Homesteading in the 1920s: part 2 by Cherry Wilson

Part 2 of a personal account of homesteading in the 1920s by western author Cherry Wilson. Two days later, when order was established, we looked with pardon­able pride upon our work. For out of that rude shack we had made a home. The bare logs were hung with bright pennants, cheery cur­tains of cretonne draped… Continue reading Homesteading in the 1920s: part 2 by Cherry Wilson

Cherry Wilson: Life as a homesteader In the 1920s

When you think of a homestead, you probably think of something like this, the log cabin where Abraham Lincoln was born; but Cherry Wilson and her husband Bob homesteaded in the 1920s, driven by Bob’s tuberculosis into a place where they needed fresh air and quiet. This is her account of their experience, published in… Continue reading Cherry Wilson: Life as a homesteader In the 1920s

Art and Direction: The life of Charles Willard Fairchild

Charles Willard Fairchild was born on 18 November 1886 in Marinette, Wisconsin. His parents were Charles Marsh Fairchild and Sarah Jane “Jennie” Cook of Toledo, Ohio. Charles Marsh Fairchild was a versatile businessman, running a drug store, a newspaper and a steel company, in that order. Charles Willard grew up in Wisconsin and Toledo, Ohio.… Continue reading Art and Direction: The life of Charles Willard Fairchild

The Thrilling World of Robert C. Blackmon: Man of Mystery

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

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

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

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

Interview William E. Barrett – Best-selling writer, movie man

William Edmund Barrett (1900 – 1986) was an American writer, best known for the 1962 novella The Lilies of the Field, later made into a movie that won Sidney Poitier his best actor Oscar. Before Barrett got into movies, he wrote many stories for the pulps, including this one that I reviewed a few years… Continue reading Interview William E. Barrett – Best-selling writer, movie man