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MAN OF THE WEST - DUSTY RICHARDS INTERVIEW

Accolades don't come much higher in the western fiction world than the Spur Award and the Tainted Archive's interview subject, Dusty Richards has snagged several. Along with writers like Elmer Kelton, Cormac Mccarthy, Larry McMurtry and William Johnston he's at the top of his game - and unlike William Johnston he's very much alive and kicking.

In person he looks every bit the western gentleman and could have stepped from a John Wayne movie. He has a vast knowledge of the western both past and present and I wondered what such a big voice in the genre liked to read?

" What do I read? My time to read is very limited. I’ll read ten times more historical books than fiction. Current books by people like Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtrey, if the story holds me I finish it, if it doesn’t I pass it on. No need to fill my shelves with books that have no reference for my own. I do read past authors like Alan LeMay and his Searcher’s novel. There was a man pounded words. It could have been his newspaper back ground but he could write. Elliot Arnold who did “Blood Brother” sent me to research the Apache wars. Will Henry and Tom Lea were my early favorites. But Charles Portis “True Grit” was a wonderful western—my true classic. Max Evans another—his novellas were beautiful. Robert Conley’s “Nickajack” a Spur winner, is one of the greatest books written about a native American."


Despite being a seasoned hand at writing, Dusty's prose displays the excitement and enthusiasm of someone in love with the process of creating fictional worlds. No matter how many times he sees his name in print one gets the feeling that the same level of excitement is felt as that first time.


"I don't know a greater honor for a Western writer. Spurs are the Oscars of the Western book. I can recall going to my first Western Writers of America Convention in San Antonio over two decades ago when I was trying to break into the New York market. I met those Spur winners that year and all the old hands that I'd read. I never thought this old cowboy would ever collect one of them. I was lucky to be writing and doing what I liked and had dreamed about."

Dusty loves the genre he works in, that much is clear from his books. I wondered what his writing routine was. How does he come up with his stories?

" How do I write my books? I have an idea. There’s a guy or gal and they have a problem that centers on another individual. Where at? What time period? Maybe I need to go read old newspaper for ideas. Then that’s started to ferment, I use a four quarter system. First quarter of my book my protagonist is lost. Second quarter, he is an orphan. Third quarter he is an emerging hero. Last quarter of the book he is a hero or martyr. Simply as can be, best guide I
ever found.

Several college profs across the country use “The Horse Creek Incident,” my 2007 Spur winner, as the ideal opening to pull people into read your book. That is flattery of the first kind.

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