Rural Missouri - October 2022 - 49

Treasuring The West
by Jessica Jainchill |
T
Crane author uses Missouri history to keep adventure alive
info@ruralmissouri.coop
photo by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
he Western book genre has been popular for almost
as long as cowboys have existed. Starting as dime
novels in the late 1800s, they evolved into the 20th
century, popularized by authors such as Louis
L'Amour. In the 21st century, Western writers are still
working to keep this genre alive. One such writer is Steven
Law, a Crane-based author who used Missouri's rich history
to craft his Amazon bestselling book " Yuma Gold. "
Growing up on a cattle farm in Iowa, Steven's future
wasn't exactly pointed toward a writing career; however, it
did influence his future in writing.
" I think when you grow up on a cattle farm, there is
kind of the ethos of the West, " Steven says. " I loved hunting,
and I loved the outdoors. I just spent most of my time
alone. A writer is a lonely person, they live a very lonely
life, and I think it just fit me. "
But if being raised on a cattle farm was Steven's only
influence, he may not have ended up as a bestselling Western
writer. Fortunately for him, he had a grandmother,
Dorothy Law Crawford, who helped shape his path.
Steven explains: " I was her first grandchild so she
spoiled me, but she was very much an educator. She
taught in the old country one-room schools. It was very
important to her that we all be educated, so when I was
with my grandma, she read to me. " Little House on the
Prairie, " " Little Lord Fauntleroy, " big time emphasis on
books and storytelling. "
Even with his grandmother's emphasis on education,
Steven was not sold on a writing career. His high school
teachers pointed out his writing potential, but it was nothing
Steven took seriously, even though he was voraciously
consuming Western books from the school library.
" There were about 90 Louis L'Amour books in the
library, and I read them all. I became a big fan of Westerns
at that time. I would also read about the Western explorers,
like Lewis and Clark, " he says.
Steven graduated and headed for college to earn a business
degree. By this time, Dorothy had passed away.
" I felt like the backbone of our family was broken, " Steven
says, recalling the loss. " So when I went to college and
gravitated toward writing, how could I not think of her? "
At college, Steven's writing skills shined again. By the
time he graduated, he was interested in using his love of
Western history to become a writer. Eventually, he visited
Southern California where he ran into an interesting
legend about a Spanish galleon that had sunk and been
buried in Death Valley.
Crane-based author Steven Law has been hailed by fellow author D.B.
Jackson as writing, " the new generation of the Western. "
" It's a myth. Only some Indians have claimed to see
it after a sandstorm with the mast sticking out of the
sand and vultures perched on it, " Steven says. He did his
research and concluded that the myth " is perfectly possible
because the sea ran clear up into Death Valley during
the Spanish conquest. "
As Steven started forming his book idea, he combined
this myth with another story of a steamboat, The Arabia,
submerged in the Missouri River's mud. " When I read this
story about a Spanish galleon, I thought that this is the
same thing. It's just a different location, " he says.
In 2010, Steven wrote a synopsis that meshed the Western
genre with a treasure hunt. Fortunately, a friend liked
the idea enough that he put Steven in contact with a publisher.
" The editor emailed back 30 minutes later, and said
'Send me the book,' " Steven says. " But I hadn't written the
book; I'd written a synopsis, which is what he read. "
But Steven was not about to miss this chance. He says,
" I actually told everybody 'Don't call me. I'll get back to
you in two weeks.' So I stocked up on coffee and 5-hour
Energy, and I wrote it in two weeks. "
After churning out his 75,000-word book, titled " Yuma
Gold, " Steven sent it to the editor. He adds, " They did not
question anything about the structure of my story, so that
felt pretty darn good. "
Six weeks before the release, Steven was surprised and
excited to find it on Amazon's bestseller list.
Since 2011, Steven has written five other Westerns
including a young adult novel " Old Blue and the Greenhorn "
and two entries in his " Blood For Justice " series.
He's currently working on a thriller, but his favorite is
still, " Yuma Gold. " However, he has noticed some changes
in the book industry that threaten the Western genre. In
the late 2000s, Amazon became serious competition for
Walmart, the No. 1 retailer of the Western genre, through
e-books. In order to keep his writing passion alive, Steven
is going through some readjustments.
" I'm getting the rights back to my books, and when
that happens, I want to get them into audio and foreign
languages, new paperback editions and e-book formats.
Just do a complete republication on all my titles, " he says,
noting three are due to be rereleased this year. " My readership
is still out there, and they still talk about it. "
Hopefully, with creative and passionate writers like Steven
who are willing to do the work to bring
the West to life, future generations of
readers will have the pleasure of visiting
the Old West in their imaginations.
For more information, visit
www.stevenlaw.com.
Crane
Jainchill is a freelance writer
from Columbia.
OCTOBER 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 49
http://www.stevenlaw.com http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - October 2022

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