- "Killin' don't make a boy
a man-it just makes him a killer."
- ~ Tom Mclean ~
When robbing a bank in the wrong town made
Tom Mclean a notorious man, the only way to survive was to run.
But the posse close behind him meant to see he never made the
border. Was the woman his ticket to freedom...or his ride to
a shallow grave?
Author's Note
For years, I've been telling my readers about this mysterious
book which started a budding author on his way. Here it is at
last, in all its glory.
Legend of the Tumbleweed began life in 1976, when I was a student
in Mr. Jarvis Anderson's sixth grade class. It is the book I
credit with instilling in me the desire to hold tight to the
Western novelist's pen.
At the time, I was an avid reader of Louis L'Amour novels, an
avid fan of John Wayne movies and, on television, Gunsmoke, The
Virginian, Cheyenne, The Big Valley and The High Chaparral. Consequently,
those elements played a major role in my first draft, a whopping
forty-nine pages long! The inclusion of a number of classmates
was another interesting twist and as it turned out one of the
main reasons I decided to continue writing.
As a grammar student and all the way through high school, I was
beyond painfully shy. In answer to any query, a teacher could
expect a quiet and simple answer-generally a yes or no. They
sel-dom got much more unless they managed to get me alone-then
choke it out of me. But when one morning Mr Anderson wrote four
simple words on his blackboard-candy, bubble, box, and stream-and
assigned his students to write a story about one of those subjects,
little did he know what path that would lead shy little Kirby
Jonas down. I wrote a story called "The Stream," about
three horses, a cowboy, a young Indian brave and an old chief.
Mr. Anderson accepted that story with enthusiasm and insisted
on reading it aloud to the class. As I listened to my written
words come out of some-one else's mouth and saw the way the class
listened, seemingly enthralled, I knew I had to write again.
Not long after, I sat at home one evening, bored out of my skull,
as sixth grade boys often seem to be. I decided I was going to
write a full-length book, and I lay down on my bunk and brain-stormed
over ideas for a title. Those titles are all lost to time-all
except one. I took my long list of book titles to my daddy and
asked him
which one he liked, and he made his choice with little pause:
The Tumbleweed. Daddy was my editor, my inspiration and my idol.
He instilled in me a love for all things Western and all things
natu-ral from a very young age, and the light I saw in his eyes
as he read my chapters was enough to cement in me the desire
to continue writing forever
With Daddy in mind, and a little of the egotist at heart (Debbie
would say way too blasted much of the egotist), I modeled the
main character on the cover of the book after Daddy and myself.
That is my tribute to the man of whom I hold so many fond memories.
Sometimes I feel Daddy watching over my shoulder even now, reading
even as I write. His spirit lives on in the words.
Forward
by James Drury
I first met Kirby Jonas at a western film festival in Laughlin,
Nevada. He presented me with a copy of his western novel, Death
of an Eagle. I was flattered and amazed to read on the "About
the Author" page that The Virginian television series had
been an in-spiration to Kirby in his life and work.
Then I read his book.
I judge what I read by goose bumps, and there certainly were
a lot of them in Death of an Eagle. I called Kirby on Christmas
morning and told him how much I had enjoyed his book. I mentioned
that I believed it would make a great audio book and that I would
love to record it. We are now working on an arrangement to record
Death of an Eagle, and his other novels as well, including Legend
of the Tumbleweed.
Shortly after our initial conversation, Kirby provided me with
copies of his other works and asked if I would write a forward
for Legend of the Tumbleweed, his latest novel.
It has been many years since I have been so impressed with a
new author And I hope, dear reader, that you will make a point
of reading Kirby's other books, Death of an Eagle, Dansing Star
and Season of the Vigilante (presently in two volumes, soon to
be com-bined into one book).
Kirby Jonas writes originals. It is not that we have not seen
elements of some of these stories before, because of course we
have. It is the characters that he develops before our eyes that
give his works that first time quality that is so admirable.
In Legend of the Tumbleweed, it is fair to say that Kirby's skill
and passion have been honed and polished to a high gloss. His
dialogue is moving into areas of acute recognition on the part
of the reader.
The scene where Tom McLean warns Tye Sandoe about imminent trouble
with Slug Holch and JoAnna Walker has a living, breathing, steaming,
heartfelt, razor-sharp ring of truth as to how worried folks
think and talk in a real crisis.
Many of Kirby Jonas' heroes are outlaws, and many of his outlaws
are heroes. That is, after all, what makes up the human condition.
Kirby has the gift of taking the reader right inside his characters,
into their innermost spaces. It is said that everyone has a public
life, a private life and a secret life. In Legend of the Tum-bleweed,
we get to see all three lives with our principal characters.
When you ride the outlaw trail with Tom McLean you will smell
his fear and taste the acid bile of his courage. And as in all
of his books, Kirby pays great attention to detail in his descriptive
pas-sages about the country, the horsemanship and gunmanship.
Legend of the Tumbleweed is told in the first person, and that
for me lent an immediacy to the story that was irresistible.
As the story unfolds, you will meet some amazing characters,
good and bad, and the richness of the names and the cultures
and origins they reveal are a constant source of interest.
Goose bumps are a measuring stick. As a lifelong actor, I, of
course, look at all the fiction I read from a dramatic or cinematic
point of view. Every one of Kirby Jonas' books 1 have read so
far would make a wonderful motion picture. If a piece of fiction
gives an actor goose bumps when they read it, it's a good bet
it will give them goose bumps when they play the role and give
the audience goose bumps when they see it. If an actor can give
you goose bumps in a performance, you can pay them no higher
compliment. Kirby Jonas makes us laugh and cry and feel the sorrow.
He moves us emotionally and viscerally, and you can pay an author
no higher compliment.
I believe we all have far too little fiction in our lives. The
pressures and realities of everyday living put fiction way down
on our list of priorities. This is a shame, for by losing ourselves
in the troubles, travails and triumphs of fictional characters
we inflame our imaginations and inform and validate our hearts
in a way that will let us live and appreciate our own lives more
fully and richly. It is also wonderful to let ourselves go subjectively
and give our objectivity a rest.
Tom McLean is an outlaw. He is also a hero…for a thread
of responsibility as old as time itself runs through the fabric
that is Tom McLean; first for Tyrone Sandoe and then for JoAnna
Walker, and it lifts Tom McLean to grand places. Woven in the
fabric as well is an almost invisible thread of conscience that
proves to be his strongest weapon and the only thing that brings
him peace.
All characters, even the lesser of importance, are beautifully
and individually drawn. Kirby, I am sure, with pen in hand, could
take off with any one of them and have a great book. Legend of
the Tumbleweed made me laugh, it gave me chills-not once, but
many times. And…ahhh…dear... it made me bawl like a
baby.
I don't know what else you could ask from a book.
James Drury
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