Matthew Pizzolato: The Wanted Man

The Wanted Man
by Matthew Pizzolato

Romancing The West welcomes a friend of all Western readers and writers, Matthew Pizzolato. His short stories have been published online and in print in such publications as: BEAT to a PULP!, The Copperfield Review, Pulp Modern, Frontier Tales Magazine, and The Storyteller. Matthew also writes a weekly NASCAR column for Insider Racing News and is a contributing writer for Suite101.com. He's a member of Western Fictioneers.

Matthew can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter at @mattpizzolato. When he's not writing, Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online.

RTW: Thanks for stopping by this week, Matthew. To get us started, please tell us about your new release.

MP: The Wanted Man is a collection of eight short stories set in the American West and touches on themes of vengeance, abuse and honor. Texas Ranger Jud Nelson appears in the title story and receives some aid from an unlikely source in chasing down a killer. Outlaw Wesley Quaid discovers that not only is the law on his trail in the form of Ranger Jud Nelson but a hired assassin has been paid to kill him. Is Texas big enough for the three of them?

Contest!

Matthew is giving away a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate.

(See details below)

RTW : What aspect of life in the Old West intrigues you the most? Did you work that into The Wanted Man?

MP: Self reliance. In my opinion, self reliance is something that is lacking in today's culture that was prevalent during the Old West. During that time period, people had to fend for themselves. There were no policemen to call if someone harmed them. They had to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families. People have become too dependant on modern convinces and forget that hunger, thirst and cold are still lurking in the shadows.

All of my characters, whether they are lawmen like Jud Nelson, outlaws like Wesley Quaid, killers like the assassin Sabrina, or just everyday people are self reliant. They may work together to help each other on occasion, but they depend on no one but themselves.

RTW : If you lived in during the Old West, what modern convenience would you miss the most?

MP: Air conditioning. I work as a meat cutter when I'm not writing, so I've become accustomed to being inside in cool temperatures. That is one convenience that I take for granted and am reminded of how much I miss it whenever I spend a weekend civil war reenacting. Everything we do has to be period correct, from how we cook our food to the tents and the clothes we wear. I live in Louisiana, so wearing wool in ninety degree plus temperatures can get quite warm.

RTW: You'll get no argument from me on the air conditioning! If a person who had never read a Western asked you for a recommendation, what novel or movie would you recommend and why? What did the author do to bring the story alive for you?

MP: The Sackett Brand by Louis L'Amour, or anything else by L'Amour for that matter. His characters are portrayed as real people who live by a code. The Sackett Brand exemplifies what I consider to be the three virtues of a Western: honor, integrity and loyalty. Even the villains in L'Amour's work had a sense of honor. There was a line that they wouldn't cross and that is what draws me to his work.

RTW : Are there any common errors in westerns that bug you? If so, please set us straight.

MP: There are too many to name. The Old West mythology that is portrayed in the popular Western is highly romanticized and not always historically accurate. As an example, the role of women in Westerns is probably the most glaring error. While the whore with a heart of gold actually did exist, it's been so overdone in Westerns that it's become a cliché.

It's historical fact that while women were repressed during the time period, some of them still lead successful lives in the same roles as men. Belle Boyd was a civil war spy. Charlie Parkhurst was a female stagecoach driver. There were women outlaws, such as Belle Starr and also Flo Quick, who regularly dressed like a man and went by the name of Tom King. Then you have Poker Alice and of course, Calamity Jane, just to name a few.

RTW: What drew you to writing Westerns? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

MP: I started writing Westerns because I ran out of Louis L'Amour stories to read. When I realized I'd read everything he'd written, I felt like I'd lost my best friend. But aside from L'Amour, I draw my biggest inspiration from two of Clint Eastwood's movies, The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven.

Those two movies dumped Western mythology on its head and introduced the anti-hero. Suddenly, there were shades of gray in the Western instead of clearly draw lines of black and white. Yet while Josey Wales and Will Munny are both killers, they still possess elements of the hero, namely honor and integrity.

It is these characters that were the inspiration for Wesley Quaid and I drew on the historical record for inspiration for the assassin, Sabrina. Jud Nelson is my version of the typical Western hero, and he appears in one of the stories alongside Wesley Quaid.

RTW: Why must Wesley Quaid take this story journey? What does he have to prove? Why is Sabrina the perfect match for him?

MP: Wesley Quaid has become discontented with his life as an outlaw and is on a journey of self discovery. He's always been a man of honor but he wants to become a man of whom his father would be proud. Sabrina is a perfect match for him because she's not the typical woman who needs his protection. She's his equal who earns his respect.

RTW: That sounds right up my alley! Please set up your excerpt for us.

MP: This is a scene from one of the stories in The Wanted Man collection, Killer for Hire, where Wesley Quaid meets the assassin, Sabrina. This scene transpires after Sabrina makes an attempt on Wesley's life but fails and Wesley tracks her down and confronts her.

Excerpt from

Killer for Hire, a story in The Wanted Man

by Matthew Pizzolato

Copyright © 2011 Matthew Pizzolato

Not ten feet away, the cloaked figure bent into the water and submersed her head. Behind her and slightly adjacent, a prairie rattler as big around as my forearm slithered toward the water.

The woman appeared oblivious.

So I did what any gentleman would do. I stepped from the trees, drew my pistol and shot the snake.

The woman lunged to her feet and would have sprung at me.

I cocked the pistol again and smiled.

She froze with her legs poised to leap.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"What's your name?"

Several seconds passed while she considered. Her sodden straight black hair clung to her skull. Beads of water cascaded down her face. "You may call me Sabrina."

"Oh? I may?"

She gave a curt nod.

"I didn't ask what I could call you. I asked you your name."

Anger blazed in her eyes.

I chuckled. This woman wasn't accustomed to impertinence. "In that case, you may call me Wesley Quaid."

"That isn't you're name either."

I smiled and it reached all the way to my eyes. Then I winked at her and raised an eyebrow.

She blinked and the appearance of rage vanished from her face. Her posture relaxed, and she glanced at the still writhing snake. "Are you going to return my gun?"

"No thanks. I kind of like it. Besides, I couldn't find mine."

She rolled her eyes. "I could kill you from here and take it off of your corpse."

"I enjoy shooting knives out of the air. What are you waiting for?"

Her eyes blazed again but not as furiously as before. Or was my imagination running away with me?

"Return my gun and I will let you live."

I snorted. "Do I look stupid?"

"Actually, yes." A trace of humor reached those icy blue eyes.

♥ ♥ ♥
Available at: Amazon ~ B&N ~ Goodreads

RTW: Ha! I love it. :) What’s next? Will you have a sequel to The Wanted Man?

MP: I've just finished a novella length work with the outlaw Wesley Quaid as the protagonist. The stories featuring Wesley Quaid in The Wanted Man are precursors to the novella, Outlaw. I will have it available later this summer or early in the fall.

RTW: It's good to get to you, Matthew, and thanks again for joining the RTW family. Anything else you’d like to add?

MP: I like to thank Jacquie for hosting me this week and I'm eternally grateful to all of the readers who have supported my writing and my website, The Western Online. If anyone has read The Wanted Man and could find the time to write a review on Amazon or any of the other sites, I'd be forever in your debt.

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate!

Contest Question:

What do you consider the best Western (either movie or novel) of all time? Why?  Comment and you'll be entered to win the $20 Amazon Gift Certificate !

Small print:

Email address must be included to be eligible for the drawing (so we can contact you).

Drawing will be held Saturday, June 30 at 9pm Pacific Time.

Chicken Dinner: Outlaws and Froot Loops

The kids are gone for the weekend and this house seems eerily quiet. Not that I've scraped the Froot Loops off the table yet. Future cowhands need Froot Loops to build muscle, you understand.

It's been a solid gold week for those of us who are hungry to learn about the Old West. Here are a few:

Tired of the same old bad guys? There's a terrific article at The Western Online about outlaw and murderer Marion Hedgepeth. He might've had a sissy name and dressed like a dandy, but stay outta this man's way!



Bull Durham Tobacco Pouch



If you read or write any time period between 1492 and the 1970s, tobacco will be involved. By the end of World War II, over half the men under 40 used tobacco in some way. When was snuff popular? Cigars? Find out at Unusual Historicals.

Want to see some 19th Century Nebraska houses? Richard Prosch has pictures complete with people (family members?). See them now at Meridian Bridge. While you're there, check out Richard's free reads, and follow him on Twitter.

I met Mary E. Trimble last month at the Friends of Stanwood Library meeting where Mary, Norman W. Wilson PhD, and I presented a program. She's a wonderful writer and an interesting person, and you can read about her at Writers of the West.

Paty Jager received the ultimate compliment for a historical writer, that her setting felt so real. Paty had never visited the area, and she tells us how she researched the setting for her story at Sweethearts of the West.

Next on Romancing The West: Anna Small

Meg Mims: Double Crossing

Double Crossing

by Meg Mims Double Crossing Series

Buy links: Amazon * B&N * Astraea Press

Meg Mims is an author, artist, and amateur photographer. She writes historical mysteries and romantic suspense, and is a staff writer for RE/MAX Platinum in Michigan – writing articles about the real estate market, community events and Realtors – and for Lake Effect Living, a West Coast of Michigan tourist on-line magazine. Meg's article about the one-legged Civil War veteran and lighthouse keeper of South Haven, James S. Donahue, appeared in Vol. 34, No. 2 Summer 2011 issue of The Chronicle, the Historical Society of Michigan magazine. (Read Meg's bio)

RTW: Welcome to Romancing The West, Meg! Please give us an overview of your debut novel, Double Crossing.

MM: A murder arranged as a suicide...a missing deed...and a bereft daughter whose sheltered world is shattered.

August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father's murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed--both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey.

As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust--the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her...for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?

Contest!

See details below.

RTW: Why did you set Double Crossing on the transcontinental railroad? What intrigues you about trains? And did you learn anything about them that surprised you while writing this book?





Transcontinental Railroad Workers



MM: I loved True Grit (the original book, the movie in 1969 and the recent version also) and was inspired to use the premise of a young woman whose father is murdered, setting her on a quest for justice. Because I had to twist it (in many ways, since I couldn't use Rooster Cogburn either!), I chose the transcontinental railroad because I'd always been fascinated by trains. Since the UP and CP first came together at Promontory Point in May of 1869, I decided that setting Double Crossing several months after that historic event seemed a natural fit. And the research all seemed to fall into place, with a book written in 1872 about an English nobleman taking a train trip from New York to San Francisco, plus other interesting sources.

The most surprising thing I learned while writing this book – most people assume trains had normal washroom facilities like modern trains. Think again! Basically they were outhouse holes with waste falling to the track, and caused major hygienic problems over the years. If your great-grandparents or grandparents were told to stay away from playing on the tracks until the 1930s, when plumbing was introduced to passenger cars, there was a good reason for that. Imagine how cold that would be in winter, too.

RTW: If you lived in 1869, what modern convenience would you miss the most? The least?



Meg Mims



MM: Antibiotics, for sure. Probably more than a dishwasher, washing machine, indoor plumbing and even my laptop, cell phone and Kindle. I learned to type, I could wait a year until they came out. Easily. Getting my hands on one, however, without being filthy rich, might be a problem. And I used to write long letters, front and back, a dozen pages at times. What would I miss the least? Hmmm. That's a tougher question! All the accumulated junk in my house. Weed it all out except for the books. I could have a huge library without one ounce of guilt. Perfect.

RTW: Since you mentioned Rooster Cogburn, did you create a character with the same role?

MM: That was also tough. I rolled Rooster and the Texas Ranger LaBoef into Ace Diamond, an ex-Confederate cavalry soldier, poker-player and wanderer...how did he end up in Omaha, Nebraska, without his horse? I'm considering writing a brief prequel short story to explain that soon! He may not be one-eyed or a drunk, but he has an interesting history nonetheless.

RTW: Tell us about Lily Granville. How did she introduce herself to you?

MM: Lily went through many transitions. First she was as young as Mattie Ross, 14 years old and so whiny and spoiled, I disliked her. So I stuffed 'Linnet,' kicking and screaming, back into the centrifuge. Out popped Julia, who was 17, religious and quite bent on revenge for her father's murder. Enough to shoot the killer, in fact, which wouldn't work--she needed to be vulnerable. Needy. Yet spunky enough to undertake a 2,000-mile adventure and seek justice, not revenge. 'Julia' morphed into Lily, who loved her father yet quarreled with him--and then overcame her heartbreak to track the man she believed responsible for his death. Lily, at 19, has many choices ahead of her and discovers her own resilience is much stronger than she ever knew in Double Crossing. She'll need that for the next adventure in Double or Nothing!

RTW: Please share an excerpt with us. What leads up to this scene?

MM: Lily is in Omaha, aware she will need protection from impending danger, and talking to her domineering aunt--who wishes her to return to Chicago and forget this foolish trip.

Double Crossing by Meg Mims

Copyright © 2011 Meg Mims

My face burned. I gritted my teeth, aware of the curious diners' hushed whispers around the room, and lowered my voice. "I overheard your plans about Bellevue. Did you think I'd allow you to shut me away in such a place?"

She gave a dismissive wave. "We only have your health in mind."

"I'm in perfect health. You'd better take the train back to Chicago, Aunt Sylvia, because I already bought my Pullman ticket."

"You cannot travel alone with Mr. Mason. You're not engaged."

"Uncle Harrison is expecting me."

I ignored a twinge of guilt while the fib hovered between us. Her mouth pinched tight, she drummed her fingers on the tablecloth. Charles stood quiet, his face beet red, one hand smoothing back his fair hair, the other adjusting his collar and tie. Angry yells and shouts drifted through the window panes from the street, drowning out the resumed conversation around us, the clatter of plates and flatware. Outside, I caught sight of several men who fought with bare fists. They kicked, bit, scratched and pummeled each other. Sir Vaughn glanced out the window and then sat across from my aunt. He waved a hand.

"Common ruffians. These rustic surroundings breed a lack of manners."

"Lily, you have no idea of the dangers. My husband traveled to Nevada earlier this year," Aunt Sylvia said. "Neither you or Mr. Mason have considered the impropriety of this."

"He's a gentleman for escorting me."

"I can see for myself what you both are--"

A blood‑curdling yell, similar to what I'd read about an Indian war cry, stopped her cold. The moment I glanced up, the window exploded. Shards of glass rained on us and a man rolled over the table. Scattering plates, flatware, cups and teapot, before he crashed onto the floor--unconscious, and half‑draped in the tablecloth among the broken china and glass.

Mere inches from my feet.

# # #

RTW: Great excerpt, Meg!  What's your next offering?

MM: I'm hoping to get Double or Nothing written before 2012. But I'm not a fast writer, given the amount of research I do. I'm hoping to sell Fire Point, my award-winning mystery, so we'll have to see.

RTW: Release Date?

MM: I'll let you know!

RTW: Anything else you'd like to add?

MM: Thanks, Jacquie, for hosting me on Romancing the West! It's a fabulous blog.

RTW: And thank you, Meg, for joining us this week.  Stay tuned for Meg's article on Thursday!

Win a FREE copy of DOUBLE CROSSING!

All those who leave a comment this week will be entered to win a free pdf of Double Crossing! It's earned many 5-star reviews, so make sure you enter! Leave more than one comment, double your chances for the win-win! Drawing will be held September 17th at 10pm Pacific Time. Be sure to include your email address with your comment or we'll have to pick another winner. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

RTW Special Announcement: The Western Online

Here's a special announcement from the The Western Online's wagonmaster ("webmaster" seemed a little out of whack here, so I gave him a new title), Matthew Pizzolato:

The Western Online will become a token market instead of a "for the love" market. We will offer a token payment of $5.00 per short story regardless of the length and $3.00 for each piece of artwork or article. As a way for the site to generate revenue, we are launching an online store called The Western Online Mercantile, where we will sale t-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers and all sorts of cool stuff with logos from the site. As revenue from the site grows, we will gradually increase our payment rates.

In addition to short stories, we will also publish novella length work that we will serialize and post on a monthly basis. We are adding a Western book review section to the site, where we will review anything from classic Western novels to new releases; it will be launched it with four reviews.

We will have a lot of new content as part of the celebration: two new historical articles, one about Bass Reeves and the other about Jesse James, a new episode of Jud Nelson - Texas Ranger, our Western comic strip, an exclusive interview with writer Kenneth Mark Hoover, Western artwork by Ken Consaul, two new short stories and the first installment of our first serialized story.

I have written a new edition of our editorial article that we call The Roundup. It details all of the changes and our plans for the future.

And there you have it.  Go visit The Western Online and see what they have for you!