Wild Willie: Blog

I am just blown away by the response to my new story "An Unremarkable Town". I have had some great emails, as well as some thought-provoking ones, and the readers' score has now overtaken that of my first story.

Thank you so much. I hope you all enjoy chapter four.

Willie

An anonymous correspondent (see earlier blog about anonymous writers) has asked why Jake and Sue don't have repeating rifles.
No doubt this was prompted by all the western movies where everyone has a Colt revolver and a Winchester rifle.
The short answer is that the Spencer and Henry rifles, the first successful lever-action rifles, came out in 1860 with Winchesters following in 1866. As our story starts at the end of the 1840s (around 1849) they just didn't exist. Jake therefore has a 0.54 muzzle-loading Hawken rifle, a much prized possession. Sue has a similar 'Plains' rifle, but not a Hawken.
The revolvers they both carry are Colt Patersons. These started to reach the west in the early 1840s and were 5-shot revolvers with a hidden trigger that popped out when the gun was cocked. There was no triger guard. Mostly they were only loaded with 4 shots as there was no safe place to rest the hammer when carrying the weapon apart from on an empty cylinder. It will be two years before they can get their hands on an 1851 Navy Colt.

Hi everyone

I had 34 emails about the newly-posted sections already! That's great - and I answered them all.

However, I couldn't answer the two anonymous ones (make that three - I just got another!!)- and they were interesting messages as well. So please, if you email me, just put your email address on so I can get back to you...

Willie

Work got in the way, but finally the first story (An Unremarkable Day) is finished and the second (An Unremarkable Town) starts.

I hope you enjoy them. Please let me know your comments - they are always welcome.

Willie

Well - what a response. Since I posted chapter 18 a few days ago I have had 52 emails about my story. Thank you all so much.

I have now replied to all of them. Unfortunately, 5 were from anonymous posters so those I couldn't answer. If you sent me an anonymous mail, feel free to do it again with an email address I can reply to.

And if you haven't mailed, but want to know what is going on - chapter 19 follows shortly!

Willie