Western Fictioneers

Western Fictioneers Members

Alexander, Agnes

Since childhood, Agnes Alexander has been intrigued with all things western. After a 30 day vacation in the west, she knew this was a part of the country and a history she wanted to write about. It was after leaving the business world that she decided it was time to pursue her dream. She decided to write her western romances with the title being a woman’s name, each with a beginning letter of the alphabet, though not in order. Her first in this genre was published in 2012. Her books have consistently been on one of her publisher’s best seller list and 5 have made it to Amazon’s top 100 list. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her website, www.agnesalexander.com

Ammerman, Mark

Mark Ammerman was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (also the birthplace of the American railroad and the perennial holiday hit “Winter Wonderland”), on March 10, 1954, to Clifford and Margaret Ammerman, and raised in a creative, caring, Christian household. His father was a journalist and newspaper editor, his mother a poet, pianist, and French horn player. His father published Mark's early cartoons in his hometown newspaper. His mother read, reviewed (and graded!) all his high school English compositions. His little sister Kristen (an author and editor herself) says that "the ink is in the blood."

Mark went to Kutztown State College for advertising art, not because he wanted to help Madison Avenue sell stuff, but because the tuition was cheap, the major was packed with illustration courses, and he wanted to be a professional comic book artist. He subsequently made a living for over four decades as an artist, a writer, and a creative communicator. His illustrations have been published internationally, and one of his novels (the historical-fiction tome Longshot) was picked by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the top 10 best Christian fiction books of the year 2000.
Since 2010, Mark has been the pastor of a small congregation in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. But he still writes, draws, and generally drives his wife (Terri) crazy with a daily dose of the best ideas he’s ever had.

Mark plays guitar and writes songs. He plays tennis and loves to get lost in the woods. He reads Western short stories and mystery novels before going to bed. He digs history, theology, good thriller films, classic rock and roll, visiting with friends, hiking with Terri, swimming at the Lake, and playing with their kids (5 of ‘em) and grandkids (4 of ‘em, so far.) Mark and Terri have been married since 1978.

Oh yeah!—and he loves the American West (more on that around the campfire.)

Arnold, J. D.

Back in the day, there were plenty of Westerns on TV and in books to flood a boy’s imagination. Those fanciful memories stayed with Jeff all through his Vietnam era military service, deputy sheriff and death investigator time, and change of gears to a CPA. Now, he is an author of frontier fiction with the critically acclaimed series on Detective Jonas V. Brighton aka Rawhide Jake, already under his belt. Additionally, Lone Star Folk, is a completed manuscript and another novel in the works is Lone Star Pride. A turn of the century saga of a northeastern Arizona family is temporarily on the back burner.

Jeff lives by the polo fields in Indio, California, with his wife, Diane, and Sofie, their canine love. Children and grandchildren reside in the next county over to the west. For a more comprehensive bio see www.jdarnoldauthor.com.

Atkisson, Eric 

Born in Texas, raised in Wisconsin, and now a resident of Northern Virginia, Eric writes speeches for a living and fiction for fun. After retiring from the Army National Guard in 2014 with 22 years of service and three combat deployments to the Middle East, he focuses his free time now on his family, creative writing, and the outdoors. His recent stories have appeared in Every Day Fiction, Frontier Tales, and Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. A history enthusiast, he was an extra in the pilot episode for the Civil War drama POINT OF HONOR and enjoys soaking in the rich history of Virginia and surrounding region. He has a B.A. in History from Ripon College, a M.A. in Political Science from Texas State University-San Marcos, and an advanced professional certificate in Public Relations & Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.

Baker, Madeline

Madeline Baker is one of those rare birds - a California native. She’s lived in Southern California her whole life and loves it (except for the earthquakes). She and her husband share a home with a fluffy Pomeranian named Lady, a tortoise named Buddy, and a wild sparrow named Tweety. Madeline and her alter ego, Amanda Ashley, have written over 70 books, many of which have appeared on various bestseller lists, including the New York Times Bestseller List, the Waldenbooks Bestseller list, and the USA Today list. Not bad for someone who started writing just for the fun of it. You can visit Madeline’s website at www.madelinebaker.net

Barnard, Sara 

Sara Barnard, who was most likely born into the wrong century, is mother to four awesome children. In addition to her bestselling Amish romance Rebekah’s Quilt (which is a contender for the 2013 RONE award for Inspirational Fiction), she has authored the historical romance Everlasting Heart series, consisting of bestselling A Heart on Hold, which was also a 2012 RONE award finalist, A Heart Broken (contender for the 2013 RONE award in American Historical Fiction), A Heart at Home, and A Heart Forever Wild – all from 5 Prince Publishing. She also writes for the younger among us. Chunky Sugars is a picture book from 5 Prince Kids and her independently published children’s nonfiction titles, The ABC’s of Oklahoma Plants and The Big Bad Wolf Really Isn’t so Big and Bad, have hit bestseller lists several times. Her forthcoming titles include A Heart Forever Wild (5 Prince, April 2, 2014) and The Calling (Prairie Rose Publications, April 1, 2014). She and her family make their home in the far reaches of the west Texas desert with the javalina, mesquite trees, and of course, lots and lots of oil. 

Beatty, G. K.

G.K. Beatty was a popular radio personality. Now, he dedicates his talents to writing books that transport the reader to another time, another way, another hope. The same creative mind, that has written thousands of broadcast programs and comedy bits, is focused upon his dream and love for the American West. 

GK Beatty is the author of the Barton Anderson series, including The Vindicated Man and The Search For Seth, published by Chiselbury Publishing.

Bell, Dorothy A.

Hello, Dorothy A. Bell here. I’m an author of Oregon western romance with Hartwood Publishing. Born in southern Iowa, but at the age of eleven the family migrated to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. I married a boy I met in the sixth grade, and we’ve been married for fifty-two years. We recently purchased a tiny home and so far we are loving it. We have a long-haired dachshund named Hector—Heck for short—and Rocky, a big, angora tuxedo cat. I enjoy gardening and landscaping, making pickles and relish from my homegrown cucumbers, and salsa from my homegrown tomatoes. My Oregon historical western romance The Reprobate, Wildchild/Freya’s Bower Publishing, was nominated 2013 Rone Award for best American historical Romance. Dance Hall Road, the first of four novels in the Dance Hall Road series, released in July of 2017, came in among the top five in the historical romance category in the 2014 Easy Chair Bookshop Competition. My blog https://dabellm3.com for photos and free short stories.

Benton, W. R.

W. R. Benton, pen name for Gary L. Benton, is an award winning author of numerous novels, many of which have been on the Amazon Best Sellers List. His book, “War Paint” is being made into a movie and is currently in the preproduction stage by MVP3 Studios of NYC, Memphis, and Hollywood.  Benton's writing has been endorsed by writers Don Bendell, Matt Braun, and Stephen Lodge, as well as actor James Drury, "The Virginian," actor Robert Woods, Mississippi Senator Terry Burton, and many others. He's been interviewed by many local Mississippi television and radio stations. He lives with his wife Melanie, also a writer, two cats, three dogs, and countless imaginary cows and horses on his 1000 acre fanciful ranch. A true cowboy at heart, Benton spent over 26 years on active military duty with the United States Air Force and retired in 1997 with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (E-8). You can discover more about W.R. Benton by visiting his website, www.wrbenton.net . Be sure to join his blog at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938106.W_R_Benton/blog  or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gary.l.benton

Bishop, Paul 

A novelist, screenwriter, and television personality, Paul Bishop recently finished a 35 year career with the Los Angeles Police Department where he was twice honored as Detective Of The Year.  He continues to work privately as a deception expert and as a specialist in the investigation of sex crimes.  His books include the western Diamondback: Shroud Of Vengenace, two novels (Hot Pursuit / Deep Water) featuring LAPD officers Calico Jack Walker and Tina Tamiko, the thrillers Penalty Shot and Suspicious Minds, a short story collection (Running Wylde), and five novels in his L.A.P.D. Detective Fey Croaker series (Croaker: Kill Me Again, Croaker: Grave Sins, Croaker: Tequila Mockingbird, Croaker: Chalk Whispers, and Croaker: Pattern of Behavior).  His latest novel, Fight Card: Felony Fists (written as Jack Tunney), is a fast action boxing tale inspired by the fight pulps of the ‘40s and ‘50s. His novels are currently available as e-books.

Blevins, Win

Win Blevins (born October 21, 1938)[1] is an American author of fiction and non-fiction. He has written many books about the western mountain trappers,[2] and is known for his "mastery of western lore."[3] His notable works include Stone Song, So Wild a Dream, and Dictionary of the American West. According to WorldCat, the Dictionary of the American West is held in 728 libraries.[4] Blevins has won numerous awards, including being named winner of the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement in writing literature of the West,[5] being selected for the Western Writers Hall of Fame,[5] being twice named 'Writer of the Year' by Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers,[6] and winning two Spur Awards for Novel of the West.[7][8]fr  Win Blevins Interview

Boehm, Duane

Duane grew up on a farm outside of Petersburg, Illinois. Besides his love of westerns, the two passions he acquired at a young age were the love of playing guitar and reading books. After a career as an IT consultant and he began writing western novels. Since that time most of his westerns has become a Number #1 Bestseller in the western genre.

Boertien, Robert (Bob)

Bob grew up on a small farm in northern Washington, about two miles below the Canadian border. As a youth, he owned several horses, but not necessarily good ones. He learned much from these animals, and their quirky natures are sometimes reflected in the fictional horses featured in his books and short stories.

It made sense to Bob to go light on school work so that he had more time to learn the invaluable life skills of riding, roping, shooting, and tracking. He was surprised to learn how limited his career field was with these skills on his résumé. He subsequently earned a B.S degree from Washington State University and a M.S. degree from the University of Portland. Bob spent over thirty years in law enforcement and is now retired and living in the foothills of the Cascades with his wife, Kristine. He enjoys hiking, biking, volunteer work, reading, and writing. Bob is an eclectic writer whose nonfiction articles have appeared in a variety of publications, and his fiction short stories have won or placed well in literary contests. He is currently writing western novels, set in Oregon, under contract with Two Gun Publishing.

Brandvold, Peter 

Peter Brandvold has written over seventy fast-action westerns under his own name and his pennames, Frank Leslie and Tabor Evans.  He is the head honcho of Mean Pete Press, which has set out to repub in ebook form some of Pete's early westerns and new, pulp-style westerns of the spicy and weird variety.  Check out his website:  www.peterbrandvold.com.  Follow his blog at:  www.peterbrandvold.blogspot.com. Peter Brandvold Interview

Bridges, Ben

David Whitehead is a prolific English writer and publisher. Born in London in 1958, he sold his first book, THE SILVER TRAIL, in 1984. It marked not only the first appearance of his popular continuing character, freelance fighting man Carter O'Brien, but also the first time he used his best-known pseudonym, Ben Bridges. Since then David has written close to ninety books; including westerns as Ben Bridges, Glenn Lockwood, Matt Logan, Doug Thorne, Carter West and ten under his own name. In addition to this he writes romantic fiction as Janet Whitehead and has co-authored numerous thrillers (including three acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels) with Hollywood screenwriter Steve Hayes. In addition to his film novelizations of DAY OF THE GUN (2013) and SHERLOCK HOLMES VS FRANKENSTEIN (2022), he also wrote the screenplay for the 2017 western movie VERMIJO. He also won the Wild Bunch Film Festival Award for his original western screenplay SHADOW FLATS. He runs Piccadilly Publishing with fellow Black Horse Western writer Mike Stotter. David's entire back-catalog is now available on Kindle, where all of his westerns are now being reissued under the Ben Bridges byline. For more details about David's work, please go to www.benbridges.co.uk.

Brunelle, Robert M.

Robert M. Brunelle has written six books, all of which have been sold on Amazon.com. The titles include: The Del Norte Miracles, 9 Lives of Badge 656-A Policeman's Memoir, Volume 1, Vice Cop-Aka: Super Trick, A Policeman's Memoir, Volume II, The Fender-Love, War & Rock n Roll, The San Moritz Murders, and The Monte Boys-Vigilante Justice, which is his first western novel. He also painted the cover for this western novel.

Robert is a retired Los Angeles Police Officer and has worked for Focus on the Family, Prison Fellowship Ministries, and the Special Olympics.

He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for 59 years. Together, they have 6 children, 16 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Law degree, a Juris Doctor degree from Southern California College of Law, and is a graduate of Screenwriter’s University and School of Children’s Literature

Burckhardt, Stephen

Stephen Burckhardt is a pen name for Shari Dianne Burckhardt. Shari was born in Wichita, KS and raised in and around the Wichita area. For a while, Shari lived on a ranch near Benton, KS. It was during these years when she fell in love with all things western. At a young age, Shari learned to care for farm animals, ride horses, and shoot guns. Being a proud member of the Cherokee Nation only deepened her interest in history. Shari attended Wichita State University and earned a degree in journalism and became certified in forensic criminology. One month before graduating with the certification, Shari had an accident which caused her to have seven surgeries in six months, six of which were brain surgeries. It took years to recover after so much brain trauma and her previous career choices did not seem attainable at that time. While working in a health food store in 2013, Shari met and then married her husband, Pedro. The couple was married in the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita. The wedding was performed by Shari’s mother and held in the Presbyterian Church. The reception was held in Fritz Snitzler‘s Saloon and was interrupted by gunfighters.  The happy couple soon moved to Europe for Pedro’s career. Shari had to rebuild her career again. It was then when she turned back to writing. Writing was a passion and a neurological rehabilitation therapy for Shari.  She began as a freelancer finding odd jobs online. The second novella she ghostwrote was a Western titled, Western: In the Company of Thieves. This project was so much fun to write, Shari decided to write westerns under her own pen name. Having been a fan of TV serials as a child, Shari decided to write her westerns as a cliffhanger serial. The first serial is the Into the West Saga Serial. Currently there are two novellas in publication: Into the West: The Orphan Train and Into the West: A New Home. Book three, Into the West: Sharon Springs, will be released soon. You can follow Shari through her website, http://stephenburckhardt.com, on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/stephen.burckhardt.westerns, and Twitter @S_Burckhardt.

Burns, Terry

Terry Burns writes westerns for the Christian market and for young adults and has over 40 books in print including 14 novels which isn’t many for this group. After being a literary agent for more than a decade he is returning to writing by releasing a number of his books that have never been available as ebooks in that form at http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Burns/e/B001JP4RHM/H These are free to Kindle Unlimited users. Print books can be found at the same location. A new contemporary western entitled "The Badge and the Bible" is featured there as is a traditional western entitled "Hounded."  A Young Adult book entitled "Beyond the Smoke" came out from BJU Press to win the Will Rogers Medallion. Terry is married to Saundra Burns, has five kids, ten grandkids and four great grands ranging from 24 years of age down to one month. 

Terry Burns passed away  Jan. 7, 2022.

Cameron, Marc 

Marc is the author of several  Western novels including Hard Road to Heaven and The Hell Riders--both written as Mark Henry. His short stories have appeared in BOYS' LIFE magazine and the SATURDAY EVENING POST. Marc grew up in North Central Texas and, in a previous life, served as a police officer in a small city there.  To make ends meet he apprenticed as a horse shoer and farrier and eventually had his own business-- until a friend pointed out that a man who is six feet tall and can't make a living with his head higher than his butt is not a very smart man.  About that time a position opened on the police department's mounted horse patrol where Marc served until getting a job with the feds where he spent over twenty-one years.  Along the way, he has written...a lot... most of it getting sent back with very kind and nurturing rejection letters. Though Westerns and the West remain his first love, he is presently neck deep in a Thriller series about a hard charging government agent who rides motorcycles and battles terrorists.  He lives in Alaska with his wife, blue heeler dog and BMW motorcycle. www.marccameronbooks.com http://www.facebook.com/MarcCameronAuthor

Ciccone, James

JAMES CICCONE was born in Auburn, N.Y. and grew up in the nearby villages of Skaneateles and Bridgewater, N.Y. He was a star soccer player for Mt. Markham H.S. and later for Colgate University and Sal Caruso of Utica, N.Y. He started publishing poetry and articles in national and regional magazines and newspapers as a teenager, including his noteworthy essay on music and religion, The Rituality of Jazz as Composed by John Coltrane, and his work documenting the achievements of one of New York State’s first black mayors (Everett Holmes), The Harvard Guide to African American History.

He graduated Colgate University with a B.A. in Religion before earning a law degree at Albany Law School. In law school, his paper on copyright law placed third in a national writing competition sponsored by ASCAP. He traded his ambition to write novels in order to practice law as a trial lawyer. He was general counsel to the historic American Tennis Association for over 20 years and rewrote the organization’s Constitution & Bylaws. In 2017, in recognition of his contributions to the game of tennis, he was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame (unanimous vote).

After leaving the practice of law, he began writing novels. He was a ghost writer for several books, including a best seller. His debut western novel is entitled A Good Day to Die.  James Ciccone Interview

Clark, A. Steven 

Born and raised in Missouri near the banks of the Mississippi, A. Steven Clark teaches economics and environmental courses while writing and telling stories part-time. He’s performed as an oral storyteller; has published short stories, nonfiction articles and book reviews; and in 2003 won a Parents’-Choice Award for a CD of original children’s music. His children’s songs have aired on radio stations in over thirty states and in several foreign countries. One of his songs was featured on the nationally syndicated Dr. Demento radio show. Clark lives with his wife in St. Charles, Missouri. His hobbies are hiking, playing and singing Americana music, collecting ghost stories, and throwing knives. His first novel, The Guerrilla Man: Bloody Trail to Kansas, is available from Solstice Publishing.

Clemmons, Caroline

Through a crazy twist of fate, Caroline Clemmons was not born on a Texas ranch. To make up for this tragic error, she writes about handsome cowboys, feisty ranch women, and scheming villains in a small office her family calls her pink cave. She and her Hero live in North Central Texas cowboy country where they ride herd on their rescued cats and dogs. The books she creates there have made her an Amazon bestselling author and won several awards. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest.
Click on her Amazon Author Page for a complete list of her books and follow her there.
Follow her on BookBub.
Subscribe to Caroline’s newsletter here to receive a FREE novella of HAPPY IS THE BRIDE, a humorous historical wedding disaster that ends happily—but you knew it would, didn’t you? Caroline Clemmons Interview

Collins, Max Allan 

Max Allan Collins is the author of the Shamus-winning Nathan Heller historical thrillers (Ask Not) and the graphic novel Road to Perdition, basis for the Academy Award-winning film. His innovative ‘70s series, Quarry, has been revived by Hard Case Crime (The Wrong Quarry) and he is developing novels from unfinished Mickey Spillane manuscripts (King of the Weeds), including the western The Legend of Caleb York, due from Pinnacle in 2015.  Collins wrote and directed the Lifetime movie Mommy and the documentary Mike Hammer’s Mickey Spillane on the Criterion edition of Kiss Me Deadly.  He and his wife Barbara write the Trash 'n' Treasure comic cozy mysteries (Antiques Con).

Cook, Stephen P.

Stephen P. Cook is co-writer of Writing for Proficiency (Pearson) and is the author of Realizing Westward: American Character and Cowboy Mythology (Pearson), which was best of category and best of show at the New England Booksellers Convention. His novel Two Rivers: Lieutenant John Bullis and His Days Commanding the Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts (I St. Press), was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards for Historical Fiction. He is a member of Western Writers of America and has published short stories, book reviews, and scholarly essays, one of which, “Into the Wild: Chris McCandless and His Search for a ‘Yonder’” appeared in New Wests and Post Wests (Cambridge UP). A story, “Intervention,” was recently selected for Stories on Stage in Sacramento. He is currently at work on a novel Full Moon Over the Cheyenne, which is set in California and on the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary outside of Hot Springs. He is also working away at a collection of short stories set in urban and rural California, which are both traditional Westerns and New Westerns.

Stephen P. Cook is emeritus faculty in English at Sacramento State University. He and his wife will be departing California very soon to live full time on their ranch in the Black Hills near Custer. He is an avid horseman and is looking forward to riding his Arab Amigito on the miles and miles of trails leading from his front door.

Finally, he is humbled and gratified by being accepted into Western Fictioneers.

Cox, James Henry

Jim was born on November 25, 1935, in Essex, Missouri. He was the youngest of five siblings. His family moved six times before he entered third grade but finally settled in his birth town of Essex, a small town of five hundred people in the flat river bottoms of southeastern Missouri. After his father's death, Jim, along with his mother and youngest sister, moved into his grandparents' home when he was twelve. Money was scarce for the next few years but memories were built that have lasted a lifetime. Jim sat in awe as his grandpa told hour-long stories of his growing up years. Perhaps, a few small embellishments were added to enhance the effect. Jim lived with his brother in West Lafayette, Indiana, while attending Purdue University. It was during this time, Jim first started telling stories. The car ride to visit family in Essex was an eight hour journey, occurring during holidays, twice a year. Words were soaked up like a sponge by his nephew, Jay, as Jim’s stories came to life in the back seat. Telling stories to his four children was treasured, but somewhat limited due to Jim's busy work schedule. However, when his grandchildren appeared, time was taken to shape their minds with colorful tales almost daily. There was no end to the hundreds of stories told in bedrooms, playrooms, cars, or outside sitting on the grass. Often times, neighbor kids joined them with wide eyes and big ears. Jim has accepted the challenge from his children to record some of his stories for the generations of tomorrow. His writings will promote the need to live a good life with high morals as his vocal tales have always conveyed. His hope is to create the same excitement through script as through his vocal words. Jim resides in Syracuse, Indiana, with his wife, Wilma.

J.L. Crafts

J.L. Crafts was raised on the outskirts of a very large city in Southern California. Thankfully, back in those days the very distant outskirts of that city still included open spaces and small ranches. As a young boy he worked wrangling horses on one of those ranches learning to rope, ride and train one of the most magnificent animals our planet has to offer. Those early years created a lifelong connection with not only horses but with the west of the 1800’s. College led to law school followed by over thirty years of trying cases to juries up and down the state of California. Speaking to juries in a simple directness, he did what he could to elicit facts and arguments where ever possible through stories of life in the saddle and open spaces. He now spends his days creating those stories on the page and enjoys every minute of it.

Cranmer, David

David Cranmer (http://davidcranmer.blogspot.com/) writes the Cash Laramie & Gideon Miles hardboiled westerns as Edward A. Grainger. He is editor/publisher of BEAT to a PULP (http://www.beattoapulp.com/pulp.htm).

Crider, Bill

BILL is the author of more than fifty published novels and numerous short stories. He won the Anthony Award for best first mystery novel in 1987 for Too Late to Die and was nominated for the Shamus Award for best first private-eye novel for Dead on the Island.  He won the Golden Duck award for “best juvenile science fiction novel” for Mike Gonzo and the UFO Terror.  He and his wife, Judy, won the best short story Anthony in 2002 for their story “Chocolate Moose.”  His story “Cranked” from Damn Near Dead (Busted Flush Press) was nominated for the Edgar award for best short story.  Check out his homepage at www.billcrider.com, or take a look at his peculiar blog at http://billcrider.blogspot.com.  Bill Crider passed away February 12, 2018.

Crisp, Kevin,

Kevin Crisp teaches college biology and has authored some fifteen science research papers and textbook chapters. He has also published short stories in the western and horror genres in eZines such as Frontier Tales and the Lovecraft eZine.

Kevin has a BA in psychology from Haverford College and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Minnesota. He also studied anatomy at University College of London in England and physiology at the University of Miami in Florida.

Born and raised outside of Washington, D.C., Kevin has been living in a small town in Minnesota for eight years.

Daiss, Ronald E.

I've worked on a ranch in Montana, trained horses, later guided elk hunters in the Bitterroot-Selway Wilderness. My brother owns a cattle spread near Sonoita, Arizona. In the desert I've prospected for and mine placer gold. These experiences lead to the publications of "Open Range, cowboy free verse, and "Rustlers Ruse," a short Western novel. Earlier I lived in Alaska, the far West, and authored a book of my adventures there, "Alaska Years," and "Alaska Tales," fictional short stories.

Davis, John Neely 

In a farming community in west Tennessee, John Neely Davis was known as one of the premier riders of unruly stick horses. Between the ages of three and seven, he was thrown only once and that by an exceptionally rank sassafras. His father, a part-time Oklahoman, told tales of towns with exotic names: Tahlequah, Broken Arrow, Hoot Owl, and Lone Wolf. So, his love of the west was nurtured. His interest in the west continued and was intensified by the years of living in Amarillo and working in the Southwest. His western short stories have been published by Troy Smith’s, Western Trail Blazer. He has authored two novels with Appalachian themes and contributed to various anthologies.

More than half century ago, he was banished from The University of Tennessee for disinterest, impulsiveness, and poor spelling.

Deacon, John

John Deacon was born six months before man landed on the moon. He was blessed to grow up in the country, where his family lived largely off the land.

A lifelong fan of Westerns, John is the author of the Silent Justice series, the Heck & Hope series, and a standalone called Destitution.

Despite his love for the West, John is Pennsylvanian. He lives in the heart of Amish country with his wife, daughter, and dog.

Dearen, Patrick 

Winner of the Peacemaker and Spur awards, Patrick Dearen is the author of twenty-one books. A native of Sterling City, Texas, he earned a bachelor of journalism from The University of Texas in 1974 and received several awards as a reporter for two West Texas daily newspapers.

Dearen wears two hats. As a nonfiction writer, he has produced books such as Crossing Rio Pecos, Devils River: Treacherous Twin to the Pecos, 1535-1900, The Last of the Old-Time Cowboys and Saddling Up Anyway: The Dangerous Lives of Old-Time Cowboys. His research has led to a dozen novels, including The Big Drift, winner of the Peacemaker Award, the Spur Award of Western Writers of America, the Fiction Book of the Year Award from Academy of Western Artists, and the Elmer Kelton Award from West Texas Historical Association. His novel To Hell or the Pecos won the 2014 Elmer Kelton Award and was a finalist for the Will Rogers Medallion Award. His other novels include Perseverance.

A ragtime pianist and backpacking enthusiast, Dearen makes his home in Midland, Texas, with his wife Mary and their son Wesley.

DiCesaris, Eugene

Born in, and a lifelong resident of, California, Eugene has always been an avid reader of books, and often dreamed of the day when he could say he had authored one of his own. That dream will soon be realized with the release in October 2021 of his first book--a western historical novel published by Five Star Publishers titled Clayton Sharp: Messenger of Warning.

At 67, Eugene is excited about the future, and looks forward to the time when he hopes to have several more novels notched in his belt. He lives with his beautiful wife, Eva, in the Inland Empire, and would be happy to hear from you at the email address ejdicesarisbks@gmail.com.

Dickey, Fred

Fred Dickey writes his novels near San Diego. He was a career journalist, who came to realize that insightful fiction can be more real than what passes for the "news." He has written three popular books, Stories With Faces, Death On A Dark Street, and his latest, Days of Hope, Miles of Misery- Love and Loss on the Oregon Trail. Before that, he wrote two spy novels (one of those published in 6 languages). Fred served as Sunday editor, the San Jose Mercury News; executive editor, The Anchorage Times; editor, the Oakland Tribune, and as an editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He is a former president of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, and a former president of the Alaska Press Association.

Fred is married to Kathy Dickey. She is a microbiologist whose name is on nine U.S. patents. They share 4 children and 5 grandchildren. He graduated from Northern Illinois University (B.S.) and Norwich University (M.A.). Fred was the founder and president of Public-Interest Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating educational video programs for at-risk youth. He initiated the refurbishment and re-dedication of the Georgia Dickey family and slave cemetery.

Fred travels the world, and is a ceaseless California explorer.  He is interested in history, especially the Civil War era, California history, and the Oregon Trail era. 

He is a former documentary judge of the Emmy awards. He has been interviewed on several TV and radio programs about his stories, including Forensic Files. Forensic Files, 2004, "Nailed."   Link:  IMDb Forensic Files, Nailed

• Link to Fred's latest book on Amazon: Days of Hope, Miles of Misery.
• Amazon Author Page: Fred Dickey, author
• Go to Fred Dickey's book on Goodreads.com to learn more about giveaways, events, reviews and other information about this book.
• Fred Dickey's Facebook Page: Fred Dickey, author

Doty, Dennis

Dennis is a freelance writer/editor as well as the Publisher/Managing Editor of Saddlebag Dispatches magazine and Chief Content Executive for Oghma Creative Media. He writes whatever his overly active imagination leads him to but specializes in Westerns and Historical fiction.

During a wildly misspent youth, he served ten years in the Marine Corps and two on the Rodeo Cowboys Association Southwest Circuit where he developed dozens of entertaining ways to fall off a bareback bronc.

His first published novel, The Cherokee Strip, co-written with the legendary Dusty Richards was released in April 2021. Dennis’ short fiction has appeared in Saddlebag Dispatches, Cheapjack Pulp, Storyland Literary Review, Inner Circle Writers Magazine, and in anthologies such as At Death’s Door and The Untamed West. As of 2022, he is proud to serve as the Vice President of Western Fictioneers.

Originally from Southern California, Dennis now makes his home with his wife and two shelter rescue dogs in Southeastern Kentucky. He spends his days writing, editing and yelling at kids to get off his lawn.

He can be found at www.dennisdotywebsite.com  on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dwdoty or at the dennis@oghmacreatrive.com.

Downey, Lynn

Lynn Downey is a long-published historian of the West and a new novelist. Her first novel, Dudes Rush In, came out in October 2020 from Pronghorn Press. It’s a historical mystery with a touch of romance, set on the H Double Bar dude ranch in Tribulation, Arizona in 1952, and is the first book in a planned series. Her history books have won awards from Women Writing the West and Foreword Reviews. Lynn is the former company Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco, and when she’s not writing she works as a consulting archivist and historian for museums, libraries, and companies. She’s a native Californian, a member of Women Writing the West, and Western Writers of America. Her website is at www.lynndowney.com, and she’s on Instagram at lynn.downey.historian.

Dundee, Wayne 

Wayne lives in the once-notorious old cowtown of Ogallala, on the hinge of Nebraska's panhandle. He relocated there after spending the first fifty years of his life in the state line area of northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin. A widower, retired from a managerial position in the magnetics industry, Dundee now devotes full time to his writing. To date, he has had over fifty novels and more than three dozen short stories published.

Most of his early work featured his PI protagonist, Joe Hannibal. Titles in the Hannibal series have been translated into several languages and nominated for an Edgar, an Anthony, and six Shamus Awards. Dundee is also the founder and original editor of Hardboiled Magazine.

In recent years Dundee has branched into the Western genre and has gained a growing following there. He is the recipient of three Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers: DISMAL RIVER (best first Western novel 2011); This Old Star (best Western short story 2010); and Adeline (best Western short story 2012). He has also received additional nominations in various categories and served one term as Vice President for Western Fictioneers.

Dundee's future writing plans are mostly for the Western genre, primarily a continuation of his popular Lone McGantry series.

You can learn more about Big Wayne and his writing at:
http://fromdundeesdesk.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/Wayne.Dundee
e-mail: wayneddundee@gmail.com

Dunlap, Phil

Phil Dunlap has lived his entire life in Indiana, but that hasn’t kept him from immersing himself totally in the Old West. His wife thinks he’s been possessed by a long dead gunfighter. Could be. He’s seen eleven of his novels published, and has been included in five short story anthologies. His “Saving Mattie” won the 2009 Best Traditional Western award from EPIC, and was a finalist in the 2012 Western Fictioneers Best Novel competition for “Apache Lawman.” “Cotton’s Inferno” (coming in February 2014) is the latest installment a four-book series from Berkley. Website: www.phildunlap.com.   

Farmer, Ken

After proudly serving his country as a US Marine, Ken attended Stephen F. Austin State University on a full football scholarship, receiving his Bachelors Degree in Business and Speech & Drama. Ken quickly discovered his love for acting when he starred as a cowboy in a Dairy Queen commercial when he was raising registered Beefmaster cattle and Quarter Horses at his ranch in East Texas. Ken has over 41 years as a professional actor, with memorable roles Silverado, Friday Night Lights, The Newton Boysand Uncommon Valor. He was the OC and VO spokesman for Wolf Brand Chili for eight years. Ken was a professional and celebrity Team Penner for over twenty years—twice penning at the National Finals—and participated in the Ben Johnson Pro-Celebrity Rodeos until Ben’s death in ‘96. Ken now lives near Gainesville, TX, where he continues to write novels. Ken wrote a screenplay back in the '80s, The Tumbleweed Wagon. Ken and Buck's new historical fiction western, THE NATIONS—a Finalist for the Elmer Kelton Award—was an adaptation of that screenplay. They released the sequel, HAUNTED FALLS—winner of the Laramie Award for Best Action Western, 2013—in June of 2013. Ken is currently writing the third in the Bass Reeves saga, HELL HOLE, due for release early spring, 2014. Ken Farmer Interview

Fisher, Dave P. 

Mountain men and explorers make up the branches of Dave’s family tree. His mother’s side was from Canada where the men plied the fur trade, ventured into the Rocky Mountains during the beaver boom in the 1820’s.
His father was born in 1905 and saw the last of the Old West. His grandfather was Blackfoot born in a tepee on the reservation in Montana. He was a hunter and horseman who brought a great deal of Old West influence into the Fisher family. From them Dave heard the stories of the West that was.  A life-long Westerner Dave inherited that pioneer blood and followed in the footsteps of his ancestors. Originally from Oregon, he worked cattle and rode saddle broncs. His adventures have taken him across the wilds of Alaska as a horsepacker and hunting guide, through the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado where he wrangled, guided and packed for a variety of outfitters.  Dave weaves this experience through his writing, drawing readers into his stories by their realism and his personal knowledge of the West, its people, and character. He has over 400 fiction and non-fiction works published which include several western novels and books, over 40 short stories, numerous cowboy poems, and two CD’s of cowboy poetry.  His novels include the Poudre Canyon Saga trilogy, and Bitter Grass. He won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction for his collection of short stories Bronc Buster – Short Stories of the American West. He has earned 8 People’s Choice Awards for western short stories and has been included in 12 anthologies.  www.davepfisher.com.

Garrett, Tracy

Award-winning, multi-published author Tracy Garrett has always loved to disappear into the pages of a book. An accomplished musician, Tracy merged her need for creativity, love of history, and passion for reading when she began writing western historical romance.

First published in 2007, Tracy joined Prairie Rose Publications in its inaugural anthology in 2013. She is a regular blogger on Petticoats and Pistols.

Tracy resides in Missouri with her husband and their fuzzy kid, Wrigley.

Find out more about Tracy at:
TracyGarrett.com
Petticoats and Pistols
Prairie Rose Publications blog
Facebook
Twitter 

Gese,  Scott A.
I come from an extended family of creative souls. Artists, designers, woodworkers and yes, even a couple of writers. So it was no surprise to me that I had inherited some of these creative genes. I dabbled in several mediums and as the old saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none” fit me well...that is until I discovered writing. I look back at this “discovery” as either accidental or divine providence, I'm not sure which. It happened about 9 or 10 years ago.

Having grown up in the 1950's when westerns were at the height of popularity in all forms of media, I was absorbed into the culture like many other kids my age. Over the years I've watched the popularity of the genre slip to a low point as it gave way to more current and popular topics such as vampires and werewolves. I felt the need to do something to help the western genre get back to center stage, so I started a western website called Rope and Wire. I use the site to help promote western authors and the West in general through western short stories and other articles. In the beginning, the site had very little content and I knew if it was to survive I needed to step up and add some of my own work. Problem was, I didn't have any of my own work. Up until this time I hadn't written much more than a grocery list. So I did my homework and figured out the basics of how to write a short story. With each story I wrote, it became easier. I was amazed to “discover” how much I actually loved to write. So my writing career didn't really start until I was fifty. Since then, the Rope and wire website has produced five ebooks and hosted two writing contests. I've published numerous short stories and one novella called “Dark Riders” under the pseudo name of Christopher Scott. I have my first novel ready to be sent to publishers. This will be authored under my given name, Scott A. Gese.

For the past 50 years I've lived on the west coast, in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Goheen, Ben

Ben's first published work of western fiction was Echoes of Massacre Canyon (Five Star-Cengage, 2016) written under the name Ben Tyler.. A second western novel, Mabry's Challenge, also written under the name Ben Tyler and published by Five Star-Cengage is due out later in 2016. A non-fiction book, With Shirttails Flying, was published in 2005. Shirttails is a true Hoosiers-like story about a Kentucky high school championship basketball team of which he was a member.

Ben currently lives in Western Kentucky near Kentucky Lake. He has a degree in Secondary Education from Murray State University. He worked as a high school teacher right out of college, and then moved on to the chemical manufacturing industry where he worked in the Human Resources field.

Griffin, James (Jim)

While James J. Griffin is a native  New Englander, he has been in love with all things Western from an early age. He has a particular interest in the Texas Rangers, and has accumulated enough knowledge about the organization to be considered an amateur historian of the Rangers. His extensive collection of Texas Ranger artifacts is now part of the permanent collections of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco. He has traveled throughout the western United States and Canada, both for vacation and research.

Jim is also a lifelong horseman, and his love and knowledge of horses is reflected in his writings. Horses are always an integral part of Jim's Western novels and short stories. The horses in his stories are based on the horses he has owned, with their personalities, peculiarities, and quirks.

Jim began writing at the urging of author and fellow Western Fictioneer James Reasoner. With his interest in the Rangers, it was only natural Jim would write Texas Ranger novels. He has written two main series, featuring Texas Rangers Jim Blawcyzk and Cody Havlicek. He has also written several other stories and novels, including THE RANGER for the Western Fictioneers' WEST OF THE BIG RIVER series, THE GREAT TEXAS KAPUSTA INCIDENT for the Western Fictioneers' anthology THE TRADITIONAL WEST, and the A RANGER NAMED ROWDY series of short stories (ebooks) for High Noon Press. He is also a contributor to the Western Fictioneers' WOLF CREEK series, under the WF house name Ford Fargo. Jim's short story THE TOYS, which is included in the Western Fictioneers' SIX-GUNS AND SLAY BELLS Christmas Anthology, was a finalist for the 2012 Peacemaker Award for Best Western Short Story.

When not traveling out West, Jim divides his time between Branford, Connecticut and Keene, New Hampshire. To learn more about Jim and his books, visit his website at www.jamesjgriffin.net.

Guin, Jerry

Jerry is a former US Navy sailor and an avid outdoorsman. In 1997, he wrote “Matsutake Mushroom”, a nature guidebook. Jerry wrote his first western short story in 1995. Since then he has written dozens of short stories for various western anthologies, including six stories for Western Fictioneer’s, Wolf Creek series.

Jerry is the author of the West of The Big River series novel – “The Bandit” and a growing number of western novels. Under the name of J.L. Guin, Jerry has written the following list of a dozen plus novels, River Whiskey, Drover’s Bounty, Once a Drover, Bounty by Chance, Bounty Poachers, Drover’s Vendetta, Western Duo, Due Justice, Lawman’s Gun, Pushed too Far, and the three book series, Unlikely Partners, Reluctant Partners, and Wary Partners. His latest novel is, “C.C. Crane – Bounty Distractions.”

He is now working on his next novel, “Dangerous Delusions.”

Jerry and proofreader wife Ginny live in Northern, California in the mountainous community of Salyer.

Gunn, Johnny 

I’ve had a wonderful and varied time along this bumpy highway called life. I spent my early years in Santa Cruz, California, swimming, fishing, and wallowing in the splendor of redwoods, the Monterey Bay, and a loving family. Then, my four years of high school were spent living on the Island of Guam. That was back in the early 1950s Yes, Virginia, I am that old, but only in body, not spirit.

My first job in radio was in 1958. I bought the Virginia City Legend newspaper in that old western mining community in 1971, and retired from having a job in 2010. That’s when I changed from being a reporter of news to being a writer of fiction, and over these last few years have found my western and crime/mystery stories published as novels and in magazines and anthologies, around the world.

My beautiful wife Patty and I live on a small hobby farm about twenty miles north of Reno, Nevada, sharing space with a couple of fine horses, a flock of egg-producing chickens, and some breeding rabbits. You’re always welcome to visit. I need help cleaning those corrals.

Hanley, James

My background is somewhat diverse. I'm a retired Naval officer, former Human Resources Director and adjunct professor. I've been writing short stories for years (had over 80 published including some in the Western genre). I wrote 3 Western novels: The Calling (2014), An Ill Wind (2015) and The Train Robbers (due for release on September 8, 2016), all published by 5 Prince Publishing. I was honored that The Calling was a finalist in the Best First Novel by Western Fictioneers.

Hansen, John

John grew up on a ranch in southern Idaho. He received a Bachelor of University Studies Degree with an emphasis in English and Biology from Idaho State University and a Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He spent most of his adult life working as a wildlife biologist and wildland firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho and New Mexico. His interest in writing goes back to when he wrote his first one-page story at age nine. Since that time, he has published four fiction stories, three non-fiction articles concerning western history and twelve novels in the western, historical and contemporary literary fiction genres. His writing has earned him a number of awards, most notably three Will Rogers Medallions and a finalist for the Laramie and Somerset awards. John and his wife Debi and their rescue dog Bella and three-legged cat, Gizmo live in western Montana. For more information concerning John’s writing visit: //johnhansen.net

Harris,  Bruce

Bruce Harris is the author of: A Pair of Polished Peacemakers, Puhl's Gold, Murder at Bullet Pass, and A Single Slug & other Western Tales. All titles available at Amazon.

Hartman, Bruce

Bruce Hartman has worked as a pianist, bookseller and attorney and has been writing fiction for many years. He is the author of twelve novels, the latest of which is LEGEND OF LOST BASIN, the first book in a projected trilogy set in Colorado, Montana, and Oklahoma, focusing on the post-Civil War cattle boom. He traces his roots to the West and currently divides his time between Colorado and Pennsylvania.

Hays, J.E.S.

J.E.S. Hays lives in South Carolina in a little house full of books and photographs. When not off in her own little world, she can usually be found outside with a camera in one hand, or answering questions on Alexa Answers. J.E.S. is best known for the Devon Day and the Sweetwater Kid stories, several of which have been published in an anthology called DOWN THE OWLHOOT TRAIL. You've also seen several of the stories in the Western Fictioneers anthologies, as well as the Wolf Creek books. You can find JES at www.jeshays.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks

Herzberg, Bob 

Bob Herzberg was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.in 1956 and graduated from Erasmus Hall High School.  He's performed standup comedy, improv and murder-mystery dinner theater in both N.Y. and Hollywood, and is a member of the Western Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers. In the past six years, he has had six books published:  Shooting Scripts: From Pulp Western to Film, The FBI & the Movies, Savages & Saints: The Changing Image of American Indians in Westerns, The Left Side of the Screen, Hang 'Em High: Law & Disorder in Western Films and Literature, to be published in 2013, and his first novel, Quantrill's Gold. In 2008, he was appeared on TV-Land's Myths & Scandals, and in 2012, he was interviewed by Warner Brothers for the 20th anniversary blu-ray edition of The Fugitive. He's been happily married to the lovely actress/poet Colleen Hayden.  One day, they hope to live out west.

Hirt, Doug

DOUGLAS HIRT was born in Illinois, but heeding Horace Greeley's admonition to "Go west, young man", he headed to New Mexico at eighteen. He drew heavily from this "desert life" when writing his first novel, Devil's Wind. In 1991 Doug's novel, A Passage of Seasons, won the Colorado Authors' League Top Hand Award. His 1998 book, Brandish, and 1999 Deadwood, were finalists for the SPUR award given by the Western Writers of America. A short story writer, and the author of thirty-four novels and one book of non fiction, Doug makes his home in Colorado Springs with his wife Kathy. When not writing or traveling to research his novels, Doug enjoys collecting and restoring old English sports cars. You can find more about Douglas Hirt at www.douglashirt.com

Horsnell, Susan

My name is Susan Horsnell and for 37 years, I worked as a nurse. It was something I always wanted to do from the time I was a young child and I began treading this path as a 12 year old when I volunteered at the local hospital, helping the Pink Ladies sell magazines and sweets from a trolley.

I have always had an overactive imagination and teachers noted I had a great ability for writing at a young age and I studied the intricacies of composing stories for numerous years. When I retired I put pen to paper and a second long held dream became a reality with my first book - a Western Historical Romance was published in 2013.

My love of the Wild West came from my father, an avid Cowboys and Indian fan. From there, my imagination took over and I branched into other Romance Genres. My aim is to take the reader on a roller coaster of action, emotion, mystery and of course - love. Hopefully, as they close the cover on one of my stories it will be with a satisfied sigh. 
I can be found at: Website: http://susanhorsnellromanceauthor.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/susanhorsnellromanceauthor/
Blog: http://susanhorsnell.com

Jackson, Dale B.

Dale Jackson and his wife, Mary, reside on their ranch near Oakdale, California in the foothills of the Sierras where they have raised registered Angus cattle for the past 30-years.  He is ex-military, a retired wine industry executive and a full-time writer. Originally from Minnesota, he was raised in the Big Sky country of Montana before relocating to California where the water troughs rarely freeze and there isn't much use for a snow shovel. His debut novel, “They Rode Good Horses” published in 2011 by Goldminds Publishing, won the Will Rogers Medallion Award.  His follow-up novel, “Unbroke Horses”, also published by Goldminds was released in July 2012.  A short story, “Last Of The Cowboys”, appears in a ReadWest Foundation, “Stories Of The American West” anthology which was also released in July.  A second short story, “A Blood Red Moon” is due to be released in October in the La Frontera Publishing anthology, “Outlaws And Lawmen”.A third novel, “County Road 37”, is planned for completion early spring 2013. Website:  www.dalebjackson.com 

James, Nik

Nik James is a pseudonym for award-winning, USA Today bestselling authors Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick. They are the writing team behind over four dozen conflict-filled historical and contemporary novels and two works of nonfiction under various pseudonyms. Their first three Western historicals--High Country Justice, Bullets and Silver, and Silver Trail Christmas--signal the start of a series featuring famed frontier scout and sometime lawman Caleb Marlowe. For more information, visit the Nik James website at http://www.nikjamesauthor.com . The authors make their home in Southern California. Nik James Interview

Jeppsen, Linell

Linell Jeppsen is a writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her vampire novel, Detour to Dusk, has received over 44- four and five star reviews. Her novel Story Time,  with over 130- 4 and 5 star reviews, is a science fiction, post-apocalyptic novel, and has been touted by the Paranormal Romance Guild, Sandy’s Blog Spot, Coffeetime Romance , Bitten by Books and 64 top reviewers as a five star read, filled with terror, love, loss, and the indomitable beauty and strength of the human spirit. Story Time was also nominated as the best new read of 2011 by the PRG! Her dark fantasy novel, Onio (a story about a half-human Sasquatch who falls in love with a human girl), was released in December 2012 and won 3rd place as the best fantasy romance of 2012 by the PRG reviewers guild! Onio also sports over 50- 4 and 5 star reviews!

Her novel, The War of Odds, won the IBD award for fantasy fiction and boasts 18- 5 star reviews since its release in February of 2013. It also placed 2nd, as the best YA, paranormal book of 2013 by the PRG!

She is in a collaborative effort with the Welsh author, J. Bryden Lloyd in, The Guardians- a science fiction, serialized thriller with over 30 reviews here and in the UK! The Guardians just won 2nd place as the best serialized science fiction novel of 2013 by the PRG!

Her latest effort, The Beginning of the Story (Story Time Prequel) is a must for those of you who loved Story Time.
Deadman’s Lament- a Western novel of Retribution and Revenge! Dead Man’s Lament already boasts over 86- 4 and 5 star reviews! It is also nominated for the RONE award for western fiction and the Global E-Book award!

… and coming soon   Deadman’s Fury!

For more information about Linell Jeppsen and her novels, visit http://neljeppsen.weebly.com, or http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com/home.html

Joyner, C. Courtney

Courtney Joyner is a screenwriter and director with over 25 produced movies, including the cult films PRISON starring Viggo Mortensen, CLASS OF 1999, and the new telefilm RETURN OF CAPT. NEMO starring Hugh Bonneville.   A graduate of USC, Courtney’s first movie was THE OFFSPRING starring the legendary Vincent Price. After the movie’s theatrical success, he found himself in demand as a writer of horror, thrillers and action films.  His work in television has included TV movies for CBS, (DISTANT COUSINS), the USA Network (BETRAYAL, GUILTY AS CHARGED), and Showtime (WHITE RUSH).  He wrote the pilot for the Western series DEPUTY DIARIES, and just optioned his original screenplay, THE LEGEND OF BELLE STARR.  As a film journalist, his articles have appeared in WILDEST WESTERNS, ROUND-UP, FANGORIA, CINEMA RETRO, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, EMPIRE and others.  He has written chapters for such non-fiction books as JOHN FORD – A LIFE IN FILM, THE CINEMA OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR, and DUKE: WE’RE GLAD WE KNEW YOU.  His latest movie book is THE WESTERNERS – INTERVIEWS WITH ACTORS, DIRECTORS AND WRITERS, which was published by McFarland in November to excellent reviews, and he will be following it with VOICES OF THE WEST.  His short story “Bloodhound” was included in Express Westerns FISTFUL OF LEGENDS, and his story “Two-Bit Kill” will be appearing in the anthology LAW OF THE GUN from Kensington in November. He is currently finishing his first western novel, TRACKING THE DEVIL.  Courtney is a member of the Western Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and The International Thriller Writers. He lives in Los Angeles.

Kelly, Carla

Carla is the author of more than 35 novels and umpteen short stories, as well as a few non-fiction works. She is probably best known for her Regency Romance novels, two of which have won Rita Awards from Romance Writers of America. Carla began her writing career – have to call it something – with a series of short stories about the post Civil War frontier army. Two of these stories were awarded Spur Awards for Short Fiction from Western Writers of America. She also has three Whitney Awards from LDStorymakers for her historical fiction novels, all of which are set in the West. There’s a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times somewhere in that mix, too.

Carla had worked a variety of jobs, ranging from journalist for a North Dakota daily newspaper, to contract researcher for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, public relations/medical writer for a tertiary care medical center, PR coordinator for a four-state hospice organization, university adjunct professor, and seasonal ranger with the National Park Service. By far her favorite gig was working for the Park Service at Fort Laramie NHS and Fort Union Trading Post NHS, where she was paid every two weeks for doing what she probably would have done for free.

Carla lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with her husband Martin, a retired director of academic theatre. Their five children are located here and there around the country. Carla isn’t retired because writers never retire. She has a cool website at www.carlakellyauthor.com.

Kohlhagen, Steven W. 

In August of 2002, Steve retired as Head of Fixed Income Sales and Trading, Global Derivatives, and Foreign Exchange at Wachovia.  He was previously responsible for building and running the Derivatives business at First Union since its inception in January 1993.  Previously, he was a Professor of International Finance and Economics, U.C. Berkeley for ten years, and then moved to Wall Street for ten years, structuring, trading, and marketing various fixed income and derivative products, largely for Bankers Trust and Lehman Brothers.  While at Berkeley, he spent two years on leave in Washington, D.C. at the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. Treasury, and the Council of Economic Advisers.

Steve has a B.A. in Economics from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.   He is currently on the Boards of Directors of Ametek, Inc., Reval, Inc., GulfMark Overseas, and Freddie Mac, and is currently writing murder mystery novels. He has published an award winning novel, “Where They Bury You,” and the sequel “Chief of Thieves” will be out this winter, both published by Sunstone Press. He and his wife Gale reside in Charleston, S.C. and Chromo, Colorado.  www.stevenwkohlhagen.com

Layne, John

John Layne Interview

Law, Steven

Steven Law is the author of YUMA GOLD (Berkley, November 2011), and his forthcoming works, EL PASO WAY (Berkley, October 2013), and BRAVE SONORA (Berkley, June 2014). He has worked as a community newspaper reporter, a columnist, and a freelance literary publicist. For over fifteen years he has worked with several acclaimed authors, such as Pulitzer Prize Finalist S. C. Gwynne, New York Times best-seller Stephen Harrigan, New York Times columnist Peter Applebome, and the late Elmer Kelton.

Legg, John 

John Legg has had more than 70 novels, all but a few are Westerns published, including a number of series novels, and one book of Western nonfiction. He has also done a number of articles on Western history for national magazines. He has also been a best-selling author on Amazon several times (if not more). He was a newspaper copy editor for almost 40 years, more than 27 years in Phoenix and almost 10 in Florida before retiring from that profession, though not from writing.

An Air Force veteran, he has traveled much of the West, with Bent’s Fort being one of his favorite spots. He has a BA from William Paterson College (now university) in Wayne, N.J., and an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He has two grown children and two young grandsons.

His website can be found at johnleggbooks.com.

Lester, Matthew Pete

I am Dr. Pete Lester. My stories include Southern fiction and Western novels. One of my favorite hobbies deals with painting book covers. Additionally, even as a young person, I have always loved the mountains, the High Country, the great outdoors and many of my stories touch on the people and culture of the mountains and Southwest. My hope for 2024, fingers crossed, is to write a Fantasy novel.  

My early years were spent in coal mining fields of West Virginia, and Virginia, and, like other youngsters, I wanted to see the world as a baseball player. But God has His plans and ours becomes His humor. My stint in the U.S. Army helped with my travels, and as a result, many of my charters are based off of people that have crossed my path. 

My alma mater is threefold: Concord University, Liberty University, and Tennessee Temple University. My personal goals are to see the places I have read about in books and create charters from events that have taken place, such as love stories, Civil War battles, struggles in the Old West, the climb of the pioneer and mountaineer. I pray for good coffee and a decent revelation of thought.      

I have worked most of my life in logistics, part as a Federal Ranger, and directed cargo shipments across this blessed landscape. Thus, geography, cultural, and places that seem out of the way, make good starting points for campsite stories and that is where I pick up the pen. My belief is that the art of storytelling keeps us laughing and smiling, and so we keep writing and thinking and creating. My penname for a few years in Southern Fiction was Tennessee Gunns, and under that name I wrote three books: The Tobacco Barn (2020), Saddles of Barringer (2021), and When Geese Fly South (2022), all were threaded into stories of romance, faith and triumph. In October of 2023, I released Sunday Rain (2023), my fourth novel, a post-Civil War era Western, one I am partial to favor at book signings because people enjoy a good laugh and the characters remind them of someone they have met and know inside their own concentric circles. 

Linaker, Michael R.

My late father was a regular soldier so we moved around a great deal. Two years abroad in Malaya. Always a reader. Loved anything and everything bookwise. It was picking up a Western novel one day that drew me to Westerns because I liked the cover and that was that. Gold Medal books were at their height then so I had the best to choose from. Made the choice to try my hand at writing and eventually completed my first two books and with great surprise they were both bought. I just kept on writing. Graduated to a couple of Horror novels. Gold Eagle (Mack Bolan) was a godsend and I wrote for them for a number of years, but always kept on with the Westerns. Ebooks have helped by keeping on publishing my new work. I feel lucky. Winning the Western Fictioneers 2020 Lifetime Achievement award has made it all worthwhile.

Long,  McKendree R. (Mike), III 

Mike is a former soldier whose awards and decorations include the Parachutist's Badge, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Silver Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (Gold and Silver Stars). Retiring in 1980, he served the next 29 years as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch and began his first novel during his last years there. NO GOOD LIKE IT IS was published in March 2010 and the sequel (DOG SOLDIER MOON) was released by Goldminds Publishing in December 2011, and won a Gold Star from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) in 2012. The third piece of the trilogy (HIGHER GROUND) was published by High Hill Press in May 2015, and includes the battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Hickok. His two published Western short stories were finalists in 2014: THE RESURRECTION for a Peacemaker, and CHOTEAU'S CROSSING for a SPUR. Mike is active in Western Fictioneers, Ozark Creative Writers, MWSA, SERTOMA, SCV, and Western Writers of America (WWA), and is a Life Member of the NRA and VFW; he's also an avid collector and shooter of guns of the Old West, much to his wife's dismay. Married since 1960, Mike and Mary enjoy traveling but split most of their time between Blythewood and Seabrook Island, SC. They have two married daughters, five grandchildren, and one great grandson.

Lowrance, Heath 

Heath is the author of the cult novel THE BASTARD HAND, as well as a short story collection called DIG TEN GRAVES. He's written the Gideon Miles Western novella, MILES TO LITTLE RIDGE and a series of weird western stories about a mysterious gunslinger called Hawthorne. His second full-length novel, CITY OF HERETICS, will be available from Snubnose Press in August. His other stories have appeared at Crime Factory, Shotgun Honey, Chi-Zine, Pulp Metal, The Nautilus Engine, and others. He has been a movie theater manager, a tour guide at Sun Studio, a singer in a punk band, and a regular donor of blood for money. He lives in a quiet neighborhood near Detroit.

Lynch, Kristen 

I live in Boise, Idaho with my husband, four children and numerous pets. As a family we spend a lot of time outdoors and take advantage of all the great recreational amenities that are very easily accessible here in Southwest Idaho. I am a freelance writer and independent contractor for an SEO/Marketing firm but I love to write historical fiction in my spare time--especially westerns. I have a poem on Cowboypoetry.com, short stories on Rope and Wire, The Western Online and Frontier Tales and just completed my biggest writing accomplishment yet…my novel, "Silver" was just released with Pen-L Publishing and is available on Amazon and their website (http://www.pen-l.com/Silver.html).  I am very excited to be a part of this group and hope to learn a lot about others who share this passion for the west.

Johnstone, J. A.

Being the all around assistant, typist, researcher, and fact checker to one of the most popular western authors of all time, JA Johnstone learned from the master, Uncle William W. Johnstone. William began tutoring JA at an early age. After-school hours were often spent retyping manuscripts or researching his massive American Western History library as well as the more modern wars and conflicts. “Every day with Bill was an adventure story in itself. Bill taught me all he could about the art of storytelling and creating believable characters. Keep the historical facts accurate,’ he would say. ‘Remember the readers, and as your grandfather once told me, I am telling you now: be the best J.A. Johnstone you can be.’”

MacShane, Gifford

Gifford MacShane is the author of historical fiction that features a family of Irish immigrants who settle in the Arizona Territory. Her debut novel, WHISPERS IN THE CANYON (Book 1 of The Donovan Family Saga), was released by Soul Mate Publishing in 2019.

Singing almost before she could talk, MacShane has always loved folk music, whether it be Irish, Appalachian, or the songs of the cowboys. Her love of the Old West goes back to childhood, when her father introduced her to the works of Zane Grey. Later she became interested in the Irish diaspora, having realized her ancestors must have lived through An Gorta Mor, the Great Irish Potato Famine of the mid-1800s. With an accessible literary style, Gifford has taken her three great interests and combined them in a series of family stories, each including romance, traditional song lyrics, and a dash of Celtic mysticism.

MacShane is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Western Writers of America, and Western Fictioneers. A self-professed grammar nerd, Giff currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband Richard, the Pied Piper of stray cats. You can contact her through her website www.giffordmacshane.com.

Mariotte, Jeffrey J.

Jeffrey J. Mariotte has written more than 70 books, including historical Western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), the Cody Cavanaugh series of classic Westerns, the Major Crimes Squad: Phoenix mystery series, supernatural thrillers River Runs Red, Missing White Girl, Cold Black Hearts, and Season of the Wolf, horror epic The Slab, YA horror quartet Year of the Wicked, and the acclaimed thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil’s Bait. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote science fiction/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and several other works. Three of his novels have won Scribe Awards for Best Original Novel, presented by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. He’s also won the Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic-Con, is a co-winner of the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and he’s been a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, the International Horror Guild Award, the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, the Peacemaker Award from the Western Fictioneers, and the Harvey and Glyph Awards for comics. Find him at online at http://jeffmariotte.com and https://linktr.ee/JeffreyJMariotte.  Jeffrey J. Mariotte Interview

Martin, Kat

Bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written sixty five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels.  More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her latest novel, Against the Tide, took the #7 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.  This will be the 12th novel in a row to be included on that prestigious list.  Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

Martin, L. J.

L. J. Martin is the author of 26 western, western romance, mystery, and thriller novels from Bantam, Pinnacle, Avon, and Wolfpack Publishing, in addition to several non-fiction books. He’s had a dozen or more articles and short stories published in national magazines.  He’s also an optioned screenwriter.  He lives in Montana with his wife, Kat, who has over 55 romantic suspense and historical romance novels internationally published in a dozen languages and more than two dozen countries.  L. J., when not writing, spends a good deal of his time hunting, fishing, cooking; and in the back country with his cameras, both video and still.  His photography has appeared on magazine covers and in periodicals.  Over a hundred videos from Martin can be seen on youtube.com at ljmartinwolfpack.  Learn more about the Martin’s at www.ljmartin.com, www.katmartin.com, and www.wolfpackranch.com. 

Massey, Edward

Edward Massey Interview

Matthews, Christine aka Marthayn Pelegrimas

Marthayn Pelegrimas has been writing professionally for more than twenty years. Her mystery short stories, written under the pseudonym “Christine Matthews,” have appeared in such places as DEADLY ALLIES II, ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE, LETHAL LADIES, FOR CRIME OUT LOUD I & II, Mickey Spillane’s VENGEANCE IS HERS, CAT CRIMES ON HOLIDAY, THE SHAMUS GAME, TILL DEATH DO US PART, GREATEST HITS and the recent HOLLYWOOD AND CRIME.  Four of her stories have been chosen for Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg’s BEST OF . . . books, the most recent being “And Then She Was Gone,” which will appear in the 2008 edition.  Her first novel, MURDER IS THE DEAL OF THE DAY was published by St. Martin’s Press in January 1999.  The second novel in the series, THE MASKS OF AUNTIE LAVEAU, was published in 2002.  The L.A. Times called it “ . . . a textbook on how to create a lively, accessible, smartly paced, entertaining suspense novel.” The third book, SAME TIME, NEXT MURDER, was published in July 2005 by St. Martin’s Press.  She served as co-editor on the anthology LETHAL LADIES II (Berkley Books, 1997), and is the editor of—and contributor to--DEADLY HOUSEWIVES, published by Avon/Morrow in April 2006.  Her short story collection, GENTLE INSANITIES AND OTHER STATES OF MIND, was published in the Fall of 2001. Under her real name, Marthayn Pelegrimas, she has written over forty short stories in the dark fantasy, science fiction and horror genres, appearing in such anthologies as BORDERLANDS 3, BEST OF THE MIDWEST, HOT BLOOD IX and HOT BLOOD X.  She also edited and appeared in the original audio anthology HEAR THE FEAR (Durkin Hayes).  Her story “The Living Donor,” was nominated by the Horror Writer’s of America for Best of the Year.  Her short story, “I’m a Dirty Girl,” was optioned for a film.  Her one act play, “Good Golly, It’s Holly” has been regionally produced twice.  She is also the author of over 100 published poems.  Her freelance articles and interviews have appeared in Omaha Magazine, Penthouse, St. Louis Magazine and Hot Talk.  Her western short stories have appeared in the anthologies TIN STAR (Berkley, 2000), BOOT HILL (Forge, 2001), GUNS OF THE WEST (2001), DESPERADOS (2001), THE FUNERAL OF TANNER MOODY (2004) and TEXAS RANGERS (2004).  Her historical novel, ON THE STRENGTH OF WINGS, was published in July of 2001.   Presently she serves as Membership Chair and Event Coordinator for the Private Eye Writers if America.  She will also be coordinating WF’s first awards ceremony in Bismarck, North Dakota. She is currently at work on a stand alone Paranormal thriller. 

Matthews, Shayna

A misplaced westerner, Shayna Matthews was raised in rural Pennsylvania. A Revolutionary War era Reenactor since she was three, American history runs through her blood. She is a veteran weaver and even met her husband at an 18th Century gun show. 

Living history has only fueled her desire to chase her childhood dream - to write western fiction. She says the American West is the embodiment of human spirit; she strives to reflect that spirit in her stories. Shayna currently resides in Maryland with her husband Dave, their son, Zane, and two mischievous Welsh Corgis. 

1983 - Present. Active in 18th Century Living History reenactments, primarily French & Indian and Revolutionary War era. In 1992, she learned to weave straps and sashes for traditional dress and firearm usage. Her work can be found in numerous museums, television documentaries and the occasional historical movie. 

2012-Present. Active in 19th Century Old West Era encampments. Summer of 2015 she and her husband were invited to participate as background actors for the shooting of a Steampunk Western movie entitled “Outlawed Faith” by The Forge Studios.

In 2014, Shayna’s debut short story, The Legend of Venture Canyon, was released in Prairie Rose Publications’ anthology, Cowboys, Creatures and Calico Volume 1. 

October 2015 - “The Legend of Venture Canyon” is released as a single with Prairie Rose Publications.  As well, Shayna’s short non-fiction story, entitled “A Spot in the Woods” is published with Sundown Press’ anthology, “Memories from Maple Street, U.S.A. - Leaving Childhood Behind.”

Weaving fictional tales with words is a daily pastime for Shayna. Currently, she is working on researching and writing a series of epic western novels set in 1880s Texas.

Website: http://www.aventurewest.com

Mayo, Matthew

Matthew P. Mayo has written more than twenty-five books and dozens of short stories. His novel, Tucker’s Reckoning, won the Western Writers of America’s 2013 Spur Award for Best Western Novel. He has also been a Spur finalist in the Short Fiction category and a Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award finalist. His novels include Winters’ War; Wrong Town; Hot Lead, Cold Heart; Dead Man’s Ranch; Tucker’s Reckoning; The Hunted; and many more.

Matthew’s nonfiction books include Cowboys, Mountain Men & Grizzly Bears; Bootleggers, Lobstermen & Lumberjacks; Sourdoughs, Claim Jumpers & Dry Gulchers; Haunted Old West; Jerks in New England History, and numerous others. He also collaborated with his wife, photographer Jennifer Smith-Mayo, on a series of popular hardcover books. The Mayos run Gritty Press (www.GrittyPress.com) and rove North America full-time in their Ford pickup, towing an Airstream trailer, in search of hot coffee, tasty whiskey, and high adventure. Stop by Matthew’s website (www.MatthewMayo.com) for a chin-wag and a cuppa mud.

McCaffrey, Kristy 

Born and raised in Arizona, and recently returned after a 20-year absence in Pittsburgh, Kristy writes Old West romances to capture the landscapes that were such a big part of her childhood. Her first novel, The Wren, was a CAPA winner for Best New Author Traditional, a Texas Gold finalist, and a HOLT Medallion finalist for Best First Book. The Sparrow was the 2012 Winter Rose Winner in the Published Historical Division. Kristy holds two engineering degrees but storytelling has always been her favorite hobby. She travels frequently with her husband and channels her love of adventure by reviewing books for Women's Adventure magazine. She lives in the Arizona desert north of Phoenix, where she and her husband frequently remove (rescue) rattlesnakes from their property. Her four teenaged children are in varying stages of flying the nest, so her two chocolate labs—Ranger and Lily—are the recipients of her maternal instincts these days.

McCall, J.D.

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee . . . uh, wait, that was Davy Crockett.  Ok, then; Daniel Boone was a man . . . no . . . no, that was his great, great, great uncle. How about this: Born and raised in Kansas, John (JD) McCall's first ever ambition was to be a stand-up comedian, a goal strongly discouraged by the many teachers who were forced to put up with his antics in class.  He did manage to finally shelve that aspiration and earned a B. A. in biology and a Master's degree in industrial hygiene before trying his hand at writing westerns late in life.  Having just had his second novel, South of Rising Sun, released by Western Trail Blazer, he wonders what he is doing here among such prolific and talented writers on Western Fictioneers but hopes to gain from them some invaluable knowledge on how to craft an even better third effort, as well as a few tips on how to promote his work. He resides in the city of his birth, Ottawa, Kansas, with his wife and three children, along with three Labrador-mix dogs who do everything caninely possible to see that he has no spare time to write.  

McCarthy, Gary 

Western & Historical Novelist 

www.CanyonCountryBooks.com

Gary McCarthy is the author of fifteen published American historical and thirty-four westerns novels.  In 1993, his “THE GILA RIVER” won the Western Writers of America’s Spur Award as the best historical paperback novel of that year and “RIVER THUNDER” won the 2009 Western Writers of America’s Spur Award for Best Audio Book.  His 1991 “RUSSIAN RIVER” California historical novel and 2003 Arizona Western novel “RESTITUTION” were Spur Award Finalists.  

McCarthy received widespread recognition for his extremely well researched novels relating to our NATIONAL PARKS and his highly popular OUR AMERICAN WEST VOL. 1-4 SERIES.  He is the creator of the THE DERBY MAN and the THE HORSEMEN SERIES.  McCarthy has also worked on other successful series including RIVERS WEST, GUNSMOKE, RAILS WEST and the longest running series of them all…LONGARM.  

The author is well suited to writing about the American West; he grew up with horses and received a B.S. degree in Animal Science and an M.S. in Economics from the University of Nevada.  Before becoming a full time novelist, McCarthy was employed as an economist.   He is very interested in Native American cultures, especially the Navajo, Hualapai and Hopi and historical preservation of southwestern western archaeological sites.  McCarthy had been president of two Rotary Clubs and served on many community boards.

Gary McCarthy has over four million books in print and resides in Arizona with his wife, Jane.  He enjoys hiking and horseback riding in the Grand Canyon Rim Country when he is not traveling the Southwest in search of new stories upon which to base his next novel. 

McCauley, Terrence

Terrence McCauley is an award-winning writer of Thrillers, Crime Fiction and Westerns.

His first two Aaron Mackey westerns (Where The Bullets Fly and Dark Territory), published by Pinnacle, were finalists for the Western Writers of America’s Silver Spur Award. Where The Bullets Fly won the Western Fictioneers Award for Best Novel in 2018. In addition to his Jeremiah Halstead series, Terrence has also written three stand-alone novels for the successful Ralph Compton Series at Berkeley. THE KELLY TRAIL and RIDE THE HAMMER DOWN were published in 2020, with STAGECOACH TO HELL released in 2021. He is also the author of the acclaimed University Series, which includes: The Fairfax Incident, A Conspiracy Of Ravens, A Murder Of Crows and Sympathy For The Devil.

Terrence is an avid reader, loves classic movies and enjoys traveling. A proud native of The Bronx, NY, he currently lives in Dutchess County, NY where he is writing his next work of fiction.

McCraw, Doris

Doris McCraw began her creative career as a musician, actor and playwrite in Illinois. After moving to Colorado she continued to pursue all three. In 2013 Doris began writing poetry, non-fiction and under the name Angela Raines added fiction to her endeavors. Now, Doris concentrates on researchand helping the Pikes Peak Library District with their yearly History Symposium. She has presented three times and submitted papers for inclusion in their yearly symposium publications. As Angela Raines, Doris has written for Prairie Rose Publications with stories in their anthologies along with stand alone novellas. Doris McCraw Interview

McCrea, Scott

Scott McCrea is the pen name of author Bob Madison. He is a former communications executive turned writer. He has written everything from magazine articles, blogposts, television documentaries, nonfiction books, cookbooks and novels to … trading cards. His westerns include the Bradigan’s Mountain and Tales of Tom Mix series, published by DSP.

McDonald-Constable, Jill 

Jill hails from Liverpool in England and is delighted to be included among the illustrious members of WF. She has two traditional Westerns published with Robert Hale in London, (under the pen-name of Amos Carr) both of which have recently gone to Large Print, world-wide. She has just signed the contract for her third Black horse, which should be out in the Spring. She has a Romantic Western out with Prairie Rose Publications in USA (author name Gil McDonald). Jill is working on another one for each publisher now, as well as a Contemporary Romance, and also ‘fiddling about’ with a couple more books in different genres.

Never having set foot in USA means that almost all of Jill’s research comes from her memories of the old cowboy series and movies she used to watch, along with books, the Internet, and now a growing collection of new friends in America through PRP (and soon through the ‘Fictioneer family’).

As a child, she used to go horse riding at every opportunity, kept it up until her twenties, and has recently returned to it. Horses were one of the most important parts of the life of the Wild West, and Jill tries to include a fair bit of ‘horsey’ detail in her work. She is extremely proud of one review, which says ‘it’s obvious that this writer certainly knows her horseflesh’.

McKee, Robert D.

Robert D. McKee worked and lived in Wyoming for over thirty years. He and his wife Kathy made their home along the Colorado Front Range.

His short fiction has appeared in more than twenty commercial and literary publications around the country. He was also a recipient of the Wyoming Art Council's Literary Fellowship Award, as well as a three-time first-place winner of Wyoming Writers, Incorporated's adult fiction contest, and a two-time first-place winner of the National Writers Association's short fiction contest. One of his stories was selected to appear in the annual publication Best American Mystery Stories, edited that year by Senior Editor Otto Penzler and Visiting Editor Michael Connelly.

His first novel, Dakota Trails, was published by Pen-L Publishing, and was a Western Fictioneer finalist for Best First Novel. It went on to receive a Will Rogers Silver Medallion Award. His second novel, Killing Blood, was a finalist with Western Fictioneers for Best Western Novel. His third novel, Out of the Darkness, came out in June of 2017. Out of Darkness, Killing Blood, and Gypsy Rock were published by Five Star. Robert D McKee Interview

Robert (Bob) McKee, 72, passed away on Wednesday, February 17th 2021 in Loveland, Colorado.

McKee, Vonn 

Vonn McKee remembers vividly her first glimpse of real cowboys herding mustangs into a pen outside Prescott, Arizona. She was a four-year-old whose parents had moved her there in hopes of curing her asthma. “I can still picture the riders and horses–bays, pintos, buckskins– surrounded by dust and sunlight,” she says. The experience (and, unfortunately, the asthma) never left her, even after her family moved back to her mother’s native Louisiana.  Vonn jokes that she is “descended from horse traders and southern belles.” She spent summers visiting her father’s family, who raised cattle and broke horses in North Dakota and, later, northwestern Minnesota. Inspired by seeing her grandfather stretched out on a sofa reading Zane Grey novels (some of which were passed down to her), she owned a complete ZG set herself by age eighteen.  After years of working at everything from riverboat waitress to country singer to construction project manager, Vonn is incorporating her experiences–and some of the interesting characters she’s met– into stories of the old West.  www.facebook.com/VonnMcKee   Vonn McKee Interview

Meals, Jim 

Jim Meals' childhood was spent watching Hopalong Cassidy on TV and devouring Fran Striker's Lone Ranger novels. Not surprisingly, he yearned to be a western hero. But people laughed whenever he put on a cowboy hat and he came to realize that his goal would have to be achieved vicariously. He writes westerns under the name, James Clay. Jim's idea of a fun evening is to discuss western writers from the nineteenth century dime novel era to the present. A collector of old time radio programs, he has been known to pontificate for hours on the differences between the TV and radio versions of Gunsmoke. Perhaps for that reason, he doesn't get invited to many social occasions, which allows him plenty of time for writing. A literary agent, James spends much of his working day grumbling about writers who consider their high school careers to be a source for The Great American Novel. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two cats, all of whom, he notes, are remarkably patient with him.

Miller, Rod

Rod Miller is author of four novels, two works of nonfiction, two books of poetry, and several anthologized poems and short stories. He is the recipient of two Western Writers of America Spur Awards, for poetry and short fiction, winner of the Westerners International Award for poetry, and finalist for Western Fictioneers Peacemaker awards for a novel and a short story. 

Magazine articles and book reviews under his byline have appeared in a number of periodicals including Ranch & Reata, Roundup, American Cowboy, and Western Horseman. He is also author of several essays on the art and craft of writing poetry, which appear on CowboyPoetry.com. Other work includes Forewords and Introductions to books and magazine articles.

Rod grew up in a cowboy family in Utah working with horses and cattle, and rode bareback broncs in the rodeo arena for several years, including for the Utah State University Rodeo Team. He has served on the Executive Board and as Membership Chair of Western Writers of America. Read more online at www.writerRodMiller.com   http://writerrodmiller.blogspot.com

Mims, Meg

Meg Mims is an award-winning author and artist. Her first book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 WWA Spur Award for Best First Novel. Double or Nothing is the sequel, and both books are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in ebook, print and Hardcover Library Large Print. Meg also writes contemporary romance novellas and is a staff writer for Lake Effect Living. She and her writing partner, w/a D.E. Ireland, have a cozy mystery series coming out in September 2014 starring Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins based on G.B. Shaw's Pygmalion.

Mitten, Mark

Mark has two published western novels (both of which were Peacemaker Award finalists), and has begun a modern day crime fiction series, about a sheriff in a small Colorado mountain town. All of his books are published by Milford House Press (an imprint of Sunbury Press): Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave (2012), Hard to Quit (2017), and Breck's Quandary (2019). His fourth novel, Ghosts of the Past, is scheduled for release in 2020. Born in Houston, raised in Colorado, Mark now lives in an old 1899 farmhouse in Minnesota with his wife, Mary, and a bunch of dogs, cats, and a horse named Clown. Website:   www.mittenmark.com

Moore, Billy

Billy Moore is a native of Northwest Florida and a graduate of Walton High School, Chipola Junior College, Mississippi State University and Rice University. At Rice, he studied novel writing, served as assistant football coach and completed a master’s degree in history.  The study of western history was a major emphasis of his graduate study and research.  His first novel, Cracker’s Mule, which describes a boy’s coming of age on an Alabama farm during the time of the great polio epidemic of the 1950’s, was a highly praised regional best seller. Little Brother Real Snake, his second novel was also a coming of age novel but set on the Great Plains in the 17th century. He also has two adult westerns. Professor Hayes was published in England and Llano Estacado in the U.S.  

The Runaway Scrape and Old Wild Man Terry, by Royal Fireworks Press, are young adult historical novels. The Runaway Scrape is about a free black family in the terrible and terrifying days immediately after the fall of the Alamo. Old Wild Man Terry is set in the Big Bend in the earliest years of the twentieth century. The legendary hermit “Old Wild Man Terry” helps the youngsters recapture their ranch’s mares and colts that had been “stolen” by a herd of mustangs. (The capture is made using the unique methods of actual famous mustanger Bob Lemmons.)

Billy, his wife Dee – without whom there would be no Billy Loran Moore books – live on Blue Pond in Northwest Florida.

Visit Billy’s website billyloranmoore.com.

More, Clay (Keith Souter)

My real name is Keith Souter and I was born in St Andrews in Scotland. I studied Medicine at Dundee University and practiced as a family doctor in the city of Wakefield in England for thirty years. I am now part time in private practice. While I was at medical school I started to write children’s stories for a family magazine and dial-a-bedtime story for a telephone exchange.

I have also been a medical journalist for thirty  years and have written about a dozen medical and health books. I am currently writing a series to help people understand and deal with various conditions. These are on strokes, depression, heart disease, dementia and diabetes. 

In addition, I write non-fiction books on subjects ranging from dice and dice games, to the Arthurian legends, to books on science, magic and golf. 

Using the pen-name of Clay More I write traditional westerns with the Black Horse Westerns imprint of Hale of London and more recently for Western Fictioneers, High Noon Press and Western Trail Blazers.

I also write Scottish-based crime novels as Keith Moray for Hale of London.

In 2006 I won a Fish Prize for my short fiction and writing as Keith Souter started a series of historical mysteries set around Sandal Castle, the ruined medieval castle that I live within arrowshot of.

In the summer of 2012 the first in my series of Victorian children’s adventures began with The Curse of the Body Snatchers by G-Press. 

I am a member of the Society of Authors, The Crime Writers’ Association, Medical Journalists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Western Writers of America and Western Fictioneers. 

In 2014 I was elected Vice President of Western Fictioneers. Dr. Keith Souter Interview

My website is http://www.keithsouter.co.uk
and my blogs are 
http://west-uist-chronicle.blogspot.co.uk  (crime blog)
http://moreontherange.blogspot.co.uk     (western blog)

Morris, Kathleen

Kathleen Morris is an Award-Winning writer, an aficionado of American and Western history, is a graduate of Prescott College in Arizona and lives and writes in the desert Southwest. She loves being able to immerse herself in the lives of her characters, especially bringing to life the charismatic and capable women of the West, both real and imaginary. Her debut novel, The Lily of the West, the story of “Big Nose Kate” Haroney, was published in 2019 (FiveStar) to critical acclaim and was awarded “Best First Western Novel” from Western Fictioneers. Her second novel, The Wind at Her Back (Encircle Publications) was published in November 2020, and The Transformation of Chastity James in 2021 (FiveStar). She is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West. Visit www.KathleenMorrisauthor.com

Morton, Nik

Writing as Ross Morton, Nik has 4 western novels published: Death at Bethesda Falls, Last Chance Saloon, The $300 Man and Blind Justice at Wedlock. He’s the editor of A Fistful of Legends, 21 stories of the Old West, which contains a generous Introduction by James Reasoner.  Nik is the author of the crime thriller Pain Wears No Mask and two psychic spy Cold War thrillers The Prague Manuscript and The Tehran Transmission, a collection of 21 crime short stories, Spanish Eye, a modern vigilante crime thriller, A Sudden Vengeance Waits, and a vampire crime thriller, Death is Another Life. As Robin Moreton, he’s the author of a World War I erotic thriller – Assignment Kilimanjaro.  He sold his first story in 1971 and has had many articles and 107 short stories published, including ‘Spend it now, pay later’ in the Beat to a Pulp - Round One anthology. He won the Bookawards 2010 short story competition with the French Resistance story ‘Codename Gaby’ - see http://thebookawards.com/. Nik served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years and now lives in Spain with his linguist/musician wife Jennifer. Their daughter, son-in-law and grandson live nearby. Nik is Editor in Chief of Solstice Publishing and also reads submissions to their Solstice Westerns imprint – westernsubmissions.solstice@live.com.

Website: www.freewebs.com/nikmorton
Blog:http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com

Mullen, Chris

Chris Mullen is an Award-Winning Author and Teacher from Richmond, Texas. He grew up listening to stories of the old west, imagining he was right there with Gunslingers and Comancheros, fighting for survival in an unforgiving time. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1997 and began his teaching career. With over 20+ years in the classroom, both in Kindergarten and PreK, Chris' imagination and love for storytelling blossomed. Having spent a lifetime devoted to young children, Chris encouraged and guided their development of an active imagination. To enhance this drive for creativity, Chris helped his students bring their ideas to life on the big screen, producing original, student-created movies. Because of his dedication and love for the classroom, Chris was awarded the 2019 Connie Wootton Excellence in Teaching Award presented by the Southwest Association of Episcopal Schools (SAES). 

Rowdy: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen is the first book of his Rowdy western adventure series and was named WINNER in the 2020 American Fiction Awards & 2020 Best Book Finalist for the Western category (American Book Fest).  His love for storytelling continues as he polishes manuscripts and writes for young children as well. Visit him on his website (www.chrismullenwrites.com), follow him on Facebook and Instagram @chrismullenwrites or Twitter @Rowdy2019, or contact him directly at chirsmullenwrites@gmail.com. Chris Mullen Interview

Nesbitt, John D.

John lives in the plains country of Wyoming, where he teaches English and Spanish at Eastern Wyoming College.  He writes traditional western novels and short stories, contemporary fiction, mystery fiction, and retro/noir fiction.  His articles, reviews, fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies.  He has had about thirty books published, including short story collections and novels as well as textbooks for his courses.  John has won many awards for his work, including two awards from Wyoming Writers for encouragement of other writers and service to the organization, two Wyoming Arts Council literary fellowships (one for fiction, one for non- fiction), a Western Writers of America Spur finalist award, and three Spur awards.  Visit his website at http://www.johndnesbitt.com  John D. Nesbitt Interview

Newcomb, Kerry

I write or have written novels, stage plays, short stories, screenplays under my own name and as James Reno, Peter Gentry, Christina Savage, and Shana Carrol. I have been at this job for about 35 years. I've come this far, reckon I'll keep at it. I wish you well.

Newton, Michael 

Writing under the pseudonym Lyle Brandt, Michael Newton has also become a popular writer of Western novels. He has written a number of successful non-fiction titles as well, including a book on genre writing (How to Write Action Adventure Novels). His bookInvisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. Newton's "Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology" won the American Library Association's award for Outstanding Reference Work in 2006. Newton is best known for his work on Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan series. Newton first began work on the Executioner series by co-writing "The Executioner's War Book" with Don Pendleton in 1977. Since then he has been a steady writer for the series with almost 90 entries to his credit, which triples the amount written by creator Don Pendleton. His skills and knowledge of the series have allowed him to be picked by the publishers to write the milestone novels such as #100, #200, and #300. www.michaelnewton.homestead.com

O'Flaherty, Micheal 

By day Micheal O'Flaherty works as a librarian: by night he writes westerns under the pen name Mike Deane. He has had two westerns published: Drive to Redemption by Robert Hale and Wagon Hunt by Solstice Publishing. He lives in Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland with his long suffering wife and three daughters.

Parker, Scott 

I come by my love of westerns naturally. My parents loved the genre in books, television, and old radio which, for me, consisted of cassette copies of shows like The Lone Ranger. My paternal grandfather loved western novels and devoured them. He amassed quite a collection, all of which went into storage after he died. A few years ago, my father and I divided up the novels. He took the Louis L'amour and I took the box that contained everything else. From this treasure chest, I got to see many of the covers whose images I still remembered from childhood and the names of all the authors. Some the names I knew (Luke Short, Max Brand) but others I didn't (Burt Arthur, J. T. Edson, William Colt MacDonald). It was a particular character, MacDonald's railroad detective Gregory Quist, that was the inspiration for my own western detective, Calvin Carter. When I create Calvin Carter yarns, I have only one thing in mind: Write something my grandfather would have liked. By day, I'm a technical writer in my native Houston. My wife is a jewelry artist and my son is in sixth grade. I contribute a column to a group blog, Do Some Damage, devoted primarily to mysteries.

Pelegrimas, Marcus

Marcus Pelegrimas has worked in several different genres of fiction including western, mystery, horror and fantasy. He has ghostwritten entries in a popular western series. His own western series (written under the pseudonym Marcus Galloway) includes THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL series. His short fiction can be seen in various anthologies including Desperadoes, Guns of the West, Mystery Street, Greatest Hits, and Hear the Fear on audiocassette.

Pendleton, Linda

Linda Pendleton (L. R. Pendleton) has been a professional writer for thirty years and has written in a variety of genres: nonfiction, mystery novels, Western novel, e-courses, comic book scripting, screenplays, and is an award-winning author. Linda is the widow of Don Pendleton, creator of The Executioner, Mack Bolan Series; the Joe Copp P.I. Series; and the Ashton Ford Psychic Detective Series. Together, they wrote the crime novel, Roulette, the Search for the Sunrise Killer, and several nonfiction books. She's published three novels in her Catherine Winter Private Investigator Series, along with several standalone suspense thrillers. Her first Western, The Bold Trail, A Samuel Garrison Western, is set in the California Gold Rush. She's writing a second Samuel Garrison Western. She published the Western under L. R. Pendleton as she did her P. I. book, Deadly Flare-Up, A Richard McCord Novel. She has published a number of nonfiction books dealing with life after death, and spirit communication. It was Don and Linda's first collaboration. To Dance With Angels, and their second book, Whispers From the Soul, that reinforced their interest in the paranormal, and inspired her to write additional books on the subject.

Linda's interest in the old West, goes back to her early days watching Saturday Western movies and TV shows with her father in the 1950s. Her father was an avid reader of paperback Westerns, and growing up in California gave her the opportunity to visit the desert, ghost towns, gold rush country, and her favorite vacation spot, the California Sierra Nevada mountains.

She is a member of Sisters in Crime and a former member of the Authors Guild, Inc.
She had foreign publication in Japan, and will soon have a number of her books, including her Samuel Garrison Western, published in German translation.

She has a daughter and son, four grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and another on the way. She resides in Northern California with her Ragdoll cat, Max.

http://www.lindapendleton.com

Peterson, Pete 

Pete Peterson is a member of Western Writers of America and of Western Fictioneers, an award-winning artist, the great-grandson of a Confederate veteran and de­scended from Cherokees who trudged the Trail of Tears. He is a devotee and student of frontier history and fiction, a lover of Western art.  “My novels are not great literature, my paintings are not masterpieces. But if you are regular folks like me, you may like what I do. “My writing stems from a lifelong fascination with the American West—it’s history, myths and legends. I became a devotee and student of frontier history and fiction at an early age. My novels are campfire tales, thoroughly researched and true to the conditions and character of the country and its inhabitants as they existed then. “I paint the things I see and love in the world around me—nature, wildlife, and interesting characters I encounter in real life and in the pages of history. I do not believe that a painting must be surrealistic, weird or depressing to be art. Nor do I make apologies that my work is recognizable for what it was intended to represent. If my painting must make a statement, let it say, “Welcome. Enjoy. I hope this makes you feel good.” www.petepetersonok.com (Pete Peterson died February 3, 2016 in Oklahoma City). 

Pierson, Cheryl 

Cheryl was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, and grew up in Seminole, Oklahoma.  She graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and holds a B.A. in English.  She has taught numerous writing classes and workshops over the past years and also works on an individual basis with many of her students, and other authors, locally and nationwide.  Cheryl’s most recent publications include her third full-length novel, SWEET DANGER, published through The Wild Rose Press. Her debut novel, FIRE EYES, is a western historical also published with TWRP.  She has also sold multiple short stories to Victory Tales Press for their romance anthologies, and was very honored to have had three of her stories selected for inclusion in their “A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION” anthologies.  Although Cheryl has sold articles to local newspapers as well as these many short stories, her first love remains romance novel writing.  With the release of TIME PLAINS DRIFTER, her debut novel in the speculative romance genre of paranormal/time travel, she garnered the Honorable Mention Award in the “Best New Paranormal Author” category in the prestigious PEARL contest, presented 3/21/10. This book is available through Prairie Rose Publications. Cheryl lives with her husband in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where she has been for the past 25 years.  She has two grown children, ages 21 and 24.You can visit her website at http://www.cherylpierson.com You can e-mail her at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com  You can visit her blogs at:  http://www.cherylpiersonbooks.blogspot.com and also at http://www.westwindsromance.blogspot.com Visit her Amazon author page for a complete list of all work at:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002JV8GUE Cheryl Pierson Interview

Pizzolato, Matthew 

Matthew Pizzolato has been interested in Westerns all of his life. Growing up, he didn't idolize athletes or musicians like so many other's his age.  His heroes were Louis L'Amour, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and the characters they portrayed.  He writes primarily Westerns but has been known to dabble in historical fiction and sci-fi.  His short stories have been published online and in print.  He writes a weekly NASCAR column for Insider Racing News and is a contributing writer for Suite101.com.  He can be contacted via his personal website: www.matthew-pizzolato.com.  When he's not writing, Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online.  

Porter, John

John Porter manages his family's cattle ranch in California, where he also writes screenplays and stories. Recently, Two Gun Publishing published YOUR TYPICAL OUTLAW AND OTHER STORIES OF THE OLD WEST, a collection of some of his western stories. Next year, Two Gun Publishing will publish THE GOOD OUTLAW AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES, a second collection. Recently, his stories have been published in Rope and Wire Magazine and The Ronin Express.

Prate, Kit

I stumbled into writing after discovering Jim Wright’s FAR WEST pocket-sized magazine during a two hour class break while attending Madison Area Technical College.  After reading several of the short stories, I thought: I can do this.  I went home, knocked out two short stories and mailed them off. And promptly forgot about them.  A few weeks later, the Editor, Scott McMillan called to say he wanted the two stories I had submitted and asked if I had more.  It was a very early morning call on a very cold day in Wisconsin.  I thought I was hallucinating.  I hung up and called him back, and was very pleasantly surprised that it had not been a dream.  The rest just happened.  Scott introduced me, via ‘phone, to Greg Tobin, who was then at Tower.  Dale Walker read my second book -- reviewed it for the Round-Up -- and that opened the door to BCI and the Stagecoach Series for Bantam.  I love reading and writing western fiction, and I believe in the genre; which is uniquely “American”.  I’m looking forward into getting back into the game.

Prosch, Richard

Richard Prosch writes western crime fiction that captures the history and lonely frontier stories of his youth, where characters aren’t always what they seem and the wind burned landscapes are filled with swift, deadly danger. Richard’s work appeared in The Protectors, an anthology to benefit children, and most recently his short story "Hester's Vanity" was featured in the hardcover anthology Rough Country from High Hill Press. His newest collection, One Against a Gun Horde is now available for Kindle at Amazon.com. His work has also appeared at Optimist International and online at Boys' Life, as well as many non-fiction print publications. Richard Prosch Interview

Pura, Murray

Murray Pura was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, just north of the Dakotas and Minnesota. His first novel was released in Toronto in 1988 and was a finalist for the Dartmouth Book Award. Since that time he has published ten more novels, two collections of short stories, and several nonfiction titles. He has been a finalist for several awards in the US and Canada and in 2012 won the Word Award of Toronto for Best Historical Novel. Murray lives and writes in southwestern Alberta and is currently published by Barbour, Baker, Harper One, Zondervan, and Harvest House as well as several other publishing firms – he works with publishers in Canada, America, the UK, and Holland. His releases for 2013 include the novels: Ashton Park, The Rose of Lancaster County, A Road Called Love, Seven Oaks, and the western The Painted Sky. His diverse writing spans many genres including: historical fiction, contemporary fiction, literary fiction, romance, adventure, western, suspense, fantasy, and inspirational. Most of his work is available in ebook format for Kindle, Kobo, and Nook as well as in paperback.

Purcell, Darryle 

Darryle Purcell spent many years as an illustrator of other writers’ works. He worked as a layout and character design artist for three Saturday morning cartoon shows in the early 1970s. He also illustrated and art directed educational comic books, teaching aids and young-reader books and drew cartoons for a variety of small publications in southern California before joining daily newspapers as an editorial cartoonist, art director and, eventually, managing editor. Following 12 years as editor of a daily in Arizona, Purcell spent another several years as a county public information director.

His newspaper columns, editorials and political cartoons have garnered many statewide awards. Now retired from working for others, Purcell spends his time writing the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives series for Page Turner’s Buckskin Editions as well as other efforts. He lives in rural Arizona with his wife, Patricia.

Randisi,  Robert J.

ROBERT J. RANDISI is the author of more than 540 books in the Western, Private Eye, Men's Adventure, and Horror genres. As J.R. Roberts he is the creator and author of the long running series "The Gunsmith." He also wrote a created the Tracker, Angel Eyes, Bounty Hunter, Mountain Jack Pike, Widowmaker, Gamblers, Sons of Daniel Shaye and Ryder series. Born in Brooklyn, New York he currently resides in Clarksville, Missouri--a town of 500 people overlooking the Mississippi River--with writer "Christine Matthews." Robert J. Randisi Interview

Reasoner, James

I write novels and short stories for money (although I'll occasionally write a short story for a non-paying market if it's something I really want to do) and book and movie reviews for fun on my blog, which can be found at http://jamesreasoner.blogspot.com.  I started out as a mystery writer nearly 35 years ago and still work in that genre and others, but I've done more Westerns than anything else.  I've been married to best-selling, award-winning author, uncredited collaborator, editor, and plotter Livia J. Washburn for nearly 35 years.  (Note the similarity between the length of my marriage and the length of my writing career.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.)  We live in the same small town in Texas where we both grew up, although it's not so small anymore.  (We have a Wal-Mart now!)  After all these years, I still love to write and can't imagine doing anything else.  My website is www.jamesreasoner.net.  James Reasoner Interview

Redmond, Mark L

Mark L. Redmond developed an interest in the old West when he was still in elementary school. He also started reading when he was young. Watching Saturday morning black-and-white television westerns increased his interest in cowboy life, and he read everything from western comic books to books by Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, Max Brand, Elmer Kelton, and many others. During his upper elementary years, he began to write short stories and poetry. By the time he started high school, Redmond knew he wanted to be an English teacher and a writer. While attending Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he continued to write both prose and poetry. On January 1, 1978, Redmond moved with his wife Susi and two-year-old son Ben to South Bend, Indiana, to teach high school English at Grace Baptist Christian School.

Later that year, Redmond’s daughter Melody was born. He was passionate about teaching. He spent his summers painting houses, working construction, and doing yard work. Whenever he could find the time, he wrote. His first paid work was an article about his wife’s battle with rheumatoid arthritis. While still in her twenties, Susi was crippled by arthritis in all of her joints. Although she lived with constant pain, Redmond’s article honored her for her positive attitude and her unwavering faith in God. The article was published in The Joyful Woman in December of 1990. Redmond had more than 25 short stories and articles for both children and adults published during the next 10 years. Because teaching his classes and caring for his nearly bedridden wife occupied most of his time, he wrote the majority of his stories on Saturday mornings while his wife slept.

On those Saturday mornings in the late ‘80’s, Redmond had written Arty Goes West and sent it to a publisher. When it was returned with a blunt rejection letter, he did some editing and sent it to another publisher. Between mailing his manuscript and writing short stories, he read an average of 50 books each year and completed 2 writing courses from The Institute of Children’s Literature. Rejections and revisions continued until he sent his manuscript to Sword of the Lord Publishing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Twenty-two-year-old Ben walked into his father’s classroom in 1999, eleven years after Arty Goes West had been finished, and handed his father the author’s copies of the book. Redmond wrote four more Arty books during the next few years. He had just started the final book, Arty’s Tough Trail, when tragedy struck. In the early hours of Father’s Day in 2005, Susi went to Heaven. Devastated, Redmond taught one more year and resigned in May of 2006. He had written nothing during that year, and he wrote nothing during the next year either.

Redmond’s father passed away in February of 2007. On Easter weekend, Redmond received a call from another Susie, who had been one of his students during his first two years of teaching. Her marriage had fallen apart because of an unfaithful husband, and Susie needed to talk to a friend. Redmond had made his intentions clear to his friends and family; he would never marry again. His interest when he made the one-hour drive to Susie’s house was to console a hurting friend. Susie had decided that if God chose for her to live as a single mom, she would be content.
They were married on September 22, 2007. Redmond finished the final Arty book in 2011.
Three years later, he published Five for the Trail, a collection of short stories for older readers. For the next two years, a busy life, which included long work days at his job, temporarily paused Redmond’s writing.

The winter of 2017 found Redmond taking another course and writing again. He and Susie are making school visits and hosting a book table at other events although they continue to work long hours. More great stories are on their way.

Rice Adams, Kathleen

A Texan to the bone, award-winning author Kathleen Rice Adams spends her days chasing news stories and her nights and weekends shooting it out with Wild West desperadoes. Leave the upstanding, law-abiding heroes to other folks. In Kathleen’s stories, even the good guys wear black hats.

For more classic tales of the Old West that never forget the power of love, visit her hideout on the web at KathleenRiceAdams.com

Richards, Dusty

Dusty Richards went to those Saturday matinees with Gene, Roy and Hoppy.  He read every western book in the libraries despite his English teacher's complaints, and sold made up book reports to dumb boys in high school for a buck. "Guns On the Brazos" by T J Brown, the story of a Texas ranger who etc…  That was when 50 cents an hour was what you made working. Dusty has written over a hundred novels under his name and pseudonyms, books of short stories, several columns.  He won two Oklahoma Writers Federation books of the year, won a Spur for The Horse Creek Incident, and also an Amazon Short "Comanche Moon."  "The Sundown Chaser" was awarded the Cowboy Hall and Western Heritage Center's Wrangler Award. Book of The Year.  The Cowboy Symposium gave him the achievement award and he's in the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame. Rodeo announced and has a gold card from the PRCA and the IPRA.  Dusty did lots of ranching, and held lots of auctions.  Doctored chickens for Tyson for 34 years, and was the morning man on radio for a dozen years and then TV anchor in W Arkansas/eastern Oklahoma for almost a decade. Pat and Dusty live on Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas. Dusty Richards passed away Jan. 18, 2018 from injuries caused by a wreck.

Ritt, Michael R.

Most western writers would probably confess to the feeling of having been born out of time – a century or so too late. Mike was also born out of place. A native of Chicago, his family moved to Wisconsin in 1969 when he was nine years old.

Mike grew up during the tail end of the Golden Age of television, where the western ruled the nighttime airwaves. He played at being Matt Dillon, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Billy the Kid. An early passion for books (particularly westerns) led him to read every story by Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour that he could lay his hands on.
In high school, Mike’s love of books turned into a love of writing. Although he writes a lot of different things; short stories, poetry, essays, shopping lists, etc., stories about the people and places of the American west are what he enjoys writing the most.

Mike currently lives in a 600 square foot cabin in the mountains of Western Montana. He has been married to his redheaded sweetheart, Tami, since 1989. Mike tells people that he is a writer trapped in the body of a Consumer Safety Inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is his “real” job. However, writing and reading are his “real” passions, and Mike particularly enjoys books on history, theology and natural science.
He is a four-time Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award Finalist. His short stories have been published in numerous anthologies, and his first Western novel, The Sons of Philo Gaines, which was released in November of 2020, is the winner of the Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for Western fiction. Mike is a member of Western Fictioneers and Western Writers of America.    Michael R. Ritt Interview

Rizzo, Tom

Rizzo is the author of Last Stand at Bitter Creek, a historical action-adventure novel set in the mid- to late-1800s. The creative writing bug bit Tom early in life when he worked at a small radio station, writing news, sports, commercials, obituaries, and anything that needed written. His writing career has taken him from radio and television news reporting to The Associated Press, where he worked as a correspondent, followed by several years in advertising and public relations. As a freelance writer, Tom published hundreds of articles, developed sales and marketing copy, and conducted workshops on communication skills. He now writes fiction full-time. He grew up in central Ohio, and lived in Great Britain for several years, where he prowled the side streets of London and southwest England, searching for literary treasures in dark and dusty bookshops. He now calls Houston, Texas, home.

Robertson, Chimp

Born and raised in the panhandle town of Dalhart, Texas , Chimp is retired and currently living in Hooker, Oklahoma, where he is pumping wells, working at a feedlot, and team roping. Before a career in marketing and public relations , Chimp Robertson was a rodeo contestant, private pilot, auctioneer, song writer ( songs recorded by Chris LeDoux) Texas and Oklahoma Real Estate Broker, skydiver, and army veteran.

Roderus, Frank

I write book length and a VERY few short stories. Have been doing it full time now for more than 30 years (increedible!) and still love every minute of the doing. Before I started selling fiction I was a newspaper reporter. Used to raise Quarter Horses but now am a city boy. I have lived in the west, the midwest and briefly in Asia. Now I live in Spring Hill FL with my wonderful Filipina wife, four cats and a dog.  (Frank Roderus died December 17, 2015.  He will be greatly missed by all members of WF.)

Rogers,  Jacquie 

Jacquie is a former software designer, campaign manager, deli clerk, and cow milker, but always a bookworm. Reading is her passion--westerns, fantasies, historicals of any era, and all with lots of adventure and a dash of romance. If an author can make her laugh, she'll buy every book that writer ever wrote.  One of the first western historical romances she read was Hondo by Louis L’Amour and she’s been hooked ever since.  While a country girl by birth, she currently lives in the Seattle suburbs with her husband who knows if she’s on deadline, he cooks.  Can you ever take the country out of a girl's heart?  Probably not, and that’s why her stories often take place in Idaho where she grew up. Much Ado About Marshals (Hearts of Owyhee #1) won the 2012 RttA Award for Best Western, the CTRR Award, and garnered a NOR Top Pick.  She owns the Romancing The West blog which features a western writer (all sub-genres) each week, started the Western Historical Romance Book Club on Facebook, and works hard at rekindling the western audience. 

http://www.JacquieRogers.com       http://RomancingTheWest.blogspot.com       Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JacquieRogersAuthor Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JacquieRogers       Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jacquierogers

Rose, Vicky J.

Vicky J. Rose, who also writes under the pseudonyms of V. J. Rose and Easy Jackson, is the winner of three Will Rogers Medallion Awards, and runner up for the Western Writers of America Spur Awards, and the Western Fictioneer Peacemaker Awards. A former successful business owner, she graduated from a small West Texas university with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. She’s also known locally for her dedicated volunteer work in preserving Texas history. Rose grew up in a small town with a wild past, full of stories about early outlaw gangs, lynchings, shootouts, and vigilantism that nurtured her love for the western genre. She strives to share that love of the Old West with her readers. .  Vicky J Rose Interview

Rottman, Gordon L.

Gordon Rottman lives outside of Houston, Texas, served in the Army for 26 years in a number of “exciting” units, and wrote war games for Green Berets for 11 years. He’s written over 120 military history books, but his interests have turned to adventurous young adult novels—influenced by a bunch of audacious kids, Westerns owing to his experiences on his wife’s family’s ranch in Mexico, and historical fiction focusing on how people really lived and thought—history does not need to be boring. His first Western novel is The Hardest Ride to be followed by more.

Sanders, J.R.

J. R. Sanders is a native of Newton, Kansas, one of the original "wild and woolly" cowtowns. His deep interest in Old West history dates back to childhood visits with his family to the Dalton Gang hideout, Abilene, and Dodge City.  As a youngster he was dragged kicking and screaming to Southern California, and has yet to escape.  J.R. has written feature articles for a variety of publications, among them Law & Order and Wild West. His book Oak Glen and Los Rios Rancho, a photographic history of Southern California’s pioneer apple ranches, was released by Arcadia Publishing in August, 2006. His first children's book (and first work of fiction), The Littlest Wrangler, was released by Moonlight Mesa Associates in June, 2010. the Littlest Wrangler has won awards from the Arizona Authors' Association's 2011 Arizona Literary Contest and was a finalist in the 2013 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. His book Some Gave All: Forgotten Old West Lawmen Who Died With Their Boots On was released by Moonlight Mesa Associates in December, 2013. An active living historian, J.R. has portrayed 19th-century soldiers, cowboys, lawmen, and Gold Rush prospectors in presentations to schools, colleges, and historical societies throughout Southern California, as well as for the Autry Museum of the American West and the Huntington Library. He has written public service spots for local cable television broadcast and has worked both on-camera and behind the scenes on A&E/History Channel’s documentary series Dangerous Missions. J.R. is a member of the Western Writers of America and the Wild West History Association.  He lives in Southern California (still) with his wife, Rose, and dog, Monte. 

Website: www.jrsanders.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jrsanderswest
Twitter: twitter.com/jrsanderswest

Schwab, Ron
Ron Schwab is a member of both Western Writers of America and Western Fictioneers.  The founding partner of a small law firm at Fairbury, Nebraska, Ron and his wife, Bev, spend increasing time at their cabin in the Kansas Flint Hills, where he intends to accelerate his writing pace.  Some years ago, Ron sold several suspense novels and a Western, Sioux Sunrise, under a pseudonym, Michael J. Stewart.  He is now pursuing  writing and publication efforts seriously, and electronic editions of Sioux Sunrise and a new Western, Night of the Coyote, will be released in August of 2015 via Leafcutter Publishing Group (Omaha) and its Poor Coyote imprint, with three more Westerns to follow  in the fall.  Ron is a graduate of Southeast Community College (NE), received his B.A. degree from Kansas State University and earned his J.D degree from the University of Nebraska.  He and Bev have a blended family of nine children and a multitude of grandchildren.

Sheehan, Tom 

In my early years, in the ‘30s, the Depression in full swing, my thirst for new things at a full gallop, pulp magazines stuffed much of the void. I lived in the lap of history, 100 yards from Old Ironsides in the Charlestown Navy Yard, my father often Charge of Quarters. I particularly loved any pulp westerns I could get my hands on, devouring each word. The covers were glorious paintings of cowboys riding horses with wild eyes, their guns firing away, lassos working a whirling magic, or running ahead of a cattle stampede or Indians chasing them to cover. The west was dynamic, a real place that hung out there on the edge of the rest of the country. It was country country. And it came with the Saturday afternoon cowboy movies at the theater.

I loved the romance of the language, the demand of phonetics at my ear, the sounds calling now to be repeated from my reading past, from my guarded silences. My reading niches were rooftops of three-decker apartment houses with pigeon coops scattered like dominoes, summer bees by the hundreds; in a cellar with coal dust in the air from a recent delivery down a noisy coal truck’s chute, or in a silent hallway where most of the tenants were working when they were lucky to have a job.

In those delicious hours, armies of cowboys came and went, and I reaped the rewards of valor, every bit of text, every word issued, every sound uttered … and special silence that came my way when nothing happened, waiting on the vigor of my imagination. Those characters and their good deeds are present yet, slipping away from past times, odd footholds, to greet me again. It’s like pay-back time for me.

I served in 31st Infantry Regiment, Korea, 1951, and graduated Boston College, 1956. Poetry books include This Rare Earth & Other Flights; Ah, Devon Unbowed and The Saugus Book. I have 24 Pushcart nominations, and work in many internet sites/print issues/anthologies including 360 stories on Rope and Wire Magazine, and in multiple issues of  Rosebud Magazine, The Linnet’s Wings, Ocean Magazine, Nervous Breakdown, Eskimo Pie, Faith-Hope-Fiction, Subtle Tea, Danse Macabre, Deep South Magazine, Best of Sand Hill Review, Frontier Tales and Best of Frontier Tales, Western Online, The Big Adios, Wilderness House Literary Review, MGVersion2Datura, Dew on the Kudzu, Literary Orphans, Eastlit, and Nazar Look, etc. My work has been published in Romania, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, Thailand, China, Mexico, Canada, etc. My eBooks from Milspeak Publishers are Korean Echoes, nominated for a Distinguished Military Award, and The Westering, nominated for a National Book Award. My 2013 eBooks are Murder at the Forum, Death of a Lottery Foe, Death by Punishment, and An Accountable Death from Danse Macabre-Lazarus in Las Vegas. Other print and eBooks include the collections Epic Cures (with an Indie Award); Brief Cases, Short Spans, Press 53; A Collection of Friends and From the Quickening, Pocol Press, which will soon release In the Garden of Long Shadows and 7 western collections, including Where Skies Grow Wide, The Nations, and Cross Trails. Now in my 87th year, I write 1000 words a day.

Boston Globe’s Alan Lupo (RIP) once said, “Sheehan is Dos Passos reincarnated and drives a story into our souls as if it were an old Buick Roadmaster.”

Sherman, Jory

Jory Sherman began his literary career as a poet in San Francisco’s famed North Beach in the late 1950s, during the heyday of the Beat Generation.  His poetry and short stories  were widely published in literary journals when he began writing commercial fiction.  He has won numerous awards for his poetry and prose and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Letters for his novel, Grass Kingdom.  He won a Spur Award from Western Writers of America for The Medicine Horn.  He has also won a number of awards from the Missouri Writers Guild, and other organizations. Sherman was a book producer, packaging books for many major publishers.  He has published more than 400 books since 1965,  more than 1000 articles and 500 short stories.  In 1995, Sherman was inducted into the National Writer’s Hall of Fame.  He lived in the Ozarks for over 20 years.  Literary critics consider Sherman to be among the top 5 of western writers, according to Dale Walker, historian.  Warren French, former professor of literature at the University of Florida, wrote that: “Jory Sherman has a strange and powerful knowledge of language and an almost perfect ear.” Sherman continues to write novels and short stories as well as conduct writing workshops.  Jory Sherman, one of the founding members of Western Fictioneers, author of hundreds of novels, friend of and mentor to countless writers, passed away on June 27, 2014.

Smith, Troy D.

Troy D. Smith was born in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. He writes in a variety of genres, achieving his earliest successes with westerns -his first published short story appeared in 1995 in Louis L'Amour Western Magazine. He won the Spur Award in 2001 for the novel Bound for the Promise-Land (being a finalist on two other occasions), and is also a winner and two-time finalist of the Peacemaker Award. He gained his doctorate in history from the University of Illinois, and currently teaches American Indian History at Tennessee Tech University. He served as president of Western Fictioneers in 2012 and 2013, and is editor of WF's series Wolf Creek.

Spencer, Kaye  (also writing as A.L.Debran) 

Native Coloradoan Kaye Spencer lives in southeastern Colorado in a small rural town located in the heart of the infamous Dust Bowl area of the 1930s. Kaye grew up on a cattle ranch in northeastern Colorado, where she spent hours reading Louis L’Amour’s westerns, listening to Marty Robbins’ gunfighter ballads, and watching the old (now classic) television westerns and western movies. All of this inspired her love of the American Old West—truths and myths alike. While she is drawn to cowboys and the Old West, all genres are within Kaye's story-crafting realm. Kaye's favorite movie line is from 'Quigley Down Under'. Quigley says to Marston: "I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn't know how to use it." Kaye retired from a career in education that included teaching and administration at the public school and college levels. Kaye's website and blog are here: www.kayespencer.com. Kaye also Tweets daily history trivia - @kayespencer.

Kaye Spencer
Writing the West one romance upon a time
www.kayespencer.com

Squires, Janet

I began my career writing short stories and nonfiction articles and I've won awards in fiction and nonfiction. I provide presentations on writing at schools, libraries and conferences, teach workshops, and work part time as a library media specialist.  I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and Women Writing the West(WWW).

My first Western Novel: DESPERATE STRAITS was just released in Kindle and will soon be available in print. My interest in the historic West stems from the stories I heard growing up. My family pioneered their way through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona as ranchers, miners and lawmen.  My favorite activity is any one that involves horses . . . 

Or dogs . . . I can't remember a time when I didn't share my life with at least one.  I've fostered numerous dogs in addition to the rescues that are part of my family. Those experiences resulted in my recently released:  MONTY The Courageous Survival of a Rescue Dog. Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local retailers.

My website: JANET SQUIRES BOOKS http://www.janetsquiresbooks.com/  
My Blog: ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS http://janetsquires.blogspot.com/
My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/janetsquiresbooks?ref=hl

Steel, Charlie

Charlie Steel, Tale-Weaver Extraordinaire:  Charlie Steel has put heart into countless dreams and brought them to life just as he has done with the people in his tales.  Steel has worked since early childhood and  held many jobs.  He has traveled widely, read voraciously, and obtained five academic degrees including a Ph.D.  He is the common man; he is the eccentric man.   Hunting, fishing and the solitude of the outdoors are his great loves.   This solitude provides him with the catalyst for many stories.  Charlie Steel lives on an isolated ranch at the base of Greenhorn Mountain in Southern Colorado.   (submitted by Condor Publishing, Inc.)  Web site:  www.charliesteel.net  Charlie Steel Interview

Stienke, Buck 

Native Texan - Cowboy - Rancher - Captain - Fighter Pilot - United States Air Force vet - Bush Pilot - Author - Publisher: Buck has worn a lot of different hats in his lifetime. He has an extensive background in military and commercial aviation as well as weaponry. A graduate of the Air Force Academy with BS in Engineering Management, Buck (call sign 'Shoehorn') was a member of the undefeated Rugby team and was on the Dean's List. He was the offensive captain of the Austin Texan's Football team when he played there in the 70s. After leaving the Air Force, Buck was a pilot for Delta Airlines for over twenty-five years, flying both domestically and internationally on the Lockheed L-1011, Boeing 767-300ER and 400 ER. He obtained another degree in farm and ranch management and his own cow-calf operation in Montague county Texas. He has vast knowledge of weapons, tactics and survival techniques. Buck is the owner of Lone Star Shooting Supply, Gainesville, TX. As a successful actor, writer and businessman, Buck lives in Gainesville with his wife, Carolyn. Buck was Executive Producer for the award winning film, Rockabilly Baby. Every book he has written or co-written to date has reached the Amazon's Top 100 Best Seller's List.

He's presently working with Ken Farmer (author of Hell Hole) on another western entitled Across the Red. It continues the Bass Reeves series following The Nations, and the Laramie award winner Haunted Falls Additionally, we have completed a Sci Fi book to be released in June called The Legend of Aurora. 

At the same time, he's working on a sequel to his own recently released war fiction book, Devil's Canyon (Civil War period historical fiction and western) and two more Black Eagle Force novels with retired Marine fighter pilot Marshall Lefavor. 

Timber Creek Press has previously published books by acclaimed authors Alex Cord, Peggy Patrick, Josephine Bailey (Surrendered Three coming out next month), Doran Ingrham (Dark Secret set for a June release ), Oklahoma's TC Miller's Black Star Bay almost ready for release in June. All in all, He's looking at a busy summer!

Http://tinyurl.com/Devil-sCan   Kindle  of Devil's Canyon

Http://tinyurl.com/Devilscan2   Print Version of Devil's Canyon

Sullivan, Julia

Julia is an American lawyer, an English solicitor, and an International arbitrator. She recently published her first novel, Bone Necklace, which is inspired by the story of America’s final “Indian war,” in which a small band of Nez Perce held off four converging armies while their families escaped to Canada. Julia lives with her husband in Annapolis, MD and Hamilton, MT. She is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland.

Sweazy, Larry

I write novels and short stories.  Currently, I'm writing the Josiah Wolfe, Texas Ranger series for Berkley with two novels out, one in production, and one I'm in the middle of writing.  I also write non-fiction articles and book reviews.   Outside of writing, I'm also a full time freelance back of the book indexer.  I've indexed over 650 books in 12 years, covering a broad range of topics; religion, politics, business, and a ton of computer books for Pearson Education and Cengage.  I also volunteer weekly for a local bird rehabber, and my wife of 26 years, Rose, do everything from clean cages to feed the owls and hawks their daily rats.  I've held everything from a baby hummingbird all the way up to a bald eagle--which was one of the most amazing and scary experiences of my life. If I had more time, I'd blog, play guitar a lot better than I do, and spend more time outdoors with my camera, I live in Noblesville, Indiana, which is a suburb of Indianapolis, and I get out west as often I can.  I lived in Texas for five years, and still consider the state my second home--but they still consider me a Yankee. For more info about me check out my web site: www.larrydsweazy.com.  Larry D Sweazy Interview

Thomas, Benjamin

Benjamin Thomas is the pen name of David Gutscher, a retired US Air Force Medical Service Corps officer and former National Organ Transplant program officer for Veteran’s Affairs. He is the author of several short stories in a variety of genres as well as a science fiction time travel novel and a western whodunnit. Ben has been a lifelong voracious reader and long-time respected reviewer on Goodreads and Amazon as well as at his own “Chimney Sweep Reader” blog (https://thechimneysweepreader.blogspot.com). Additionally, he continues to provide reviews for various fanzines such as The Paperback Fanatic, Hot Lead, and Paperback Fantastic. Besides reading, writing, and reviewing, Ben is an active paperback hunter, as evidenced by several rooms of his house devoted to them. A native of New Mexico, Ben has always been a “westerner” at heart. He makes his home with his family in Colorado Springs at the foot of Pikes Peak.

Thompson, Mike

Mike is an award winning writer and photographer.  He has worked as an entrepreneur, bartender, wine steward, carpenter, oil land man, a road salesman for a variety of products, a stage and screen actor and the sales manager of a ski lodge.  He retired from the government where he tested munitions and explosives for 16 years and then developed and managed an Army museum, The Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.  He still has all his fingers, but his hearing ain’t all that good.  He is a Vietnam veteran, field medic, (66-67).   His Air Force and Army military career, active duty, Reserves and National Guard, spanned 42 years and he retired as an Army Chief Warrant Officer, CWO3.  Besides his current book, “Wolf Point”, a Five Star hardcover western, he wrote, “Curse of Al Capone’s Gold”, a Five Star western and his next western from Five Star, “The Turbulent Trail”, will be out in May of 2016. He has three audio books from Books in Motion; “Charlie Deegan”, Curse of Al Capone’s Gold” and “REFUND”.  “Curse of Al Capone’s Gold” and “REFUND”, are available from Kindle.  He is proud to have a short western story, “Younger and Faster”, in the book, “Lost Trails”, with such legendary writers as Louis L’Amour and Elmer Kelton.  He has worked as an extra in the TV series, “Deadwood” and the remake of “True Grit” and plays Theodore Roosevelt in the Dorgan film currently being shown on PBS, “Theodore Roosevelt, A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House”.  Mike and his wife, Ruthie, live on The Laughing Horse Ranch, Land and Cattle Company, San Angelo, Texas.  

Thompson, Paul L 

I retired in 2000 just to write western novels. The publisher of the first ten; Lighthouse Press was wiped out in a hurricane so he made a deal with Jada Press, (a POD publisher) but I didn’t pay for printing. They were paid by commission only. She published my next twenty novels then I went with Troy. I have thirty three novels published, Troy is working on one and I have six more ready for publishing. Yesterday I started putting them in Audio, because several of my fans are in their 80’s and 90’s and it takes them awhile to read a novel. Truck drivers will not read a novel while going 75 miles an hour down the freeway. So, I agreed to give audio books a try.

I was born and raised on a ranch and farm in New Mexico, leaving home at the age of thirteen. Every location I use in my novels are true. The names of towns were as they were in the 1870’s and 80’s and 90’s. Some names have changed, some towns no longer exist and are ghost towns. I have ridden horseback to over 90% of every place my characters  go in my novels, from Mexico to Canada. If I say there is water in that canyon, it’s there. Every creek, river and mountain is named. Anyone that reads one of my novels can go exactly where the characters go. I also belonged to Western Writers of America for twelve years. I dropped my membership last year because I was too busy to participate. I start writing at 4:15 in the morning and write  eight to ten hours a day, I also worked a full time job for six months in 2014. I wouldn’t have done it, but it was to help friends and neighbors. After all, I’m eighty years old.  

Thompson, Rod 

1889, the same year South Dakota became a state and the Dakota Territory as a whole ceased to exist, Greenberry (GB) and Eliza Ann Thompson, my grandparents, made the move from "Missoura" to "Dakota" in a covered wagon to homestead.  In 1897, the same year Geronimo enlisted into the army as a scout, my father was born. I came along in 1938 and spent the first part of my life on a farm near a corner of the Rosebud Indian Reservation where my dad traded with local Indians and I rode a horse to an all-eight-grades-in-the-same-room school while learning to shoot at the age of eight. Later, when one of my brothers died six months after my mother, my dad called it quits on farming and the family broke up, but the Black Hills were always there, along with stories of Indian wars, legends of Deadwood, Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, Wild Bill Hickok, Casey Tibbs and rodeos. Near Sioux Falls, as a teenager, I looked down from a foot bridge into the Devil's Gulch that Jesse James is said to have jumped to escape the largest posse ever formed. My father loved telling stories and I loved to listen. Until he died at the age of 76, I sat at the feet of the master. For years, I dreamed dreams of inventions and made up poems, songs and kid's stories and submitted articles to magazines that were always rejected. When I finally decided to write a book at the age of 70, could it be anything but a western? When I began to write, I realized that all the time I had been listening to my father, I had been learning the lingo and facts of the end of an era. When I sent off my first book, "The Black Hills," I expected the usual rejection notice, but instead, much to my surprise, everyone seems to be loving it for which I'm extremely grateful.

Towns, Brent

Brent loves to write western fiction. He is an Australian author and has written fifteen books to date for publishers in the UK and Germany. He writes under the pen names of B.S. Dunn, Sam Clancy, and Jake Henry. For Brent his passion for all things west started at a young age. The first movie he watched was How The West Was Won. From there it was mostly movies until he was 13 and a close family friend gave him a small bag of western books to read. And as they say, the rest is history. He would devour authors such as George G Gilman, Louis' L'Amour, and Marshall Grover. That though was only the tip of the iceberg. Australian authors such as Keith Hetherington and Paul Wheelahan were also on the menu. To be able to write in such a fantastic genre is a dream come true. Apart from writing westerns, he loves to watch them and he thinks the western movies of the 50's and 60's are the best ever made.

Truman, Phil

Phil Truman has authored three of what he calls, “Oklahoma-centric” novels. His first, GAME, an American Novel is a sports inspirational about the intensity and value of schoolboy football. Legends of Tsalagee weaves a tale of mystery, adventure, and romance in a small town. Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr is Phil’s first foray into the western genre in this historical novel about the life and times of an Oklahoma outlaw. He is currently working on two fiction projects: a second historical western novel set in 1880-90’s Indian Territory, and the first in a novella-sized series of what he intends to be western mysteries. He has won numerous awards for his short fiction, and his western short story “Last Will for an Outlaw” will appear in LaFrontera’s anthology, Dead or Alive, due to be released June 2013.  Phil’s website is: http://philtrumanink.com/

Van Pelt, Lori 

LORI VAN PELT is an award-winning poet, fiction and nonfiction writer. She won a Western Writers of America Spur Award for the lead tale in her short fiction collection, Pecker’s Revenge and Other Stories from the Frontier’s Edge (University of New Mexico Press). Her western short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including most recently the Piccadilly Press ebook Livin’ on Jacks and Queens.  In addition, she is the author of three nonfiction books including Amelia Earhart: The Sky’s No Limit (American Heroes series, Forge), which was named to the New York Public Library’s “Best Books for the Teen Age” list. Lori is currently the assistant editor of the online encyclopedia WyoHistory.org. Website http://www.lorivanpelt.com.

Vardeman, Robert

I am about 250 titles shy of Bob Randisi's total because in the past decade or so I have slowed down to only 5 or 6 books a year. I've written in a couple western series (more than 100 titles in one since 1984--let me recommend Slocum and the Four Seasons, Slocum Along Rotten Row and Slocum and the James Gang, if you need something to read). I've published 10 or so epic westerns under the Karl Lassiter pen name and will launch a new name in February, Jackson Lowry, with the Sonora Noose. The other half of my novel length output has been f&sf, with a few mysteries, spy books (back in the day Randisi and I both wrote for the Nick Carter series) and high tech thrillers tossed in. I am currently hard at work on the video game tie-in for God of War 2.  Short stories, not so much, but I did have one in Lost Trails.  A considerable amount of my effort lately has been directed toward e-publication. I have a couple dozen on Kindle and iTunes, with the iPad being a new market as well as Kobobooks. My sf cronies and I spend an inordinate amount of time discussing e-this and e-that.  I live in Albuquerque and have for a very long stretch of my life. I used to build H-bombs for the government but decided writing was a lot more fun, if more dangerous work. My son is in his final year of college and doing far better than I ever did academically. I have two cats that look like furry tanks because I feed them too much and am currently smitten with that paragon of tech, the iPad.  Some day I hope to write a book half as good as most of those by James Reasoner. 

Vaughan, Robert

Between 350 to 400 books published under my own name and 42 pseudonyms. Among the more notable are: Brandywine’s War, an iconoclastic novel of the Vietnam War which was selected by the Canadian University Symposium of Vietnam Literature as best comic novel of the war.  This book is also a part of the Vietnam Studies program at Texas Tech University.  The Valkyrie Mandate which was about the assassination of President Diem, parts of which, were read into the Watergate Hearings.  The War Torn, a mini-series about WWII. Twenty-three Romance novels, writing as Paula Moore, Paula Fairman, and Patricia Matthews, with total sales of over fifteen million copies.  Two of these romance novels, Love’s Bold Journey, and Love’s Sweet Agony, were number one on the NYT and PW bestseller lists.  The American Chronicles – a decade by decade account of the 20th century.  Published originally by Bantam, they are continuing to sell as “E-Reads” books.  The novel Andersonville, which was a television mini-series on TNT.  Wrote, produced, and appeared in the History Channel documentary Vietnam Homecoming. I have written over two hundred Westerns, mostly under pseudonyms, I won the spur in 1994 for SURVIVAL, writing as K.C. McKenna, the Readwest Presidential award, and the WF Lifetime Achievement Award.  I am also a member of the National Writers' Hall of Fame. Personal History -  Served in the US Army for 23 years, with tours in Korea, Germany, and three combat tours in Vietnam.  Participated in the atmospheric  nuclear bomb tests in 1957, participated in the civil-rights deployment during the time of James Meredith’s enrollment at the University of Mississippi, was deployed to Homestead AFB as part of the potential invasion force during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Was a helicopter pilot during three tours in Vietnam, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, The Bronze Star with three oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal for valor with 35 oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. During military career was selected as most outstanding military writer (for articles in Aviation Digest) six times.  Was on-air Television personality in Portsmouth, VA, and in Phoenix, AZ, and have been a national military consultant for FOX NEWS and CNN.

Vickery, Rebecca J. 

Rebecca is a resident of South Carolina with a dash of Native American ancestry which probably inspired her love for horses and all things Western. Author of the contemporary New Adult Western, Seeking Shelter, she is also an independent publisher, editor, and researcher. She married her own special cowboy when she was nineteen and they have one son and three wonderful grandchildren. Little Britches by Ralph Moody, Flicka by Mary O'Hara, and the early Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour novels she filched from her father had a lasting impact on Rebecca's Western reading and writing. One of her goals is to help insure that quality Westerns with strong heroes and heroines, lessons about good triumphing over evil, and excellent story-telling will be available for readers like her grandchildren in the years to come. For more information about this author, please visit http://rebeccajvickeryauthor.com/ 

Wallon, Alfred

Alfred Wallon is a native German and writes westerns since 1981. He has written about 150 short novels and 50 hardcovers and trade paperbacks for various German publishers. He has written everything from historical westerns, horror and science-fiction to fantasy, adventure and gothic romances. But the classic historical western genre is his favorite. He joined Western Writers of America in summer 2006 as an active member. Since then he has written and published also original English western novels, mostly in collaboration with British western writer Ben Bridges. His acclaimed German western series RIO CONCHO is currently being published by Piccadilly Publishing in England. The author´s website: http://www.alfredwallon.de.tl/Home.htm

Warren, Kevin
Kevin Warren retired in 2023 from a long career in education and outfitting. Kevin was born in 1959 in the red rock country of central Arizona. Much of his youth was spent exploring desert canyons aboard a horse. At age twenty-three, with a BA in History as his one credential, Kevin relocated to Wyoming and worked as a farrier, ranch hand, and outfitter. Kevin spent twenty-three seasons guiding dudes and hunters into remote areas of Wyoming’s backcountry. Long trails, forest fires, unbroke horses, the characters he befriended and the ones he didn’t, provided rich material for his debut novel, Ride a Fast Horse. Kevin and his wife currently live in Cora, Wyoming.

Washburn, L.J. (Livia)

Under the names Livia J. Washburn and L.J. Washburn, Livia Reasoner has been writing award-winning, critically acclaimed mystery, western, romance, and historical novels for almost thirty years.  She began to write in collaboration with her husband, author James Reasoner, and soon branched out into telling her own stories. Livia and James have had a long career working together, tweaking and editing each others stories. 

Livia is also the co-owner of a publishing company, Prairie Rose Publications which includes the imprints Sundown Press and Painted Pony Books, where she creates book covers and publishes many westerns along with a lot of other books under other imprints.

In her spare time Livia enjoys photography, arts, crafts, and cooking, but she also loves having a pile of lumber, a circular saw, and a building project.  An accomplished carpenter, she has framed houses and built more sets of bookshelves than she can remember, some of which have been filled with the books she’s written.  A good day for her includes having time to create something new in the kitchen, on a story, and in the garage. Livia lives in the Texas countryside with her husband.  Her website can be found at www.liviajwashburn.com, and she blogs when she can find the time at http://liviajwashburn.blogspot.com. L.J. Washburn Interview

Weinstein, Howard

Best known for writing futuristic Star Trek stories over four decades, New York Times-bestselling author Howard Weinstein turns to historical fiction with Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award-winner Galloway’s Gamble (Five Star Publishing) and Galloway’s Gamble 2: Lucifer & the Baltimore Brawl (Silverado Press/Crazy 8 Press), a sequel coming out in July 2023. Both novels are available in paperback and ebook from Amazon.com.

New York Times bestselling Western-history author Jeff Guinn called Galloway’s Gamble “the whole package—entertaining, heartwarming, and historically accurate.” True West Magazine’s review said, “Readers ready to fall in love with a great yarn well told should look no farther than Galloway’s Gamble.”

In Galloway’s Gamble 2, after friends are swindled out of a champion racehorse by ruthless rival Cortland Van Brunt III in fog-shrouded San Francisco, poker-playing brothers Jamey and Jake Galloway lead the gang on a star-crossed transcontinental quest: Can they reach Baltimore in time for a long-shot bid to win back prized stallion Phoenix in a grudge-match race at the splendid new Pimlico Race Course?

Howard’s writing credits include dozens of Star Trek novels and comic books; “The Pirates of Orion” animated Star Trek episode; story-development assistance on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; and Puppy Kisses Are Good for the Soul, a charming account of life with legendary Corgi Mail Order Annie.

Howard lives in Maryland with wife Susan and current Corgi Shelby. Readers can “friend” Howard Weinstein on Facebook, and find more writing news and occasional blogs at www.howardweinsteinbooks.com.  

West, Joseph A. (Joe)

During his checkered career, Joseph A. West has been a police officer, news reporter, editor and latterly Western scribe. As a reporter in the early 1970s, he had the dubious honor of being blown up twice in the same day by the IRA, and a week later getting his car shot up by a bent-out-of-shape sniper. Of course, it was nothing personal, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. West lives in Lake Worth, Florida, with his wife Emily - a stern, 23rd generation Yankee - and their three cats. He has one daughter, Alexandria, who is a better writer and much smarter than he is. Born and raised in Scotland, he loves haggis, whiskey, the 1911 pistol, SASS and his wife. Not necessarily in that order. 

Whipple, Charles

Charles T. Whipple is a native of Arizona who resides in Chiba, Japan. Whipple writes fiction and nonfiction. His articles have appeared in many magazines, including Time, Newsweek, Honolulu magazine,  Tokyo Journal, Cruising World, Boating New Zealand, Sport Diver, and more. His nonfiction books include Seeing Japan, Inspired Shapes, and several in Japanese. He writes western novels under the pen name of Chuck Tyrell for Robert Hale Ltd.'s Black Horse Westerns line, contributed short stories to the Express Western anthologies Where Legends Ride and A Fistful of Legends. He also co-edited the latter volume with Nik Morton. He has won prizes for both advertising and journalism, and received the Agave Award in the Oaxaca International Literature Competition in 2010. His novel, The Snake Den, won the 2011 Global eBook Award in the western fiction category.  Whipple was a lifetime member of the now-defunct National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History. He is a current member of Arizona Authors Association, Western Writers of America, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Tauranga Writers Inc., and, of course, Western Fictioneers. Whipple is married, has one wife, two sons, four daughters, almost 18 grandchildren, and one dog. He is fluent in spoken and written Japanese, and understands many forms of English. His Tokyo-based company prepares English-language corporate literature for clients in Japan. Charlie Whipple passed away in April 2018

Williams, Alethea 

Alethea Williams is the author of four Western historical novels and has assisted with nonfiction reprints for her local museum foundation. Western history has been the great interest of her adult life. She has lived in Wyoming, Colorado, and Oregon. Although an amateur historian, she’s happiest researching different times and places in the historical West. And while staying true to history, she tries not to let fact overwhelm a good story.

Williams, Big Jim

Big Jim Williams is the author of the Jake Silverhorn Texas Ranger series, published by DS Productions, featuring his novels, BORDER JUSTICE, TEXAS JUSTICE, SEEKING JUSTICE, and, the 2022 release, GALLOWS JUSTICE, all available on Amazon. A fifth book is in the works, plus novels about a Black Mountain Man escaped slave, and a frontier boy and his amazing racehorse. CATTLE DRIVE, Williams’ initial Western book won the Western Fictioneers’ 2014 Best First Novel Award.

He is a lifelong broadcaster, former Voice of America “news stringer,” film narrator, retired public information officer, Army Signal Corp veteran (television productions), and a writer of crime, humor, and Suspense Magazine ghost stories. His radio drama, “Close Encounters of The Confederate Kind,” produced by San Francisco’s Shoestring Radio Theatre, aired on over 100 NPR stations. 

Williams loves Old West history, its historic sites, and the courageous pioneers who had the guts to wagon-train West in frontier America. His 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. Favorite fiction writers are Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, O. Henry, and Guy de Maupassant.

He grew up in the small town of Ojai, CA, during the last days of the Great Depression. “If I needed clothes, new shoes, or wanted to attend a Saturday movie matinee I had to earn my own money,” he said. “Twelve cents got me into our only movie theatre where I could watch a newsreel, previews, cartoons, the ‘B’ Western, and the main feature for several hours. Loved it, especially the low budget Westerns where the good guys in the White Hats eventually defeated the ‘evildoers’ with plenty of gunplay, action, stunts, and galloping horses. That’s when I decided I could also write such stories. I wrote for my high school and college newspapers, and had always wanted to write westerns, but married and had a family that required my support.” Williams began writing fiction in 1984. He welcomes emails online at, “bigjimwilliams2@cox.net.”

Williams, Les

I was born and raised in Nebraska. With the exception of three years as an MP in the US Army, including thirteen months in Korea, and a few years in Maryland & Pennsylvania, I have lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. Retiring after seventeen years with the US Government in 2006 from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, formally the Soil Conservation Service,  I spent a week at the John C Campbell Folk Art School where Phyllis was teaching. Enrolling in a creative writing class, I discovered I have a passion for writing. In my early writing career my column A Senior Moment appeared in our local seniors quarterly 55+. My real writing love is  fiction. My first published short story UNDER NEBRASKA SKIES, a western, was published in the summer edition of Wanderings. LAST ASSIGNMENT, a police story, were published in the winter edition of The Storyteller. Since then, another western short, MARQUEZ, and the mystery genera stories CIVIC DUTY and A LITTLE ROBBERY have also appeared in The Storyteller. UNDER NEBRASKA SKIES finished second in the 2008 Aspiring Authors Writing Contest and has been reprinted by The Storyteller and as a Dime Novel by Western Trail Blazer along with MARQUEZ. UNWANTED REPUTATION can also be found at Western Trail Blazer. I currently have six completed short stories Phyllis affectionately calls “the geezer series”, three of which have been published. REVERSAL OF FORTUNE appeared in the 2009 anthology Voices II; An Anthology of Short Stories, PAINT IT BLACK in the anthology Writing On Walls III and CIVIC DUTY in The Storyteller. I have hopes the other three will see the light of day. My remaining writing goal is to have a novel published. With a little luck, or maybe I should say a lot of luck, and if the Lord’s willing, someday I may see this come to pass. I’ve been married to my best friend Phyllis Maurer for 35 years. We share our house with one irritable cat.

Wills, Karen

Karen Wills lives with her husband just a few miles from her beloved Glacier National Park in Northwest Montana. She loves to write, hike, read, and visit with family and friends. She is also an active volunteer for social justice. Karen has practiced law, including representing plaintiffs in civil rights cases. She also taught English and writing on college and secondary public school levels, including on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, and in the Inupiaq Eskimo village of Wales, Alaska. She’s encountered bears, both grizzly and polar, and still believes passionately in the value of wild creatures and country. Her published novels are Remarkable Silence and River with No Bridge. Her novel All Too Human will be released in September.

Wolf, Kevin

Kevin Wolf’s debut novel, THE HOMEPLACE is the winner of the 2015 Tony Hillerman Award. The novel was a nominee for the 2016 Strand Critics Award for Debut Mystery. The great-grandson of Colorado homesteaders, he enjoys fly fishing, old Winchesters, and 1950's Western movies. He lives in Littleton, CO with his wife and a beagle.

Woolard, James R.

Fascinated by his father's tales of the frontier, Jim Woolard earned a doctorate researching the early history of Kentucky and Ohio. Jim’s goal in writing historical fiction is to accurately portray frontier life in the form of personal memoirs. His first novel, Thunder in the Valley, won the 1996 Western Writers of America’s Medicine Pipe Award for best first novel and the 1996 Spur Award for best original paperback novel.  Winds of Autumn, Cold Moon, and Blood at Dawn followed Thunder in the Valley.  Jim recently completed Feathered Tide, a major novel based on the River Raisin Massacre and the first siege of Fort Meigs during the War of 1812. Kensington will issue the first of Jim's Civil War novels, Raiding With Morgan, in hardcover, May 14, 2014. Jim also writes young adult novels. Recent publications include: Colorado Sam, an adventure/murder mystery featuring a huge dog and a young man in great danger set in 1891 Alamosa, Colorado.  Jersey Red, the story of a runt redbone coonhound that helps a young man find the courage to confront the school bully and uphold his family’s good name.  Ozark Red, a novel about a father, his estranged son and the champion coonhound that reunites them.  Jim was born in central Ohio, the setting for Jersey Red and Ozark Red. Most in the events in Ozark Red actually occurred in Jim’s teenage years with his father, a policeman and county dog warden who bred and hunted redbone coonhounds.  Jim resides in Newark, Ohio, with his wife, Nancy, and Monty, a cavalier King Charles spaniel. He spends much time prowling the historical sites, museums and national forests of Ohio and northern Kentucky researching future frontier novels.

Ziemann, Lowell "Zeke"

Lowell "Zeke" Ziemann is a former teacher, coach, financial planner and Compliance Supervisor for the Arizona Office of a Wall Street Firm. Since his retirement he has been writing Western short stories and novellas. Many have been published online and are available on Amazon. His contact information is listed on his website: 'zekeswestern.com'.

A lot of his writing is based upon historical events drawn from a vast library of books and articles and his travels to museums, towns and areas of Western importance.

He also creates relief woodcarvings depicting Western scenes and characters.

He lives in Gilbert, AZ with his wife Jean and their two dogs, Goldie and Duke.  Zeke Ziemann Interview