Monday, November 11, 2013

ISU: William W. Johnstone

The author of my ISU book Butch Cassidy: the lost years , Willliam W. Johnstone, was an American author who mostly wrote western, horror, and survivalist. He was born October 28, 1938 in Missouri. His father was a minister and his mother was a school teacher. He quit school at fifteen and started working at a carnival and also a deputy sheriff. In 1957 he went back home and finished his high school education. Later, he served in the army. After the army he started a career in radio broadcasting and did that for 16 years. He started writing in 1970 and got his first work published in 1979. He wrote almost 200 books before he died in February of 2004 in Knoxville Tennessee at the age of 65. His death was unconfirmed for almost 3 years but in 2006 it was confirmed on the copyright page of one of his books. Johnstone does not seem like a credible author because he didn't have much experience with the old west except research. He did grow up with a minister as a father and in the book one of the characters is the daughter of a minister which he used to connect the novel to his life. He collected guns and knifes from the era of his books so the details of the weapons in the book would be historically accurate. From his life story he would not be a credible author but because of the multiple other westerns he has wrote and the research he must have done have made him a more credible western author.

1 comment:

  1. Joel, thanks for providing such a thorough background. I think it is interesting that you say he isn't a credible author, but you give details that support his credibility. It is important to note that authors don't have to have first hand experience, but research and other life experiences can help create a solid framework.

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