Ron Schwab - 2021 Peacemaker Award Winner

 

Family can be a good thing. We can thank Ron's son for giving Ron the nudge to get his stories out in the world. Ron's dedication to telling those stories is pretty inspiring. Read on to find out how this former lawyer is making his mark in the fiction world.

From Ron's Amazon Author Pag

* Do you like to write short or longer stories?

I have never mastered the short story and do not enjoy writing them. I am in awe of the skill of those who craft good short stories. I had some success with a 30,000-word novella, Peyote Spirits, but that is my minimum for word count. Almost everything I write falls within the 65,000-to-90,000-word range.

* Do you write for the market or yourself? 

Both. My publisher son gives me his thoughts on the type of novel he thinks he can market best and then the idea strikes. For instance, Old Dogs published in April 2021 was our biggest financial success. I had assumed that the book would remain a standalone, but in December Mike said it was time for a sequel. Day of the Dog was released in April 2022 and has been a great commercial success, bringing with it a revival of the first book. We try to produce four novels annually, and the market decides when another series book is due.

Amazon -
2021 Peacemaker Award Winner

* What life experiences influenced your writing?

It would be more difficult to think of something that has not. It has been helpful, however, that I was a large animal veterinarian’s son and grew up in a rural atmosphere. I also have raised cattle and hogs and in my previous profession worked with many farmers and ranchers in Nebraska.

* Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a pantser. I’ve never outlined a project, and I have no idea what is going to happen in the next chapter till I get there. It wouldn’t do much good. In the novel Medicine Wheel, I created a female character who was fated for death, but by the time I got to that point I was so enamored of her, I couldn’t bring myself to kill her, and she recovered from her illness. I confess that I am sometimes forced to write myself out of a plotting corner.

* Is there a writing routine you follow or do you write when the muse strikes?

I try to write something every day with a goal of 2000 words. I’m not too hard on myself when I don’t reach my objective, though, and of course, quite pleased when I hit 3000.

Amazon

* Is there anything else you feel people would like to know or would be surprised to learn about you?

 I am 81 years old and started my writing career at age 74, not counting three best-forgotten titles published under a pseudonym for Tower/Leisure books over 40 years ago. I was a country lawyer for 50 years and wrote a few novels which I did not attempt to publish during those years. My youngest son Mike read one of them, called, and said he thought he could publish and sell that book and the several others I had lying around. Two of those novels, Last Will and Night of the Coyote were Peacemaker finalists in 2015. Changing careers was a risk, because there is no market for a small-town law practice, and I made enough bad financial decisions in my life to assure that I would not be retiring before age 95. My wife Bev, who does first edit, was supportive, and we now live most of the time in a Kansas Flint Hills cabin. It has worked out quite well, and I am very fortunate to be living my dream in my old age, although I will still need to keep writing and publishing for another 15 years or so.

* Do you write in other genres?

No.

* Research, do you find it important? 

It is important in most of my books. I have written a few historical westerns, including Cut Nose, which was a Spur finalist, and I always try to include bits of history in my novels sufficient to give the reader the illusion of my expertise.

Amazon

* Do you have unique ‘marketing’ tips you are willing to share?

I write for the Amazon/ Kindle market. It was my son’s idea, and he formed his own publishing company to publish my novels. He has since worked with a few other writers but is convinced that to find commercial success in that market, a writer needs to release multiple titles during a year’s time. Some of these may be from a writer’s backlist, but it appears important to keep books in front of the reading public in that market. It’s different, of course, if one has million-book best sellers.

* What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self?

Persistence. My hero Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence. Talent will not…genius will not…education will not.” I suspect most writers understand this.

For more about Ron and his Books:

Amazon Author Page

https://www.ronschwabbooks.com/

or follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonSchwabBooks

WHAT A LIFE! Interview with 'BIG' JIM WILLIAMS

What a life! In putting this interview together I was struck by how writing and creativity have no age restrictions. Big Jim Williams, and he is quite tall, has led such an interesting life. I hope you feel as inspired by him as I have been. Read on!

Photo Provided by Big Jim Williams

* Where did you get the idea for your latest release? What is the elevator pitch for it?

GALLOWS JUSTICE, my fourth Jake Silverhorn novel, was released on Amazon in April 2022. The story: Jake and three other Texas Rangers make a long ride through hostile weather-warped lands from Texas to Arizona’s Territorial Prison in Yuma to bring back three killers for execution in Texas. They face deadly troubles from landslides and explosions to storms, floods, fires, shootouts, angry mobs, and endless attempts by gang members and the leader’s beautiful girlfriend to save the killers. Have also added twists and turns and subplots to make it more interesting.

Amazon

*  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I generally create one or two characters and then start writing to see what they will do. That works when writing short stories. However, after writing several novels, I’m beginning to outline the plots and scenes before writing. In the past, I’ve ended up wasting time by getting lost in my own story. I’m now outlining my next novel. This should avoid a lot of rewriting, and speed up the process.

* Is there a writing routine you follow or do you write when the muse strikes?

I’m an early riser, often up by 5:30 a.m. and working at my computer. Also, write during the day and often during evenings and weekends since I live alone. However, I’m also known to kick back and not write for several days to recharge my batteries. I’m also good at goofing off when needed.

I wrote publicity copy for years, so try to write “tight” to say what I want in as few words as possible when writing fiction.

Amazon

* Is there anything else you feel people would like to know or would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a great fan of “The Golden Age of Radio,” when dramas, action, music, and other programs were broadcast on radio before TV came along. I’ve spent most of my life working in radio as an announcer, morning DJ, interviewer, and newscaster. I’ve also been a “news stringer” for the Voice of America, the U.S. Information Agency’s shortwave broadcast service, narrated and acted in industrial, sales, and motivational films, and sang in amateur musicals. Did press releases for years––some bordering on fiction––but prefer writing Westerns and short stories.

Fortunately, I’m in pretty good health and will continue to write as long as I can. I may be the oldest member of the Western Fictioneers. I recently turned 90. I’m also an Army veteran (worked in Army TV), later was in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, have two adults sons, four grandkids, and one great-grandson. My wife, Joan, and I were fortunate to travel in Europe and the Pacific before her passing in 2015. Hope to do more traveling.

* Do you write in other genres?

I’ve written many short stories, including those dealing with crime, humor, California’s gold rush, and ghost stories, which have been a kick to write, several published in Suspense Magazine. My radio drama, “Close Encounters of The Confederate Kind,” aired on over 100 NPR Radio Stations.

* Research, do you find it important?

Now writing a novel featuring a Black Mountain Man, an escaped slave from America’s south prior to the U.S. Civil War. Have read much about wilderness survival, and the Mountain Men seeking beaver pelts in America’s frontier around 1820-40 and beyond. So I continue researching this historic time and the men who lived it. My central character marries a Cree Indian woman and eventually fights in the Civil War to help free his mother and family. The book is not a biography but is loosely based on the life of James Beckwourth, a mixed-race real Mountain Man and former slave.

Also working on a first-time juvenile book that is also fun to write.

* Do you have unique ‘marketing’ tips you are willing to share?

I’m a novice regarding the marketing of books. However, to help sales, I’ve recently hired a publicist. We worked together before. He was a big help. Will see how it goes this time.

I’m a realist. With all the thousands of books published, one does need to be a famous person or household name to get the right media exposure and sell books. If you’re a famous actor, politician, or crook, it all helps. But if you’re a new writer trying to get established you need help. I don’t have an agent, but wish I did.

I now have nine books posted on Amazon. I also have numerous short story credits in online and print magazines, and in anthologies. I’ve been getting published since 1998.

Amazon

* What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self?

Keep writing and never give up. Also, get to know other published writers in your area, take writing classes at your local junior college, and join a writers’ group. I’ve found that most writers love to talk shop, and are also willing to provide help and advice.

* What books or authors that you grew up with that inspired you to take pen to paper?

My favorite fiction writers are Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, O. Henry, and Guy de Maupassant. Their stories, with countless twists and turns, are the best. My favorite Western authors are Zane Grey, William MacLeod Raine, Max Brand (Frederick Faust), Ernest Haycox, and Jack Schaefer, especially for his great novel, MONTE WALSH.

I have wonderful memories of being exposed to great writing when I was in grammar school in Ojai, CA. My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Herman, read wonderful stories to us every day: TREASURE ISLAND, KIDNAPPED, TOM SAWYER, IN A DARK GARDEN, and so many other books. During those years the teachers would march our class across our one-block town to the library where Miss Harding and other librarians would read to us while we sat on the large Spanish floor tiles. I loved those times, and the great adventure stories that have inspired me to also become a writer.

* If it were possible would you choose to go forward in time or back?

I love the pioneers, the men, women, and children, who had the guts and courage to move West in frontier America. Can you imagine joining a wagon train and traveling (mostly walking) across the U.S. to a new life in California, Oregon, or Texas? What brave souls they were. Would loved to have met those people. However, would miss today’s conveniences of good food, running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, computers, cars vs. horses, etc. So I’ll stick with living in today’s confused world.

But what great stories we could have gathered while living in frontier America, as many writers did.

* Have you considered writing a series, either by yourself or with a group?

I have been writing a series of novels for DS Productions featuring Jake Silverhorn, a young Texas Ranger. GALLOWS JUSTICE was released in April 2022 on Amazon. Other books in the series are BORDER JUSTICE, TEXAS JUSTICE, and, SEEKING JUSTICE. I’m now outlining a fifth book in the series.

I’ve never collaborated with anyone on writing. Have always worked alone, but, under the right circumstances, might try writing with someone on a book or movie.

To learn more and find all the wonderful books along with the anthologies Jim is a part of, check out his Author Page: Big Jim Williams author page

A huge thank you for a fascinating look into your life as a writer, Jim. I look forward to your upcoming stories and I also read William MacLeod Raine when younger. (Hey, he lived in Colorado for a bit.)  

Agnes Alexander - A Surprising Interview

I had been aware of the work of Agnes Alexander for some time and I was excited to get the chance to find out more. Oh my, did I. What a surprising interview this turned out to be. I hope you enjoy it also. 

Agnes Alexander - from 
Amazon Author Page

Is there anything you feel people would like to know or would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m starting with this question because there are a lot of folks who don’t know that Agnes Alexander is my pen name. All of my early writing was done under my actual name, Lynette Hall Hampton, though most of these writings are out of print. In fact, I started my writing career by writing occasional features for my local weekly newspaper and selling fillers and short items to magazines. I then progressed to children’s books. My first novel was a mystery, and it was followed by several other mysteries. In 2012, I sold my first Western Historical Romance.

The publisher I was working with suggested I should come up with a pen name since I was delving into a different type of writing. I thought about it and decided to honor my grandparents. Agnes was my grandmother’s name on my mother’s side, and Alexander was my grandfather’s name on my father’s side. Now as many people know me as Agnes Alexander as those who know me as Lynette Hampton. Just to keep things interesting, Lynette is actually my middle name. My first name is Martha, though I was always called Lynette. Some of my closest friends still don’t know about Martha.

Amazon

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I would call myself mostly pantser, with a bit of plotter. Though I have never sat down and plotted a book from beginning to end, I think I do some plotting along the way. I actually begin most of my books when a character’s name comes to me and won’t leave me alone until I tell their story. In my new book, THE SHERIFF, I knew immediately I wanted his name to be Buck. I also knew I wanted to tell his story when I introduced him in THE RANCHER, the first book of my Friendly Creek Series. I already had his career, and some of the ideas of what he’d face in book two, but I wasn’t sure how things were going to work out for him in the romance department. I simply sat down and started writing and things began to fall in place.

Is there a writing routine you follow, or do you write when the muse strikes?

I try to write most every day. I know this is impossible for most people, including me, but it is a goal I set for myself. Sometimes I can only add one sentence, but at least I wrote something on that day. I’m not a morning person, so most of my writing is done after lunch, or during those nights I’m up until two or three in the morning. My getting up time is usually around nine-thirty or ten, and the only thing I want to think about is what can I eat without having to do a lot of cooking. But in the afternoon, I seem to come alive.

Another quirk I have is that I like to make lists. Two of my daily lists I fill out are: Words Written daily in 2022, and Book Writing Goal for (Name of the Book). I also like to work on more than one book at a time. For this series, I plan on five books. Book three is almost finished and I’m working on books four & five.

Research, do you find it important?

I not only find it important, I find it absolutely necessary when writing in the historical field. Most of my westerns are set from 1870 to 1899, so you don’t want some sharp reader to tell you that you put something in the book that didn’t happen in that time period. So far, I’ve not been called on the carpet, though in one of my earlier books I did make a mistake. I had a character say ‘okay’. I learned later that word wasn’t used until the early 1900s. My only defense is that I now know better, and the book was one of my first and my readers have moved on.

The only problem with research is that you will often find it so interesting you spend too much time doing that instead of writing.

Amazon

What life experiences influenced your writing?

I have to say that my parents inspired me to write, though they didn’t know it at the time. I was born, the oldest of three children, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in a rather sparsely populated area. Both my parents were avid readers. Mother read everything from Shakespeare to Grace Livingston Hill books. Daddy was an ardent western fan. I had all kinds of nursery rhyme books and other children’s stories. I actually wrote my first book when I was eight years old. It was a re-write of Beauty and the Beast. My 3rd-grade teacher introduce the class to a book called COWGIRL KATE. I loved that book and checked it out of the school library until it was suggested I try something else. It was at this time that I decided I’d one day write a book like that. A few years ago, I found that book in a used bookstore and paid $35.00 for a $2.98 book, but I display it proudly on my bookshelf. Though there were other influences, I consider these the top two.

What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self?

Harold Lowery (Pen name: Leigh Greenwood) and I were members of the same romance writers’ group and were often at the same meetings. Around 2010 I was telling him that my father wanted me to write a western, but I’d been putting it off because I wasn’t sure I could do it. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Don’t put it off any longer. Go home today and write it. If it works out you may find you like writing the genre, I did. If it doesn’t work out, then you’ll know you tried.” I decided to take his advice and I wrote my first Western Historical Romance, FIONA’S JOURNEY, a wagon train tale. It came out in 2012. I’ve been in love with the genre ever since. To date, I have 28 published WHR novels, a few short stories, and a novella. Though I’m getting older, I hope to write a lot more before I get my final reward. And it’s all due to the fact that I tackled something that I was afraid to try. My advice to a new writer is conquer your fear and write it. It may turn out to be a best seller or it may land in your desk drawer. The important thing is that you did it and now you know you can write a book.

THE SHERIFF – Book 2 of the Friendly Creek Series was released on June 2, 2022.

Amazon

Thank you 'Agnes' for a fun, fascinating, and informative interview. It has been a pleasure.

For those who would like to know more, here are additional links:

Agnes Alexander Amazon Author Page

Agnes Alexander - Facebook Author Page

Dennis Doty - A Very Busy Man

This month Dennis Doty gets the spotlight. I appreciate his patience as I worked through a list of things that needed to be taken care of before this fun interview was posted. I'm sure he understands for he also wears a number of hats also. In addition to being an author, he also is Vice-President of Western Fictioneers, and editor of Saddlebag Dispatches.

Dennis recently was a finalist in for the Peacemaker Award in Short Fiction for his work: "When It Raines" from the Winter 2021 issue of Saddlebag Dispatches.

Dennis Doty-from his Facebook Page

 1. What decided you to start writing for publication?

I read a novel published by one of the major publishers which was so poorly written and lacking in editing that I convinced myself I could do better. That was the impetus to begin writing seriously. Submitting for publication was simply an ego check to see if I had succeeded or if I was fooling myself.

Amazon

2. Do you like to write short or longer stories?

I like both, but I’m better at short fiction.

3. Do you write for the market or yourself?

Some of both. Usually, I write whatever inspires me, but I can and have written to assignment or the needs of the magazine.

Amazon

4. What life experiences influenced your writing?

I think the entirety of my life experience influences my writing. My grandfather was a cowboy who started out on the old Jinglebob Ranch in New Mexico. He was a miner, pack master on a dude ranch, and lived all over the west and I grew up listening to his stories. I spent ten years in the Marines and a couple on the old Southwest Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit and those experiences and lessons find their way into my stories. I’ve had a reasonably interesting life and over the years have shared a table or conversation with cowboys, Native Americans, truckers, politicians, waitresses, celebrities, carnies, and minor royalty. I learned that they’re all just people, some more interesting than others.

6. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Mostly a pantser, but for longer works I need more structure to work with.

7. Is there a writing routine you follow, or do you write when the muse strikes?

I don’t have a set routine primarily because I have too much going on in my life, but I don’t believe in waiting for the muse either. If I have the time, even a few minutes, I’ll write something even if it’s bad. I can always fix it later or insert it in future work.

8. Do you ‘interview’ your characters before or at any time while telling their story and what do you do if they don’t cooperate with your story idea?

I’ve never interviewed one of my characters, but I do usually have a character sheet with background, description, goals, and motivations, challenges, flaws, foibles, etc. As a pantser, I’m usually free to see where the character wants or needs to go, but in longer works that can lead to some time-consuming rabbit holes that are hard to backtrack from. Thus, the need for an outline.

9. Is there anything else you feel people would like to know or would be surprised to learn about you?

I was once fluent in conversational Korean, both oral and written.

10. Do you write in other genres?

Yes. I’ve written westerns, historical, humor, romance, military, and fantasy.

11. Research, do you find it important?

Research is critical. Even in areas and subjects, I’m quite familiar with, it’s important to do my fact-checking. I’ve read far too many stories where the character wore a Stetson before John B. invented them, or Native Americans using African plants. Those are the sort of things that pull your reader completely out of the story and probably lose readers permanently.

13. What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self?

If I could advise my younger self, I would have started seriously writing decades earlier. I didn’t start until I was in my mid-50s. There are so many stories I’d love to tell that I know I simply won’t have time for. I concentrate on what I can do and try not to have regrets.

Amazon

14. What are the books or authors you grew up with that inspired you to take pen to paper?

Too many to count, but some of my earliest influences were Walter Farleigh, Will James, Jack London, Carolyn Keene, C.S. Forrester, and MacKinlay Kantor.

15. If it were possible would you choose to go forward in time or back?

Definitely back. There are so many periods in history which fascinate me, and despite the difficulties and hazards of those times, I like to think I’d do well.

16. Have you considered writing a series, either by yourself or with a group?

Yes, but I’m not prepared to talk about it right now.

Thank you, Dennis, for your time and insights. For more about Dennis and his many projects:

https://www.dennisdotywebsite.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorDennisDoty1/

'Zeke' Ziemann: A Love For the Old West

 It has taken me some time to get back into the swing of the interviews.  I apologize in advance to 'Zeke' for the delay. Much like the cowboys we all love, here is a man of few words. Instead, he uses them in the stories he tells. 

From the author's Amazon Author Page

* What decided you to start writing for publication? 

                My love of Old West History

* Do you like to write short or longer stories?

               I prefer short stories 

* Do you write for the market or yourself? 

                Market

* What life experiences influenced your writing?  

                I have loved Western Movies since my youth

Amazon

* Where did you get the idea for your latest release? 

                Doing research on the history of cattle drives. 

                Title:  Alex, Hank, and Hawk, Cowboys, Gunmen and Road Agents

* Is there a writing routine you follow or do you write when the muse strikes?  

                Most often I write in the evening after my wife is in bed and I am in my office with my dog Duke.

* Is there anything else you feel people would like to know or would be surprised to learn about you?  

                I am a retired mathematics teacher and basketball coach, then a financial planner, and finally the Compliance Supervisor for the Wall Street Firm of an Arizona Office

* Do you write in other genres? 

                Not yet, considering “Baseball history”

* Research, do you find it important? 

                Absolutely  I am fussy about the correct historical setting for my stories.

* What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self? 

                Just START.  Start when you get “That Feeling that someone will enjoy your story,"                  Elmore Leonard. my favorite writer

* Have you considered writing a series, either by yourself or with a group?

                 Yes, I am now in the process. of writing a sequel to my book Alex, Hank, and Hawk, Cowboys Gunmen and Road Agents.

Thank you for the insight into your writing life. Wishing you the best with the new series.  For more information about 'Zeke', below are some additional links.

Amazon Author Page

A.L. Shane Books - Amazon

Interview- Author Jeffrey J. Mariotte

This month the interview is with Jeffrey J. Mariotte. An author, like most of us, writes across genres. He co-wrote a story about Joaquin Murrieta and has a new series he has started. I do hope you enjoy Jeff's interview, I know I did.

Amazon

*. What decided you to start writing for publication?

I’ve aspired to writing for publication since early, early days. I was rejected a couple of times in high school. In college I took third place in a San Francisco Bay Area short-story competition, earning my first money—a big $30—for writing. I also had some journalism published, which only whetted my appetite. My first actual fiction sale didn’t come until I was in my thirties, though, to a science fiction anthology. After that, I wrote some comic books and graphic novels, and my first novel was published when I was 44. Since then, I’ve stayed busy.

Amazon

*. Do you like to write short or longer stories?

I lean toward novel length. I’ve written a handful of novellas and maybe a couple dozen short stories, but more than fifty novels. I like to have the space to stretch out and tell a big story that a reader can get lost in for a while. My longest book was published last year by Sundown Press. Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta, which I wrote with Peter Murrieta, a direct descendant of the Gold Rush-era bandit, clocked in at nearly 600 pages. I don’t anticipate going that long again any time soon, but anything’s possible.

*. Where did you get the idea for your latest release? What is the elevator pitch for it?

Inside a Confederate prison camp, a dying man tells a young Union soldier is told where a cache of stolen Confederate gold is and asks him to deliver it to the man’s beloved after the war. He finds the gold and—12 years later—finally finds the woman. But in doing so, he walks into a town at war with itself and discovers that the woman has taken up with the mysterious figure at the heart of that war. If he’s going to do his dead friend’s bidding and deliver the gold, he’s got to bring the war to an end—if he can survive it.

I don’t remember where the initial impulse came from. All I had was the young man in the camp and the promise to a friend. I was on a long car ride with Bob Boze Bell, the publisher of True West Magazine, and I told him that part. He said, “What happens next?” I didn’t know. So I had to sit down and figure that out, and that became O’Meara’s Gold, the first book in the Cody Cavanaugh series from Wolfpack Publishing.

Amazon

*. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m definitely a plotter. I’ve written a lot of tie-in fiction, in which you’re writing in an established fictional universe owned by somebody else, and you have to have an outline approved by the license-holder before you can write. Then you have to stick pretty close to that outline. I have written a few books without an outline, but it’s harder going for me. I’m much more comfortable with a roadmap that tells me where I start, where I’m going, and the main points of interest along the way.

*. Do you ‘interview’ your characters before or at any time while telling their story and what do you do if they don’t cooperate with your story idea?

I have done that. I first learned about it in a writing book by my friend David Morrell, and it’s helped me out of a number of tight spots. That said, I don’t do it as a regular practice, just when I can’t figure out what comes next and need my characters to tell me.

*. Do you write in other genres?

I love many different genres—mystery, thriller, horror, western, fantasy, science fiction--and have written in all of them, as well as having written for different media, including comics and graphic novels, games, newspapers, magazines, and the backs of trading cards. I’ve been a member of writer’s organizations for just about all of those genres, but I’ve let some of those memberships lapse. I’m currently a member of Western Fictioneers, the Western Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, the International Thriller Writers, and the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers because I still occasionally write in all those genres. At the moment, I’m working on a series called Major Crimes Squad: Phoenix, a police-procedural series for Wolfpack Publishing. I don’t know that I could ever pin myself down to just one genre.

*. Research, do you find it important?

Research is definitely important to everything I write. When possible, I like to stand where my characters will, so I can see what they’d be able to see, smell what they’d smell, etc. When writing in a historical era, I need to know what the technology was like, what the prices of things were, what the characters would wear, and so on. Some writers who’ve written lots of western fiction might know those things cold by now, but I’ve fooled around in so many genres that I have to do a lot of reading and a lot of digging, and traveling when I can, to get it right. Or close enough to right that I can tweak it as the story demands.

*. What books or authors you grew up with that inspired you to take pen to paper?

I’ve always been surrounded by books, from Dr. Seuss and the Hardy Boys to today. I’ve managed and owned bookstores and been a publishing executive. I have a massive collection of thousands of books, mostly first edition hardcovers, many of which are inscribed to me thanks to my decades in the book biz. The single book that was most influential in my youth was Mystery of the Haunted Mine, a juvenile novel by Gordon D. Shirreffs. That’s the book that introduced me to Western fiction (though I had been a fan of western TV, movies, and comics since my earliest days), and steered the direction of my life and career.

Jeffrey Mariotte

www.jeffmariotte.com

Amazon Author Page