Christian Western Writers

I was recently conversing with someone at a luncheon following a funeral and we were discussing western writers. He mentioned he was a fan of Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey, and that he recently began reading books by William W. Johnstone. He also had a collection of westerns written in the 1930s. Truly a fan of the genre. Many of his books have been read more than once. He mentioned, however, that he found it challenging to find 'clean' western fiction, stories that didn't contain explicit scenes and an abundance of profanity that his mind had to ignore in order to enjoy the story. His dilemma is not unlike readers seeking such stories in other genres.

I did a quick search for Christian western writers when I arrived home and I was surprised by how many there were. Elmer Kelton and Mr. Johnstone, just for examples, and I was wonderfully surprised to see some female writers in the historical western novel area blazing trails, such as Shanna Hatfield, Mary Connealy, and Jody Hedlund. Just to name a few.

If you're a fan of western fiction, don't lose heart. The genre is alive and well. You may have to search a bit to find clean novels that won't require a whitewashing of your mind afterward, but they are out there and gaining in popularity every day.