Stone, R.W.

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Stone, R.W.

PERSONAL:

Born in Chicago, IL; married; children: two. Hobbies and other interests: Korean martial arts, horseback riding, firearms collecting.

ADDRESSES:

Home—FL. Office—Veterinary Trauma Center, 244 W. Orange St., Groveland, FL 34736; fax: (352) 429-7715.

CAREER:

Veterinary Trauma Center, Groveland, FL, veterinarian.

WRITINGS:

Trail Hand: A Western Story (novel), Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2006.

Also author of the e-book A Very Shiny Nose. Contributor of more than seventy scientific articles to veterinary journals.

SIDELIGHTS:

R.W. Stone had worked as a veterinarian for nearly thirty years before publishing his first novel. That book, Trail Hand: A Western Story, was inspired by the classic Western adventures of Max Brand, Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and Luke Short. In the story, Owen Burke is a lone American cowhand who finds himself in the company of a group of Mexican vaqueros, as they move a valuable herd of horses from Mexico to California. There is tension between Burke and a vaquero named Chavez, who is jealous of the American's attention to the daughter of Enrique Allende, a wealthy ranch owner. Later, while scouting ahead of the herd, Owen is ambushed, assaulted, and left to die. Meanwhile, the horse herd is stolen by rustlers. Burke survives, but is framed by Chavez for setting up his own beating and being in league with the rustlers. Reviewing Trail Hand for Booklist, Wes Lukowsky stated that Stone "bursts onto the western scene with a suspenseful yarn replete with action." Lukowsky also described Owen Burke as "a very likable narrator," and welcomed Stone and Burke as "fresh" additions to the Western genre.