I recently had the opportunity to visit the replica of Zane Grey’s cabin in Payson, Arizona. While learning more about the famous author of the 1920’s, I learned that Zane Grey and I have several things in common.
He was born and raised in Zanesville, Ohio, a town founded by his great-grandfather. He and his wife also lived in Pennsylvania for a number of years. Then he spent ten years or so traveling to and writing about Arizona.
So what’s my connection to these facts? While I was not born in Ohio or Pennsylvania, I was raised in both states. I lived near St. Clairsville, Ohio for a number of years, which is not too terribly far away from Zanesville. For the past fourteen years, I’ve made Arizona my home, traveling all over the state.
Many of Zane’s books are written about The West and thirteen or so are set in Arizona. My Prescott Pioneers series is set in Prescott, Arizona, during the birth of the territory and would definitely fit into a western genre.
One of my favorite similarities, though, has little to do with where Zane or I have lived. I love this picture of his writing chair from his cabin in Arizona. It looks very similar to my favorite writing chair, a recliner in my office, where I can often be found burning up the keys on my laptop.
Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be as famous?
If you have never read any of Zane Grey’s work, I would encourage you to do so. He’s a master of weaving an interesting tale with magnificent descriptions of the landscape. He throws in some romance, too, appealing to a wide variety of readers.
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