Six Guns & Shootouts

Submissions for “Six Guns & Shootouts” have been rolling in steadily and the first volume is now filled and is entering the editorial stage. If all goes as planned, it should be available sometime in August. I also have a few submissions of full length novels that look promising. The overall quality of the submitted work is quite high and there are some really top notch tales in the group.

Meanwhile, though SG&S #2 and #3 are filling up, there is still space for both western fiction and non fiction. Those interested in submitting their work should visit:

http://www.western-stories.com/six-guns-westerns/six-guns-westerns.html

(Authors who have had their work accepted should expect an information packet on the release, contracts, etc. in the coming days.)

For Six Guns & Shootouts #1 I have accepted the following works:

“Who Killed Thomas Godwin?” a really wonderful article by David Dyas that discusses the killing of a Tehachapi, California lawman by the name of Thomas Godwin. Godwin was shot down in a Tehachapi saloon in 1876 by a career badman using the alias of James Hayes. Also included are some nice photos.

In a “A Deep-Dyed Villian”, Celia Hayes details the little known exploits of J.P. Waldrip, who was among the leadership of a Pro-Confederate group known as The Hanging Band. Waldrip and his cronies terrorized German immigrants in the Texas Hill Country during the American Civil War for their lack of “patriotism”.

Jannet L. Grady's “The Debonaire Killer” discusses the exploits of dandy gunman and accomplished train robber, Marion Hedgepath.

To round out the non-fiction in this volume, comes my article “The Wild One” which follows the escapades of gunslick, horse thief and all around hard-drinking, hell-raiser Hank Vaughan who terrorized (and no doubt also entertained) the population of Eastern Oregon's High Desert Country during the late 1800's.

Meanwhile, the western fiction begins with Edie Amos' highly entertaining tale of how a few over zealous cowpokes raised a big stink in a small Arizona town in “The Election Day at San Simon”.

Mark Mellon introduces us to Heck Pargrew, a fella the city fathers should have maybe left well alone in “Buzzards Circle Dogtown”.

Karlton Douglas' “Commanche Justice” shows us that people are not always as they may appear.

Patricia Probert Gott takes us for a gorgeous ride through Old Wyoming along with a few dudes from out East in her descriptive short, “Cowgirl Up”.


In Paul Dellinger's “Bring Me The Head of Curly Bill”, visiting dime novelist Marcus Stewart is looking all over Tombstone for proof of the death of “Curly Bill” Brocious. Some of Curly Bill's former associates are not exactly what you might call helpful.

Joe L. Murr's “Dead Ears” leads us along the vengeance trail as a young man seeks to avenge the death of his family.

A mysterious man in gray teaches a local hard case a lesson he'll never forget in Teel James Glenn's “The Ghostmaker's Lesson”.

Matt Casey gives us a slightly different take on how to get away with highway robbery in his “Faking it to Omaha”.

In “Once A Ranger” by James J. Griffin, we learn that we should always respect our elders.

In Kit Prate's haunting tale “Widow”, a woman grants a final wish to her husband as a condemned Indian stands ready to meet his maker at a gallows. (This story was originally published in "Far West" in 1980).

Evan Lewis spins us a very fine re-telling of an old Texas tall-tale in “The Devil and Strap Buckner”.

In “Trail to Nowhere”, David A. Hardy tells us a rich tale that reads like a piece of real Texas history.

And finally, courtesy of his estate's agent (Mr. Will Murray), I am pleased to be able to present an unpublished western story by pulp legend Lester Dent (1904-1959) who is best known as the creator of “Doc Savage”. During the pulp era, Dent was widely regarded as the most successful author of the day. Mr. Murray states that “Snare Savvy” was probably written sometime in the 1930's when Dent was at the height of his career.

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to seeing the release of Six Guns & Shootouts Vol. #1 in the near future.


Regards,

Kerby

P.S. - My apologies to those authors who have sites that are not linked. If I missed anyone in a net search, please send me your link.

Six Guns Westerns update

I am really pleased to announce that my Six Guns Westerns project is really coming together.

Guidelines for "Six Guns and Shootouts" now appear on Ralan.com. Check it out here.

Meanwhile the submissions are really starting to roll in and so far, the quality looks pretty good. I am really looking forward to getting the first volume out there.

If you are interested in submitting your own work, check out the guidelines here.

Western Small Press: SIX GUNS WESTERNS

Six Guns Westerns is devoted to keeping Western fiction alive and well in the 21st century.

We are currently accepting submissions of western fiction, as well as non-fiction pertaining to the Old West, for our new anthology series SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS.

SIX GUNS is a periodic print anthology of Western fiction, interspersed with related non fiction. During 2009, we intend to publish at least two volumes of SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS and possibly as many as four.

If you would like to submit your work to SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS, please consider the following guidelines:


Genre: Western fiction set West of the Mississippi River between 1830 and 1915. We are seeking well written, short fiction with historical accuracy, compelling characters and fast moving plots. There are no word limitations and no set themes beyond the fact that your submission must be a Traditional Western. (Sorry, no space cowboys or time travelers, though we will accept stories with a supernatural element. Tales of ghosts were popular in the Old West). No excessive language, sex or gore beyond what is necessary to define the characters and to further the story. We are also seeking related non-fiction. Reprints are okay. We have no word count maximums.

Pay: If your story/article is accepted for publication in SIX GUNS & SHOOTOUTS, we are currently paying one contributor copy, plus an equal share of royalties from the profits of each sale.

Response Time: We try to respond to submissions as soon as possible, usually within 2 to 4 weeks.

Format: Please send your submission in .rtf format or in the body of an e-mail. We cannot accept submissions in MS Works. You know the drill: submissions should be proof read and free of spelling or punctuation errors, etc.



Longer Works: At this time, we are also accepting submissions of longer works in the guise of western fiction ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 words (about 120 to 140 pages), as well non fiction books (no word maximum), for stand alone publication. Short story collections or a mix of both fiction and non fiction are also welcome.

For Western fiction, we want fast moving stories with historical accuracy, believable settings and compelling characters.

Non fiction submissions can cover a wide range of topics, including local interest, just so long as it's about the period of the Old West. Photographs are considered a plus for non fiction projects.

At this time, we pay an advance of $75, plus five copies of your book for longer works upon publication. We also offer a royalty rate of 15% of all profits.


In addition to our titles being listed on Amazon.com and other online sellers, we will also actively be seeking brick and mortar distributors of our books, mostly in the guise of Western interest and book stores.

Please e-mail your submissions or queries to: kerby@western-stories.com

Consolidation

Some of you know that I had so many blogs that it was difficult to keep up with them all.

Needless to say, I've decided to consolidate all of these into a single blog and have moved all of the most important entries from the others to this one.

For those of you who stop in, I'd be much obliged if you hit that little "Follow"
button at the top.

~ Kerby
www.kerbyjackson.com

Western Paperbacks: Written in Blood: The Further Exploits of Hayden Tilden

Written in Blood: The Further Exploits of Hayden Tilden
by J. Lee Butts

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Berkley (February 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425226301
ISBN-13: 978-0425226308

On a late night trip to Walmart to pick up another pair of rubber boots for doing some prospecting, I decided to check out the ample selection of westerns that our local Walmart carries. As is my habit, I generally grab at least two Westerns. Usually one by an author that I like such as Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Luke Short or William Johnstone, and then another by an author that I typically haven't read. If I can't do that, I pick them by publisher. In this case, I picked up a Leisure reprint of John Trace's "Trigger Vengeance" and "Written in Blood" by J. Lee Butts.

had heard a lot about J. Lee Butts, but must admit that until recently, I hadn't read anything by him.

"Written in Blood" begins with an aging Hayden Tilden. He is a sassy old cuss, a retired lawman living in an old folks home during the 1940's. Nearly 90 years old, but still full of piss and vinegar, he despises his situation, his age. He sees ghosts of his long gone friends, yearns for the old days and begins to recall the past. Tilden begins to tell us a story from his younger days.

Let me say right here, that J. Lee Butts can write. The first chapter or so of "Written in Blood" is remindful of some of my favorite works of Elmer Kelton or Johnny Boggs. Tilden is a very likeable character and you can't help but to sympathize with his plight of old age. I really thought I was going to enjoy the story that Tilden's character was about to relate.

However ...

Butts soon introduces us to Hayden Tilden's old sidekick. The fella begins to relate to Tilden the exploits of a notorious outlaw gang that they need to track down immediately.

Well, never mind the outlaws, because I found Tilden's pal's description of the exploits so annoying that I was kind of hoping that Tilden would plug him with his Peacemaker. The sidekick launches himself into page after page of overdone, old Hollywoodesque, Western vernacular to the point that I would have kind of liked to have plugged him myself.

It may be that the character's overuse of stereotypical vernacular was intended to be a bit humorous (much like was done in the exploitation film "The Terror of Tiny Town" during the 30's), but I personally found it very distracting and unrealistic. Real people in the Old West simply did not speak this way and though a Western should be entertaining, like Louis L'Amour, I believe that Westerns are a type of historical fiction. As writers, we should all be striving not just to entertain, but also to enlighten people about the authentic Old West.

Needless to say, I simply had to put "Written in Blood" down. It's not often that I don't finish a Western, but this was one of those rare instances.

However, as I said earlier, J. Lee Butts can definitely write and up until the sidekick came on the page, I really liked "Written in Blood".

Needless to say, I will be trying him again in the hope that Tilden's sidekick isn't on the scene.

Western Paperbacks: Walk Proud, Stand Tall by Johnny D. Boggs

Leisure Books; Reprint edition (October 30, 2007)

ISBN-10: 0843959010
ISBN-13: 978-0843959017

I hate to admit it, but even though I have been reading Westerns for YEARS, I have only been familiar with the work of Johnny D. Boggs for a short time. The first work of his that I had the pleasure of reading was his short "The Cody War" which appreared in the Lost Trails anthology (Pinnacle, 2007). To date, "The Cody War" is the finest short western story that I've ever read, so needless to say, my expectations for the next thing I read by Boggs was very high. The man does disappoint either.

"Walk Proud, Stand Tall" follows the story of Lin Garrett, a retired 70 year old Arizona lawman who in 1913, is a man from another time who spends his days in an old folks home brooding on his past and remembering the man that he once was and kicking himself over his past mistakes. Garrett is joined by his old deputy Randolph Corbett who tries his best to keep things lively by entertaining the hospital staff with stories from their youth.

Meanwhile, Ollie Sinclair, another old timer and a former nemesis of Garrett's is released from prison and in defiance of his own age, forms a new gang and robs a nearby train to have one last hurrah.

Amidst the bumbling of younger men, Garrett and Corbett soon saddle up and have one last ride in an effort to track Sinclair down.

"Walk Proud, Stand Tall" is reminescent of some of Elmer Kelton's better novels. Boggs' characters will always have a place in your memory and as a writer, he stands shoulder to shoulder with any one else out there.

Get it at Amazon.com

Books about Oregon: Fire At Eden's Gate: Tom McCall & The Oregon Story

Fire At Eden's Gate: Tom McCall & The Oregon Story
by Brent Walth

If you were born in Oregon, or if you have ever lived in Oregon, even if you don't know anything about the man himself or what he accomplished, you have probably heard of Tom McCall.

Born Thomas Lawson McCall in March of 1922, as the grandson of two powerful American figures (Copper king Thomas Lawson and politician Samuel W McCall), for nearly thirty five years, McCall's influence over Oregon reigned supreme over nearly every public figure in the state. Starting as a newspaper journalist in the 1930's, McCall was a pioneer among early radio news announcers and later graduated to early television. McCall entered the Oregon political arena in the late 40's as an assistant to Governor Douglas McKay. By 1954, McCall had won the Republican nomination for Oregon's Third Congressional District only to lose the election to Edith Green. However, having remained out of politics for some time, in 1966, McCall was elected to his first term as Oregon Governor under the Republican ticket and was later re-elected in 1970.

In an era of notoriously corrupt politics, with the exception of his private life where he struggled with debt, the drug addiction of his youngest son and his own affliction with cancer, McCall shines through as an enormously forthright and human individual despite holding a major public office. While other polititians of his day despised and often avoided the press, McCall routinely sought the press out in an effort to inform people of the inner workings of Oregon's government. Considered too much of a populist for Republican tastes and too conservative for the tastes of Democrats, McCall firmly established himself with a reputation of being a maverick. While the people loved him, others in politics distrusted him.

As governor, McCall was finally in the position to do something about the issues that had always been dear to his heart. Namely, this included McCall's profound respect for the Oregon lands. During his tenure, he restored Oregon's beaches to public ownership, introduced the nation's first bottle bill, blocked the U.S. military from dumping chemical weapons in Oregon, guarded stands of wilderness from clear cutting, cleaned up the Willamette River and halted the advancement of urban sprawl into precious farm land. Long before the appearance of Ross Perot, Tom McCall spoke of the need for what he called a "Third Force" in American politics. He was also largely responsible for bringing down the Nixon administration over Watergate, by publicly demanding that Nixon resign.

Tom McCall made himself many enemies.

On January 12th, 1971, as McCall was entering his second term as governor, he was propelled to nationwide fame. That evening he appeared on CBS and was asked to sum up his views on conservation. (Which he was already famous for). What came out of McCall's mouth, is still the subject of a lot of debate, when McCall promptly remarked:

"We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't move here."


Having long been enraged over urbanization, Oregonians instantly embraced McCall's "Visit, but don't stay" remark. Anti-tourism materials promptly appeared statewide. One pamphlet of the period stated:

"Tom McCall, governor of the Great State of Oregon, cordially invites you to visit ... Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, California, Hawaii or Afghanistan"

Another stated:

"People in Oregon love to see out of staters. Send us some photos of yourself when you get a chance."

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods, bumper stickers began to appear that read:

"We Shoot Every Other Car With California License Plates"

Commercials appeared on TV pushing Oregon made products, while trashing products made elsewhere.

Though a tremendous sense of statewide pride surged through Oregonians due to McCall's statement, as well as a major boom in Oregon made products, McCall's words actually backfired on him and actually incited a rush to Oregon that had not been seen since the days of the Overlanders.

In the end, Oregon's economy actually collapsed. Tom McCall was an easy scapegoat, in that people claimed that "Visit but don't stay", as well McCall's legislation had discouraged business interests in coming to Oregon. Meanwhile, the enviornmental movement had somehow outgrown McCall, regarding him as out of touch on current issues.

In 1978, and anxious to do more work for his ailing state, Tom McCall once again desired to be governor, but in refusing to run as an Independent, he was beaten in the Republican primary.

In 1982, Governor Vic Atiyeh sought to remove the last vestige of "Visit, but don't stay" in the form of a sign that sits at the Oregon border with California on I-5. The sign read "Welcome to Oregon. Enjoy your visit". Atiyeh wanted to blow the sign up with dynamite to get the press there and publicly announce that Oregon was open for business, regardless of the potential damage.

Despite the fact that he was dying of cancer, McCall crashed Atiyeh's press conference and had the last word, saying:

"There's been a lot of bad mouthing about 'visit but don't stay'. It served its purpose. We were saying 'visit but don't stay' because Oregon, queen bee though she is, is not yet ready for the swarm. I am simply saying that Oregon is demure and lovely, and it ought to play a little hard to get. And I think you'll all be just as sick as I am if you find it is nothing but a hungry hussy, throwing herself at every stinking smokestack that's offered."


Brent Walth, a reporter at the Eugene Register Guard, does an excellent job in writing "Fire At Eden's Gate". Through his work, you can get a real sense of the sort of man that McCall was. Unlike other writings about McCall (which portray him either as a saint, or a demon) Walth gives us a genuine look at the man himself, as well as how he came to be, where he succeeded and where he failed.

If you're interested in Oregon, in politics, historical figures or if you're just pissed off at the state of the country and would like a breath of fresh air, pick up a copy of "Fire At Eden's Gate".

Get "Fire At Eden's Gate" at Amazon.