tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-440764593580848794.post9212938206478847175..comments2024-01-05T10:46:06.674-06:00Comments on Scott D. Parker: Writer: Forgotten Books: The Pulp Jungle by Frank GruberScott D. Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15293540073601809197noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-440764593580848794.post-68607715670875325322017-06-12T15:45:04.993-05:002017-06-12T15:45:04.993-05:00Chap? Keith? Either is fine, Scott. The pen-name w...Chap? Keith? Either is fine, Scott. The pen-name was adopted simply because I thought it went better on the covers of Black Horse Westerns, which at that time were also reprinting classics from the likes of Ernest Haycox, Les Savage Jr, and William Colt MacDonald. Although I'm happy enough with my real name, it didn't look quite right in such illustrious company! I hope you enjoy BLAST TO OBLIVION.Chap O'Keefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13408711495694216427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-440764593580848794.post-44416593552696411872017-06-12T11:54:47.273-05:002017-06-12T11:54:47.273-05:00Chap (or do you prefer Keith?),
There's a mom...Chap (or do you prefer Keith?),<br /><br />There's a moment, late in your excellent article, where you write "To compile a complete history of the parallels between hardboiled detective stories and westerns would be beyond my capabilities and take space unavailable here." After reading your piece, I contend that it is not beyond your capabilities. That was an excellent piece! Thank you for the link.<br /><br />And, yes, to Gruber's quote. Funny that a guy, writing in 1941, hits the nail on the head for how to stand out in a crowded field: theme and invention. I have a Word file at home that I created with all my notes from The Pulp Jungle. That quote is in there.<br /><br />Thanks again for the link. And, after reading about Joshua Dillard, I went out and picked up BLAST TO OBLIVION. Scott D. Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293540073601809197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-440764593580848794.post-91161362238141566112017-06-09T16:16:42.306-05:002017-06-09T16:16:42.306-05:00"Writing to market is a growing aspect of ind..."Writing to market is a growing aspect of indie writers, but Gruber and his pals did it back in the 1930s." That's very true, and Gruber and company did face some hard economic times. What they did have was recognizable paying markets, and that was still true to an extent when I began my career in the 1960s. It isn't today ... not unless I'm looking in the wrong places.<br /><br />When I wrote the article "Detectives in Cowboy Boots" for the online magazine Black Horse Extra (you can still find it at http://blackhorsewesterns.com/bhe5) I made mention of Frank Gruber's work and wrapped up with a lengthy quote from one of his seemingly timeless articles of advice for Writer's Digest. It had first appeared in January 1941. See if you think it still holds true today.<br /><br />And Scott, I like your masthead tagline "Old-Fashioned Escapism for the 21st Century." I run something similar on the covers of the Chap O'Keefe ebooks for the Kindle: "Western Fiction for Today's Readers."Chap O'Keefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13408711495694216427noreply@blogger.com