Author R. Lawson Gamble (the R is for Rich) has published a new book, the first in his new “Johnny” series titled “Johnny and the Kid”, an old-time Western. 

This new series has its roots in the actual sense of the Old West. It is written in the first person and speaks to how a young boy develops into a gunfighter at the time: What the forces are that come to bear, which incorporates his widowed Ma; the transient nature of the people who come through the town, all of whom’s first stop is the Saloon; the cowboys on cattle drives, hobos, and fugitives from justice.

“I’ve finished eight books in the ‘Zack Tolliver’ series and I sat down to write for pleasure. I’d always wanted to see if I could write a story from the ‘first person’ point of view,” said Gamble. “As I wrote, I was Johnny, a 15-year-old boy facing many unexpected challenges. With each obstacle and danger that came along, I, as Johnny, had to solve it, face it, or run from it and do whatever this young boy would do and I found it very exciting.”

The book took Gamble only two months to complete. In starting the series, he wanted the essence and look of the book along with the formatting to reflect the Old West in terms of stolid, feet on the ground, horse-sense approach of the people at the time, which was set between 1870 and 1880, post-Civil War, in a boom town called Deep Water, Texas.

“In the formatting, I did some unusual things, like block paragraphs without indent, so looking at the interior gives the reader the feeling of the flat plains of Texas and the square corral fencing,” said Gamble. “It is slightly smaller in size so you can throw it in a saddlebag.”

Each of the books to follow in this new series will have the title “Johnny and the …” – the second book is titled “Johnny and the Preacher,” which is due out in late fall. The cover of each of the books will be the same with a slightly different color hue – all sand and dust of the Old West.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I loved watching the old Westerns on a black and white television, shows with Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger until the day my Dad cut the TV cord,” Gamble said. “By that action he more or less left me in that era. This book is an outgrowth from those early days.”

The book is dedicated “To Ma and Pa Gamble from their pistol-packin’ little boy, ‘Two-Gun’ Ricardo.”

“When my mother, who is 99 years old, read the book she said she could see me as her little boy with my cowboy hat and my two pearl-handled pistols strapped around my waist,” said Gamble.

In a book review, Fiona Ingram. one of the editors for Readers’ Favorite says, “The character development is so well done that it’s as if Johnny was sitting in my living room telling the story. The plots and subplots are wonderful. I love the who’s who that kept the suspense heightened. It’s the best book I’ve read this year. Well done!”

“When an author starts a new series, particularly if the genre is different, he/she risks losing what has already been gained in the first series in terms of followers,” Gamble said. “We readers like familiar ground, familiar characters, and love nothing better than to venture into book after book created in the same familiar way. When an author seems to move away from there, their interest drops off, even at the suspicion that the original series might not continue. 

“There are lots of other series out there to find. Although I fully intend to continue my Zack Tolliver FBI series as usual, those who enjoy it and follow it, upon seeing this different work among my books, may lose faith. It is a risk I have to take. 

“Writing has always been pleasurable for me but never as much as while writing ‘Johnny and the Kid,’” said Gamble. “I immediately wanted to start ‘Johnny and the Preacher’ as soon as I’d finished.”

Gamble gives talks about Los Alamos Valley history. He has spoken at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society for the “Valley Speaks” series and at the Santa Barbara Westerners chapter at the Santa Barbara Club, just to name a few.

“Johnny and the Kid” is available on Amazon or any retail bookstore. He will be doing book signings and readings in the area to launch his new series.

For more information, visit rlawsongamble.com or amazon.com/rlawsongamble.

The post Local author starts new western series appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Contributing Writer

Photos Contributed 

R. Lawson Gamble has just launched his latest novel, “Las Cruces,” the seventh in his Zack Tolliver series.

Building upon historic events in Las Cruces on the Gaviota coast, Gamble’s latest novel takes FBI protagonist Zack Tolliver and his comrade-in-adventure Eagle Feather on a wild ride from the Chumash Casino to Vandenberg Air Force Base and many places in between.

The book focuses on the Gaviota Pass and the Las Cruces land grant, site of a triple murder in the 1860s that was never solved. The overtaxed oil and gas infrastructure of the Gap, the rare archeological sites, and the dark, haunting beauty of its deep arroyos and wind-carved caves are all woven into the story. 

R. Lawson Gamble has just published “Las Cruces,” the seventh in his Zack Tolliver series.

Gamble’s previous novels in the series have followed Zack and Eagle Feather as they investigate murders and mysteries in a variety of locations throughout the Southwest, often pitting them against creatures of legend as well as bad guys. Their adventures immerse them in the Navajo, Agua Caliente, Paiute, Mojave, and Chumash cultures.

As a child, Gamble lived in a rural area on 30 acres in New Jersey, three miles from the nearest town. He and his siblings didn’t hang out with the neighboring kids. They read books.

“As a child I started watching Hopalong Cassidy and Howdy Doody, but then the television broke down and my parents decided they wouldn’t fix it. Once the TV disappeared, the books came out. We had books from floor to the ceiling in my home. My siblings and I would graze the library wall for different reading material. It was all that reading that became a large part of my becoming a writer,” Gamble said. “I never watched television again until my first year in college.”

After graduating from Barrington College in Rhode Island, Gamble taught at Fay School in Massachusetts, where he was also Dean of Students for 17 years.

“As a teacher, I used stories that I created to illustrate my points for my students. I created a Leadership Curriculum in which story-telling played a much larger role in illustrating the issues,” he said.

Gamble left his teaching position in 2009 and loaded up his car and moved to Los Alamos without a job offer in sight. His wife Ann had taken a position with Dunn School and had set up residence for them in Cottonwood Glen the previous year. There was an opportunity waiting for him at Dunn School to create a Leadership Program, but Gamble wanted to finish out the school year. Then the economy took a down-turn and the position evaporated, but he decided to move out West and start a new chapter in his life.

“During this period of pathlessness, I began to do research and somewhere during that time I became stimulated by history, drama, and romance. I was particularly captured by the history of the Santa Barbara area and of the famous outlaw Salomon Pico and the Drum Canyon area, formerly known as the Canyon of the Skulls for the bones that had been deposited there by the bandit who became known as our present-day Zorro. Also the book world was changing dramatically. A space was being created where one could write a book and get it published for zero dollars and get it placed on a platform for sales, circumventing the traditional publishing companies,” he explained.

“I wanted to write a novel and thought it would just be a one-time thing. I didn’t know if I could write one and I certainly didn’t know it would turn into the first book in a series. One of the reasons I wrote it was because I couldn’t find the kind of books that used to capture my imagination. I thought about the books I had read and enjoyed and this one book I’d planned to write would contain all those elements including the supernatural, Native American elements of good old Western mysteries and crime. In other words, all those unusual elements that are in my books were drawn from the multitude of authors which I had read and enjoyed. I just wanted to write one book for myself with all those intriguing, fascinating aspects. I never imagined that I would have to repeat all of them in book after book,” he said.

“So my experiment was to see if I could write, edit, publish, and sell a book for no cost. The publishing world had changed and the more I looked into it I discovered that things could happen as never before. It actually cost me $50 for the whole process and ‘The Other’ continues to be my top seller. The $50 was for the cover, which was not part of my skill set,” he said.

Gamble is also the author of the pictorial history “Los Alamos Valley” and “Payus Journey,” an allegorical, anthropomorphic story for children. All of his books are available through Amazon.com.

Gamble will participate in two events in September. He will be at Talley Winery in Arroyo Grande at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, to speak and sign his books for the benefit of the Philanthropic Educational Organization. Tickets are $50 per person. Talley Winery is at 3031 Lopez Drive in Arroyo Grande. For tickets, emailboatman.heidi@yahoo.com.

On Sunday, Sept. 22, Gamble will be at Zaca Mesa Winery to read passages from “Zaca,” the third book in the series, which centers on the San Rafael Mountains and surrounding valleys and that area’s myths and legends, including Zaca Mountain and Zaca Lake, and even the Zaca Winery courtyard. Zaca Mesa Winery is at 6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos. The $5 ticket includes a glass of Zaca Mesa 2015 Estate Syrah. For tickets, email dianna@zacamesa.com. 

For more information, email rlgclimber@gmail.com.

The post Local author publishes 7th novel in FBI series appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

The novel, his fourth in the series, begins at the Grand Canyon and moves into the Tuba City area of the Navajo Land where Zack and his comrade-in-adventure Eagle Feather hunt a mountain lion seemingly endowed with the ability to appear and disappear at will. They find it is no ordinary hunt. The book received a five star rating from Reader’s Favorite.

Gamble’s previous novels, The Other, Mestaclocan, and Zaca follow Zack and Eagle Feather engaging in a variety of mysteries pitting them against mythical creatures now more real than imaginary. Their adventures take them among the Navajo, Agua Caliente, and Chumash Indian cultures, from Palm Springs to Santa Maria to San Francisco. R. Lawson Gamble, who lives in Los Alamos, is the author of the pictorial history Los Alamos Valley, released by Arcadia Press last July. Gamble will sell and sign all his titles, read passages from CAT, discuss his novels and answer questions. There will be music, snacks, wine and drawings.

In more news, R Lawson Gamble will deliver an illustrated talk at the Dana Adobe July 10 at 2 pm on Salomon Pico, Mexican Bandit. He will present little known and interesting facts about our local bandit gleaned from his research for a book that is in the works. For more information visit http://rlawsongamble.com

The post Los Alamos author R. Lawson Gamble book launch appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.