Author Bio:
What some reviewers have to say about Van Holt’s writing:
“I had a feeling that Van Holt…might actually be the successor to Zane Gray, a master Western storysmith, whose novels set the style of a generation.” –Stern0
“Van Holt is King of the Spaghetti Western…” –Rarebird1
Van Holt wrote his first western when he was in high school and sent it to a literary agent, who soon returned it, saying it was too long but he would try to sell it if Holt would cut out 16,000 words. Young Holt couldn’t bear to cut out any of his perfect western, so he threw it away and started writing another one.
A draft notice interrupted his plans to become the next Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour. A tour of duty as an MP stationed in South Korea was pretty much the usual MP stuff except for the time he nabbed a North Korean spy and had to talk the dimwitted desk sergeant out of letting the guy go. A briefcase stuffed with drawings of U.S. aircraft and the like only caused the overstuffed lifer behind the counter to rub his fat face, blink his bewildered eyes, and start eating a big candy bar to console himself. Imagine Van Holt’s surprise a few days later when he heard that same dumb sergeant telling a group of new admirers how he himself had caught the famous spy one day when he was on his way to the mess hall.
Holt says there hasn’t been too much excitement since he got out of the army, unless you count the time he was attacked by two mean young punks and shot one of them in the big toe. Holt believes what we need is punk control, not gun control.
After traveling all over the West and Southwest in an aging Pontiac, Van Holt got tired of traveling the day he rolled into Tucson and he has been there ever since, still dreaming of becoming the next Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour when he grows up. Or maybe the next great mystery writer. He likes to write mysteries when he’s not too busy writing westerns or eating Twinkies.
Warning: Reading a Van Holt western may make you want to get on a horse and hunt some bad guys down in the Old West. Of course, the easiest and most enjoyable way to do it is vicariously—by reading another Van Holt western.
Van Holt writes westerns the way they were meant to be written.
What inspires you to write?
I’ve always had a passion to write. Mostly westerns. Even during my high school days. I felt like I needed to write. I have read thousands of books, mostly westerns, and have lived close to the old west. I needed to write about how the old west really was attempting to dispel some of the Hollywood inventions and fairytales that just weren’t what is was really like.
Tell us about your writing process.
It usually takes about 3-4 weeks to write one of my normal books. The writing experience for me begins like a small leak in a dam that gradually gets bigger and bigger until it just has to burst out of me. Then it goes down onto paper in a big flood.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters are my children. Having never been married or been a parent, and probably never will be, I consider them my children. I do have conversations with them in my mind sometimes. At other times I’m wondering what they should do to remain true to themselves.
What advice would you give other writers?
Just keep at it. Most of my western novels were written back in the 1980s. I had almost given up on them ever being published.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I finally met someone who was willing to put in the time and effort to get my books published. It has been a lot of work and somewhat expensive, but is now paying off. The majority of my sales have been in the ebook format. Mostly on Amazon now, but my publisher is getting them ready for B&N as well as iBooks.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I’m pretty much a recluse these days and just concentrate on my writing. I’m getting older now and my health is becoming a hinderance sometimes. Not much time to think about the future of publishing. Best to talk to my publisher about that.
What do you use?
Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?
Western; Detective mystery.
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Author Page On Amazon
