"THE CHARACTERS ARE PRODUCTS OF THIER ERA": THE HANGMAN & OTHER STORIES BILL PRONZINI

For almost half a century Bill Pronzini has produced well crafted genre fiction, one of them being the western. Last year The Hangman & Other Stories, a collection of eighteen of these tales, was published. Mr. Pronzini took some time to discuss the western and his involvement in it.

SCOTT MONTGOMERY: What drew you to the western as one of the major genres to write in?

BILL PRONZINI: I began reading westerns in my early 20s.  Jack Schaefer, Ernest Haycox, Dorothy Johnson.  The better western pulp magazines too.  I wrote my first story in the genre in 1969; it was pretty pulpy, as were the several that followed over the next three years.  It wasn’t until 1972, with “Decision,” that I learned how to write decent western stories.

S.M.: You often use your skills as a mystery author to put those elements in the western stories. What do you enjoy about the cross pollination?

B.P.: From the beginning of my career mysteries were my primary focus.  So it was only natural that when I started writing westerns, most would have mystery elements.  Westerns are a pleasure to do for that reason and because of the historical milieu, because the characters are products of their era, and because they’re different enough from contemporary fiction to help keep my work fresh.

S.M.: One of those stories feature your reoccurring hired detective Quincannon. As a writer, what makes him a character worth returning to?

B.P.: By having Quincannon undergo a number of changes as the series progressed.  Originally he was an operative of the U.S. Secret Service, but when he accidentally shot and killed a pregnant woman during a counterfeiting raid, he lost his job and tried to drown himself in alcohol.  His life changed completely when he met Sabina Carpenter, a former “Pink Rose” with the Pinkerton agency; she helped him quit drinking and regain his self-respect, and eventually joined with him to form Carpenter & Quincannon, Professional Detective Services.  He’s become a much more mellow fellow since, which allowed me to inject some wry humor into his character.  He fancies himself the best detective west of the Mississippi — sometimes proving it (as in 'Burglarproof”), other times not by making mistakes in actions or judgment.  In some ways Sabina is a better and certainly more humble detective.

S.M.: Several of the stories have echoes of O'Henry in the characters and plotting. Do you see him as an influence or someone else?

B.P.: I read quite a bit of O. Henry in my youth and greatly admire his skill with the twist ending.  But if he was a specific influence on my work, I’m not consciously aware of it.

S.M.: Another technique you return to is a story being told by a character with a distinctive voice as in "MacIntosh's Chute" amd "Give A Damn Jones". What do you enjoy about working on those stories?

B.P.: It’s a challenge to individuate characters by having them speak for themselves, in their own  unique voices.  I particularly enjoy writing stories with multiple first-person narrators, men and women both, making each “I” completely different from the others.  I’ve done a number of stories and novels utilizing this method.

S.M.: Like the last story, "Crucifixion River". It was co-written with your wife, Marcia Muller who you regularly collaborate with. Other than her talent, what makes her great to work on a story with.?

B.P.: Marcia and I have always worked well together.  We have same approach to fiction writing; we’re both firm believers that the best fiction of any type is character-driven.  And we function as each other’s in-house editor —  reading manuscripts in progress, making suggestions for improvement, discussing story ideas and development.  Now and then we disagree and argue about this or that, but not very often.  We were in perfect accord on “Crucifixion River,” a good example of the use of multiple first-person narration.

S,M,: For you, what elements make a great western yarn?

B.P.: Interesting characters, the more unorthodox the better (such as the tramp printer in “Give-a-Damn Jones”).  Well described settings and story lines that avoid or at least try to revitalize the standard tropes.  And of course good, crisp, visual prose.