James Clay I consider myself blessed to have been a kid at a time when, while there was a TV in the house, radio's "golden age" hadn't totally vanished. Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger came at me through both mediums. I devoured Fran Striker's Lone Ranger novels and wish those fine books were easily available today.
About the time I began reading Ray Hogan and Lewis Patten, I noticed a difference in the radio and TV versions of Gunsmoke. Radio's Dodge City was a much darker place. Both versions gave me some early lessons in story telling.
I toiled for years as a literary agent, but my heart remained in the old West. I began writing western novels to prove I didn't always have to live off the work of other people. Playing cowboy is one of the few skills I have honed well.
I remain blessed. I have a wonderful wife and two cats, all of whom are very patient with me. I now write westerns full time and enjoy reading other western writers, both past and present. And yes, the radio and TV versions of Gunsmoke are still giving me lessons in story telling.
