This is interview #3 in the current TLC Boat Blog Tour.

Hi Doug Hocking, tell us what genre you wrote for your current book.
Westerns. I could say my heroes have always been cowboys, but that’s not quite right. I’ve always believed in American heroes. In the 1960s and 1970s there was a move afoot to smash and vilify our heroes. That sort of thing will crush our nation and our souls. Massacre at Point of Rocks recognizes Kit Carson as a hero, not as the legendary giant he became for a while, but as the real man who performed heroic acts.

What made you choose to write this genre?
Lack of commercial sense. If I’d just wanted commercial success, I’d have written mysteries. But it would have been hard to locate real heroes. I’m trained as an historian, historical archaeologist and ethnographer. I love history and I know we had many real heroes who are now forgotten. We need them. We need to bring them back. I’m also a retired Armored Cavalry officer. Servicemen know and believe in something larger and more important than themselves. Our young soldiers need heroes they can believe in. They’re our true hope for the future, not the lazy freeloaders in Occupy Anything. Our young people need real heroes not bank robbers and terrorists or the soulless creatures in Tarantino movies. I don’t write shoot-‘em-ups. I write about real people and real events.

Tell our audience what your book is about.
It’s about coming to grips with who our heroes and fathers are.
Massacre at Point of Rocks is the gripping tale of historic events along the Santa Fe Trail in 1849. James White took his family ahead of the slow moving caravan to rush his wife and child to safety and comfort in Santa Fe. Met at Point of Rocks by Jicarilla Apaches, James was soon dead and his wife and child taken. He had powerful friends and she was the only white woman in New Mexico. The affair could not be ignored and soon bounty hunters, dragoon cavalry and militia were on the trail hunting for the woman and her child. Persuaded to guide the army, Kit Carson found himself and his friends embroiled in a war not of his choosing. The tale culminates in battle and perilous escape from the Llano Estacado.

The story follows the lives of Apaches, Mexicans, mountain men, teamsters and Santa Fe merchants. The taste, smell and look of New Mexico in 1849 comes alive as the author explores mountains, deserts and the lives of those who inhabit them. Sensitive to the nuances of culture the saga scales peaks where there is danger and action at every turn.

Written for adults Massacre at Point of Rocks is about growing up and coming to grips with our heroes and fathers and will be of interest to young adults and those wishing to learn more about New Mexico and her history and cultures. The Santa Fe Trail comes to life.

Who’s your favorite character in your book and why?
That’s a tough one. Peregrino Rojo is unpredictable, a man who is comfortable sliding between cultures but at the same time knows the costs. Roque Vigil is a man proud of his culture but willing to go well beyond its limitations without fear. Kit Carson, in the book and in real life, reminds me of my father. They had a lot in common, simple men with an evil temper when confronted with injustice, both Masons with a similar approach to God and perhaps some similar disabilities, both thrust into a society somewhat above their humble origins.

Do you have a favorite scene? If so what and where is it?
Many of the best written scenes, the most evocative, involve deep tragedy so it’s difficult to call them favorites. The gun duel between Roque and Sgt. O’Malley is a lot of fun. It was written to highlight the weaknesses of one of the weapons involved and to capture something of Roque’s sense of humor. “Go ahead, sergeant. I give you first shot. Shoot the apple off my head.”

Do you have any other books that you’d like to talk about?
Outlaws and Lawmen, the anthology from La Frontera, contains my short story “Marshal of Arizona.” It’s very loosely based on a real incident and a real problem in 1850s Arizona. What do you do when the powers that be won’t allow law, courts or lawmen? Dead or Alive, due out in June 2013, contains “The Bounty.” A friend said he wanted to be in a story so I set him up as wanted dead or alive for a series of heinous murders pursued by Roque Vigil from my novel and Clay I-never-killed-a-man-who-didn’t-need-it Allison.

Do you have any Facebook pages that you’d like people to like?
Doug Hocking, writer, is my business page on Facebook. You can link to it from my website www.doughocking.com otherwise you’re apt to get tangled up with my personal page. The business page has lots of photos and notes about where I’ve been, what I’m doing, my travels and appearances. Mostly, there are some great scenic shots and shots of ghost towns, old forts and other sites of interest. As an historical archaeologist, I’m happy anywhere there are great foundations and a thick deposit of old trash. I also do a Page for the Bisbee Corral of the Westerners. If you want to know what’s happening in southern Arizona and what to visit, this is the place to look.

Do you have a blog/website to visit?
Yes, www.doughocking.com. There are photos of many of the places in my stories, a store where you can buy my books, the back chapters of my serial novel Devil on the Loose appearing in the Tombstone Times, background information on the Southwest Mysteries that appear in the upcoming novel Chaco Canyon, maps and soon, perhaps, recipes. My wife says the descriptions of meals in my books always make her hungry.

Where can we find your books to purchase?
My store at www.doughocking.com has them and I send them out inscribed. I’m also on Amazon. Bookstores in the southwest are starting to carry them but it takes time to get around, so my website is the best bet.

Are you on Twitter?
I avoid it. I was, but soon all sorts of strange women of low morals started following me. What can I say? I’m a ruggedly handsome author like Richard Castle in Castle. So I had to quit. Facebook lets me control my friends, though anyone who is reading my work is welcome to Like me.
Thank you very much for being taking a cruise in our TLC Boat Blog and we look forward seeing more from you.

Tomorrow will feature interview #4. Thank you for reading!

Margie
Marjorie Geiser, MBA, RD, BCC
MEG Enterprises, Inc.