Patrick Dearen's Blog
March 11, 2024
2024 Spur Award finalist
Western Writers of America (WWA) has named my novel "Grizzly Moon" a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Spur Award for western traditional novel.
Since 1953 the Spur Awards have honored the nation's most outstanding works in western literature. My novel "The Big Drift" won the Spur Award in 2015, and another of my novels, "When Cowboys Die," was a finalist in 1995.
WWA will honor the 2024 finalists at its June convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm grateful to WWA and to Tiffany Schofield of Five Star/Cengage, which published "Grizzly Moon."
"Grizzly Moon" is based on the actual 1899 hunt for the only confirmed grizzly ever found in Texas. Historical Novel Society called it "a classic western novel which will appeal to fans of the genre . . . The predominant themes include tragedy, guilt, heartbreak and questionable desire for revenge."
Since 1953 the Spur Awards have honored the nation's most outstanding works in western literature. My novel "The Big Drift" won the Spur Award in 2015, and another of my novels, "When Cowboys Die," was a finalist in 1995.
WWA will honor the 2024 finalists at its June convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I'm grateful to WWA and to Tiffany Schofield of Five Star/Cengage, which published "Grizzly Moon."
"Grizzly Moon" is based on the actual 1899 hunt for the only confirmed grizzly ever found in Texas. Historical Novel Society called it "a classic western novel which will appeal to fans of the genre . . . The predominant themes include tragedy, guilt, heartbreak and questionable desire for revenge."
July 29, 2022
Inductee, Texas Literary Hall of Fame
It's the honor of a lifetime.
I've just been named to the Texas Literary Hall of Fame.
Upon induction October 19 in Fort Worth, I'll be one of only 66 Texas authors, past and present, ever admitted. Members include Elmer Kelton, Larry McMurtry, J. Frank Dobie, Katherine Anne Porter, John Graves, Horton Foote, and Walter Prescott Webb.
Founded in 2004, the Texas Literary Hall of Fame honors "authors whose body of work, fiction or nonfiction, significantly contributes to Texas' literary heritage; is original; was first published in this country; (and) has been previously recognized for its literary significance."
Texas Christian University now administers the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, with an endowment from Fort Worth Public Library.
To say I'm stunned and humbled would be an understatement.
I've just been named to the Texas Literary Hall of Fame.
Upon induction October 19 in Fort Worth, I'll be one of only 66 Texas authors, past and present, ever admitted. Members include Elmer Kelton, Larry McMurtry, J. Frank Dobie, Katherine Anne Porter, John Graves, Horton Foote, and Walter Prescott Webb.
Founded in 2004, the Texas Literary Hall of Fame honors "authors whose body of work, fiction or nonfiction, significantly contributes to Texas' literary heritage; is original; was first published in this country; (and) has been previously recognized for its literary significance."
Texas Christian University now administers the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, with an endowment from Fort Worth Public Library.
To say I'm stunned and humbled would be an understatement.
March 22, 2022
Award for "Haunted Border"
My novel "Haunted Border" has just received the Elmer Kelton Award of West Texas Historical Association.
The citation, which includes a cash prize, was announced in Lubbock, Texas at WTHA's 97th conference. The award recognizes the best creative work on West Texas, a region that dwarfs most states.
"This is a wonderful achievement on your part," said executive director Tai Kreidler upon informing me. "We are so pleased to have had such a book be a part of the Review."
It's a special honor to receive an award named for the late Elmer Kelton, who was a personal friend and one of the finest novelists--and men--the West has produced. I'm grateful to WTHA and to my publisher, Five Star.
Set on the Texas-Mexico border during the Mexican Revolution, "Haunted Border" is based in part on the Brite Ranch Raid of Christmas Day, 1917, when 45 bandits on horseback attacked Brite headquarters and killed three men. The novel also explores the Mexican legend of tlehuelpuchi, a shape-shifting agent of evil.
In crafting "Haunted Border," I drew upon the taped recollections of an actual survivor of the Brite Ranch Raid.
The citation, which includes a cash prize, was announced in Lubbock, Texas at WTHA's 97th conference. The award recognizes the best creative work on West Texas, a region that dwarfs most states.
"This is a wonderful achievement on your part," said executive director Tai Kreidler upon informing me. "We are so pleased to have had such a book be a part of the Review."
It's a special honor to receive an award named for the late Elmer Kelton, who was a personal friend and one of the finest novelists--and men--the West has produced. I'm grateful to WTHA and to my publisher, Five Star.
Set on the Texas-Mexico border during the Mexican Revolution, "Haunted Border" is based in part on the Brite Ranch Raid of Christmas Day, 1917, when 45 bandits on horseback attacked Brite headquarters and killed three men. The novel also explores the Mexican legend of tlehuelpuchi, a shape-shifting agent of evil.
In crafting "Haunted Border," I drew upon the taped recollections of an actual survivor of the Brite Ranch Raid.
February 26, 2021
Background of "Apache Lament"
Readers have asked for background on my novel "Apache Lament," which recently received the Gold Medallion in Western Inspirational Fiction in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards. Below, I have combined six posts that discuss the geography and history behind the novel.
"Apache Lament" is based on the documented history of the last free-ranging band of Mescaleros in the desert crags between the Pecos and El Paso in Texas.
A way of life was ending for these Apaches, who stubbornly resisted confinement to a reservation. In 1880 and 1881, the band repeatedly raided both sides of the El Paso Road. One Texas Ranger described the "pillages and murders" as having no parallel, considering "the small size of the party"--12 warriors, four women, and two children.
Four attacks were noteworthy. The band swooped down on a wagon train at Bass Canyon near Van Horn in May 1880, and the U.S. Army lost men in skirmishes at Paso Viejo near Valentine and at Ojo Caliente on the Rio Grande. In early January 1881, the Mescaleros attacked the stage at Quitman Canyon near Sierra Blanca.
The Army was determined to track down these hostiles, but it would be left to Texas Rangers to find their trail in the snows of late January 1881.
At the time, Rangers were not the "one riot, one ranger" lone wolves of the 20th century, but organized military units. When the men of Ranger Company A rode out from their Musquiz Canyon camp near Fort Davis, they sought to do what the U.S. Army had been unable to--pick up a fresh Mescalero trail. Near present-day Van Horn, they succeeded and took up the chase on January 25.
Among these 25 Rangers and scouts commanded by Capt. George Wythe Baylor and Lt. C.L. Nevill was 19-year-old Bill Roberts. In 1946 J. Evetts Haley used a SoundScriber machine to conduct two audio interviews with Roberts, by then in his mid '80s. With the demise of SoundScribers, the discs from those interviews became inaccessible, and they languished for many decades in the archives of the N.S. Haley Memorial Library in Midland, TX.
Fortunately, as assistant archivist at the library, I was able to get the Roberts interviews digitized. His riveting accounts, never before accessed by historians, provided the basis for much of "Apache Lament."
When the Rangers pursued the Mescalero band into the snowy Sierra Diablo, the range lived up to its name--the Devil Mountains--and proved an ordeal for men and horses.
Rising almost 3,000 feet above the salt flats north of Van Horn, the range (shown in this photo) tops out at 6,610 feet and is part of the same fossil reef that forms the Guadalupe Mountains 25 miles to the north. Over the last 46 years I've hiked hundreds of miles across this ancient reef and learned much about its geography, flora, and fauna. I write best about places I understand well, and I hope that "Apache Lament" reflects that.
In a contrast of the old with the new, this last stronghold of the Mescaleros looks down on the launch facilities of Blue Origin, the manned spaceflight operation owned by Jeff Bezos.
For this novel, I did considerable research into Mescalero culture and learned that the Mescalero language is unique, standing apart from Western Apache. Throughout, I sprinkled authentic Mescalero words to give the reader a flavor of Mescalero life. Among the terms are "Gáhé," the spirits who commune with the Supreme Being Bik'egu'indáán and who inhabit caves high in mountain ranges such as the Sierra Diablo.
I was indebted to Bill Bentley, who not only shared with me photos from the Diablo heights, but also dared the Gáhé by entering Diablo Bat Cave. He also had to watch for góbitseeghálegóͅlíní ("rattlesnake") and ídóí ("mountain lion"). Had he seen any, he could have shouted "idzúút'i" ("go away!").
I tell the story from the viewpoints of both an Indaa ("white") Texas Ranger and a young Ndé ("Apache") mother. For my characters, I used authentic Mescalero names, including:
Nejeunee: ("friend, kind, or friendly")
Gian-nah-tah: ("always ready")
Too-ah-yah-say: ('strong swimmer")
Nah-kay-yen: ("keen-sighted")
Klo-sen: ("hair hope")
For some characters, I used only the translated names:
Little Squint Eyes
One Who Frowns
Quick Talker
Brushing Against
My sources included two 19th-century books:
"Life Among the Apaches" by John C. Cremony (published 1868)
"The Medicine Men of the Apache" by John Gregory Bourke (published 1892).
Gripping novels, however, involve more than settings and events. They are about people.
In “Apache Lament,” I drew upon the documented story of Sam Graham. Headed west through Bass Canyon near present-day Van Horn, TX on May 12, 1880, Sam and his party were attacked by Mescalero Apaches, who killed his sister-in-law Margaret and wounded his brother Harry. Another wagoner, James Grant, also died, while a Mr. Murphy was wounded.
Sam had done his best, but his Winchester had been no match for the Indians, whose war party became the last free-ranging Apache band in Texas.
Driven by a personal vendetta, Sam signed on with Texas Ranger Company A less than three months later on August 1. If the Rangers could corner the band in the Trans-Pecos crags, Sam could gain vengeance at the muzzle of his carbine.
What happened in the frozen Sierra Diablo on January 29, 1881 provided the basis for “Apache Lament.” The novel is available online in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.
"Apache Lament" is based on the documented history of the last free-ranging band of Mescaleros in the desert crags between the Pecos and El Paso in Texas.
A way of life was ending for these Apaches, who stubbornly resisted confinement to a reservation. In 1880 and 1881, the band repeatedly raided both sides of the El Paso Road. One Texas Ranger described the "pillages and murders" as having no parallel, considering "the small size of the party"--12 warriors, four women, and two children.
Four attacks were noteworthy. The band swooped down on a wagon train at Bass Canyon near Van Horn in May 1880, and the U.S. Army lost men in skirmishes at Paso Viejo near Valentine and at Ojo Caliente on the Rio Grande. In early January 1881, the Mescaleros attacked the stage at Quitman Canyon near Sierra Blanca.
The Army was determined to track down these hostiles, but it would be left to Texas Rangers to find their trail in the snows of late January 1881.
At the time, Rangers were not the "one riot, one ranger" lone wolves of the 20th century, but organized military units. When the men of Ranger Company A rode out from their Musquiz Canyon camp near Fort Davis, they sought to do what the U.S. Army had been unable to--pick up a fresh Mescalero trail. Near present-day Van Horn, they succeeded and took up the chase on January 25.
Among these 25 Rangers and scouts commanded by Capt. George Wythe Baylor and Lt. C.L. Nevill was 19-year-old Bill Roberts. In 1946 J. Evetts Haley used a SoundScriber machine to conduct two audio interviews with Roberts, by then in his mid '80s. With the demise of SoundScribers, the discs from those interviews became inaccessible, and they languished for many decades in the archives of the N.S. Haley Memorial Library in Midland, TX.
Fortunately, as assistant archivist at the library, I was able to get the Roberts interviews digitized. His riveting accounts, never before accessed by historians, provided the basis for much of "Apache Lament."
When the Rangers pursued the Mescalero band into the snowy Sierra Diablo, the range lived up to its name--the Devil Mountains--and proved an ordeal for men and horses.
Rising almost 3,000 feet above the salt flats north of Van Horn, the range (shown in this photo) tops out at 6,610 feet and is part of the same fossil reef that forms the Guadalupe Mountains 25 miles to the north. Over the last 46 years I've hiked hundreds of miles across this ancient reef and learned much about its geography, flora, and fauna. I write best about places I understand well, and I hope that "Apache Lament" reflects that.
In a contrast of the old with the new, this last stronghold of the Mescaleros looks down on the launch facilities of Blue Origin, the manned spaceflight operation owned by Jeff Bezos.
For this novel, I did considerable research into Mescalero culture and learned that the Mescalero language is unique, standing apart from Western Apache. Throughout, I sprinkled authentic Mescalero words to give the reader a flavor of Mescalero life. Among the terms are "Gáhé," the spirits who commune with the Supreme Being Bik'egu'indáán and who inhabit caves high in mountain ranges such as the Sierra Diablo.
I was indebted to Bill Bentley, who not only shared with me photos from the Diablo heights, but also dared the Gáhé by entering Diablo Bat Cave. He also had to watch for góbitseeghálegóͅlíní ("rattlesnake") and ídóí ("mountain lion"). Had he seen any, he could have shouted "idzúút'i" ("go away!").
I tell the story from the viewpoints of both an Indaa ("white") Texas Ranger and a young Ndé ("Apache") mother. For my characters, I used authentic Mescalero names, including:
Nejeunee: ("friend, kind, or friendly")
Gian-nah-tah: ("always ready")
Too-ah-yah-say: ('strong swimmer")
Nah-kay-yen: ("keen-sighted")
Klo-sen: ("hair hope")
For some characters, I used only the translated names:
Little Squint Eyes
One Who Frowns
Quick Talker
Brushing Against
My sources included two 19th-century books:
"Life Among the Apaches" by John C. Cremony (published 1868)
"The Medicine Men of the Apache" by John Gregory Bourke (published 1892).
Gripping novels, however, involve more than settings and events. They are about people.
In “Apache Lament,” I drew upon the documented story of Sam Graham. Headed west through Bass Canyon near present-day Van Horn, TX on May 12, 1880, Sam and his party were attacked by Mescalero Apaches, who killed his sister-in-law Margaret and wounded his brother Harry. Another wagoner, James Grant, also died, while a Mr. Murphy was wounded.
Sam had done his best, but his Winchester had been no match for the Indians, whose war party became the last free-ranging Apache band in Texas.
Driven by a personal vendetta, Sam signed on with Texas Ranger Company A less than three months later on August 1. If the Rangers could corner the band in the Trans-Pecos crags, Sam could gain vengeance at the muzzle of his carbine.
What happened in the frozen Sierra Diablo on January 29, 1881 provided the basis for “Apache Lament.” The novel is available online in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.
May 22, 2020
Peacemaker Finalist
When I was 22 in 1973, I turned in a short story titled "The Assassin" to Dr. John C. Watson, the instructor in my conference course in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin.
When we met a few days later to discuss the story, he told me, "I think you might be able to do something with this one" (i.e., be able to sell it.)
He forgot to tell me it would take 46 years.
After languishing unread in my files for almost half a century, "The Assassin" was finally published in 2019 in the Five Star anthology, "Hobnail and Other Frontier Stories."
But the 'story behind the story' doesn't end there. A few days ago, I learned that "The Assassin" is a finalist for best western short fiction in the Peacemaker Awards, a prestigious national competition sponsored by Western Fictioneers.
Dr. Watson taught at UT-Austin from 1947-1974 and was a noted short story writer and novelist. I studied under him for five semesters, ending with the fall of 1973. Fifteen years later, after I sent him copies of my novel "The Illegal Man" and my nonfiction book "Castle Gap and the Pecos Frontier, Revisited," He was kind enough to write back.
"I have the greatest admiration for you for producing such a wonderful book!" he wrote. "I always knew you had talent and would do fine things if you stayed with it."
Dr. Watson died many years ago and will never know the long road that "The Assassin" and my writing career have traveled. But every time I sit down to write, I continue to pay homage to his thoughtful guidance in those formative years as his student.
When we met a few days later to discuss the story, he told me, "I think you might be able to do something with this one" (i.e., be able to sell it.)
He forgot to tell me it would take 46 years.
After languishing unread in my files for almost half a century, "The Assassin" was finally published in 2019 in the Five Star anthology, "Hobnail and Other Frontier Stories."
But the 'story behind the story' doesn't end there. A few days ago, I learned that "The Assassin" is a finalist for best western short fiction in the Peacemaker Awards, a prestigious national competition sponsored by Western Fictioneers.
Dr. Watson taught at UT-Austin from 1947-1974 and was a noted short story writer and novelist. I studied under him for five semesters, ending with the fall of 1973. Fifteen years later, after I sent him copies of my novel "The Illegal Man" and my nonfiction book "Castle Gap and the Pecos Frontier, Revisited," He was kind enough to write back.
"I have the greatest admiration for you for producing such a wonderful book!" he wrote. "I always knew you had talent and would do fine things if you stayed with it."
Dr. Watson died many years ago and will never know the long road that "The Assassin" and my writing career have traveled. But every time I sit down to write, I continue to pay homage to his thoughtful guidance in those formative years as his student.
February 24, 2020
AWARD for APACHE LAMENT
My novel APACHE LAMENT has won the 2019 Elmer Kelton Award for fiction, sponsored by the Academy of Western Artists.
I will receive the award statuette at an April 9 banquet in Fort Worth, Texas.
It's a special honor to receive an award named for the late Elmer Kelton, who was a great writer but an even greater gentleman. I previously received Elmer Kelton Awards for my novels THE BIG DRIFT and DEAD MAN'S BOOT.
APACHE LAMENT is based on the last battle in Texas between a military force and Indians. It's the story of a ranger who lost his wife and unborn child to Mescaleros, and a young Mescalero mother who lost her husband to whites. When they meet in the snows of the Sierra Diablo east of El Paso, it will challenge everything each has believed about the other's race.
For background, I drew upon audio interviews from 1946 with one of the 22 Texas Rangers who participated in that last historic battle.
APACHE LAMENT is available from online booksellers, or by calling the publisher at 1-800-877-4253.
I will receive the award statuette at an April 9 banquet in Fort Worth, Texas.
It's a special honor to receive an award named for the late Elmer Kelton, who was a great writer but an even greater gentleman. I previously received Elmer Kelton Awards for my novels THE BIG DRIFT and DEAD MAN'S BOOT.
APACHE LAMENT is based on the last battle in Texas between a military force and Indians. It's the story of a ranger who lost his wife and unborn child to Mescaleros, and a young Mescalero mother who lost her husband to whites. When they meet in the snows of the Sierra Diablo east of El Paso, it will challenge everything each has believed about the other's race.
For background, I drew upon audio interviews from 1946 with one of the 22 Texas Rangers who participated in that last historic battle.
APACHE LAMENT is available from online booksellers, or by calling the publisher at 1-800-877-4253.
November 9, 2017
Honored
It was my privilege to receive the 2017 author appreciation award from Friends of Duncanville Public Library at a November 2 banquet in Duncanville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.
For the past 21 years, the Friends have honored a Texas author. I'm humbled to be among a group that includes the late Elmer Kelton, whom I referenced in my acceptance speech.
My thanks to the Friends for this outstanding recognition. I'm also grateful to my publisher, Dan Williams of TCU Press, who gave me a most gracious introduction that threatened to increase my hat size tenfold.
In my remarks, I discussed the importance of perseverance in life and in writing. In particular, I told of my personal odyssey in crafting my Great Depression-era novel, "Perseverance," to which I devoted 17 drafts across 32 years.
For the past 21 years, the Friends have honored a Texas author. I'm humbled to be among a group that includes the late Elmer Kelton, whom I referenced in my acceptance speech.
My thanks to the Friends for this outstanding recognition. I'm also grateful to my publisher, Dan Williams of TCU Press, who gave me a most gracious introduction that threatened to increase my hat size tenfold.
In my remarks, I discussed the importance of perseverance in life and in writing. In particular, I told of my personal odyssey in crafting my Great Depression-era novel, "Perseverance," to which I devoted 17 drafts across 32 years.
Awards for "Dead Man's Boot"
My novel "Dead Man's Boot" won the bronze medal for western fiction at the Will Rogers Medallion Awards October 28 in Fort Worth, Texas.
During the summer, "Dead Man's Boot" also received a finalist award in the Peacemaker Awards of Western Fictioneers.
Set in 1869 in Texas and New Mexico, the novel is the story of a man's search for answers on the Pecos in the death of a sister, and a quest for mysterious gold in the Guadalupe Mountains.
This is the third time that one of my novels has received an award in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, a national competition. "The Big Drift" received a bronze in 2015, and "To Hell or the Pecos" took 4th place in 2013.
All three books are available in hardcover and ebook from online sellers such as Amazon. A large print edition of "Dead Man's Boot" will be released in December.
During the summer, "Dead Man's Boot" also received a finalist award in the Peacemaker Awards of Western Fictioneers.
Set in 1869 in Texas and New Mexico, the novel is the story of a man's search for answers on the Pecos in the death of a sister, and a quest for mysterious gold in the Guadalupe Mountains.
This is the third time that one of my novels has received an award in the Will Rogers Medallion Awards, a national competition. "The Big Drift" received a bronze in 2015, and "To Hell or the Pecos" took 4th place in 2013.
All three books are available in hardcover and ebook from online sellers such as Amazon. A large print edition of "Dead Man's Boot" will be released in December.
January 14, 2017
New Release -- "Dead Man's Boot"
My 13th novel and 23rd book, "Dead Man's Boot," has been released in hardcover by Five Star. This is my first novel since winning the 2015 Spur Award for Western Traditional Novel for "The Big Drift."
"Dead Man's Boot," set in 1869, concerns characters haunted by past events who set out from the Pecos River in search of redemption and legendary gold in the Guadalupe Mountains. Standing in their way are hostile Comanches and Apaches, but the greatest threat comes from their own inner demons.
I based this novel on actual events along the Pecos, as well as on the story of the Lost Sublett Mine. Early reaction from readers has been positive: "a fast read" . . . "outstanding" . . . "awesome" . . . "Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down."
"Dead Man's Boot" is available in both hardcover and ebook from online sellers.
"Dead Man's Boot," set in 1869, concerns characters haunted by past events who set out from the Pecos River in search of redemption and legendary gold in the Guadalupe Mountains. Standing in their way are hostile Comanches and Apaches, but the greatest threat comes from their own inner demons.
I based this novel on actual events along the Pecos, as well as on the story of the Lost Sublett Mine. Early reaction from readers has been positive: "a fast read" . . . "outstanding" . . . "awesome" . . . "Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down."
"Dead Man's Boot" is available in both hardcover and ebook from online sellers.
November 20, 2016
Award for "Bitter Waters: The Struggles of the Pecos River"
Friday night in Albuquerque, my book "Bitter Waters: The Struggles of the Pecos River" won the 2016 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for nature/environment.
The field of eight finalists included books published by university and other presses.
"Bitter Waters" grew out of the efforts of Pecos River Resolution Corporation, which commissioned me to research and write the environmental story of the Pecos.
My thanks to the New Mexico Book Co-op for this award. After five years of research and writing, it's gratifying to be recognized in this way.
"Bitter Waters" details man's progressive impact on the Pecos and explores the river's many issues and the potential for solutions.
Published by University of Oklahoma Press, it's available through book stores and from online sellers.
The field of eight finalists included books published by university and other presses.
"Bitter Waters" grew out of the efforts of Pecos River Resolution Corporation, which commissioned me to research and write the environmental story of the Pecos.
My thanks to the New Mexico Book Co-op for this award. After five years of research and writing, it's gratifying to be recognized in this way.
"Bitter Waters" details man's progressive impact on the Pecos and explores the river's many issues and the potential for solutions.
Published by University of Oklahoma Press, it's available through book stores and from online sellers.
