The depression, back in 1932, made writing sink-or-swim proposition for Robert C. Blackmon. Cast out on his own after losing a comfortable clerical position with the Atlantic Coast Line rail road, Blackmon swam and today he blesses the day his work terminated with the railroad. Today, eight years later, Blackmon is recognized as one of… Continue reading The Thrilling World of Robert C. Blackmon: Man of Mystery
Category: Authors
Mastering Mystery: The Intriguing World of G. T. Fleming-Roberts
THE EDITORS of Better Homes and Gardens magazine unwittingly played right into the hands of G. T. Fleming-Roberts of Brown County, Indiana, when they printed a piece of advice on picking lilies a few months ago. Pull off the stamens, the magazine suggested, and the lilies won’t stain themselves—surely as innocent a tip on gardening… Continue reading Mastering Mystery: The Intriguing World of G. T. Fleming-Roberts
Million word man: Utah writer Frank C. Robertson
Frank C. Robertson, of Springville, prolific western writer who is now hard at work on a new book, says he’ll be glad when the European war is over and the Britishers get back to their reading again. This Utah writer has had about 65 novels appear in book form in Great Britain, of which about… Continue reading Million word man: Utah writer Frank C. Robertson
Lon T. Williams : Weird writings of a Law Clerk
Lon T. Williams followed Robert E. Howard in writing weird westerns. Rather obscure, he was first republished by Larry Estep at pulpgen.com (which has now vanished into the aether). Williams’ stories of deputy sheriff Lee Winters, most of which appeared in Real Western Stories, are formulaic, with the hero encountering weirdness as he returns from… Continue reading Lon T. Williams : Weird writings of a Law Clerk
Elliott W. Michener: From Criminal to Author and Gardener
For nearly 30 years, Alcatraz was THE prison, the one no one escaped from. Al Capone was held there, as were Machine Gun Kelly, Mickey Cohen and other prominent gangsters. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice. 23 were caught alive, six were shot and killed during their escape,… Continue reading Elliott W. Michener: From Criminal to Author and Gardener
Richard McKenna: How to become a professional writer
The Wikipedia article on Richard McKenna covers his life and fiction reasonably well. But if you’re feeling lazy, I asked ChatGPT to summarize it for you. Richard McKenna (1913–1964) was an American naval officer and author known for his acclaimed debut novel, The Sand Pebbles(1962). Born in Idaho, McKenna served in the U.S. Navy for… Continue reading Richard McKenna: How to become a professional writer
Bill Gulick: No horsing around, and other secrets of a writer
A profile of Bill Gulick that originally appeared in the Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review dated July 20, 1958. I’ve added a few excerpts from another article in the Tacoma, Washington News-Tribune dated June 26, 1948. Gulick Brings Old West Alive By Jay Kalez IF BILL GULICK, Walla Walla’s prolific novelist and writer of Saturday Evening Post… Continue reading Bill Gulick: No horsing around, and other secrets of a writer
One Man Show: Authors, pound that typewriter till it bleeds!
During my time attending pulp conventions, I heard about an author who, under one pseudonym or another, wrote the entire fiction contents of an all-fiction magazine. But it was never clear to me who it was we were talking about. Some authors were obvious candidates – H. Bedford-Jones, Max Brand, Arthur J. Burks etc. Could… Continue reading One Man Show: Authors, pound that typewriter till it bleeds!
Bellem Lettres: The secret life of a pulpster
And no, that isn’t a spelling mistake. Read on and find out why. While pursuing some research, I came across five letters from Robert Leslie Bellem, the creator of Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective and prodigious producer of pervy passion plots for the pulps. These letters have little personal stuff but quite a bit about the… Continue reading Bellem Lettres: The secret life of a pulpster
The mysterious life of Robert Reeves – Storyteller, Soldier
Robert Reeves, the author of the Cellini Smith stories in Black Mask, is a mysterious character. The veil of mystery around Reeves starts with his life. He seems to appear out of nowhere in the magazines, showing no evidence of newspaper work or other professions connected to the publishing business. Who was he? Where did… Continue reading The mysterious life of Robert Reeves – Storyteller, Soldier