HOWARD HOPKINS TALKS LONE RANGER:VENDETTA-COMING FROM MOONSTONE!

Pulp Author Howard Hopkins brings his storytelling talent to bear on one of Pop Culture's most enduring characters! Read on as Howard Hopkins talks about his ride alongside the Masked Man of the Plains as he wrote VENDETTA, a Novel of the Lone Ranger due out in February from Moonstone!

MOONSTONE: You're the author of the upcoming Lone Ranger Novel, VENDETTA, from Moonstone. What can you tell us of the book?

HOWARD HOPKINS: You can expect the true Lone Ranger, no re-imaging and political correctness. Set in a more realistic and gritty West, dealing with authentic issues and vicious villains. The original Lone Ranger series on the radio and TV—which, make no mistake, I love dearly—was primarily intended for a younger audience. Moonstone’s series is not aimed at kids, but it is aimed at Lone Ranger fans and Western readers, as well as adventure readers and folks who just enjoy a thrilling story. The Lone Ranger and Tonto are equal parts of a whole, dealing with a West full of prejudice, sudden death and human corruption. Yet The Ranger also stands above that. He is The Lone Ranger and I have taken great pains to keep the soul and spirit of the character intact. I have a great love and respect for this character and have done my best to make sure to respect Rangers fans in writing the book. There’s nothing I hate more than seeing a cherished character so totally redone as to be not only unrecognizable but alienating. These are great, iconic characters. They were popular and loved for a reason. I see no need to change that. At the same time, the Old West is a violent, vast and even lonely place, and The Lone Ranger and Tonto are operating within it.

MS: Are you a longtime fan of the Ranger? If so, why?

HH: I am a huge fan, both of the radio and TV show, and have been since I was a kid. At a time when I didn’t even like Westerns—I loved The Lone Ranger. I loved all he stood for, his skill and compassion, his treatment of others and of course the adventure. He was a character who transcended his genre and time period. And I firmly believe he can be just as viable today as he was in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

MS: How do you make the Lone Ranger and Tonto relevant to readers today? Or is that even a concern?

HH: I honestly feel too much of a big deal is made out of making characters relevant today. In fact, I hate the word “relevant” whenever I hear it, usually applied to music. A good story with endearing characters is ALWAYS relevant. I think the new Captain America movie helped prove that. So many modern publishers and movie makers are so concerned with updating time tested characters they totally lose the “soul” of the character, and you end up with Seth Rogan’s Green Hornet. My only concerns with writing a character such as The Lone Ranger are telling the best story of which I am capable and being true to the spirit of who he is. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with some updating for the times or using the advanced mediums we now have that were not originally available. As long as you don’t take who the character essentially is and retool it so much it becomes a different entity. The Green Hornet is NOT a comedy (and neither was the Rogan movie, but that’s beside the point), and should not have been treated as such. I get the sense with some projects that the producers/writers are almost showing a sense of embarrassment with the source material. So they change it. I see it with apologies to costumes in comic books, morals in movies, whatever. What makes these characters relevant (cringe) is that they are not just products of their time—they are products of human nature and who we are at our core. That never changes. Times change. Styles change. Fads change. The essence of a great story and great characters does not.

MS: Any plans for follow up books to VENDETTA?

HH: I certainly hope there will be. I’ve written a Lone Ranger tale for the upcoming Moonstone anthology of short stories called “Denial” and I hope I will have the opportunity to pen many more novels in the line once Vendetta hits. There’s been quite a lot of prepublication interest and orders on it, so I think folks are as excited as I am to see The Ranger return to prose. It was a lifelong dream fulfilled to write Vendetta and I can’t think of anything better than to follow it up by writing a series of Ranger books. Hi yo, Silver--away!

Pre-Order VENDETTA today!

http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Ranger-Vedetta-Howard-Hopkins/dp/1936814153/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317752878&sr=1-1

MOONSTONE PRESENTS SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CROSSOVERS CASEBOOK!

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CROSSOVERS CASEBOOK

Thrill to the Adventures of the World's Greatest Detective as He encounters Characters, both Historical and Fictional, as Larger than Life as He is! Moonstone is proud to present an interview with Howard Hopkins, Editor of this one of a kind collection!

MOONSTONE: You are involved with the Sherlock Holmes Crossovers Volume with Moonstone. In what capacity and what can you tell us about the book?

HOWARD HOPKINS: I’m the editor on the book, plus I penned a story, The Haunted Manor, for it, which teams the Great Detective with Calamity Jane. The anthology is a collection of stories by some wonderful authors teaming Holmes with some of history and fictional literature’s most interesting characters to help solve a crime. We have Lawrence of Arabia, the Great and Powerful Oz, Arsene Lupin, Houdini, Professor Challenger, Colonel Richard Henry Savage (the true life inspiration for Doc Savage and The Avenger) and a sequel to The Sign of The Four. I’m very proud of this book and the fine writers who have made it one of the best anthologies I’ve ever worked on. The cover artwork is seriously incredible and I believe Holmes fans and general readers alike are going to enjoy it immensely. It makes an excellent companion to the brand new Holmes movie with Robert Downey due out shortly.

MOONSTONE: Why is Holmes such an endearing character so long after his original stories were published?

HH: If you had asked me before I took on this project I would have said, damned if I know. I was not a fan. In fact, when author Martin Powell originally asked me on to it, I hemmed and hawed a bit. But he handed me a handful of links to the original stories—and I groaned, I mean, reading all that OLD stuff, oh swell—I reluctantly took a look. And was glad he talked me into it because—wow. What I had been missing! Starting with The Speckled Band I found myself immediately drawn into Holmes world of Victorian England. It was quite different from the bits and pieces of films I had seen over the years. Those, frankly, had turned me off to the character. But the stories are brilliant and the character a masterpiece of fictional creation. There’s a reason these tales and the man himself have endured and that reason is because of Arthur Conan Doyle and his exquisite portrayal of Holmes and Watson. Watson especially grabbed me. He wasn’t the bumbler I had expected. The dynamics between the two drive the stories as much as the mystery, in my opinion. I instantly became a fan and enthusiast. And when the chance came to edit the anthology I jumped at it. It was quite an awakening.

See, even us old dogs CAN be taught new tricks.

MOONSTONE: Why a book of crossover stories? What appeal lies in 'teaming up' Holmes with other characters/figures?

HH: I think because he is a man who lends himself to the interpretation of others while remaining the ultimate mystery in the book. The tales are primarily how Watson sees him, so to have a view of the man by others, who may themselves be equally as quirky, is a fascinating concept. I think EIC Joe Gentile hit on something pretty unique and interesting for this anthology with the team up concept. I think Holmes fans and readers will enjoy seeing how he interacts with characters not so used to his eccentric ways. I know as the stories came in that’s what I was looking at. We all know how Holmes is—but what do others think of him and his methods? Do some feel he’s overrated? Underrated? A pain in the backside? Arrogant? Readers are certainly going to find out!

MOONSTONE: Will we see a follow up to this volume in your opinion?

HH: There are certainly many more fascinating characters and historical figures from the time period, so I would not be at all surprised.

Pre Order SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE CROSSOVERS CASEBOOK TODAY at http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Crossovers-Casebook-SC/dp/1933076992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323055064&sr=8-1

Solicit - THE LONE RANGER: VENDETTA

Author: HOWARD HOPKINS
Cover: Doug Klauba

130pgs, 4” x 6”, $4.99
ISBN: 978-1-936814-15-2

NEW THRILLER-NOVELS from MOONSTONE!

From out of the past comes a mysterious killer systematically murdering anyone with a connection to the Masked Rider of the Plains former identity.
When all signs point to Butch Cavendish, a man long dead, The Ranger finds himself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the life of his faithful Indian companion hanging in the balance.