Interview: Ralph Cotton

"[Cotton's] works incorporate...pace and plot in a language that ranges from lyric beauty to macabre descriptions of bestial savagery." - Wade Hall, The Louisville Courier-Journal

"Gun-smoked believability...a hard hand to beat." - Terry Johnstone

"A storyteller in the best tradition of the Old West." - Matt Braun

First I want to thank you for agreeing to answer my questions Ralph:

It's my pleasure, Steve. Thank you for inviting me.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

As far back as grade school I wanted to be a writer. Reading and writing always seemed to be among my favorite past-times and the two have always been closely linked for me. In reading a good book I always came away with the desire, or the inspiration to write a book of my own. But becoming a professional author was a dream that would be a long time in coming.

What was the first novel you had published and if this wasn’t a western what was your first western?

My first novel was a western titled: While Angels Dance. (The first in My Jeston Nash Series.) I ghosted some work outside the western genre in order to make ends meet until my work became more popular. But westerns have always been my preference in both reading and writing, and by the time my third or fourth book came out I was able to pull away from ghosting and apply myself full time to my westerns.

Which writers influence you?

I tell myself I'm not greatly influenced by other writers, but of course I am. When I read something that is well done, it influences me try to do just as well on my own work, if I can. So while I realize that I don't write like Cormac McCarhy, Robert Parker, Elmore Leonard or Ron Hansen, their style or cadence or dialog makes me want to do a good job. When I was trying to get a western to stick together, two western authors whose work helped me get my bearings were Cameron Judd, and Bill Brooks. A couple of their books, one titled Moon's Blood and another titled Bitterroot helped me develop what would become my style of putting my reader into the character's boots. It's important to me that a story be simple, but that it be well told. Those two books are examples of what I think a good western must do. They are neither one what the industry would call a "Big Book" but are good solid stories well written. That's how I try to do it.

Which western writers would you recommend?

Those same two, Brooks and Judd, with them Matt Braun, Charles West and the late Ralph Compton, and of course any author who recommends me. There's many others that I know I'm going to fail to mention, so I apologize in advance. As lean as the genre is today it's probably safe for me to recommend just about any western author who's making it to the shelves these days. Mediocre work doesn't get published at all. Unfortunately, neither does a lot of the really good work.

Which past western would you like to see back in print and why is this?

I miss the Giles Tippette novels, and a lot of those movie-to-book novels like The Good The Bad And The Ugly, by Joe Millard, The Wild Bunch, A Gunfight, which was taken from the old Johnny Cash, Kirk Douglas movie by the same name. I liked those thin quick-read books, and as both an aspiring author and a self-taught author, I learned a lot from them. I'd also like to see books like Macy's Prairie Traveler and Matt Warner's Last Of The Bandit Riders on the shelves. Praire Traveler might be in some special print, but I'm certain Bandit Rider is not. Matt Warner's biography (some of it questionable I'm told ) of his days riding with Butch and Sundance and Hole-In-The-Wall Gang is good reading for a western fan. I'm fortunate to have a copy of each of these books. I'm always going back and rereading them.

Please tell us a little about how you go about writing a book such as how much pre-planning you do, how much time you spend per day writing?

Between books I spend as much time away from the keyboard work as I can. I do other things, sailing, fishing, traveling, playing music. But while I'm doing other things I'm getting some mental notes down, some ideas of who's going to do what, and why, for my next book. I'm always watching people, listening to what they're saying, and more importantly, why they're saying it. At the same time I'm searching old historical accounts, bank robberies, train robberies, hangings, shootings, weather conditions and whatnot. I try to keep a foot in the 1800s Victorian era social mores and customs, so I keep my story sounding authentic. Once I settle in to write, I have the story pretty much done, I just need to write it down. That's about six to eight hours a day or more until I get the satisfactory ending. Of course the story throws me some surprises in the actually writing. A character I had all set to die will become so good or so bad that I decide to keep them around for a book or two, or in some cases a whole new series. Sometimes, at the end I realize that the story took on a whole different focus or slant or meaning than I had in mind. Generally that's when I recognize that I've done my best job.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes, but my current novel always gets priority. I might get an idea that won't work best for that particular story, but it's so good that I want to put it in my next book. I'll jump over and get it started, enough to sort of keep it on the warm burner for later on when I've finished my current project.

Your series about Jeston Nash was written in the first person whilst all your other westerns have been written in the third person, which approach do you prefer?

I miss writing in First Party, even though for me it's harder work. Writing as Nash I was limited to his knowledge, to his perception, vocabulary and intellect. I had to dig deeper and find more simple ways of expressing through him than I would have had to by telling his story in Third Party. But it is matter of what you want the story to do. I wanted no great understanding from his character, just his day-to-day depiction of what life was like for him and his cousins, the James and Youngers, during and after the civil war. I'm proud of the work, in fact I'm proud of that whole six book series and hope to do more someday, but it was much harder for me to write than the Third Party work I do now.

You’ve written four stand-alone westerns, do your prefer writing these or series books and have you any plans to turn any of these stand-alone novels into a series?

I like writing either way, equally, but for different reasons. The stand- alone is not bound by some regular character's ethics, beliefs, or temperament. So, it's easy to make it up as you go along and it's almost like reading someone else’s book. Most movie deals are made for stand-alone novels, so that's a plus also. But writing a series novel is good because you already know the character, how they will most likely act, their past, their other experiences, their mannerisms, even the clothes they wear, their horse's name. Most important, you already know your readers like the character. I just finished a book that brings a character back from one of my stand-alone novels titled: Webb's Posse. The fellow is a young school- teacher named Sherman Dahl. My readers liked him, so he's coming out in in a few months in a book titled; Fighting Men. My gunman series character, Lawrence Shaw made his debut in a Ranger series novel titled: Blood Rock. Shaw has been such a good character, I can't kill him off. He has two new novels coming out this year, Crossing Fire River, and Escape From Fire River. All of my series have started out as a stand-alone, including my first, While Angels Dance. But either my publisher or I have felt the work to be strong enough to warrant it becoming a series.

You seem to have two books in the Ranger series published each year along with a couple of other books from different series. Is this a requirement of Signet or are you free to choose which series you write the next book for?

My publisher, The Penguin Group wants the best book I can write every time out of the chute. Other than that, they give me all the room I need, and they trust me enough to know that my interest always dove-tails with theirs. We are both in the business of selling books. We rely on one another to do what we do to make that happen.

The first three books in your Ranger series are often referred to as the Big Iron Trilogy, why is this, and if there were originally plans to just write three books about Sam Burrack, how did the decision to continue the series come about?

I think originally it was meant to be a trilogy, but the first three did really good in the marketplace, so we sort of doubled-down and let it ride, as it were. In order to keep writing the Ranger series I had to neglect another series that was originally a trilogy called Dead Or Alive. That series also did well, and was approved for a series beyond the first three books. But time never permitted. I hope to someday get back to it. It had a regular character named Quick Charlie Simms who is a Roma, a pool hustler and a golf hustler, among other things.

You continued Ralph Compton’s series about Danielle Strange, how did this come about and did you find it as easy to write about someone else’s characters as those of your own?

At Compton's demise, he had signed on to do three books about Danielle Strange. The first was Death Rides A Chestnut Mare, which I believe he wrote. I was asked to do the other two books to complete the contract for his estate, so I did, although I if I hadn't someone else would have. I happened to be available and Ralph and I were both ole Nashville pickers and songwriters, so I felt like I could carry his thoughts on to the story. The other two books did exceptionally well, so the publisher asked me to do a third. I did, but by then my books had started taking off, so I couldn't do any more without neglecting my own work. I had no problem writing about his characters. We were from the same background, wrote pretty much along the same line. I wish Ralph had stuck around to see how well his books have done. He was a big ole country boy who loved what he was doing. I did book signings with him, you could see the light shine in his eyes talking about the old west.

Which of your westerns would you recommend to someone who hasn’t read any of your work yet and why?

That's a hard one. The Nash books are always going to be my personal favorites, being my first series. I try to keep my quality of work consistent book to book, and so far I think I have. But if pressed for some current titles I'd have to say Jackpot Ridge, Webb's Posse, and Riders From Long Pines are about as good as I've got. If a reader doesn't like those three, they're probably wasting their time reading anything else of mine. I say these three, because I remember working pretty hard putting layer upon layer of story, depth and humanity into them. Out of those three, two are stand-alones, one is a Ranger Sam Burrack series novel.

Later this year you have two books coming out with “Fire River” in the titles, is this a new series or are they part of an existing one?

These are two books in the Lawrence Shaw series. The first in the series is Gunman's Song. Shaw is the proverbial fastest gun alive. He's a gunman from Somo Santos Texas who turned Samuel Burrack from being a buffalo hunter into an Arizona Territory Ranger. Shaw has gone from book to book as a sad pathetic figure mourning the loss of his beloved wife who was killed by what amounted to be fans of his who had only come to Somo Santos in order to meet him. In Crossing Fire River, on a drinking spree he ends up a with a wild and complex woman very much like Calamity Jane. They are still together in Escape From Fire River, but Shaw has been shot in the head while in a drunken stupor, and he has no idea who shot him.

Have you written any westerns under any other pseudonyms and can you tell us which?

I have never published a novel under another name. I have ghosted books, done work for hire, written articles, sermons and songs. But Ralph Cotton is the only name I've gone by so far. It's easy for me to remember.

Do you think paper produced books will ever be replaced with electronic books?

I used to not think so, but lately I'm starting to change my mind. My generation is used to the printed page, the feel of a book, the familiarity of the reading process. But future generations will have been more and more weaned away from that process. They might not be able to concentrate as well or as comfortably with a paper book as they will be with a familiar glowing screen. I know young carpenters today who still own a hammer but only get them out of their toolbox on rare occasions. They use nail guns. Mechanics use air tools. I can see readers going electronic.

What do you think of the western genre today and what do you think the future holds for the western?

I think the western will rebound in the future; but how distant in the future, that's hard to call. Not everything in the industry looks bleak. I commend a writer like Robert Parker for sticking some westerns out there. He didn't have to, but he took a chance and it appears to be paying off. I know he's a best selling author in his own right --but he is selling westerns. I know he has a successful detective series --but he is selling westerns. No matter how we want to look at it, he is doing what so many authors and publishers think can't be done today --he's selling westerns. I think it's great, and I'm glad he's doing it. It helps all of us.

Finally what do you read for pleasure?

I read the authors mentioned above, and for pleasure I also read some older books over and over. I never tire of them. One in particular is Elmore Leonard's, Killshot. I also catch myself always going back to Mario Puzo's, Godfather. Wm. Blatty's, Exorcist, Webb's, Fields Of Fire. Hemingway, Kerouc, London. I know I'm leaving out some of my favorite authors. I enjoy all sorts of good fiction.

Riders from Long Pines

RIDERS FROM LONG PINES
by Ralph Cotton
Signet, May 2009

When some drovers stumble upon the bloody aftermath of a stagecoach robbery, they discover a hidden cache of money that belongs to the most powerful man in the county. Briefly tempted to fill their saddlebags and run, they decide to do the right thing and return the cash. But that task may not be as easy as it sounds.

Buckshot Parks, the outlaw responsible for the robbery, is dead set on getting back his money, and he has a stolen badge to hide behind while he tracks the “thieves.” But there’s a real lawman on Buckshot’s trail – Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack. With his shotgun-toting partner, Maria, he’s determined to catch the outlaw and get to the drovers before they meet with serious harm for doing good.

Riders from Long Pines is the twenty-second book in Ralph Cotton’s Ranger series, featuring Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack.

Ralph Cotton once more creates a set of believable characters in a very fast moving story. The hold-up of the stagecoach, that sets events in motion, is extremely well told and with the discovery of the hidden money he soon had me wondering how the drovers could return the cash without being accused of being the robbers themselves. In fact it’s this worry that causes most of the problems for the drovers.

Ralph Cotton tells the story in easy to read prose and often switches from one set of characters to another, in fact it’s probably the drovers who take centre-stage in this story, rather than Sam Burrack. Buckshot Parks makes for a superb outlaw but he isn’t the only one tracking down the drovers, there’s also Grissin – the man who claims the missing money is his - and his posse.

As the story unfolds it becomes clear that trying to do “the right thing” can get you in as much trouble as being on the wrong side of the law.

The plot is pretty much a straight forward chase story, with more than one side tracking another, and as the book nears its end and all party’s come together for a final exciting showdown, Ralph Cotton throws in a nice twist as one person turns out to be someone other than first believed.

And if you’re a dog lover, who will be able to forget Sergeant Tom Haines?


Look out for an interview with Ralph Cotton in the next couple of days.

The Trailsman #332

THE TRAILSMAN #332:
BEARTOOTH INCIDENT
as by Jon Sharpe
Signet, June 2009

In the frozen Beartooth Range, Fargo finds himself without his mount, his Colt, or any chance for survival – until he’s rescued by a kindly wilderness woman named Mary Harper and her children. And he’ll get his chance to pay them back, because brutal Cud Sten and his gang want what the Harpers have. But the snowbound sidewinders don’t expect to get what the Trailsman is going to give them.

As expected from a Trailsman book this is a fast, action packed, read, which begins with Fargo finding himself close to death in the snowbound Beartooth Mountains. If that is problem enough he’s set upon by a pair of hungry wolves, this part of the book making for a nail-biting bloody scene that makes you wonder how Fargo can possibly survive, and is one of the best man v wolf confrontations I’ve read for a long time.

Cud Sten and his men, especially Rika, make for some wonderfully vicious adversaries for Fargo. Sten’s choice of weapon provides some of the more brutal moments of the story.

The more savage scenes are counterbalanced by humour, often provided by Mary Harper’s children. But it is Mary herself that David Robbins (writing as Jon Sharpe) uses to reveal a side of Fargo not often shown. After Fargo nearly dies in the snow he begins to think about his life, in particular the women he’s met and whether he could ever contemplate settling down, perhaps getting married. When Mary hints – none to subtly – that she’d be happy to share the rest of her life with Fargo, David Robbins delves a little more deeply into just what it is that makes The Trailsman the man he is.

Beartooth Incident provides all the action any fan of this series would expect and is a well told and gripping read, and this time offers that little bit more by exploring some of the passions that drive the Trailsman.

The .45 Goodbye

THE .45 GOODBYE
as by Dempsey Clay
A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2009

Outlaw Sonny Boy Clanton had it all: style, courage and a band of pards, loyal to the death. The whole county saw him as a hero – until he kidnapped the Governor’s daughter.

Following the uproar, the law, cavalry and citizens scoured the valley for outlaw and hostage, but all in vain.

Then came the quiet rancher who loved the Governor’s daughter and would find and save her or die.

Dempsey Clay starts his book with a number of different incidents that introduce the reader to a variety of characters that later will all become linked – some we find are linked by their pasts too.

The lure of amnesty, a chance to start anew, is one of the major story threads, the other being of love – that shared between two people and love that is one-sided. In fact the second of these is what leads to some dangerous situations fuelled by jealousy and the need to be wanted, the latter turning a somewhat already deranged outlaw into a dangerous psychopath who will risk all to tell the governor’s daughter how much he loves her, regardless of the consequences. This new trait of the outlaw leader giving birth to arguments among the outlaws, and their eventual falling-out that leads to a tense, three sided, final gunfight.

Like other Dempsey Clay (real name Paul Wheelahan) books I’ve read this moves forwards at tremendous pace, is filled with great characters, and a gripping plot. Clay’s descriptive passages paint vivid imagery within the minds eye too. What I also like about his writing is that you are never quite sure as to the outcome of the story and of who will be alive at the end.

This book has a release date of today (June 30th) but has been available for a couple of weeks already from internet book sellers. If you want a copy I’d suggest ordering it sooner rather than later as BHW has a tendency to sell-out fast!

Lanigan and the She-Wolf

LANIGAN AND THE SHE-WOLF
By Ronald Martin Wade
A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2009

A surprisingly composed father hires Shawnee Lanigan to track down the bank robbers who abducted his 18-year-old daughter, Sara Beth. Later, Lanigan learns the gang is all female and is led by the ruthless ‘La Loba’. Despite grave misgivings, he tracks the gang to a hideout in the west Texas mountains. There, he is staggered to learn the real reason for the girl’s kidnapping.

After reporting his failure to rescue the girl, Lanigan takes a job supervising security for a mining operation. Then he unveils a plot and must ultimately face a vengeful mob. He knows that not all of them can make it out alive.

This, the second BHW in Ronald Martin Wades’ series about Shawnee Lanigan, is a little shorter than the book that introduced us to the half-breed man-hunter. Like that first book it is a fast flowing, action packed read filled with many fascinating characters, such as ‘La Loba’ herself and her gang of man hating women. Wade often refers to them as “bull dykes” and the description fits them well, although I’m not sure this term was used before the 1920s, still little things like that didn’t stop me from enjoying this book.

Once the first part of the story closes with Lanigan’s failure to return the kidnapped girl to her father and the second part begins you could easily be mistaken in thinking what you have here is two short stories held together by Lanigan’s involvement, but it isn’t long before a couple of twists are thrown in that link the two stories. I particularly liked the part where lawmen, a ranger, Lanigan and those just seeking financial reward argue over the fate of their prisoners.

Lanigan isn’t portrayed as a quick thinking, one jump ahead of everyone else, type of hero: he makes mistakes, puts himself in dangerous situations that could have been avoided, and this time let’s someone see behind the tough exterior he tries to present to other people.

Ronald Martin Wade wraps up his plotlines satisfactory and then throws in a savage sting-in-the-tail that leaves Lanigan speechless.

So far there hasn’t been any other Lanigan books announced but I’m hoping he will return soon.

Lanigan and the She-Wolf is officially released tomorrow (June 30th), but is already for sale from many internet booksellers.

The Outpost

THE OUTPOST
as by Owen G. Irons
A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2009

Cameron Black figured he was due for some luck. With a posse on his trail and the desert crawling with hostile Indians he finally managed to make it to the isolated army outpost. The trouble was the post was manned only by a skeleton crew of weary soldiers, among them three would-be deserters waiting for a chance to steal the army payroll. Also trapped inside by circumstances were a US marshal and his young prisoner and a group of female camp-followers. Among them was Cameron’s old-time lover. Even with the Comanches gearing up to attack the outpost, Cameron felt like making a dash across the desert, because there was nothing here but certain trouble.

Owen G. Irons brings together a great mixture of people, some of whom are at conflict with each other, but all sharing that need to survive – and some will do this at the expense of their companions lives. Old friendships are rekindled, whilst others begin new relationships. But can any live through the ever-growing menace of the gathering Comanches?

Lieutenant Young, the soldier left in charge of the outpost, has more to worry about than just the Comanches. His young wife is in desperate need of medical attention as she fights to live through a breech birth. This threat to her life, and the child within her, makes for some tense scenes, which strain the relationship between the Lieutenant and Black.

As you’ve probably gathered the book is character driven and Irons (real name Paul Lederer) well-crafted prose soon has you caring about them, even some of the “bad” guys – after all the books hero, Black, is an outlaw.

The book is very easy to read, the plot moving along at great speed, and even though the end is pretty much as expected, I liked how Black and Virginia’s future together is left under a slight question mark. All in all a gripping and exciting read.

Owen G. Irons is fast becoming one of my favourite BHW writers.

The Outpost has a publication date of June 30th, but is available now, and I’d suggest getting your order in as soon as possible before it sells out.

The Tarnished Star

THE TARNISHED STAR
as by Jack Martin
A Black Horse Western from Hale, June 2009

All Sheriff Cole Masters wants is to raise a family with the woman he loves. However, upholding the law in an era when gunfire speaks louder than words can be a risky business. Cole makes an arrest for the brutal murder of a saloon girl but the killer is the son of a wealthy rancher and it is clear the old man will do anything to see his son set free. Soon the peace of the small town is shattered with deadly force and Cole finds himself a lawman on the run for murder. The rancher wants Masters dead and the two deadly gunmen on his trail are sure they can do it. Soon blood will run as Cole Masters attempts to reclaim his tarnished star.

The Tarnished Star is the first BHW from Jack Martin and what a debut it is! Martin starts his book after the murder so the reader is immersed straight into the action, sharing Sheriff Master’s frustrations and doubts. The story develops at great speed, and soon Masters has been framed and finds himself on the run, hunted by two well-drawn trackers, Boyd and Quill.

In fact Jack Martin’s characters are all well portrayed in his smooth flowing, fast moving plot, that is filled with exciting action sequences that seem to get more violent as the book gallops to its final showdown. The reason each fight seems more savage than the last could be that Martin describes them in more graphic detail with each exchange of bullets.

Overall the book fits the mould of a traditional western whose hero isn’t perfect, struggles to decided just how to deal with the situation he finds himself in, and doesn’t always make the best choices in these matters either, as he attempts to uphold the law and regain his badge. The story is told in hard-hitting prose that is very easy to read and entertains extremely well. With this book Jack Martin (real name Gary Dobbs) proves he’s a writer worth keeping an eye on.

This book has a publication date of June 30th 2009, but is available now. Don’t wait too long to order your copy as it’s selling out fast.