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On The Trail This Western Author Never Pines For Old West by: Stephen Bly |
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We moved to Idaho to live closer to what America used to be, but I’d never want to go back to the Old West. I love black, boiled coffee and being alone out in the wilds like the best of the trail cowboys, but I prefer living in the 21st Century. In the Old West both winters and summers could be miserable. For those first trappers, miners and cowboys, many a winter day was spent just trying to survive. Having an ample supply of firewood was a crucial concern of every pioneer, especially those out on the treeless prairies. The cold Arctic winds blew down through Alberta and blasted into the western U.S., freezing everything it touched. Summers could be as miserable. There was often no wind movement. Bugs swarmed. Skin cracked. Crops blistered. Living down in the canyons was especially a challenge.
Pioneers The weather…the rustic living conditions…the health concerns, my characters face all of this and more. The worst problems have nothing to do with nature. My newest hero, Avery John Creede (Creede of Old Montana), hankers for peace and quiet and a relaxing, cool breeze as he rides into Fort Benton, Montana, for a reunion with army pals. He discovers a running gunfight with a notorious outlaw and two women determined to distract him instead. One gal wants him dead. I do live in a rustic western town: Winchester, Idaho (pop. 308), at 4,000 foot elevation, next to Winchester Lake State Park, on the Nez Perce Reservation. My home features an Old West false-front town in the yard that I built myself, that includes a schoolhouse, jail, newspaper office, blacksmith shop, café, gift shop, mercantile and two-story hotel. Makes a great photo op for fans who come by to visit or a barbecue setting for friends and family. We also reside in a forest of second cut, 100-year-old Ponderosa pines. These trees have been the inspiration for the play on words phrase “Ponder Rosa” for my novel One Step Over The Border and a cowboy poem or two. There are hundreds in view from my window. Dozens in our yard. So, stare out the window long enough and all sorts of writing ideas come to mind. Parts of the Old West remain all around me, but with all the modern amenities. That suits me just fine.
Christy Award winning Stephen Bly's newest releases: The Land Tamers and Creede of Old Montana. Centerpoint Publishing, hardback. Order through your local bookstore, favorite online book outlet, public library, or www.BlyBooks.com Coming June 2010: Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon
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