The
Author
"After fifteen years my wife encouraged me to seek a publisher, and to my surprise, among the obligatory rejections, was an offer to publish."
A devoted father, Gayle was born to Harold and Alice Lunning in rural Blue Earth, Minnesota, January 30, 1943. His father enlisted in the Navy late in 1944, serving in the Pacific theater until the surrender of Japanese forces in September 1945. After the war, the Lunning family rented a farm near the small town of Frost, Minnesota where Gayle began his school years.
During the spring of Gayle's sophomore year, the family purchased a farm near Morris, Minnesota where Gayle graduated in 1961. He enlisted in the Navy after graduation and served four years as a Radarman aboard the U.S.S. Mullinnix, a recently commissioned destroyer. After his honorable discharge, Gayle returned to the family farm near Morris where he met, and in February 1966 married the love of his life, Diane Benson.
Gayle and Diane relocated to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where Gayle began a career in the battery industry as a laboratory technician. His diligence and work ethic earned him several promotions and transfers, and the Lunnings spent their final years in the battery industry in Sumter, South Carolina, where Gayle began dabbling in creative writing.
Library
Tales of outlaws, border wars, and the grit of the American 19th century.
Bloody Bill Anderson
He was called "Bloody Bill Anderson" for a reason. Some say he was a cold-blooded, maniacal killer; others call him a hero for killing Union soldiers and supporters. In Missouri and Kansas, there are two sides to his story.
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Archie Clement and the Uncivil War
Although only five feet tall, as Bloody Bill Anderson's head devil Little "Archie Clement" was feared by many, loved by few. Was he merely fearless, or did he have a death wish? Many Union soldiers, supporters, or people in the wrong place did not survive to find out.
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Cole Younger
"Stop that train!" "Cole Younger" was a principal member of the James/Younger gang seeking retribution against "Yankee"-controlled banks and railroads, as well as riches. Like most criminal enterprises, their gang was "done in" by a mistake — theirs in Northfield, Minnesota.
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General Order No. 11
Who writes the history? The winners, of course. As the Union was finally victorious in Missouri, much is made of the atrocities of Centralia, Missouri and Lawrence, Kansas, but little is said of the total destruction of Osceola, Missouri, the Palmyra Massacre, or the expulsion of more than ten thousand people — mostly innocents — on Missouri's western border by the Union's "General Order 11."
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This Must Be True
Every person, every community, has a story to tell. Some do not want their tale revealed to the public, but most, if not all, are of interest or informative to many. In "This Must Be True" I try to bring to light some secrets and little-known tidbits.
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Heroes & Tales
Did you ever want to be a hero? If so, did you want to be remembered? In "Heroes & Tales" you will read nine short stories about people who had a significant impact on history yet are all but forgotten.
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Uninvited Guests
I watched my best friend and my sister wither and die from the ravages of Alzheimer's. What we referred to as senility in our grandparents or great-grandparents is now recognized as Alzheimer's. Although medical knowledge is advancing, there is still no known cause or cure. "Uninvited Guests" follows my best friend's decline due to the dreaded disease.
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13 Weeks
Conserve! Ration! This edict was frightful for my ancestors crossing from Norway in 1870. A journey typically of five to six weeks, with food aboard for up to ten weeks, a voyage of "Thirteen Weeks" with an uncertain end date must have invoked terror.
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Praise
Words from readers across the country who have picked up a copy.
Gayle's books are some of the best I have ever read. Great books! You will want to buy them all.
I bought seven great books and met a very pleasant man, the author. Thank you Mr. Lunning.
I purchased three of your books (Bloody Bill Anderson, Archie Clement and Cole Younger) and really enjoyed them, especially "Cole Younger." Thank you for writing such fine books.
I was surprised. Not surprised that I liked it, but I was surprised how much I liked it.
Just one chapter of Bloody Bill had me wanting to stay home from work this morning. You write in living color.
I thoroughly enjoyed your book "Bloody Bill Anderson." Would you consider writing one about Cole Younger?
Living near Lexington, MO, I am aware of the battle of "The Hemp Bales," but you tell it in a compelling fashion.
I just finished "Archie Clement" and really enjoyed it. I did not know how I would take to something written in the first person, but once I started I couldn't put it down.
If you have aging parents, or know someone with Alzheimer's, this is the book for you.
I thought it would be a ghost story, and it was, but not the way I thought. Loved it. My parents are older and I fear for them.
Fascinating true stories.
Wow! Did that really happen? Did she live?
You hear of soldiers not speaking of their war experience, but after reading Benson's ordeal, I can understand.
I especially liked the sea story.
Wow! I could not put this down! What a great read!
I pictured myself on that ship and how frightened I would have been to not know if I would survive. My family also came from Norway.
Gatherings
"One of my favorite parts about my job is touring the Mid-West to meet historical buffs and share these stories."
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