Biographical Information
Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements.
Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with two Spur Awards, one for best article and the second for best western novel. He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards (six gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel.
Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism. Additionally, he has a second master’s degree in history from Angelo State University. He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.
Though the bulk of his work has been fiction, since 2021 he has broadened into nonfiction, publishing nine books, including his latest work, co-authored with his wife, Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time, a young adult publication focusing on the childhood tasks of youngsters in the Old West.
Lewis is best known for his writing versatility and his comic westerns, including the well-received Memoirs of H.H. Lomax series. Originally published by Bantam, The Memoirs of H.H. Lomax returned to print with the 2017 publication of Bluster’s Last Stand, a new volume placing the protagonist in the thick of things at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Bluster’s Last Stand, which won the 2018 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for Western Humor, continues the adventures of H.H. Lomax, who made his literary debut in The Demise of Billy the Kid. The Redemption of Jesse James and Mix-Up at the O.K. Corral, the second and third books in the series, were both WWA Spur Finalists. The fifth book in the series, First Herd to Abilene, received the 2021 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Western Humor. North to Alaska, the sixth book in the series, received a Will Rogers Silver Medallion for Western Humor the same year. Book No. 7 in the series, Outlaw West of the Pecos, also earned a Will Rogers Gold Medallion. The eighth book in the series, Call of the Wilde, received a Will Rogers Bronze Medallion for western humor.
All the Lomax books are now published by Wolfpack Publishing. Wild Horse Press in 2016 released Lewis award-winning western caper The Fleecing of Fort Griffin, which earned Lewis his third Elmer Kelton Award from the West Texas Historical Association for best creative work on West Texas. Lewis’s previous publishers have included Bantam, HarperCollins, Pinnacle and Eakin Press.
His Three Rivers Trilogy on the Lincoln County War began in 2020 with Rio Ruidoso, continued in 2021 with Rio Bonito and concluded in 2022 with Rio Hondo. Rio Bonito was identified by True West as one of the top ten 2021 books that “represent the spirit of Western writing today.” Rio Hondo received a 2023 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for traditional westerns.
His historical novel Blood of Texas, originally written under his Will Camp pseudonym, received WWA’s Spur Award for best western novel. His True West article on the battle of Yellowhouse Canyon also won a Spur Award. His short works have appeared in publications as varied as Louis L’Amour Western Magazine and Dallas Morning News. Two of his short stories, “A Grave Too Many” and “The Hope Chest,” both received Will Rogers Gold Medallion Awards in 2020.
Lewis’s middle reader novels They Call Me Old Blue and Blanca is My Name have each won WTHA Elmer Kelton Awards. His latest young adult novel Just Call Me Uncle Sam was published in 2017, also by Wild Horse Press. In addition to his published works, Lewis has written and produced three dramatic productions–Beloved Companion, Sermons Sung and Marching On, staged in 2013, 2016 and 2019 respectively.
A native West Texan, Lewis began his professional career working for four Texas newspapers before moving into higher education media relations at Texas Tech University and later Angelo State University, where he retired in 2014. He has served on the boards of the Ranching Heritage Association and the Book Club of Texas. He is a longstanding member of the Authors Guild and an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America.