tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post1729352443810463461..comments2024-03-28T18:21:09.285-05:00Comments on Rough Edges: Shootout at Picture Rock - Joseph A. WestJames Reasonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-44599720045709914312010-08-05T17:24:55.699-05:002010-08-05T17:24:55.699-05:00I may have told this story here before, but when I...I may have told this story here before, but when I finished the final draft of my first novel, Livia and I took the manuscript to a drugstore that had a coin-operated photocopy machine and fed nickels into it for a couple of hours as we copied every page, one at a time. I feel nostalgic about those days, but I wouldn't go back to them.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-58061424509253056612010-08-05T17:01:22.000-05:002010-08-05T17:01:22.000-05:00Thanks for reviewing this book, James. I've re...Thanks for reviewing this book, James. I've read a half-dozen or more of Mr. West's books, though not "Shootout at Picture Rock," and I've enjoyed each very much. In fact, I just tracked down a copy of "Gunsmoke: Dodge the Devil" and now I can't wait to dive in. <br /><br />A 400-page rewrite--and on a typewriter--in 16 hours! I will never complain about rewriting or deadlines again. Well, maybe a little....<br /><br />Cheers,<br />MattMatthew P. Mayohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15078400556536047544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-80332865047265723812010-08-05T15:42:57.902-05:002010-08-05T15:42:57.902-05:00This past week I've been watching some 1955, f...This past week I've been watching some 1955, first-season episodes of GUNSMOKE on DVD, rented from the local video store. My immediate reaction to the first paragraph of your post, James, was "I wonder if this is GUNSMOKE-inspired?" Testimony to how well you strike to the heart of matters when reviewing your reading, aware of it or not!<br /><br />Now a terrible admission: I've never come across a Joseph A. West book in New Zealand. I can see rectifying the omission must be added to my list of things to be done.Chap O'Keefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04404176810063857291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-70486904799623774982010-08-05T10:50:58.340-05:002010-08-05T10:50:58.340-05:00Loved all three stories. I recall the days of writ...Loved all three stories. I recall the days of writing before word processing AND photocopying. I still have my old Olympia manual typewriter as a keepsake of the old days, to bring a tear to my eye, almost.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-77354990004700270912010-08-05T10:12:54.092-05:002010-08-05T10:12:54.092-05:00Joe,
Thanks for the story behind the story. Now t...Joe,<br />Thanks for the story behind the story. Now that you mention it, I can see how this one began life as a Gunsmoke novel, but that thought never crossed my mind when I was reading it. You did a good job turning it into a stand-alone. Back in the early days of our careers, my wife and I had to rewrite a hundred thousand word novel literally overnight. This was long before computers, so we had to retype all 400 pages of the manuscript in about sixteen hours. We had only one typewriter, so we took turns at it, typing as fast as we could and rewriting as we went along. Finished at dawn, slept for a couple of hours, then got up, took the pages to have them photocopied, and overnighted them to New York.<br /><br />Yes, you've got to love the publishing business.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-89554546312073010112010-08-05T09:50:56.156-05:002010-08-05T09:50:56.156-05:00James, thank you for the kind words. You do me gre...James, thank you for the kind words. You do me great honor.<br />SHOOTOUT AT PICTURE ROCK began its life as the 7th novel in my GUNSMOKE series, but my publisher and Universal couldn't agree on financial terms. Finally my editor said: "The hell with it, we'll publish the book as a stand alone." Then, with many a merry quip, he added: "Big hurry, Joe. Change the names and send it back to me yesterday."<br />Of course, there was a lot more involved than simply changing Matt Dillon to Kilcoyn. I had to saw the novel apart then rebuild it, the deadline hanging over my head like the proverbial sword.<br />In the end, poor, ink-stained wretch that I am, I got the job done and Shootout was the result.<br />Ah, I love the publishing business so much, just sitting here thinking about it brings a tear to my eye.Joseph A. Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07296251121249782528noreply@blogger.com