Tom Austin had been a police officer in Blanding for only a month when he got a tip about illegal drug use at one of the town's motels.
Wearing bib overalls - with his badge pinned on one suspender - and toting a shotgun, Austin went alone to the motel room. He knocked, but the occupants refused to answer. So, Austin kicked down the door and stormed into the room.By the time help arrived, Austin had 12 suspects lined up against the wall, and he had confiscated the drugs.
"(Blanding police) wondered what kind of a lawman they had hired," said Austin, 48, who is now Santaquin's police chief.
If that 1979 incident sounds like something out of a Western novel or a law enforcement thriller, it might be more than a coincidence.
Austin appeared as a character in a 1987 novel written by popular Western writer Louis L'Amour, his hero and friend. Austin also recently secured a publishing contract of his own to write a series of Westerns.
"I can see where my experience has really tempered me," Austin said. "I don't think I could have really written effectively before."
Austin, Santaquin police chief since 1994, supervises four officers in the Utah County town of 3,000. He also handles much of the city's day-to-day administrative business as city manager. He's the zoning administrator, too.
"I can barely see daylight sometimes," he said. "I tried to quit a while ago and they wouldn't let me."
Actually, Austin enjoys the job. His responsibilities include managing the city's personnel, community development block grants, landfill and annexation requests.
"He's pretty amazing," said Santaquin Mayor Keith Broad-head. "We give him three job assignments and he does them well. I don't know how he does it and still writes books."
Austin's law enforcementtraining helps in his literary efforts as well.
"I think that's why I like to do research so much," he said. "Criminal investigation is no different than historic."
From his basement office in the remodeled Santaquin Junior High School, Austin also provides the town with entertainment. Last year, he hatched the idea of a beard-growing contest in connection with Utah's centennial celebration.
"Brothers of the Brush" was a huge success as residents from not only Santaquin but also surrounding communities participated. At the time, Austin sent a tongue-in-cheek release to media outlets about the contest.
"We already have some local guys (participating) and one of them grows hair like the rest of us grow weeds in a garden," he wrote. He announced the contest was open to both men and women.
Despite work weeks of 65 to 70 hours, Austin sets aside an hour or two each day to write. He spends weekends doing research or writing.
He has written nine books and won three awards from the Utah Arts Council. Last year, he signed a contract with Avalon Books of New York for a series of Westerns called "The O'Malley Saga."
The first book, a hardback titled "The Blood Oath," was published in September and has nearly sold out its first printing. The second book will be out this summer, and Austin has plans for several more.
"He has a million stories," said Guy Lebeda, literature coordinator with the Utah Arts Council. "He never forgets a story that he hears."
Lebeda has accompanied Austin on several occasions as Austin conducted writing workshops or readings. Lebeda said Austin's strengths are his abilities to "read" the audience and spin yarns.
While working as a police officer in Blanding, Austin took writing classes at the San Juan campus of the College of Eastern Utah. He says he learned a lot from environmental writer Edward Abbey, with whom he maintained regular correspondence. But Austin's mentor was L'Amour.
Austin met L'Amour by chance one night in 1982 as he was patrolling Blanding's Main Street. The author pulled Austin over and asked if he knew where to find Johnny's Hole, a box canyon L'Amour wanted to use in a book.
"Louis was one of my heroes," Austin said. "I had read all of his books many times. I just about had a heart attack."
Austin spent the next two weeks with L'Amour exploring the San Juan River area. The two swapped war stories, found out they had many things in common and became good friends.
Austin did research for the author and also carried out some mining assessments on claims L'Amour had made in San Juan County. Austin and his family regularly spent time at L'Amour's ranch near Durango, Colo.
Although L'Amour died in 1988, Austin still sees the author's family on a regular basis.
Besides writing, Austin enjoys fishing, farming, shooting black powder weapons and attending rendezvous of mountain men. He also raises Yorkshire terriers.
"I've got too many interests and not enough time to do it all."
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