A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West is a horror western by our good friend Justin Bienvenue. He was our guest last Summer, when Land of Books presented his book Like A Box Of Chocolates. You may check out his first interview here.
It’s really nice to meet once again the young and inspiring author in our next chat.

– Justin, welcome back to Land of Books. Now let’s talk about A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West. What the readers will find inside the book?
– They will find a very unique Western story combined with Horror. A story about one town whose trying to overcome the aftermath of the Civil War and to make matters worse they must try to put a stop to a Mexican Outlaw named Javier “Bones” Jones who is trying to take what’s left of the town for everything it’s worth. The town is lead by a young man named Emerson Shaw who is the son of the late sheriff of the town. He tries to get the town to come together to put a stop to Jones and his army of the undead.

– What is the origin of the story?
– The story originated from my mind. I thought of writing a Western after watching a Western movie and only after I watched a horror movie the same day did I decide to incorporate the two and write a Western Horror. I suppose the Wild West has intrigued me for some time now so when the idea popped into my head and then I got inspiration I just sort of ran with it.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– Going over each chapter over and over for analysis. After the story was done I knew it needed editing and other things but what it also needed was more substance. I felt the first two chapters lacked the ability to draw attention to the reader. So I decided to add bits here and there to the other chapters while keeping the first two chapters as they were only I switched them and gave them their own direction which eventually leads the reader into the main plot of the story.
Also being consistent was a challenge. Some days I had my brain on max and it was on point and there was idea after idea but then I’d lose it but I wouldn’t say it was writers block. I just felt I came up with only half ideas and had to go back because I knew I could make certain parts of the story better.
– Tell us something more about your main characters Emerson and Javier? Are they close to someone from your real life or from some western legends?
– They are not based on any one from my life no. I mean maybe Emerson has that good morals trait that I have but then again that’s what you want for your protagonist in any story. Emerson isn’t really based on anyone but I would say he’s got a bit more edge then most good guys because he’s not afraid to go outside the lines when he has to to get things done. I’m not sure where I picked that up for him.
Javier is a completely different story. Imagine every bad and down right cruel Mexican outlaw you’ve ever seen in any Western film roll them all up into a nice big ball and you have Jaiver “Bones” Jones. Javier is everything you’d want in a bad guy and aside from film and other works of literature there’s really no other place I could have found inspiration for him. I mean I certainly have never met anyone so rude and obnoxious and I hope I never do!
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– I would say 1 and a half to 2 months. Between going over it myself a half a dozen times, editing/formatting, layout, applying the cover, going over it with CS and then waiting for the final product took some time. Some would say that that’s too little of time but I found it to be quite reasonable as I thought it would take 4-5 months.
– What are the most interesting things that happened with you since our last chat in August?
– Well let’s see I published my 3rd work and 2nd book of poetry, Like A Box of Chocolates though that may have already have been out and I also had an Erotic Horror story called The Devil’s Orgy published in a magazine. I also have a short story published in an anthology called Seven Dead Sins from The Fringe. Other then that not a whole lot of interesting things, not boring but not interesting.
– When will we see your next novel and would you unveil something more about it?
– I have no idea when my next novel will be out but I am currently working on it. It is called “Opium Warfare” and it takes place in 1920’s Shanghai. It’s about how the drug opium has caused an uproar in the city and its effects are slowly weakening it. So far I’ve completed 7 chapters and I think it’s coming along nicely.
– If you may ask yourself one question in the interview what it will be? (Don’t forget to answer)
– Do you believe there is a market for Weird Westerns? I believe there is. While it’s not as big as Horror or Fantasy I believe there is a following and fanbase for it. Those who enjoy a fantasy aspect of Westerns with weird scenarios and gadgets really seem to come together and make the most of a lesser known genre. While I myself haven’t found the Weird Western goldmine so to speak, I have found certain places where people take to my book as well as all the other wonderful and well written ones.

To find out more about Justin check out his web page
Facebook
Twitter

Look out for Mr. Bienvenue’s books
A Bloody Bloody Mess In The Wild Wild West
Like A Box Of Chocolates
The Macabre Masterpiece: Poems of Horror and Gore