Interview: Oscar William Case

Oscar Case's new western novel, The Stranger from the Valley is now available from Amazon (click here to order), so it seemed a good time to throw a few questions at him.  He's been posting excerpts on his blog, BLOGGINCURLY, for some time now, and making me mighty curious. The most recent excerpt was just the other day. There's also a cool short story on his blog, called "I Ran into Butch Cassidy." And as I noted yesterday, he has a still another story, "Working for the Pawnee Agency," on The Western Online. This is one busy cowboy.

Me: How did you come to write The Stranger in the Valley?

Oscar: I wrote the novel in about six months, more or less, about four years ago, then set it aside.  A couple of years ago, I took another look at it and made another attempt at revising. As parts of have a fictionalized autobiographical aspect, I came to the conclusion that it isn't a truly traditional type western, but it is a western, nevertheless. The town of Altaveel is fictional, but I think it accurately reflects the people and their attitudes and manners in a small Mormon town sometime after the Civil War.

Me: Tell us about your hero.
Oscar: Chappie Wesford is a typical Marshal, but he is assigned to carry out an untypical mission, and puts his badge aside to travel to Altaveel for the Army to present awards to two citizens of the town. He is an older man, fearless, quick on the draw,  good at fisticuffs, and has a well-trained horse. He is a widower, easygoing, and falls for Widow Bigknife, who is shunned by the local wives, who think she is a woman of little virtue. New to the town, he has to make friends and win over enemies to complete the mission.

Me: Who or what is the antagonist?
Oscar: The Henberrys are the principal antagonists, the wealthiest and most powerful family in town, who think Wesford is there to take over their business interests for himself or others. Milt Henberry, the oldest son, is the main enforcer. He has a relationship with the Widow Bigknife, and has it in for Chappie, who appears to Milt to be enamoured with the Widow. He and Oakley Henberry try to kill Wesford.

Me: Who are your favorite writers?
Oscar: I don't have any favorites, but here are some that I like maybe a little more than others: Larry McMurtry, James Michener, Thomas Pynchon, Bernard DeVoto, Zane Grey, Wallace Stegner, Mark Twain, James Jones, Norman Mailer, and others. There are just too many not to include as favorites.

Me: How about western writers?
Oscar: There again, too many to pick out favorites, but I will list Larry McMurtry, Luke Short (Frederick Glidden), Wallace Stegner, Louis L'Amour, Max Brand (F.S. Faust), Elmer Kelton, Zane Grey. know most of these writers have passed on, but I grew up with those.

Me: Which of those guys have had the greatest influence on your own writing?
Oscar: As far as going about writing something, it has to be Zane Grey. He was the first writer I'd heard of, since my mother used to read to us out of Riders of the Purple Sage. He is probably why I write Westerns in these later years, if anybody. I'm glad she didn't read Tolstoy or Socrates.

Me: Has your writing been influenced by western films? Any in particular?

Oscar: Short answer, no. Long answer, not overtly. I don't have a movie in mind as I write, and I don't think about movies as I put it on paper, but I guess psychologically there could be some of it seeping in. After I had a draft of The Bloody Gulch, my wife and I were talking about it and she said the sheriff reminds her of James Arness of Gunsmoke. The last western I saw was Open Range on TV and before that Lonesome Dove.  The last western movie I saw  in a theater was The Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood.

Me: What's your writing background (other than fiction)?
Oscar: I took journalism in high school and was the sports editor for the school paper. A few years ago when I began to put some family history and genealogy books together for the family and decided that I would try my hand at writing something else. The first attempt was a biography of my great-great-grandfather, but I had to make up large portions of it to fill in the blank parts. I later converted the fictional parts into two separate novels, Reluctant Deputy Tom Anderson and Trouble at the Sagrado Ranch.

Me: Do you belong to a critique group?
Oscar: No. I was in a small Yahoo group for awhile, but it wasn't active enough, and I was too busy to really participate. I am taking classes at the Writer's Round Table of the Bishop Literary Service and getting feedback on my lesson writing there. Until it was put on line, had been attending classes for two or three years.  

Me: What have you been doing to promote The Stranger from the Valley?
Oscar: Being new at this, probably not as much as I should be, and mostly because of my budget. I've been putting it on the blog, of course, I have a site on Facebook, and I talk about it whenever I get the chance to push it. I've asked two local libraries to put it on their shelves, and have sent out a couple of news releases. This past weekend I had a short interview over the phone with a reporter, Lacey McMurry, of the Uintah Basin Standard of Roosevelt, Utah, a news provider for the locale of the novel.

Me: You say on your blog you have other novels in the works.
Oscar: Yes, The Bloody Gulch is next in line at the moment to be submitted to a publisher. Bloody Upamona is about ready to go, but it's waiting on The Gold Claim Wrangle to see what happens there. The Long Time Posse I like, but I don't think it's quite ready. Up The Arkansas has been put aside for now. Others I’m working on are Reluctant Deputy Tom Anderson and Trouble at the Sagrado Ranch.

Me: Best of luck, Oscar, with The Stranger from the Valley and all the rest!

Me again: It would be cruel to make you folks scroll way back to the top to place that order with Amazon, so I won't. You can click right here.

Wild Bunch Wednesday Story Challenge Part 8

The round-robin western with no name takes another bold step forward with today's contribution by mystery novelist Robert S. Napier. You'll find Part 8 in all its glory on The Cap'n's Blog. Cap'n Bob, as he is known to mystery and western fandom, is the author of the Fivestar mystery Love, Death and the Toyman (now out of print but not yet out of reach) and the upcoming The Toyman Rides Again. When not writing or ramrodding the Old West amateur press association OWLHOOT, he relaxes by strumming gentle ballads on his trusty guitar.

Parts 1 thru 6 of the epic Story With No Name have been gathered for your convenience by Ian Parnham on The Culbin Trail. Part 7 appeared last week on THE TAINTED ARCHIVE.

The distinguished group of wordslingers to participate so far include:
I.J. Parnham, Jack Giles, Chuck Tyrell, Evan Lewis, Jack Martin, James J. Griffin, and Joseph A. West. Welcome to the ranks, Cap'n Bob.

Part 9 is now up for grabs. Who will write it? If you're ready to accept the challenge, make a comment on The Cap'n's Blog.

Coming Attraction: The Stranger from the Valley

In celebration of Wild Bunch Wednesday, the Almanack will be pleased to present an exclusive interview with Oscar William Case, author of the new western novel The Stranger from the Valley. Look for it right here in just about 24 hours. While you're waiting, you might want to gallop over to The Western Online and read Oscar's short story, "Working for the Pawnee Agency."

The Story With No Name Part 7

Western author Joseph A. West has turned in a fine Part 7 to the Wild Bunch Wednesday Story Challenge over at THE TAINTED ARCHIVE. Joe told Gary Dobbs he's written 27 western novels. I'm impressed. Because his website is under construction, I swiped this bio from Amazon:

Joe West was born and raised in the seaside town of Saltcoats in Scotland. At 19 he became a police officer, but soon turned his love of writing into a career as a journalist, working for the Daily Mirror in London among others. In 1972 West was recruited as a reporter for the National Enquirer, and began working in the United States. Traveling the world in search of stories, West almost froze to death on an Alaska mountain, and a spider bite nearly killed him in the Amazon rainforest. “I swelled up like a balloon and turned a real pretty violet color,” he recalls.

Now a full-time novelist, West and his wife Emily reside in sunny Palm Beach, Florida, where he enjoys tamer pursuits like canoeing the alligator-infested swamps of the Everglades. His 22-year-old daughter Alexandria attends a local college where she studies forensic technology. She will have absolutely nothing to do with canoes and alligators. West researches the settings of his novels by exploring the terrain in person, usually with little more than a sleeping bag and a can of coffee.

Recently he and Emily celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a gift from the students at Rio Rancho High School who use West’s first novel as a textbook. They then spent a month in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico, often pitching their tent where the air is thin at 9,000 feet above the flat.

For more, check out Steve M's interview with Joe at Western Fiction Review.

Ian Parnham has kindly gathered Parts 1 thru 6 of the round-robin Story Challenge on his blog. But if you'd rather do it the hard way, you can find them here:

Part 1 by I.J. Parnham
Part 2 by Jack Giles
Part 3 by Chuck Tyrell
Part 4 by Evan Lewis
Part 5 by Jack Martin
Part 6 by James J. Griffin

As of this posting, Part 8 is still up for grabs. Want to take a hand? Hop over to THE TAINTED ARCHIVE and say so. No blog required.

The Toyman Rides Again

I probably shouldn't dangle this cover before your eyes so soon. It'll make you want the book right now - and it won't be published until March. But I couldn't help myself. So here's my advice: Find a jar and slap a "Toyman Rides Again" on it. Then, every day as you empty change from your pockets, dump the dough in that jar. You won't miss the money, and by March you'll have enough to buy a copy for yourself and another for your Aunt Petunia.

Here's the setup: Former investigative reporter Jack Lorentz just wants to be left alone to run his business dealing collectible toys from the Baby Boomer era. In the first book in this Fivestar series, Love, Death and the Toyman, Jack was dragged into (and solved) a nasty murder case. Now, as he tries to get his toy business back on track, he's plagued by publicity from that case. A new client barges in, insisting Jack investigate mysterious goings-on in a troop of 7th Cavalry re-enactors. The troop is heading for Montana, and the General Custer of the group is getting death threats. Well, Jack rides along, and before you know it he's knee-deep in trouble on the Little Bighorn. It's half-mystery, half-western, and all thrills. Get it now! Oops, I mean get it in March!

Welcome Jack Giles (& Friends).

When easyrider45 turned up among Davy’s Followers, I didn’t know who he was. But after putting on my Philip Marlowe hat I finally figured out he’s western authors Jack Giles and Ryker Frost, who are really Ray Foster. Confused? It gets better. Ray is the grandfather of western writer Peter Avarillo (whose real name, I think, is Chantel), who will have a story in the upcoming Express Westerns anthology. He also has a cat named Dog who is actually a jackalope. No, I made that part up. Maybe.

Ray has written nine Black Horse westerns as Jack Giles and two as Ryker Frost. His latest book (by Jack) is Lawmen, published last year. You can ride with him on his blog, Open Range, or peek behind the authorial mask on his website. Finding no pictures of Jack/Ray on blog or website, I commissioned a renowned illustrator to come up with an artist's conception. Then, after the painting was done, I found a photo elsewhere. Both are presented here. Can you tell which is which? I didn't think so.

Coming Attraction: James J. Griffin

Yes, prolific western writer Jim Griffin (still another member of the Owlhoot gang) will appear on these pages next week to present Part 6 of the Wild Bunch Wednesday Story Challenge, otherwise known as The Story with No Name. Jim (seen here with Yankee the Wonder Horse) is the author of seven Texas Ranger novels and a passel of short stories. Visit him at jamesjgriffin.net.

Followers or Leaders? You decide.

Davy and I would like to pay belated tribute to three loyal Followers who have been following his adventures for quite some time. These three women are long-suffering members of critique groups he and I have infested for years. Yes, believe it or not, Davy sometimes turns up in my writing, and they know the old boy well. Good critique groups are hard to find, and I’ve been lucky enough to land in two. These stalwarts have helped with all aspects of storytelling, but each also has a specialty. Ann keeps me honest in plant and animal matters, Marilyn reminds me I need a setting to go with the dialogue, and Kassandra always wants more emotional punch. My everlasting thanks to them all.

Marilyn McFarlane (aka “gardener”) has traveled the globe to write innumerable travel books, a cookbook and an illustrated book on sacred myths. (Yes, that's the Eiffel Tower behind her.) She’ll soon be making her mark in the mystery field too. She has a novel about wiccans in Oregon just about ready to market, and has just started something new and completely different. Visit her sophisticated website here.

Ann Littlewood is already a star. Her zoo mystery Night Kill was published last year by Poisoned Pen, and has garnered dozens of rave reviews. The group is now following her progress on book 2 in the series, and we’ve had the privilege of already reading book 3. Ann’s an ex-zookeeper, so when she talks animals it’s the real deal. Drop by her website for a sample chapter of Night Kill, and her blog for more zoo musings.

Kassandra Kelly refuses to be put in a genre box. When our group started she was writing a mystery, but it had aliens in it (maybe). In the years since she’s done straight sf, fantasy, horror, western, and cutting edge YA. Her current project has elements of all those genres. She’s been experimenting with the story and sharing large portions of it on her blog, Madison, After. You’ll find her fiction at various places online. Read The Moon Dreams of Water or Nine- or Ten-Foot Angels, or listen to The Cat, the Desert and Lucky .003. For a mere $2.50 (a steal, believe me) you can even download a complete novel, intriguingly titled Girl on Girl.

Ridin' the Culbin Trail with I.J. Parnham.

Since 2001, Ian (I.J.) Parnham has seen 17 Black Horse and 5 Avalon westerns published. His latest BHW, Riders of the Barren Plains, came out in July, and two more are scheduled for next year. His latest Avalon book, The Treasure of St. Woody, was released this month. He also wrangles two blogs, The Culbin Trail and Black Horse Express. You can even follow him on Twitter. This is one busy cowboy.

Is there a real Culbin Trail? Yep, sort of. It winds through the Culbin Forest, a huge park and nature preserve on the shoreline of the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, not far from Ian’s homestead. According to the brochure, it’s a great place for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. They have sand dunes, mud flats, wild critters and tales of settlers who were wiped out in 1694 by a cataclysmic storm.

Ian’s Black Horse books involve a wide cast of characters, but the one who seems to pop up most is Sheriff Cassidy Yates. His Avalon books all feature a couple of gents named Randolph McDougal and Fergis O’Brien, whom he says were oddly inspired by the TV series Blackadder. On his website, you can read the first chapters of 20 different novels. Add them up and it's like getting a whole book free. Proud to have you perusing the Almanack, Ian.

Jeff Smith, Spawn of the Spawn of the Spawn of Soapy.

OK, I’ll admit I’d never heard of Old West badman Soapy Smith. My first reaction was, Wasn’t that an old comic strip character? But no, I was thinking of Snuffy Smith. And there was once a strip called Soapy, drawn by Joe Musial, who sometimes ghosted Snuffy. But Jeff Smith’s Soapy was a real guy, a fascinating character, and Jeff’s great- grandfather to boot. Jeff’s book Alias Soapy Smith, The Life and Death of a Scoundrel is due out this month, and Jeff has done a truly incredible job of promoting it. He has an extensive Soapy website and a cool blog loaded with photos and factoids from Soapy’s life and times. All writers could learn from this. His efforts certainly worked on me. I look forward to the book. Thanks for joining us, Jeff!

Nik Morton, one-time World Authority on Webb Patent Gas Sewer Lamps, and more.

Here’s Nik wearing his game face as he edits the upcoming Express Westerns anthology, which may or may not be called Where Legends Ride 2. Nik has multiple personalities. His first books were published under the name Robert W. Nicholson. He now writes westerns as Ross Morton (most recently The $300 Man), is half of an author named Faulkner Nicholson (Wings of the Overlord coming soon), and writes mysteries (the latest is The Prague Manuscript, with The Tehran Transmission due this year) under his own name. Assuming, of course, that Nik Morton is his real name. Heck, it could be Ernest Hemingway. He’s also a screenwriter, and has illustrated some of his own book covers. Much more at his website, and at his blog, WRITEALOT. Welcome to the Almanack, Nik!

A tip of the jug to Joanne Walpole.

Davy encourages you all to knock back a dram of good Tennessee corn licker in honor of Follower Joanne Walpole. Joanne rides the Black Horse trail as Terry James. Her first BH book, Long Shadows, was published in May, and her next, Echoes of a Gunman, is coming in February. She's also the instigator of Wild Bunch Wednesday, which looks destined to become an Internet tradition. Limber up your trigger finger and click here to peruse her fine blog.

Jumpin' catfish! It's James Reasoner!

See that little cowpoke in the Wyatt Earp vest on the Followers roster? Yep, that's James Reasoner. Davy is in awe of this guy. And why not? James is one of the true Fictioneers of the modern age. He’s written so many books, under so many names, that if I started listing them now I’d still be typing next week. In any given year, he writes more books than most humans even read. There's a list on his web site to prove it. I’m particularly fond of his 10-volume Civil War saga. Start with Manassas and you’ll see why. Somehow he also finds time to blog, at Rough Edges. His latest books under his own name, as far as I know, are Dust Devils (a mystery) and Death Head Crossing (a western). His latest under other names, are (I think) Longarm and the Valley of Skulls and The Trailsman 325: Seminole Showdown. Of course, he probably has a couple more coming out next week. Plus, as this unretouched photo illustrates, he’s a snappy dresser. I'm with Davy. I’m in awe of this guy, too.

Davy welcomes Laurie Powers.

Davy loves pulp magazines. The rough feel and sharp scent of the paper reminds him of life in the backwoods, and the no-holds-barred storytelling follows the tradition of his own tall tales. So he gets a special kick out of Laurie’s Wild West, a blog just packed with pulpy wonder. And when he learned that Laurie Powers had joined his merry band of Followers he let out a whoop that startled the neighbors for miles around. I’d planned to review the book she co-wrote/edited with/about her grandfather sooner or later, so I might as well do it right now.

Welcome Renaissance Cowpoke Gary Dobbs

Davy's newest Follower is an actor, mystery writer, western novelist and author of one of the best (and busiest) blogs on the 'net. How he finds time to do all this is beyond me. Maybe, like the amazing Bill Crider, he just never sleeps. Do yourself a favor and check out his blog, The Tainted Archive. You won't be sorry. Gary's Black Horse Western novel, The Tarnished Star by Jack Martin, is now available through Amazon.

A big frontier howdy to Cap'n Bob.

Davy salutes his newest Follower, the world-renowned author of Love, Death and the Toyman (and a soon-to-be sequel), hard-driving ramrod of the Old West APA Owlhoot, leading candidate to play Curly in the new Stooges flick, die-hard Custer enthusiast, swell tap dancer, and one of the premier collectors of plastic toy soldiers on the planet. Pull up a stool and bite into a b'ar steak, Cap'n.