Patrick Scalisi
Ideas for stories can come from anywhere. In the case of The Horse Thieves and Other Tales of the New West, it was a line from the Bon Jovi song, "Dead or Alive": "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride..." The image of this cowboy in a muscle car came to mind, and that was the seed of the idea. Some people have asked, Why cars? Why not motorcycles (which are more akin to horses)? I can't answer that; all I know is that the image was of a cowboy in a car, and that's how I crafted the story.
More Answered Questions
Lh
asked
Patrick Scalisi:
In "Horse Thieves", a lot of the social/cultural aspects seem to be modeled on modern-day (American car companies on hard times, plastic zip ties, Texas Hold 'Em), and a lot seem to be modeled on the old west (no long-distance communication, weak government, six-shooters). I can't really tell if it's supposed to be 1800's with cars, or 1950's with a Wild West. Did you have a "base century" in mind in terms of setting?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more