Dec 03
A note from GP Hutchinson:
AllAuthor has nominated my latest novel for Best Book Cover of the Month! If you would slip over to their page and vote for my cover, it would help me gain important visibility and help folks find new authors and books they might like to read. Thank you! Vote by clicking here, please…
Nov 30
Young Texas Ranger Jake Silverhorn, a Civil War Union veteran, joins Captain Ash Rollins and other ex-Confederates seeking BORDER JUSTICE when entering Mexico to recapture stolen cattle from Delgado, an outlaw killer, and kidnapper. On the way there they hang an escaped killer; face an Apache attack, rainstorms and shootouts, a cattle baron with more illegitimate children than his crazy nude wife, who, holds a pistol to his head, can stand. Also tales of a “stuffed” Ranger mounted in a saloon, legendary Texas Ranger “Bigfoot” Wallace, Jake’s romance with a dying Civil War nurse, a slave’s escape north, and a humpbacked old man whose shotgun keeps a thirsty Jake from a trickling stream called, DIME CRICK. There’s Lonnie, a young bumbling Ranger who breaks his leg and is captured by the border bandits, and harmonica-playing Yancy, a Ranger and ex-soldier of the south who hates “Lincoln’s War of Northern Aggression” and needles Jake for his Yankee past. The novel ends as Jake and a beautiful young kidnapped woman escape the boarder bandits and Mexican cavalry in a deadly gun battle crossing the storm-swollen Rio Grande back into Texas.
BORDER JUSTICE, a novel filled with shootouts, a knife fight, a devastating fire, romance, and humor, a prequel to Williams’ 2016 novel, JAKE SILVERHORN’S REVENGE. Big Jim breakout novel, CATTLE DRIVE, won the Western Fictioneers’ 2014 Award for Best First Novel.
Nov 29
There’s a new David Watts Western in town. A brand new adventure that Western readers seem to be enjoying day after day. This new serving of Watts’ genius is called “Massacre At Idyll Valley,” and it’s a good ‘un. I thought we might sit Mister Watts down for a conversation about this new, exciting Western experience of excellence.
David, how are you?
I’m doing very well, thank you.
Let me start by asking, how did you approach writing these new Westerns?
I took characters that were interesting and treated them badly. Only in that way can one find out what they’re made of. Then the trauma of the opening scenes spurred a story that showed how people respond to hard times. That, I believe, is the essence of life in the Wild West.
What do you think the readership is looking for in Westerns these days?
Something more than “Westerns.” Something that approaches great literature that might bring insights into human behavior, a touch of grass roots philosophy, and something that struggles to approach the “meaning of life” laid in under the surface of the narrative. It’s a tall order, one worth shooting for.
How do you think the readership will take to your latest novel?
Better and better.
How did you come up with the title?
By adding the essence of the story to an attractive name for a town.
Where do you see this series going next?
Wherever it wants to go. Therein lies the excitement.
How do you feel the characters will evolve through the series?
They have already displayed their wisdom and personal strengths as they have risen to the demands of the occasion. You only see that aspect of character if they are confronted with difficult situations. What I see for them in the future is transition, a transformation into a new version of themselves that reaches deeper into their consciousnesses. That’s what’s most interesting about writing and what makes a story great.
How does this new Western differ from your previous Westerns?
Deeper. More tension. More rising to the challenge of life with newfound strengths.
What will your next novel be about?
Ah, that’s the surprise of writing—discovery. The best writing is not planned in advance but evolves from the magical combination of great characters and hard times. Only then do we see the under surface of human character. That’s where the real story lies. That’s what rewards us with new insights. That’s what doesn’t waste our time.
If you could say anything to your readership directly—what would it be?
Watch out for this one. It will curl your toenails.
How can we find your latest book?
Amazon, Amazon, Amazon.
Nov 28
Two of the most sensational Westerns ever written—The exciting next instalments in the “Callers Spring Ranch Western series.” Jim Burnett offers up a Western salute to our men and women of the military and law enforcement who wear the badge and tote the gun under the authority of God in “The Bible and the Badge.” Then he takes us on a rip-roaring adventure into the untamed wild west with “Sam Tally.”
The Bible and the Badge:
Lucas and Levi Reese are twin brothers who answer the call of God to be lawmen in the Kansas frontier town of Caldwell.
Raised by Quaker parents on their homestead in Horse Creek, Wyoming, law enforcement seems to go against their upbringing until these two and their family sense God’s call for them to wear the badge and tote the gun.
These brothers, with their badges, guns, and godly convictions, bring law and order to Caldwell and honor to their Lord. Consequently, Lucas and Levi Reese become two of the best lawmen the state of Kansas has ever seen.
The Legend of Sam Tally:
Follow the knife-throwing preacher, Tally, to the cow towns and boomtowns of the west where he confronts the atrocities of his day with the good news. Experience the powerful, life-changing Gospel take effect in the lives of people like Scar-faced Shayla, a saloon girl whose disfigured face and wounded spirit led her to believe her life was hopeless and would never be any better than it was.
Praise for this series from across the Western genre. Just make sure to grab your very own copy of this, the most exciting Burnett adventure collection yet!
Nov 28
“Sleeper hit.” A term used across the publishing business for a book that hasn’t yet taken off but is showing signs of doing so. It’s a common phenomenon in the Western genre, and something I was reading about this morning. I was sent an article by a friend of mine that disputed the validity of the “sleeper” hit. In this blogger’s mind, the “sleeper” hit was nothing more than an excuse publishing companies use to cover the fact that a book isn’t selling. The fact of the matter is that over the course of a year, you will see a variety of Western books take off and sell in many different ways. Some just come running out of the box and ride their way up the charts. Others are sleeper hits. These books do gentle business for a few months and then start making headway. The sleeper, which does in fact exist, actually is the preferred way for a hit to unfold—a slow, steady climb followed by a satisfying stay at the top of the charts.
An example of a “sleeper” hit comes to my mind as I type this blog article. Mark Baugher. Mark has been releasing books consistently and has been selling consistently, but several months ago his sleeper hit woke up. Suddenly his books started racing up the chart with unprecedented speed. These steady sellers suddenly became hot properties. Why did this happen? Well, during those “sleeping” months, he had been pulling in consistent reader numbers, he had been writing new material, he worked hard, turned out quality books and kept growing his readership. Each of his books has now become a major hit.
One sleeper hit created six successful sequels and a box set.
Another example is Robert Hanlon with his very successful “Timber: United States Marshal” series. The first book came out and did around 250,000 pages read over three months. In the fourth month, he did one million pages read, and the sequels did about a million each. It took the release of three books and a build-up of about three months for him to have his “overnight” success.
There are more examples of “sleeper” hits—but the bottom line is—having a book that takes its time taking off is not a bad thing. Having those extra products on the market before a book takes off is not a bad thing either. Those lucky authors who get “sleeper” hits are the ones who, in many cases, hang around and become bigger sellers. Look at Paul L. Thompson. It took twenty-six sleeper hits with steady-to-middling sales before he finally caught on and became one of the biggest sellers of the moment.
If your book is doing steady business, if your book is pulling in new readers each month, if your book is gently growing, then my advice would be—let it. Let it “sleep” its way to success. Not everyone is going to have a hit straight out of the box. Remember, today’s bestseller is often tomorrow’s forgotten book. Aim for slow and steady success today and have patience for your sleeper to wake up tomorrow.
Nov 27
With the Christmas season upon us—we all want to sell those books. Westerns are some of the most popular presents during the Christmas season, and the publishing houses Outlaws Publishing and Dusty Saddle Publishing reported that last December was their strongest month in the year for sales of paperbacks. It must be exciting for every author to know that their book may lie wrapped up under the Christmas tree waiting to be given as a seasonal gift.
But how can you make your book stand out? Just like any other product, it’s all about placement. When the publishing companies ask how new releases are going to be promoted throughout the run up to Christmas, I always tell them KECC.
KECC?
What’s that?
Keywords
Editing
Cover
Connection
Keywords:
We all know what keywords are and how they are used. Are you using the right keywords online to give your Western a boost during this busy buying season? Look at your keywords and make sure they are giving you the right visibility.
Editing:
Yes. We all take editing very seriously, but products released during this busy selling season have to be top-notch and perfect. This is because you’re likely to reach a much wider readership. Make sure you go through your product and correct those tiny little errors. We all like to think our babies are perfect—but it doesn’t do any harm to sew up those holes in their socks from time to time.
Cover:
Is your book cover going to draw attention? Fred Staff, a great selling author, called me earlier and asked me what I thought about his new cover. It was a fine cover… a fine cover that went into the trash. The final cover for his new product turned out to be much bluer, much more action-packed and much more engaging. I suspect this new hit of his will be a smash throughout the season. Think along the lines of the audience. What stands out to the audience when they are faced with thousands of choices? Are they going to go for the mundane or for the exciting?
Connection:
Everything about your book, blurb, forewords, afterwords, title and story must scream out to the reader. With Staff, we tweaked the title to make it fit the current desires of the readership, the blurb had to be trimmed and tidied up, we added two new forewords, re-vamped the chosen keywords, added a new afterword, culled a couple of chapters, added some extra content and now the product is ready for market, likely to be his biggest hit yet.
It just takes a little KECC to turn a product into the next Western favorite. Take some time, think as the reader thinks, look at your book as a product they’ve been given to look at and try to gauge their reaction. You may find yourself making changes.
Now, it’s wintertime, and I need some new books to read. What’s currently on your list? Let me know what you’re reading by dropping a note below. You can also ask any question you’d like about my blog above. I’d be happy to help you.
Nov 21
There is nothing more satisfying than sitting close to the fire with a cup of coffee in one hand and a good collection of heartwarming Christmas stories in the other. In Christmas Riders of the Backcountry Jim Burnett shares a wonderful blend of western short stories that capture the essence of Christmas.
Stories Included:
The Fox that Saved Christmas
The Christmas Fire
Gun Down at Caller’s Spring
Christmas at Devil’s Pass
The Colt Named Christmas
Enjoy and We Wish You A Merry Christmas!
Nov 21
This is the third novel in a brand new Western series from Western adventure bestseller Scott Harris! With gun in hand—Caz blasts his way through the bad guys to bring peace and justice to the Old West!
Caz lives life by the rules, but they’re all his rules. Rule #4 is; Never let a man steal your water. Not from your canteen or your creek. Unfortunately for McKinley, he tried to.
Caz is the self-appointed judge and jury, operating outside the law, tracking down those who the law can’t, or won’t, find. And when he does find them, which he always does, there is only one sentence.
Nov 20
Jack Bonham is one of the latest sensations currently striking at the heart of the Western genre. Author of “Coming To America: Hercules and the Earl: A Western.”
The way that Jack and his wife, Judy, work is completely unique. When Judy has dreams, Jack turns those dreams into stories, which are then published through Outlaws Publishing. So far, readers have been enjoying these dreamed-up adventures, and after reading this great interview with Jack Bonham, I’m sure you will too. Sit down and discover one of the most interesting writing partnerships of today—by reading below!
Int: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Jack.
Jack: You’re very welcome!
Int: Where did the idea come from that finally turned into your novel Hercules and the Earl?
Jack: Over a five-year period, Judy had a series of seven dreams. Hercules & the Earl was one of those dreams.
Int: What were the dreams like? Were they vivid?
Jack: The dreams were like watching a movie in action. Judy knew exactly what was happening and why. They were very vivid, and she knew immediately when she woke up, this was a new story . . . no question in her mind. The story, in and of itself, was not complete, though. Judy and I always talk about the dreams, then we build the story around the foundation of the dream.
Int: Are there any dreams you haven’t written about?
Jack: Judy and I are now working on a new book, The Last of the Comancheros, which is based on one of her dreams. We have one more dream after that to write around. But Judy believes that when we need more story lines, the dreams will come. If she dreams it, they will write. And no matter what, Judy always knows the difference between a story line dream and the normal day-to-day ones.
Int: How did you begin the writing process?
Jack: I’m a big fan of Anton Chekhov. Having emphysema, he could not live in Moscow with his beloved Olga Knipper, the actress at the Moscow Art Theatre. So, he would get up every morning in the countryside, bathe, then get dressed as if he were going out. I do the same. Rarely do I sit at my desk without being fully dressed to go out. Therefore, my writing process begins in the shower.
Int: Did you find it difficult to get started?
Jack: No, getting started is just that! One must begin somewhere, so begin!!
Int: Did you outline the story, or did you just put it together as it came together?
Jack: Judy’s dream is the outline. That being said, I remember what Arthur Miller said to our class at Yale. If you know the beginning and the end, then take the journey with your characters. Also, I love history and as the story progressed, I found historical people and situations that could fit in with the plot, and I used them. Why make stuff that’s already there if you look?
Int: How long did it take to complete the first draft?
Jack: Six months.
Int: How much re-writing did you have to do?
Jack: All good writing is rewriting. Generally, the spine stays the same. Polishing a turd, however, will simply produce a shiny turd. There has to be something there to work with or rewriting is fruitless.
Int: How different was the final draft to the original story?
Jack: Different only in the quality of the writing and the plausibility of the plot.
Int: What is the book about? Why should readers pick up a copy?
Jack: The book is about death and rebirth. People’s lives are constantly running up against obstacles: bankruptcy, death, divorce, a death in the family, being fired from a job, etc… A story about a character who successfully navigates such obstacles will fill the readers with hope and purpose.
Int: Who is your favorite character in the book?
Jack: My favorite character in the book is Aaron Hawkinson, the Mountain Man. His moccasins may be in the mud, but his coonskin cap is in the stars. Judy’s favorite character is Wells Barkley, the manservant of the Earl. His righteous indignation at every turn tickles her.
Int: How do you feel readers will react to the story?
Jack: Readers will enjoy the tale, but some may be disturbed by the death of Custer. And yet, a man, who, if he lived, would surely have been President of the United States, a Boy-General who repulsed the Confederate Cavalry under Jeb Stuart and won the day at Gettysburg will always have controversy surrounding him. I got this story of Custer’s death from the great, great grandson of the Cherokee woman who committed the act. Sometimes, famous people meet ignoble deaths.
Int: How did you set about finding a publisher?
Jack: Thankfully, I found Outlaws Publishing and its chairman, JC Hulsey, the old cowboy, on a website dedicated to publishers of Westerns. Outlaws pays the best royalties in the publishing industry, and they have an amazingly fast production schedule. What’s not to like?
The Story:
After losing his wife and daughter in childbirth. The Seventh Earl of Hernescroft along with his wolf hound Hercules and his man servant, Wells Barkley, the Earl heads for the new world. In St. Louis he looks up the brother of a friend in England who has written letters back home telling of his adventures in the Americas. The brother is hired to take them farther west. On a stern wheeler he meets a mountain man who takes him hunting with his wolf hound at one of the wood stops. Hercules chases an antelope and is lost. The Earl is heartbroken because this is the last gift his wife gave him.
He plays the fife in order to bring back the dog. Hercules hears the music being played and rushes to where he thinks his master is. Greeting him is none other than the 7th Cavalry. Custer thinks it’s as a sign from God that he will be victorious in his battle with Sitting Bull. Hercules is wounded badly at the Battle of the Little Big Horn and is rescued by a Montana Territory farmer who nurses him back to health.
The dog bonds with the farmer and his family and saves one of the girls from a bear attack but is wounded even worse than before. The farmer puts up a notice at Benton’s Landing about the dog.
The Earl sees the notice and travels to the farm. Hercules and his master are reunited. The Earl decides to stay in the Montana Territory, buys a ranch and raises cattle. He hires the farmer as his foreman, and Hercules enjoys the best of both worlds.
Where to find it:
You can get your copy of “Coming To America: Hercules and the Earl: A Western” from Amazon.
Nov 20
NOW AVAILABLE AS A PAPERBACK!
A brand new, all-star collection of Western tales from some of the most popular authors in town!The four had ridden themselves and their horses to exhaustion. They were out of food, water and patience and decided the time had come to quit running and take a stand.Nine fast paced short stories coming from nine of the best Western authors writing today, each using the same prompt, but with nine very different results.Fast horses, fast fists and fast guns take the lead in these exciting tales of the Old West. Make sure you have plenty of time when you pick this up, because you won’t want to put it down.This new collection has stories from Scott Harris, J.L Guin, Bruce Harris, Cheryl Pierson, Tracy T. Thurman, Russ Towne,‘Big’ Jim Williams, Nerissa Stacey, Justin Harris. Plus a very special guest author! Grab your paperback edition by clicking here.
Recent Comments