Wayne D. Overholser

Who was Wayne D. Overholser?

Wayne D. Overholser, was an American Western writer. Overholser won the 1953 First Spur Award for best novel for Lawman using the pseudonym Lee Leighton. In 1955 he won the 1954 Spur Award for The Violent Land. Three additional pseudonyms were John S. Daniels, Dan J. Stevens and Joseph Wayne.

Overholser had a number of pseudonyms, including Lee Leighton, John S. Daniels, Dan J. Stevens and Joseph Wayne, the last three combinations of his three sons' names. Wayne's father expected him to retrace his own steps through their Oregon barnyard, but the budding author had other goals in mind. He said, "It's a sad story. I think my dad didn't have the slightest idea where I came from or how I got into the family. I was a complete failure as a farmer and he didn't know what to do with me."

Later, Wayne didn't encourage nor discourage his own son, Steve, because full-time writing "is a precarious way to make a living."

Losing himself in books as a child, the elder Overholser enjoyed stories of King Arthur, Greek legends, Scottish chiefs, and the works of G.A, Henty. "I've always felt that there's a strong connection between the tales of King Arthur and Western stories of our time.