THE BALLAD OF JACK MARTIN

But for all its cynicism it is ultimately an optimistic story, and I like that. After all, no matter how black things seem, something bright is always to be found. Maybe because the character of Delta is doomed, that there is no escape from his fate, he is the ultimate optimist. And his desire to right the wrongs of the past is purely selfless, because he knows there will be no consequences for himself in this life and he’s not too sure there is a next one. He has already faced all the consequences he is ever going to face. This is not about himself. This is about those he leaves behind. READ THE BALLAD OF JACK MARTIN HERE

I really do feel this book is the best I’ve written – a tale which comes from a mixture of influences including the noir genre, the comic books I read as a kid, and pretty much every western I’ve ever read or seen, is a benchmark for me as a writer. It is, I feel, my most assured use of a style I’ve developed over my previous novels. I think I’ve gained a lot from writing it and hope that I give readers a story that touches them on every level. It has a sadness that I hope will pass from the page to the reader’s heart, but it also has that optimistic, life-affirming vibe.

Wild West News Roundup

The Tainted Archive is in the process of setting up another Wild West Monday and details will follow soon. But in the meantime here's a little Wild West News.

Chap O'Keefe has a upcoming western (full review in a few weeks) called Blast to Oblivion that will not only delight fans of fast paced, well written western fiction but followers of a certain consulting detective.

Zach Skann came to Denver toting a deadly 12-gauge Greener shotgun. His mind was warped and sick from fifteen years in a penitentiary and it sought the palliative of vengeance against mines investor Ryan Bennett, the former Pinkerton detective responsible for his incarceration and the hangings of comrades.
Subsequently, it fell to Joshua Dillard, gun-for-hire, to seek the truth about Bennett’s murder for his sister, icily beautiful Flora Bennett. She declared she’d been cheated of a bequest; that Ryan’s widow and his smooth ex-secretary knew more than they were letting on.
To clear up the sorry mess of accusation and trickery, Joshua rode to a mining-town hell-hole. There the trail of inquiry became a trail of more blood!

There follows an extract, reproduced with permission, from a forthcoming article by Chap which will be published in the Black Horse Extra next month -


THE first words in this book, after the title pages, are written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: "The old wheel turns, and the same spoke comes up. It’s all been done before, and will be again."

Black Horse Western readers who are also Sherlockians will recognize that quotation as words spoken by Sherlock Holmes in the second chapter of The Valley of Fear. The Holmes novel was serialized in Britain in The Strand magazine between September 1914 and May 1915. Along the way, the George H. Doran Company, of New York, gave it a first book publication on February 27, 1915.

The Valley of Fear was the fourth and last of the Sherlock Holmes "Long Stories", and is set in 1875 and 1895. It's a short novel by the standards of its day, the page count being not very different from today's average BHW.

When the four Holmes novels were collected and published in one volume for the first time, Conan Doyle wrote a Preface dated June 1929.

It began, "The following stories paint Mr Sherlock Holmes and his activities upon a somewhat broader canvas where there is room for expansion. This expansion must express itself in action, for there is no room for character development in the conception of a detective."


The book is to be published by Black Horse Westerns on Feb 27th so expect a full review on the Tainted Archive around the beginning of Feb. Chaps last book completely sold out in a matter of weeks so there should be a fair bit of interest in this title.


The latest issue of the always excellent WILD WEST MAGAZINE is now on the stands with a cover date Feb 2009.

There is a Buffalo Bill cover and the lead article this month is written by Paul A. Hutton and looks at the enigmatic western icon and showbiz star.

As always the mag is bursting with well written and researched articles and brilliant reprintings of historical maps and images.

The magazine is always a must buy.
















This month sees the publication in Dorchester's famous movie range of the original novel that spawned the classic Wayne movie, The Searchers. The novel by Alan LeMay was a bestseller in its day and is here republished for a new generation of readers.

An excellent novel that spawned what many consider to be the best western of all time.

Upcoming in the series are Destry Rides Again, The Man From Laramie and The Unforgiven.

Also in Feb 2009 Dorchester will publish Only the Strong which is the latest in the Wilderness series from David Thompson.




At the end of January Black Horse Westerns will publish Lance Howard's latest offering - Coyote Deadly.

When the Chulo brothers sweep into the town of Thanody, a town that has sworn off violence, all hell breaks loose.And when Marshal James Tredder calls in an old friend and manhunter Josh Dellin to track down the vicious killers known as the Prairie Wolves the West runs scarlet with blood.Within hours Josh find himself forced to confront a powerful land owner bent on covering up his sons' brutal raids and struggling to protect the life of a beautiful young woman who's the only witness to their foul deeds.


SO THERE'S THE LATEST ROUNDUP

The WESTERN - the genre too tough to die continues to thrive and may be entering something of a new dawn - look out for the next WILD WEST MONDAY and let's bring the genre back into mainstream favour where it belongs.

It'll be a long long time before the sun finally sets on the western. An art form as American as Jazz and yet belonging to the world for the western is a genre of myth and dreams, of courage and strength. And that's universal.



NOTE TO WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS:

Wild West News Roundup is intended to be a regular part of THE TAINTED ARCHIVE so please email me with any news of upcoming titles and get this information to a large posse of western readers.



TAINTED ARCHIVES LATEST STATS

Weekly Stats Report: 29 Dec - 4 Jan 2009
Project: THE TAINTED ARCHIVE
URL: http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com/

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total	Avg
Pageloads	135	153	114	116	200	173	190	1,081	154
Unique Visitors	76	82	64	72	120	74	108	596	85
First Time Visitors	54	65	43	49	92	57	82	442	63
Returning Visitors	22	17	21	23	28	17	26	154	22

Sad News - the passing of Walt Masterson

Today I recieved an email from Keith Chapman AKA western writer Chap OKeefe telling me of the death of BHW writer Christopher Kenworthy AKA Walt Masterson. Keith will be offering a tribute in the next Black Horse Extra but wanted me to pass on the sad news.

Here is the email from Keith.

Gary,

I have today received the sad news from Helen about the death of BHWwriter Walt Masterson. I will be running a tribute in the next BH Extra,but this is not due out until February.I hope you will be able to spare some space at your widely read blog to pass on what I have heard.

Dear Keith

Sad news.  My wonderful husband Chris lost the
battle with leukaemia
> on Sunday the 7th December.  He died in the
Royal Marsden Hospital at
> Sutton where the staff who had got to know
him - and those who hadn't!
> - fought like wild mountain lions to hang
on to him.
> He loss has left me completely devastated
although we knew he was ill.
> He presided over his own wake in July,
when he was given another month
> to live.  It was an excellent party
which he enjoyed to the full.
> There is to be another in the local
pub which is what he wanted,
> following his cremation.
> His ashes will be scattered equally
by the sea, which he loved, and
> then somewhere in Arizona ,later next year.
> Monument Valley, perhaps?
If your readers want a longer epitaph,
may I suggest it would be a nice
idea for us all to spare a moment today,
whatever that might be around
the globe, to re-read read Chris's own article,
"Blame It on Sudden" ?
(BH Extra, March 2008)



The article can be found here

The late author's own website can be found here


The Tainted Archive would like to pass on our sympathy
and prayers to Christopher's
family at this sad time.