Roundup Magazine on Crossing the Animas

"This sequel to the author's Steve Dancy series is as good as the come." R. G Yoho, April, 2018

The art of the short story has always eluded me

Western author JR Sanders posted to Facebook a link to “The Top 20 Literary Quotes About Short Stories,” at Writers Write, a South African website. (It was posted yesterday. Ain’t modern technology grand?) My favorite quote was from David Sedaris, “A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.”

The article reminded me that I have never done well with the short form of storytelling.  A short story must convey a story, a mood, and a theme in few words. A difficult task. It may not be an exaggeration to claim that while novels are a craft, short stories are art. In bygone years, I did win honorable mention in a 100-word novel contest, but that was more about cleverness than storytelling.

I love to read short stories and own many collections, but I don’t have the time to write one. My last comment, of course is not a new thought. Pascal wrote, “I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.”

In 1690 the philosopher John Locke wrote about a famous work, “But to confess the Truth, I am now too lazy, or too busy to make it shorter.”

In 1750 Benjamin Franklin composed a letter describing his groundbreaking experiments involving electricity, writing, “I have already made this paper too long, for which I must crave pardon, not having now time to make it shorter.”

In 1857 Henry David Thoreau wrote in a letter to a friend that “Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.”

Woodrow Wilson was asked by a member of his cabinet about the amount of time he spent preparing speeches. He said, “It depends. If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now.”

(Credit for the above quotations goes to Quote Investigator, a good site for writers.)

Abraham Lincoln spent untold hours crafting the Gettysburg Address, which at 271 words is one of the shortest and most famed political speeches of all time.

Brevity done with forethought is powerful. A comedian’s quip can destroy a longwinded speech. Just ask any target of Will Roger’s wit.

Ever since the demise of the family weekly magazine, short fiction has had few outlets. This is a shame. Western Writers of America occasionally publishes an anthology of short Western works, but there are few other places to even submit short stories. 

Perhaps Amazon will once again redefine the market. The online bookseller has started Kindle Singles, which are short works in both fiction and nonfiction. The idea seems to be catching on because many national bestselling authors are publishing short works in this manner. Although I don't write short stories, I hope Kindle Singles revives the form. After all, throughout history, art has needed powerful sponsors.

10 Writing "Rules" Western Authors Should Break

JR Sanders posted on Facebook for Western Writers of America an io9 article titled “10 Writing ‘Rules’ We Wish More Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Would Break,” with a challenge to list Western rules that should be broken. At the risk of offending everyone, here is my unordered list.

1. Women portrayed only as prostitutes, schoolmarms, or long-suffering wives.

How about making a woman the villain? Or put a gun, reins, or a pen in her hand.

2. Homogeneous portrayal of American Indians

The culture of Indian tribes varied as much as Yankees and Southerners

3. Tombstone portrayed as a cattle town

Tombstone was a mining town. Everybody didn’t migrate west to chase errant cows or string barbed wire

4. Saloons portrayed as the sole entertainment in the West

Tombstone had ice crème parlors and a bowling alley. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance made good plot use of a restaurant.

5. Gunfights portrayed as righteous, standup duels with the bad guy drawing first

Some researchers have concluded that most gunfights occurred within three feet.

6. Railroad tycoons portrayed as handy villains

This is such a cliché we’re ready to boo as soon as any railroad owner steps onto the page or screen.

7. Regular townsfolk and sodbusters portrayed as sniveling weaklings

These were pioneers, for goodness sakes. They wouldn’t have ventured west if they had no backbone.

8. Everyone in the West portrayed as dressing like cowboys

For example, miners wore squared toed boots and professionals and business owners wore suits.

9. The West portrayed as near childless

Kids are usually just props, but look how well breaking this rule worked for True Grit

10. The hero portrayed as riding off into the sunset.

I had fun with the end of The Shopkeeper by writing, “We rode out of Mason Valley with the sun at our backs."

Western Book Signing at Redlands Barnes & Noble

Saturday, July 28th is National Day of the Cowboy. In honor of this day, the Redlands Barnes & Noble will host a Western Book Fair. There will be western music, historical reenactors, Western art, and loads of kid events. The program runs from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Come and have some fun and pick up a signed copy of a Steve Dancy Tale.

Keep track of planned events at the Read 'em Cowboy Facebook Page.

Western Writers of America Conference Book Signing

The WWA Conference sponsored a huge book signing at the Albuquerque Barnes & Noble. Fun event with loads of fans of Western books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Tonight is the big finale with the Spur Awards dinner.

The week had flown by and it will be a disappointment to leave for home tomorrow. The WWA is full of great people who are also great writers.

Western Writers of America Conference

The Western Writers of America will hold their annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 12-16, 2012. I'll be attending with my wife. Ought to be great fun. There will be a book signing by all the authors at Barnes and Noble, Coronado Mall from 4:00 to 7:00 on Friday, June 15. This will be a great celebration of the centennial for New Mexico and Arizona. By the way, New Mexico became a state on January 6, 1912, while my home state of Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912. New Mexico beat us by a month, but we get to claim to be the last contiguous state to join the union.

Western Writers of America Roundup Magazine reviews Murder at Thumb Butte

This is a well-plotted mystery, as well as a terrific Old West story. I found the idea of a stock swindle entertaining, especially considering the era in which the story is set. It could’ve been ripped from today’s headlines, but reads entirely authentic to the time period. Best has a great character in Steve Dancy, and has created an excellent cast of secondary characters. — C.K. Crigger

Read the Full Review

Murder at Thumb Butte print edition is now available

The print edition of Murder at Thumb Butte, a Steve Dancy Tale is now available at Amazon, Books-a-Million, and Barnes and Noble. (The official publication date is September 15, 2011.) The third novel in the Steve Dancy series can be purchased with 24-hour shipping or ordered at any bookstore. Murder at Thumb Butte is also available on the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and any device that supports the Kindle app. (It may take another month for the Sony Reader.) The large print edition will be available in January, 2012.

I want to thank all the readers who have bought Murder At Thumb Butte in an eBook format ... and thanks for all the kind comments. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Murder at Thumb Butte
Buy From Barnes and Noble

From the Publisher

In the spring of 1880, Steve Dancy travels to Prescott, Arizona to gain control of a remarkable invention. But on his first night in the territorial capital, his friend, Jeff Sharp is arrested for a midnight murder at Thumb Butte. Dancy launches a personal investigation to find the real murderer, only to discover the whole town wanted the victim dead. For help, he turns to another old friend and associate, Captain Joseph McAllen of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

Can Dancy discover the true killer before his friend stretches a rope on the courthouse square?

The Virginian—The Inspiration for The Steve Dancy Tales

The Virginian was published in 1902, by Owen Wister (1860-1938). The novel received critical acclaim and was a huge bestseller, eventually spawning five films, a successful play, and a television series. The Virginian was an instant success, selling over 20,000 copies in the first month, an astonishing number for the time. It went on to sell over 200,000 copies in the first year, and over a million and a half prior to Wister’s death. This minor classic has never been out of print. Beyond the multiple works that carry its name, The Virginian has inspired hundreds of stories about the Old West.

The Virginian is a story about people, people who happen to have been transplanted from a more civil society to the frontier. It’s basically a fish out of water story. The narrator of this classic was Owen Wister himself. As I read this book, I thought how cool would it be for the Easterner to be more than an observer. What if he became personally involved in the adventures of the Wild West? And that’s how The Virginian inspired the Steve Dancy series. As homage to the original, the first scene of The Shopkeeper opens with a whist card game—the same game Wister's cowboys play in the bunkhouse.

This link will take you to my book review of The Virginian.

Honest westerns filled with dishonest characters.

Western Writers of America 2009 Conference

I'll be attending the Western Writers of America Conference in Oklahoma City, June 16-20.

Non-members are welcome, so if you love Western film or fiction, mark the dates on your calendar. There will be exhibits, panel discussions, book signings, guided tours of local Western attractions, and your favorite Western writers will be there.

If you would like to learn more, go to the WWA site.