AREA AUTHOR ENJOYS THRILL OF OLD WEST; TWO BOOKS SLATED FOR PUBLICATION

JACKSON -- Frank Watson of Jackson has read a lot of westerns over the years. Now, he's writing them.

The 37-year-old Watson has already completed two historical novels, scheduled to be published in paperback by Fawcett Books, and has signed an option for a third book.

The first novel, "A Cold, Dark Trail," is to be published in October. The plot is set in Missouri and the Cherokee Nation (now part of Oklahoma) shortly after the Civil War.

"A Cold, Dark Trail" tells the story of a Tennessee man, who returns home after the Civil War only to discover that his farm had been burned down and his wife killed. The rest of the book deals with the man's relentless pursuit of the villain.

The second novel, tentatively titled "The Homecoming of Billy Buchanan," is scheduled to be published in the spring of 1992. Its plot deals with a Texas ranger and is set in the 1870s in Texas, near the Mexican border. Watson said it is the first of a planned series.

Watson said he always wanted to write novels. Prior to starting his first novel, he did some freelance writing. "I did some short stories and odds and ends."

He said he had thought briefly of writing a cheap, trashy novel. "Several years ago, I thought the way to get into writing was to be quick and dirty."

But Watson said he couldn't write such a book.

The Jackson author said he first came up with his idea for a western around 1985.

While working at Emerson Electric Co. in St. Louis, he returned to UMSL as a part-time student.

He credits a professional novelist on the staff at UMSL with encouraging him to finish his first novel.

"I started seriously writing it one semester," said Watson. He finished it in about four months, completing it just before he graduated with a bachelor's degree from UMSL in May 1989. Watson said his novel also garnered him a writing certificate from the university.

In 1989, he also found a literary agent. Watson said such agents are vital for writers who want to be published. Major publishing companies generally will not even look at manuscripts submitted directly by writers.

"These days, it's so competitive," said Watson. "There are so many people out there trying to get books published."

Watson said his agent encouraged him to start writing a second book. He completed that novel in 1990.

"I've always liked westerns," said Watson, who writes his novels on a personal computer. "I've done a lot of reading about the West."

Several years ago, he visited a Cherokee Indian reservation in the Smoky Mountains. That visit sparked an interest in the history of the Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee culture forms part of the background of "A Cold, Dark Trail."

Watson said he tries to put himself in the place of his characters.

"I wanted it to be a good western and a good novel," said Watson. "I tried to avoid cliches in the title and in the plot.

"I tried to make it more than just another shoot-it-up type thing," he pointed out.

"I did a lot of research," he added.

Watson said he tries to be as authentic as possible in his books. "What you see in the movies is not the way it really was."

For example, at one point he was going to have a character use dynamite. But he said he abandoned that idea because his book was set in 1869 and dynamite wasn't invented until 1876.

Watson said the first book was the toughest to write. "The first book is the hardest because you never know if the first one will come out."

Watson grew up in St. Louis. But he's no stranger to Southeast Missouri, having spent many summers at his grandparents' Dexter area farm.

Watson has been writing most of his adult life, but most of that writing has been as a newspaper reporter and editor in Southeast Missouri and later as a technical writer and publications department manager at Emerson Electric Co.

Watson, his wife, Debra, and their young daughter, Jennifer, moved to Jackson in the fall of 1989. Watson has been working as office manager of the Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council since January 1990.

Watson attended University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) for a while before dropping out to work as a newspaper reporter.

From 1974 through 1980, Watson was a reporter on the Sikeston Daily Standard. From 1980 to 1983, he was editor of the Stoddard County News in Dexter.

"I did a lot of the layout and most of the photography," he said. With only a small staff at the paper, Watson ended up doing much of the writing as well.

"It was a real opportunity for me," he said. "On a small staff, you can do everything from feature writing to news writing."

In 1983, he moved to St. Louis where he worked as bureau chief for Energy User News, a national business newspaper.

In 1985, he joined Emerson Electric as a technical writer. He subsequently was promoted to manager of the company's publications department.

Even in his current job with the Private Industry Council, Watson does a lot of writing. "I'm writing a lot of reports."

Watson said that while he has held a variety of jobs, they all dealt with communication. "The basic functions are the same," he said. "You have to be able to write clearly."

Because he holds down a regular job, Watson said he usually writes at night.

Watson said that his first novel won't make him rich. "If you want to make money, there are a lot of other things you can get into.

"I write for enjoyment," said Watson.