It’s not difficult to forget a name like Larry D. Sweazy. Sure, it sounds “funny,” but it’s memorable also because he’s one of the top new writers working in Westerns, having just published his debut novel, THE RATTLESNAKE SEASON, last fall. He followed it up last month with THE SCORPION TRAIL, also featuring the lead character of Texas Ranger Josiah Wolfe. Sweazy found some time to leave the dusty trail for a few minutes to talk with us about — what else? — Westerns.
BOOKGASM: What do you see as the state of the Western fiction genre as it stands today?
SWEAZY: Western fiction is most definitely on the uptick. Although it is doubtful that the genre will ever regain the popularity of its heyday, there are plenty of signs that are promising. My first novel, THE RATTLESNAKE SEASON, went into its third printing in three months, and other Western writers are experiencing the same kind of success.
Librarians constantly tell me that they have a healthy, almost rabid, Western readership, and they wished more Westerns by new writers would be published. With limited slots from large publishers, I think those writing in the Western genre today are at the top of their level. They have to be because the competition is fierce, which is good for the genre.
BOOKGASM: What do you attribute the uptick to? It seems strange, given that Westerns occupy the tiniest shelves in bookstores, if at all.
SWEAZY: I’m a baby boomer, born in 1960, which means I got to the enjoy the tail end of the golden age of Westerns on television and in print. We had three TV channels, so watching Westerns was a staple of my viewing habits. I got to see first-run episodes of THE RIFLEMAN, BONANZA, GUNSMOKE, among others, and Elmore Leonard and Louis L’Amour had new books on the paperback racks at the local drugstore.
There was no talk of genre in those days — just what was good. I think the audience is there for people wanting to revisit those days, who enjoyed the storytelling of those days, as well as new audiences who never experienced the golden age of Westerns like I did.
My local Barnes & Noble used to shelve Western novels in among general fiction, but a couple of years ago, they created a Western section because the demand was so high at that store. I keep hearing this more and more. I also think there are some very, very good writers working in the genre today, and good writing always pulls in readers.
BOOKGASM: How do you think an increasingly technological world will treat a genre so associated with, well, zero electricity?
SWEAZY: I’m excited about all of the possibilities that are on the horizon. Considering men like gadgets, and the perceived readership of Westerns is primarily men, I think the outlook for the Western genre is really good at the moment. The new ebook systems — Kindle, iPad, etc. — are delivery systems just like paperbacks are delivery systems.
In the big scheme of things, the advent of paperbacks turned the publishing business upside-down in the 1950s and 1960s by making literature available and affordable to the masses. What were seeing now is just a continuation of that trend: making information and good storytelling even more accessible. In the end, I think readers are always going to be looking for a great story — one that moves them, changes them, entertains them and takes them away from their daily lives for a few hours or more.
How that happens may change by the delivery system, but I don’t think ebooks are not going to be the end of storytelling, or a writer’s ability to make a living, or Westerns as a viable genre. Just the opposite.
BOOKGASM: Was your first novel a conscious decision to kick-start a series? Or did it just turn out that way when it came time to write another?
SWEAZY: I absolutely made a decision to write a series from the very beginning. As a reader, I am a great fan of series, and I always enjoy looking forward to spending time with a trusted friend when a new book in a series hits the shelves. As a writer, I wanted to create what I enjoy reading.
BOOKGASM: Do you think it’s better for Western authors to pursue a series, or try a few stand-alones to see what sticks?
SWEAZY: If a writer is trying to break into the Western genre, I think writing a series is a good way to start. You have the opportunity to build a readership and prove to a publisher that you can handle the demands of being a professional writer.
It would probably be difficult in today’s environment to have the luxury of writing a few stand-alones to see what sticks. It’s entirely possible that it could work, but as I said, for me, writing a series was always the way to go from the start because I like to read them. Writing what you love to read is always the best strategy, as far as I’m concerned. If you try to write toward the market, you’re probably trying to herd cats.
BOOKGASM: What are some of your favorite Westerns, in any medium?
SWEAZY: From my early days, I always really liked THE WILD WILD WEST. It was campy and fun. I still catch a GUNSMOKE every now and then. It’s on every day at 6 p.m. on a local channel, and Dodge City is a nice place to visit for a bit of nostalgia and some darn good storytelling. I loved the early Elmore Leonard Westerns. VALDEZ IS COMING. HOMBRE. I read THE BIG SKY by A.B. Guthrie in high school and was hooked.
Movies were a big influence, too. I saw JEREMIAH JOHNSON at the drive-in when I was in my early teens, and it had an impact. The Clint Eastwood Westerns were a staple, too: HANG ‘EM HIGH, PALE RIDER, all the spaghetti Westerns. I could go on and on about the Westerns I love, old and new.
When I got older, Stephen King came along with THE GUNSLINGER series. He’s contributing to a comic book series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, and is writing the origin story, a vampire gunslinger. Looks like fun. And then there are modern Western writers like Loren D. Estleman, Elmer Kelton, James Reasoner, Johnny D. Boggs, Dusty Richards and a slew of others, keeping the genre alive and healthy, that I always find hard to put down when I read them.
BOOKGASM: What’s next for you? Will you continue the Josiah Wolfe series or try something else?
SWEAZY: I just turned in the third Josiah Wolfe, THE BADGER’S REVENGE. It should be out early next year, and I’ve just started writing the fourth Josiah Wolfe, THE COUGAR’S PREY, which I imagine will be out in late 2011 or early 2012.
Beyond that, I have some more Josiah Wolfe ideas, if the series continues, and my agent is shopping a couple of modern-day mystery series that I have also written. I have a few more Western series ideas roiling around in my head, too. I hope to always write Westerns, and I’m trying my hand at a few other things, as well. We’ll see what happens next. —Rod Lott
Author photo by Gary Whiting
OTHER RECENT BOOKGASM AUTHOR INTERVIEWS:
• Q&A with DEATH TO EVERYONE’s Tyler Shelburn
• Q&A with SHADES OF GREY’s Jasper Fforde
• Q&A with NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY’s Mark Andrew Smith
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Nice interview, fellas. Having read both of Larry’s Josiah Wolfe novels and many of his short stories, I can tell you that he is a writer in it for the long haul. They’re top-shelf reads with first-class storytelling.
As a writer of Westerns myself, I agree with Larry that e-books could be very good for the Western genre. Plus, there’s so much interesting crossover work going on today that fans of one genre find it easy–and pleasurable–to dip into another. New horizons for the Old West!
Cheers,
Matthew P. Mayo