Margot Kahn, author of Horses That Buck: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith, is the guest on The Write Question Sunday, January 25 and Thursday, January 29.
Horses That Buck is Kahn's first book. It tells the inside story of the glamor and pitfalls of earning a living as a rodeo cowboy and how one man made the transition from bronc rider to raising and training horses. Kahn spent seven years riding with Bill Smith, and researching and writing the book.
Click here to listen to the program online.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Reader’s Risk in Western Noir: Neil McMahon and Lone Creek
Inspiration was imminent after I listened to Neil McMahon give a reading. His charisma was contagious and his writing enthralled me. After reading an excerpt from his novel, Lone Creek, I wanted to read more and have since purchased the book.
To be entirely honest, the first page didn’t engage me. Yet, I forged ahead and the more I read the more I wanted to continue. My reaction to his genre of writing surprised me. In the past, I’ve never been interested in reading western noir or stories of ranch life. However, after reading Lone Creek my previous convictions
were trampled.
As a native of Helena, I am skeptical of all portrayals of my home land. I am protective of the beauty of the Helena valley and admire writers and artists that can appreciate the area as much as I do. While reading the descriptions of Helena and the Pettyjohn Ranch in Lone Creek, I felt proud of my home town. The detailed imagery made me feel as though I was walking in the golden grasses, that I could smell the stench of rotting horse carcasses, and feel the pummeling punches slugged into Hugh Davoren’s gut.
I am grateful to Neil McMahon for being the one writer that swayed my previous notions of noir writing. His work inspired me write about ranch life and the complexities of human interaction in such a setting. Montana writers are faced with the difficultly of encapsulating the beauty of Montana, especially the hidden and well protected treasures of the state.
To the readers of The Write Question blog, please take the time to pick up a copy of Neil McMahon’s writing and experience the authenticity of his work. Lone Creek is an engaging Montana mystery novel that is well worth the risk to read.
Lisa Teberg is currently a post-baccalaureate student, majoring in English with a focus in creative writing at the University of Montana.
To be entirely honest, the first page didn’t engage me. Yet, I forged ahead and the more I read the more I wanted to continue. My reaction to his genre of writing surprised me. In the past, I’ve never been interested in reading western noir or stories of ranch life. However, after reading Lone Creek my previous convictions
were trampled.
As a native of Helena, I am skeptical of all portrayals of my home land. I am protective of the beauty of the Helena valley and admire writers and artists that can appreciate the area as much as I do. While reading the descriptions of Helena and the Pettyjohn Ranch in Lone Creek, I felt proud of my home town. The detailed imagery made me feel as though I was walking in the golden grasses, that I could smell the stench of rotting horse carcasses, and feel the pummeling punches slugged into Hugh Davoren’s gut.
I am grateful to Neil McMahon for being the one writer that swayed my previous notions of noir writing. His work inspired me write about ranch life and the complexities of human interaction in such a setting. Montana writers are faced with the difficultly of encapsulating the beauty of Montana, especially the hidden and well protected treasures of the state.
To the readers of The Write Question blog, please take the time to pick up a copy of Neil McMahon’s writing and experience the authenticity of his work. Lone Creek is an engaging Montana mystery novel that is well worth the risk to read.
Lisa Teberg is currently a post-baccalaureate student, majoring in English with a focus in creative writing at the University of Montana.
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