Last week I traveled a ways to visit with western writer Dac Crossley. He has some unique experiences and writes about his home state with authority. We talked about his writing among other subjects. We decided to exchange interviews, so while you'll read about Dac here, you can read about me on his blog. There's a link later on here. Welcome, Dac. This was a fun idea.
Q: Could you tell us something about the western era you write about?
A: I grew up in South Texas, that region between San Antonio and the Mexican border. Mesquite brush along the Nueces River, south through the Wild Horse Desert to the lush valley of the Rio Grande. My stories are set in the twentieth century, when the old west still lived, and ancient cultures clashed with modern ones. I’ve taken the Texas Rangers as focal points for my stories. The Rangers are still iconic today, if better behaved than their more violent predecessors.
My latest novel, Escape from the Alamo, is set at the time of the Texas revolution. Well, all Texans have to write an Alamo story, sooner or later.
Q: Was it a difficult decision to publish your own work? How did that come about?
A: I wasn’t getting anyplace with traditional publishers. Agents told me my work was fine but nobody would buy a western novel. I realized that I had to self-publish, get out there, begin to build the brand.
Now, three self-published novels later, I’m attracting some attention from small presses.
Q: What is your daily work schedule?
A: I’m not very good at keeping on a schedule. I try to write every day, at least a page, be it morning, afternoon or evening.
Q: I was interested in your background. Readers will understand this question when they go to your blog and read about your background. Living in Arkansas, the study of chiggers fascinates me. How do you go about studying such a vicious, tiny critter?
A: We find chiggers on their usual hosts – snakes and lizards, turtles, birds, and so forth. Their host relationships give us clues about their environmental requirements.
Q: Okay, back to your writing. I couldn’t resist asking that question. Tell us a bit about Guns Across the Rio.
A: I grew up with tales of Mexican bandit raids. My grandfather stood on his street corner with his shotgun when a raid was suspected (his father fought Indians). Yet, I had friends who characterized the bandits as revolutionaries. Guns Across the Rio is the story of an Hispanic Ranger who lives in both worlds, Mexican and Texan.
Q: How do you divide your research and writing time?
A: Good question. Research is readily done on-line now. It starts with an interruption of the writing, a quick question that leads to 2-3 hours of following leads.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: A novel that will carry my Border characters forward to 1937, an uneasy time for the Rangers as politics singled them out.
Q: Do you outline your books or just let it flow?
A: I’m not an outliner. I start with a question – “What if?” and push it forward. Restarts are inevitable. In Escape from the Alamo my hero was a Tennessee mountaineer. He kept telling me he wasn’t that old. After a dozen chapters I had to go back and make him a teenager.
Q: If a big publisher were to approach you and make an offer, would you take it, or do you prefer to publish your own work. And why?
A: I’d count such an offer as a mark of success, and I’d likely take it, all things considered. I like to tell stories and I want a broad audience. No matter how my stories are published, I’ll continue promoting them as best I can.
Q: How do you feel about social networking and how much do you do?
A: I participate in several groups on Facebook. It takes time but it builds the brand. Most of my networking involves my
blog. I try to blog twice a week and I notify my mailing list whenever I do. I’ve yet to do much with twitter or linked-in; maybe that comes next.
Thanks so much for spending some time with me.
Dac's books can be found on Amazon or at his
web site.
