As I mentioned in “One Year of Murder”, the original hurried text I sent after being asked how my novel was going (which it wasn’t!) ended up being the plot of the novel. I didn’t actually use those lines at all! But they were the original first two lines of my book.

What were those infamous two lines?

“Colt Bradford was an excellent marksman. He was so excellent in fact that when the town preacher and his wife, John and Celia Wright, washed up with two bullet holes in their chests on the bank of Cripple Creek, he found himself an outlaw.”

Now let’s look at my final first page – and talk about it. Like any writer worth their salt, let’s talk about how the first page is crucial to reading the book.

Two Bullet Holes

First, I intended the audience to immediately meet Colt and fall in love with his dilemma the exact way I did. He’s angry and finds his face on a wanted poster, which made me nearly gleeful in many regards for how it was a trope but also created immediate mystery. The wanted poster leaves the reader wondering if he guilty or innocent right off the first sentence. That is my favorite way to write a murder mystery and read one, so I incorporated that love into my own novel.

I loved the thought of a new reader grappling with Colt’s appearance because I left it ambiguous when he’s first introduced. The reader isn’t sure his full features until Lark’s encounter with him. This was purposeful to showcase how beauty and attractiveness is both objective and subjective. The reader not knowing his features also enhances the reader forming them more in their own mind, giving their own “Colt” his own original spin. The only thing the reader can gather is that he is tall, has a brown horse, and brown eyes. Colt’s appearance bookends the first chapter – opening it while speeding away and closing it by showing up again without mention of anything beyond that description. The scenery of his town that once held so much solace for Colt mocks him in his predicament too, enhancing the emotional weight of the scene.

“As placid as his hometown of Cripple Creek, Colorado, always was to him, suddenly he was suffocating from its picturesque mountains and pale blue sky overhead in the distance.”

While the first page opens the novel to Colt, it closes with Sheriff Monroe, the man who would be in charge of the murder case. The reader should be questioning what happens after their eyes lock and even after the first chapter.

“At that very moment, as Colt’s tall frame towered back over his horse, Sheriff Monroe stepped out of the jailhouse. Colt’s brown eyes locked with Monroe’s blue.”

Last, the first page of my book needed to stand out, create intrigue, and introduce my writing style, especially since I was woman writing in a male dominated genre. My writing style is immersive, descriptive, and paints human emotions richly in the narratives. That’s what I thought and still believe gives my novel its edge – it’s set in the old west, isn’t a classic western or clichéd romance western – It’s a murder mystery that has romantic undertones. Romance should not dominate the plot but enhance it with Colt meeting Lark. The reader should be rooting for them and at the same time see it may never happen.

Colt Bradford

Colt’s first name came from the man himself which I chose from a list of three. I ended up using one of the names as one of Colt’s brother’s too. It felt more fun to write because I chose something he wanted while at the same time honoring whatever I write is my own. I chose Colt’s last name, Bradford, which gave the “old money” feel of generational wealth.

Why I Chose Cripple Creek Colorado

Just as Colt’s character is richly layered, so too is the setting that surrounds him and the other characters. Westerns are usually dry prose and formulaic, focusing on toxic masculinity, gunfights, and glorifying the western landscape. But I wanted the landscape to be painted more of a pioneer life – showing how tragic and difficult it truly was and how complicated Colt’s character was. The man behind him was equally as nuanced so it fit.

Cripple Creek is more of a character all on its own in the novel, painting the backdrop beautifully against the tragedy of not just Colt but the community’s loss. I chose Cripple Creek because it symbolized brokenness. Colt was broken by the loss of his brothers leaving the ranch and his legacy even before he’s plastered on wanted poster.

I chose Colorado because I wanted a place you didn’t see westerns set and to not involve the common trope of cowboys versus Native Americans. I wanted to realistically portray the Spanish influence in the cowboys of that era. Most rode up from Mexico to Oregon to help families like the Bradford’s herd cattle, raise crops, and live on their land.

This is Not Your Grandpa’s Western

This entire week has been about Murders on Cripple Creek’s One Year Anniversary which is why I wanted to offer insight to my first page and even some fun behind the scenes of how the first lines changed from the beginning chapter I wrote in September 2022 to its publication in October 2023. The idea of writing the western is to broaden the idea of the genre.

Because I have heard at least half of readers say they don’t love westerns.

But with that, it’s a misunderstanding of my novel. While it is a western, it’s not your grandpa’s western that drags the reader through gunfights and saloon shoot outs at every turn. It’s a character driven murder mystery that immerses the reader in the beautiful Colorado landscape while trying to find out who the murderer might be and if it truly is Colt Bradford.

So if you are someone who says “I don’t love westerns”, I would challenge you to consider whether the Murders on Cripple Creek has evolved the western genre. I would encourage you to consider Colt’s story – it will probably surprise you just like the text I sent… it ended up becoming larger than I ever could have imagined.

Reader Reviews

“I obviously loved the romance between Lark and Colt with her feistiness and his cool nonchalant demeanor. I also loved the twist in the plot that eventually becomes uncovered. I loved how the book showed each character’s personality. “

“10 out of 10”

“I liked that there was the main story and side stories with the other characters. I really want to see more of Jane, Abe, and Everett!”

“The story flowed really well and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I’m ready for the sequel btw!”