by
Bob Brill
Author: Lancer; Hero of the West
"Why Tombstone?"

The question is why did I place my character Lancer in Tombstone, Arizona and why did I choose this location as his base of operations? Pretty simple really. Ease and familiarity as well as my own passion for the Tombstone story.

Being based in Tombstone during it's boom years of the early 1880's allows Lancer to live a fast and upscale life. It also allows him to mix with some of the legendary characters of the day and to mingle with a group of famous as well as infamous western players. Wyatt Earp and his brothers as well as Doc Holiday, Curly Bill, Johnny Ringo and in a later novel the nefarious Ike Clanton. Clanton will make his debut in the second novel but won't show up in Tombstone until the third novel. Yes, I am that far ahead in my planning.

The story of Tombstone as well as the O.K. Corral is the stuff of legend mixed with fact. Lancer is just that kind of hero allowing me to embellish into good story telling. After all story telling is what it is all about and I hope through the pages of these extended mini-novels, the reader will get a better feel for the time and do more and more researching of history. I can assure you the gunfight at the O.K., is not in the Lancer mix. At least not at this time or the future that I can imagine.

History is my passion. I hope everyone takes this one lesson to heart; Be a student of history, not a victim of it.