Westerns in Media

  

The popularity of the dime store novel was part of the Western tradition. But well before that time, the Frontier was a major theme in American literature. The Leather Stocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper remain favorites. The Last of the Mohicans is a classic.

 People moved West for many reasons. Owning their own land was one important reason for the push Westward. Others looked to wealth from mining. In 1854, Horace Greeley, a New York newspaper editor, gave Josiah B. Grinnell a famous piece of advice. "Go West, young man, and grow up with the country." Many people listened to him. Westward Ho!

My father was a fan of Westerns. As a child, I recall sitting in front of the television watching countless Western shows with him: Hopalong Cassidy, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Roy Rodgers, Bonanza, Wanted Dead or Alive, Rawhide, Walker, Texas Ranger, Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Virginian, and many others. Yellowstone and 1883 are currently very popular.

The West has inspired filmmakers since the inception of the movie industry. Stagecoach rocketed John Wayne to super-stardom in 1939 (a banner year for movies). He starred in many fine Westerns like The Searchers. Clint Eastwood took the spaghetti Western to new heights. The Unforgiven is his most outstanding unique Western.

My personal tribute to the Western is a novel entitled: THE KILLING LAND. Originally published in hardcover by Five Star/Cengage, I’m happy to announce it is now published in a newly revised edition both in paperback and ebook by Luminosity. There is also new cover art.

This novel is set principally in the Arizona Territory of the early l880's where a courageous settler from the East and an aristocratic cattle baron become involved in a love/hate relationship. The two, although attracted to each other, are initially distrustful and antagonistic toward one another. The dangers they face draw them together.

Mary suspects that Cal is responsible for trying to drive the homesteaders and sheepherders off the land cattlemen consider rightfully theirs. When her uncle is murdered, Mary intends to discover who is responsible and why. In so doing, she becomes a person of interest to a vicious outlaw.

Here’s a review sample:

"The Killing Land is set in the Arizona territory of the 1880s, and opens with an intriguing hook that snags the reader's attention quickly...Seewald does a fine job with character development, including with her secondary characters...The plot itself is quite detailed as well...Fans of western romance should be pleased with this novel."

--Historical Novel Society

Buy Links:

https://luminositypublishing.com/book/the-killing-land/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCGLM2D5

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1426758

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ClnNEAAAQBAJ

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-killing-land-jacqueline-seewald/1122846630

https://books.apple.com/ca/book/the-killing-land/id6451543969