Wolf Creek 8: Night of the Assassins

I know I'm a little prejudiced, being the editor of this series, but I think most people who follow it would agree with me: Wolf Creek just keeps getting better and better.

Several people have told me they think Night of the Assassins is one of the best ones yet- that's hard to gauge, but it is definitely the most different story we've told so far.

Here's the official description:

"Wolf Creek, Kansas, is not peaceful on a good day –but things really escalate when Tsu Chiao, owner of the Red Chamber, decides to edge out his competitors in the seedy part of town with the aid of Tong assassins sent from San Francisco. All-out war ensues, with peaceful Chinese citizens like the Li family caught in the middle. Can the lawmen of Wolf Creek hold the town together in the shadow of a threat they have never faced before?"

In this volume we learn a lot about the Chinese inhabitants of our fictional town- and there are some huge surprises. You don't want to miss it!

And if you've been eagerly awaiting more Wolf Creek adventures -due to some scheduling surprises, our two-part Christmas anthology will be out next week. After that, we'll give you a break till January -you'll need it, because these are some exciting tales.

Here are the links to Night of the Assassins-

amazon

smashwords

createspace

barnesandnoble.com (any day now!)

Civil War Reenacting: Sutlers

By Matthew Pizzolato

A sutler's tent during the
Battle of Petersburg

Sutlery during the Civil War highlights one of the vast differences between the availability of supplies in the Union and Confederacy.  The majority of Union regiments were appointed their own sutlers, while very few Confederate regiments had one.  There were sutlers in the South, but they were rare. 

Sutlers provided a valuable service for the soldiers during the War, but there were regarded as more of a necessary evil.  The line of tents where the sutlers set up shop was often referred to as Robber's Row.

They made goods available that weren't provided by the Army.  They were authorized to sell goods on credit but weren't allowed to issue credit that exceeded one-third of a man's monthly pay without the permission of a commanding officer.  Pay for a Union private during the war was exactly $13.00 per month. 

Whenever the paymaster showed up, the sutler set up a table next to his and a large portion of the payroll went directly to the sutler. 

The goods that the sutlers provided included grocery items like eggs, fruit, butter, cheese, and fresh or canned meat.  They also provided dry goods such as playing cards, stationary, needles and thread, toothbrushes, straight razors and everyday items that couldn't be done without. 

The sale of liquor was forbidden but creative sutlers dropped sliced peaches into their whiskey bottles and would sell "pickled peaches." 

Prices were set by the Inspector General Department, but most of the enlisted men couldn't afford the nicer items.  As a way of increasing profits, a lot of sutlers issued change in scrip or tokens that were only redeemable at their establishments.

Sutler's Row at the reenactments of today is an entirely different animal.  By necessity, they cater to both the reenactors and the spectators.  There are modern day foods available as well as toys for the folks who bring their children out to watch. 

The majority of what they sell are period items ranging from any type of clothing to any type of firearm and everything in between. 

The sutlers are the equivalent of "going to town" during a reenactment.  It's one of the ways we pass the time before or after a battle.  

  

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw as well as his newest release, Two of a Kind.

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato.

Civil War Reenacting: Camp Life

By Matthew Pizzolato

The typical day for a soldier during the War began at 5 A.M when the bugler played Reveille. If you've never heard the tune, it's not something that can be slept through.

Soldiers actually spent very little of their time fighting.  The primary activity for a soldier was drilling. They would drill as many as five times a day, often for an hour or two at a time.  One soldier described his day in the following manner. "The first thing in the morning is drill. Then drill, then drill again. Then drill, drill, a little more drill. Then drill, and lastly drill."

Of course, there was the normal activity of camp life, such as cooking and chopping firewood and other routine tasks.

When they weren't drilling, they had to find ways to entertain themselves and for young men who were restricted to a military camp, there wasn't much to do.  Therefore, they had to find ways to alleviate their boredom. 

The number one activity was writing letters to their loved ones at home or reading letters they had received.  Sometimes they found distraction from their boredom by playing card games, mostly whist or euchre, or even having boxing matches.  One activity involved staging races between lice or cock roaches across a strip of canvas.

Alcohol was forbidden, but many managed to smuggle it past the guards.   If they couldn't buy liquor, they made their own.  Sometimes men would seek "horizontal refreshments." By the second year of the War, Washington, D.C. had 450 bordellos and more than 7,500 full time prostitutes. Venereal disease was a common ailment among soldiers. 

A lot of soldiers suffered from homesickness and many of them left their regiments, a crime that was severely frowned upon.  During the War, the Union Army executed 141 men for desertion.  

On the other hand, camp life for a reactor involves a lot less drilling.  We drill on occasion, practice different marching commands or go through the manual of arms to keep ourselves sharp, but we don't do it nearly on the scale the soldiers did.   

During the day and evening when we are not on the battlefield, we tend to relax as much as possible.  We cook our meals and tell stories around the campfire.  We will leave camp for a while to visit the sutlers for supplies to augment our reenacting gear. On Saturday nights, dances are held where we put on our best bib and tucker and the ladies wear ball gowns and hoop skirts. 

Sometimes during the afternoons, I have been known to take a nap because when we march to battle, it tends to be uphill both ways.  

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw. 

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Six Sentence Saturday - TWO OF A KIND - Matthew Pizzolato

TWO OF A KIND is a collection of ten Western short stories featuring the outlaw Wesley Quaid, the
assassin Sabrina and Texas Ranger Jud Nelson.  It contains a variety of stories, including the very first Wesley Quaid story, "Pack of Wolves."  Most of the stories are new works and a couple were originally published in BEAT to a PULP and FIRES ON THE PLAINS e-zines. There are themes of bullying, racism and disability.

Part 1 of the collection contains some older stories and Part 2 advances the Wesley Quaid and Sabrina story line after the events in the novella, OUTLAW.

Ranger Jud Nelson appears in the stories, "Vengeance Trail", "Gone But Not Forgotten," and "One Riot, One Ranger." The mysterious assassin Sabrina reveals some of her background in "Kill the Envious Moon."  Of course, the outlaw Wesley Quaid has several adventures of his own.

Book Blurb:

Wesley Quaid returns to Texas with the assassin, Sabrina, riding at his side. Will the deadly pair embark on a new outlaw career of will Ranger Jud Nelson catch up with them?

Here is an excerpt from the Wesley Quaid story, "Six-guns and Pitchforks."

     A passel of kids scattered, several of them darting in front of my horse. The animal pranced, but I got him under control with a firm hand.
     The crack of a fist on flesh drew my attention to two struggling boys.
     A strapping big man wearing overalls offered encouragement from under the awning in front of the mercantile. “Good punch, son. Hit him in the stomach!”
     The victim of the fight appeared to be several years younger than the larger boy and was making no attempt to fight back... continue reading

TWO OF A KIND is available on Amazon for just $0.99.

Leave a comment along with your contact info to be entered into a drawing for a free copy of TWO OF A KIND for the Kindle.

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw. 

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Civil War Reenacting: Getting Started

By Matthew Pizzolato

The first step to getting started with reenacting is pretty simple. Attend an event.  Reenactments take place all over the country, pretty much year round.  The majority of reenactments are during the fall and winter months, because wearing wool during the heat of the summer isn't exactly fun.

Once you are there, talk to a reenactor.  All of us are pretty friendly and love talking about what we do.  We are always looking for new recruits to swell the ranks.  Anyone can be involved, young or old, male or female.  It's something the whole family can do.

My little baby
sister and I standing in front
of an A-Frame tent.

Most reenactments require participants to be registered before they can take part in an event.  So if immersing yourself in the time period seems like something you'd enjoy, make plans to attend the next local event. 

I can say from personal experience that the first article a new reenactor should acquire is a canteen.  Regardless of the time of year, marching to and from a battlefield is thirsty work.  Unless of course you choose to join the artillery, then you can ride everywhere you go.

The next thing would be clothing.  Period correct clothing can be ordered online or purchased at the events from one of the sutlers.  The next would be a tent.  Tents come in all sorts of sizes, from the Shelter tents, to the A-Frames.  Then there are Wall Tents and even the Hospital Tents, which are huge. It just depends on how much space you want or need. Most of us use the A-Frame, although the average soldier of the time didn't have anything as grand.  When they had tents, it was the Shelter Tent that was little more than a piece of canvas strung across some branches to keep them out of the rain. 

The most expensive thing to acquire would be the musket. There is a wide assortment of firearms that can be used depending on which branch you join. Most infantry use the replicas of the Springfield or Enfield muskets.  The best way is to start small and gradually acquire your gear over a period of time. 

If you are just looking to try out the experience, most reacting groups are willing to outfit newcomers completely their first time, so stop by an event, make some new friends, and then see the elephant!

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw. 

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Civil War Reenacting: Gettysburg

By Matthew Pizzolato

Perhaps the most pivotal battle in American military history is the Battle of Gettysburg. It defined the outcome of the War. Its effects have resonated throughout history and are felt even today. 

The first notable reenactment also took place at Gettysburg and the participants were War Veterans. The Great Reunion of 1913 marked the 50^th Anniversary of the battle and more than 50,000 Union and Confederate veterans participated.

The Chief Surgeon of the event was quoted as saying that, "Never before in the world's history had so great a number of men advanced in years been assembled under field conditions." Most of the men were in their seventies and eighties, and some were more than 100 years old.

It was not an actual battle reenactment like the modern reenactments we have today. Instead, the Confederate Veterans walked the path of Pickett's charge and were greeted with handshakes by the Union Veterans.

President Woodrow Wilson addressed the gathering on July 4^th, 1913.   

“These venerable men crowding here to this famous field have set us a great example of devotion and utter sacrifice. They were willing to die that the people might live. But their task is done. Their day is turned into evening," Wilson said. "They look to us to perfect what they established. Their work is handed to us, to be done in another way but not in another spirit. Our day is not over; it is upon us in full tide."

Modern civil war reenacting is believed to have begun during the Centennial Commemoration activities that lasted from 1961 – 1965 and has evolved over the years into what it is today.  

Regardless of the fun and enjoyment we have at the reenactments, the primary reason that we do what we do is to honor those men, our ancestors, who fought and died and suffered for their beliefs, regardless of the side they fought on.

This year marks the 150^th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.



Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw. 

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Civil War Reenacting: Firing a Musket

By Matthew Pizzolato

There were many different styles of firearms used during the Late Unpleasantness ranging from converted flintlocks to carbines, shotguns and repeaters, but the most common for the infantry soldier was the muzzle loading rifle, or musket. 

When the War began, both sides used .69 caliber rifles converted from the old smoothbore muskets.  A smoothbore was only accurate at ranges of less than one hundred yards, but with the advent of rifled barrels, accuracy increased to five hundred yards.

The Model 1861 Springfield in .58 caliber was the most common for the Union forces, while the Confederacy relied on the imported British made 1853 Enfield, also in .58 caliber.

 

1853 Enfield rifle

Toward the end of the War, some of the Union regiments used Spencer repeater rifles that once loaded could fire seven rounds in thirty seconds.  Confederate soldiers often lamented the Union's firepower superiority, saying about the Spencer that it could be loaded on Sunday and fired all week long.

 

Loading and firing a muzzle loader, especially under combat conditions is not as easy as it sounds.  It's quite a complicated process.  Ammunition consisted of paper cartridges that contained a pre-measured amount of powder and a Minie ball. 

Minie balls recovered from Civil War battlefields
Bullet on left is unfired, the other has been fired.

First, the stock of the gun was placed on the ground.  Then a cartridge taken from the satchel, the end torn off, usually with the teeth before pouring the powder down the barrel. Then the bullet could be inserted.

Next, the ramrod had to be removed from the underside of the barrel, reversed and inserted down the barrel, ramming the bullet all the way down. Then the ramrod had to be removed and replaced on the bottom of the barrel. Once that was completed, the gun had to be primed by placing a percussion cap on the nipple of the gun. Only then could it be fired.

It's commonly believed that a good soldier could load and fire three times a minute.  Imagine trying to do that while bullets are whizzing past you.

In reenacting, we skip the step of using the ramrod and loading a bullet. All we do is burn powder, but there are still several steps to go through.

The stock of the rifle is placed on the ground, a cartridge taken out of the pouch, the end bitten off and powder poured down the barrel.  Then gun is raised and a cap placed on the nipple of the gun. Then we await the order to fire, unless of course the order is to fire at will.  I still haven't figured out which one of the opposing soldiers is named Will. 

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw. 

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Civil War Reenacting: Cooking

By Matthew Pizzolato

During the War, soldiers didn't always have access to the best of foods.  They ate what they could and were happy to get anything edible. 

The main fare of a Union soldier was hardtack.  It was made from flour, salt and water in Northern factories and distributed among the armies.  The issues the soldiers had with hardtack wasn't its longevity. In fact, there is hardtack that was made during the civil war that is still around today.

The problem with hardtack was that soldiers often broke their teeth trying to eat it.  Nicknames for the vile stuff ranged from sheet-iron crackers to teeth-dullers.  It was also called worm castles because weevils and maggots sometimes took up residence in it. 

Since it was just about impossible to eat, soldiers broke it up with their rifle butts or softened it in their coffee or in grease from other foods.

The main sustenance of the Confederate army was cornmeal.  They used it in making Cush, which was beef and cornmeal fried with bacon grease, when they had beef and bacon grease. When they didn't, they made Johnny cakes, a concoction of cornmeal and wheat flour mixed in hot water or sometimes fried in animal fat.

Because of Union blockades, coffee beans weren't available in the South, so soldiers made their coffee from things like burnt corn, chicory, potatoes or even goober peas. Don't know what goober peas are? They even made a song about them, but that's a story for another blog.

In reenacting, we are much more fortunate than the soldiers to which we are paying tribute in that we aren't lacking for food. 

We still do all of our cooking using cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens, but our foods are a bit more extravagant. In the mornings, we fry bacon or sausage and then scramble eggs in a cast iron skillet. 

For other meals, we cook pork chops or chicken breasts on iron grates.  There is something about food cooked over an open flame that just makes it taste better.  Some of us bake cakes or make cobblers in Dutch ovens.  There's all kinds of great foods to eat.  At a reenactment, we don't go hungry.

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw.  

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

Six Sentence Saturday - OUTLAW

By Matthew Pizzolato

Blurb: The outlaw Wesley Quaid wants to put the past behind him and start his life anew in another place where no one has ever heard of him. When a mysterious woman he once knew resurfaces, Wesley discovers that a man can't run from his past anymore than he can run from the kind of man he has become.

The Setup: The following scene occurs after Wesley backs down a reputation hunting kid without resorting to gun play that would blow his cover.

       The scent of lilac perfume assailed my nostrils as a body tucked in close to mine next to the bar.
       “Howdy, Sugah.” The voice oozed of Southern refinement.
       I glanced at her and stared for a moment at her cleavage. “Well, hello there.”
       “Buy a lady a drink?”
       Her low-cut dark green dress left little to the imagination, and the color enhanced the green of her eyes. Long golden hair hung to her waist.
       “I figure it’s you who should buy me one.”
       She raised an eyebrow. “Is that a fact?”
       “Yes ma’am.” I tossed back a drink and grinned at her. “I could have shot the place up a few minutes ago, gotten blood all over your floor, and made quite a mess.”
       Her eyes crinkled at the corners while she waved for the bartender. 

I think that was a few more than six sentences, but I never was much good at counting.  If you're interested in reading more, here is the entire first chapter of OUTLAW or it can be found on Amazon.



Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw.  
Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website: 
www.matthew-pizzolato.com or on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 



One lucky commenter will win a free Kindle copy of Outlaw. Be sure to include your email address with your comment.

Civil War Reenacting: Bayonets

By Matthew Pizzolato

At a civil war reenactment, after we march out of camp and get into position for a battle, the next thing we do is to hurry up and wait.  We always get there early and have nothing to do but stand around.  Of course, the bayonet comes into use then so that we can stack arms, which is the only use we have for one at a reenactment.

During the War, however, the bayonet was the equivalent of a multi-purpose tool.  While it was used on the battlefield, bayonets are generally believed to have caused between 1% - 2% of the wounds suffered during the conflict.

General John Gordon wrote of the bayonet, "The bristling points and the glitter of bayonets were fearful to look upon as they were leveled in front of a charging line, but they were rarely reddened with blood."

Three-sided socket bayonet

There are many different kinds of bayonets, but the one most commonly used by both sides during the War was the three-sided socket bayonet that fit over the end of the Enfield rifle used by the Confederate forces or the Springfield used by the Union. 

Everyday Use

The bayonet saw much more use during the every day life of the soldier.  They were used around camp as an entrenching tools or tent pegs.  Soldiers used them as roasting spits or even meat tenderizers.  Bayonets sometimes saw service as can openers and fire pokers. 

Bayonet attached to rifle

Once darkness fell, soldiers often drove the pointed ends into the ground and placed a candle in the socket end for reading or writing letters home. 

Their use did not end in camp life.  Bayonets have been recovered that were heated over fires and shaped into hooks.  This use was much gorier.  A lot of soldiers of did not like touching bodies, so these "hooks" were used for dragging dead men from the battlefield. 

Combat Use

When they were used in combat, it was primarily as a weapon of intimidation or of desperation, if the regiment was out of ammunition.  Not many men would withstand a bayonet charge. 

The most popular bayonet charge of the War would probably be the one made by the 20^th Maine at Gettysburg on Little Round Top, but occurrences like that were few and far between.

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction featuring his antihero character, Wesley Quaid, that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw.  

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website: www.matthew-pizzolato.com or he can be found on Twitter @mattpizzolato. 

The Benefits of Civil War Reenacting

Matthew Pizzolato

By Matthew Pizzolato

For me, the joys of taking part in civil war reenactments are more than I could count.  It's a way of stepping back from the hassles of the real world and forgetting all the worries.  It's how I recharge sometimes.  It is a great time with good friends.  It's a lot of things.

There are practical benefits toward my career as a writer as well.  I write Westerns, so being able to immerse myself in the way of life during in that particular period of time is a huge benefit.  I've learned everything from how to fire cap and ball weapons to styles of clothing to understanding marching orders and different manuals of arms. 

Reenacting is a lot more than just firing blanks at each other on a battlefield.  That is actually a very small part of what we do that takes place for an hour or so each day.

A civil war reenactment is a living history event.  We camp in A-frame tents and our manner of living for the weekend is entirely as it would be during the 1860's.  Wearing wool in one hundred degree temperatures is not exactly fun, but it was historically accurate.  Needless to say, my favorite events are the ones during the winter months.

On Fridays, school children tour our camps and we give demonstrations on different aspects of life during the time period.  One of the talks I've given is on the life of a soldier.  Others display the rifles and pistols and show how to load and fire them, with blanks of course.  The favorite among the children happens to be the cannon demonstration.  Visitors can walk through our camps and ask any kind of questions they desire. 

Dances are held every Saturday night to period music and we learn how to dance in that style as well, from reels to waltzes and even the broom dance. 

Then, once the sun goes down and the spectators leave, we sit around the campfire telling stories.  There's something about staring into a fire at night that soothes the soul. 

If you've never been to a reenactment, I highly recommend it, and if you'd like to participate, the more the merrier.

 

I'll be writing a regular column each month on various topics, but primarily it will be about different aspects of the reenactments, from the battles to the dances and everything in between. 

Keep your powder dry, friends, and I'll see you next time.

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print in such publications as: BEAT to a PULP!, The Copperfield Review, Pulp Mondern, Frontier Tales Magazine, The Pink Chameleon Online, Perpetual Magazine, Long Story Short, and The Storyteller. Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western. Matthew can be contacted via his personal website: www.matthew-pizzolato.com or he can be found on Twitter @mattpizzolato.

Meet Western Fictioneer Matthew Pizzolato

1. What was your first Western novel or story and was it published? 
My first published work was a short story titled "The Old Outlaw" and it was accepted by a small press magazine called The Storyteller.

2. What Western writer or writers of the past were the biggest influence on your work?
I grew up reading Louis L'Amour novels and quickly accumulated everything he had written. I not only enjoyed his writing for the entertainment value but I gleaned a lot of life lessons from his stories that shaped me into the man that I am today. His stories always started fast and contained a lot of action, and I suppose that subconsciously, I've tried to begin my stories the same way.

I also enjoy reading Don Coldsmith, Loren D. Estleman and Elmore Leonard.

3. Is there a particular scene from a Western novel that was so powerful when you read it that it stuck with you? Perhaps has become a scene you've tried to live up to/equal in your own writing?
I'd have to pick a movie for that one. The most powerful scene I've ever watched was the ending of the Clint Eastwood film, Unforgiven. Seeing it for the first time gave me chills and goose bumps. Eastwood's character in that movie was part of the inspiration for Wesley Quaid, the antihero protagonist of my latest release, OUTLAW.

4. What's the first Western you remember reading from cover to cover?
I'd be hard pressed pick out one in particular because I've been reading Westerns for as long as I can remember. Most likely, it was something by Louis L'Amour.

5. Who is your favorite historical Western figure, and why?
Wild Bill Hickok. I've always been fascinated with his life and the tragic events of his death.

6. How much historical research do you do, and how do you go about it?
I've accumulated several shelves of historical books and I turn to them as I need to look up something. I do a lot of research online as well and on occasion, I'll visit the library.

7. How important is setting? How important is it to get setting right? What's the best use of setting in a Western as far as you're concerned?
I think that setting can be critical in a Western, as vital sometimes as a character, but a lot of it depends on the story. Louis L'Amour always used setting well in his stories.

8. How do you choose where to begin your story? Do you use prologues?
It depends on the story. I've used them before, but most of the time I don't. Usually, I start with an idea see where it takes me.

9. Do you do all your research ahead of time, or as you go along?
I research as I'm writing. If I come across something I'm not sure about I'll look it up online or in one of the historical books I have. Then I'll do a fact check again as part of the editing process.

10. Which of your characters do you identify with the most, and why? Was there a role model for this particular character?
My Texas Ranger character, Jud Nelson, would probably be the one that I identify most with, but I have put part of myself in all of the characters that I write, whether they are heroes or villains.

11. Do you outline and plot your story or do you write as the inspiration or MUSE leads?
Sometimes I write a general plot summary to serve as a sort of road map, but I never outline an entire story. For me, doing so would take the fun and enjoyment out of writing. Like Louis L'Amour said, I write because I want to see what happens next.

12. Are you a conservative in your writing and stick with traditional ideas for your characters and plots or do you like to go beyond the norm and toss in the unexpected and why?
I like to go against the norm and to create characters that don't fit the mold. Whenever I read fiction, I like to find characters that I can identify with, or in other words, characters that are flawed but are inherently good like antiheroes.

13. Do you need quiet when you write, listen to music, or have the TV on and family around?
I prefer it to be quiet, but I can write with noise going on around me.

14. Have you experienced the "dreaded" writer's block and how did you deal with it?
I don't believe in writer's block. Like Robert B. Parker said, I think that writer's block is another word for lazy. Whenever I get stuck on a story, I put it aside and work on something else. I've found that letting something simmer in my subconscious for a short period allows me to return to it with a clear mind.

15. Who is your favorite fictional character that you have created?
The protagonist of OUTLAW, Wesley Quaid, is my favorite character because for me, writing an antihero is a lot of fun. Instead of being limited by the moral absolutes that the traditional hero an villain stories require, I find that writing an antihero allows me to explore the gray areas of morality.

16. Who is your favorite fictional character that someone else created?
William Tell Sackett by Louis L'Amour. There was a lot of the loner aspect of Tell Sackett that I found myself identifying with as a young man.

17. Do you address "modern" issues in Westerns? Racism. Feminism. Downs Syndrome. Mental disabilities. Genetic disorders. Sociopathy. Immigrant questions. Brutality. Pedophilia. Any more?
I have addressed racism and bullying in a couple of my most recently published stories, "Day of Reckoning," and "Sixguns and Pitchforks," that were published in online magazines.

18. Have you found that being able to self publish through Kindle and Nook, that you find yourself writing more of what you want rather than what the agent, editor, and publisher wants?
Apart from my short stories published in print journals and online magazines, I have always self published, so I've never had to deal with having anyone else tell me what to write.

19. Do you make a living writing? If not, what is your day job?
I don't yet make my living from writing, but that is a goal that I am striving toward. In the meantime, I work as a meat cutter in a grocery store.

20. What are you writing right now?
I'm working on a series of short stories that is a sequel of sorts to my latest release, OUTLAW. I will be publishing them as a collection the first part of next year.

21. What do you plan to write in the future?
I'll always be writing Westerns because I think the potential of the genre is endless.

22. What made you decide to write Western fiction?
I decided to write Western fiction because I've always loved reading Westerns. I always said that I was born in the wrong century and writing allows me to go back in time and live vicariously through my characters.