Independent Historian

Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 fiction and nonfiction works focusing on the American West.  In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his Literary Accomplishments.

Lewis started his career working for four Texas daily newspapers before spending the bulk of his professional life in higher education administration.  He managed communications and marketing offices at Texas Tech University, TTU Health Sciences Center and Angelo State University before retiring in 2014 to become a fulltime writer and independent historian.

Throughout his career he has written novels and freelance historical articles for numerous publications, including True West, Wild West, Persimmon Hill, The Roundup, Ranch Record, Old West, West Texas Historical Review, Sound Historian,New Mexico Historical Review, Dallas Morning News, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Angelo State University Magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, and multiple airline magazines.

His writing accolades include two Spur Awards and seven Spur Finalist certificates from Western Writers of America; ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards for fiction and nonfiction; three Elmer Kelton Awards for fiction; and three Literary Global Independent Author Awards.  He is a past president of both Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association, which in 2016 named him a fellow.

Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and a master’s degree in journalism from Ohio State University, where he was a Kiplinger Fellow in Public Affairs Reporting.  He also holds a second master’s degree, this one in history, from Angelo State University.