Visit Howard Hopkins' website to learn more about these books:

July 2001 RELEASE
The Phantom Marshal
This tale of
revenge and riveting Wild West action harkens back to the tales of mysterious
figures doling out justice and upholding honor from the pulp novels of the
1930s.  The book also touches on themes a modern reader will appreciate: loneliness,
courage and the day to day struggle against life's sometimes overwhelming
odds.

Howard   Hopkins lives in a Maine seacoast town and has published 15 westerns, 9 of which have gone to large print editions, under the pen name Lance Howard. He is an Active member of the Western Writers of America. His large print Western THE LAST DRAW was released in August 2000 and his hardcover Poe Western, THE DEVIL'S PEACEMAKER, was released in October 2000. He is hard at work on his 17th at the moment, THE SILVERMINE SPOOK. During the late 80s-early 90s he produced and edited GOLDEN PERILS, a journal for fans of the pulp magazines from the 1930s, primarily focusing on Doc Savage, The Avenger and The Shadow. He produced numerous other magazines in the field and wrote a comprehensive study of The Avenger character, as well as published over fifty articles on pulp characters for various other journals.

In his spare time, Howard collects Doc Savage and The Shadow, some old radio programs, and comic book figures. He likes listening to Dutch pop music.

RTW [ReadTheWest.com]: What sparked your interest in writing?

HH [Howard Hopkins]: I started because I was a big fan of the pulp heroes Doc Savage and The Shadow and started writing articles about them for fanzines. I eventually got the fiction bug and began writing horror short stories, selling roughly half of them. I graduated to novels and after trying unsuccessfully to place a couple horror works decided to try westerns.

RTW: What drew you to the western?

HH:  I was interested in the Lone Ranger and Wild Wild West, as well as Brisco County. I wanted to bring something unique to the west, mixing in elements of the supernatural or mystery. I also wanted to touch on things modern readers could relate to, hence my upcoming book The West Wolf deals with spousal abuse. I think the western is far more flexible than a lot of people know and would love to see it prosper.

RTW: Whose work has had the greatest influence on you?

HH: The Doc Savage pulp series. I read it as a kid and still do. It let me know there was a magic place to go to to get away from the problems of the world and life just by opening the cover and plunging into a world of adventure and escapism. It nurtured my imagination and inspired me to create.

I live in Maine, which one would think would be far removed from the west, but when you think about just how much wilderness still exists in the state it is easy to imagine the brooding lonesomeness of the west. I work very hard to step into my characters' heads, to live there and have the reader be able to feel every emotion and trial the character goes through. I think that gives the sense of place best--if the character feels a part of that world, hopefully the reader will as well.

RTW: Tell us a little bit about your current book.

HH: My current book, Pistolero, took about six months, then a few weeks longer to edit. It was a hard book because it deals with a ripper-like killer in the Old West and the killer's identity was tough to keep a secret. The novel was designed with a lot of twists and turns, and an exploration of that duality all humans can have. I had to not only try to keep the western details straight but also a good deal of psychology. The ending is not a typical one and, I hope, leaves the reader thinking.

RTW:  What do you think readers will enjoy most about it?

HH: I think they will enjoy the surprise twist near the end. If I have done my job, it will be a kick. I enjoyed trying to hide that fact.

RTW: What do you have in store for the future?

HH: I have a number of ebooks and print books being released rather close together. My novel the Devil's Peacemaker by Lance Howard (my western pen name) has just been released in England and is a "Poe western". I have a new children's horror series just out in ebook form called The Nightmare Club under my own name (www.dancingwillow.com), as well as a horror novel called Grimm, and two more upcoming horror books, as well as a western reprint in large print.

RTW: What advice would you give to new writers?

HH: Try not to get discouraged and don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. You can! It sometimes takes a lot of heartbreak and disappointment, but it is that perseverance that will get you there and those lessons along the way will improve your work. Never give up!