June is turning into the month of Hutchinson glory! GP Hutchinson scored a number one western bestseller earlier this week. Now, Scott Harris, has featured Mister Hutchinson on his website. This exclusive interview will allow readers to discover a different side of one of the great western writers today!

When — and why — did you first fall in love with Westerns?

One of my fondest early childhood memories is of my entire family gathering around the TV on Sunday nights to watch “Bonanza” together. Westerns were the “bread and butter” of television in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, to me, they were anything but bland. I enjoyed going to Saturday afternoon matinees at the movie theater to see films like “Rio Lobo” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” By the time I made my first trip out West as a young teenager, I was thoroughly hooked on the aesthetic and adventure of the region and of the Western genre.

Who are your three favorite Western writers?

I greatly admire Elmore Leonard and the way he takes you deep into the mentality of his characters and the settings of his stories. Robert B. Parker was a master of such crisp dialogue that it could carry a story almost by itself. And Elmer Kelton knew the land and the kinds of people who occupied it to such a degree that his novels each possess a special kind of authenticity.

Which Western do you wish you’d written?

Tough question. On the one hand, I cringe at the thought of ever being accused of plagiarism. On the other, this is kind of like trying to answer which single Western story is my all-time favorite.

What is the most recent Western you’ve read?

I’m just finishing up James D. Best’s “Thumb Butte” from his “Steve Darcy” Western series. Next up on my list is Erin Bowman’s “Vengeance Road.” I highly recommend both authors.

Read the full article here. Have you tried the latest western hit from GP Hutchinson?

Fate having wreaked havoc on the end of his childhood, young Tom Hedgepeth rather likes his routine life in El Paso. But his dreams of predictable years to come are dashed when his closest living relative, Uncle Tobias Knox, escapes from the Texas State Penitentiary and tries to get Tom to start a new life with him in Mexico. Hoping it won’t end in his uncle’s death, Tom alerts the local law. Before he knows it, the gangly, inexperienced Hedgepeth is thrust into the middle of the manhunt for his uncle. And Uncle Tobias is not riding alone!

A few months ago… a western novel called “The Passage of Time” was released by Dusty Saddle Publishing. The author? Cherokee Parks. Cherokee has racked up hit, after hit, after hit for the company but “The Passage of Time” just didn’t take off… very quickly. In fact… several months later it has now hit the bestsellers chart. The lesson from this? Bide your time, and don’t panic! Cherokee Parks didn’t panic. He wrote another western called “Colt’s Justice” which was, and still is, a major hit and now he has scored a hit with “The Passage of Time.”

Immediately after the Civil War, the South began transforming under the new Reconstruction laws. Many Southerners were losing everything they had, many more people than just those few who had held slaves. While most tried to stay and hang on to the decorum of Southern gentility, a few decided that rather then lose their family farms and businesses it would be better to build a new life elsewhere. This is the story of one such group, who determined that their future and the futures of their friends and families was to be found in Texas.

Jed Simpson and his partner Roscoe Sartain are joined by families from both North and South, black and white, and on the advice of a fellow Confederate, they stop in Rusk. Finding an old, now vacant, plantation, they manage to buy it and start rebuilding it as a small ranch, The Chalice. All is going better than any of them expected, until Jed’s past comes calling. Aided by friends both new and old, blood flows freely as Jed tries to put that past behind him once and for all. But the toll it takes may be too much for him as he faces down the last of his tormentors. You can download your copy by clicking here.

Have you been looking for a new Western novel to cherish? How about checking out one of the most successful Western authors of today… G.P. Hutchinson. Success, if you can get it, is something to be cherished. G.P. Hutchinson has been at the top of the Western tree for some time now. His first book, “Strong Convictions,” was one of the major Western hits of 2015. His following book, “Strong Suspicions,” climbed to the top of the bestseller listings and was one of the fastest selling Westerns of that year. His new western release “Just Shy of Mexico” is currently on the charts and climbing! You can grab it right here!

Now, G.P. is a very humble fella, and he writes because he loves to write, and that may be the very reason for his success. You can also add his consistent mindset towards promotion and his ability to please Western readers to that list of ingredients… But the biggest ingredient is that he has a talent for writing. That’s the key. If you put all of these ingredients together, you can’t help but find success. But let’s ask G.P. about his formula… He’s waiting!

Why was it important for you to write? What drove that ambition?

Sometimes stories are more effective than non-fiction in influencing the way people think. There’s a lot of madness in the world today. In spite of all the advantages of rapid change, 24/7 news cycles, and the ability to Google any subject on Earth, a lot of folks seem more confused than ever about how to live life. My hope is that, while entertaining readers, I’ll offer them something attractive to consider regarding how to live meaningful, purposeful lives based on enduring values in this complicated world.

How closely do you try to keep to historical fact?

History matters—a good deal. But if my story is better served by having a railroad run through a town in 1881 when in fact the railroad did not arrive until 1883, I don’t believe any great harm is done in most such cases. What shouldn’t be changed for the sake of story, in my humble opinion, are the prevailing social conventions and attitudes of the specific era in which the story takes place. Too much is already being expunged from history books these days in order to advance politically correct societal agendas.

What were the most influential movies on your writing?

Tombstone (1993), Broken Trail (2006), The Quick and the Dead (1995), and Appaloosa (2008) all had stylistic influence on my Western novels.

What first got you interested in the written word?

An active imagination and a thirst for adventure in other times and places.

Would you ever write a book about the Alamo or other historical events?

I’ve learned to never say ‘never.’

Do you believe in good and bad? Is that a concept that all who write books should keep in mind?

If by “good and bad” you are referring to how well or poorly done something is (stories, books, visual and performing arts), then of course I believe in good and bad. And I believe anyone who writes a book and sets out to sell it to the public has a moral imperative to give his readers the best work he can possibly produce under his current circumstances. Meanwhile, I think you’d really like to know whether I believe in good and evil, which is a slightly different question. A quick look at the world around us reveals abundant examples of both good and evil—the epic battle of the ages. With all due respect to the postmodernist antihero (a protagonist who is not only flawed, but who also leaves the reader or viewer questioning whether any moral absolute can be applied), I believe there are profound reasons why most readers want to see good heroes who eventually triumph and bad villains who eventual get what’s coming to them. We simply don’t seem to see enough justice in the world where we live out our everyday lives.

If you could go back to any time period—where would you go?

Scary idea—probably the American West of the later 1800s.

Can you describe all of your books in one easy-to-read answer?

In my books I strive to blend the best conventions of classic-style Westerns with the pacing and suspense of modern thrillers.

As an author, do you think it’s important to have a large publisher?

While landing a contract with a big publisher could boost an author’s career in a significant way, there’s no guarantee that that would be the case. From what I understand, traditionally published books have a fairly short window of opportunity in which to make a big splash. If they don’t live up to expectations within that window of time, they may very well end up being pulled from the market. There’s a lot of competition out there and limited promotional budgets. Even when published by one of the bigger publishing houses, authors still have a substantial responsibility to promote their own work. Self-publishing has a lot of advantages. There are pitfalls, to be sure. But well-written, well-edited stories, when targeted at the right audience, can remain on the market and gain fans over a long period of time. Either way—traditionally published through one of the larger publishing houses, or self-published—it seems to me that the key ingredient to the success of an author who writes good material is visibility.

Are you ever surprised by how many readers there are, still, in the world?

Not really. Life is—at the same time—tough and mundane. We often don’t see the fruits of our labors until much later, if ever. Reading offers a wonderful way to vicariously experience both excitement and the successful accomplishment of bold and daring deeds.

Is there any kind of book you wouldn’t write, or couldn’t write?

I wouldn’t write anything that, in my estimation, dishonors God or weakens the essential moral fiber of society.

Do you think writers read more books than the average reader—or is that just a myth?

Don’t get me wrong—you have to be a reader in order to be the best writer you can possibly be. On the other hand, while I’m busy writing for six or eight hours in a day, someone else may be devouring books I’ll never have time to get to. I’m amazed by (and a bit jealous of) how much some people read.

How have reviewers treated your books?

Overall, very well, I’m humbled to say. Every now and then, there’s a review that makes me cock my head and say, “What?!?” But as with anything, as much as we might like to, we can’t please 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time.

And your luxury item to take to a secluded island is….?

Some means of staying connected to the internet.

Thank you, G.P. for stopping by. You can download “Just Shy of Mexico” by clicking here. You can also check out his website here. Don’t miss out on great books by one of the great Western authors of today.