Why I Love the Wild West

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Let me put it this way. The wild west may have saved my marriage.  That’s because whenever there is a western on TV, I can rely on the reality that Jonathan will be lost in it, absolutely lost in it, and I will be able to get in a few hours writing  and he will NEVER know that I am gone. 

Which I why when I saw the title of the fabulous Ryan Steck’s essay for today, I burst into  laughter.   (Even funnier because when Ryan’s book FIELDS OF FIRE arrived here the other day, Jonathan grabbed it, and now he’s lost in THAT!)

I will carefully tentatively say that “westerns” are kinda not my genre of choice.  They are—and I know this might sound silly—too sad. Know what I mean? But that’s just me.  And ”off the grid” to me means, um, well, where am I gonna plug stuff in? But that’s just me.

Anyway! We are so delighted to have Ryan here today—you all know him of course, from being the founder and editor in chief of the irresistible The Real Book Spy, the place to go for all things thriller! And more on that in a minute.

But first, hurray! We are celebrating Ryan’s debut novel. And, no matter if you are an aficionado of the wild West or more a city type, you’ll adore it.

So read on—-And I’ll give a copy of FIELDS OF FIRE to one lucky commenter! (But it won’t arrive by Pony Express.)

Why I Love the Wild West

by Ryan Steck

As The Real Book Spy, I have spent the last decade of my life covering the thriller genre, from authors to their characters, and thousands of new releases. I’ve had the pleasure of reading just about everything. Then again, most of that reading is for “work” rather than pleasure. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but even I need a break from the daily routine sometimes, and when I need that escape, there’s always one place I head for—the wild West. 

When it comes to the modern-day western, authors like C. J. Box and Craig Johnson have long been the gold standard. Now, though, we’re seeing a resurgence in such stories from Hollywood too, with shows like Yellowstone and 1883 dominating ratings charts, not to mention award shows. 

And as the western comes roaring back, fast becoming a mainstay in today’s pop culture fabric, I think it’s worth looking at why that is, and what it is about the West that people love so much. 

I can only speak for myself, but I think in today’s high-tech world of gadgets and electronics (I mean, we now have refrigerators that can provide weather forecasts and automobiles that can self-diagnose issues and order their own parts), one of the most appealing things about out West, or at least our perception of it, is that it provides a simpler way of living.

 In a world where most people can’t go two minutes without checking their iPhone or uploading pictures of their dinner plates to Instagram, there’s something so appealing about living off the land, disconnected from technology, where streetlights and skyscrapers don’t obscure the starry night sky. Peace and quiet, too—that’s something else most of us crave after being overly stimulated by the sights and sounds of city living. Is that part of the appeal? 

Then there’s the creative side of things. When I was preparing to transition from literary critic to author, I knew I needed a story and setting unlike anything I’d ever covered. So I chose to set Fields of Fire, my debut novel, in a small town smack-dab in the middle of Montana. All the reasons outlined above played into in that decision, but more important was the reality that those factors can create the perfect storm for plotting. 

For example, out West, backup doesn’t always exist, and if it does, the response time can be hours, not minutes. Likewise, tension can be heightened by the fact that when a character is out on their own, the stakes are raised considerably. A non-life-threatening injury becomes far more concerning when alone in the vastness that is the wild West. For me, the opportunity to take advantage of those things was a no-brainer. 

The allure of living off grid is a tantalizing one, and as the world continues to chug onward into the digital age, it makes sense that storytellers would look to the wild West, one of the only places that is both a slice of familiarity and a great unknown with limitless potential. And that is why I love it so much. 

What about you?  

HANK: Exactly, Reds and readers! How about you?  And hey, tell us what your favorite off-the-grid wide-open-spaces book or movie is. That would be fun to know!

And remember, a copy of the wonderful debut  FIELDS OF FIRE to one lucky commenter!

(And don't forget to check out The Real Book Spy!)

Ryan Steck is an editor, an author, and the founder and editor in chief of The Real Book Spy. Ryan has been named an "Online Influencer" by Amazon and is a regular columnist at CrimeReads. TheRealBookSpy.com has been endorsed by #1 New York Times bestselling authors Mark Greaney, C. J. Box, Kyle Mills, Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, and many others. A resident of Michigan, along with his wife and their six kids, Steck cheers on his beloved Detroit Tigers and Lions during the rare moments when he's not reading or talking about books on social media. 

Fields of Fire

A Matthew Redd Thriller

by Ryan Steck

“You know Ryan Steck as the Real Book Spy. Now, get to know him as the author of Fields of Fire, his debut thriller featuring Marine Raider Matthew Redd in a battle that will leave you speechless and begging for more. Lock and load!” —Jack Carr, Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Devil’s Hand

Waiting to be deployed on a critical mission, elite Marine Raider Matthew Redd stops to help a stranger and wakes up hours later to learn his team was wiped out in an ambush. Unable to remember anything, Redd can’t deny the possibility that he’s somehow responsible for the information leak that led to the massacre. He’s given a deal to avoid a charge of treason, but it means walking away from the Corps and the life he loved.

As he faces his loss, Matty gets a cryptic message from his adoptive father, J. B.: “Trouble’s come knocking. . . . Might need your help.” He points his truck home to rural Montana, only to discover that J. B. is dead and the explanation for his death is far from satisfying. Determined to dig up the truth, Redd uncovers a dark global conspiracy with his hometown at the center and no team at his back—except one he might find among past friends, old enemies, and new allies, if he can figure out who to trust.

Get your copy here!