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It's my pleasure to introduce Mark L. Redmond, author of Bounty Hunter Nate Landry: Major Issues.  Mark, what made you want to be a writer? I believe my love for reading as a child developed both my imagination and my creativity. By the time I had reached high school, I knew I wanted to be an English teacher and a writer. What message do you hope your readers will take away from this book? The mental picture most people get when they think of the old West comes from the distorted stories created by Hollywood. I want to show my readers a more realistic old West, populated by folks like the ones we encounter at work, at church, and in our neighborhood. While we still discover thieves and killers, many of the folks who lived—both now and then—are good people. They come from various races and have different occupations. Who are your favorite authors and why? My favorite western authors are Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, and Stephen Bly, because reading their books taught me what a good western story looks like. Reading books by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Arthur Conan Doyle taught me how to construct a great plot. All of these authors kept me on the edge of my seat while I learned from them. What advice would you give to aspiring writers? I always tell aspiring writers that, in my opinion, the two things that will contribute most to their success are a thick skin and tenacity. Eleven years elapsed between the time I sent my first to a publisher and the time when I signed a contract for that book and five more in a series. During those eleven years, I received rejection after rejection; but I refused to give up. Some of the editors who rejected my book were kind; others were not. A few of the unkind rejections hurt, but I reminded myself that a rejection is simply another person’s opinion. If your heart tells you to write, don’t quit, don’t be offended by people’s comments, but don’t ever stop trying to become a better writer.  Blurb: When Nate Landry and his best friend Wolf leave the army, they find post-Civil War Arizona Territory occupied by too many outlaws and not enough lawmen. Bounty hunting seems like a good way to earn a living and make Arizona a safer place to live. Outlaws have killed Anna Thomas's husband and kidnapped her son. Just as Nate is about to send her to someone else for help, he discovers the killer/kidnapper is the most cold-blooded murderer he has ever known. Now he has a ransom to deliver, a boy to rescue, and a killer to catch. Excerpt: If you ride north from Tucson in the general direction of Phoenix, you’ll find a little town called Florence. If you ride west from Florence for another six miles, you’ll cross a creek and find a cabin snuggled against the butte. Whenever I say, “Honey, I’m home,” I’m standing outside that cabin. I live alone; but from time to time, some traveler spreads his blanket on the cabin floor. Since I don’t fancy being shot, I like to warn people before I walk in on them. Besides, hearing those words as I come through the door always gives me a warm feeling—even when I know I’m only talking to myself. Toward the end of February in 1877, I had been chasing a couple of desperadoes up near Phoenix. After I caught them, I had delivered them to the town marshal in Phoenix. I had been away from my cabin for nearly a month when I pushed the door open and gave my familiar, friendly greeting. Startled wouldn’t be a strong enough word for what I felt when I realized “Honey” was home too. She sat on one of the three chairs that are usually scooted up to the table. She had turned the chair to face the door; and since I was standing in the doorway, she was facing me. She was also pointing a gun at me. “Don’t move!” she said. Buy Links: Mark L. Redmond - Store https://www.amazon.com/Bounty-Hunter-Nate-Landry-Issues/dp/B0BCXM33WX/ref=sr_1_3, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bounty-hunter-nate-landry-mark-l-redmond/1142145470 Author Bio:
Mark L. Redmond taught high school English for 28 years in South Bend, Indiana. He has published over 25 short stories and articles, a six-book middle grade fiction series (The Adventures of Arty Anderson), a collection of short stories (Five for the Trail), four western novels for more mature readers (Bounty Hunter Nate Landry: Major Issues, Bounty Hunter Nate Landry: Family Fury, Bounty Hunter Nate Landry: Dust Devil, and Bounty Hunter Nate Landry: Dangerous Disguises), and the first two books in another middle grade fiction series (The Adventures of the Box M Gang). A member of Western Writers of America, Western Fictioneers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Single Action Shooting Society, Redmond has been studying the West through reading and travel for most of his life. Mark and his wife Susie currently live in Arizona, where Mark has begun to write full time and is working on the third Box M Gang book.
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