Action Pulp!

January 28, 2026

By Adam Messer

Bob Olson ( pseudonym R.K. Olson) is a multi-genre writer who has traveled the world and created worlds of his own for his readers.

Please introduce yourself.

I’m a multiple award-winning short story and novel writer in the pulp, western, horror, and sword & sorcery genres. I started writing after a global technology career that had me working on every continent except Antarctica. I have published three novels and 20 short stories, including many featuring my popular sword and sorcery character, Dar the Spearslayer. 

What genres do you write and why?

Westerns, weird westerns, sword and sorcery, and horror. I write in those genres because I enjoy them. I decided a while ago that if I’m going to spend this much time writing that I better keep it enjoyable and myself entertained.

What is your earliest memory of reading?
Reading “Run, Spot run” for the first time in Mrs. Morse’s first grade class.

When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?

We had a hardcover book in my house that, because of a printing error, contained all blank pages. The book’s title was “The Up-to-date Waitress,” written by Janet Mackenzie Hill. I filled that book with several short stories with a lot of drawings, mostly about Batman, army men, and the like. I was seven years old. I still have the book. That’s when I knew I wanted to be an author.

What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?

The opening scene in my western novel “Siege at the Slash B” Book 1 of the Roddy Rodriguez Saddle Tramp Hero Series. Readers meet Roddy for the first time at this moment. He bluffs ten gunfighters into riding away — and he does it with a good sense of humor laced with menace.
What makes a good character? A bad one?

A good character has emotional depth and doesn’t win every conflict he/she encounters. “Johnny-one-notes” are bad characters because they quickly become predictable. For example, the evil villain has to be more than just evil. Well-rounded characters are more interesting to readers.
What moves the story for you?

Change, pressure, and desire. Any one or all three propel a story along a trajectory, so the reader knows the story is going to a destination vs. just meandering along.  
What is your favorite book and why?

John Collier’s “Fancies and Goodnights”. It is a collection of his beautifully written, off-beat stories that were published in The New Yorker. His blending of the magical with the mundane is superb. 
What do you want to say to your audience?

Thank you for your support and reviews of my first three novels. More are on the way. You can find them on Amazon. Here are the titles:

“Siege at the Slash B” (western) by R. K. Olson

“Deputy of Devil Town” (weird western) by R. K. Olson

“Redemption Railroad” (western) by R. K. Olson

All were published by Dusty Saddles Publishing.
What advice do you have for new writers?

Writing is a craft or a trade. It is something one can learn, like carpentry. This means that consistency is the critical element. Write every day without fail, and you will succeed. Look up the famous science fiction writer Robert Heinlein’s five rules for writing for direction and inspiration.

Website: www.rkolson.net

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