Thursday, September 1, 2022

Why I Love the Wild West

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Let me put it this way. The wild west may have saved my marriage.  That’s because whenever there is a western on TV, I can rely on the reality that Jonathan will be lost in it, absolutely lost in it, and I will be able to get in a few hours writing  and he will NEVER know that I am gone. 

Which I why when I saw the title of the fabulous Ryan Steck’s essay for today, I burst into  laughter.   (Even funnier because when Ryan’s book FIELDS OF FIRE arrived here the other day, Jonathan grabbed it, and now he’s lost in THAT!)

I will carefully tentatively say that “westerns” are kinda not my genre of choice.  They are—and I know this might sound silly—too sad. Know what I mean? But that’s just me.  And ”off the grid” to me means, um, well, where am I gonna plug stuff in? But that’s just me.

Anyway! We are so delighted to have Ryan here today—you all know him of course, from being the founder and editor in chief of the irresistible The Real Book Spy, the place to go for all things thriller! And more on that in a minute.

But first, hurray! We are celebrating Ryan’s debut novel. And, no matter if you are an aficionado of the wild West or more a city type, you’ll adore it.

So read on—-And I’ll give a copy of FIELDS OF FIRE to one lucky commenter! (But it won’t arrive by Pony Express.)



Why I Love the Wild West

by Ryan Steck


As The Real Book Spy, I have spent the last decade of my life covering the thriller genre, from authors to their characters, and thousands of new releases. I’ve had the pleasure of reading just about everything. Then again, most of that reading is for “work” rather than pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but even I need a break from the daily routine sometimes, and when I need that escape, there’s always one place I head for—the wild West. 

When it comes to the modern-day western, authors like C. J. Box and Craig Johnson have long been the gold standard. Now, though, we’re seeing a resurgence in such stories from Hollywood too, with shows like Yellowstone and 1883 dominating ratings charts, not to mention award shows. 

And as the western comes roaring back, fast becoming a mainstay in today’s pop culture fabric, I think it’s worth looking at why that is, and what it is about the West that people love so much. 

I can only speak for myself, but I think in today’s high-tech world of gadgets and electronics (I mean, we now have refrigerators that can provide weather forecasts and automobiles that can self-diagnose issues and order their own parts), one of the most appealing things about out West, or at least our perception of it, is that it provides a simpler way of living.

 In a world where most people can’t go two minutes without checking their iPhone or uploading pictures of their dinner plates to Instagram, there’s something so appealing about living off the land, disconnected from technology, where streetlights and skyscrapers don’t obscure the starry night sky. Peace and quiet, too—that’s something else most of us crave after being overly stimulated by the sights and sounds of city living. Is that part of the appeal? 


Then there’s the creative side of things. When I was preparing to transition from literary critic to author, I knew I needed a story and setting unlike anything I’d ever covered. So I chose to set Fields of Fire, my debut novel, in a small town smack-dab in the middle of Montana. All the reasons outlined above played into in that decision, but more important was the reality that those factors can create the perfect storm for plotting. 

For example, out West, backup doesn’t always exist, and if it does, the response time can be hours, not minutes. Likewise, tension can be heightened by the fact that when a character is out on their own, the stakes are raised considerably. A non-life-threatening injury becomes far more concerning when alone in the vastness that is the wild West. For me, the opportunity to take advantage of those things was a no-brainer. 

The allure of living off grid is a tantalizing one, and as the world continues to chug onward into the digital age, it makes sense that storytellers would look to the wild West, one of the only places that is both a slice of familiarity and a great unknown with limitless potential. And that is why I love it so much. 

What about you?  


HANK: Exactly, Reds and readers! How about you?  And hey, tell us what your favorite off-the-grid wide-open-spaces book or movie is. That would be fun to know!


And remember, a copy of the wonderful debut  FIELDS OF FIRE to one lucky commenter!


(And don't forget to check out The Real Book Spy!)




Ryan Steck is an editor, an author, and the founder and editor in chief of The Real Book Spy. Ryan has been named an "Online Influencer" by Amazon and is a regular columnist at CrimeReads. TheRealBookSpy.com has been endorsed by #1 New York Times bestselling authors Mark Greaney, C. J. Box, Kyle Mills, Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, and many others. A resident of Michigan, along with his wife and their six kids, Steck cheers on his beloved Detroit Tigers and Lions during the rare moments when he's not reading or talking about books on social media. 


Fields of Fire

A Matthew Redd Thriller

by Ryan Steck


“You know Ryan Steck as the Real Book Spy. Now, get to know him as the author of Fields of Fire, his debut thriller featuring Marine Raider Matthew Redd in a battle that will leave you speechless and begging for more. Lock and load!” —Jack Carr, Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand



Waiting to be deployed on a critical mission, elite Marine Raider Matthew Redd stops to help a stranger and wakes up hours later to learn his team was wiped out in an ambush. Unable to remember anything, Redd can’t deny the possibility that he’s somehow responsible for the information leak that led to the massacre. He’s given a deal to avoid a charge of treason, but it means walking away from the Corps and the life he loved.


As he faces his loss, Matty gets a cryptic message from his adoptive father, J. B.: “Trouble’s come knocking. . . . Might need your help.” He points his truck home to rural Montana, only to discover that J. B. is dead and the explanation for his death is far from satisfying. Determined to dig up the truth, Redd uncovers a dark global conspiracy with his hometown at the center and no team at his back—except one he might find among past friends, old enemies, and new allies, if he can figure out who to trust.


Get your copy here!

65 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Ryan, on your debut novel . . . your story sounds quite intriguing and I’m looking forward to reading it.

    Favorite western book? Michael Crichton’s “Dragon’s Teeth” . . . Favorite western movie? “True Grit” . . . .

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    1. Wonderful, Joan! I guess now's as good a time as any to tell you I have never seen True Grit. Do you think I should? And I have never even heard of Dragon's Teeth. Clearly I am uninformed! xx

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    2. Hank, I've seen both the John Wayne and Kim Darby version and the newer Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld one. The newer one is vastly superior, and dead true to the book. But both are great fun.

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    3. Okay...and I know Jonathan will be SO happy to watch it! :-)

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    4. “True Grit” earned John Wayne his one [and only] Best Actor Academy Award for playing Marshal “Rooster” Cogburn. It was remade in 2010 with Beau Bridges playing Cogburn, but I’ve only seen the John Wayne version [which I highy recommend] . . .
      “Dragon’s Teeth” is about fossil hunting [complete with good guys, bad guys, and Indians along with unexpected plot twists and cliffhanger-ending chapters] in the west in 1876 . . . .

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    5. It was a great role for John Wayne, Joan. He sure chewed up the scenery, didn't he? Jeff Bridges was also fun as Rooster. But Hailee Steinfeld was the better portrayer of Mattie.

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    6. I did like the new version, Hank, and I'm not a big western fan.

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    7. You are all convincing me! Will I cry, though?

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    8. Thanks, Joan! Oh, and I LOVE "True Grit." What a great movie!

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  2. Your debut sounds wonderful, Ryan. Congrats!

    I do love the idea of disconnecting. And yet, I am so very connected. When I cruised this summer, I had an internet plan, and I used it a lot. A lot more than I really should have. So many sites to check in on every day, you know.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been two minutes since I uploaded a dinner picture to Instragram via my phone. My public will start to worry about me.

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    1. I made that last line tongue in cheek, but I've actually had people check to see if I was okay a couple of times over the year when they weren't seeing me online. I laugh, but I was also touched by it.

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    2. Thanks so much, Mark! I really hope you like it. Your comment made me laugh because, ironically, when this article went out, I was actually stuck without power or internet for three days following some bad storms here. Guess I got "off-grid" whether I wanted to or not LOL!

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  3. I’ve always loved the wide open spaces. I enjoyed reading The Virginian a few years ago. I’ll also rewatch Tombstone (I’m your huckleberry) and I loved the series Deadwood. Congratulations Ryan on your book! Pat D

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  4. Congratulations, Ryan. The West is amazing for its mountain views and big sky. I've lived in New England most of my life, but I do enjoy books set in the west, especially those with a wry sense of humor like Johnson's. Regional writers like Haruf, Watson, and Heller are favorites of mine, too. I'll look forward to reading a thriller set out there.

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    1. Yes, the big sky is quite astonishing...I had no idea what it meant until I saw it! Life-changing.

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  5. Congratulations, Ryan! The story sounds intriguing. Tell us more about your path to publication - how long did you work on the book, was it easy or hard to land an agent and sell the book, and so on.

    I'm a native Californian (transplanted to MA long ago) and I've always loved the big sky, clear sky, dry sky of the west. Plunk me down in New Mexico or Wyoming or my beloved Sierras and I'm happy. Once I cross the Rockies going west I feel like I can finally breathe again

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    1. Thanks so much, Edith! So, I had a less than traditional path to publication. Because I'm a Book Spy and an editor, I talk to publishers all the time (agents too), and though I always wanted to write, my fear was creating something too close to something I either reviewed/covered or worked on (as an editor). So, I spent years trying to come up with a story that would be different. One day, I thought about a creative writing assignment I had done forever long ago back in 10th grade, about a teenage vigilante named Matthew Redd. I started wondering what Redd might be up to in his adult life. Meanwhile, I realized that we never see these operators, say James Bond and Jason Bourne, out west. I deiced that was a place to explore, and in doing so, realized how perfect it is for a series like this. Once I had the character, and the location, the story fell into place. I wrote it, completing the first (though very bad) draft in two months. Then I went back and polished it for nearly a year. I worked with my agent for a long time, then, finally, we were ready to send it out. Until, that is, the feedback about the then-subject matter (human trafficking) was something readers didn't want, and publishers wouldn't buy. I went back, ripped that plot out, and replaced it with what's there today, completely changing the tone of the story, not to mention, the plot details. In between, I had been very sick with COVID, and it took about six months to heal up and be ready to pitch to publishers, but my agent got a wonderful offer from Tyndale for two books, and I jumped at it immediately!

      I just turned in final edits on book 2, titled LETHAL RANGE, which continues Redd's story next August!

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  6. Congratulations on the debut Ryan--a big event after a career reading and critiquing! I love CJ Box and Kent Krueger and Craig Johnson, so this could be right up my alley...

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    1. Yes, I am eager to interview Ryan on A Mighty Blaze CRIME TIME--love to hear about how his reviewing changed his reading. Or even the other way around!

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    2. Hi, Lucy! And thank you! Yes, I too love C.J. Box (did you know he goes by Chuck?!) and Craig Johnson. My all-time favorite author is Vince Flynn, followed by Box, and my goal in writing FIELDS OF FIRE was to create something inspired by both of those guys. I hope I came close!

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  7. Welcome to JRW Ryan! Fellow Mitch Rapp enthusiast here. I don't know why but I forgot that your book was coming out, so this post serves as a great reminder. It's definitely going on my buy list.

    So that means I owe you a hearty congratulations on your first book...CONGRATS!!!

    However, I don't have any desire to go off the grid for any length of time. I did that when I would go camping while in Boy Scouts. But those days are over (barring an apocalypse or something) so give me creature comforts in reality while I read about the lack of them in thrillers.

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    1. Hey, Jay! Like you, I prefer to stay on the grid LOL. So thrilled, and love hearing, that you're a major Mitch Rapp fan too. When I set out to write FIELDS OF FIRE, I told my agent I wanted it to be "Vince Flynn meets C.J. Box," and remember him going, "What's that look like?" I told him give me a year and we'll find out. Not sure if I did that, but it was the goal, and my hope is that if you like either of those authors, that you'll enjoy Matthew Redd. I really hope you like it, man!

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  8. Welcome Ryan and congratulations on your first book! Thrilling! It's going right onto my TBR list and I'll look for it this morning. Your protagonist sounds like someone I want to read about.

    I grew up during the golden age of television westerns. I really loved them all but was drawn particularly to the humorous ones and I think that humor is still a huge draw when I choose my viewing and my reading material. It doesn't have to be overt, tongue in cheek will do. My favorite cowboy show back then was Maverick, especially with James Garner. As for movies, yeah, I saw as many western movies as possible. One of my hilarious favorites is The Frisco Kid with Harrison Ford and Gene Wilder. My husband and I quote a line from that one all the time and still laugh.

    As a very young child, I lived in Tucson, Arizona long enough for it to have made a lasting impression on my life. I've always loved horses because of those westerns and my short stay in The West. For our honeymoon in 1981, my husband and I took a horseback trip from Banff into the Assiniboine, across the Continental Divide and right to the base of that mountain. Our lodges had no electricity or running water and the only way in was horseback, hike or helicopter. Best Honeymoon Ever! Unplugging now would be more complicated, but if I were still strong enough, I'd do that trip again.

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  9. Great premise! I look forward to reading your debut. I just finished Jane Harper's THE DRY, set in the Australian outback during the long drought. I immediately compared it to movies about the American west: the isolation, the dust and heat, old secrets, and a stranger comes to town.

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    1. Oh, such a wise comparison! LOVE Jane Harper!

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    2. Thank you, Margaret! I'm a fan of Jane's books myself, she sure can write! Hope you enjoy FIELDS OF FIRE.

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  10. Sounds great Ryan! I look forward to reading this. The first thing that came to mind for me was a song, Jerry Jeff Walker's Night Rider's Lament. Here's a small piece of the lyric:
    One night while I was out a ridin'
    The grave yard shift, midnight 'til dawn
    The moon was bright as a readin' light
    For a letter from an old friend back home

    Ah but they've never seen the Northern Lights
    They've never seen a hawk on the wing
    They've never spent spring on the Great Divide
    And they've never heard ole' camp cookie sing

    And speaking of spring on the Great Divide, my favorite 'western' book series is the trilogy by Mary O'Hara, set in Wyoming. The first book, My Friend Flicka, begins with Ken riding through the 'greengrass' (it's all one word there) of spring on the ranch. He is lost in his dreams and the beauty of the landscape. All of the books are great stories, really for adults, about the loneliness of ranch life, especially for women.

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    1. Gillian, I'd love to read that trilogy again as an adult. I think I have my childhood copy of My Friend Flicka somewhere.

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    2. Deborah, I re-read it last year. I have my mom's copies of My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead (she wrote her name and the year 1941 in them) but had to buy Green Grass of Wyoming because the library no longer has it. It was well worth it.

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    3. Thanks, Gillian! Those lyrics fit perfectly, and I actually have some lyrics (from a different song) in the book that touch on the Norther Lights ;) Hope you like the book!

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  11. Congratulations, Ryan! Interesting how you decided on the setting--a wild west thriller is a great twist!

    My mom was a big fan of the classic Hollywood western movies, and we grew up watching all the old tv westerns, too. My favorite 'western' author is Tony Hillerman--I love how his mysteries were based on Native American characters, where white people were the outsiders. Another favorite mystery with a western setting is Barbara Hambly's THE SHIRT ON HIS BACK, where her main character Benjamin January heads out west with Abishag Shaw, the white sheriff in New Orleans.

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    1. Flora as Anonymous here. Thanks, blogger!

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    2. Thanks, Flora! I am so captivated by the Wild West, and had a ton of fun writing this book. I just turned in final edits on my second book, LETHAL RANGE, which continues Matthew Redd's story and is set to come out next August. Also, like you, I LOVE Tony Hillerman's work!

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  12. Movies which I enjoy that are set in the West. Tombstone is my favorite. Frisco Kid is great. Once Upon a time in Deadwood and Heartland set in Canada's Alberta. Books which are memorable and I love are Louis L'Amour novels, Larry McMurtry stories and Tony Hillerman. The West has this aura which has captivated me for many years. Ever since I was young and watched Westerns I have been in love with the beauty and allure of the West.

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  13. Welcome Ryan and congrats on the debut!

    I've always loved the idea of "off the grid" and the ability to just get away from the hustle and bustle. When The Hubby and I started looking for a vacation home, the original idea was land in the middle of the mountains with nothing around it. But then reality set in. What if we have a medical emergency? What if we just don't want to cook that night? What if we suddenly discover we're out of milk? So we bought outside Ligonier, which is way outside the city of Pittsburgh and in the middle of the Laurel Highlands, but not an hour away from a grocery store or doctor's office.

    We're always up for a good Western and we love Tombstone, with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer. But I saw one on Netflix this year based on the history of Black cowboys - The Harder They Fall - which was excellent, much better than I expected it to be.

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    1. Oh, good suggestion! ANd very wise about your choice...xxx

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    2. Glad to see that recommended, Liz. I've been curious about it.

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  14. RYAN: Welcome to JRW and your novel sounds fascinating. If there is NO graphic violence, I would love to read your novel. Though I am partial to cozy English village type setting mysteries, your story sounds intriguing!

    HANK: I am trying to think of a novel with wide open spaces. I would have to say Jane Austen novels because there is a lot of land surrounding the country houses. When I think of the Wild West, I think of bordellos, gunslingers, Marshal Dillon (thinking of Gunsmoke) and now perhaps the new Hallmark series Where The Heart Is (with Erin Krakow, Jack Wagner, Pascale Hutton, Kavan Smith, and many wonderful actors).

    Diana

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    1. Do you think the Little House series, books and TV, could qualify, Diana?

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    2. Karen in Ohio: Maybe. I am not sure since the settings were in Minnesota and Iowa ? My great grandoarents emigrated to MN from the Old World and were married in 1894. I loved the TV series when I was a young child. I would dress up in clothes from that period. When I was a young child, my family lived in a very small unincorporated town near the next town with a world renowned University. I remember walking to the General Store where they still had clothes from that period! There was also a pharmacy with a soda fountain too. That seems like another lifetime ago.

      Diana

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  15. Ryan, thanks for coming to JRW to share your new book. Congratulations! Do you foresee this as a series?

    So many old Western shows we watched as kids, including Fury, Sky King (with Penny in the co-pilot seat), Rifleman, Lone Ranger, The Rebel, and the Spin & Marty segments of the Mickey Mouse Club. I called many a family car "Old Nelliebelle", after the ranchhand's Jeep in the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans TV show. Does anyone else remember the short-lived TV show The Yellow Rose? Cybill Shepherd, Sam Elliott, David Soul, Chuck Connors, and Jane Russell. Inspired by the show Dallas.

    Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove really made me a fan of his Wild West series. Tony Hillerman, Craig Johnson, and on a lighter note, the Benni Harper mysteries of Earlene Fowler.

    Having spent a fair amount of time on a ranch in Meteetsee, Wyoming and that area, I found it's not always about simplicity. Some ranchers might look like humble cowfolk, but they know how to live under those wide open skies!

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    1. Karen in Ohio: My father loved the Lone Ranger. He was orphaned during the Second World War and sent to live with distant relatives in America. He grew up listening to the Lone Ranger on the radio. My cousin's father loved the Lonesome Dove books. I remember there was a conflict because there was the Lonesome Dove movie AND a romantic ? movie on at the same time. My cousin wanted to watch the romantic movie while her husband wanted to watch the Lonesome Dove movie, so I offered to record the Lonesome Dove movie on my video and give it to him so my cousin could watch the romantic movie. I remember one line form the Lonesome Dove move, which was kind of risque? or naughty. I would say R-Rated words. LOL

      Diana

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    2. I really enjoyed the Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler. I didn’t really think of it as a western series, but the settings was Central California ranch country. She retired and stopped writing five or more years ago, I really miss her books!
      Susan Nelson-Holmdahl

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    3. Susan, lots of ranch scenes, with horses! It's set in San Luis Obispo, thinly disguised.

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    4. Yes, the level of knowledge and understanding and experience needed to survive and thrive is astonishing!

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    5. I really liked the Benni Harper series too, thanks for the reminder.

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  16. When I was young Westerns were the most popular shows that I watched everyday after school. Loved them at so much and pine for those days now. I was crazy about the west and the large open spaces, the endless sky and the unique topography. Many years later guess where I live. Books involving the West are especially memorable and unforgettable. Love them all. Your novel sounds fabulous and intriguing.

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  17. Congratulations to Ryan on his debut novel. Because of this article, I found The Real Book Spy Facebook page and selected follow. Eager to learn about thriller books. By the way, there are days I would like to be off the grid.

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  18. Congratulations on your debut, Ryan, and welcome to Jungle Reds. My husband is a Western fanatic, so you've just made his day as I'm ordering your book for him right now. We live in AZ, where the wild west vibe is strong and I think you're right. It's coming back!

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  19. Ryan, Did I read that right? A global conspiracy centered in Montana? What! That’s a really intriguing premise. Definitely going on my TBR pile even though I read more mysteries right now. As far as Western books I’d have to say the latest offerings from Johnson and Box. Favorite Western movie? Hum, probably The Good The Bad and The Ugly. And I was raised on Gunsmoke and Bonanza.

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  20. Congratulations on your debut, Ryan! What an interesting journey it must have been, from reviewer to writer. Maybe surprisingly for a Texan, I've never been a big western fan, but your premise has got me putting your book in my TBR!

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  21. While we're talking westerns, I'd recommend Carla Kelly's long list of true -to-life books: Double Cross, Marco and the Devil's Bargain, Paloma and the Horse Traders, Star in the Meadow...and the new one, Her Smile. I learned new things from her books with every one read...and I live here. Oh, that wide open blue sky!

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    1. Thanks, Liane. I'm not familiar with Carla, but will look her up!

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  22. HANK SAYS: This blog is not letting me comment anymore--YIKES! It says I am posting too often. :-) WHAT? But I am reading all your comments! Keept them coming!

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  23. Listen to this--Ryan was OFF THE GRID yesterday! SO many storms in Michigan where he is--it knocked out everything! SO he'll be back today to chat with you all..Wow. Careful what you wish for right? But he is SO sad not to have been able to connect...you'll hear from him soon!

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