ARMY APACHE SCOUT (The Apache Kid Chronicles-Volume 1)
Fiction / Indigenous / Historical Fiction / Native American
Date Published: 06-03-2015
Publisher: Hat Creek
From Army Scout to Outlaw, from Hero to Legend.
He survived the embers of the fires and murders at the Camp Grant Massacre of the Apache. Young Has-kay-bay-nay-ntayl ("brave and tall and will come to a mysterious end"), a child known by many names but later feared and revered as the Apache Kid-grows up in two cultures where survival means choosing between loyalty and betrayal, his people and their overseers. Trained by the legendary Al Sieber and other former military officers, the Kid makes a meteoric rise to prominence as a First Sergeant of scouts, a warrior whose skill and leadership helps win the U.S. Army's fight against renegades and maintain peace between Apache bands at San Carlos Reservation.
But neither war nor peace are ever simple. When forced to make an impossible choice between his own People or the Army, he chooses his People. His choice leads the Army to imprison him at Alcatraz. Released early by the Army, Arizona Territory tries to imprison him again but he, with seven other Apache on the way to Yuma Penitentiary, escape and become the object of the greatest manhunt in Arizona history. The only one to survive the manhunt, Kid becomes both a ghost and a legend, the most feared border outlaw for the next ten years before vanishing into Mexico.
Seen through Kid's eyes, The Apache Kid: Army Apache Scout brings to life the thrilling and tragic journey of Apache Kid as a young man and the best of the Army's Apache scouts.
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
There are two
messages. First, the history of the Apaches in the late nineteenth century is
filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly on both sides. Not all army
officers treated the Apaches badly, and not all Apaches were bloodthirsty
savages. Second, life is not fair, but it is filled with Karma. Grit,
courage, determination, and a clear eye for the facts always help the great Karma
wheel turn.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Georges Santayana said, “History
is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren’t
there.” Oakley Hall one of the twentieth century’s great novelists said the
business of fiction is not finding the facts but the truth. The greatest
challenge I’ve found in writing historical fiction is separating the historical
facts from opinion and biases and learning enough about the central characters
to construct their emotional arcs to find the story’s truth.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve written two technical books on remote sensing through
the atmosphere, three nonfiction books on Apaches, and nineteen novels on
Apaches, the Fountain murders in New Mexico, and the Pancho Villa––Venustiano
Carranza civil war following the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
I’d pick Forrest
Goodluck. He’s Native American from New Mexico, was superb in The Revenant, and
is about the right age for the second half of the book. Hair and makeup styling
would get him to the teenage years.
When did you begin writing?
I began writing my first novel in 2001 after completing my
two technical books.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
My first novel was Hombrecito’s
War and took nearly three years to complete. It was 180k words long. I had
expected to write 20k words and be done in a couple of months.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
The great writing
from Larry McMurtry and Thomas Mann have made me sorely wish I could write
novels with their insight and descriptive power.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
My favorite part of the writing process is in editing and
polishing the first draft manuscript.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
A Cultural Cross Crucifiction
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the
future for your writing?
I’m completing
a nonfiction book on the Tularosa Basin Range War between 1889 and 1899, and
have most of the material assembled for nonfiction books on Apache Kid and the
Pancho Villa––Venustiano Carranza Civil War.
Contrary to Army
claims, the Apache wars didn’t end with Geronimo’s surrender in 1886. There
were several small bands hiding in camps in the northern Mexico Sierra Madre.
There are records of raids into the United States as late as the mid 1930s.
Then the Apaches in Mexico seemed to suddenly disappear. I’m working on a novel
with a storyline that uses an idea of what might have happened to the Apaches
in Mexico.
I’m also considering
doing a novel on Santiago McKinn a twelve year old Anglo/Mexican boy taken in a
raid by the Apaches who killed his elder brother six months before they
surrendered. C. S. Fly took his picture with other Apache children when the
Apaches met General Crook in late March 1886 to surrender. The C. S. Fly
photograph is shown in the closing credits of the Paul Newman movie, “Hombre”.
It is said that Santiago didn’t want to leave the Apaches when the army decided
he had to be returned and acted like a feral animal until he was reunited with
his father.
About the Author
W. MICHAEL FARMER blends over fifteen years of research into 19th-century Apache history and Southwest living to create richly authentic stories. A retired PhD physicist, his scientific work included laser-based measurements of atmospheric aerosols, and he authored a two-volume reference on atmospheric effects.
His fiction and essays have earned numerous honors, including three Will Rogers Gold and six Silver Medallions, multiple New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, and a Spur Finalist Award. His novels include The Life and Times of Yellow Boy, Legends of the Desert, and the award-winning Geronimo duology. His latest novels include Trini! Come! and the Chato Duology, featuring Desperate Warrior and Proud Outcast.
Contact Links
Purchase Links
https://mybook.to/TheApacheKid
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