Greetings,
I apologize that posts to this blog have been mighty thin lately... too much travel, too many book deadlines and not enough time in the day to get everything done. That is the problem with being busy. On the other hand, it beats the hell out of boredom.
A quick note about the Western Writers of America annual convention in Springfield, Missouri... it was an incredibly fun time. I enjoyed getting to see many friends, including W.C. Jameson and Laurie Wagner Buyer (who won a Spur this year for her incredible poetry), to name just a couple. It was also wonderful to meet so many folks that I've only known via telephone conversations and email, like Loren Estleman and his lovely wife Deb Morgan, Elmer Kelton, Phil Dunlap, and Larry Sweazy, to name just a few.
I had a really great meeting with the WWA Board of Directors and we talked about the program I've suggested called READ THE WEST. I think we're going to be able to put together something really special.
Gary Goldstein, of Kensington/Pinnacle was there, and we had a great meeting. As many of the readers of this blog know, the LOST TRAILS anthology I co-edited with Martin H. Greenberg is out now, and I'm excited to announce that we're going to be doing another one very soon. (Please, save your digibits and don't write to me about this. Invites will go out when it's appropriate.)
Beyond attending the conference, I've been insanely busy with book deadlines and trying to squeeze in quality time with my sons while they're up here from Arizona. So... I'm a bit behind in my reviewing. Please anticipate that I'll get caught up in the next week or so.
On another note, I received a really fantastic email from someone, who mentioned that Tim McGuire is conducting an Internet campaign to save one of his western series, about a character called Rainmaker. You can visit the website at http://www.timmcguire.com and find out more. (It's not an incredibly well designed site, in my opinion, but Tim is a step ahead of many western writers - at least he has one.)
This same email offered another suggestion, which I think worth pursuing: a canon of Western literature or even just a list of living authors currently writing westerns. Damn fine ideas on both counts. So, folks, let's hear your ideas. We've got two (2) lists: canon and contemporary. An author may, of course, appear on either one or both. Give me some comments and I'll start putting together a continuously updated list with a link on the side of the blog.
As a start, let's get some out of the way:
CANON:
THE SACKETTS (series)
by Louis L'Amour,
SHANE by Jack Schaefer,
RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE by Zane Grey,
THE DAY THE COWBOYS QUIT by Elmer Kelton....
CONTEMPORARY: Loren Estleman, Johnny Boggs, Ed Gorman, Richard Wheeler, Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, John Jakes...
That's enough, I think, to get us started, but I would like to hear your thoughts. Please share them in the comments trail.
As for me, I'm back to the mill, but look for new reviews in the next week!
Regards,
Russell Davis
