Ask the Author: Mark Lee Gardner
Answered Questions (10)
Mark Lee Gardner
It's very difficult to know who was the defacto leader. By some accounts, most of those associated with Jesse and Frank liked Jesse best and wanted to follow him, but they also say that Frank was the planner and brains behind their robberies. Also, there are accounts that depict tension between Cole and Jesse over who had the leadership role. I don't think Cole would ever have admitted that Jesse was the leader, and he certainly would never have taken orders from Jesse. In most cases, their activities were likely the result of a group decision.
If I had to choose, I would pick Cliff Robertson, simply because he correctly portrayed Cole as a very friendly, likable character. Carradine's portrayal was too dark and sinister.
If I had to choose, I would pick Cliff Robertson, simply because he correctly portrayed Cole as a very friendly, likable character. Carradine's portrayal was too dark and sinister.
Mark Lee Gardner
Hi, Andrew. It would be cool if Garrett did cross paths with Wyatt or Holliday, but it doesn't appear that they did. Pat Garrett arrived at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, early in 1878, and we know that Wyatt and Doc were in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1879, so I suppose it's possible. However, Garrett seems to have stuck to the Fort Sumner area for the first year or two after his arrival. Garrett could have met Earp in later years, but there is no record of such a meeting.
Mark Lee Gardner
Hi, Andrew. Jeff Guinn published a very good book on the OK Corral trouble back in 2012 titled The Last Gunfight, so unless there's some amazing never-before-seen information that comes to light, there's probably no need for another book. The Johnson County War is definitely interesting, but probably not enough name recognition for a national audience. It's been several years since I saw McQueen's take on Tom Horn, but I did enjoy that film. Larry Ball's Tom Horn in Life and Legend (2014) is the definitive biography.
Very glad you're liking Shot All To Hell. Hope you can say the same about Rough Riders! Please post a review -- even a few sentences will do.
Mark
Very glad you're liking Shot All To Hell. Hope you can say the same about Rough Riders! Please post a review -- even a few sentences will do.
Mark
Mark Lee Gardner
S. Daisy: I'm so sorry I somehow missed your message from a year ago! Your best bet to get review copies would be through my publicist at HarperCollins. Her name is Heidi Richter, and you can e-mail her at Heidi.Richter@HARPERCOLLINS.com. That would only be for the three books I've done for William Morrow/HarperCollins. The other publishers probably wouldn't be as willing to send review copies. Good luck.
Mark Lee Gardner
I'm afraid that's a myth. Part of Garrett's success in hunting down the Kid came from the fact that he knew the land and its people. Garrett would be a fish out of water in Missouri.
Hope you enjoy Shot All To Hell.
Hope you enjoy Shot All To Hell.
Mark Lee Gardner
Thanks for the good words regarding my To Hell on a Fast Horse. I would have to say James Coburn in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid probably did the best Garrett. Coburn had a similar physical presence as Garrett, and I thought he really embodied the dark period of Garrett's later years. Of course, it's not the later years that are portrayed in Peckinpah's classic but 1881, yet it was still part of Garrett's essence. I do like Ethan Hawke in The Kid, and I was excited to see that Garrett was finally portrayed as a good guy and not a villain. But Hawke, who did a fine job, simply came off as a generic strong-willed sheriff character, not Garrett.
Mark Lee Gardner
No worries, Andrew. Sad to say, but Billy and Jesse did not meet in Las Vegas, or anywhere else. A Dr. Henry Hoyt claimed to have witnessed the supposed meeting between the two outlaws, but his account is not reliable for various reasons I won't get into here. Ron's The Kid is a novel, of course, which allows him the freedom to embellish the historical record, create dialogue, etc. Sometimes I wish I could do that!
Mark Lee Gardner
Hi, Andrew:
Ron's novel is quite good. I was pleased to have been able to assist him a little while he was doing his research for it. You should also check out his The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (and then watch the movie version with Brad Pitt).
So glad you enjoyed To Hell on a Fast Horse. Thanks for your question.
Mark
Ron's novel is quite good. I was pleased to have been able to assist him a little while he was doing his research for it. You should also check out his The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (and then watch the movie version with Brad Pitt).
So glad you enjoyed To Hell on a Fast Horse. Thanks for your question.
Mark
Mark Lee Gardner
Hi, Alexander. The book giveaway is organized by my publisher, HarperCollins, so it's up to them which books and how many are offered. The norm is to do book giveaways to build buzz about a book that is about to be released. Glad you are signed up for Rough Riders and hope you win!
Mark Lee Gardner
The story of perhaps the two most iconic figures to come of the American West. Title: Brothers of the Gun: Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the Friendship that became a Wild West Legend.
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