Date Published: 12-03-2025
Publisher: Devil's Claw Press
Trouble is, it was bought from his old adversary, Fat Gervin, who is still as crooked as ever. Gervin finds a seeming loophole in the contract and tries to pull another fast one on Hewey, who is fed up with Gervin’s endless treachery. Tensions rise, and when Gervin is shot, it’s Hewey who’s on the hook for the crime. But things are never as they seem, and it’s up to an eclectic cast of characters to sort it out, and for Hewey to learn what’s really important in life.
Written by longtime journalist turned novelist John Bradshaw, who was selected by The Elmer Kelton Estate to continue the Hewey Calloway tradition.
Interview with John Bradshaw
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
-I did quite a bit of research to get everything historically correct for 1913, such as new towns and inventions. I’ve traveled that area countless times, so I didn’t need to visit again. I love that area and hope it showed in my writing.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
-For my first book, set in 1905, I researched the US Army releasing camels in the United States, because my protagonist happened upon one. The army tried to replace horses with camels, and when it didn’t work, they just turned them loose.
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
-I do a lot of online research, just to get general facts correct, but I’ve also called a couple museums, specific ones, and spoken with researchers familiar with history in their geographic area.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
-I spent twenty years as a journalist for Livestock Weekly. I wrote hundreds of profiles of old cowboys. I didn’t base any one character on a particular person, but there were pieces of all of them mixed together.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
-My first two books were westerns. I will release a nonfiction this year and am finishing up a novel that is probably best described as Texas Noir.
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
-The protagonist in my first two books, Hewey Calloway, is my favorite. I took over the series from Elmer Kelton and then Steve Kelton, so between six books, Hewey feels like an old friend.
Bradshaw attended South Plains College followed by Texas Tech University. He spent several years shoeing horses for a living as his writing career progressed.
While the desire to write books was always there, Bradshaw first pursued a career in journalism. He wrote numerous stories for ranching, horse and horseshoeing magazines.
Growing up, Livestock Weekly came in the mail once a week, as it does for most in the livestock industry. Writing for Livestock Weekly was always a goal, and in 2005 Bradshaw’s first story was published. It was a profile of Brownie Metzgar, a humorous cowboy still working in a feedlot while in his late 80s.
In 2007 Bradshaw accepted a fulltime position with Livestock Weekly. While with the paper he had over a thousand stories published, as well as enough market reports to give him permanent nightmares.
Horses have always played an important role in his life. The son of a horseshoer, he has spent a significant amount of time either on or under a horse. He still shows in both ranch horse and reined cow horse competitions.
He and his wife, Sara, live outside Abernathy. Sara owns an architecture firm, SK Architecture Group, and they raise Spanish goats, hair sheep and cattle.
In 2013 the couple had a stillborn son, Fox Joaquin Bradshaw. After several years of heartbreak they adopted an infant boy, whom they named Julian Boone Bradshaw. Boone died in his dad’s arms following an accident at the barn five days before his sixth birthday.
1 comments:
sounds like the perfect book for winter.
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