Author Interview - Jerry Guin

During the end of this year and going forward I hope to interview Western Fictioneer members on their new releases and writing. The plan is to post at least one and sometimes two interviews a month. For those who would like to be considered, you can contact me and I will give you the parameters and questions for inclusion. I am starting off with Jerry Guin who has had two releases this last quarter. 

Enjoy the interview and take note of what makes Jerry's stories and journey so interesting. I know I learn from his continuing journey and hope you will also.  

Jerry, when did you realize you wanted to write?

     Back in 1995 a western magazine I was reading called for submissions.  I had some time on my hands and a computer, so I thought I’d give it a try.  Interestingly enough, my short story “Caught Red Handed” was accepted.  I wrote a couple more imagined stories to see if I could find a home for them. I soon found out that the correct way to submit a short story is to answer a call for submissions. 

In 1997, my first book, a nonfiction guide, and journal,  “Matsutake Mushroom” was published by Naturegraph Publishers.

I've heard non-writers say they wonder where authors get their ideas. What sparked the idea for your book, “Reluctant Partners”?

That was easy.  I had a couple friends that asked about what happened to the characters in Unlikely Partners, the first book in that series, so I picked up the story where I left off and continued.  I might even do a third book.

Authors are many times put into categories of plotter or pantser. What do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser?

I generally am a pantser.  The only beforehand plotting I do is to begin with a basic idea of someone doing a job, perhaps a lawman, perhaps a villain.  A circumstance develops involving that person which allows me to build on a story.

The exception to that is writing a second novel using first novel characters in order to continue the main plot of the first story. 

I know, other than my Thursday writing group I have a hard time with routines. Do you have a writing routine or write when the muse calls?

Since retirement, I have no set schedule and write when the mood strikes.

You also had a duo of novellas released at the end of October. If you had a choice, do you prefer writing a shorter piece of full-length novels?

Well, I feel that novels are more desirable for a broad scale of readers and is more palatable to the eyes of my publisher.

I usually do not write a short story unless a call for submissions to a particular theme is made.

Thank you for sharing your time and process with us. Anything else you think people would find fascinating about you or your writing process?

After High school, I served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Mullany (DD528).  After my service, I worked various lumber labor jobs. After college, I then went into wholesale lumber sales for a good 25 years which included my own sales company for a few years.  Afterward, I finished my working career as plant manager for a local propane company. 

During my working career, I was busy making a living while helping my wife raise our son and daughter. During those years, I did not find the time or desire to write until I was near fifty years old. 

Now days, I write when I get an idea that I figure could be made into a worthwhile novel story. Once I take on that thought process, it could take as much as six months before I feel the story is finished and I could submit to my publisher, the great folks at Sundown Press.  Writing is not the only thing that I currently do.  I am an outdoorsman, have been all of my life, which has aided in my relating to the characters I write about and also, helps me to keep a clear mind and enjoy life.    

If you are interested in Jerry's work check out his author page on Amazon: Jerry Guin 

TO TRUST SPELL CHECK...OR NOT? by JERRY GUIN

I read with interest the excellent blog by Cheryl Pierson for Western Fictioneers, Sept. 18 (I'll be there for you even when I shouldn't be).

It was about the use of modern-day language and terms authors mistakenly use in their stories before the terms began being used in everyday talk.

Okay, to take this one step further, let's take specific word spelling and intended usage, for example.

The other day, I was reading a pretty good old west story. In a saloon sequence, one of the characters winced after he had taken a drink of whiskey.

Nothing unusual about that--however, that word, wince, rang a bell in my head. For some reason, I remembered that earlier that day, I had used the word in a similar setting, but spelled it differently. I was writing about a character who winced after he tasted his drink, but I had spelled it winched.

Per Webster’s, wince is to draw back or grimace as if in pain. Winch is defined as a machine for hoisting a heavy load. The two words have no similarity in meaning whatsoever.

I put my book down and immediately went to the computer and made the correction. I was relieved to know that, at least, the error was corrected before going further.

Almost everyone makes those kinds of mistakes. To the computer, both words are correct, and the spell check cannot pick up on your intended usage.

Lots of other words have plural meanings or are, at least, pesky to put into intended proper usage.

How about these: made and maid, or roam and Rome, or rhyme and rime?

Can you think of any?

I've always felt that I have a creative, open mind when writing, and try to think of the next sequence as I write. The first draft is just that. I figure to make corrections after I re-read the next day, but I have found that no matter how many times I read my own work, my mind doesn't allow me to see misused words or what would constitute a mistake. Therefore, I know that it takes an outside party to pick up on needed corrections.

I appreciate a good editor; someone, who can not only put the commas in the right place, but who is able to point out inconsistency or redundancy, and possibly advise on the story line, as well. Without a correction, at times, I could put out a story that would appear to be gibberish...and that would make me wince.

https://www.amazon.com/Livin-Jacks-Queens-Anthology-Gambling-ebook/dp/B07H38ZFJR/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537756306&sr=1-5&keywords=Jerry+Guin&dpID=51Nvl2YgF7L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF...? By Tom Rizzo

Imagine you awaken early one morning, open your eyes, and find you've been transported back in time to a community in the American Old West.

You blink in confusion and shake your head. This can't be real you tell yourself. The street looks like the back lot of a movie set. The few characters out-and-about appear to be straight from central casting.

But, there are no cameras. No microphones. No directors or crew members running around in baseball hats.

"What the heck happened?" you ask yourself. "How did I get here?"

A couple of hours later, after exploring the town in surreptitious fashion, reality sets in. You realize that, for the time being, you have to make the best of it.  

This means finding a job—some means of support in order to survive and socialize.

So, what would you do If you lived in the 1880s? What kind of job, or career, would you pursue? What kind of opportunities could you pursue?

Keep in mind, for the most part, you have an advantage. Your knowledge base would be considerably deeper than most of the folks you meet on the streets of Dry Gulch, Cactus Junction, or any other frontier town.

Let's consider a few options, in no particular order:

• Saloonkeeper, or bartender. The saloon represented the social center in a lot of Old West towns. Usually, there were more saloons than churches. Many stayed open 24-hours a day. So, if you don't mind long hours, loud music, and hair-trigger arguments, you might like owning or working in a saloon.

• Cowboy. Hopefully, you like riding horses and enjoy wide open spaces. Cattle drives often took months, requiring lots of time in the saddle. You wouldn't get much of a chance to change clothes. Bathing was kind of a hit-and-miss situation. Meals were served at a chuck wagon, and you'd have to love drinking java. Lots of it. Don't forget, there would be those times when, during a horrific storm, you'd have to chase the cattle and round them up before the drive could continue.
  

• School Teacher. Frontier schools were usually one-room structures. Inside was a wood or coal-burning stove. Classes varied in size, from three or four and as many as 30 or 40, depending on the size of the community. Teachers usually taught grades one through eight in these one-room schoolhouses.

• Lawman. If you're the law and order type, you might consider working as a sheriff, or deputy. No formal training programs existed back then. You were, however, expected to have some familiarity with guns. Frontier towns, in reality, didn't experience much crime. Most of it centered around corralling town drunks or quelling rowdiness. The sheriff was responsible for enforcing all the town's ordinances. The job description also called for him to collect taxes. 

• Lawyer. There were few barriers to becoming a lawyer in the West. Most of those who became lawyers usually worked as an apprentice under the direction of an established attorney. But, if you've watched enough Perry Mason, Matlock, JAG, Law and Order, or Boston Legal over the years you'd probably have enough of a legal background to get by, at least in the beginning. 

The number of jobs, careers, and opportunities were endless on the American frontier, especially if you embraced any level of entrepreneurial spirit. 

A few members of Western Fictioneers dropped in their two-cents worth.

Jim Meals: "If I suddenly found myself transported back to the old West, I would find Wyatt Earp and have him sign a contract giving me full dime novel rights to his life story."

Jacquie Rogers: "I'm most qualified to operate a dairy farm, which I wouldn't mind doing as long as I didn't have to milk cows.  My quota on that score is filled, believe me. The second choice would be a hunter, the third choice would be a baker."

Dr. Keith Souter: "I like the ‘Outlander’ idea of falling back in time. I suppose I’d be pretty boring and would practice about what I know. I would set up my shingle: Dr. Clay More, Physician, surgeon, phrenologist, and embalmer.

"Doctors back then practiced surgery and medicine and often did their own embalming. I have experience of mortuary work and of preparing and restoring bodies before and after an autopsy, so that would be handy.

"I also have a long-standing interest in the (pseudo-) science of phrenology. Indeed, I would have enjoyed examining the heads of as many of the legends of the Old West, as chanced to come through my consulting room door. There would undoubtedly be a paper or two to write on his and maybe even a book."

J.E.S. Hayes: "I'd be a storyteller. I'd make my living retelling stories from the modern day as science fiction, and selling all the music I know from over the years. I'd make a comfortable living doing this, as I've read and heard and watched so many stories and so much music that I'd never run out of material."

Jerry Guin: "I would most likely work for the railroad. I have extensive experience in loading, routing and transporting heavy freight across America and offshore."

Charlie Steel: "I would find the best springs and a small river flowing through the low mountains of Colorado that are still left to be homesteaded.  I would raise crops on the 160-acre homestead, along with a few steers, a milk cow, chickens, etc. 

"I would hunt in the mountains and live off the plentiful elk through the winter. and shelter my animals the best I could through storms and have plenty of hay (grass) for that. I would live simply, try to get ahead, expand, and live a quiet peaceful life. And, I would search long and hard for a super smart hardworking woman to be by my side.

"I would always go armed (sidearm and rifle) both for game or danger---especially the two-legged kind.

"Oh, and during the winter months and times when it is too cold to work, I would sit in my cabin and write by longhand.  My stories would be about men and women of the West. about animals, the country, and nature.  Back then there were so few writers. Perhaps New York publishers would print my manuscripts."

Depending on the Old West town you found yourself in, other opportunities existed, as well.

These include farming, logging, and mining.

Those who lived in small Old West communities had little access to information, except for periodic mail deliveries. Perhaps owning a print shop or newspaper would be options to consider, provided you had the financial resources.

When I asked a couple of friends what they would do in such a situation, I got a variety of answers.

• "Outlaw," said one. "Or maybe gambler or blackjack dealer."

• "I'd like to own a brothel," said another.

• "Railroad Tycoon," someone else mentioned. 

• "Rich widow lady," was the among the most inventive answers.

• Among the best: "The Man With No Name."

_______

Tom@TomRizzo.com

www.TomRizzo.com

_______