Playing Cowboy Again

When I was growing up, we were very poor. Spending money was at a premium or non-existent. My single mother would give me the choice between a Saturday afternoon western movie or a comic book. Both cost ten cents. I would choose the movie almost every time.

While the comic book would have lasted longer, it could never fuel my imagination the way an old piece of celluloid, wrapped in frightening sound effects, dramatic music and eye-popping images could. It was an hour and a half of living out my fantasies in a dark and cavernous theater surrounded by rows of fellow overly imaginative youngsters. Nothing much has changed over the years.

Aside from some of the classic western movies by John Ford, Sam Peckinpah and a few other masters of the genre, most westerns back in the 50’s and 60’s didn’t really represent the true west. I think I could sense, even back then, the Hollywood magic behind the façade of plywood store fronts and war paint.

Later on in life, as my fascination with the old west grew, I began to read some of the true poet masters of that era like Henry Allen Wilson and Larry McMurtry. I tried to understand what the old west was really like back then. I treasured movies such as Red River, The Searchers, the Fort Apache trilogy, Jeremiah Johnson, and a few select classics. I often wondered if I could ever tell such a tale myself.

Finally, around 1973, in a spare bedroom in Reisterstown, Maryland, I began crafting a story of three individuals who find their lives inexplicitly tied and twisted together. It took a year of pounding on that old L.C. Smith typewriter, making corrections and retyping those same pages over and over again. That labor-intensive, painful process continued for almost a year until the story was completed.

Then for reasons long since forgotten, I promptly shelved it despite my wife’s urgings that I explore some kind of publication. A second western written shortly thereafter suffered the same fate. Gradually, I forgot about my venture out West and went back to my life on the East Coast. Then years later, thirty-nine to be exact, I began looking for something to do in lieu of retirement. That first novel came to mind and I pulled it out of a dusty desk drawer. I had my answer.

Without any real idea of what I’d do with that dusty relic, I transferred those tired old graying pages to a floppy disc and began my journey back in time to a place I had long since forgotten. It had taken me years to return out West but it was worth the wait.

Much to my surprise, I found my storyline held its own and the characters still resonated with me after all those years. I had an artist create a book cover for me. Then I rewrote the novel, keeping the main plot line but adding a lot more period details, refining the characters personalities and ended up with a story that still remained true to my original vision.

Each step of the way, I found myself riding alongside my hero and dodging Apache arrows just as he did. I was that drifter, lost and confused in a changing world after the Civil War. Like my hero, I still hadn’t shaken off the troubling memories of the war or the deep feelings that fiery red-head stirred up in my head and heart. A new title beckoned and the novel became ‘Apache Death Wind.’

What I experienced in writing, and then rewriting of that western tale, was a transformation from East Coast storyteller to Midwestern yarn-spinner to West Coast reporter. By the time I was safely ensconced in my office at home, I was finalizing a story that began in Reisterstown, Maryland, found refinement and clarity in Apple Valley, Minnesota and finally reached its conclusion under the San Jacinto Mountains in my back yard.

So, what happened next?

Even before “Apache Death Wind” was published, there was self-induced pressure building for a sequel. At first, I was left pondering what might have happened to my two main characters, Jeb and Charlotte, if they weren’t together at the end of the first novel. Then ever so slowly, a new story started to emerge from the shadowy confines of my imagination. This new tale gradually morphed into a story of love lost, a man bent on suicide and a new beginning gradually growing for the two main characters. Of course, circumstances bring them together again but not always in ways a reader might imagine.

The more I worked on a treatment for the sequel, the more excited I got about the characters and what happened to both of them after the end of “Apache Death Wind.” Thus, was created ‘Chaparral Fox.’

The sequel opens with Jeb sitting across from the cantina where two bandit brothers are holed up and waiting for the rest of their outlaw gang to return. Jeb, ever true to his word, is determined to eliminate the two brothers just as he had promised the villagers. At the end of the first chapter, Jeb arises and begins to walk toward the cantina, rifle in hand. It is a suicide mission but since he’s lost the love of his life, he doesn’t really care any longer.

Charlotte is established now in San Francisco. She has become very successful with her own tailoring business and has put her past life with Jeb behind her…or so she believes. Then she is approached by a lawyer with news that will change her life forever… The plot gets even more complex after that. That second novel ended with a reunion of sorts but a plethora of problems still facing our two main protagonists.

The storyline wasn’t ended yet. There was still one more tale to tell. It would be the third and final installment in the Apache Death Wind trilogy. Both main characters were once again in danger and deep trouble in Mexico. ‘City of the Dead’ finds them in an abandoned village, surrounded by Indians and outlaws with little chance of survival.

Thus, the ‘Apache Death Wind’ trilogy was born. But my western story-telling wasn’t finished yet. Now came the hard part. Advertising on Facebook; both domestic and foreign, didn’t bring in a lot of sales. Comments made on western Facebook group sites didn’t fare much better. The path to success, either direct or through a circuitous route, was eluding me.

Now I’m taking new steps to market this western trilogy through the help of artificial intelligence. AI has pointed out a number of new avenues I hadn’t considered. It might consist of another mini web site such as the two I have for ‘Debris’ and ‘Agnes.’ It might include a more targeted, enhanced e-mail list, etc. Since Westerns are evergreen and timeless, I’ve had the benefit of time and space behind me. I’m confident I’ll get there; it may just take a little more hard travelin’ before I do.