Author, Actor, and Oh Yes, A Doctor - Interview with Dr. Keith Souter

Dr. Keith Souter lives across the Atlantic, yet like many of us, has a love of Westerns, writing, and storytelling. I am constantly surprised at the backgrounds and passion the members of Western Fictioneers have for their craft and Keith is no exception. How he fits it all in is a mystery. 

On a side note, I made my library buy a copy of his "The Doctor's Bag" for their special collections section. It has been a wonderful resource for me.

 Dr. KEITH SOUTER     AKA    CLAY MORE

Firstly, thank you for inviting me to this excellent interview slot that you have developed. Being part of Western Fictioneers has been very helpful to me as a writer. There is so much writing talent and a wealth of knowledge about all manner of subjects that are useful to a writer of westerns. I hope there may be something of interest in my somewhat rambling answers!

Dr. Keith Souter
photo provided Dr. Souter

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

I don’t know whether other writers have had the bug as early, but I was actually bitten by it before I went to school and before I was taught how to write. 

I can remember it all vividly. As a very small kid in the early fifties, I was always aware of books in the house. I had two older brothers and I inherited their cast-me-down books as they developed as readers and moved on to bigger, longer, and thicker works.  There seemed to be a strange and mysterious ladder in reading, which I was keen to climb. From the wonderful multi-colored picture books, one went to books with black and white pictures and more of those strangely appealing printed words began to cover the pages. Then there were my father’s books, which were Westerns with brightly colored covers of heroic, powerful figures, which had lots of words, but no pictures inside. 

I was entranced by them all. I not only wanted those books, but I wanted to ‘write’ my own. I got paper, crayons, drew pictures of the stories that came into my head and I copied words from empty seed packets and cereal boxes and anything else that I was allowed to use. I had no idea what these strange signs and symbols meant except that they were words, and words were what you put into books. I folded them and even gave them little covers with pictures on them. My mother even stitched them together like proper books.

As I got a bit older, I pulled out other books from the shelves and wherever an illustration appealed to me I would copy it on a scrap of paper and leave my version in the book. An absolute favorite, which I came back to again and again was an old edition of The Universal Home Doctor. It was illustrated and I was fascinated by the anatomical drawings. As a six-year-old, I could tell you where all of the organs of the body were sited, much to my elder brother’s utter disgust. I still have that book in my library, and he is still squeamish about anything connected to anatomy or medicine. 

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

It was when I was at medical school in Dundee. It is a city in Scotland that was well known for ‘the three J’s.’ Those J’s were Jute (you’d call it hessian or burlap in the USA), Jam (especially marmalade. There is a legend that it originated in Dundee in the 18th century after a cargo of bitter oranges from Seville was bought by a local grocer, whose wife boiled them with lots of sugar and marmalade was born), and finally Journalism. Dundee is home to D C Thomson’s one of the most famous newspaper and magazine companies in the UK.

I submitted several short children’s stories to a section called The Children’s Corner in one of their family magazines called The People’s Friend. To my surprise, they were accepted, and then I found myself regularly contributing. I found writing these stories was a great balance to the study of medicine. In the hospital, I was seeing people with often harrowing medical problems, and in my writing, I could take myself completely away from reality and craft stories for preschool children.

When I qualified as a doctor and moved to Hull, a city in England to work in cardiology I started writing for the local telephone company. They had a ‘dial-a-bedtime story’ service. Essentially, for sixpence, which was the cost of a telephone call, parents could call up the exchange and their youngster could hear a tuck-me-up bedtime three-minute-long tale before they went to bed. I wrote about witches, fairies, gnomes, and ducks that couldn’t swim or bats that couldn’t fly. 

Those were certainly the nudges that made me want to one day write actual books. 

Amazon

3. Do your life experiences influence or hinder your writing?

My profession as a doctor most definitely influences my writing. I write non-fiction books, popular medical books, and fiction. I have penned a series of medical books on back pain, strokes, heart disease, diabetes, depression, dementia, Doctor’s Latin, and one all about the drug Aspirin. The latter is a subject I am enthusiastic about as I was involved in research into it, albeit as a very tiny cog in the process. 

For several years my writing consisted of scribbling doctor-style hieroglyphics on prescriptions. Yes, it is true that a doctor's handwriting tends to be illegible. That comes about from scribbling down notes in lectures as fast as you could. That is not a great thing in medical practice, though. When you consider how important it is to keep good case-notes, we have a responsibility to be legible. I think modern-day medical students probably write more legibly, as they have the benefit of keyboards and computers.

Writing medical papers was the next part of my writing career. Academic papers are not, of course, remunerated. They have to be written in crisp, clinical language and go through a rigorous screening and editorial process before they can be published in peer-approved medical journals. On the other hand, the medical press has many newspapers and magazines which do pay a fee for articles. My very first one was published in the UK and then republished in several other sister publications around the world. 

Photo provided by Dr. Souter

After doing several surgical and medical posts I embarked on training in psychiatry but abandoned it because British psychiatry at that time was heavily biased towards psychotropic medication and electro-convulsive-therapy, ECT. I switched tack and entered family medicine and worked as a general practitioner for the next thirty years. Soon after I started, I was asked to write a weekly column in the local newspaper. I have done that ever since and am currently in my 38th year. This has been a big part of my life because I have to research a new topic every week. It benefits me as it keeps me up to date and it satisfied my writing craving for so many years.

But in my fiction, my medical background always comes to the fore. When I was considering writing for adults, I was always a bit confused about the old chestnut of wisdom to ‘write what you know about.’  By that token it seemed to me that accountants should have accountants as their main protagonists, teachers should set their tales in school or college, and so on. I didn’t at that stage want to write about a doctor or a surgeon. Then I realized I didn’t have to. As long as I peppered my stories with medical details, using my background I could make those aspects of the story credible and believable. 

That is what I did in Raw Deal at Pasco Springs, my first novel. It is about a gambler and a reluctant lawman. He isn’t a doctor, but there is a doctor in the story and there are episodes that appertain to medicine. 

Later on, I wrote a biographical novel called The Doctor, in the West of the Big River series for Western Fictioneers. It is about Doctor George Goodfellow, the surgeon to the gunfighters, who practiced in Tombstone and later on in Tucson in the wild days of the Earps and Doc Holliday. He was the foremost expert on gunshot wounds and a surgical innovator who deserves his place in medical history. It is followed up by another in the series, The Dime Novelist, about the king of the dime novelists, Ned Buntline. 

Amazon

And I have to mention Wolf Creek, the brainchild of Troy Smith. This was the collaborative project that involved so many of the Western Fictioneers. My character was Doctor Logan Munro the town doctor. Much of the way he practices is a romantic extension of my work as a town doctor. Before he came to Wolf Creek, Logan served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny (as did my great grandfather) and I also drew on three months experience working in a fever hospital in Southern India back in the seventies. That gave me valuable experience in tropical medicine and I saw diseases like cholera, tetanus, malaria, typhoid, and rabies. I saw cobra bites and I did lumbar punctures by oil lamp when the hospital generators packed up, as well as assisting at operations on typhoid enteric perforations of the bowel, working in front of huge fans because of the sweltering heat. 

Amazon

4. Where did you get the idea for your latest release and tell a bit about the story?

My next western release is actually a re-release. It is a series of interlinked short stories about Doctor Marcus Quigley, a dentist, gambler, and bounty hunter. I am so pleased that the wonderful folk at Prairie Rose Publications (Cheryl Pierson and Livia Washburn) are soon to publish it.

Marcus Quigley is on the trail of someone who murdered the benefactress who put him through dental school in Baltimore. It was inspired by a series of western novels about a character called Sudden, that I read as a youngster. They were written by British author Oliver Strange and were about a young cowpuncher who was lightning fast on the draw, who was unjustly outlawed. He too was on a revenge mission. 

Once again, my medical background comes into this a great deal, for Marcus is often called upon to carry out operations including brain surgery. 

I can’t say any more than that, because the title has not been decided on and I am eager to see the cover that Livia will conjure up.

5. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Actually, I’m both. I am a pantser when I write short stories, but when I get to novels, I feel I have to be a plotter. With the short form, including the novella, I feel that I can keep the loose threads together in my mind, but since my novels are all basically mysteries with subplots and red herrings strewn throughout, I have to be a plotter.  I envy people like the late, great Frank Roderus, and many of the human fiction factories in the Western Fictioneers who can sit down with a blank page or screen and just type a story from beginning to end.  That takes courage I don’t have. I’d worry about getting so far and then stalling.  

Let me give you an example of my transition between the two. A few years ago, I dashed off a flash fiction short story that I called The Villain’s Tale for a literary competition. Surprisingly, it won me a Fish Award and a decent pot of good Irish cash. Well, Euros actually, but in England, we still write for pounds sterling. It was a miniature historical mystery and it stimulated me to write a medieval mystery set in the 14th century, set in and around an English castle that I actually live within arrowshot of. My point is that I had to evolve from that panster into a plodding plotter. That first novel, The Pardoner’s Crime was an amalgamation of characters from the Robin Hood legends and from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It has become a series of four novels so far, with two due out this month and next. The research involved amounts to a filing cabinet and a couple of shelves of reference books. When I am in writing such a novel my study becomes like a medieval monk’s cell with papers, scrolls all over the place, and maps of the area as it was in the 14th century pinned to my walls. 

Amazon

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

I write when time allows if anything. I retired from general practice a few years ago, but still have a small private practice. When the pandemic started, I was deployed to Test and Trace, swapping my stethoscope for a headphone and microphone to trace contacts of positive tested Covid-19 patients. With the development and rollout of the vaccine, I am back helping to vaccinate as many people as possible. I write after I have taken care of all my other commitments, including my weekly newspaper column. 

7. Do you write in other genres?

Yes, I write crime novels set on the Scottish island of West Uist, featuring Inspector Torquil McKinnon. There are six novels in the series, and I have a seventh under contract. Torquil is a bagpipe-playing detective who heads the smallest police force in the country. I chose the setting to get away from DNA and CSI stories and get back to the ‘locked room’ style of cozy crime and good old-fashioned detection. 

Amazon

I am probably one of the worst pipers there is, but when writing these I get the bagpipes out and mess about with them. His uncle is called The Padre and he is a keen golfer, so while plotting I can be found chipping golf balls around the garden or through the house!  

As I mentioned I also write a series called the Sandal Castle Mystery Thrillers. I am the chairman of the Friends of Sandal Castle, so I know the area and the history well. It seemed inevitable that I would write mysteries about it. 

I am currently writing a mystery set in ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic era. It is called Death of a Poet. It follows characters I used in a short story called The Man from Crocodilopolis. I intend to follow it up as another series.

Lastly, I started by writing children’s stories and I achieved one of my aims when I wrote a gothic ghost story set in Victorian London for mid-graders. The Curse of the Body Snatchers, featuring an Oliver Twist style orphan has been published by Prairie Rose Publications. 

Amazon

8.  What are your favorite areas of research and why they are important to you?

I really enjoy the research aspect of writing fiction. When you write a historical novel, it is so important to get the period right, especially if you are including actual historical characters. If you get details wrong, then there is a good chance that your reader will stop reading at that point. 

If my story has a particular theme, for example, one of my Scottish mystery novels is about whisky – no, the spelling is correct, this is Scottish malt whisky – then I’ll delve into all aspects of it. This includes the history, the science behind distilling, the sale, the bootlegging, and so forth.

Medical history is a great interest of mine and it was for this reason that a few years ago I started to write my blog The Doctor’s Bag on the Western Fictioneers blog. Troy Smith was the WF President at the time and he suggested that I should collect them and publish them as a resource for writers. 

I aimed to write articles that could be useful to anyone wanting to know how a frontier town doctor would approach a particular problem. So, the blogs are on everything appertaining to that, from gunshot wounds to arrow wounds, the infectious diseases that were prevalent, and what was known about them at the time. Also, bits and pieces like the type of stethoscope a doctor might have, whether hypertension (high blood pressure) was even known about, how to diagnose a broken bone without an x-ray, how to set it, how to reduce a dislocated shoulder or leg or pull a tooth. 

Amazon

On the subject of gunshot wounds, I think there is a problem in many genres, in that ‘safe’ wounds are plucked out of the air. The truth is that gunshot wounds can be life-changing if they are not fatal. I approach this by looking at the anatomical structures that can be damaged. Those arm and shoulder wounds that heroes in TV and film used to wrap a bandana around and then beat the heck out of a villain are just not so easy to believably shrug off. 

So too are arrow wounds. As with gunshots, I went back to the medical texts and papers of the day and then discuss the reality of the trauma they can cause, and the infections that can result and which caused many deaths. Again, it’s not just a matter of plucking an arrow out, tossing it aside, and then jumping in the saddle and riding off after the baddies. Both arrowheads and bullets needed to be extracted and, in the book, I describe the methods as used by the experts of the times, using the instruments they would have available. Infections would add a whole raft of other problems, possibly even resulting in amputation of a limb. So that is in there, too. 

I am grateful to Cheryl Pierson and Livia Washburn for taking the book The Doctor’s Bag on over at Sundown Press.

9. Is there anything else of interest about you that you would like to share?

I am a frustrated actor. I have acted as Agamemnon in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida with the Touring British Shakespeare Company, in front of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. I have also been a supporting artiste in TV and film, usually as either a surgeon, a psychiatrist, or a peasant. 

Photo of the Interviewee on the left
provided by Keith Souter

10. What advice would you give to those who dream of writing, or what advice would you give your younger self?

First, read as much as you can. Read works by different authors, try various genres and you will find the genre that you like best and feel most comfortable in. 

Secondly, write. Don’t procrastinate and dream of being a writer. Writers write and that’s what you should do. Have a notebook with you at all times and jot down interesting conversations, character features, and ideas. If you don’t get these things down, they disappear like smoke.

For more of Dr. Souter's Medical books: Amazon

Amazon Author Page: Keith Moray

Amazon Author Page: Clay More

(c) Doris McCraw All Rights Reserved 2021

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 

AUTHOR BRANDING - WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN? by Meg Mims

J.E.S. Hayes has done a great job talking up social media and promotion lately. I figured for lack of another idea that I'd delve into one small part of the whole. Branding. Hmm.

The idea of a brand is actually pretty smart. After all, we want readers to find us. And an author who does more than one genre - say inspirational romance - might not want their die-hard fans to know they also write horror. Or erotica. Yeah, that might be a bit of a shocker.

That's a pretty funny quote. But while life might not be divided into genres, books are - absolutely.

Let's say author Jane Doe starts her career writing sensual romance novels, but then she's got a hankering to use her Engineering/Science degree to dig deep into the science fiction/fantasy genre. What's Jane to do? Will her romance readers love her new stuff? Probably not, unless there's sensual romance in there - but they also might get pretty bored by all the technical stuff. Plus, Jane's romance-themed website might not draw the geeks she's hoping to snag.

 

See how the pictures above clash? One possibility is for Jane to use a pseudonym - let's say J.J. Doe. Or J.D. Smith. Then Jane has double the work in keeping up both websites and social media promotion, but hopefully she's making enough money from book sales to hire that out. (Hey, it's possible! Don't we all wish.)

Another possibility is to create ONE website, with multiple pages explaining her different books. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, used a pseudonym (and tried to keep it secret) when she started the Cormoran Strike series of crime fiction as Robert Galbraith. The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm are very different, clearly. And before she split off, her website was totally geared for Harry Potter fans.

Now, however, her newly designed website handles it all. However, she does keep it consistent, and if you click the name Robert Galbraith above, you'll see a separate website. You don't need scads of money to do something similar if you're writing in multiple genres.

But how exactly would a "brand" play a role? You might think of something you personally love, and incorporate that in your website and social media. For me, it's the color purple - I love re-tweeting photos of purple flowers or whatever. And tea - I frequently find tea photos to use. You can see on my website that I also love riding bikes and flowers. I highly recommend M.K. McClintock at Potterton House Author Services. M.K. is a talented website designer, and I love my new "look" and multiple "brand" style. My home page reflects ME, and readers get a sense of what I'm like behind the various books I write. It's like a personal touch.

Now, what does this have to do with my westerns? Nothing much, but under my Books page, where the drop-down menu shows all the various genres, click on "westerns" to see how M.K. chose a totally different style. If you click "D.E. Ireland" under Books, you will see more of an English style. And again, under "Holiday Novellas" you'll see more of a winter style. I'll be adding a "Cozy Mysteries" featuring teddy bears under a different drop-down soon.

NOT that this is the best way to handle "branding" an author, of course. My writing partner and I still maintain our own website and blog, and I may end up with another website for Meg Macy's books - with a link back to Meg Mims. When I branched out, I truly branched out. But having an expanded "presence" on the web might give an author writing multiple genres more links for readers to find them. And that has got be an advantage.

Best wishes in branding your own multiple genre/multiple pseudonym books!

Mystery author Meg Mims earned a Spur Award from WWA and also a Laramie award for her western historical mystery series, Double Crossing and Double or Nothing. She also writes short stories for anthologies and is one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland for the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery series. Book 1, Wouldn't It Be Deadly, was nominated for a 2015 Agatha Award and Book 2, Move Your Blooming Corpse, is set at Ascot Racecourse. Meg is working on a cozy mystery series for Kensington that will debut in 2017. She lives in Southeastern Michigan, loves tea, books, Mackinac Island, cookies, and currently has a sweet Malti-Poo rescue.

Interview with Chet Cunningham

Chet Cunningham is a veteran in the writing world, with other 350 books under his belt. We were fortunate that he could take a few moments out of his day to let us ask him a few questions.

Wolfpack Publishing: You write a lot of western novels. What is it about the genre that appeals to you?

Chet Cunningham: The old west was so real that it hurt. Man had to live a tough life just to survive. The women had to be strong too. It came down to life or death many times. It made for great heroes, justice the old way. Besides, Westerns are not dated, they can sell for twenty or thirty years. 1874 is always 1874…. in the real west.

WP: Are westerns the genre that you enjoy reading the most?

CC: Actually I read very few Westerns now. When I started out I bought twenty westerns at a used bookstore, read them all, took notes of western words, phrases and history and used those notes to fashion my first western books. My eyesight does not allow me to read anything but a large print book and I really don’t have the time to do that.

WP: Your first novel was published in 1968. How do you think you’ve grown as an author since that first piece of work?

CC: Better plots, better characters, more details in the west, just a better book. However the first book I wrote, “Bushwhackers on the Circle K” is still selling on Kindle and Amazon.

WP: That’s incredible. You’ve written over 350 books, and I’ve been told that you write daily. Paint us a picture of what it looks like when you’re writing: where and when do you most often work?

CC: Okay…it has changed. I’m 86 years old so I don’t write twelve hours a day. I usually get to the keyboard by ten o’clock, write to twelve or one, then take a nap and write again from two to four thirty. I usually do another two hours from seven to nine at night when I break off and watch the news. I write in 22 point bold on a 27-inch screen so I can read on screen what I’m writing.

WP: Whatever works for you, right? Which of your books was the biggest labor of love?

CC: That would be “The Frog Men of World War II.” It’s about the Navy’s underwater demolition men who later turned into the navy Seals of today. I tracked forty or fifty men who did the underwater explosions and clearing underwater obstructions prior to landing craft hitting the beach. It is still on sale today.

WP: Out of all the characters you have created and written about, who is your favorite and why?

CC: My favorite is Col. Colt Harding, of the Lightning Troop of cavalry in the l870’s who fought the Indians. He’s human, he’s tough, he’s brilliant in the field, and he is a good family man.

WP: You have fairly recently begun selling some of your novels as eBooks. What do you think of the booming digital publishing market?

CC: It’s a great marketing system. I can write a book in a month, send it to my publisher, Wolfpack Publishing, and within a week it is on the internet and selling. I also get a daily report of how many of each of my 50 books with Wolfpack are selling, and how many are borrowed. It’s a great way to keep a book selling for a long time. I have some series of books that I wrote thirty-five years ago now selling well. Yes, they are westerns, I told you Westerns never go out of date. I can write and sell twelve books a year, which makes me the first man writing and selling a book a month. Want to join the club?

WP: What has your experience been like publishing exclusively with Wolfpack?

CC: There is a writer himself who heads Wolfpack, Larry J. Martin. He knows books, he likes writers, and he does all he can to sell each writer’s books. Would not ever think of going to another publisher (unless somebody offered me a million dollars to write a book)…So I’m set for life here at Wolfpack and selling more books than ever before.

WP: We’re glad to hear you aren’t looking to go anywhere anytime soon. What do you think of the western genre today and what do you think the future holds for the western?

CC: The western is a staple of the book market. They will be around as long as there are readers, and are very large in the digital field. The paper westerns will gradually fade away as they become more expensive and the younger generation becomes more and more hooked on digital. Go westerns…. go digital… go Wolfpack.

--

You can read more about Chet Cunningham, here. Be sure to check out Slaughter at Buffalo Creek and the other books in the Pony Solider Series.

This post originally appeared on Wolfpack Publishing on 4/10/2015

Interview with Linell Jeppsen

Earlier this month, laughing over needing a break from writing and judging the short story category for the Western Fictioneer's contest, Linell Jeppsen was more than willing to let me pick her brain for a few moments.

Wolfpack Publishing: You write westerns, science fiction and fantasy novels. Are those the genres that you enjoy reading the most?

Linell Jeppsen: I read all genres, but lately I’ve been leaning toward science fiction and fantasy. It’s a mood-swing thing, I guess!

WP: What is the best book you’ve read recently?

LJ: I have gotten into a new series called The Lunar Chronicles. The first is called Cinder, the second, Scarlet and the third, Cress. All of these science fiction novels are an interesting take on fairy tales… Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. They are beautifully written and fascinating stories.

I am also a judge for the Western Fictioneer’s “Best Of” contest for 2014! I can’t give away my faves, but suffice it to say, there are a multitude of fantastic writers and some really breath-taking western short stories I now have to choose from! Whew!

WP: I see that you’re a bookstore owner. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got into that business?

LJ: I actually sold the bookstore to a friend of mine a couple of years ago (unfortunately). She had the needed funds to keep it going during the lean months, so we made out okay. It’s okay, though, brick and mortar stores are going the way of the Doo-Doo bird nowadays… happily, the only books I need to worry about selling are my own! *laughs*

WP: Tell us a little about how you got started as a writer.

LJ: I wrote my first novel over 25 years ago… Detour To Dusk. It is a vampire novel in the traditional sense of the word… meaning my vampires are scary and supernatural, NOT sexy, high-school beefcakes that young girls drool over! Honestly, after writing that first novel I pretty much put it in a box and kept on working a job that would pay the bills. It wasn’t until I was forced into early retirement, four years ago, that I decided to write for a living!

WP: Which of your books was the biggest labor of love?

LJ: Probably Deadman’s Lament. For one thing, I had always focused on sci-fi and fantasy. Writing a full-on western was very new for me. Plus- there is A LOT of research involved in writing historical fiction. (As long as I, more or less, obeyed the rules of physics, I could make up most of my sci-fi fantasy work) Then, after the book was so well received, I knew that I would be writing a series! Three novels and a short story later (and now working on a new phase of the series…) this really is a labor of love!

WP: Out of all the characters you have created and written about, who is your favorite and why?

LJ: Matthew Wilcox, the hero of the Deadman series and the upcoming Chance series. With nearly three hundred 4 and 5 star reviews, the readers seem to agree that Matthew is a protagonist worth rooting for. He is brave, honorable, and handsome… he is also flawed and haunted by events in his past. I want him, as an individual, to mirror everything that made our pioneer ancestors indomitable and magnificent!

WP: If you could meet one author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

LJ: Oh, there are too many to choose from! Honestly, though, if I had to choose, I would like to meet and chat with, James Lee Burke. That man knows how to make his words sing! I also hope to meet many western writers who belong to the Western Fictioneers and the Western Writers of America… one day soon, I hope!

WP: What is your take on social media these days?

LJ: Hmmm... a necessary evil??? Actually, some of the stuff on Facebook is fun and interesting. I also have made quite a few friends there… But, all forms of social media are filled with hazards. It is easy to misunderstand people when the only means of communication is a tiny dialogue box. Also, there are predators there (and everywhere) that can make a writer’s life miserable.
I try not to inundate my friends with too many ads (spam!).
I also try to be friendly at all times, which (for a fairly shy person) can be tough!

WP: I’m sure you’ve conducted your fair share of interviews. In your experience, what is your least favorite question to answer, and why?

 LJ: LOL! Probably the one about social media! For the obvious reasons!

--

You can read more about the wonderful Linell Jeppsen here. Be sure to check out Deadman's Lament, on sale now through April 1st, and the other books in the Deadman Series Deadman's Fury and Deadman's Revenge.


This post originally appeared on Wolfpack Publishing on 3/13/2015 

SOCIAL MEDIA -- Why Bother? by Meg Mims

Many moons ago, writers wrote (longhand or via typewriter - that's Louis L'Amour, by the way - before the desk computer or laptop). They wrote from start to finish, printed off the pages, boxed it up, and sent off their book (to an agent, editor, or the proverbial slush pile.) Once they signed a contract, writers started the next book. Did they worry about promotion? Nope. Did the publisher routinely take care of the book's cover? The print run? Distribution?

Yup, yup, yup.

Things are a bit different now. Some western writers are hanging on to the "old ways" by their fingernails. A blog, what's that? Why do I need a website? Tweeting is just plain silly, like teats on a bull.

Some writers believe they'd rather not put a "face" to their name, especially on Facebook. What's so social about Social Media? Writers might believe it robs them of precious writing time.

While that might be true (and some people waste hours on Facebook), you can say the same about answering the telephone, watching television, playing video games, reading others' books, exercising their horse, even sleeping. "Call me old-fashioned, just don't call me late to dinner."

It's all about networking. Surely you've heard that term. And while life happens, so does change. And friends -- the times, they are a-changing.

The most successful business man is the man who holds onto the old just as long as it is good and grabs the new just as soon as it is better.    Robert Vanderpoel

Every writer -- no matter the genre, no matter how young or old -- has to consider they are IN BUSINESS. A hobby doesn't fly with the IRS. So every serious writer needs the basics besides a solid plot, characters and a finished manuscript. YES, a finished manuscript, because writers rarely sell on proposal (unless you're already published with a good sales track.) You want to sell, and make money doing it. Right?

First off -- will you use your real name? Think about what "public" really means. If you prefer privacy, come up with a pseudonym. And consider the idea of "branding" -- just like the old days of cattle ranching. Say Double-Bar L aloud -- it rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? -- versus a surname difficult to pronounce or spell. Think about the bookshelf, too. Top, middle or bottom? Where do you want your readers to find you? Remember, many readers purchase on-line now so that's not as important as it once was.

Does a name/brand matter? Yes. Readers need to find you, unless you're Louis L'Amour, Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. It's a fact. Your name is ON your book, and "brands" that PRODUCT as yours. And readers want to do more than crack open the spine. They want to know more than the story. They want to know YOU, the writer. And that means taking to "social media."

So. You're an author, with a book -- or several. A WEBSITE can be cheap, and sometimes easy. But they often LOOK cheap and easy too, so consider that if you're working your way up the ladder of success. A website can be your first investment. It's relatively cheap to buy your "domain name" for a year -- and cheaper for three years. Avoid the URL of "authorname" followed by blogspot.com or wordpress.com because people will remember "authorname.com" a lot easier. You also need an ISP like GoDaddy or Hostgator or some other host for your website, paying a set amount per month. You could also hire your grandkid, a friend or someone who knows what they're doing to "set up" your website. Shop wisely, because you ought to know how to maintain and update your website once in a while.

Next, consider a choice between Twitter and Facebook. Unless you're willing to tweet (and that means NOT constantly promoting your book - keep that to once or twice a month) about anything and everything, avoiding politics, religion and sex, AND re-tweet other followers' 140-character tweets, forget it. It's useful to get your name out there, but not necessary. FACEBOOK will do a lot more for an author. Caution: if your timeline is filled with gross photos, jokes or rants between family members, change the setting to private. Keep that stuff far away from your author name/brand. I've often seen authors rant on and on about the school parking lot idiots, or their a**backward relatives, or spout F-bombs and worse, and thought, "Whoa. That's not professional." Remember -- keep your author name *sacred* and stay on "topic."

How? Create an AUTHOR PAGE and profile. Post updates of your books, reviews, print or ebook giveaways, writing tips, etc. Think visual, too! Share other writers' inspiring photos, quotes or interesting ideas about books, reading, writing or whatever might relate to your book. For example, when my western mystery Double Crossing debuted, I shared all kinds of information about trains -- with photos from the CPRR.org website, details about the Pullman Palace cars, maps of the cross-country transcontinental railroad route, menus of the station houses along the way, etc. Quick visuals often "tell a story" faster than a long stretch of words. Even this blog post has visuals to give the eye a rest and add color and interest.

Which leads to the last option I'll share about Social Media possibilities -- and in my opinion, is the most fun. PINTEREST -- what is it? Think "virtual corkboard" or "scrapbook" only on the web. See the "sharp point" on the bottom of the P? Yup. PINS.

It's easy to become a member, too. It's similar to Facebook in networking potential. And it's also a way to spend hours exploring ideas for characters, costumes, places, food, celebrities, films, books, whatever your little heart desires. The minute Pinterest appeared, I signed up. Hey, I'm an artist and love visuals!

How can you use Pinterest to your advantage? I typed Pinterest.com into my browser, and then typed "western books" into the search bar -- VOILA! Click here to see. From book covers to film posters to baby shower ideas, it's all there as  a visual feast. It's also pretty

self-explanatory to create your profile and "boards" before adding "pins" -- for example, either uploading your book covers from your computer or inputting the URL of the purchase links from Amazon, B&N or Smashwords. I recommend the latter, in fact, because it's another way to nudge readers to buy. To the left, the graphic shows a sample profile with boards.

I can hear the grumpy (cat) men whining aloud. "Why, why, why would I bother to use Pinterest? It's mostly for women! Men go to the bookstore, they buy my books, I'm fine." Uh, huh. Sure. But don't men want *more readers* to buy their books? Why limit your readership? So get over it. Say YES. You'll thank me for it. Check out my book board by clicking here if you want to see. Then check out the rest of my boards while you're there.

The same goes for women -- I'm here in Western Fictioneers to network with a lot more male writers and readers than my books would normally reach. It's not easy learning to juggle all this "social media" with a writing career. How can you do it?

Time management, of course. And knowing your limits, because you can't cover the Ponderosa in a day on horseback. The same goes for networking. Unless you're as famous as the late Louis L'Amour, who has a website and videos about his career, and a staff to keep his name/brand alive.

Hey, great idea. Maybe one day... 

Mystery author Meg Mims lives in Southeastern Michigan with her husband and a 'Make My Day' Malti-poo dog. Meg loves writing novels, short novellas and short stories, both contemporary and historical. Her Spur and Laramie Award winning Double series is now among the Prairie Rose Publications book list. Meg is also one-half of the D.E. Ireland team writing the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery series for St. Martin's Minotaur. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.