Saddlebag Dispatches

07/02/2024

Only one month left. Time to get those stories in.

06/07/2024

Drumroll, please.

06/04/2024

Congratulations to W. Michael Farmer on his short story, "Finding Fortune" and to Michael Norman for "A Death of Crows." Both of these outstanding stories were selected as winners of the prestigious 2024 Will Rogers Medallion Awards. Michael Norman's story was also the winner of the inaugural Longhorn Prize for Western Short Fiction.
Both of these great stories can be found in the Winter 2023 "Cochise County issue" of Saddlebag Dispatches.

06/02/2024

Get your copy now! https://a.co/d/6cToVdK

05/12/2024

We have some exciting news to share with you this Mother's Day (and here's to all you awesome moms out there!). We've just been informed that our first Saddlebag Dispatches anthology, WEST OF DODGE, has been named a Category Finalist in the 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Here's a big thank-you to the judges and staff that make these awards possible, as well as to our awesome authors and editors who made this anthology a winner.

We'd also like to give a big Saddlebag shout-out to our fellow finalists. You can find the entire list right here: https://www.hofferaward.com/Eric-Hoffer-Award-category-finalists.html

04/30/2024

The results are in!

04/30/2024

Are you ready to find out how good your western writing really is? Here's your chance.

02/17/2024

Meet the Judges

The Mustang Award 2024

Lynn Downey — a native California historian, novelist, and archivist, she’s been publishing articles and books about the history of the West since 1985, and her work has appeared in California History, True West, Costume, Sportswear International, The Journal of Arizona History, and the blog We’re History.
Her debut novel, Dudes Rush In, won the Will Rogers Medallion Award and the Arizona Historical Fiction prize from the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. The sequel, Dude or Die, came out in 2023.
After a thirty-year career as an in-house archivist and historian, she is now an independent consultant. She works with museums, businesses, and non-profits to create archives, curate exhibits, write books, and plan anniversaries.
The past president of Women Writing the West, she is a member of Western Writers of America, the Society of California Archivists, and Women Writing the West. She’s also on the board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Marin County Civic Center Conservancy, the Dude Ranch Foundation, the Tomales Regional History Center, The Friends of California Archives, and is the co-chair of Advocates for the Sonoma County Archives.
Lynn’s non-fiction book, Arequipa Sanatorium: Life in California’s Lung Resort for Women, won the 2019 Willa Award for Scholarly Non-fiction. Her short story, “Incident at the Circle H” was a finalist in the 2023 Longhorn Awards for western short fiction.

Angela Raines — loves telling the stories of the women and men who braved new worlds, new places, and new ideas while searching for their place in the world. She feels excited when her characters maneuver their way through the action and setbacks that lead to their Happy Ever After, even if is it implied.
Angela, the pen name of Doris McCraw, moved from the historically rich region of West Central Illinois to the equally history-rich Colorado. Many of her works focus on the history that has surrounded her all her life. An avid reader, Doris loves to spend time in history archives, either online, in history centers, or in local libraries, looking for small, unknown pieces of history. Usually, these found gems are in her books, short stories, blogs, and non-fiction papers. She also has a continuing project of documenting the women doctors who lived, studied, and worked in Colorado prior to 1900.
Doris, the immediate past president of Western Fictioneers, writes both Medieval and Western Romance. These eras have extraordinary histories that just beg to be told. Sometimes Doris thinks the 'muse' may be asking too much, but then she smiles and digs right in. The results? Stay tuned.

W. Michael Farmer — combines ten-plus years of research into nineteenth-century Apache history and culture with Southwest-living experience to fill his stories with a genuine sense of time and place. A retired Ph.D. physicist, his scientific research has included measurement of atmospheric aerosols with laser-based instruments, and he has published a two-volume reference book on atmospheric effects on remote sensing. He has also written short stories for anthologies and award-winning essays. His first novel, Hombrecito’s War, won a Western Writers of America Spur Finalist Award for Best First Novel in 2006 and was a New Mexico Book Award Finalist for Historical Fiction in 2007. His Killer of Witches, The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache, Book 1 won a Will Rogers Medallion Award and was a New Mexico–Arizona Book Awards Finalist in 2106. Mariana’s Knight, The Revenge of Henry Fountain won the 2017 New Mexico–Arizona Book Award for Historical Fiction and Blood of the Devil, The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Mescalero Apache, Book 2 was a finalist. The Odyssey of Geronimo won Silver at the 2021 Will Rogers Medallion Awards.

Entries are limited to 1,000 words or less and close on March 1st.

02/05/2024

“The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time, it’s a state of mind. It’s whatever you want it to be. It could be a scorpion dancing by the fire, or a stingray gliding through the depths.”
—Tom Mix (paraphrased)

A one-in-a-million metal detecting find lands a man in the midst of a cold case murder in gangland in "The Green Guardian of a Yellow Gold Submariner" by Scott M. Brents, only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Here's the story: https://issuu.com/articles/42084456

02/02/2024

Join us for a conversation with Cochise County Native and New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance in "A Woman of the West" by Joan Leotta, Author and Story Performer, only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Find it here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084454

02/01/2024

If you're looking for a dark and gritty tale of Western-style justice, look no further. Will Rogers Medallion Award-winning author Anthony Wood returns with "Judged and Found Lacking," Part 2 of The Story of Rainy Mills, only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Find it here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084449

01/31/2024

Would ya just forget the O.K. Corral? Let's talk about "Tombstone's OTHER Shootout" for a minute in this hilarious limerick from poet John McPherson.

Check it out here: https://issuu.com/articles/42248178

01/30/2024

It's a Tombstone icon, famed for its rowdy history and many colorful visitors, but is there something else lurking behind its famous facade? Will Rogers Medallion Award winner Manuela Schneider Author explores the eerie corridors of the one and only Bird Cage Theatre in "Spirits of the Wild West," only in the latest issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Here's the link: https://issuu.com/oghmacreative/docs/winter_2023_digital_draft/82

01/30/2024

Bat Masterson in Tombstone, you say? Yessir, you heard that right. Check out this excerpt from Bill Markley, Writer's Will Rogers Medallion Award-winning book, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson:Lawmen of the Legendary West!

Find it right here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084459

01/24/2024

01/24/2024

Unveiling the Prize: Michael Norman Clinches Custom Montana Silversmiths Trophy Belt Buckle!

Pardners, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived! Saddlebag Dispatches proudly presents our 2023 Inaugural Longhorn Prize for Western Short Fiction winner, Michael Norman, with a custom Montana Silversmiths trophy belt buckle. Crafted with precision and passion, this gleaming symbol of excellence mirrors the spirit of Michael's winning short story, "A Death of Crows"—a beautiful tribute to the essence of the untamed frontier.

But that's not all! Alongside this stunning buckle, Michael will receive a $300 cash prize, as well. These honors not only celebrate his literary prowess but also the rich legacy of Western storytelling.

Congratulations, Michael, for etching your name into the annals of Western literature! And a heartfelt "Thank You!" to Montana Silversmiths for crafting such a striking and beautiful tribute to our deserving winner.

01/23/2024

Ready for a laugh? Here's the latest from The Punny Express by Victoria Marble and George "Clay" Mitchell, only from Saddlebag Dispatches!

01/23/2024

Did we mention that Saddlebag Dispatches is also available to purchase at all your favorite bookstores? Bring home The Award-Winning Home of all Things Western to your coffee table today!

Here's the link to order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Saddlebag-Dispatches-Winter-2023-Dennis-Doty/dp/1633739074/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2SA8YQS8IAM5D&keywords=saddlebag%20dispatches&qid=1705796585&s=books&sprefix=saddlebag%20dispatche%2Cstripbooks%2C134&sr=1-16&fbclid=IwAR1AbttyrOtvtpYiKkWIXWu199h1pLQ0f-L_NAiGr-srI82YNrFr1ogQZGQ

01/19/2024

Will Rogers Medallion Award-winning author W Michael Farmer takes you on an emotional journey where a modern-day border vigilante must listen to his heart instead of his head in the short story "Finding Fortune," only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches.

Find it here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084442

01/18/2024

Geronimo was an icon—a man of deep conviction and pride, he was as (rightfully) feared as he was misunderstood. Take a deep dive into the history of famed Chiricahua Apache warrior and medicine man in this extract from Bill Markley, Writer's book Geronimo and Sitting Bull: Leaders of the Legendary Wild West, winner of the 2022 Will Rogers Medallion Award Silver Medal in Western Biography.

Find it here: https://issuu.com/articles/42248324

01/17/2024

Need a break from the snow and those arctic temperatures outside? Then climb aboard for a stagecoach trip to balmy Cochise County! Be warned, though, these trips can get a little hairy sometimes, as James A. Tweedie relates in his new short story, "A Holdup on the Tombstone Stage," only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Check it out here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084445

01/16/2024

Step into 1880s Tombstone's culinary tapestry with Will Rogers Medallion Award-winning food writer Sherry Monahan, author of The Tombstone Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from the Town Too Tough to Die! Only in the Winter 2023 issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Find it here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084444

01/11/2024

Planning your next destination vacation? Discover Tombstone, Arizona—Where History Meets Family Fun!

01/11/2024

Poet Laureate Marleen Bussma checks in with her ode to all things Cochise County, "Bad Blood & Bullets," only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches!

Here's the link: https://issuu.com/oghmacreative/docs/winter_2023_digital_draft/18

01/08/2024

His name was J.V. Brighton, and he's the man who sent infamous Cowboy outlaw Ike Clanton to meet his maker. But was Brighton—sometimes referred to as "Rawhide Jake" really as shady as history would have us believe? JD Arnold goes behind the accepted history of this little-known figure of Western history with "Rawhide Jake Gets a Raw Deal," only in the new Winter issue of Saddlebag Dispatches.

Check it out here: https://issuu.com/oghmacreative/docs/winter_2023_digital_draft/76

01/05/2024

We don't know about you, but personally, we can't WAIT til March—both to hear what Chris Enss has to say and to try some Big Nose Kate Whiskey at Big Nose Kate's Saloon! Will you be there?

01/05/2024

At long last, we're busting our buttons with pride to announce the winner of our Inaugural Saddlebag Dispatches Longhorn Prize for Western Short Stories, "A Death of Crows" by Michael Norman!

Check out the story here: https://issuu.com/articles/42084439

01/03/2024

Saddle up for a riveting ride through the untamed landscapes of Cochise County, Arizona, in the latest issue of Saddlebag Dispatches! Embark on a historical adventure as Doug Hocking explores the depths of Karchner Caverns State Park, unveiling the secrets and history hidden within. JD Arnold unravels the enigmatic tales of lawman Jonas V. Brighton, alias Rawhide Jake, setting the record straight in a masterful treatise.

Join NYT bestseller Chris Enss and JoAnn Chartier as they weave the captivating story of Cathy Williams, a female Buffalo Soldier. Experience the flavor of old Tombstone with Sherry Monahan's delightful exploration of dining choices in her article, “Bon Ton and Toney,” while Manuela Schneider guides you through the haunted corridors of Tombstone’s Bird Cage Theater in “Sprits of the Wild West.”

Delve into the best of Western fiction with W Michael Farmer's emotionally charged story of a modern vigilante, Gary Rodgers’ tale of a town marshal caught in a feud amid Apache hostility, and Scott M. Brents’ modern Western entwined with gangland intrigue. Benjamin Henry Bailey offers a unique perspective on the famed O.K. Corral fight, and James A. Tweedie’s stagecoach driver’s account of a botched robbery in vivid detail.

Saddlebag Dispatches: Where the spirit of the Wild West comes alive!



Find it all and more at www.saddlebagdispatches.com