So, What Is My Legacy?
In recent years I've spent a lot of time wondering whether I should call myself a western novelist. I wrote a bunch of them when I was starting out, and a few since, but I've gradually been overtaken with a sense of embarrassment about them.
The truth of it is, a story that is resolved with a bullet isn't much of a story, and a plot resolved by force of arms usually robs the story of character. The rare good gunfight story, such as Shane, is usually built around elements of belief and character, not weaponry. So I've been sliding away from all that. Most genre westerns are junk, appealing only to those who don't fathom the role of character as our lives play out. I've always supposed that readers of gunfight westerns want a quick, easy resolution.
This past year, in which I found myself walking through darkness and wondering why I have been set upon the earth, I sensed that I have been following the right path, moving away from violent westerns resolved by guns, and toward biographical or historical novels, in which the conduct of people is more important than what they carry in their holsters.
Recently, I've been negotiating with a marvelous new distribution company that puts new life into dead, reverted titles, and sells them as electronic books and sometimes trade paperbacks. By all accounts they are successful, and are earning a variety of authors a great deal of new money from what had been considered dead books.
I proposed that they handle the thirty or so reverted titles I have, and they have shown great interest in the project. These included my genre westerns, my historicals and biographical stories, a few mysteries and a couple of stories not easily classified.
Their proposal, after examining my list, was to handle the genre westerns only, and build upon my history and reputation as a western novelist. That reputation certainly exists in reviews, sales, blurbs, and six Spur Awards.
But in this six-month period of personal illness and loss in the family, I have been asking myself whether I really want to be promoted as a western novelist, with a portfolio of violent stories. I found myself feeling uneasy, and finally saddened. What I really want is to promote my historical and biographical fiction, which is a country mile from genre westerns. So I made the difficult decision to go where my spirit leads me, even at some potential loss. The company accepted my decision graciously-- it is staffed by first-rate professionals-- and we came to a parting.
About half of my novels are historical or biographical. Those are the ones I hope will survive me.
The truth of it is, a story that is resolved with a bullet isn't much of a story, and a plot resolved by force of arms usually robs the story of character. The rare good gunfight story, such as Shane, is usually built around elements of belief and character, not weaponry. So I've been sliding away from all that. Most genre westerns are junk, appealing only to those who don't fathom the role of character as our lives play out. I've always supposed that readers of gunfight westerns want a quick, easy resolution.
This past year, in which I found myself walking through darkness and wondering why I have been set upon the earth, I sensed that I have been following the right path, moving away from violent westerns resolved by guns, and toward biographical or historical novels, in which the conduct of people is more important than what they carry in their holsters.
Recently, I've been negotiating with a marvelous new distribution company that puts new life into dead, reverted titles, and sells them as electronic books and sometimes trade paperbacks. By all accounts they are successful, and are earning a variety of authors a great deal of new money from what had been considered dead books.
I proposed that they handle the thirty or so reverted titles I have, and they have shown great interest in the project. These included my genre westerns, my historicals and biographical stories, a few mysteries and a couple of stories not easily classified.
Their proposal, after examining my list, was to handle the genre westerns only, and build upon my history and reputation as a western novelist. That reputation certainly exists in reviews, sales, blurbs, and six Spur Awards.
But in this six-month period of personal illness and loss in the family, I have been asking myself whether I really want to be promoted as a western novelist, with a portfolio of violent stories. I found myself feeling uneasy, and finally saddened. What I really want is to promote my historical and biographical fiction, which is a country mile from genre westerns. So I made the difficult decision to go where my spirit leads me, even at some potential loss. The company accepted my decision graciously-- it is staffed by first-rate professionals-- and we came to a parting.
About half of my novels are historical or biographical. Those are the ones I hope will survive me.
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