MOULTON, Candy (L.) 1955- (Candy Vyvey Moulton)

PERSONAL: Born October 22, 1955, in Rawlins, WY; daughter of Arthur W. (a rancher) and Betty M. (a rancher) Vyvey; married Steve Moulton (a rancher), August 13, 1977; children: Shawn, Erin Marie. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Northwestern Community College, A.A., 1976; University of Wyoming, B.S., 1978. Hobbies and other interests: Wagon train travel, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing.

ADDRESSES: Home—Star Route Box 29, Encampment, WY 82325. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Author and editor. Saratoga Sun, Saratoga, WY, reporter, 1973-78, editor, 1978-82; freelance writer and editor, 1982—.

MEMBER: Western Writers of America (board member, 2001-03), Wyoming Media Professionals, Wyoming Writers.

AWARDS, HONORS: First place instructional book, National Federation of Women Press, 2001, for Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, and 2002, for Everyday Life among the American Indians; Spur Award finalist, Western Writers of America, 2003, for documentary script Footsteps to the West; Communicator of Achievement award, Wyoming Media Professionals, 2003.

WRITINGS:

(As Candy Vyvey Moulton; with Flossie Moulton) Steamboat: Legendary Bucking Horse, High Plains Press (Glendo, WY), 1992.

(As Candy Vyvey Moulton) Legacy of the Tetons:Homesteading in Jackson Hole, Tamarack Books (Boise, ID), 1994.

Roadside History of Wyoming, Mountain Press Publishing (Missoula, MT), 1995.

(With Ben Kern) Wagon Wheels: A ContemporaryJourney on the Oregon Trail, High Plains Press (Glendo, WY), 1996.

Roadside History of Nebraska, Mountain Press Publishing (Missoula, MT), 1997.

The Grand Encampment: Settling the High Country, High Plains Press (Glendo, WY), 1997.

(With Sierra S. Adare) Salt Lake City Uncovered, Republic of Texas Press (Plano, TX), 1997.

The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 1999.

Everyday Life among American Indians from 1800 to1900, Writer's Digest Books (Cincinnati, OH), 2001.

Colorado Frontier Military Place Names, Yucca Tree Press (Las Cruces, NM), 2003.

(Editor, with Max Evans) Hot Biscuits: Eighteen ShortStories by Women and Men of the Ranching West, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2003.

Contributor to periodicals, including Persimmon Hill Magazine, Wild West, Sunset, Fence Post, Casper Star-Tribune, Rawlins Daily Times, American Cowboy, Western Horseman, and Travel and Leisure. Editor of Roundup, 1995—, and Western Outlaw-Lawman History Association Journal, 2001—. Contributing editor to True West.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Wyoming Frontier Military Place Names and Nebraska Frontier Military Place Names, for Yucca Tree Press (Las Cruces, NM); researching Chief Joseph and Valentine T. McGillycuddy.

SIDELIGHTS: Raised on a ranch and married to a rancher, Candy Moulton is a writer who specializes in the history of the American West, penning both historic nonfiction and more unusual titles like Wagon Wheels: A Contemporary Journey on the Oregon Trail, which recounts the experiences of the people who took part in the 1993 sesquicentennial wagon-train trip along the Oregon Trail. Her 1999 work, The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, "is a treasure trove for people who write fiction and nonfiction about the West and who strive for accuracy and telling details," according to Wild West contributor Chrys Ankeny. The guide contains information on such topics as wagon trains, land ownership, marriage customs, crime and punishment, and the Indian Wars. Dale L. Walker, writing in the Rocky Mountain News, stated, "With this book in hand, there is no excuse for errors, myths, and half-truths." In Booklist, Joe Collins remarked that Moulton's work "acts as an encyclopedia of the sagebrush era."

In addition to writing books about western history, Moulton also edits Roundup magazine and contributes interviews, articles and reviews to a number of periodicals geared to readers interested in life in the western states. She also worked with fellow author Max Evans on editing the fiction collection Hot Biscuits: Eighteen Stories by Women and Men of the Ranching West. In addition to contributing insight on women writers and devoting almost twenty years to sifting through short fiction to find a suitable selection of stories, Moulton also penned her first work of fiction, the story "Open Winter," which is included in the 2002 anthology.

Moulton told CA: "I write as a career choice, primarily western nonfiction history in both books and periodicals. I write daily at the computer; I cannot compose on paper. I am influenced by past historians and current writing friends, particularly James A. Crutchfield, Lori Van Pelt, and Terry A. Del Been."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Albuquerque Journal, August 25, 2002, David Steinberg, "Essays Depict 'Hard Truth' of West's Ranch Life," p. F8.

Booklist, March 15, 1999, Joe Collins, review of TheWriter's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, p. 1284.

Rocky Mountain News, May 30, 1999, Dale L. Walker, "Must-Have Reference Book Offers New Look at Old West," p. 4E.

Wild West, December, 1997, Joe D. Megeath, review of Wagon Wheels: A Contemporary Journey on the Oregon Trail, pp. 82-83; February, 2000, Chrys Ankeny, review of The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900, p. 60.

ONLINE

American Western Magazine Web site,http://www.readthewest.com/ (January 2, 2004), "Candy Moulton."*