Bounty hunter Bane Messenger is good with a gun, but he wants more out of life than hunting down fugitives from the law. He wants a wife and children. He wants a home of his own. He wants to know why his father abandoned him. But all he knows is how to track and capture or kill the worst sort of men who roam the West, taking what they want, whether money, property, or women, at the point of a gun. When he meets the right woman, though, he vows his life will change, he will change . . . if he can.

Q: What sets your Westerns apart from others?

A: I show my main character's inner life as well as his overt actions. Bane hunts down, fights, and kills without hesitation or second thoughts, and my novels are full of action and suspense. At the same time, he also reflects on his personal life. Although he takes on ruthless killers, he's a man, not just a gun. He holds a grudge, but later forgives; he worries and doubts; he's generous and compassionate. I show both sides of him, the hero and the man.

Q: What makes Bane a hero?

A: In their definitive roles, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and Clint Eastwood define the Western hero as much as anyone else. Wayne is the rough-and-ready knight, transplanted from medieval Europe to the frontier of the New World. Cooper is the solitary man who stands up for justice just because he believes it's the right thing to do, even if no one else will stand with him. Eastwood is an amoral antihero who seeks to profit from his courage and skill, sometimes crossing moral lines in the process. Each actor, in his own way, defines both the nature of the gunfighter and the nature of the ideal ordinary man. Their characters define the meaning of manhood. My protagonist, I think, is a mixture of all three: the knight, the lawman, and the antihero.