Magnificent Guns of Seneca 6 (41 page)
Superbia is more a case of saying, "All right, I know what happened. A whole bunch of other people know what happened. How do I tell the story but tweak it enough to keep it interesting and fictional?"
For the Guns books, I just need to be in the mood. I included my Guns iPod playlist in the Acknowledgments section to pay homage to the songs that kept my fires going.
Q:
Guns of Seneca 6 was described by many reviewers as a steampunk/western hybrid with elements of science fiction. MGoS6, while still steampunk, appears to have left the sci-fi elements behind in favor of a more traditional Wild West flavor. Did you find that your influences varied a bit between the two books?
A:
It was more of keeping the story consistent with who the people in the story are.
The stars of this book don't really have access to too much technology, so it doesn't play that big of a role. And generally, when they do get their hands on some, it goes badly.
Q:
Readers got a taste of the native people of Seneca 6’s culture in the first book, but the Beothuk are at the heart of the story in Magnificent. Giving life to that culture, including language, must have been exhausting. How did you go about its creation?
A:
I've spent an ample amount of time with Native Americans.
My old partner is a Seminole, and through him I've been exposed to their culture in ways that I could never have imagined.
Anything you see about the Beothuk in the Guns series begins with what I believe to be true about the American Indian.
Most of the language in the books derive from Native American words, including the names of the main Natives who are based on real people.
The seed for the Beothuk involvement with this story began a long time ago with one of my mother's friends.
It's a common joke among Natives that every white person they meet has a grandmother who was a Cherokee princess.
I've seen it happen.
My mother's friend is kind of daffy, I mean, she's a sweetie and would do anything for you, but you understand what I mean. So, long story short, I was telling her how we'd just gotten back from a powwow and her eyes kind of glazed over. "Those are my people," she said.
"All of my life I've felt a special connection to them and have visions of being one of them.
I bet if I went to a powwow and TOLD them that, they would take me in as one of their own."
Yeah.
Because the Native Americans have nothing better to do than adopt needy old white ladies, right?
History has really done a grave disservice to the American Indian. We've turned them into some sort of fairy tale. I suppose that's better than the Scary Red Injun John Wayne preferred, but I'm not so sure all this post-Dances With Wolves casino wealth myth is any better.
Ask any average American if people are lucky to be Native American. I bet they say yes.
I bet they say all Natives got rich off casinos.
Meanwhile poverty, unemployment, and substance abuse is running rampant on most reservations.
Christ, I sound like Marlon Brando.
I can't apologize for it though. It's a serious issue.
Q:
Your ability to create rich, entertaining characters is well-documented. Readers always have a hard time identifying their favorites. What about you? Is there a personal favorite for you within MGoS6?
A:
I love Sam Clayton.
It's one of those things because I killed him off so early in the first book but he just looms over everything.
I'm still not done writing about Sam, though. Or Tom Masters, for that matter.
The other character I adore is Bug. It's funny but I call them their nicknames in my head.
To me, he'll always be Bug, the daredevil child doing tricks on the back of his destrier.
Q:
Since you love to bury hidden references within your books, any hints to the readers as to what area of knowledge they should brush up on in preparation?
A:
I think anyone who knows the history of the Old West is going to love the books.
For the people who don't, they are in for a treat because the Western genre is as deep as any other.
If someone reads Guns and decides to watch "The Wild Bunch" or go read a Ron Hansen book, I did my job.
If they go to a powwow and experience Native culture (without, somehow, managing to tell everyone about their Cherokee princess relative) then it's a win.
I certainly didn't invent the Western, or the sci-fi Western, or Steampunk Western. I'm just doing my part to carry on the tradition.
Q:
Without spoiling anything for the reader, I will just say that you’ve certainly left enough slack at the end of this book to pick up later. Are you already thinking about a third Seneca 6 book somewhere down the road?
A:
A few people have called Magnificent Guns my Empire Strikes Back.
I can promise you two things. One, the Guns of Seneca 6 will return. Two, it won't have any Ewoks or music numbers.
Q:
You’ve got an amazing Superbia series. You’ve got an amazing Seneca 6 series. You’ve got amazing collections of short stories. You’ve talked about your impending return to Whitechapel, but you’ve been unusually quiet as of late about your upcoming plans. So, what’s next for Bernard Schaffer?
A:
I learned earlier this year that I needed to shut my trap about my plans. Nobody cares what you say you will do. It's what you finish and deliver that counts. From here on out, I'm only discussing projects that are definite.
Each series has its own audience, and my goal is to make every release from now on a major event.
I feel like my writing is only growing stronger and I want to bring that to Superbia 3 and Whitehapel 2.
If you liked what came before, find something to hold onto because I'm not swinging for the fences anymore. I'm trying to put it out of the stadium.
The
Guns of Seneca 6
novel is available on Kindle and in paperback through Amazon.
"Old-Time Lawmen"
is available on Amazon Kindle for just .99 cents. This short-story prequel reveals the incident between Sheriff Sam Clayton and the man who attacked Anna Willow when she was a child.
Get your guns ready!
Go Deeper!
The creators of the
ApiarySociety Wiki Page
work very closely with Bernard Schaffer to catalogue the references to historical figures and facts that he uses in his work.
Take a look to see if you caught them all!
For wallpapers, artwork, video interviews, and more, visit the
Guns of Seneca 6
and
Magnificent Guns of Seneca 6
webpages on the
Books of Bernard Schaffer site
.
Finally, explore the
Guns of Seneca 6 Series Inspirations
page on Pinterest to see what influences author Bernard Schaffer drew from to create the series.
I write these acknowledgments all the time, so I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself.
My kids are tired of me calling them over and saying, "Look, daddy put your name in his book."
But, just the way that people feel compelled to praise Jesus when they win the Super Bowl or a Grammy, I feel compelled to say it.
So, let's just get it out of the way.
Thanks to all my family and friends who make this possible.
Laurie Laliberte, my partner in crime, is the editor.
She's a rock star in every sense of the word.
Tony Healey and David Hulegaard have been with me since the beginning and were both particularly supportive of Guns of Seneca 6.
They were kind enough to act as first readers and early reviewers on this project and I was happy as hell that they enjoyed it.
Tony has already christened the next GOS6 book as "The Guns of Seneca 6 Ride Again."
We'll see, Tony.
We'll see.
I wanted to do something a little different this time around on this page, which people might think is fun.
If you're the kind of person who reads acknowledgment pages (and I am) then you are probably ready for a change of pace.
Here we go.
Aside from all the other people I cited as inspiration for the first book, which they still were for this book, I wanted to let you in on a little secret.
I create playlists on my iPod for each book I write.
Not monster ones either, just a few like that would appear on a real soundtrack.
I listen to it when I drive, because it keeps me in the mindset of the project I'm working on and helps me think.
So, without further ado, the Magnificent Guns of Seneca 6 soundtrack.
1.
F the CC, Steve Earle
2.
Rebel Within, Hank Williams III
3.
Raw Power, Iggy and the Stooges
4.
Outlaw Blues, Bob Dylan
5.
The Wolf, Shooter Jennings
6.
Slaves and Bulldozers, Soundgarden
7.
Ace of Spades, Motorhead
8.
Wide Awake (Live), Chris Cornell
9.
L'America, The Doors
10. Hell or High Water, William Elliot Whitmore
11. Pocahontas, Johnny Cash
12. My Apocalypse, Metallica
13. Jesse James, Bruce Springsteen
14. Still One Outlaw Left, Confederate Railroad
15. Angel from Montgomery (Live), John Prine
