New Release -- A Ranger At Peace (Lone Star Ranger Book 12) by James J. Griffin

 

Texas Ranger Lieutenant Nate Stewart has been promoted and is now the commander of Texas Ranger Special Company G. His company has been given the formidable task of cleaning up Tascosa and the far northern reaches of the Texas Panhandle—a hotbed of crime and unrest between ranchers and homesteaders.

From the moment Nate and his men enter Tascosa, trouble seems to be everywhere they turn. They quickly learn not to expect much help from the townspeople, or even the local sheriff. Sitting on a powderkeg, Nate and his company must keep the big ranchers from blocking public roads and running the homesteaders off their land. Yet, the homesteaders are set on fighting the ranchers—even if it means their death.

In a final showdown with the MT Ranch owners, Nate faces down two fast guns in an effort to stop any more bloodshed. But will his ploy work? Can he hope to beat not one, but two of the fastest guns in the lawless area the Rangers have come to tame? Can there ever be peace, or will Nate give his own life in vain?

Nate’s mind and heart are distracted by beautiful Sonya Martinez, the daughter of a local restaurant owner. She’s proven she has the mettle to make a good wife of a Texas Ranger, but is Nate ready for marriage? Can he continue his work as a Texas Ranger and fulfill his dream of marriage to Sonya? A melding of hearts with the woman he loves and a final try at stopping the killings seem to be the only way he can, at last, be A RANGER AT PEACE…

EXCERPT

“Looks like trouble up ahead, Nate,” Colby said. He pointed to a group of men gathered under a solitary cottonwood, alongside a small creek. “Reckon we should check things out?”

“That’s what the state of Texas pays us for,” Nate answered.

“Yeah. All of thirty a month, bullets, and some of our grub,” Jimmy muttered.

“If we ain’t careful, we’ll get all the lead we can eat, if those hombres yonder are up to no good. And it won’t cost us a penny,” Nate said. “We’ll ride in slow and easy, until we size things up. Be ready for anything.”

He heeled Big Red into a walk. The group of men under the tree heard the approaching riders. They turned to look at them. Five of the men were dismounted, one sitting his horse. That one held a rope looped around the neck of a black-hided cow, which was near to giving birth. They were gathered around one more man, who was astride a nondescript, scrawny grulla gelding. That man had a rope around his neck, which was looped round the cottonwood’s thickest branch.

“You boys best keep on ridin’,” the apparent leader of the vigilantes shouted. “What’s happenin’ here ain’t none of your business. You might just mosey along. It’d be good for your health.”

     

New Release — A Ranger Never Quits (Lone Star Ranger Book 11) by James J. Griffin

 

Nate Stewart has been a Texas Ranger for almost four years now. He’s no longer the scared fourteen-year-old orphan he was when a patrol of Rangers found him after his family was murdered—with Nate shot and left for dead.

Nate’s best friend and riding partner, former Texas Ranger Hoot Harrison, was crippled for life in a vicious gun battle. Hoot has married and settled down on the ranch Nate inherited, with both of them full partners. Now, unscrupulous land speculators are trying to steal the ranch from Nate and Hoot.

When Nate takes a leave of absence from his duties as a Texas Ranger to take care of some personal business, he discovers that the plot to swindle him and Hoot out of their ranch affects not only them, but other small ranchers in the area. But who can Nate trust to help them? Even some of the town’s lawmen are in on the scheme, and Nate and Hoot can’t fight them all.

In a final, deadly showdown, Nate must use all the skills he’s learned as a Ranger to save his home. One thing’s for certain—A RANGER NEVER QUITS!

EXCERPT:

Hoot was walking back and forth the length of the porch. He stopped, pinched out the butt of the cigarette he held and tossed it into the dirt. He took out his sack of Bull Durham tobacco and packet of cigarette papers. He rolled another smoke, lit it, and took a long drag. He resumed his pacing.

“Hoot, you’re makin’ me dizzy!”

“Doggone it, I can’t stand still, Nate. Amanda’s havin’ a baby. The doc’s been with her for two hours now. What if somethin’s gone wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Hoot. Babies come out when they’re ready. Women have been having babies for thousands of years with no problems. You’ve got nothin’ to worry about. Doc Jenks has delivered hundreds of babies. And Mrs. Murgatroyd is the best midwife in the county, so I’ve heard tell. Amanda’s in good hands. Mary Jones is helpin’ too.”

“How the heck do you know what you’re talkin’ about, Nate, ya idjit? You ain’t never had a baby.”

Nate had to laugh.

“Hoot, if I were havin’ a baby, then we’d have some real problems. I don’t think I’ve got the right parts.”

“You know what I mean, ya idjit,” Hoot snapped. “How’d this ever happen to my poor Amanda?”

“I think you know, since you were there,” Nate said, again laughing. “Leastwise, I hope it was you. If it wasn’t, I’ll find out who it was and shoot the no-good hombre down for you.”

    

New Release — A Ranger for Life (Lone Star Ranger Book 10) by James J. Griffin

It’s been nearly two years since Nate Stewart’s family was murdered by a gang of evil marauders on the unforgiving Texas frontier. Shot and left for dead, Nate is rescued by a patrol of Texas Rangers who adopt him as one of their own. In no time at all, young Nate, a transplanted Easterner, becomes a full-fledged Texan and the youngest member of the Texas Rangers, guided by his friend, Hoot Harrison. 

Now, the time has come for Nate, Hoot, and eight other young Rangers to prove their mettle in the most dangerous assignment of all. This newly-formed detachment of Rangers is being sent to flush out the many dangerous outlaw gangs plaguing west Texas—and bring them to swift justice. Not knowing what kind of danger they may encounter with the robbers, rustlers, and killers swarming over the entire Pecos territory, they’ve been told to expect some losses. 

Caught in a deadly trap, it looks as if Nate, Hoot, and the other Rangers may not live to fight another day. Will they manage to escape the hail of bullets? With the gut-wrenching deaths of some of this tight-knit group right before his eyes, Nate has some decisions to make. If he survives, will this lethal battle change Nate’s mind about remaining A RANGER FOR LIFE?

EXCERPT

     All the men, except for Wyatt and Marshall, removed any metal items that might jangle and make noise, giving them away. Their guns were pulled from their holsters and shoved behind their waistbands, extra cartridges removed from their gunbelts, wrapped in neckerchiefs, and stuffed in their pockets. Boots, which were much more likely than stocking feet to snap a dry branch if one should be inadvertently stepped on, were pulled off and left behind. Once everyone was ready, Hoot waved them forward. It took eight men a while longer to work through the brush than Braeden alone had needed, but they made the rim of the hollow without being detected.

     Hoot put his hands around his mouth and cooed, twice. All eight Rangers jumped to their feet simultaneously. The rustlers were caught flat-footed, and froze, dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of men, ready to shoot them down at the slightest provocation, surrounding them.

     “Texas Rangers! Don’t move!” Hoot ordered. “You’re covered from all sides. Any of you goes for a gun and you’ll all be cut down where you stand.”

     “What’re you botherin’ us for, Ranger?” one of the men said. “We ain’t stealin’ anybody’s cows. These here are mavericks.”

     “Yeah, mavericks with somebody’s brand on ’em,” Hoot answered. “I’ve never yet run across a branded maverick.”

     “You’ll never have the chance to see another one, either, Ranger,” one of the other men said. He yanked his gun and dropped behind the fire, then pulled the trigger. 

      

New Release The Saga of Indian Em’ly: (A Collection of 4 Books) by Sara Harris

Twelve-year-old Wind That Knocks Down Lodges loves his little sister, Cactus Flower, and the wildness of the desert canyonland the Apache call home. But in one night of misunderstanding and mistakes, Knocks Down and Cactus Flower’s innocent world is shaken as they find themselves locked in the nearby fort with the pale face soldiers and their mother’s lifeless body. With no one to lean on but each other, Knocks Down and Cactus Flower must make their way as children of The People in the pale face world—pale faces who have now become the enemy.

After finding themselves at the mercy of the Army, far from Apache Territory and well on the trail to Colorado, Knocks Down must bring himself to trust the soldier, Pale Face Joe. But Joe disappears, and when ordered to dispose of the children or else, the other Army soldiers waste no time in depositing them at the nearest Catholic orphanage.

They manage to escape the evil orphanage along with a new pale face friend, Kid McCoy. But they are set upon by a gang of murdering claim jumpers who steal Cactus. With Kid McCoy’s help, Knocks Down goes after her. When they encounter a soldier who was responsible for their mother’s death, they realize he’s set on seeing them dead, as well. How can a boy defeat a battle-hardened soldier? Just when Knocks Down is about to give up, the biggest surprise of all changes everything…

EXCERPT

     “I say again, halt! I have orders to shoot!”

     A woman’s voice answered. “Izdzaa, yiiltse! Pa-lease, please!”

     Cactus Flower and I exchanged a look. Peering through the mesquite branches, I saw my mother, our mother, her outstretched hands bathed in the moonlight as the cloud slid from over it. She was making the Apache sign for peace. Cactus flower saw her, too. Before I could raise my hand back to cover her mouth, the word tore from her lips in a shriek that echoed down through the canyon and back again. “Ma!”

     “Sentry, fire!” came another voice, followed abruptly by two booms. Booms which echoed the very one that had taken the life of Silver Sky, my father, so many winters ago.

      

New Release - Colt Buchanan and the Dastardly Desert Devils by Jack Bates - #paintedponybooks @prairierosepubs

Colt Buchanan’s life changes in a matter of minutes when his mother and father are ripped away from him during a surprise dust storm that leaves their Wyoming cabin in nothing but splinters. It’s a moment they’ve prepared for all his life, but at ten years old, he’s not sure what comes next. When he climbs from the cellar, he realizes that this was no ordinary dust storm. The devastation was done by something more powerful…more sinister. Something man-made.

But Colt is rescued before any further harm can come to him by Captain Conrad Givens who pilots an amazing invention that flies in the air. Givens takes Colt to the safety of Fort Discovery, a place where Colt learns how important his parents’ scientific work has been—and that he’s not alone. There are many other brilliant children there, as well—children whose parents had extraordinary scientific skills just like Colt’s parents did. And someone is making orphans of them all. 

When danger threatens Fort Discovery, there’s only one choice Colt can make. He has to do whatever it takes to protect the enlightened community that exists there—teachers, scientists, and students alike. But how can he defeat the formidable enemy, Anvil Smith? With the help of his friends and Pecos Bill, Colt realizes he’s more than “just a kid”—and saving Fort Discovery is the only way to find out where his parents are!

EXCERPT

     “Pa! You got it!”

     In that same instant, lightning sparked down along the copper shaft of the spyglass. Colt felt all of its power race through his body. The house shook as sand exploded through the walls.

     “Jenny! Take Colt into the cellar!”

     Colt covered his eyes with his arm to protect them from the sand. He briefly saw his mother lift off the ground.

     The next instant, Colt was toppling down into the cellar. Colt looked up at the swirling, sandy world overhead. His father’s hand reached out above him. Colt sprang up reaching for the hand that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Colt’s world went black as the heavy metal door swung shut. Small traces of dust seeped through the door frame.

     When the dust settled, both Randall and Jenny Buchanan were gone.

     And they would remain that way for a very long time.

     

New Release -- A Ranger Returns (Lone Star Ranger Volume 9) by James J. Griffin

Nate Stewart and his Texas Ranger partners return to Austin from their grueling assignment in west Texas, expecting only a few days’ rest before they are sent back on the outlaw trail. Instead, they learn that the state legislature has refused to extend funding for most of the Rangers. All but a few have been given their walking papers—placed on indefinite furlough.

Forced to face an uncertain future without the Rangers, Nate and his best friend and partner, Hoot Harrison, travel to the land Nate still owns outside San Saba. With mixed feelings, the pair heads toward Nate’s family's ranch—now, where Nate’s parents and older brother are buried.

But when they reach San Saba, they’re met with guns and force. Someone is attempting to take over all the ranches in the area—including Nate's. Vowing not to lose the land his father had struggled so hard to tame, Nate is determined to unravel the plot—and the people responsible—for the hostility. The trail to the criminals, ironically, takes him back East—to his own home town of Wilmington, Delaware…and someone he’d have never suspected.

Once Nate confronts the man who means to take everything from him, he and Hoot waste no time in getting back to Texas. There, they’ll stand together once more against outlaw guns as A RANGER RETURNS…

EXCERPT

     Nate leaned back against the whitewashed west wall of the Salt Flat Café, where the Rangers had been staying. He was seeking the least bit of shade, since the temperature was already well into the eighties, even at this early hour. He stretched out his legs, and pulled his Stetson over his eyes.

     Boy howdy, a lot sure has happened to me, includin’ sayin’ stuff like ‘boy howdy’, over the past year, he mused. First, I lost my family, then I gained another one, sort of… my Ranger pards. At least the men who killed my mother and father, and Jonathan, are all dead. Me and my pardners made certain of that. I’ve learned that I don’t hate Texas, like I did when my father first dragged our family here, but love almost everything about it, except maybe the dust. I’ve learned how to care for both myself and my horse, and how to survive as a lawman. I’ve been shot by outlaws, and shot them, been in fistfights….

     He shook his head as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. ’Course, I’ve lost more of those than I’ve won. I still have a lot to learn about fist fightin’. I’ve traveled all over most of Texas, and have grown up a whole lot. Gotten a year older, too. I still don’t know what to do with girls, though. Maybe someday. I’ve had to fight white outlaws, Mexican desperadoes, and renegade Indians. Me’n Hoot have had some high times, too. I just hope someday he’ll quit tryin’ to convince me to smoke. I don’t want any part of tobacco. Just can’t stand the stuff. Wonder where we’re headed after Austin. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Doesn’t make a difference to me. I know it’ll be in Texas, and I sure don’t hanker to ever leave this state again. Might be I’m still only fifteen, but it doesn’t seem like that matters, not any more. Jeb says I’ve proved myself as a man to ride the river with, and that’s good enough for me. Mebbe we’ll be sent…”

     Nate drifted off. The next thing he heard was Hoot’s voice, as his partner and best friend kicked at the sole of his boot.

     “Hey, Nate, wake up, ya idjit,” Hoot shouted, using his nickname for his partner. “We’re gettin’ ready to pull out. Unless you wanna stay here with the road runners, cactus, dust devils, and rattlesnakes.”

     

The Flight of Lydia Grimm (Jo Harper No. 9)

by Richard Prosch

In 1979 I was 13 years old, and the Space Age was still all around. The launch of America’s new space shuttle was imminent, and my dad and his friends were excited about the coming of home computers and video tape machines.

My grandpa’s Aunt Rose shared my enthusiasm. When she was 13—in the same year as Jo Harper—the 20th century was just beginning, and technology was beginning to make serious changes to everyday life in the West.

While the German immigrant grown-ups in Nebraska embraced steam powered tractors, then gasoline engines, telephones, electricity and wireless telegraphy, Rose let her imagination soar into the future.

When I was 13, I sat at her table sipping instant coffee and listened to her stories.

She talked about moving pictures projected onto bed sheet view screens in the back of the old mercantile store.

The thrill when she first saw an airplane move through the sky above the Nebraska prairie. 

The excitement of listening to music in her farm kitchen—music pulled straight out of the air.

These stories have stayed with me.

And haunted me for the past couple years.

I always hoped there would be another story for the series that began with Waiting for a Comet.

The first four, gathered together in Finding the Sky, capture Jo’s enthusiasm for the wonders of the nature. The following collection, On Solid Ground, are crime and mystery stories—almost like a young Nancy Drew on the range.

The Flight of Lydia Grimm picks up on that enthusiastic sense of life that is so much a part of Jo and leads off a series of four that combines the qualities of the first two.

This time, influenced by Aunt Rose, Jo’s engaged with man-made wonders even as she thwarts the crime or solves the mystery.

I hope you’ll join Jo, Frog, Abby Drake, and their friends and foes alike as they rush to embrace the future, first in The Flight of Lydia Grimm (now available) and coming soon, Last Wytch Park.

After growing up on a Nebraska farm, Richard Prosch worked as a professional writer, artist, and teacher in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Missouri. His western crime fiction captures the fleeting history and lonely frontier stories of his youth where characters aren’t always what they seem, and the windburned landscapes are filled with swift, deadly danger. In 2016, Richard roped the Spur Award for short fiction given by Western Writers of America. Read more at www.RichardProsch.com