Wild West Roundup

The current issue of Wild West Magazine is now on sale in the US and also as an import elsewhere. The lead feature is about Virgil Earp and asks why the frontier marshal has always played second fiddle to his more famous brother Virgil. $8.03 US £4.95 UK

A man in Australia has uncovered what are believed to be the wedding day pictures of Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate. John Bullock came across the photos, which are marked with the photographer's code I.D and Co, St,. Louis 1876, at a jumble sale in Tasmania and they have been accepted by historians as being of Doc and Big Nose Kate. How the photos ended up in Tasmania is a mystery.

The New Mexico public library now has two letters from Billy the Kid on view to the public. The letters which were written to Governor Lew Wallace are available to view by anyone but you must make prior arrangements with the library.

Big screen TV westerns based on both Gunsmoke and The Big Valley are in the early stages of production. It is reported that James Arness will play a cameo in the Gunsmoke movie and that both Lee Majors and Linda Evans will appear in the Big Valley. Already looking forward to these two.

True West' s latest issue is now in shops with a lead feature looking at great art of the West. The magazine is packed full of the latest news and features and although I prefer Wild West Magazine, True West is also worth buying.

Bad news is that the proposed $175 million deal to extend the Autry National Centre of the American West will not go ahead. The centre in LA was due for an extension but after protests from the Southwest Museum of American Indian centre it was decided not to continue.

Wild West Web Roundup

New to the Wild West Web is this site dedicated solely to western fiction Western Online

The webzine is actively seeking new western fiction - get over there and check out their submission guidelines.

November 2nd 2009 is Wild West Monday the Fourth and for the month of October The Archive will have nothing but western related posts leading up to the big day. Hopefully other western blogs will get involved in the push and mention the initiative every day. There's some big things happening this time around - in the meantime please sign our petition HERE - we want as many signatures as possible by November when the big publicity push begins.




Head over to the Soapy Smith website to find out about the book, Alias Soapy Smith which is the first major work on the Old West Conman.


The LA Times has an interesting story HERE about the history of Little Tokyo which includes a report of a hanging which was reported in newspaper of the day before it had actually happened.

WILD WEST ROUND-UP

Wild West Monday News - I have received a letter from Channel Four asking for more information on Wild West Monday. I wrote to them detailing the previous events and of how much support we have for the next Wild West Monday - I'm shamelessly looking for media coverage here and am hoping to get onto their daytime chat show. Got to be good for western fiction, folks.

This letter is very positive and the producers are saying they need more information but are interested in the initiative. Archive readers can help by signing the petition in the right hand sidebar of this blog - please scroll down and find the link (by that pic of the good looking guy pointing a gun at you) and then get you name on it. After you've signed close the page and ignore the donation request - that's nothing to do with Wild West Monday or The Tainted Archive but a nag screen from the petition host.

True West Magazine (August 2009) reveals that America is not the most prolific publishers of western fiction and in fact that honour goes to the British Black Horse Western Group who, at 72 titles per year, are the market leader. And with each title on average borrowed from libraries 5,000 - 6,000 times that's a lot of people getting their western fiction from the Brit publisher whose writers come from all four corners of the globe and before we Brits hijack the western as our own it is worth pointing out there are quite a few American writers publishing with the imprint.

As a writer with the group myself and a self proclaimed western nut I am pleased that True West, this quality American Western Magazine has finally noticed the Black Horse Books. Anyone who fancies some traditional style westerns, no nonsense adventures should give the books a chance. There's something for all tastes from a diverse group of writers. And I'm resisting the strong urge to put in a Tarnished Star plug here.


Hollywood's western fascination continues to grow - Jonah Hex is nearing completion of its shoot so expect a surge of publicity soon, lawman is being developed as a major TV series - apparently the show is completely new and nothing to do with the 1960's series of the same name, After John Travolta and Tom Cruise were linked to the main roles in the forthcoming remake of Butch and Sundance, it is now reported that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon could take the title roles - Robert Redford recently hit out at the project, fearing it will ruin the memories of a classic movie and the Coen brother's long rumoured remake of True Grit is now confirmed as their next project.

Current Western Writers of America president Johnny D. Boggs will be interviewed here on the Archive very soon - we're happier than a grizzled old prospector in a whore house at that.

David Thompson's bestselling Wilderness series hits 61 books next month when Dorchester publish The Scalp Hunters. Several books in the series have been reviewed over at Western Fiction Review.

WILD WEST ROUND-UP

BOZEMAN MONTANA - Earlier this year, March in fact, there was an explosion in Bozeman caused by a natural gas leak. One person was killed and four buildings of old west historical importance were destroyed while three others were damaged. Chuck Winn, assistant city manager, is hoping that funding from The National Trust should enable some of the historic buildings to be saved.

Arizona's famous Diamond Bar Ranch is to have a new road leading up to it in 2010 - the current road has been described as rugged, dusty and axle - busting.

Warner Brothers have bought a script by John Hlavin called The Gunslinger - reports are that the script is about an ex Texas Ranger who is seeking the man who killed his brother. Warners are waiting to see how the Jonah Hex movie does before going into production.

The next Wild West Monday will be the first Monday in November - the next episode of The Tainted Podcast which will go live this weekend is a Wild West Monday special. Subscribe or listen to it here on the Archive. Don't forget to sign the petition in favour of the initiative in the sidebar of this blog.

The re-make of the John Wayne 1947 classic Angels and the Badman has aired in the US to disappointing reviews. Was to be expected, though. Lou Diamond Phillips is a fine actor but he's no John Wayne.
The next western being considered for the re-make treatment is the Gregory Peck classic, The Gunfighter - Actor Christian Bale, who previously did a great turn in the 3-10 from Yuma re-make, is interested in the Peck part.

The Covered Wagon, the 1924, silent western classic is to get a region free DVD this September. This is great news since the film has previously only been available on a muddy looking VHS version. Paramount who own the film have a long list of silent classic geared up for DVD treatment so here's hoping there are some more westerns among them.

Fans of Misfit Lil, Chap O'keefe's daring babe of the west can find a chapter sample HERE from the forthcoming new Black Horse Western release Misfit Lil Robs the Bank.

WILD WEST ROUNDUP

The Lone Ranger movie is due to go into immediate production even if the Lone Ranger has not yet been cast. Johnny Depp is onboard to play Tonto. The actor recently said his grandmother was full blooded Cherokee.

After the successful Broken Trails, Robert Duvall is to return to the westerns with a mini series centered on the Pony Express. 2010 will see the 150th anniversary and the mini-series will air during that time.

July 17th - 26th will see the Frontier Days celebrations return to Wyoming. The celebrations are planned to be the biggest ever and we hope to have someone on hand to record events for The Tainted Archive.

Another part of western history died this January when the Rocky Mountain News published its final issue. The News was said to be $16 million in debt. The newspaper published its first issue in 1859.

More good news for western fiction fans. Kerby Jackson reports that his western small press project is soon to come to fruition - "Submissions for “Six Guns & Shootouts” have been rolling in steadily and the first volume is now filled and is entering the editorial stage. If all goes as planned, it should be available sometime in August. I also have a few submissions of full length novels that look promising. The overall quality of the submitted work is quite high and there are some really top notch tales in the group. Meanwhile, though SG&S #2 and #3 are filling up, there is still space for both western fiction and non fiction. Those interested in submitting their work should visit:

http://www.western-stories.com/six-guns-westerns/six-guns-westerns.html"

The fourth wild west monday will be 2nd November 2009 - find details on The Tainted
Podcast

WILD WEST ROUND-UP

With only two days to go until Wild West Monday it is hoped that more people than ever will take part in the lastest event. And if you've not done so already don't forget to sign our online petition in support of the western genre HERE.

the Book Depository is already listing the next Misfit Lil book for pre-order, with its usual free delivery worldwide. Misfit Lil Robs the Bank was originally titled Misfit Lil and the Mesmerist. The book, by the popular western author is already charting in the pre-order lists and expectations are high.

Also Keith Chapman AKA Chap O'Keefe tells us that Wild West Monday is clearly working - "Steady growth has continued during May for BHW site, Black Horse Extra ( www.blackhorsewesterns.com ). During the month until this weekend, almost 1,000 "unique" (different) visitors had made more than 1,600 visits, loading almost 3,000 pages! Each "page", as many readers here know, consists of a quarterly edition containing three or more articles of paid-magazine standard, plus a dozen or so Hoofprints newsbriefs of about blog-post length.

Clearly, the complete May statistics are going to be record ones for the Extra.

The site's reach can hardly be indicative of a "dying" genre. It is also difficult to accept contentions that growing interest in the likes of the Extra and the Tainted Archive is not having an effect on the demand for western fiction.

A US crime-fiction reader and commentator, David Vineyard, said of the latest Black Horse Extra at the Mystery*File blog:

"Great site, a lot of fun to see the Western from a different but clearly affectionate, talented, and devoted point of view. I'll be interested to read some of the books."

Popular mass-market paperback author James Reasoner said:

"If you haven't checked out the latest issue . . . I strongly urge you to do so. . . the usual assortment of entertaining and informative features. Good stuff all around."

If none of this effort is reflected in book sales and borrowings, one explanation coming to mind is that the western books readers want to see are just not available to them. We know for a fact that some orders and requests have been unable to be met. I cannot stress too strongly that Gary's Wild West Monday initiative is everyone's chance to make the situation known in the places where book-business decisions are made.

Time, too, perhaps, to lend to, or buy for a friend a western you have enjoyed. The more "converts" the better."





Fort Sumner Denies Kid Statue - a statue by sculptor, Buckeye Blake has been scrapped by Fort Sumner officials who felt the piece, showing a hatless and bootless Kid stretched out in death, was not what they had in mind to be placed on the tourist hotspot that is the Kid's grave. It's back to the drawing board and officials have asked for a more traditional styled statue to be placed on the site were the kid may or may not lie.




In other Kid news the Brushy Bill story won't go away - while most historians favour the story that The Kid was shot dead in Fort Sumner during 1881, there are still many who believe that Bill Roberts who lived until 1950 was really The Kid. Finally wanting to put the story to test the Lincoln County Sheriff's department have made a request for Brushy Bill's body to be exhumed for DNA testing. What they are going to test it against is unclear.




Dorchester Publishing's western release of the month is Robert J. Randisi's Beauty and The Bounty. The book about a bounty hunter on the trail of a woman outlaw promises to deliver old west thrills and spills and a damn good romantic story between the gunshots. Also out from Dorchester is the highly recommended Outlaws by Paul Bagdon. The author is a Spur finalist and the Archive really enjoyed this book.


Robert Hale's Black Horse westerns launch not only Tarnished Star but five other western novels during the month of June. Among these are new works by Black Horse luminaries Ian Parnham and Ross Morton. Check out the full list of Hale's current titles on the latest Black Horse Extra HERE













The hotly anticipated supernatural western, Jonah Hex moves a step closer to completion with new pictures of Megan Fox who plays opposite Josh Brolin in this adaption of the DC western anti-hero. Megan looks stunning in her outfit and is a real pin up girl for The Tainted Archive. Other western projects moving ever closer to becoming reality is the Cohen brothers re-make of True Grit with a casting announcement expected shortly.


Also worth a mention(or two for that matter) is the Black Horse Express site - the current issue features many extracts from Black Horse westerns including Long Shadows and The $300 Man. There's also an interview with Charles Whipple and an article by our favourite pulp historian, Laurie Powers on the history of Wild West Weekly.

And finally don't forget this Monday is Wild West Monday when western fans worldwide will be hitting those libraries and bookshops and enquiring about their western sections. If they don't stock westerns then request they do so. Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top take part in the initiative - together we can do it.

And get that petition signed and push it on websites and blogs, message boards and forums - we've all gotta' be pro-active here in the name of wild west fiction. We need a few thousand signatures to truly reflect the demand.

Wild West Round-up includes news of free audio-book

A massive preservation program is on the cards to preserve what is left of the historic Alamo site.

Richard Bruce, the Alamo curator, thinks it is criminal the way the place has been neglected. There's little at the site to inform visitors of the historic importance of the site, no printed information. no signs of plaques to commemorate the events. There is an audio tour but very few people take it.

Now help is on the way and an ambitious programme has just been announced to spruce up Alamo Plaza and make it an important tourist attraction. The group The Daughters of Texas who oversee the historic site have announced a $60 million plan to turn the place into a shrine and tourist attraction.


Kevin Costner, no stranger to westerns, is in talks to remake The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance. No doubt the actor sees himself in the John Wayne role - "I think the movie is about the idea of heroism, of standing up for yourself." The actor recently told True West Magazine.


Mary Porter, a native of Ireland, ran a brothel in Fort Worth, Texas in the 1890's. The brothel was often visited by the high and mighty. When she died in 1905 she was buried in an unmarked grave at Fort Worth's Oakwood Cemetery. But now thanks to historian Donna Donnel the Irish madam has a monument placed over her grave. The new stone reads - Mary Porter "Call me Madam" b Ireland 1844, died Fort Worth june 10th 1905. The stone was provided by Fort Worth police sergeant Kevin Foster.


There is an interview with western writer, Jack Martin (that's me , you know!) at Joanne Walpole's blog HERE There's also a very flattering look at my short fiction HERE

William Johnstone fans can enjoy a free download of his western, Eagles: Eyes of the Eagles in audiobook format with a full cast recording - it's a movie in your mind. HERE
Simply fill in a short form and your download will begin.