Author William (Will) Murray accumulated a lifetime of adventures as a rancher raising cattle, horses, and dogs and as an outfitter guiding hundreds of people through private land and national forest. He has so many stories that it takes three memoirs to share them all. The first of these books, Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather: Memoir of a Wilderness Guide, was released by McFarland Publishing/Toplight Books in July 2024. Look for Will on his website WilliamWillMurray.com, Facebook, Twitter/X, and his Amazon author page. In addition to Amazon, Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather is available at McFarland Publishing and all major booksellers including Barnes & Noble, Thriftbooks, and Google Books.
What did you hope to accomplish when you began writing your memoir stories? By the end of the journey, were you successful in your goal?
I wanted to bring some of my life of adventure to everyone in a book. I chose the ten-year span of time when I guided and outfitted people into the wilderness along the California coast. My goal was to take the reader from their life to mine and back.
My book has been out on the market now for about six weeks and the feedback from almost everyone is the same. They tell me the words take them right into the adventure along with me and back!
What was the greatest challenge of writing Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather?
The greatest challenge was to tell these tall but true tales in just exactly the way that I would tell them if I were standing in front of you.
When did you know you wanted to write your memoir and what prompted the push to begin the project? At what point did you realize you needed more than one book to tell your story?
I had an idea that I wanted to write and had made a few notes over the years, but it took a bad accident with a horse to make me lay there and realize just how lucky I’d been and how big a life that I’d lived! Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather covers only ten years of my life, but a life so well overlived is now taking three books with a fourth in the making. I’ve had a big life, and I want to share it!
How is Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather structured? How did you go about naming your chapters?
There is no particular order. Laying in that hospital bed, the stories just started flowing and I never bothered to stop or change the order. However, I did start with my best friends, those intrepid four-legged champions that did all the work—my horses. The chapter names were easy, they just came to me before I started each chapter. The names came from somewhere in the back of my mind (scary).
Tell us how the book came together.
I started writing my book on about January 1st of 2023 and finished it along about February of 2024. My wife and I, including her family that live in the east, along with a game warden from California, edited this book four complete times. My friends were brutal! When I was finally ready, I began to look for a publisher, and because I was determined not to self-publish, it took eight months and about twenty book proposals before McFarland Publishing offered me a contract. They have turned out to be the very best!
Do you have a favorite story or chapter in the book?
I love the Dedication; I owe so much to my wife! I still think she tells the sun when to rise and set! My chapter pick is tough but the one that still brings me to tears is “A Miracle in the Night.” From a near tragedy to victory. A little common sense on my part could have kept me from having to write this chapter.
What was the best part of putting this project together?
My effort to write Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather brought to light what a completely out of hand and barely legal life I’ve led and how important it was to share it with everyone.
Amazon categorizes Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather as Equestrian Sports, Horse Riding, and Memoirs. If you didn’t have the limitations of Amazon categories, how would you characterize the book?
My book should be categorized in the Greatest of Human and Horse Endeavors category.
Did you ever feel like you were revealing too much of yourself (or anyone else) in writing your stories? If so, how did you push past the feeling and continue?
I couldn’t write my stories without my inner self and thoughts, and I loved this part the most as I knew it would draw the reader into the story itself.
How did you come up with the book title?
The book title came out of my mouth several weeks before I started to write. It just seemed perfect.
Was there anything surprising you discovered while doing research for Worn Out Saddles and Boot Leather?
I was surprised how good my memory is. As soon as I started a story, I was instantly back in time right there in the story.
Where does the memoirist’s responsibility lie: with the truth of the facts or with his feelings about what occurred?
Base a nonfiction story on the facts with a sprinkling of emotions scattered throughout. The truth will stand out if told with emotion.
What writing projects are you working on now?
My second book, A Scent in the Air, is about my lifetime of great dogs. It is now out for publishing, and I’m almost finished with my third book, An Untamed Life, the unbelievable story of my wild and out-of-hand life from an upside-down childhood to rodeo, logging, and my own ranch. I believe this book is the best so far! The fourth book will chronicle the loss of our freedoms in this country for which we are all to blame.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I’m not a writer but I’ve learned to put my stories into the written word just as I would tell them in person. To others I would just say sit down, pick up a pen, and let those words flow. Put some of yourself into your story and draw us in. Last but far from least, keep reading!
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
