Well, my first Ralph Compton book is out. It's called THE BLOODY TRAIL and I'm curious to see what the Compton fans think about it. Most of the stuff I write isn't exactly "traditional" Western fare. I like to think I always stay true to the spirit of adventure and action that goes along with that genre, but I've gotten a bit of flack from the traditionalists. I've always looked at it as watching Gunsmoke vs Deadwood. Sure, they're both Westerns, but one couldn't be more different than the other. That's what makes a genre great. If there wasn't any variety, then there might as well just be one show, one author and one definitive movie. Of course, then there'd also be one funeral for whatever genre that decided to limit itself that way.In writing the Compton books, I hope to put my mark on that series without stepping outside of
it. Comptons are more traditional and I had a lot of fun writing it. I read somewhere that a Compton fan saw I was going to write this, so they bought a BOOT HILL book to scope me out. He was thoughtful in his review and he said something to the effect that the tone of BOOT HILL wasn't for him, so he had some concerns about the upcoming Compton. To be honest, I wouldn't expect a fan of strictly traditional Westerns to like BOOT HILL. Not every fan of Gunsmoke will appreciate a show like Deadwood (and vice versa). Hopefully, that reader will pick up THE BLOODY TRAIL and enjoy it because I tried to write a Compton instead of another BOOT HILL.
I think I did the job and am very happy with THE BLOODY TRAIL. Hopefully, the Compton fans will like it too.
