The Writers Journey by Christopher Vogler

If e-books mean there will be no traditional bookstores left, I think the saddest thing about that will be the loss of being able to find the 'accidental' book. I love browsing in old bookstores and I cannot tell you how many books I have stumbled across that are now old favourites and a few, that were no less than life changing.

One such book that has a major influence on me as I try to be a better writer is 'The Writers Journey' by Christopher Vogler. Mine is the 3rd Edition.

The blurb on the back says that the book is 'an international best seller and one of the most influential writing books in the world!' Quite a hype to live up to - and I think it does.

First, it is a beautiful book. It is a weighty tome, serious and substantial but very easy to read. Secondly, the illustrations by Michele Montez are beautiful and make you want to linger and study them before moving on. Thirdly, it makes you think!

I now read novels and watch movies in a completely different way. Voglers book explains storytelling paradigms through myths and step-by-step explanations on plot and characters using popular examples such as Star Wars and Titanic. It has given me a new depth of understanding into my own writing and a framework so that now, I can see why certain things don't work and why others do.

Educational, interesting and quite frankly, inspirational, I would recommend this to anyone who loves the art and craft of story-telling.

Pay Dirt - Western Fiction Review

The following review of my most recent book, Pay Dirt was posted on Western Fiction Review.

At last Lee Walker’s second BHW has appeared. After reading his first, Gun Law, I was looking forward to this one. The book starts with a horrific prologue, which explains the animosity between brothers Jim and Michael Payne. The story then jumps forward a number of years and the reader joins Jim as he arrives in Golden Gulch. It isn’t long before he finds himself confronting Craven and becomes a target for the conman’s hired guns. Lee Walker has come up with a great bunch of characters that are a pleasure to read about.

The story moves forward quickly and is filled with well-written action scenes that paint vivid images within the mind. The final blazing showdown takes up a good portion of the book and provides an exciting conclusion to the story.

Lee Walker is a pseudonym used by Ed Ferguson, and he writes in an easy to read style that defies you to put the book down before the end. Once more, like after finishing Gun Law,
I’m left looking forward to the third western from Lee Walker.

New Novel Accepted by Robert Hale Ltd

Robert Hale Ltd, publisher of the Black Horse Western imprint has just agreed to publish my third novel, Devil's Deal.

Managing Director, Gill Jackson, described the new work as 'an exciting Western with plenty of tension.'

The book should be issued early in the new year and I look forward to seeing it in print.