russelltrue

Arizona author Nancy E. Turner started college when her children were full-grown. After earning a triple major in creative writing, music and studio art from the University of Arizona, Turner went on to become a bestselling author of many novels. She joins Russell and Alan to talk about her new novel “Light Changes Everything,” which Publisher’s Weekly describes as a “satisfying, immersive, and often heart-pounding tale of one indomitable young woman’s frontier life, touched by tragedy and hope.”

In honor of Women’s History Month, award-winning author and historian Jan Cleere joins Russell and Alan to discuss her new book Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier. Most of these women journeyed from the East and knew little of the hardships and challenges waiting in the Arizona Territory. But these brave, bold women persevered and left a legacy that endures today.

Sarah Maslin Nir, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and New York Times reporter, fell in with horses by age two. But growing up in New York City meant horses weren’t readily accessible. Maslin Nir speaks with Russell and Alan about how she managed to seek out horses throughout her life and how those equine relationships sustained and healed her, a journey she relates in her new memoir Horse Crazy: The Story of a Woman and a World in Love with an Animal.

What happens when three cowboys get together? Well, the stories start to flow, especially when all three were raised on Arizona ranches, are horse lovers to the core, and have written books about their adventures. So refill that coffee and settle in for an entertaining and enlightening conversation between Russell, Alan and their guest Randall Dale.

Anna Twinney communicates with horses on a daily basis. The founder and owner of the Reach Out to Horses® program, Twinney takes horsemanship to a new level using body language, energy work, animal communication and other healing modalities. She joins Russell and Alan to share her experiences and insights gleaned while working with horses and horse lovers from around the world.

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Grass-fed cattle. Cutting-edge land conservation. Award-winning historical novel trilogoy. All good things, and all connected to the energy, passion and creativity of David M. Jessup. Give a listen as Russell and Alan chat with David about his many accomplishments on the front range of the beautiful, bold Rocky Mountains.

Although Lynn Downey was raised around cowboys and horses, she never inherited the horse gene. Instead, she got the love-of-western-history gene. Russell and Alan chat with Lynn about her career curating and archiving for museums and businesses and writing award-winning books about dude ranching, Levi Strauss & Co, Sonoma, CA, Wickenburg, AZ and more!

Over the past decade, Tucson has become a literary hub. The Old Pueblo is now home to the Tucson Festival of Books, the 3rd largest book festival in the country. Hundreds of talented writers, including National Book Award finalists and Pulitzer Prize winners, live in Tucson and the surrounding southern Arizona area. Lynn Wiese Sneyd, author, literary consultant to the Tucson book fest, and all-around book nerd, joins Alan and Russell to talk team penning, publishing, and, of course, books.

On October 26, 1881, a gunfight between a group of lawmen and outlaw cowboys occurred at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ. It lasted all of 30 seconds. The infamous shootout has been the basis for books, movies, and TV shows. And yet, controversy remains over what really happened. Bestselling author Tom Clavin, whose newest book is “Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride From Hell,” joins Russell and Alan to shed light on this landmark event.

Tucson native Loop Rawlins is one of the most versatile western performers in the world today. His act of trick roping, whip cracking and fancy gun spinning thrilled audiences in Vegas  and national sports stadiums, at corporate and private events, and even on America’s Got Talent. Meet this fascinating talent who is keeping the spirit of the West alive.

He’s an illustrator, an author, a storyteller extraordinaire. He’s written a book about Wyatt Earp and three books about Billy the Kid. He grew up in Kingman, AZ along Route 66 and currently is the owner and editor of True West Magazine. There is only one Bob Boze Bell, and it’s time you meet him.

Russell and Alan chat with two gun experts and historians. From the pioneer days through the Civil War into the 20th century, the evolution of guns is fascinating. This episode is sure to leave you with a new appreciation of the guns used in western movies. (Can you name the gun featured in Silverado, True Grit, Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall, and How the West was Won?)

Turn the calendar. Open the gate. And say hello to 2021! Russell and Alan review the challenges of the past year and also challenges they’ve faced in the past. What does it take to get through tough times, as well as prepare for a ride into new pastures, hopefully greener ones? Sometimes cowboys know best.

Lisa Diersen, Founder and Executive Director of the EQUUS Film & Arts Festival, and associate Julianne Neal make a virtual tour stop at the ranch to speak with Alan and Russell. Every horse has a story, and it’s the mission at the EQUUS Film & Arts Fest to share those stories through film, art and literature. No matter what your interest is in horses—dressage, equine therapy, saving wild mustangs, trail riding, or simply loving a horse—the festival has something for you.

He’s an author, songwriter, storyteller, performer, cowboy, college prof, and Arizona’s own state historian. As the Arizona Historical Foundation’s executive director says, “His homespun wit and unassuming demeanor often serve as a smokescreen to his incisive talents in the scholarly arena.” You’re in for a treat because you’re about to meet Marshall Trimble.

‘Tis the season to celebrate, even in these crazy, strange times. But how have holiday celebrations evolved over the decades? Culinary and western historian Sherry Monahan chats with Alan and Russell about what Christmas and other holidays looked like on the Victorian western frontier. Differences? Yes. But traditions remain!

Alan and Russell talk with guest Bill Markley, a western writer and history buff, whose experience with Hollywood’s silver screen began where Alan’s left off. And to think, it all happened in South Dakota. Can you guess the topic? Tune in to find out!

Few westerners know hats better then master hatter Jimmy Harrison, fondly known as Jimmy “the hat man.” He’s been shaping and cutting down hats since he was young and in rodeo with his buddies. Eventually, he became the owner of Double H Custom Hat Company in Darby, MT and Wickenburg, AZ, where he creates and manufacturers hats for customers worldwide. Jimmy joins Russell and Alan to share the secrets of cowboy hat making.  

Russell and Alan chat with historian and author Chris Enss. Some of the most famous names in history, not to mention film and pop culture, populate her 40+ books. Her newest book is "No Place for a Woman: The Struggle for Suffrage in the Wild West." Learn more about Chris at www.chrisenss.com. 

In 1907 in the small town of Winterset, Iowa, Marion Robert Morrison was born. As an adult, he would change his name to John Wayne. A Hollywood legend, Wayne remains an integral part of western film and culture. Russell and Alan chat with Brian Downes, the executive director of the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum. Tune in to their conversation now! As The Duke would say, “We’re burning daylight.”