Solstice westerns new head man

Nik Morton better known as Black Horse writer, Ross Morton has taken over the role of editor in chief at Solstice Westerns after I had to step down. I was excited to work on the list but a job opportunity will see me going to Africa for six months at the end of December, and I have not got the time that the Solstice Westerns demand. Nik though knows his westerns and recently edited the anthology, A Fistful of Legends.

Check out Nik's blog HERE

Want to write a western?

Solstice Publishing are still actively seeking western novels for their new western list - I, along with several others,  have the honour of serving as editors for the new line - a line we are determined to see grow into a trusted source of quality western fiction. At the end of this brief article I'll tell you how submit your work for consideration, but for now let's talk a little about the western genre!

Firstly, what is genre?

Colourful adventure is promised by this illustration

Genre is a means by which the reader brings a foreknowledge to a story, a preconceived idea of plots, themes and structure. It is the writer's job to work within the confines of the genre but at the same time create something new from the old conventions. It is no use to ignore the rules of genre all together, for to do so is to cheat the reader who parts with their money in the expectation of experiencing an enjoyable story with all the elements they have come to know and love. Of course even the above rule can be stretched and western fiction can, and often does, contain horror or science fiction elements but for the purpose of this piece I will concentrate on the traditional western.


The western is usually, though not always, set in the time period following the Civil War and up to the early 1890's - however many great westerns are set both before and after this timeline, but as a general rule the western should be set between 1865 and 1900.

The hero or indeed heroine of the story should be someone the reader can identify with and the trials faced by he or she should propel the story forward in a logical and exciting way. Of course the hero doesn't have to be of the clean cut, square jawed variety - think of the anti-hero but even the most despicable of characters must have some redeeming features and an understandable reason to do what he/she does.

All kinds of stories can be told within the western genre - it is fluid enough to carry any kind of tale. Indeed the entire human experience can be explored within the genre. There are murder mysteries set on the plains, tender romances played out in the saloons and mining camps. There are tales of honest men taking on the corruption of big corporations or dishonest men being brought to justice by the courage of individuals.

Anyone wanting to write in the genre must first and foremost read within the genre. Pick up a western and read it firstly for the enjoyment of the story but then flip it back over and read it again, this time paying attention to how it is plotted. Pay particular attention to how the main character is developed throughout the story, Does the writer present big chunks of characterisation? Or is the character developed through actions and events? There is no right or wrong way but the main character must be credible and remain of consistent character throughout.

Farmers, cowboys, cavalrymen, miners, Indian fighters, gamblers, outlaws, railroad builders, frontier women - all have a part to play in the western experience and the very best fiction can tell us a little about ourselves and indeed about our society today.

Some notable westerns that anyone wanting to write western fiction must read:

Lonesome Dove by Larry Mcmurtry - this is truly epic storytelling on a grand scale. Though it is the superbly drawn characters that make this novel live and breathe. It is also worth watching the excellent television mini-series made from the book.

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey - this is in the public domain and can be obtained free from Project Guttenberg. Lassiter, the hero, is a chief strand of the DNA of every western character that has come since.

The Virginian by Owen Wister - Written in 1902 this book, more than any other, defined the western genre. Public Domain copies are also available of this title but the Oxford Library edition contains an essential essay by Robert Shulman that should be read by any would be western writers.

The Searchers by Alan LeMay - I'm including this because I read for the first time recently and as well as being a great story the author provides a master-class in creating the anti-hero with Amos Edwards.

Six Bits a Day by Elmer Kelton - pretty much anything by Kelton is essential but this sequel to The Good Old Boys provides a thrilling look at the cowboy lifestyle.

Hondo by Louis Lamour - as with Kelton, it is worth studying any of Lamour's westerns but this one offers a good example of the mysterious loner. The movie's pretty damn good too.


Edge: The Loner by George G. Gilman - to my mind the best of the adult westerns. Any of the Edge novels are worth studying as examples of the more extreme westerns but The Loner is where it all started and it's currently available as a spanking new eBook from Solstice Publishing.

Shameless self promotion

Arkansas Smith by Jack Martin - OK, I wrote this one but I make no apologies for throwing it into this list. I think it's a damn good western and by tossing it in here I may get another sale.

So if you still think you've got what it takes to take on the genre that truly is too tough to die then get writing and email us your work as a WORD or RTF file to:westernsubmissions.solstice@live.com Ideal wordage is between 40,000 - 90,000 words but we will consider work that is longer if the story merits such length. Double spacing will make your work easier to read and is most desirable.

The golden age of the western is tomorrow

Let's talk westerns - when the Archive started out it was all westerns - back then I was keyed up for the publication of my début novel, The Tarnished Star with the wonderful Black Horse Western line from Robert Hale LTD. Since then the Archive's grown and includes much more than westerns but the genre, my first love, has never been far away - the Wild West Monday initiative, The Black Horse western weekend, the interviews with western authors and enthusiasts - we even talked to son of legend, Louis L'amour. Now that was a honour -  and Mr John Hale, the publisher of the Black Horse Western range agreed to an interview which is something he doesn't normally do.And don't forget we also presented the Chap O'Keefe novel, The Sheriff and the Widow for free online for all readers and it can still be found in the Archive's sidebar. In fact do a Google search on ,"wild west" or "western" and chances are some of those results will point you to the Archive. Yep the Archive always been at the forefront of spearheading the western revival.

And now, as well as everything else going on, the Archive will become the place for all the news on the new Solstice Publishing's Western Line. That doesn't mean there'll be no more Black Horse westerns - on the contrary, next year I will publish The Ballad of Delta Rose with the imprint and Arkansas Smith 2 will also be going to Black Horse. In fact I fully intend to continue writing for the Black Horse imprint as does, I'm sure, my co-editor Nick Morton. This just means that I can write for Solstice Western too and besides publishing one western a year is not enough for me and I feel that the Solstice deal with allow me to grow as a writer and  try new challenges. I don't want to just write westerns - I want to produce something that is up there with the very best the genre can provide. It may take me some time but I'll do it. As Clint Eastwood said in, Bronco Billy, one of the screen's finest laments for times past, "a man can be just want he wants to be. He's just got to go out and become it."


And as the submission come in for the Solstice westerns and the slush pile grows then maybe there'll be another Lonesome Dove hiding away in there - now that would be good.

I also think the fact that Solstice are chiefly a digital first publisher is exciting and we need to make sure westerns are firmly represented in this new medium from day one if the genre is going to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with all the other popular fiction out there. The fact that the line has recently published the first in the classic Edge series by George G, Gilman means that we are already making waves with the genre that  is too tough to die. Fashions in reading come and go but the western's never truly gone away and when it comes back it will be with a bang more forceful than a .44.

So the next time someone tells you that the western's had it's day, just smile tell them that, the golden age of the western is tomorrow.

And don't things move fast

I am delighted and honoured to announce that Nik Morton will be riding the digital range with me on the Solstice Western line. Nick's had considerable editing experience and of course he's a mighty fine western novelist himself.

Team Western is developing - more news soon.

WESTERN NOVELS WANTED - DEAD OR ALIVE, so to speak!!!

A few days ago I was offered the post of Chief Editor on the new western line from Solstice Publishing - I had to think about this long and hard because I was worried it would impact on my own writing but at the end of the day it was always the proud boast of the Tainted Archive that we were spearheading the western revival. Well, is there a better way of doing this than presiding over and creating a western line that we hope will be second to none in the eBook stakes?

There's also the point that I have another western novel, The Ballad of Delta Rose out with Hale next year and that Arkansas Smith 2 is virtually complete, so that puts me two westerns in hand. So maybe I have got the time to devote to this.

You know the more I think about it the more excited I become - I want to make Solstice the place to go for western fiction, a publishing house with a list that is not afraid to push the boundaries of the genre, an exciting, vibrant list. The line's  already been given a cutting start with the Edge series (and yes it will be appearing on Amazon very soon but more on that tomorrow) .

I'm both excited and daunted by this new avenue I am about to walk, but I know one thing that whatever skills I do not possess I will develop, and the one thing I have got that nobody could deny is an undying love and understanding of the genre.

And so to kick off I announce that the western line is now taking submissions but (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT) do not send any digital files to me direct but rather use my spanking new Solstice email  inbox at - westernsubmissions.solstice@live.com

We are looking for both traditional and non-traditional westerns between 40,000 - 90,000 words, though the ideal length is somewhere between the two . We want good stories with good characters - to be grabbed from the first page and dragged through the entire story. At the moment I am building a team of editors around the list so initially decisions on books sent could be a little slow but I will endeavour to let anyone who submits work have a decision within a month, hopefully, in time,we will cut this down to a couple of days.

So come on  - Solstice, riding the digital range.