Robert Dyer is the author of a number of Black Horse westerns, including the "Total Wreck" trilogy.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF
I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, originally raised in Houston, Texas.
I have been a mechanical engineer for the past thirty nine years. I've been
married for 33 years and have three grown children, and two grandsons. My
wife is a school teacher. I enjoy hiking, golf, reading, playing guitar,
and....of course...writing, although I've been taking a break from the
writing business for the past year and a half.
WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?
I started writing about twenty years ago. Having always been an avid reader,
it seemed to come natural to write my own stories. I've published six
western novels with Robert Hale, and am in the process of trying to sell the
American/Canadian rights to these here in the USA. I've also published over
forty non-fiction articles...mostly dealing with the history of the Old
West. I've published ten fiction short stories, both western and horror. One
of my western short stories was published by Dove Audio in the audio book,
"Best of the West, volume 3", read by the famous country singer and
comedian, Ray Stevens. I sold two horror novels, only to find out that the
publisher went bankrupt after accepting my books, so it's back to square one
for horror books. I also have had about fifty poems published in various
periodicals.
WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?
My writing was heavily influenced by Louis L'Amour, Will Henry, Matt Braun,
Stephen King, and Ralph Compton. When I was a young boy, I loved watching
western movies and war movies, so my love of the Old West stayed with me
through the years.
WHAT PROCESS DO YOU EMPLOY TO GO FROM THE INITIAL IDEA TO FINISHED MANUSCRIPT?
The process that I go through to get from initial idea to finished
manuscript is rather long and tedious. I come up with a story idea, which is
usually inspired by an idea for a book title, believe it or not. Then I
start writing and things flow from there. I often let my character come to
life in my mind, then give the character free rein to go where he wants, do
what he wants to do. I do not use outlines, I just let my imagination and
fingers do the trick. When preparing a manuscript for submittal, I perform
several edits as follows:
1. Grammar
2. Punctuation
3. Word repetition
4. Spelling
5. Plot errors.
6. Character errors.
7. General appeal of the story.
8. Historical accuracy
9. Location and setting accuracy.
Then I repeat the whole process until I think the novel is "finished". By
the time I receive my copies from the publisher, I am so sick of reading and
editing the book that I don't even read the published copy.
HOW IMPORTANT IS RESEARCH TO YOU?
I tend to be extremely meticulous in my research. If I write about a certain
town, then that town is either there, or was there. If I write that it was
twenty miles from point A to the town, then it is...or was... about twenty
miles. Basically everything that I write is based on historical accuracy for
settings and so forth. I even sometimes include actual Old West characters
that lived during that time period.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE BLACK HORSE WESTERN SERIES?
I am very fond of the Black Horse Western series, and give all the glory to
Robert Hale for helping to keep the western genre alive. I found Robert Hale
Ltd. to be a very nice group of people, easy to deal with and very helpful.
One will never get rich writing for Robert Hale, but the vast majority of
writers will never get rich writing for any publisher. My frequent advice to
aspiring writers is, "Don't give up your day job." Once I realized how the
game worked, quit worrying about the money and being a "professional
writer", and told myself that writing was a hobby for me, and that I write
because I enjoy telling a good story. Then things became much easier. I
began to enjoy writing even more.
DO YOU USE SERIES CHARACTERS OR DO YOU PREFER NEW CHARACTERS FOR EACH BOOK?
I use both new characters and series characters in my books. If I grow fond
of a certain character, it is difficult for me to give him/her up and not
use them again.
WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS IS YOUR FAVOURITE AND WHY?
My favorite book that I have published by Robert Hale is "Blood Hunt"
because the story is very emotional and deviates a bit from the traditional
western ending of the hero "riding away into the sunset". In fact, I was a
bit concerned that the nice folks at Robert Hale would not accept the
ending, in which the hero actually dies, but they never said a word about
it. The three Total Wreck books are actually a trilogy. The story was
originally one long manuscript, but Hale wanted me to break it down into
three novels to fit their traditional, track-proven formula. I did that, but
it was certainly no small task.
WHICH OF YOUR COVERS IS YOUR FAVOURITE AND WHY?
My favorite Robert Hale cover art is the one for "Showdown at Total Wreck",
which utilizes some truly fantastic artwork and composition.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US OF ANY UPCOMING WRITING PROJECTS?
I have another western novel in progress for Hale, which will continue with
the characters from "Blood Hunt". I simply grew so fond of these two
characters that I couldn't give them up. All I have to do if get off my butt
and finish the story.
ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING BLACKHORSE WESTERN WRITERS?
My advice for aspiring Black Horse Western writers is to submit as good and
perfect a manuscript and story as you would to the best publisher in New
York. After all, the quality of your stories will determine your writing
future and your fame. Everything you write must be the best you can do at
that certain point in your career or your career will most likely be
short-lived. Robert Hale is NOT a lower class publisher that will accept
sloppy or shoddy work. Hale's books are, in my opinion, just about as good
as any other publisher. Robert Hale Ltd. does not seem to be at all hung up
on accepting only "name" writers. Therefore, Hale is a great place to start
your writing career if you are an unknown writer, but very good at what you
write.
Back to Interviews List
Home