{"id":1058,"date":"2013-08-28T08:36:53","date_gmt":"2013-08-28T15:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/?p=1058"},"modified":"2013-08-28T08:36:53","modified_gmt":"2013-08-28T15:36:53","slug":"can-cowboys-write-can-a-brit-shoot-a-gun-can-a-cowboy-teach-a-brit-to-shoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/?p=1058","title":{"rendered":"Can Cowboys Write? Can a Brit Shoot a Gun? Can a Cowboy Teach a Brit to Shoot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I got the mail and in it was a package of stuff from my mother dear. Stuffed in among some pictures from the summer (which were truly fun, and I’ll post some someday), was an article she cut out of the newspaper for me. STRANGELY, it was a review\/announcement for the very book I was reading at the time. >Cue The Twilight Zone<\/em> music here.<<\/p>\n

\"Final<\/a><\/p>\n

I guess it wasn’t totally bizarre because the author, Eric Bishop, happens to hail from a town not far from where I grew up, and this is his debut novel and I’m pretty sure a ton of people have been reading it this week. THE SAMARITAN’S PISTOL is billed as a “Rocky Mountain thriller,” and it’s got horses and gunplay and mafiosos and old trucks with horsetrailers stuffed with stolen cash and Mormons and intrigue and mountain trails and … man. Toooooo much to list.<\/p>\n

\"EricBishopHorseman\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Anyhow, I asked Eric what it was like to be the real deal–an actual, real live outdoorsy guy (he has a ranch, and all the pics I’ve seen of him are on horseback, but the times he and I have met have been indoor affairs, sans equines, so it could all be photoshopped, but I’m pretty sure it’s not)–and to be a writer about the outdoors, but with all that other thriller stuff too. Like, how does being a rancher\/horse guy play into his writing. Here’s what we’ve got.<\/p>\n

For your reading pleasure, take it away, Eric Bishop!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"True<\/a>

True cowboy. Exhibit A<\/p><\/div>\n

There is no doubt that writing “what you know” helps. There\u2019s the quick answer, but like most cowboys, when given the opportunity, I like to ramble.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This past June I attended the Western Writers of America (WWA) annual convention in Las Vegas with about three hundred other attendees. My debut novel, The Samaritan\u2019s Pistol<\/i>, is set in the present, and most of the workshops were on westerns set before the twentieth century. It didn\u2019t matter. The conference was a blast. Workshops and panels on topics included old west medicine, saloon practices, mining equipment, period firearms, popular card games, and a whole bunch of other topics I found fascinating.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The panel I enjoyed most was on making the animals in your novel genuine. Apparently some would be western writer had the author panel upset because he\u2019d written a story where the cowboy\u2019s horse followed a trail like a bloodhound. I\u2019ve seen this in cartoons, where a horse will sniff the ground or have almost human facial expressions. The cowboy writers on the panel were so upset about a horse acting like a dog I half expected someone to declare blasphemy. It made me chuckle. It\u2019s fiction, after all, and I can\u2019t imagine a horse or dog caring. Even so, most authors want to be accurate. We can\u2019t have personal knowledge of everything we write, which makes research crucial.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I got a publishing contract, I hosted British author Alexander Gordon Smith at a writer\u2019s conference I helped put together in my hometown. It was his first trip to America.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After picking him up at the airport and exchanging pleasantries for a few miles, I asked, “Is there anything you\u2019d like to do while you\u2019re in the States?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gordon Paused, then asked in a thick British accent, “Would it be possible to discharge a firearm?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Gotta change of clothes?” His suit and dress shoes would get dirty on the firing range below my folks barn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I have some blue jeans and tennis shoes.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“That\u2019ll work. When we get to the hotel, I\u2019ll wait in the lobby while you change.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“And then we\u2019ll go shooting?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It\u2019ll be fun.” I shrugged. “Haven\u2019t been in awhile.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Where will be doing this?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Some family property across the river from where I live.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Will we need to notify the authorities?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Nah. Long as it\u2019s daylight and we\u2019re a hundred yards from a building we\u2019re legal,” I explained.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Your quite sure about this?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Haven\u2019t been arrested yet.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gordon grew quieter, conveying his reluctance. When we got to the hotel an hour later, I wanted to make sure he was still down to pull the trigger. “We can do something else if you want.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m just a bit nervous, but I do really want to do this!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Your gonna love it.” I told him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We spent the next couple of hours shooting my pistols and assault rifle. I took pictures that Gordon plastered to his facebook page. He asked questions, let me coach him, and became a pretty good shot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“This has been amazing! Until today, I\u2019ve had to use the internet to research shooting guns for my novels!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read a few of Gordon\u2019s books, written prior to his visit to Utah. The shooting scenes are well done. He\u2019s a fine writer, and I think he captures the essence of taking aim. But I\u2019m guessing he watched a ton of youtube videos to get it right.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lots of the western writers I met in Las Vegas don\u2019t own horses, but they accurately portray the experience. The mountain and horse scenes in my debut novel, The Samaritan\u2019s Pistol, <\/i>are taken from places where I\u2019ve spent lots of time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most personal part of the story is when the protagonist, Jim, has to end the suffering of his horse after the animal takes a bullet intended for him. I\u2019ve had horses die before riding the decades of future trails I had planned. They were good companions. Some of my best days have been spent with horses named Vernon and Spit. Like Jim, I\u2019ve started the process of training a replacement\u2014while still mourning the loss of the last one.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The feedback has been good in this regard. Readers have resonated with my words, knowing that when it comes to the horse scenes, I\u2019ve been there and done that. As for dealing with the Mafia, it\u2019s pure speculation and research. Thank heaven for youtube, Wikipedia and Google. It\u2019s time to rein in my rambling fingers. Thanks for hosting me!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are the links to buy my book, read reviews, or check out the trailer and author interview.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barnes and Noble: http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/m4d765f<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Amazon: <\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/my9kjxy<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

You Tube Trailer: <\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WFG_Scdt4go<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Author interview:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eWcC7WzHipA<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Final<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks, Eric! So…. If you want to follow Eric on Twitter, it’s @EricBishopWords<\/p>\n

If you want to “like” his author page on Facebook it’s http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ericbishopauthor<\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to go read his blog (and it’s a good read every time I’ve read it), check it out at http:\/\/eric-bishop.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I got the mail and in it was a package of stuff from my mother dear. Stuffed in among some pictures from the summer (which were truly fun, and I’ll post some someday), was an article she cut out of the newspaper for me. STRANGELY, it was a review\/announcement for the very book I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[26,288,500,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-events","category-interviews","category-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2OUjT-h4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1058"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1071,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058\/revisions\/1071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.authorjennifergriffith.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}