Remembering the Man Who Was Two of My Favorite Authors

I remember, years ago, reading the Wagons West series by Dana Fuller Ross and the White Indian series by Donald Clayton Porter. I loved both series, although I think I quit after ten or so books in the Wagons West series. My wife wanted to give up after her Dana Fuller Ross hero, Whip Holt died, but continued to read them all. The White Indian series I couldn’t put down.

It was years later before I found out that Dana Fuller Ross and Donald Clayton Porter were one in the same – the prolific Noel Bertram Gerson (1913-1988). Why prolific? He wrote 325 books including best-sellers and two books made into movies. Although I read him as a historical novelist he actually wrote in many areas and under 10 different pseudonyms.

These two series have lived on with the Wagons West, I believe, now in re-release. If you haven’t tried them, they really are great reads. Think I will figure out where I left off in the Wagons West series and read the rest of them.

Mountain Valley in my part of the west

Maybe I Am Not Who You Think I Am

Are any of you, like me, trying to decide what penname you will be using after you become famous and want to write as someone else? Just kidding, but I find pennames to be an interesting study. Why do people use them, to remain anonymous I suppose, but why? Seems I know more writers that would like to be famous than those who would like to remain unknown.

Mark Twain might be the most famous of all, but many other writers, some quite famous, have written with names other than their own. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Benjamin Franklin, Nora Roberts, J. K Rowling, And Charles Dickens among hundreds of others wrote at times with pennames. Some, which no one would ever suspect to have used pen names, like Agatha Christie and Emily Bronte also used pseudonyms when it suited them.

A few years ago I was flabbergasted to learn that two of my favorite western series writers, Dana Fuller Ross and Donald Clayton Porter were one in the same – Noel Bertram Gerson. I guess this falls under the heading of, you learn something every day.

Now I am beginning to think many of you that I follow are likely famous and using aliases on line so that I will not find out.

Or - probably not!

 Saw this little guy last evening just before dark