Happy Saint Patrick's Day from One and A Quarter Irishmen!
An Interview with acclaimed author Thomas McNultyI first met “The Last Outlaw,” Tom McNulty, and his lovely wife Jan back in 2011, I think it was. We were at the Windy City Pulp and Paperback Convention here in Lombard, IL. We were already Facebook Friends, and we hit it off even more in person. They are two of the kindest and warmest people you could ever hope to meet, and we have so much in common, too. I traded one of my books for Tom’s The Life and Times of Errol Flynn, which is, IMHO, the best biography of that great movie star of Hollywood’s Golden Age that I have ever read. Tom and Jan had a table, you see, and were selling autographed copies of his books. So after trading books with him, I bought his fantastic Werewolves: A Study of Lycanthropes in Film, Folklore and Literature. Thus, I became a fan at once, and have read almost everything he’s written, and look forward to reading more, especially his westerns. Novels such as his Trail of the Burned Man, Coffin for an Outlaw, and Wind Rider are all excellent, and highly recommended to everyone, especially to those who enjoy a fantastic story set in the Old West. Tom is prolific, diverse, and a master of prose, character and setting. And now we share a publisher, Airship 27 Productions, since he’s entered the world of New Pulp. He’ll tell you all about that and his other work in the wonderful interview, and at the end of it I provide not links to his website and Amazon page, but links to the reviews I wrote for his books and posted right here, on my blog. So sit back, relax, pour two-fingers of rotgut, make sure your guns are clean and well-oiled, and enjoy.
So
who are some of your influences and inspirations?
I grew up in the 60s reading comic
books. I’ll always have a soft spot for the classic Silver Age titles followed
by the Marvel titles. Jerry Seigel, Curt Swan, Neal Adams, Stan Lee, Jack
Kirby, Gene Colan, John Buscema, and so many others. Back then, publishers like
Whitman or Grosset & Dunlap had multiple titles and series available for
young readers. I thrived on The Hardy Boys and Superman comic books. Troy Nesbit, whose real name was Frank
Folsom, had a series of six books out from Whitman that had a strong influence.
Those books today are known to collectors as the “Wilderness Mystery Series.” I
was lucky to grow up in a household that promoted literacy. That changed my
life.
How
and why did you decide to start writing?
I wrote my first stories in the mid-60s.
They were mostly one page things influenced by Universal’s horror films or by The Twilight Zone TV show. I still have
some of these and they make me laugh. I started writing “nature poetry” in High
School which was all laced with sugar. I was a “peacenik” back then. That was
the early 70s. Writing was a natural extension of becoming an avid reader. Here’s fun bit of trivia, I sent Alfred Hitchcock a
story proposal when I was about eleven years old. It was about these kids that
discover and old pirate ship in a cave and gangsters are after the treasure
chest. His secretary sent me a kind-hearted rejection letter with an
autographed photo. The funny part is that years later, and unrelated to
Hitchcock, I saw a film called The
Goonies that had a similar plot. I console myself with the fact that even
as a kid I had a marketable idea.
What genres and/or
literary style do enjoy writing in the most?
I love adventure stories. Any fiction I
write needs to have an adventuresome slant to it. I am obviously quite fond of
Westerns and I am a huge Zane Grey fan. He’s out of favor these days and his
work is considered dated. Well, it is dated, but there is so much to his
fiction that amazes me. Take a look at Wanderer
of the Wasteland. That is one damn amazing epic novel, dated or not, and he
tackled some heavy themes. I am also fond of the personal essay, and I post
those on my blog now and again.
Tell us about
your latest published book, short story or novella.
I am thrilled and humbled that Ron
Fortier at Airship 27 Books found merit in my sea adventure story called The Adventures of Captain Graves. That’s
the best I can do as a writer at this point in my life. I love sea stories and
this one had been percolating for some time. Ron sent me an email and called it
“a damn good read.” That’s high praise from a man that knows literature. This
will be the one piece of fiction I’ve written to date that I believe has some
merit. Of course, I’m my own worse critic like most writers. I love the
Westerns, and I believe that my Westerns are entertaining, but The Adventures of Captain Graves is
special. Elliot Graves is a man with secret, and I hope readers find the story
as fun to read as it was to write. I think the book will be out later this
year.
Besides the
“entertainment factor,” what do you strive for in your writing?
I
strive for clarity. I want the writing to be smooth. I don’t consider myself an
expert at anything, but I know what I like. I don’t want to confuse the reader
with jumbled prose.
Would you say
that your stories are more plot-driven or character-driven?
My stories are all character driven. My
characters should all be complicated people, such as US Marshal Maxfield
Knight. He survived Shiloh, but it left a mark on him. I’ve written three books
with him as the central character, and more are in progress. I’ve outlined his
life and I know what he’s in for. He first appeared in Showdown at Snakebite Creek, then in Gunfight at Crippled Horse and most recently in The Gunsmoke Serenade. The one I’m
writing now will also leave a mark on him. He’s angry, compassionate and
trustworthy, but also a man to fear. He is plagued by nightmares. In the end,
he will remain a man intent on doing the right thing.
What can you
tell us about your latest work(s) in progress?
I have several Westerns lined up, and a
detective novel. I’m also writing some short stories. I have a Wyatt Earp short
story, a Sherlock Holmes short story, and a few others. I’m always busy.
What are some
literary goals you’d like to achieve?
I have outlined several additional Westerns
and some other books, and I need to finish them. I’m not short of ideas, I’m
short on time. With my far-too hectic lifestyle it’s often a challenge to find
quality time for myself, but somehow I’ve managed to get things done. Now I
want to do more. I’ll be pushing myself a little harder. I need to promote this
stuff more, too. I don’t do enough of that. I have at least six books on Kindle
now.
What genre of
fiction have you not yet written for, but plan to in the future?
Science fiction. I have outlined and
begun drafting a science fiction novel, and I am working on several short
stories. I love science fiction. I’m preparing a list for my blog of my
all-time favorite science fiction novels.
Name a few of
your favorite literary characters and tell us why they are your favorites?
Sherlock
Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, James Bond by Ian Fleming, and Tarzan by Edgar
Rice Burroughs. There are so many more. Growing up in the 60s I was exposed to
the best of everything, and I dove deeply into the ocean of literature that was
in front of me. I don’t regret a moment of it. Of course, Superman is my
favorite comic book character and always will be. For me the top ones are
Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man. I still read Superman
and Batman comics. These are all characters that inspire us to be better
people, to stand against tyranny, and to push aside the darkness and seek the
light. I just realized I forgot to mention Doc Savage and The Shadow. I guess
this list could get long.
What are some of
your all-time favorite films and TV shows?
The
Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn is my number one favorite
film. That movie represents what a film entertainment should be. The cast,
music, cinematography, script and overall production are fantastic. Other films
I rate highly are Casablanca with
Bogart, all three of Karloff’s Frankenstein
films, The Searchers with John Wayne,
and so many more. My number one favorite television show is Gunsmoke, especially the first ten
years. No finer western series was ever made. Great films and great television
programs are equally as inspiring as literature and music. The last 100 years
of our culture has been a real renaissance period.
Tell us about
your writing habits, such as: Do you outline extensively? Do you create your
characters first, or your plot? Do you listen to music while writing, and if
so, what kind?
I outline, but loosely at times. For
example, I create the title followed by the character names. Then I write the
first paragraph followed by the last paragraph. I like to know where my
characters are going. I make notes on the sections in between, and as I write
based on that, I discover what happens as I go along. If a scene I know will
happen later in the book is nagging me, I jump ahead and write it. Music is
always present. As I’m writing this I’m listening to “Blue & Lonesome” by
The Rolling Stones.
What
else can you tell us about yourself and your reading habits?
Since the mid-1970s I read at least one book a week,
so I hit no less than 52 a year,
although I usually average at about 65 books a year. I stockpile books. I haunt
bookshops and antique shops and e-bay and Amazon. I’m always on the hunt. My
blog, “Dispatches From the Last Outlaw” covers a lot of this. I write my blog
posts in advance, and I usually have about 40 posts already written. That way I
can pick and choose, or insert something new that I enjoyed. I cover some
diverse territory on my blog. I refuse to discriminate against any author or
genre, and negative comments are screened and deleted. We live in a world of
haters. I’m not a hater. I’m glad to be here doing all of this. This week I’m
tracking down the latest from R. L. Stine, I just bought Neil Gaiman’s latest,
and I have your book, too!
Tom’s website, “Dispatches from the Last Outlaw” — (where you can find all sorts of articles and book reviews, including Tom's reviews of my books!)
Tom’s Amazon Author page:
Reviews of Tom’s books on my blogsite:
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