoma's rich history, I wrote Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr, a historical novel in the turn of the 20th Century Indian Territory and based on exploits of that notorious outlaw. That was so much fun I followed-on with West of the Dead Line, Tales of an Indian Territory Lawman, a fictional account of perhaps the greatest lawman of them all: the ex-slave, black American, adopted Creek Indian, Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves. My 5th novel, "Dire Wolf of the Quapaw," is a western/mystery. It's the first book in a planned series called "The Jubal Smoak Mysteries." I'm currently nearing completion another novels: Book 2 of the Legend of Tsalagee series. My Website: www.philtruman.com