"This is it!" - Interview with Robert J. Randisi

 What is it to be lucky? Getting to 'interview' some amazing writers. Robert J. Randisi is one of those. Who knew back when I started reading some of his work that I would one day be sharing his insights into this career of writing. Reading the answers can inspire others to want to follow in his footsteps, as best they can.

Enjoy, I know I did.

Photo provided by RJR

1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was fifteen years old when I decided “This is it! I had gone to the movies to see Paul Newman in HARPER. When I came out I was hooked on the private eye genre. I bought the Ross Macdonald book the movie was based on, THE MOVING TARGET, and I said “This is what I’m going to do for a living by the time I turn thirty.” And I did.

2. Did you choose the genre or did the genre choose you?

The Western genre chose me when a publisher came to me and said, “Can you write Westerns?” I had never thought about it because I was writing mysteries, but I said, “Of course I can!” That’s how The Gunsmith was born. I wrote the first one and the editor said, “It’s good, but we have to break you of this hardboiled style. I said, “In westerns, it’s not hardboiled, it’s hardcase!” I’ve been producing a Gunsmith book every month since January of 1982

3. What was the nudge that gave you the faith that you could and wanted to be published?

There was no “nudge,” there was just never a question of doing anything else. I was committed to this and didn’t allow any room for failure. I made sure I had no other profession to fall back on.

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4. Is there a writing routine you follow or do you write when the muse strikes?

When you’re on a schedule like mine—for the most part, sixteen books a year—there’s no “muse” and there’s no “waiting.” There’s no time between books, there’s just always a book-or two. I usually start to write after breakfast and stop to have dinner.  After that, I’ll take a nap to get the day book out of my head. I head back to the office around nine p.m. and start working on the night book, stop at around midnight (when we have a coffee/tea break) then go back and work from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.  I go to bed around 5:30 a.m. and sleep til noon.  It only changes if I’m working on three projects at once.  Then there’s the day project, the 9-to-midnight project, and the 1-5 a.m. project. 

5. If you had a choice what is your favorite to write, short stories, novellas, or full-length novels.

My favorite has always been novels. I am just naturally a long-winded sonofagun. Even when I try to write short stories, they usually come out to about ten thousand words. And I ever think in terms of a novella.

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6. Is there a process where you find your next story, or does it just come to you?

As I said about, the process is that there’s always a book, always stories to tell. I don’t understand a life where you don’t wake up in the morning with an idea and go to bed at night with another one.

7. Do you write in other genres?

I’ve written in just about every genre except Romance—but my career has been Mystery and Western. I started out writing mysteries when my first book, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PENNY, came out in 1980.  It was that same publisher who came to me and asked me to write Westerns.  From that point on, I did both.  While I’ve written about 500 Westerns, I believe I might be better known in the mystery genre,, where I’ve written many private eye books, edited about 30 anthologies. While being one of the founding members of Western Fictioneers I’ve also founded The Private Eye Writers of America, created the Shamus Award, founded the American Crime Writer’s League, and co-created Mystery Scene Magazine (with my late friend and colleague, Ed Gorman)

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Of late I’ve been concentrating on my Rat Pack mysteries series, of which there are 12 books. I’m working on #13. They are now being reprinted and published by Speaking Volumes. I’ve also recently had two books in my Nashville P.I. series appear from Wolfpack Publishing, and two books in by Headstone P.i. series from Down & Out Books.

And of late, as well as the Gunsmith, I’ve been writing Ralph Compton books for Berkley, four of which are now available on Amazon and in Walmart.

RALPH COMPTON SERIES

BIG JAKE’S LAST DRIVE (2021)

FRONTIER MEDICINE (2021)

RIDE FOR JUSTICE (2021)

THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LAW

RAT PACK SERIES

Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime (2006)

2. Luck Be a Lady, Don't Die (2007)

3. Hey There (You with the Gun in Your Hand) (2008)

4. You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You (2009)

5. I'm a Fool to Kill You (2010)

6. Fly Me to The Morgue (2011)

7. It Was a Very Bad Year (2012)

8. You Make Me Feel So Dead (2013)

9. The Way You Die Tonight (2013)

10. When Somebody Kills You (2015)

11. I Only Have Lies for You (2018)

12. That Old Dead Magic (2020)

HEADSTONE SERIES

1. The Headstone Detective Agency (2019)

   2. Headstone's Folly (2020)

NASHVILLE SERIES

1. The Honky Tonk Big Hoss Boogie (2013)

   2. The Last Sweet Song of Hammer Dylan (2019)

For a complete list, check out the link below.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/robert-j-randisi/

Amazon Author Page

Thank you, Robert, for being so generous with your time and knowledge. I know I appreciate your years of experience and all those wonderful stories you've written over the years. 

NOMINEES for the Sixth Annual (2016) Peacemaker Awards

 Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the NOMINEES for the sixth annual (2016) Peacemaker Awards.

The Lifetime Achievement Peacemaker will be presented to Robert J. Randisi.

** Nominees are in no particular order.

6TH ANNUAL PEACEMAKER NOMINEES
2016 PEACEMAKER JUDGING RESULTS

BEST FIRST NOVEL:

DAKOTA TRAILS by Robert McKee (Pen-L Publishing)

PISTOL MAN by Daniel Cassidy (Whimsical Publications, LLC)

THE SKELETON WALKERS by Derek Burnett (Derek Burnett)

STRONG CONVICTIONS by GP Hutchinson (The Hutchinson Group, LLC)

BEST NOVEL:

A BRIDE FOR GILL by Dusty Richards (Galway Press)

BONE DIGGER by Douglas Hirt (Five Star Publishing)

LAST WILL by Ron Schwab (Poor Coyote Press)

LEGEND OF CALEB YORK by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (Kensington Books)

NIGHT OF THE COYOTE by Ron Schwab (Poor Coyote Press)

BEST WESTERN YA/CHILDREN FICTION:

A RANGER TO STAND WITH by James J. Griffin (Painted Pony Books)

DOGBREAD AND DIAMONDS  by Richard Prosch (Painted Pony Books)

THE ORPHANAGE by Sara Barnard (Painted Pony Books)

RAWHIDE ROBINSON RIDES THE TABBY TRAIL by Rod Miller (Five Star Publishing)

REDBUDS AND BULLETS  by Richard Prosch (Painted Pony Books)

BEST SHORT FICTION:

THE BOX MAKER by Scott Parker (Quadrant Fiction Studio)

FIVE SHOTS LEFT by Ben Bridges (Bookends)

HIDDEN TRAILS by Cheryl Pierson (Sundown Press)

HIGH MEADOW STORM by Wayne Dundee (Bil-Em-Ri Media) 

LONGEST WAY HOME by Lorrie Farrelly (Prairie Rose Publications)

Winners will be announced June 15, 2016 on the WF website (www.westernfictioneers.com) and on this blog.

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, Jory Sherman, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century.  Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms.  The Peacemaker Awards are given annually.  Submissions for the Peacemaker Awards for books published in 2016 will be open in July, 2016. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site.  For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit: http://www.westernfictioneers.com

Western Fictioneers would like to thank Robert Vardeman for being Awards Chair and for the excellent job he has done.

Western Fictioneers Presents LEGENDS OF THE GUN: Six Classic Western Novels 99 Cent Boxed Set

The good old shoot-'em-up westerns are still around, and this collection has six by the masters of the genre.

West of the Big River: The Avenging Angel by Michael Newton – Orrin Porter Rockwell is more than just a deputy United States marshal and a deadly gunfighter. He's a member of the Mormon Danites, the group of enforcers known as the Avenging Angels, and he's the personal troubleshooter for Governor Brigham Young. And when Young sends Rockwell to the rough-and-tumble mining town of Tartarus, there'll be plenty of trouble for him to shoot. Award-winning author Michael Newton spins an action-packed, historically accurate yarn in THE AVENGING ANGEL.

The classic, Spur Award-winning novel by Frank Roderus, POTTER'S FIELDS is the story of Joe Potter, a man haunted by the past who deals with the harsh realities of the frontier by becoming harsh and violent himself. A former lawman no longer able to find work carrying a badge because of his corruption and brutality, Potter becomes a cowboy and spends the winter in an isolated line shack, where the arrival of a stranger forces him to confront himself and his past. Rich with poignant emotion and vividly detailed ranch life, POTTER'S FIELDS is a novel that will stay with the reader long after the story is over.

Jake Scudder is just a drifting, peace-loving cowboy. So why does he find himself in jail, convicted of the murder of an old-timer he had befriended and sentenced to hang for that crime he didn't commit? Jake gets a chance to clear his name when the train taking him to the gallows crashes, but was that wreck an accident? Who's the real ringleader of the gang of vicious outlaws known as the Marauders? Jake Scudder has to dodge not only the law but also a cunning murderer as he attempts to save his own life and that of a beautiful young woman. A ROPE FOR SCUDDER is another classic, action-packed Western from bestselling author Clay More.

A fortune in gold dust, two beautiful women, a pair of deadly bushwhackers gunning for him, a dangerous blizzard, an avalanche, and an unknown plotter masterminding murder and robbery . . . These are just some of the things Clay Brand has to deal with when he signs on to guard gold shipments coming down from the mining country in California's San Bernardino Mountains. But before Clay can get to the bottom of the violence plaguing the mountains, he'll have to shoot straight and fast and escape the unexpected menace of a lynch mob! GUN FOR HIRE is the first Western ever written by acclaimed author Jory Sherman. Includes a new introduction by the author written especially for this volume in the Western Fictioneers Library.

In THE HAM REPORTER by Robert J. Randisi, Bat Masterson is no longer a sheriff in the Old West. He’s moved East to New York City where he gets a job as a sports writer for The Morning Telegraph. But when his friend and fellow-newsman, Inkspot Jones, disappears, Masterson’s wife Emma asks if he could look into it as a favor to the man’s wife. It doesn’t look hopeful—Inkspot had something on somebody, and that somebody may have decided to play rough. Pretty soon they’re up to their eyeballs in crooked politicians, hired thugs and a woman of mystery. And before it’s done, Bat may have to strap on his Colt again for some old fashioned Western justice.

Lawyer Billy Cambridge, a retired Texas Ranger, and his best friend, vaquero and ranch foreman Nacho Graves, set out by stagecoach from Pecos, Texas, to deliver $20,000 in cash to a client in Fort Smith, Arkansas. When the stagecoach is held up and Cambridge and Nacho lose the twenty grand, they set out on a dangerous quest to recover the money and bring the outlaws to justice…a quest that leads them to beautiful women, cold-blooded killers, the last Comanchero, and more surprises than they're ready to face. RED RIVER RUSE is a fast-moving Western novel packed with action, emotion, and danger, from award-winning, bestselling authors James Reasoner and L.J. Washburn.

New from Western Trail Blazer

Troy D. Smith

Western Trail Blazer continues to do our utmost to bring you the best of western fiction. Here's what we have brought you lately...

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Paperback

ebook from Piccadilly Press

More to come!

Wolf Creek 11: Stand Proud

After a brief hiatus, we are ready now to return to the rough-and-ready fictional cowtown of Wolf Creek, Kansas. For those unfamiliar with this series published by Western Fictioneers, you're missing out -it's almost as fun to read as it is to write.

Each of our writers -there are currently over two dozen -creates one or two unique characters to be citizens of our little community. Our books are either short story anthologies, in which the authors delve more deeply into their characters, or collaborative novels in which each chapter is written by a different writer, from their character's POV.

We have two such novels to present now (we'll tell you about the second one tomorrow.) They are closely connected, in that each of them continues the mini-saga of Wolf Creek's citizens resisting the threat of evil cattle baron Andrew Rogers, who wants to take over the whole county as part of a grandiose plan to advance his political and financial ambitions.

In this volume, STAND PROUD, Rogers has two targets- the Norwood Dairy, run by Gib Norwood (and his two octaroon half-brothers, sons of his father's slave Glory), and the nearby hamlet of Matthias- a town founded by ex-slaves trying to make new lives for themselves in the West. Without giving too much away, Rogers's small army of hired killers attack both places and the Wolf Creek forces are divided. Only a small and hardy group is on hand to face the horde of gunmen attacking Matthias, in hopes of holding them off until the main posse arrives. The Matthias defenders are led by newly deputized leather-worker (and an ex-slave himself) George Alberts.

We're going to leave you with a brief excerpt:

George took a deep breath and turned his attention to those who were willing to join him. “Thank you, gentlemen. Raise your right hands, and I’ll try to remember how this posse oath goes.” He thought a moment. “Do you solemnly swear to do your duty?” They all answered in the affirmative.

“That’s close enough for me,” George said. “I hereby declare us a posse. Let’s ride.”

Charley leaned forward in his saddle. “One more thing,” he said. “I don’t live in this town, I just drink here sometimes, so I reckon I’m free to speak my mind. All the rest of y’all can go to hell.”

Some of the townspeople flinched at being spoken to in such a way by a Negro. Or by an Indian. Or by whatever Charley Blackfeather was. But no one said a word, because whatever Charley Blackfeather was, it could often be very scary.

“All right,” George said, and scanned over his first official posse. Emory Charleston and Charley Blackfeather. Asa Pepper. A farmer, a lawyer, a schoolteacher, and a gangly youth who worked at the general store.

“Robert,” George said to young Gallagher. “I know you said you’re healed up, and I know how much sand you got. That’s why I need you for somethin’ else. Somebody needs to ride hard, and I mean hard as hell, to the Norwood Dairy and fetch the other posse. Tell ʼem to come join us at Matthias—sounds like we’re gonna be way outgunned, but if we can get there before the Rogers bunch, we will hold ʼem off till Sheriff Satterlee and the others can reinforce us.”

“If you’re outnumbered, you’ll need me,” Gallagher protested.

“You right,” George said, “but I ain’t sure I can trust any of these people stayin’ behind to fetch the sheriff as quick as I think you would. It’s the most important job, it could mean all our lives.”

“All right,” Gallagher said, reluctantly.

George nodded to the youth, who was already in the saddle, and Gallagher sped away in a cloud of dust.

“Now,” George said. “Let’s ride.”

The books are released under the house name Ford Fargo- but here are the writers in this volume, and the characters they write for:

Jory Sherman - Roman Hatchett, mountain man

Robert J. Randisi - Dave Benteen, gunsmith

Jerry Guin - Deputy Marshal Quint Croy

Jacquie Rogers - Gib Norwood, dairy owner

Troy D. Smith - Charley Blackfeather, black Seminole scout

Check it out today- and if you haven't read the first ten, shoot, find 'em and see just how much fun they are!

AMAZON

SMASHWORDS

The Western Fictioneers Library is Growing

West of the Big River: The Lawman

By New York Times bestselling author James Reasoner, the first novel in a new series from the Western Fictioneers, West of the Big River. The Lawman features William M. "Bill" Tilghman facing perhaps his greatest and most dangerous challenge.

West of the Big River: The Avenging Angel

Award-winning author Michael Newton spins an action-packed, historically accurate yarn about Orrin Porter Rockwell who is more than just a deputy United States marshal and a deadly gunfighter. He's a member of the Mormon Danites, the group of enforcers known as the Avenging Angels

West of the Big River: The Artist

Acclaimed author Jackson Lowry spins as entertaining a tale as any of those from Charlie Russell himself in this superb new historical novel.

Coming: West of the Big River:

West of the Big River: The Ranger

James J. Griffin, noted for his fine stories of the Texas Rangers, joins the West of

the Big River stable with THE RANGER, a short novel featuring real-life Ranger Sergeant J.S. Turnbo.

West of the Big River: The Forty-Niners

Charlie Steel's story of courage, romance, and danger is based on historical incidents of the California Gold Rush, and vividly illustrates a compelling chapter in American history, recreating a lawless era that exemplifies both the best and the worst in a vital young nation!

MORE  TO COME

Other Western Fictioneers Books

The Traditional West

The classic American Western returns in this huge collection of brand-new award winning stories by some of the top Western writers in the world today.

Six-guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas

Put on your Santa hat and saddle up for this collection of creepy Christmas stories from the Western Fictioneers, the world's only organization of professional authors devoted solely to Western fiction.

The Peacemakers

Collections of 4 award winning western stories in each volume

Volume I

Volume II

Volume III

Volume IV

Peacemaker Tales

This volume includes works by everyone who has been nominated for the Best Short Story Peacemaker in the first three years of its existence, including the winners. You will be hard-pressed to find such a collection of new classics in one book. These stories represent the finest in Old West fiction being written today.

Wolf Creek:

Here you will find many of your favorite authors, working together as Ford Fargo to weave a complex and textured series of Old West adventures like no one has ever seen.

Book 1: Bloody Trail

Book 2: Kiowa Vengeance

Book 3: Murder in Dogleg City

Book 4: The Taylor County War

Book 5: Showdown at Demon's Drop

Book 6: Hell on the Prairie

Book 7:  The Quick and the Dying

Coming: Book 8: Night of the Assassins

Book 9: A Wolf Creek Christmas

The Western Fictioneers Library

RAW DEAL AT PASCO SPRINGS by Clay More

LEAVING KANSAS by Frank Roderus

JUDGE ON THE RUN by Clay More

RANGER'S REVENGE by James J. Griffin

REACHING COLORADO by Frank Roderus

DEATH STALKS THE RANGERS by James J. Griffin

A ROPE FOR SCUDDER by Clay More

DEAD MAN'S GUN AND OTHER STORIES by Ed Gorman

GUN FOR HIRE by Jory Sherman

FINDING NEVADA by Frank Roderus

THE TRAIL BROTHERS by Troy D. Smith

THE CAST-IRON STAR AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES by Robert J.

Randisi

STAMPEDE AT RATTLESNAKE PASS by Clay More

A DISGRACE TO THE BADGE AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES by Ed Gorman

BUZZARD BAIT by Jory Sherman

RED TOMAHAWK by Jory Sherman

ENEMIES AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES by Ed Gorman

FAST HAND by Karl Lassiter

HOME TO TEXAS by Frank Roderus

THE LONG RIDE BACK AND OTHER WESTERN STORIES by Ed Gorman

Coming in The Western Fictioneers Library

POTTER'S FIELDS by Frank Roderus

DOUBLE-DEALING AT DIRTVILLE by Clay More

CHARLIE AND THE SIR by Frank Roderus

IRON HEART by Jory Sherman

JASON EVERS: HIS OWN STORY by Frank Roderus

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, J. AUBREY WHITFORD by Frank Roderus

http://www.westernfictioneers.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WESTERN FICTIONEERS by CHERYL PIERSON

This won’t be long, just short and sweet—a time to say thank you to everyone who has helped on the WESTERN FICTIONEERS BLOG this year. Too often, we don’t take the time to say how much we appreciate those who help along the way, and that’s what I’d like to do today.

To everyone who writes a monthly post, or even a sporadic one every so often—Thank you!

To everyone who comments on the posts others have prepared—Thank you!

To everyone who “fills in” at the last minute when I’m losing my mind and forget that I don’t have someone scheduled on the calendar—Thank you!

To everyone who offers to “do what they can” to help—Thank you!

Can’t say enough how much I appreciate working with Livia on this blog—she’s awesome! Thank you, Livia!

Thanks to those who give us their life experiences to think on, and ponder, and open up a part of themselves to us as fellow writers and friends.

Much thanks to those who spend hours and hours on preparation for their blogs on various topics and present them so beautifully that we could read on and on--and hate to wait for the next installment to roll around! It seems like it takes forever sometimes, instead of a month!


Special thanks to the creators of officers of the WESTERN FICTIONEERS, who've given us a wonderful place to work on our dreams and visions in writing and get it out before the public.

Because we’ve all worked so hard together this year on our blog, we’ve increased our followers by almost DOUBLE what they were in January! We’ve gone from 99 blog followers to 197 as of today. That, folks, is amazing.

No one person can take credit for this, and for our name being as recognized and respected as it has become. I know many times it’s hard to see the value in a blog, but if nothing else, it increases our visibility to the public and lets them get to know us as writers and people. I love that aspect of it, because I think of our readers as friends—even if we have never met them.

Yes, sales are wonderful, but so is hearing from someone who says, “I couldn’t put your book down. I just wanted to write and tell you how much I loved it.”

We’re looking at scheduling for next year, and trying to build the calendar ahead of time. Livia and I are hoping that everyone who is blogging will continue to blog, and that those of you who have not signed up for some of our special features (Saturday Matinee, Friday Five, Six Sentence Sunday, Fave Western Short Story/Novel, Fave Western TV Series) will do so.

These slots are sometimes hard to fill, but usually get the most comments. And when I advertise these on Facebook, oddly, even if people don’t comment on the blog, they comment on the page where I’ve left the link on Facebook. I think many people DO come read the blog—maybe they just don’t comment. And what could be more fun than writing about your favorites in the western field?

If any of you who are regular bloggers would like to make changes to your topics, please let me know, and I’ll change it for next year on the calendar. If anyone who ISN’T blogging now would LIKE to blog, please let me know and I will see what slots are available. If you plan to keep to your schedule from this year, you don’t need to do anything at all. We are always in need of prizes—if anyone would like to contribute a free book for a giveaway once in a while, that would also be much appreciated—digital or print.

The point is, this is a joint effort and it takes everyone to make it succeed. It’s been a lot of fun these past few months, and Livia and I have been really excited to see the progress our blog has made. Please don't be upset if I didn't put your picture in today's post. I used all the ones I had saved from previous blogs. Your efforts are just as much appreciated and remembered!

Here’s hoping that 2014 will be even better! Let’s all make it a great year for the WESTERN FICTIONEERS!

Wolf Creek previews

Troy D. Smith

I'm using our Wolf Creek space this month to let you know what's coming around the pike for our little fictional town. I'll start with the upcoming volumes- release dates are approximate, by the way. Coordinating this many writers, most of them committed to the gills on other projects, makes it hard to be precise.

Wolf Creek 7: The Quick and the Dying (Sept. 15)

Everyone knows James Reginald De Courcey as a dapper English artist... but his former gang knows him as Samson Quick, notorious bank robber. He has cut all ties with the Hounds, but they have found him... and will only keep his secret if he agrees to help them pull one more job...

Wolf Creek 8: Night of the Assassins (Oct. 15)

Tsu Chiao, owner of The Red Chamber opium den, makes his move to get revenge on those who have crossed him and leverage in the criminal enterprises of Dogleg City. And he has sent word to his Tong associates in San Francisco to send outside help..

Wolf Creek 9: A Wolf Creek Christmas (Nov. 15)

This anthology will reveal further details about some of your favorite characters, and introduce several new ones, as the citizens of Wolf Creek prepare to celebrate the 1871 Yuletide season.

Wolf Creek 10: Stand Proud (Jan. 15)

Greedy land baron Andrew Rogers is strong-arming small farmers in Taylor County to sell out, and intends to drive off the citizens of the small Exoduster hamlet of Matthias and take their land. But the people of Matthias have some very determined friends in Wolf Creek...

Wolf Creek 11: The Dead of Winter (Mar. 15)

Andrew Rogers is tired of having his plans hamstrung by the peace officers of Wolf Creek -and his financial backers in Chicago are calling for results. Someone is going to have to die...





You will be meeting some new Wolf Creek citizens in our Christmas volume, and welcoming some new writers onto our project. Here is a brief description of some of those characters (and their creators)...

ROMAN HATCHETT (Jory Sherman)

Roman spent thirty years as a free trapper in the Rockies, but has finally accepted that the day of the mountain man is over. He heard his old friend Casto Haston, now a tanner, is doing well in Kansas due to the buffalo hide trade, so he has come south to try his hand at it. But trouble from his past has followed him...

GIB NORWOOD (Jacquie Rogers)

Gib Norwood owns a large dairy operation not far from town. Originally from South Carolina, Gib has two younger half-brothers -the twins Peter and Paul Norwood -who were not only his father's sons, but were once his slaves.

HUTCH HIGGINS (Big Jim Williams)

Hutch is a young farmer, originally from Ohio, who lives in a sod house with his wife and young daughter. He is hard-working abd respectable but -like many people in Wolf Creek -he is haunted by the ghosts of his violent past...

PHOEBE WRIGHT (Meg Mims)

A 40ish widow with the dreams of a reformer and the zeal of a missionary. She is a woman who aims to set things straight, no matter what. Just remember- Phoebe WRIGHT is never WRONG.

And that's only the beginning! We also have several fascinating new supporting characters coming onboard, which will give us material for many stories to come.


Keep your eyes peeled... we're hoping to get Wolf Creek 7 to you ahead of schedule!

Review Roundup: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon’s Drop
By Ford Fargo
Western Fictioneers, June 2013
$8.99 paperback, ISBN 1490356002
$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00D6PPDNK
144 pages

When the remnants of an outlaw gang attack innocent women at a local church, the men of Wolf Creek embark on a desperate mission to rid the territory of the desperados once and for all. Outlaws are never as easy to dispatch as one might hope, however, and this time Wolf Creek’s wolves may have met their match.

One of the most striking things about the Wolf Creek series is that even when a volume begins with a tidy, slice-of-life scene in what should be a sacrosanct setting, a subtle sense of impending doom sweeps across the pages like a gathering storm. Showdown at Demon’s Drop, the fifth volume in the addictive series of collaborative novels, opens on the ladies quilting circle that meets at a church on the edge of town. From the very first page, readers will wonder what’s up with schoolmarm Cora Sloan (penned by Bill Crider), whose secret is eating her alive from the inside.

Very quickly, the mystery of the schoolteacher’s past (which no doubt will be revealed in a future volume) takes a backseat to a larger threat that has loomed over the Kansas prairie since Volume 1. The surviving cutthroats from Wolf Creek: Bloody Trail want revenge on a man who used to be one of them, and they’ll let nothing stand in the way of their lust for the traitor’s blood. After murdering one innocent woman, they kidnap the minister’s wife as part of a plan to lure Derrick McCain (written by Cheryl Pierson), now a peaceful farmer, to his death.

As usual, other members of the ensemble cast refuse to let anyone go down without a no-holds-barred fight. In Showdown at Demon’s Drop, deputy and former New York City cop Seamus O’Connor (Wayne Dundee), enigmatic Black-Seminole scout Charlie Blackfeather (Troy D. Smith), gunsmith Dave Benteen (Robert J. Randisi), and blacksmith and diehard Confederate Angus “Spike” Sweeney (L.J. Martin) defy the brigands’ order that McCain come alone to a remote hideout only he knows how to find. Despite McCain’s demand that the others remain behind, they follow at a distance, devising their own revenge scheme.

McCain emerges as the standout in this volume, as might be expected since his predicament forms the heart of the story. Thanks to some stellar writing by all the contributors, Showdown at Demon’s Drop imbues a tale of evil and vengeance with very human, and very relatable, angst. The residents of Wolf Creek, all of them hardened by brutal — and largely mysterious — pasts are remarkably resilient. Some former secrets emerge into the light of day in Volume 5, but more arise to take their place.

There is no end to the intrigue in Wolf Creek, nor is there any shortage of grit in the series. Fans of western action will lose themselves in this volume as easily as they did in the previous four, and they’ll be just as eager for the release of the next book.


Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and a novelist in training. She received a review copy of Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon's Drop from the publisher. Her opinions are her own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily supported by Western Fictioneers or individual members of the organization.