“At the Heyday Lounge the horsemen think they are the only gamblers. They file in each morning, their shoes dusty and their pockets jangling with coins, like parishioners.” So begins Shannon Pufahl’s powerful and moving, beautifully written debut novel, ON SWIFT HORSES, published by Riverhead Books today, Tuesday, November 5. Set in the burgeoning 1950s post-World War II West, shifting between San Diego, Las Vegas, and Tijuana, inside desert casinos, suburban racetracks, and transient dives, this is a story of love and luck, of two outsiders torn between the constraints of convention and the demands of their private selves, as they try to find their place in a country that is coming apart even as it promises them everything.

In this “Meet Our Author” interview, Pufahl reveals the origins behind the primary characters and main themes of her novel, shares insights into her approach to writing, and talks about what aspects of ON SWIFT HORSES she hopes will resonate with readers. Continue reading →