Not long ago a friend asked me why I write Westerns.
The simple answer is that I love Westerns. I love the history of the 19th Century, and I love the themes of classic Westerns. I write Westerns because I am a fan of Westerns.
But I think there is a deeper reason why I enjoy Westerns, and I’d love to explain it to you.
I am drawn to Westerns because it is the only genre that embodies the ideals that I consider to be truly American: Ideals of freedom, of rugged individualism, and of independence of spirit.
The heroes of Westerns are men and women who understand that justice and the law are sometimes two different things. They are people who make their own way by their own means, they are prideful and stand by what they say.
Readers of Westerns, I think, typically hold dear those same values.
They are “my people,” and I consider it a privilege to write stories for them.
No time or place better exemplifies these ideals than the American West of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. This is why I love reading Westerns, and this is why I love writing Westerns.
When I write Western novels, I’m very aware that these principles are not simply tropes in a genre but dearly held beliefs of a certain caliber of people, Americans generally, Westerners specifically, and me individually.
I strive for historical accuracy in a created world. Typically, my stories start with inspiration from actual events. I read old newspapers and non-fiction, and when I find a true story that moves my imagination, that’s where creation often begins.
Even as a young child I was drawn to Westerns. In preschool I wore a Lone Ranger costume to school every day, and I would only respond if people addressed me as “The Lone Ranger.” Kids in my class told their parents they went to school with the Lone Ranger.
I like to think there’s a bit of that kid still with me.
To be sure, the Old West is part myth and legend, and often my characters are larger than life. Their aim is truer, their horses are faster; the men are tougher, the women are prettier, and the outlaws are meaner. Even so, in my novels a six-shooter only has six rounds (and sometimes just five), and I try to avoid miraculous feats of travel.
Tougher, prettier, and meaner though they are, my characters also tend to be flawed. I want them to be as real as they can get.
But the Old West is not all legend. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Dangerous Dan Tucker, Charley Parkhurst, Seth Bullock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and hundreds of other cowpunchers, lawmen, outlaws, buffalo runners, and other individuals great and small were all real people who really did the things that made them famous.
So I try to write novels that exist somewhere between the real and the legend. I write with a map and a history book beside me.
If you like fast-paced Westerns full of adventure, I hope you’ll enjoy my novels.
Contact me at rob@mooncalfpress.com