Meet Author Steve Bartholomew- Black Bart Reborn

Steve Bartholomew is the author of Black Bart Reborn, his latest novel- historical fiction novel. I was able to get an interview and will at a later date post a book review of Black Bart Reborn. The novel seems wildly exciting. I invite you to read the following interview and meet

this creative, interesting man. 

Elle: Tell a little about yourself (short bio)

     Steve: I lived most of my life in San Francisco, except  for four years in NYC. As cities go, it’s one of the best,  but I always preferred the countryside. I got out as soon as I could and moved to a small town in Northern California (Lakeport). I worked as a social worker for more than twenty years, while continuing to write short stories and articles of various types. Now I identify myself as a full time writer.

    Elle: What is your latest writing accomplishment? 

    Steve: My most recently published book is “Black Bart Reborn,” pub. 2013 by World Castle. Here’s a blurb:

“           It is an historical fact that Charles Boles, aka Charles Bolton, aka Black Bart was released from San Quentin prison in February 1888, having served his prison term for attempting to rob his 28th stage coach. He had previously robbed 27 others without getting caught. It is also a fact that a month after his release he disappeared from the pages of history. The following story is a fantasy about where he might have gone and what he might have done.”

     In other words, this book is not based so much on actual history as it is on what I perceive as the character of Charles Boles, and how he might have acted in certain situations. Read the story for entertainment, not education.

Click the link to view on Amazon

Black Bart Reborn 

Elle: What was your inspiration for your latest work?

Steve: The inspiration for all my stories is history itself. I often read historical essays and books for pure entertainment, because that’s where you find the best, most fantastic stories. Another source is old newspapers and out of print books, some of them now available in only digital form.

Elle: Tell us a little about any other works you have published or will be publishing.

Steve: I have eight books currently in print. My first novel was “The Terrorist Plot at Gopherville,” a satire on the CIA and Homeland Security. I also did a book titled “Chapel Perilous,” a tale of the paranormal. And then there was “Ariella,” a YA fantasy about a troubadour and his enchanted lute. My other books are all based in the Western Historical genre. I have two completed manuscripts currently on review by a publisher. One is “The Inventor,” about a crackpot scientist in Old San Francisco. Another is “Tunnel 6,” based on the building of the transcontinental railroad. I’m currently working on number eleven, about a photographer in 1850’s San Francisco.

           Elle: How long have you been writing and how did you fall into it?

Steve: I remember writing my first story at age nine. (It wasn’t very good.) I think I wanted to be a writer since I began reading. Sold my first short story to Astounding Science Fiction when I was twenty. I was paid the generous sum of $45.00.

           Elle: Please tell us a little about your writing process. 

Steve: I do nearly all my writing between sunset and midnight, when things tend to be quiet and nobody calls me on the phone because they’re all busy watching TV. I taught myself to type at age 13, on a portable Remington my mother bought me. I admire writers who compose in longhand, but I never could. Typing is faster, but computers are faster still. Sometimes even keyboards are not fast enough to keep up with my thoughts.

           Elle: If a fiction writer, are any of your novels based on events in your life?

Steve: No, I wouldn’t say that. I think most people would find the external events of my life rather dull. Of course, as with all writers, my stories emerge from my own viewpoints and perceptions. A painter makes up his own palette.

Elle: What was the greatest challenge you faced with publishing your work? 

Steve: One challenge is not to rush into print. Several of my books have spent two or three years cruising past different publishers until finding the right one. A few are self published for different reasons. “Ariella,” for example was one which I wrote several years ago but never finished because I couldn’t find the right ending. I rediscovered it when culling some of my old floppy disks. Reading it again, I decided it wasn’t half bad. The right ending popped into view. So I published it in time for Christmas.

Elle: Do you have a favorite author or book?

Steve: Among contemporary writers, I think Stephen King is the Charles Dickens of our time. He has been typecast as a writer of horror tales, despite his producing many other kinds of tales. Of course literary critics hate it when an author functions in more than one genre. Jack London was another case in point. I also admire G.R.R. Martin for his ability in creation of convincing characters. But if I had to settle on one favorite book, I would choose Moby Dick.

Elle: Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Steve: Just two pieces of advice: 1. Don’t be in a hurry. When you finish a book, stick it in a desk drawer for six months, then take it out and look at it again. 2. Get a professional to edit it. Not a friend of yours or anyone who knows you. Find an editor who is ruthless and cruel.

Elle: What genre or genres do you write and why?

Steve: I think I have pretty much answered that already. I have at times taken up other genres; at one time I wrote science fiction. I have also done some fantasy/paranormal. These days I’m mainly taken up with stories of the Old West. That does not mean cowboys or ranches. The main industry of the West was never cattle ranching. It was always mining. I’m fascinated by the gold mines of California and the silver works in Nevada. If I should ever run short of inspiration, all I need do is pick up an old book or newspaper and begin reading. 

Where to find Steve and his books
Whitehall Publishing
Steve's website/blog
Steve's books at Amazon
Steve's Books in thetroubledoyster Must Read BookStore