Meet Our Writers

BOB ROHAN

A cartoonist and creator of The Buffalo Gals comic strip, Rohan has been drawing cartoons all of his life. He created Buffalo Gals in 1995 after a stint of playing the fiddle with a cowgirl group out of Hays County, TX. Born in Racine, WI, Bob moved to Texas is 1975 and has called Texas his home ever since. Bob was nominated as Best Cowboy Cartoonist by The Academy of Western Artists out of Gene Autry, OK.

"I have done other comic strips, but nothing that has lasted as long as The Buffalo Gals. I am so proud of having my feature displayed in a fine Western paper like The Tombstone Epitaph. My comic strip fits the theme of the paper and it heartens me that I might have given someone a chuckle here in the states and around the world."

CHUCK PARSONS

Chuck Parsons has an enviable record of researching and writing, mainly about Texans and their problems with authority, and also Texas Rangers who dealt so often with those individuals who had problems with authority! His recent books deal with Jack Helm, John Wesley Hardin, Luke Short, Buckskin Frank Leslie . . . but also with co-authors who are also knowledgeable in the field, such as Donaly E. Brice, Jack DeMattos, Norman Wayne Brown and Thomas C. Bicknell. All this (and more) could not have been done alone as success is found only with the help of others.

My “best book” will be the next one, which has been given the go-ahead from University of North Texas Press, being a biography of John King Fisher, the outlaw-lawman of the Nueces Strip and who died with Ben Thompson by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong person. After King Fisher? Maybe a biography of the life and violent death of Scudder Biggs and possibly editing the autobiography of James Grahame, “Comanche Jim.”

LINDA WOMMACK

A self-described "proud and loyal contributor," to the Epitaph, Wommack contributed her initial article to the paper in 1994 after meeting former editor Dean Prichard at a Western Writers of American gathering in Colorado Springs. Prichard was the first to publish Wommack's work nationally "and encouraged my work, stimulated my ideas with great conversation and gentle mentoring." Wommack has now written six books and her work has appeared in several local and national publications. She serves as a contributing editor to True West magazine and writes a monthly museum feature for Wild West magazine.

Wommack's first love is Colorado history. Born and reared in Denver, CO, she traveled as a child with her family on trips into local mountains and her mother read local history to her. Following college, Wommack returned to Denver and now lives just a few blocks from her childhood home. "I believe Colorado and the Old West are entwined with one another. After all, the West is a big ol' place - in geography and as a state of mind. While The Epitaph brings you the history of those days, the Old West is also full of legend and lore. It was a place to live out a dream, or escape from something. And it still is. When we read of the Old West, we all have that chance to dream and escape, if only for a little while." Read more about Wommack at lindawommack.com

MIKE BELL

Mike Bell was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in 1956. Always fascinated by the American West, Mike has been researching and writing about the life and times of the outlaw Butch Cassidy and other bandits for over fifty years. He has published numerous articles in British and American journals and in 2019 was awarded the Wild West History Association's prize for international research and writing.

Mike's published research includes Outlaw Roots, which traced the history of Butch Cassidy's family in the United Kingdom, before they left for the United States, including the fact that Cassidy's mother was born in Mike's home city of Newcastle upon Tyne. His recent work includes a trilogy of pieces on Butch Cassidy in Wyoming, collected as Wyoming Outlaws, which was published to acclaim by historical societies and journals in the United States and the UK. Described as "one of the most important books on outlaw history published in decades," it examines the myth and reality of Butch Cassidy's often-overlooked Wyoming years between 1889 and 1896, including his role in the horse thief war of 1892. The Day the Train Robbers Came analyses the Parachute, Colorado, train robbery of 7 June 1904, after which Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan died, with a focus on the train crew and ranchers who faced the bandits.

Mike is currently working on an update to this history of the Union Pacific Bandit Hunters, Who Are Those Guys, and another volume on Cassidy in Wyoming. Mike has travelled extensively to outlaw history sites in both North and South America, on foot, on horseback, and - when he was being sensible - in a four-wheel drive. He regularly updates his research via his Wyoming Outlaws Facebook page.

NORMAN BROWN

Norman is a native of Alabama. Before his 23 year career in the Air Force, he was a dispatcher for the City of Tampa, Florida and a tank commander and weapons expert in the Army National Guard. He then became a Texas State Parole Officer.. He interviewed Death Row Inmates for the Governor, was a prison inspector, and field officer. Fully retired, Norman started writing western history for True West, Wild West History Association Journal and The Tombstone Epitaph. His latest book is Man Hunter in Indian County, Deputy US Marshal George Redman Tucker. He coauthored A Lawless Breed, John Wesley Hardin, Texas Reconstruction, and Violence in the Wild West. He has a new book coming soon titled Texas Ranger Big Ed Connell. He is a disabled veteran and resides in Snyder, Texas.

ROY YOUNG

Roy is a charter member of Wild West History Association (WWHA), an organization dedicated to studying and preserving the history of America's Wild West. He is current editor of the association's quarterly Journal and the Saddlebag newsletter as well as serving as First Vice-President. He served three terms as president of Oklahombres, an organization specializing in the outlaws and lawmen of Oklahoma and Indian Territory. He is the author of numerous books and articles on outlaws, lawmen, and frontier scouts. In 2013, he received the "Six-Shooter Award for Lifetime Contributions to Wild West History." His latest book, A Wyatt Earp Anthology: Long May His Story Be Told was named "Book of the Year" for 2019 by both True West magazine and WWHA. He is presently completing a book on the chase and capture of Billy the Kid and is a staff writer for The Tombstone Epitaph. He owns and operates Young & Sons Enterprises, Old West Book Roundup, specializing in rare and collectible books.

SAMUEL DOLAN

Coming Soon!

TROY KELLEY

Raised in Arizona, Troy Kelley’s Old West interest grew out of an old Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun," in which Kirk, Spock and crew were made to relive the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral. Learning Tombstone was a mere three hours away, Kelley became fascinated with the Old West. After reading several books, he was hooked.

Kelley has been researching and writing about the Old West for many years. He has published several articles in periodicals such at The Tombstone Epitaph and True West magazine. Writing extensively about the event known as the Bisbee Massacre, he has also given several speeches and forums on the event, and been interviewed on radio programs. He has been a contributor to several historical association newsletters. Presently, he and his writing partner, Anne E. Collier, contribute the monthly “Western Connections” to The Tombstone Epitaph.