Give Me Those Old Time Western Writers

I’ve been trying to think of the very first western I ever read—but I can’t remember back that far!  Growing up I was a TV western junkie—Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian… You remember the ones. I know you do.

But there were (and are) some writers who picked up where the dime novels left off, who shaped our genre and set it on the path to where we are now, and beyond.

 

Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour and William Johnstone (who was from southern Missouri!) are three favorites, but even they had many predecessors.

 

Andy Adams – Born in Indiana in 1859. He began writing at the age of 43, publishing his most successful book, The Log of a Cowboy, in 1903 The Log of a Cowboy is an account of a five-month drive of 3,000 cattle from Brownsville, Texas, to Montana during 1882 along the Great Western Cattle Trail. Although the book is fiction, it is based on Adams's own experiences, and it is considered by many to be literature's best account of cowboy life.

 

Owen Wister – Born July 14, 1860 is considered the "father" of western fiction. Best remembered for The Virginian, published in 1902, Wister never wrote about the West again.

 

B. M. Bower -- Bertha Muzzy Sinclair  was born November 15, 1871. She wrote novels, short stories and screenplays featuring cowboys of the Flying U Ranch in Montana. She wrote 57 western novels, several of which were turned into films. 

 

Willa Sibert Cather – Born December 7, 1873. She achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains. Willa won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for One of Ours (1922), a novel set during World War I. Other well-known works include O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the Lark (1915), and My Ántonia (1918).

 

And, of course--

James Fenimore Cooper – Born September 15, 1789. Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. His historical romances of frontier and Indian life in the early American days created a unique form of American literature.

 

According to William W. Johnstone:  “The Western is one of the few true art forms that is 100% American….the Western has helped to shape the cultural landscape of America.”

Just for fun, let’s all add to the list. Introduce me to another of those amazing writers and tell me just a bit about them and which book of theirs I should read.

THE LEGEND OF VENTURE CANYON by Shayna Matthews

The Legend of Venture Canyon by Shayna Matthews.

            Step right up folks, gather ’round and hug your children close! We have before you a show today, a show unlike any you’ve ever seen before. Come closer friend, don't be afraid. Closer still, and allow me to regale you in a tale where deception is the norm.

     Do you believe in what you see? Will you succumb to the speech of a man slicker than a vat of bacon grease...the sideshow talker? Or will you trust the charms of a Mediterranean Goddess as she lures you to her stage? Perhaps neither, for certainly the suspicious cowboy drifter would be the fellow worth trusting with your life. Right?

     In the year 1872, entertainment is a necessary evil. Life is raw, harsh and relentless. What could bring more excitement to the drudgery of daily survival, than a traveling sideshow? Sword swallowers, serpent women and exotic dancers--who wouldn't want to see The Show? Certainly, a few measly pennies will be worth a peek or two at whatever mysteries lay beyond the curtain. What could it hurt?

     When the traveling show hits a small town in Utah territory, submitting to one's curiosity is not always a good thing. You see, for Marah Romerro and her family, deception is not just the norm...it is Master. And the show must go on, no matter what the cost.

      Hello. My name is Shayna Matthews, and I am an author. I liken what I do to that of a weaver. I 'weave' stories of historical fiction, illuminating epic tales of the era with a flair for characters who represent the fighting spirit of the men and women who have come before us. This is my passion, chasing down the embodiment of human spirit through the great American West. In the midst of research and travel for a work-in-progress series based in 1880's Texas, I stumbled across a call for submission from a publisher aptly named: Prairie Rose Publications. The subject matter intrigued my adventurous nature. That night I perused my collection of research material, searching for a nugget of inspiration. As I skimmed page after page, a name struck me. Venture. The murky shadows of an idea formed within the cobwebbed corners of my mind, and a legend was born.

      Venture Canyon is my debut pride and joy, written within a month, including editing. I hope you, dear readers, will enjoy reading about Venture and Marah as much as I loved writing them. Their journey is indeed legendary. Let them take you along for the ride, I think they'll surprise you along the way.

     Below is an excerpt from "The Legend of Venture Canyon" for your enjoyment. Please feel free to leave a comment below, as I will be choosing one commenter at random to win a free e-copy of The Legend of Venture Canyon.

     Before you go, my friends, remember...a good legend never dies. Not because they can't, but because sometimes, they just don't know how.
Thank you for dropping by!

      Excerpt from "The Legend of Venture Canyon" by Shayna Matthews.

      Froth from the horse's mouth flew back in his face. Nostrils flared; his mount was blowing hard. Venture tried to concentrate on rhythmic pounding of the bay's hooves under his seat, but concentration didn't come easy when one was about to die. They were coming for him. Coming fast. They had fresh horses and arsenals strapped to their hips; a few even had rifles. What did he have? One lousy .44 with a handful of bullets.
      The cowboy glanced over his shoulder, gauging the distance between his pursuers and his own tired mount. They were too damn close!
      "Hells-fire, where'd they all come from?" Six had been closing in, now there were four more. Ten men. Ten, after him. He didn't like those odds at all. Digging spurs to flank, the bay leaped ahead with a valiant burst of speed, and he laughed. It was a sadistic laugh, that of a man who knew time was running out.

Be sure and leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a free ecopy of THE LEGEND OF VENTURE CANYON.

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