Interview with Peter Brandvold

He goes by the name Mean Pete, but I have a secret for y'all...
He's not all that mean. In fact, he's a pretty nice guy and he was kind enough to answer some questions here on Faded Trails. Let's get right to it. Here's my interview with acclaimed and prolific author Peter Brandvold.
RF: First of all, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. What are you currently working on, writing wise?

PB: I’m working on a series of four westerns featuring my half-breed hero Yakima Henry. The series is called BLOODY ARIZONA as is the first book. The second book, which I am just now finishing, is called WILDCAT OF THE SIERRA ESTRADA. I’m writing them under my Frank Leslie pen name.

RF: How many books have you written as of now?

PB: I lost count somewhere around 100. That includes my Longarms and Trailsmans written under pen names. So...maybe around 120 by now.

RF: What does a typical work day look like for you? Do you keep certain hours when writing? Do you try to meet a page or word count each day?

PB: I try to write 2000 words every day, and I break my day up into four chunks of 500 words each. Sometimes I write over those 500 but rarely under. I usually write 500 before 8 am. Which is when I take my wild dog out for a run. Then I write the next 500 after I get back and have breakfast. Usually another 500 after lunch, then another 500 after a nap...

RF: How many days a week do you write?

PB: Eight.

RF: When did you know you wanted to be a novelist? Also, when did you know you wanted to write westerns specifically?

PB: I knew I wanted to be a novelist or some kind of writer early on, maybe when I heard my first story. I really saw the magic in words. I probably knew I wanted to write westerns when I was watching the great western TV series of the 70s, and reading Louis L’Amour, my first favorite western writer though I’ve gone on to appreciate many more since, because there are far better ones out there.

RF: What got you interested in the western genre, be it books, television, or comics?

PB: Books and television. The first western novel I ever read was LORD GRIZZLY by Frederick Manfred, then I went on and read biographies of folks like Davy Crockett and then pulp westerns by Frank Gruber, Gordon D. Shirreffs, etc. I really fell for the pulp-style tales because they were so over the top and exciting.

RF: I know you wrote a lot of Longarm entries. How many did you scribe when it was all said and done?

PB: I wrote 30.

RF: Did you write for any other series westerns? If you can tell which ones, please do!

PB: Four Trailsman books as by Jon Sharpe.

RF: I know you’ve self-published some of your recent works. Do you like self-publishing? What are some of the benefits? What are some of the challenges?

PB: I like it because I’m my own boss and I can put up the books as fast as I can write them. On the other hand, coming from traditional publishing, I miss the advances. But my ebooks do very well, so I’m not complaining.

RF: We often hear about the demise of the western. I know several big name publishing houses recently canceled long running series. Do you think the western will ever die? Are there enough up and coming authors and readers to keep it going?

PB: The western will never die. It’s an American original and there will always be some kind of market. But all markets wax and wane. I love the western enough to ride out the ups and downs. I think there are almost too many writers out there now, and they’re somewhat muddying the western water. Too often, ebook original writers just plain do not know how to write but think they do. Readers really have to learn to discriminate so they don’t waste their time and money on some of the crap that’s getting published on Amazon right now.

RF: I know about your work in the western genre, and am a big fan! I know you’ve done some weird westerns. Are there any other genres you’ve worked in or plan to work in?

PB: I wrote a contemporary thriller called PARADOX FALLS. I thought it was pretty good but it didn’t sell very well. I think readers have pegged me as a western writer so that’s really all they want to see from me. And that’s fine with me. There’s really no other genre except possibly horror that I’d like to dabble in. I wrote a western horror, or “weird” western novel DUST OF THE DAMNED, and it has vampires and werewolves and even a dragon. Also, CANYON OF A THOUSAND EYES and its sequel NIGHT OF THE GHOST CAT.

RF: What authors have inspired you?

PB: Too many to mention. I’m a voracious reader of all genres. Well, okay, I’ll mention two wonderful western writers who’ve meant a lot to me over the years by way of inspiring me by their brilliance—Kit Prate and James Reasoner.

RF: Along those lines, if you were trying to educate someone on western fiction, who are some of the authors and what are the books you’d recommend to them?

PB: Man, that’s a tough one. Anything by Prate and Reasoner and possibly THE LONG COLD WIND by Giles Lutz, which Kit Prate recommended to me and is one of the best westerns I’ve ever read. It would be a good influence on someone just starting out.

RF: What advice do you have for wannabe writers like myself? Is there anything you wish someone would have told you when you started out?

PB: I really don’t have any advice other to write, read, write, read then write and read some more. Keep at it and, if it’s really what you want to do, don’t be deterred. If you’re deterred, then you really didn’t want it badly enough.

RF: What can we expect from Mean Pete in the future?

PB: All kinds of stuff including this Yakima Henry Quartet by my alter ego, Frank Leslie.

RF: Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. You’re one of the best and your books seem to just get better and better. Thanks for all the entertainment!

An Interview With C. Courtney Joyner

I've been excited about this interview for a while. Illness has hit my house hard recently, so I'm a bit delayed in positing. I can say this one was worth the wait!
C. Courtney Joyner is a great fiction writer. Beyond that, he's a talented filmmaker, accomplished nonfiction writer, and a whole host of other roles that are too numerous to name here. So, let's get right to the interview. Oh wait... I am happy to say Mr. Joyner has agreed to a second round once his new book, Nemo Rising, is released late this year. There are plenty of questions I did not get to this time around. The man worked with Vincent Price! That right there gives me about fifty to ask.
 He was more than gracious with his time and I'm very appreciative. A great guy and a great author. Okay...let's get to it!

Ryan Fowler: First of all, thank you so much for doing this. This has been one of my hardest interviews in that I’ve had a tough time narrowing down the questions I want to ask. You have quite a resume and a lot of points I’d like to hit. But, I’ll scale it down and only touch on a few.
I want to discuss your two western novels, Shotgun and Shotgun: The Bleeding Ground. I love these books! You took a traditional plot and gave it a new, unique hook with your hero John Bishop. Where did the inspiration for Bishop, and the story, come from?

Courtney Joyner: “The Edge” books, Franco Nero, DC comics, Elmore Leonard, ROLLING THUNDER, more comics, and my father – but, certainly, not in that order.  My father was a prominent cardiologist, and very interested in the history of medicine, and somehow we ended up with some field supplies from a Civil War medical kit, including a guide to amputations, which was the 1863 solution for pretty much every battle injury.  It was rough stuff – and he’d been an Army doc – so I’d always wanted to write about that world – but I certainly didn’t think it would be with an Army doctor who ends up with a shotgun for an arm!

The fuse for all this was lit probably 20 some-odd years ago, when I was working on a movie project with the director, John Flynn.  I loved John; he was such a talent, and a wonderful guy, and it was a true education to work on a project with him, although, unfortunately, it was never made.  But, during one of our many lunches, I mentioned I’d love to see ROLLING THUNDER done as a western, and he piped up with, “That’s great!  I’d love to do it that way!”  Nothing ever came of that, of course, but the idea – the obsessed, one-armed avenger in the West - hung in the back of my mind for a long time, even after John died, mixed in with a bunch of my other influences and enthusiasms.

I love the movies, and comics, and paperbacks. I remember my 7^th grade school edition of TREASURE ISLAND was a paperback, with a great, bloody cover. Stevenson brought me to the world of classical adventure fiction, and growing up in the era of the Tarzan and Conan re-issues - with the Frank Frazetta and Neal Adams paintings – and Doc Savage, and The Exterminator, and on they go. Adventure writers - Stevenson’s distant cousins - were everywhere in paperback. I knew it was officially summer if I saw a dog-eared Mickey Spillane in my father’s hip pocket.  So, my first “adult reading” were the books I was thumbing at the spinning racks, usually with a FAMOUS MONSTERS or some Marvel comics tucked under my other arm.

Of course, in the 60’s and 70’s, westerns were going super-strong on TV and in the theaters, and Marvel and DC had their catalog of western titles.  As much as I loved RAWHIDE KID and OUTLAW KID, to me, the Marvel titles seemed more like old Republic programmers, rather than being patterned after (then) current movies like THE PROFESSIONALS or RIO CONCHOS. We all loved Jack Kirby’s living totem pole attacking THE KID, but I liked the western comics that were tougher – with a more parched feeling - which is why I was drawn to Joe Kubert’s FIREHAIR and “Weird Westerns” for JONAH HEX, and the amazing SCALPHUNTER. They hit some pretty serious topics, all framed in these wonderful action stories. Do you remember Dell’s JUDGE COLT, with those great painted covers?  Everything was always exploding at once. Great stuff. 
Also, on the paperback racks were the western movie and TV tie-ins.   I’d eventually read THE WILD BUNCH, CAHILL: U.S. MARSHAL, A TOWN CALLED BASTARD, “The Man with No Name” books by Joe Millard, and all the KUNG-FU’s, but most important for me, Elmore Leonard’s VALDEZ IS COMING.  It cost a dollar at a South Carolina grocery store, and was the first western novel I ever tackled; the movie edition, with the silhouette of Burt Lancaster on the cover, but the writing knocked me out.  Of course, this was the work of a modern master, but it was my introduction to the West on-the-page, and has stayed with me ever since.

Naturally, I was always grabbing a book with a movie slant, but started to explore, not only the titans like A.B. Guthrie, but I found George Gillman’s THE EDGE series, and loved it. Also, STEELE.  They were such fast, expert reads, and also completely captured the feeling of The Spaghetti Western, and not just Leone, but also the SARTANA series, or any of the knock-offs with Klaus Kinski. They were fun. Of course, I had no idea at the time that Gillman/Terry Harknet was British, and the icon of the Carnaby Cowboys, the writers who were churning out these westerns at a furious pace; that was all history to come. All I knew was that he could make me feel like I was watching a western while I was reading.
Somehow, that Euro influence was what I wanted to capture with SHOTGUN. That felt right to me – it was already an outrageous concept that seemed like a Spaghetti western - and I was carrying around all these enthusiasms from all of these various sources – maybe not the most elegant inspirations, but unpretentious, and fun. And, I hope I captured some of those impressions.  After the first book was published, I had a very nice correspondence with Terry Harknet, and he was very kind about the work, and it felt like being given a badge of Paperback Honor.

RF: I know you’ve done quite a bit of work in the film industry and with screenwriting. When I read Shotgun, it played very cinematically in my mind. Was that by design? Did the story start as perhaps a screenplay?

CJ: With all my love of the movies, actually SHOTGUN never was a screenplay. I think that approach just comes from my training of thinking visually for the movies. I actually tried at one point to get it done as a comic book, and then, as the first animated Spaghetti western for “Adult Swim,” and failed at both.  But, all the prep was there – treatments, story outlines, including some wonderful graphics – when Pinnacle editor Gary Goldstein first spoke to me about it.  In fact, before SHOTGUN, I’d never written a novel before, even on spec.  It all came about because the screenwriting – especially for B films and TV – started slowing down for me, crawling, and then, stopping.  I just decided to try a new direction – writing prose, and specializing in westerns.  I told my agent, and they couldn’t drop me fast enough, as this was all before the remake of TRUE GRIT, or the success of DJANGO UNCHAINED, and TEXAS RISING.  I’d actually made my way into the Western Writers of America organization, and met some remarkable writers – including some of the real titans.  I was amazed at how encouraging and patient they were with me, and put me on the road to prose, which I’d only fooled with, and never really published anything of note. Lots of articles about film, etc. but no fiction. 

Gary Goldstein was at the very first convention I attended, and he knew about some of my old horror movies and my film journalism, and we just clicked right away.  He was a big editor, so I was quite flattered when he asked me to work on a book for Citadel, DUKE, WE’RE GLAD WE KNEW YOU, and that started our relationship, but not in the world of fiction.  Spur Winning author Matthew P. Mayo helped me get me first story in print in a great anthology, FISTFUL OF LEGENDS, and that led to Gary asking me to contribute to a collection Pinnacle was putting out, called LAW OF THE GUN.  There were some huge writers in this book – Elmer Kelton, Loren D. Estleman, John Jakes – and I was thrown in with them!  That was the deep end of the pool for sure, but it showed Gary’s amazing faith, and when he was looking for a “different” western series, that would be a little less Louis L’Amour, and little more Jonah Hex, I showed him all that I’d done – and failed with – for SHOTGUN, and he responded with a contract.  Just incredible circumstances, that unfolded over a period of about six years, but, as they say, we got there.

RF: So far we’ve only seen two Bishop books. Can we look forward to more?

CJ: The third book, THESE VIOLENT TIMES, will be released in 2017, followed next year by a fourth, BULLET KISSED (!), and also the re-release of the first two SHOTGUN books in a single volume. All of these will be coming from Pinnacle in the U.S. and Random House internationally.

RF: Beyond the Shotgun series, do you have any other western novels in the works?

CJ: Nothing concrete, although after the wild world of SHOTGUN, I’d love to try my hand at something completely naturalistic, dealing with the real life of the frontier, without the shoot-outs and crazy action of my other books. It would be an enormous challenge, given my background, but the reward would be the test, and the effort.

RF: So many traditional publishers have cut their western novels. I know there are still a few being published by the “big guys.” Do you think there is a large enough fan base, and enough up and coming authors, to keep the genre alive for a while?

CJ: I really do, yes. We’ve seen the spurt of interest in the last two years, which has been quite gratifying.  What happened, when Penguin and some others decided to leave the mass market westerns behind, was that there was a sudden interest in western movies and TV mini-series.  The timing to discontinue some books was off, I think, leaving a few “big boys,” like MacMillan and Harper Collins, to take over the hardback market, while Pinnacle dominates the paperback world with the Johnstone series, etc. Of course, I don’t have sales figures in front of me, but editors say westerns are coming off the shelves – not the way they did in the paperback heydays – but the genre is on the upswing, and when shows like WESTWORLD hit, it impacts book sales even more, all of which is to the good, as readers gravitate towards westerns again, including folks who’d never sat down and read one before.  The only part of the genre that’s really been left behind are the Adult Westerns like Longarm, but that market could come back, also.

RF: I want to go back to your writing in a bit, but I’ll shift to films now. Have you ever done a western?

CJ: I have, and they all ended up as “spec doorstops.”  I wrote a biography of Belle Starr that I’m quite proud of, written as a feature that’s now been re-tooled as the pilot for a cable series called WANTED.  That piece has gotten some genuine, and serious, studio attention so it might just see production, which would be terrific.  So, I’m hopeful, as it would be my first western to go in front of the camera.

RF: Westerns seem to be popular when they are released. The Magnificent Seven remake was profitable and popular, True Grit was hugely successful, and 3:10 to Yuma did pretty well. Why are studios so weary to make more westerns?

CJ: That’s always been the contradiction – that when Westerns do well, there seems to be some odd reason for it, instead of audiences wanting the films.  Some have bombed, but so have movies of every stripe, so it’s unfair to brand westerns as movies that don’t make money because the films listed did great. It’s a tricky maneuver – getting around that thinking – but it does happen.  Unfortunately, what we are missing is a “western star,” who can shoulder the box office burden.  We’ve got some terrific actors – like Kurt Russell and Jeff Bridges – who’ve found a home in the genre, but the sure-fire star, that guarantees the cash to the studio – those days are gone, so westerns are often seen as a risk for the big screen, but as more and more perform – like THE REVENANT, MAG SEVEN - the execs are loosening up in their perceptions a bit.  At least, for now, since the movie of DEADWOOD is in development.

RF: The above mentioned films are all remakes or new adaptations of previously adapted works. Are folks just not writing new westerns or are the studios not interested? (I know we have the Tarantino films that I won’t go into here.)

CJ: I think the evidence is on the tube. Westerns have become a staple of cable TV, thanks to the enormous out-of-the-gate success of Walter Hill’s BROKEN TRAIL on AMC. That mini-series changed the network’s direction to original programming, and they haven’t looked back.  These last years, with hits like AMC’s HELL ON WHEELS, and now – a cross-over to be sure – WESTWORLD for HBO, which was DEADWOOD’s original home when cable was struggling, and a western saved it. JUSTIFIED became an instant classic of a modern western during its run on FX, and LONGMIRE’s in a new season. Also, the modern western-comedy of THE RANCH with Sam Elliott, and the adaptation of Joe Landsdale’s glorious HAP AND LEONARD.  I know those aren’t traditional westerns, but cable networks are still willing to take the risk with period epics and mini-series these part years: KLONDIKE, TEXAS-RISING, and now THE SON, starring Pierce Brosnan.  Plus, isn’t Jonah Hex now finding his way back into the DC universe?  That’s Warner Brothers, and network, so you never know where it’s going to come from!
So the westerns, and westerners, are there – maybe hiding a bit, away from the theaters – but someone’s giving westerns the green light, and they’re making money, and that’s what makes the studios pay attention. 

RF: A lot of readers on this blog are huge western fans. I have to ask, what are some of your favorite western films? Also, which new westerns have you enjoyed in the last two decades?

CJ: Favorites?  Good Lord, that would be a long list!  But some movies I return to over and over: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE SHOOTIST, RIO CONCHOS, THE NAKED SPUR, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, HOMBRE, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, ULZANA’S RAID, THE OUTLAW-JOSEY WALES, NEVADA SMITH, 7 MEN FROM NOW, RED RIVER.  Those are the one right off the top of my skull – in another minute, it would be entirely different list, I’m sure. Think I could narrow it down to my top 100.

In the last two decades – that’s a lot of ground - there have been quite a few, actually.  I loved what the Cohen Brothers did with TRUE GRIT, and had a hell of a good time with the remake of 3:10. I think I’m in the majority with liking DJANGO better than HATEFUL EIGHT, and THE REVENANT was pretty amazing; visually, if nothing else. THE HOMESMAN certainly had moments, but never found its dramatic engine.  THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES, JANE GOT A GUN, FROM DUSK ‘TIL DAWN: HANGMAN’S DAUGHTER, OPEN RANGE, BLACKTHORN, THE PROPOSITION, THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADAS ESTRADA, SERAPHIM FALLS, APPALOOSA,  and for me, the little movie that could: BONE TOMAHAWK.  Not for every taste, but I thought, a grand job.  That’s a long list, too, and I could make it longer!   

RF: Is there a particular screenplay of yours that you are most proud of? Do you have a favorite?

CJ: I’m really proud of BELLE STARR, and also a piece I wrote about boxing in the hobo jungles of the 1930’s, THE BOXCAR BOYS.  Maybe someday, we’ll see them made!  Of the movies I’ve had produced, I like a lot of my old horror films, like PRISON, and THE OFFSPRING (FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM), because I got to write dialog – over the top, to be sure – for Vincent Price.

RF: Do you find it easier to work on screenplays or novels?

CJ: Screenplays, just because I’ve had more practice.

RF: A complete side note here. I knew I’d chase rabbits on this interview. You did a movie with Vigo Mortensen. Wasn’t he great as Hitch in Appaloosa? He really embodied that character and I picture him and Ed Harris now when reading those novels.

CJ: Viggo is terrific, and also a terrific guy.  When he was cast in PRISON, we could tell – he’d had a small role in WITNESS – but he just leapt off the screen, and he was wonderful in that film.  He really crawls into the skins of the characters he plays.

RF: You’ve done a lot in horror. You seem to shift between horror and westerns, or whatever genre, effortlessly. Is it hard? Do you prefer one genre over the other?

CJ: I always say that horror brought me to westerns in the first place.  As a kid, I watched HIGH NOON one rainy afternoon because Lon Chaney was in it, and was hooked.  Lon also pointed me to the A.C. Lyles’ westerns, and SPRINGFIELD RIFLE. At the time, all of the Sergio Leone films were the big deal on the ABC Sunday Night Movie, so it was a wave I couldn’t escape – and didn’t want to.  So “shifting” is just following a passion. I think each genre has its own rhythms, of course, and you get into an appropriate mind-set when you’re working on something – and right now, my focus is westerns and period adventure, but if a great horror idea suddenly came to me, I’d jump right in, and shift again. Hopefully, without too much trouble.

RF: How about roles? You’ve been an author, script writer, you’ve done non-fiction, and you’ve even directed. You’ve appeared in a few films too. Is there one role you prefer or feel the most home in?

CJ: Always writing.

RF: Going back to your writing, what does a typical day look like? When you’re working, do you have a word or page threshold you try to cross each day? Do you write five days a week? Seven?

CJ: When I’m working on something – a novel or a script - I write every day – or try to, or else suffer a great case of the guilts. But I also love down-time, because that’s when some great ideas can come along.  I wish I was more consistent; some days you’re just staring ahead, with blood in your tears, trying to come up with something – and the next day you’re soaring through pages.
 
RF: Do you have any advice for new authors? Is there anything you wish someone would have told you early on in your career?

CJ: My advice: take your time.  By that, I mean to take the time you need to work on your manuscript, and know your markets.  Publishing has changed so completely in the last ten years, as we know, and there are so many avenues and chances, with e-publishing, etc. that didn’t exist before.  But don’t just throw your work out there. If you’re going to self-publish, work with an editor, then take it out.  And, with submission marketing the way it is, at least be familiar with all of the types of writing that companies are looking for.  If you sell a novel, the question might come up if it’s good for a movie sale or gaming or graphic novel.  You don’t have to be a master of all these forms, but understand them, because writers have to wear more creative and business hats than ever before, and you’ll have to make decisions based on that knowledge.

A writing career is a life-long process, not a lightning strike.  It can take decades to get to a point where you’re making enough to live on, so love what you do, in all its forms, and with luck, the other rewards will follow.

RF: What are you working on now?

CJ: I’ve done a number of commentaries on blu-rays, that have been great fun, and recently did THE CULPEPPER CATTLE CO. and Henry Hathaway’s RAWHIDE for the UK company, Signal One, and also Don Siegel’s EDGE OF ETERNITY for Twilight Time. I’m finishing up on SHOTGUN III, and have some script – and I hope – some comic book work coming up.  And this Christmas, my novel NEMO RISING will be coming out through Tor Books.  It’s my first hardback release, – and it’s a big, period adventure, so I’m very excited, and hope everyone finds it great, throw-back fun. 

An Interview With Robert J. Randisi

Today I am beyond thrilled to present my interview with author Robert J. Randisi. It would be a gross understatement to simply say Randisi is prolific. As you’ll see, he’s a writing machine! He has one heck of a resume. Besides writing hundreds of novels (hundreds, people), he is the founder of the Private Eye Writers of America. The group awards the prestigious Shamus Award each year, honoring great detective fiction. He’s edited anthologies. He’s created numerous book series. In short, he’s one of a kind. He is also one of my literary heroes.

And, he was kind enough to answer my pesky questions. Without farther ado, here’s Robert.

Ryan: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I know you are busy based upon the sheer number of books you publish! So, I’ll start with that.

Please take us through typical month for you. Do you still publish at least one book a month (I know the Gunsmith used to come out monthly and they still seem to)? How many books do you work on at one time?

Robert: I typically work on two books a month, one of which is a Gunsmith, the other varies, sometimes another Western, sometimes a Mystery. I work from 1-5 PM, have dinner, take a nap, work from 9-12, take a half hour break then work from 12:30-4 AM.  I go to bed at 5-5:30 AM, get up at noon, have breakfast and start again. Occasionally the errands of normal life--bank, post office, grocery shopping, doctor's visits--interfere.

Ryan: How many works do you have published as of now?

Robert: The nearest I can figure right now is between 640-650. 

Ryan: How long have you been a full-time writer? Did you always know that is what you wanted to do?

Robert: This month--January 2017--marks my 35th anniversary as a full-time writer.  I decided when I was 15 that I wanted to write for a living by the time I was 30, and that's what I did.

Ryan: What kind of writing schedule do you keep each day? Do you keep set hours or do you have a word threshold (5,000 words a day, etc.)?

Robert: I went into this a bit in question 1. I keep to those hours I indicated, but I try to produce 5-7 pages an hour. In my younger days my normal speed was 10 pages an hour. I'm getting older.

Ryan: Do you ever think of one day hanging it up, or will you write as long as you’re able?

Robert: There will be no retirement. I figure if I write til I'm 90 I'll be close to 1000 books. It's not something I'm aiming for. I never intended to write so many books, but it's just something I do.  It's not even a talent, it's a natural ability.

Ryan: I enjoy your westerns and your mysteries with equal measure. Do you prefer writing in one genre over the other? You can write across the two seamlessly. Has it always been that way, or was it harder in the beginning?

Robert: My preference has always been private eye novels. I've never had a problem moving back and forth between genres. The lone gunfighter and private eye have a lot in common, most notably the same kind of code.

Ryan: One thing that always strikes me about your work is the pacing. I dream of writing that way! Lean, no filler, always entertaining. How did you learn that style? Did it come naturally in the beginning? What pointers might you have for other writers regarding pacing?

Robert: Everything I do I just do. I never took a course, never practiced--DOING it IS practice. My advice to writers is always the same--SIT DOWN AND WRITE. Too much thinking gets in the way.

Ryan: I’d like to talk about westerns for a minute. I often hear that it’s a dying genre. I know many traditional publishers have outright ceased production of westerns or have scaled drastically back. Do you think there are enough new guys to keep the genre alive? Do you think there are enough readers?

Robert: I believe there's a core readership for every genre. The number fluctuates, but readers are always there. Right now traditional publishers don't believe in westerns, but we have enough small press, ebook companies and individual authors who are publishing westerns to keep the genre alive and well.

Ryan: Speaking of the traditional publishers cutting so many westerns, I was happy that you’ve continued The Gunsmith novels, finding a new home for them. Will Clint Adams remain with us for a while? Is he headed off into the sunset anytime soon?

Robert: Clint will be around as long as I am, and I'm taking steps to see that the series continues even when I'm gone-as long as people want to read about him.

Ryan: Switching to mysteries, I have to ask about your Rat Pack series. I love it! Will we see more of Frank, Sammy, and Dino in the future?

Robert: Definitely. For a while I thought I'd stop after 6, or 10, but now I think I'll keep going. Right now I'm working on one that guest stars Jackie Gleason. And Jerry Lewis is in the future.

Ryan: What advice do you have for writers? Is there anything you wish someone would have told you earlier in your career?

Robert: The advice I got early in my career was to slow down. That was very bad advice.  My advice is, once you discover what your natural speed is, stick to it. Don't try to slow down, or speed up. NATURAL makes it all flow.

Ryan: Finally, what can we expect from you this year? Any new titles you’d like to tell us about?

Robert: More Gunsmiths, a new series called Lady Gunsmith starts in March. My third hit man with a soul book is due 2/27 from Down & Out Books. I'll be doing a second Nashville private eye novel for Perfect Crime Books, a new western for Five Star Books that continues the Sons of Daniel Shaye series. And I have plans for many other books in both genres.

Ryan: Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions. And thank you for all of the entertainment you’ve provided through the years. I’m not just blowing smoke, but you’re one of the best and certainly a favorite of mine. I really appreciate this!

Robert: It was my pleasure, Ryan. Thanks for asking.

An Interview with Ron Fortier

Ron Fortier is a busy guy. He has one heck of an impressive resume! Over the years, he’s worked in comics (Terminator, Green Hornet, the Incredible Hulk, Popeye, among others), written novels, and edited. Besides all of this, he is founder of Airship 27, a leading voice in the New Pulp Fiction movement. Plus, he’s an all-around nice guy and I’m pleased to present this interview with him. I’ve left my questions identified as “Q” rather than “RF” since Ron and I have the same initials. Y’all enjoy!

Ron, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I know you’re very busy as you’re a man who wears many hats in the publishing industry. I’ll keep it brief and we’ll get right down to it.

Q: Airship 27 seems to be the leader in publishing new pulp fiction. I guess I should start at the beginning and ask, how do you personally define “pulp fiction?”

RF: Any fast-paced action-adventure fiction that has larger than life heroes and totally evil twisted villains. Genre is unimportant, be it a crime story or pirate yarn, the pacing has to be lightning fast and never bogged down with introspection or other such boring prose. Readers want pulp to entertain them, not educate them.

Q: Have you always been interested in pulp fiction? What started your love of the genre?

RF: I got my writing start in the comics feel and over time began to understand how comics, especially in the 30s were inspired by the hero pulps of that era. Characters like the Shadow and Doc Savage would later be the molds from which such comic favorites as Batman and Superman would spring. Curious about this history, I slowly began researching the history of American pulps until in the end I was a bonefide fan.

Q: Did you know, even in childhood, that pulp would be your career? How long have you been a full-time writer?

RF: The above answer deals with some of that in that I first grew up as a dedicated comic book fan. I sold my first story in the early 70s but writing was always a part time job while I worked a 40-hour week at a local GE Factory which provided my family in regards to educating five kids and keeping them fed and insured. In 2004 I retired and then devoted my time to writing one hundred percent.

Q: You’ve worked in comics, novels, short stories, and a variety of other mediums. Do you have a favorite?

RF: Although I do love all three forms, I have to confess comic scripting is still my favorite. Prose is a solitary endeavor and though it does have its own rewards, there is nothing like working with a talented graphic artist to bring a tale to visual life. I've been blessed with working with some of the best in the business such as Gary Kato, Jeff Butler, Rob Davis and of course Alex Ross.

Q: You seem to spend a lot of time editing. Airship 27 publishes so many other authors’ work, not just your own. Would you say you spend more time writing, editing, or an equal amount of time on both?

RF: Oh yes, the Catch-22 of being an editor. With the success of Airship 27, more and more talented new writers are coming to us and in the past few years I've found myself doing lots more editing and having to push aside my own writing goals. I recently finished my fifth Captain Hazzard novel, which I had started three years ago. That's primarily because editing just took over my life. I hope to be able to balance it a bit more evenly in the future. If that is at all possible.

Q: When you’re writing, what is your process like? Do you keep set hours? Do you have a minimum word count for the day that you won’t stop until you’ve reached?

RF: I'm a free-wheeling writer as I've never been able to conform to any routine. Generally, I spend several hours editing at the start of the day. Then I'll take a break to do the normal every day errands, like grocery shopping, going out to a movie or simply sitting down to read a book. Then by late afternoon I'll get to my own writing. I tend to see stories in my imagination in scenes, one following the other in the narrative. Thus, my aim when I do write is to tackle the next scene and get it completed. Doesn't matter if it is a short or long section and once finished, I'm done for the day. I'm comfortable with building a story like this, scene by scene until I reach the end.

Q: What does the future of pulp fiction look like? Are there enough authors to keep it going?

RF: I think the future of pulp fiction is better than ever as more and more writers are discovering it. And by that, I mean young college age writers. Back in the 40s and 50s there was some kind of stigma put on populace literature. It seemed academia, for whatever highbrow reasons, labeled all pulp fiction as junk and not worthy of critical attention. But the truth was most of the famous big name authors, ala Erle Stanley Gardner, Bob Silverberg, Isaac Asimov and so many others actually had their start in the pulps. So pulps evolved into the 60s and 70s paperbacks producing such renown writers as Clive Cussler, Stephen King etc. Today, with their successes, the literary community has finally come around to recognizing the significant contributions to our culture that pulps have made and today writers don't shun the word, they are actually flattered to be known as "pulp" writers.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring pulp authors? What could you say to them that you wish someone would have told you?

RF: When you write anything, better make sure you are having fun while you are at it. Because if you aren't having fun writing it, how do you expect your readers to have fun reading it?  Simple advice and one I learned to take to heart over the years. Write what you love and what excites you and most likely you'll entertain lots of other people along the way.

Q: Finally, what are some of the upcoming titles from Airship 27 that we can look forward to?

RF: Well, it's a new year and we just kicked things off with a great western, "Comanche Blood" by R.A. Jones. We'll be following this up with a pirate adventure, "Queen of Anarchy" by Nancy Hansen and after that, a book I'm really excited about, "Holmes & Houdini" by I.A. Watson. So, as you can see, as ever, lots of great books in lots of genres. And all of them pure pulp fiction.

Ron, thank you again! You’ve always been very kind and gracious with your time. Thank you for all the entertainment you’ve given readers like me through the years. I can’t wait for Airship’s future titles!

For more information, check out Airship 27's website!

Interview with James Reasoner

Please forgive me if I geek out here a bit. James Reasoner has been a pretty constant presence in my life for the past twenty years, even though I do not know the man. I’ve read his books for about two decades. I’ve spent a lot of time inside the wonderful adventures he brings to life. Sometimes I’ve read him without even knowing (he’s published under a variety of pen names and house names). That’s why I was thrilled to receive the chance to interview James for this latest blog entry. If there is a more prolific author currently writing, I do not know of them. As you’ll see below, Mr. Reasoner stays pretty busy. In addition to writing for others, James started Rough Edges Press a few years back. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as enjoyed hearing from James and learning a little more about his process. Without further ado…

 

Ryan: I'll start from the beginning. How long has writing been your full-time job?

James: Since February of 1987, so it's coming up on thirty years. There was a stretch before that, 1981-83, when I was also writing full-time, but then for the intervening four years I owned a couple of used bookstores and ran them in addition to writing.

Ryan: Does it come in waves? I mean, are there months where you think, "I better polish up the ol' resume because it's slowing down"?

James: In recent years I've had contracts lined up for quite a while in advance (the last due date on my current contract is February 2018), but there were many times in the past when we were living from contract to contract. One year I had what I called my "Longarm summer" because I wrote three Longarm novels back to back, getting a new contract for the next one as I turned them in because I didn't have anything else lined up. Then some other jobs came through and I went back to having three or four—or more—books under contract. I think it's been that way ever since.

Ryan: At this point, do you even know how many books you've authored?

James: The current work in progress is novel #340. I've also written one non-fiction book (DRAW: THE GREATEST GUNFIGHTS OF THE AMERICAN WEST).

Ryan: What is your daily routine? Do you work five days, six or seven days a week?

James: I've never been a write-every-day sort of author. I'm pretty consistent, though, about doing fifteen to twenty pages a day, five or six days a week. Sometimes, depending on where I am in a book or what my deadlines are, I can do more. For example, earlier this week I wrote 32 pages one day and 37 the next. But I was at the end of a book and trying to finish it, so that always speeds me up a little. Because I started writing back in the Seventies, long before computers, I still keep track of my output in terms of pages rather than words, although I do know that I've written more than a million words a year for eleven consecutive years now and approximately 25 million words in my career.

Ryan: Do you like the changes e-readers like Kindle have brought to the industry? Does it excite you or do you miss the old days?

James: I love the rise of e-books as both a reader and a writer. I like the adjustable fonts on my Kindle. I like being able to make notes and do some editing on the Kindle. I like being able to write whatever I want and get it out there to the readers. However, I'm what they call a hybrid writer. Most of my work still goes through traditional publishers. I have some nostalgia for the old days, but that's all it is. I wouldn't want to go back to writing on a manual typewriter (although sometimes I do miss it).

Ryan: Is there any genre you haven't written in? That might be easier than asking all the ones you have!

James: I've never written an actual science fiction novel or a literary, mainstream novel. I have parts of a few SF novels done, though, and expect to finish them eventually. Literary fiction (which I consider a genre, too) is probably not in my future.

Ryan: I love your westerns! Do you think there's enough up and coming authors to keep the genre going?

James: Oh, sure! A lot of people love to write Westerns. I don't believe they'll ever be as popular as they once were, but Westerns aren't going away, at least in my lifetime.

Ryan: Speaking of keeping going...will you ever pack it in or will you write as long as you're able?

James: I plan to keep writing as long as I can. In recent years I've started to think about slowing down a little and writing, say, half a million words a year instead of a million. I'd almost feel retired if I did that, I think.

Ryan: Any regrets about starting Rough Edges Press?

James: It's been more time-consuming than I thought it would be, but I wouldn't call that a regret. I've really enjoyed being able to publish some excellent books that might not have found a home otherwise.

Ryan: Do you prefer your own publishing to working for others?

James: As I said above, I'm a hybrid author. I've been part of the traditional publishing world for four decades and feel comfortable there. That said, I really do like the freedom of self-publishing and wouldn't want to give that up, either. If my traditional contracts went away (I hope they don't!), I'd just keep writing. At this point, what else am I going to do?

Ryan: What advice do you have for the wannabes and aspiring authors like me out there? What's one thing you know now about writing or publishing that you wish you would have known in the beginning?

James: I'd say the answer is persistence. Get the stuff written and out there, whether it's self-publishing or submitting to traditional and small press publishers. I once read that the definition of a writer is somebody who sits in a room and types for thirty years. That's pretty much the truth, although for some of us it's been considerably longer than thirty years. During my first stint as a full-time writer, though, I just didn't work hard enough at it. That's why I had to go into the bookstore business for a while. I didn't really know any better, didn't have the self-discipline to do the amount of work necessary. Everyone has their own natural pace, of course, but I think you have to push yourself in order to find it.

Ryan: Were there any authors who mentored you? How did you break into the business?

I started writing stories for my own enjoyment while I was in elementary school and continued on through college. That was when I started submitting short stories to various magazines. I never sold any and had almost given up on writing when I got married. My wife told me that if I really wanted to be a writer, I needed to work at it (see the above answer!) and so I started sending out short stories again. One of the magazines I submitted to was MIKE SHAYNE MYSTERY MAGAZINE, which was edited by an old writer/editor from the pulp era, Sam Merwin Jr. Sam never used traditional rejection slips, at least with me. When he sent back a story, I always got a personal note with it, scrawled on whatever scrap of paper was handy. He explained why he was rejecting the story and suggested ways to improve my writing. This went on for a while, and then I got a rejection from him saying that if I revised that particular story in line with his suggestions, he would buy it. I did, of course, and he wound up buying that story, but in the meantime he accepted another one without any revisions. I had sold one story before that, to one of the true confession magazines, but I consider my sales to MSMM to be the real start of my writing career and have always been grateful to Sam Merwin Jr. for all the advice he gave me. A couple of years after that he asked me to write some of the Mike Shayne stories in the magazine under the house-name Brett Halliday, and that was a big step in my career too. Not to mention, I love the connection with the pulp era!

I want to thank James Reasoner again for taking the time for this interview! Check out Rough Edges and Mr. Reasoner’s excellent blog! As for me, I’m going to take the above advice and get busy writing!

My Interview with John Hegenberger

With my graduate work dominating most of the past two years, my blogging has been nonexistent. Thankfully, all of that is behind me. I’m excited about some upcoming projects which I will be revealing shortly. But today I’m excited about a recent “conversation” with author John Hegenberger. John is the author of the newly released Spyfall. I can say that this book delivers on all fronts! The pop culture references fly fast and furious, and the story is rich with crackling dialogue. The protagonist is a P.I. named Stan Wade, and the setting is Los Angeles in the late 1950s. In fact, Stan offices out of the famous Brown Derby, and just that premise alone had me hooked! Throw in my love of all things Eisenhower Era and Kennedy Era, Cold War intrigue, and it’s as if John wrote the perfect book for me! I have a more detailed review coming soon, but for now I’m pleased to present John’s thoughts on writing, the state of publishing, and advice he has for others entering the field.

Ryan: First of all, I have to ask, where did your inspiration for Stan Wade come from? He’s such a great character and you manage to weave so many pop culture references and icons into his stories. Have you always been a fan of classic Hollywood? Is he modeled on anyone? In other words, if you had to pick an actor from Tinsel Town’s golden era to play him, or any era, is there anyone you picture in your mind?

John: Okay, let’s have some fun!  I came to the idea by thinking about all the great television shows I used to watch as a kid and wondered what might happen if the characters were to team up.  In other words, what if Mike Hammer visited 77 Sunset Strip in order to work with Sky King to help stop something from happening to Joe Friday.  When I think of Stan Wade, I picture Anthony Perkins.  Young, hip, but maybe troubled.

Ryan: It seems as if your work is appearing regularly now, but until earlier this year, I was unfamiliar with it. Is publishing something new for you? Have you written for years and just recently put it out there or is writing new to you entirely?

John: I wrote some science fiction starting in the ‘70s. I had a couple of nonfiction books published in the late ‘80s and lots of articles and a newspaper column. SPYFALL is published by Black Opel Books and, as with most authors, it was simply a case of travelling each day to the marketplace where dreams are bought and sold, hopefully taking my place among the sellers.

Quite a number of years back, it occurred to me that if you were a writer, you could work anywhere.  That's all I needed.

Ryan: I have to ask about rejection, as I think every writer has faced it. Did you face much of it? If so, how did you handle it and what advice do you have for other writers when facing it?

John: Rejection never goes away, especially if you set your aim high. You just have to expect that, like a salesman knocking on doors, you have to play the numbers game and keep going until you get a sale. Rejection is not your fault. Usually the buyer has all sorts of problems of their own that you know nothing about. That means it's their problem, so just keep on keeping on.

Ryan: Digital publishing has certainly changed the game. Do you think this is a good thing? What are your thoughts on the era of Kindles and Nooks and more freedom as an author?

John: I think digital publishing will continue to expand. Eventually the large houses will incorporate it to a point where there's a clear dividing line between self-publishing and traditional publishing. We may be there already, but it is still possible for a small press publisher to have a big hit. And that's the beauty of electronic digital publishing.

Ryan: Do you have a goal of “words per day” that you try to meet? Do you keep a regular writing schedule?

John: No real goal, except perhaps to have four pages per day, on the days that I'm writing. And I'm writing about four days per week. Usually in the afternoons. Reading time is considered a part of the process and that happens every day

Ryan: Do you work from an outline or just wing it as you go? Do you usually have the whole story mapped out, or do you just sort of see where the characters take you, working from a general idea?

John: I have to outline, mostly because I want to know who done it and I want to know where I can stick in some clever or exciting twist or setting and have it makes sense. However, during the writing process, I probably re-re-outline three times at least.

Nothing pleases me more than to have an entire story figured out and then at the last moment recognize that there's another whole aspect of the story which I haven't spent any time on at all.  It's an opportunity to jump in with a nifty new twist.

Ryan: Who are some of the other authors you enjoy?

John: I like to read stories that surprise me and gave me a chuckle. Favorite authors right now include: Craig Johnson, Dick Lochte, Mark Coggins, and Paul Kemprecos.  And, I keep coming back to most of that works by Stuart Kaminsky.

Ryan: Do you have any advice for “wannabe” authors like myself who dream of one day being published?

John: Have fun! If it's not fun, it's not worth doing. If you're writing and it's not fun, maybe you shouldn't be writing.  Maybe you should be outlining.  But whatever the case, don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Also, never throw anything away. Everything has a place; you just have to figure out where it goes in the overall process. Beyond that, just sit down and see what you’ve typed and how you can make it better.

Ryan: What should we look for coming up from you? Will Stan be back often? What genres are you currently working in?

John: Yes, Stan will be back! His next book, STARFALL, will be out in February. I expect to have maybe two additional novels in the series out later in 2016. I have another series about a private eye in 1988 and the next book is called CROSSFIRE, scheduled for publication in January. Finally, there are a few science fiction books that will be published in 2016. One is part of a trilogy called, interestingly enough, TRIPLEYE and it involves the first private I agency… on Mars.

If you want to know more about John, click here. If you want to purchase one of his fine novels (and I highly suggest you do), click here. A big thank you to John Hegenberger for taking the time to answer these questions!