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 -- A Ranger Grown (Lone Star Ranger Vol 8) by James J. Griffin

This is my Lone Star Ranger novel, continuing the saga  of Nate Stewart as he grows from an insecure boy of fourteen to a confident, capable, valued member of  the Texas Rangers.

From my own perspective, this is my favorite story of Nate's adventures yet. For the first time, not only is he separated from the company of Rangers commanded by Captain Dave Quincy, he also has to take command of a Range patrol when he and his partners are pinned down by renegade Mescalero Apaches. Will Nate be able to take charge, and if so, how will he think through the situation, and save himself and his comrades?. What happens makes compelling reading for young and old, as the still a boy Nate fights inner struggles with the Nate on the cusp of full-grown manhood.

BLURB

With renegade Apaches and deadly gangs of outlaws running rampant in the Texas badlands, Texas Ranger Captain Quincy has no choice but to divide his band of Rangers and take on some new recruits. This mission is the most dangerous yet for Nate Stewart, who, at fifteen, is the youngest Ranger in the company. Now serving under Lieutenant Jeb Rollins, Nate and his best friend, Hoot Harrison, must face the fact that this may very well be their last mission—ever. The odds are stacked against them from the outset, with prairie fires, roaming bands of dangerous desperadoes, and the harsh conditions of the land they’re traveling. Pinned down by a party of Mescalero Apaches, it falls to Nate to lead—will he be up to the task? Getting himself and his fellow Rangers out alive is a job for A RANGER GROWN…

EXCERPT

     It was about four o’clock the next afternoon when Jeb ordered his Rangers to stop for a moment, on one of the low hills to the northwest of the capital city.
     “There she is down below, for you boys who haven’t seen her before… Austin,” he said. “The heart of Texas.”
     “Well, what d’ya think, pard?” Hoot asked Nate. “Ain’t Austin just about the biggest town you’ve ever seen in your whole life?”
     “Well, I hate to disappoint you, Hoot, but everythin’ ain’t bigger in Texas, despite what you might think,” Nate answered. “I’ll grant you Austin’s the biggest town I’ve seen since I got to Texas, but it’s nowhere near as big as Wilmington. And Wilmington ain’t nowhere near as big as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’ve never been to New York City, but I understand that’s bigger’n any of ’em. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Austin’s probably not even in the top twenty or thirty. Mebbe not even in the top hundred.”
     “You’re tellin’ whoppers again, Nate, ya idjit,” Hoot objected, using his favorite nickname for his friend. “There can’t be any towns hardly much bigger than Austin.”

Be sure and leave a comment for a chance of winning a Kindle ebook, A RANGER GROWN.

        

#NewRelease -- A Ranger Redeemed (Lone Star Ranger Book 7) by James J. Griffin -- #Giveaway

The company of Texas Rangers led by Cap’n Dave has come down with influenza. Once the outlaws in the area realize the Rangers are temporarily out of commission, they have a field day—especially a gang of bold train robbers!

Nate and Hoot, along with some of the others who are able to ride, track down a group of cattle rustlers, but not without paying the price with one of the lives of their own.

When the Rangers are able to go after the train robbers, it takes every last man to subdue the outlaw gang and keep the train under their control—or face dire circumstances. Though Nate and Hoot manage to have some fun along the way, they know if the outlaws take the train they’re on, they could lose their jobs—or their lives.

Outnumbered, the odds don’t look to be in the favor of the Rangers—but the outlaw gang never counted on these Rangers being so tough and unwilling to face defeat. Nate’s still the youngest Ranger in the bunch, but he fights back with guns blazing. The robbers got away once, but Nate’s determined this time to be A RANGER REDEEMED…

EXCERPT

     Nate wandered over to the campfire, where the rest of the men were already working on their supper.

     “It’s about time you showed up for your chuck, Nate,” George Bayfield, the company cook, said. “Carl’s been salivatin’ over it. I’m not certain how much longer I could’ve held him off.”

     “If you don’t want it, Nate, I’d be happy to take it off your hands,” Carl Swan said.

     “Only if you shoot me first, Carl,” Nate answered. “Oh, wait a minute. You already did that once.”

     Carl had slightly wounded Nate when, while posing as that outlaw Ranger, Nate had escaped from jail, and snuck back into the Ranger camp to retrieve his horse.

     “You ain’t gonna let me live that down, are you?” Carl said.

     “Not for a long time,” Nate answered, grinning. He sat on a log, alongside Hoot.

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#NewRelease and GIVEAWAY--The Cowboy Way by Cheryl Pierson, Frank Roderus, and James J. Griffin

Boxed Set of  YA Westerns only 99 cents at Amazon.

THE COWBOY WAY is a set of five wonderful stories for young boys of all ages—from  9 to 99! If you’re looking for some great western reads for yourself or a young reader you know, this is the collection for you—and at only .99, you can’t beat the value! And today, we'll be giving away one copy of this exciting set to one lucky commenter! Be sure to leave your contact information in your comment in case your name is drawn! Renowned western author Frank Roderus leads the collection off with his coming-of-age story, DUSTER, about a 15-year-old boy who joins a cattle drive in post Civil War days. Jim Griffin, known for his Texas Ranger tales, adds to the anthology with book one of his Lone Star Ranger series, A RANGER TO RIDE WITH. Cheryl Pierson’s complete Texas Legacy Trilogy rounds out this fantastic set of western tales. RED EAGLE’S WAR, RED EAGLE’S REVENGE, and TEXAS FOREVER tell the story of 10-year-old Will Green, saved from the Apache by Jacobi Kane—a man with a secret of his own. This anthology is full of action-packed stories that you will remember long after you read the last page! Come on and saddle up—you’ll ride the range with some mighty fine cowboys!

#NewRelease -- Lone Star Ranger: Volume 6 , A Ranger Gone Bad by James J. Griffin -- #Giveaway

In the close to a year since Nate Stewart was orphaned in an outlaw raid on his family's ranch, then taken in by a company of Texas Rangers, he's grown up fast. Of necessity, he's had to mature much more quickly than most fourteen year olds. However, while he's now a lawman, he's still very much a boy, and prone to the mistakes boys make.

A RANGER GONE BAD continues Nate's adventures with the Rangers. However, he seems to make a terrible mistake when he decides to rustle a bunch of already rustled cows. Caught by his companions, arrested and thrown in jail, Nate embarks on a life of crime, hunted by both the law and the lawless. Will he be able to turn his life around? Has he really turned outlaw? Find out in the latest Nate Stewart adventure, LONE STAR RANGER 7: A RANGER GONE BAD.

BLURB

Cattle rustling is about to get the best of some of the finest ranches in Texas—until the Rangers come to call. But while Nate, Hoot, and the rest of Captain Quincy’s Texas Rangers are out to arrest the outlaws, things take an unexpected turn for the worse. When Nate throws in with the renegade rustlers, his Ranger friends can hardly believe it. It seems that the compadre they’d trusted and accepted into their regiment as one of their own has turned on them—but can it be true?

Nate appears to enjoy the life of crime as he not only steals cattle, but robs banks and stagecoaches on his own before he joins up with Conrad Jordan’s gang of thieves. But in a deadly battle between the Rangers and the rustlers, which side will Nate pick? Will he remain true to the lawmen who’ve taken him in and made him one of their own—or is he truly A RANGER GONE BAD?

EXCERPT

    “Deputy, what are the charges?”

    “Let’s see, Cap’n.” Woodson rubbed his jaw. “There’s drunk and disorderly, to start. Then there’s disturbin’ the peace, destruction of city property, and discharging a firearm within city limits.”

    “Is that all?” Bob asked.

    “Ain’t that enough, Lieutenant?” Woodson answered. “I could add on resisting arrest, and attempted assault on a peace officer, but I’ll let those slide, as long as you promise to take these two with you when you leave town.”

    “Hey, we didn’t try to assault any peace officer,” Nate protested.

    “You don’t think so, huh?” Woodson answered. “You don’t recall your friend takin’ a swing at me, so I had to subdue him by knockin’ him over his thick skull, then you startin’ for your six-gun, and me stoppin’ you by whackin’ you with my rifle, right in your…um, privates.”

    “Oh,” was all Nate could manage.

Be sure and leave Jim a comment to enter a drawing for a free ecopy of A Ranger Gone Bad.

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#NewRelease -- A RANGER TO STAND WITH by James J. Griffin -- Giveaway!

Be sure and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for James J. Griffin's ebook A RANGER TO STAND WITH from his Long Star Ranger series.

BLURB

Texas Ranger Nate Stewart has been through a lot in his life—and his losses aren’t over yet. In the months that Nate has ridden with Captain Quincy and his Rangers, his best friend and pardner, Hoot Harrison, has been the rock Nate has depended on. But once beautiful Clarissa Hennessey comes into Hoot’s life, she sets out to destroy the friendship between the two young Rangers.

When the chips are down and Black Dog’s raiders attack the Hennessey ranch, there’s bound to be bloodshed and lives lost. Will Clarissa divide Hoot and Nate forever, or can Hoot prove that he’s A RANGER TO STAND WITH?

EXCERPT

     “Sure. Listen, Mister, take out your gun, slow and easy, and hand it to me, butt first,” Nate ordered. “No false moves, or I’ll drop you right where you stand.”

    “Okay. Okay, Ranger. You’ve got me, all right. I’ll go peaceable like. Just don’t shoot me,” Jeb pleaded. He took the gun from his holster, then held it out to Nate, butt first. When Nate reached for it, Jeb, whose trigger finger, unnoticed by Nate, was in the trigger guard, spun the gun level, thumbed back the hammer, and pulled the trigger. A wad of cardboard slammed into Nate’s stomach, with enough impact to drive him backward and double him over. Gasping for breath, Nate fell to the dirt.

    “And you just got yourself plugged in the gut and killed, Nate,” Jeb said. “That’s called the road agent’s spin. No one knows for certain who first came up with it, but it’s cost many a lawman his life.     You never, ever ask a man to hand you his gun butt first. It’s a sure way to get killed. Either tell him to unbuckle his gunbelt and drop it, or take his gun out of the holster with two fingers, then drop it. Unless, like what just happened, you want a bullet in your stomach. Lesson learned?”

    “Lesson learned,” Nate said. “I don’t reckon I’ll ever forget it, neither.”

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An Interview With Jim Griffin

James J. Griffin, while a native New Englander, has been a student of the frontier West from a very young age. He has travelled extensively throughout the western United States, and has visited many of the famous Western frontier towns, such as Tombstone, Pecos, Deadwood, Cheyenne, and numerous others. 

For Painted Pony Books, Jim pens the Lone Star Ranger series. Recently, Richard Prosch caught up with Jim and visited with him as follows.


Richard: What inspired the idea of a teenager becoming a full-fledged Texas Ranger? Is there an historical precedent?

Jim: When Livia and Cheryl approached me about doing a series of Young Adult Westerns, I knew the main character would be a boy who ends up riding with the Rangers.  My favorite subject to write about is the Texas Rangers, so it was a natural fit. And yes, there is definitely an historical precedent, not necessarily in the time frame when the Lone Star Ranger books are set, the mid-1870s, but in the earlier days of the Texas Rangers, before and even during the Civil War. Back in the 1840s, when the Rangers were mainly a volunteer organization, boys as young as fourteen were full-fledged members of the Rangers. And Nate Stewart, and his best friend and Ranger partner, Hoot Harrison, are part of a long tradition of boys, which probably goes back to when the first soldiers picked up a spear way back in history, of lying about their ages so they can join a fighting force and head off to war.

Richard: One of my favorite things about your Lone Star Ranger books is that as Nate learns about roping, or working on a horse's hoof, the reader does too. I'm assuming a lot of that comes from your own life's experience?

Jim: Yes, when it comes to horses, anyway. I've owned horses most of my life, and they've taught me a lot. I've never actually roped, but I have team penned, in fact the first year we tried that, Yankee and I got Novice Reserve Champions for the series. So, when I describe how to saddle a horse, or how a horse might react in a given situation, I've been there, done that. As far as a lot of the other things Nate learns, some's my experience, other things I've picked up over the years, researched, or relied on friends with expertise in a particular field. For example, my good friends Karl Rehn and Penny Riggs of KR Training in Manheim, Texas answer all my questions about weapons of the period. And my (now retired) Texas Ranger friend Jim Huggins helps me with some of the Ranger history, although most of that is from my years of studying the history of the Rangers.

Richard: Nate and Hoot have an especially real relationship. Is their friendship based on your own experiences as a kid?

Jim: Absolutely! My best friend, Skip Caplan, and I, were basically inseparable. We mostly did three things. Watched Saturday morning Westerns on television, rode our bikes, and played cowboys. We were always running around with our cap guns, blazing away at each other, gunning each other down, and I mean a lot! In a couple of my books, one of the characters will talk about how, when he was a kid, he gunned down about a thousand or more outlaws, but also got gunned down a thousand or more time himself. That would be me and Skip.

My third Jim Blawczyk novel, Trail of the Renegade, has Jim trying to track down his cousin Ned, who's turned outlaw. Jim and Ned do a lot of reflecting on their childhood, and the times they spent playing cowboy together. That part of the story is mostly autobiographical, except for the part about my cousin turning outlaw when he grew up. My folks came from northeast Pennsylvania, and every summer we'd go back there for several weeks to visit our relatives, staying at my  maternal grandparent's house. My dad would drive us there, spend the weekend, then head back to Connecticut to work, while we stayed behind. As soon as we got to our destination, I'd head down to my aunt and uncle's place, to get my cousin Neil. His father was the watchman for the local water company. Every morning, we'd jump in my uncle's Jeep to go "up the Mountains", meaning to the reservoirs. He'd open the gate, drive up this rutted dirt road that was barely passable even with a tough 4WD, and drop us off at Second Dam for the day, while he made his rounds. These were the days when water companies held hundreds of acres of land around the reservoirs, all strictly no trespassing. So, once my uncle left us, it was like me and Neil having our own private forest and lake. Two young boys couldn't ask for anything better. There was an abandoned house behind the dam, which made a great fort, and some old cars to play in also. We'd spend the day fishing, picking huckleberries, looking for snakes, catching salamanders, walking underneath the dam through its overflow spillway, and exploring the woods. But mostly, we played cowboys. And boy, did we play cowboys. 

We  chase each other all over the place, in and out of the house, all through the woods and the field behind the dam. We'd climb to the top of the dam, get shot, and roll all the way to the bottom, then lie there, "dead". Sometimes we'd fight side by side against a pretend enemy, but mostly we fought each other. While sometimes we'd switch roles, Neil generally wanted to be the bad guy, while I wanted to be the lawman, so that worked out just fine. We'd wrestle each other, have pretend fist fights and pretend knife fights. But mostly we had gunfights. If I had a dollar for every roll of caps we fired off, I'd be a rich man. We'd blaze away at each other, get killed, then get right back up and start all over. When we had a fast draw showdown, whoever got shot (and it went about even, with me winning half the time, Neil the other half), we'd never die from taking just one slug. The climax of  Trail of the Renegade has  cousins Jim and Ned facing each other, ready to draw, and Ned stating he was going to put all six bullets in his pistol into Jim's belly. That's pretty much how our gunfights went. Whoever got killed took at least three bullets, usually right in the gut, before he went down. in fact, even today, I can still remember that was our favorite line: "Got ya right in the belly!" Sometimes, we'd even play frontier doctor, like we'd seen in the Westerns. When one of us got shot, the other would dig his pocket knife out, then use that to "dig the bullets" out of the shot man, who would of course always pull through, even it he'd taken half a dozen slugs in his belly and chest.

After we'd worked up a good sweat, we'd shuck out of all our clothes and go swimming in the reservoir. Luckily, my uncle never caught us doing that, or he'd have tanned our bare bottoms, but good. He didn't mind letting us break the rules by fishing, but swimming in a public water supply? Uh-uh. That was strictly forbidden.

Ever after we were back home, gone to bed, (most nights, Neil would sleep at our grandparents'  with me, or I'd sleep at his house with him), and were supposedly sleeping, we were playing cowboy, bouncing around on the bed, shooting each other under the covers, until finally, worn out, we fell asleep. Then the next day, we'd start all over again. True, like most boys, we had toy trucks and cars to play with, and spent a lot of time going to the store for penny candy, or rolling apples that had fallen from our grandparents' trees into the road for the cars to squash, but we mostly played cowboys. Even when we didn't go "up the Mountains," we'd play cowboys in our grandparent's yard. Those big apple trees made great cover, and also were great to climb into, then fall out of when you got discovered and shot. There was even an old outhouse my grandmother insisted we use, instead of dragging dirt into the house to use the bathroom, so we had a touch of "Old West" atmosphere right there in the yard.

Of course, those were the days when kids could be kids, and were allowed to play, unsupervised, for hours on end. As long as we got back home by the time the fire horn blew the nine p.m. test signal, we were just fine. Can you imagine what would happen today? Two boys of about ten, allowed to be alone in the woods, all day long, unsupervised? And at a unlifeguarded lake, no less? DCF would have our parents and grandparents arrested for child neglect, and put us in state custody. And of course, playing with cap guns? How horrifying, to a lot of misguided people. Being alone with my cousin, playing cowboy all day long, didn't do me one bit of harm. In fact, today's kids could use more of that kind of freedom.

Richard: And you still play cowboy with Yankee, your horse. Can you tell us about the photos here?

Jim: These photos were taken at one of our nursing home visits and reenactments, for my college's, Southern CT Stale, alumni magazine. They got word of my writing and therapy work and ran an article about us last fall.  What we usually do is find a volunteer to play the bad guy. He guns me down, but then Yankee revives me, and I end up plugging the outlaw.

Richard: You recently wrote about selling books to a father and son at a book signing. Do you find that there's still an interest in Western adventures? Any idea how we can foster that interest and make it grow?

Jim: I find there is, but there's a huge gap in age groups. Older readers, who grew up with Westerns, still look for them, of course. And kids, especially boys, who like a lot of action in their reading, seem to be looking for Westerns, at least to some extent. Unfortunately, there's a whole generation in between who grew up without Westerns, or dismissed them as not fit to read. I find it's the parents who are more resistant to buying their children a Western, rather than the kids themselves. Given the opportunity, most kids will at least try one. So, we somehow have to reach the parents. And the mainstream media hasn't helped. Disney in particular has helped kill a lot of interest in Westerns. They've pretty much taken any reference to Westerns out of their theme parks, even in Frontierland, and their disaster of a Lone Ranger movie, which made a mockery of the character, has probably done more to set back interest in Westerns than any other one thing in years. Unfortunately, I have no easy answer to the problem. If the Western does make a comeback, and we all know it never will to the level it was at years ago, it will be slowly and gradually, one parent, one child, one family at a time.  It's a shame, because the Western is part of our heritage, and it's being lost.

Richard: What can we expect of A Ranger to Stand With?

Jim: As you said, the first three Lone Star Ranger books were tied into each other. Plans are for a total of ten. The remaining books, just like A Ranger's Christmas, will be part of the series, but can be read as stand alone books. In A Ranger to Stand With, Nate learns another lesson about making sure he does the job thoroughly, when he nearly gets killed through his carelessness. He also finally learns the art of the fast draw. The main story is something that happens to most teenage boys. Nate and Hoot get into a violent argument over, what else, girls. This fight will test their friendship to the limits when a band of Comanches raids the ranch where the Rangers are staying, kidnaps the family's youngest son, and attempts to flee back to Mexico, with the Rangers in pursuit.

Richard: Is this your first foray into all ages books? What other titles are you writing?

Jim: To answer your first question, yes and no.My Texas Ranger Cody Havlicek novels were intended as adult westerns, but they tuned out to be suitable for younger readers, particularly Big Bend Death Trap.

As far as future titles, besides the Lone Star Ranger books, there are several in the works. My latest Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk novel, The Ghost Riders, will be released on April 7th by Rough Edges Press. Volume 6 of my Faith and the Law serialized ebook, Which is Which, from High Noon Press, will be out within the next several weeks. I'm also working on three projects that are a bit different, at least for me. One is a Western romance, Heart of a Ranger. That will be a short story ebook, written under the name J.B. Blanchard, and  published under Livia and Cheryl's new imprint, Sundown Press. Another is a contemporary murder mystery, set in my adopted home state of New Hampshire, which as of yet only has a working title, Mountain Murders. That one will be published by Rough Edges Press, for release in late spring. And finally, I'm going to be writing a biography/memoirs of my retired  Texas Ranger friend Jim Huggins. That will also be published by Sundown Press.

I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to be interviewed. And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't urge everyone to check out your excellent Jo Harper series.

Richard: Thanks for the great conversation, Jim. Everybody can learn more about Jim at his web site:  www.jamesjgriffin.net

New Release -- LONE STAR RANGER VOL4: A RANGER'S CHRISTMAS by James J. Griffin--Giveaway

Be sure and leave a comment to throw your name in a drawing for a free ebook of James J. Griffin's A RANGER'S CHRISTMAS.

BLURB

Nate Stewart has avenged the deaths of his family by seeing their pale-eyed murderer dead. But his days of being a Texas Ranger have only just begun. With Christmas on the way, and the Rangers sent to the Big Bend area to patrol, they’re faced with everything from a buffalo stampede to having to resort to finding water any way they can even if it means taking it by force. When Nate believes he may have accidentally killed a friend, he falls into danger that leaves the Rangers believing he’s been drowned. Can a Christmas miracle save him and reunite him with Captain Quincy’s men for A RANGER’S CHRISTMAS?

James J. Griffin's quest for authenticity in his writing has taken him to the famous Old West towns of, Pecos, Deadwood, Cheyenne, Tombstone and numerous others. While Jim's books are fiction, he strives to keep them as accurate as possible within the realm of fiction.

EXCERPT
    “We gonna be able to outrun that stampede?” Nate called to Hoot, shouting to be heard over the horses’ thundering hooves and labored breathing.
    “You’d darn well better hope so,” Hoot hollered back. “I’ve seen men killed in cattle stampedes, more’n once. It’s not a pretty sight, and I’d imagine gettin’ trampled by a herd of buffalo would be even worse. I sure don’t want to die that way. I’d sooner take a bullet, any day. So just lay over your horse’s neck and give him his head. Let him run until he’s run out. You just might save your neck if you do.”
    Stung by the fear and urgency in Hoot’s voice, Nate bent as low as he could over Big Red’s withers, and slapped the reins against his neck, getting still more speed out of the long-legged sorrel. Within moments, Red was even overtaking Jeb’s speedy paint, Dudley. Jeb’s gelding had long been the fastest mount in Captain Quincy’s company, but right now, Red was pushing him for all he was worth.

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Painted Pony Books New Release -- Lone Star Ranger Book 3: A Ranger to Fight With by James J. Griffin -- Giveaway

James will be giving away a copy of A RANGER TO FIGHT WITH to one person who comments, so be sure to leave a way he can contact you in the comments if you would like to participate in the drawing.

BLURB
When Captain Quincy's company of Rangers is ordered to the Big Bend, Nate has no choice but to ride with them. It appears his odds of finding the men who murdered his family grow more distant with each passing mile. But a chance encounter with a patrol of buffalo soldiers provides the first solid lead as to the gang's whereabouts--and Captain Quincy's Rangers make a detour to find the pale-eyed demon whose gang has been responsible for so many deaths. Will Nate and his Ranger companions finally catch up with the killers? Nate's gut feeling says they will--but who will survive?

EXCERPT
    Nate Stewart lay on his bunk, staring at the ceiling of his tent. His three Texas Ranger tentmates, Hoot Harrison, who had quickly befriended Nate, Jim Kelly, and Dan Morton, were all sleeping, snoring softly. However, Nate was having trouble falling asleep. 
    Tomorrow, the Rangers would break camp and head for the Big Bend. That meant Nate would be riding with them, leaving behind the ranch where his father, mother, and older brother had been murdered by outlaws, and Nate himself left for dead. The men responsible were still out there somewhere, and Nate was determined to see them brought to justice. However, that would have to wait. 
    The Ranger company he was with had been ordered to far West Texas, and he had no choice but to go with them. Already, everything which could be packed ahead of time was bundled up, most of the supplies loaded in George Bayfield’s chuck wagon. 
    At first light, the men would eat a quick breakfast, the tents would be taken down, and everything loaded on pack mules. An hour after sunrise, they would be on the trail, heading west.
    Nate sighed as he thought back on everything that had happened to him in the past few weeks; how unexpectedly his life had changed. He had moved with his family from a home in Wilmington, Delaware to a small ranch outside San Saba, Texas. 
    After the attack which left Nate an orphan, he had been found and nursed back to health by a company of Texas Rangers. With no family or friends in Texas, it appeared Nate would have to move back to Delaware, to live with his aunt, uncle, and eight cousins. However, fate had taken a hand when Jeb Rollins, the Ranger arranging for his trip home, had been confronted by a group of rustlers. 
    In the ensuing gunfight, Nate had saved Jeb’s life by tackling and knocking out one of the gunmen, before he could shoot the Ranger. Jeb decided Nate had enough guts, and potential, to be taken on as a camp helper for his Ranger company, despite Nate’s age of only fourteen.
    I’ve learned how to use a gun since then, Nate thought, to care for and ride a horse, and how to handle myself with my fists… not to mention takin’ on someone in a knife fight. I’ll sure never forget what Hoot taught me about that. 
    I’ve shot a couple of men, and been shot and nearly killed myself. If I hadn’t stuffed my train tickets and the rest of my papers back in my shirt pocket, then forgotten about them, the bullet which hit me in the chest would’ve killed me. Even at that, I’m real lucky those papers man-aged to stop that slug. 
    I’ve tried smokin’, which I doubt I’ll try again, drunk te-quila and whiskey, learned how to play cards, and thought about huggin’ and kissin’ a girl. 
    He softly chuckled. He—I mean, heck, I’ve even learned how to cuss some. My ma’d sure have washed out my mouth with soap if she ever heard me doin’ that. 
    I helped stop a bank robbery, and made some good friends. I only wish I’d caught up with the men who killed my folks. 
    I’ve had two more run-ins with ’em since, even managed to put a bullet into that pale-eyed son of Satan who leads the gang, but they’re still on the loose, after killin’ some of my partners, and more innocent folks. 
    Nate sighed again. After all that, I’m still not certain what I’ll do when I have to come face to face with a man, over leveled six-guns. I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull the trigger under those circumstances. 
    And for my pards to count on me, I need to be a Ranger they can fight with.

With those thoughts, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.    

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PPB New Release: Lone Star Ranger Volume 2: A Ranger To Reckon With by James J. Griffin

We are giving away one free ecopy of James J. Griffin's A Ranger To Reckon With. You have to leave a comment for a chance to win.

Nate Stewart’s parents and older brother are brutally murdered by a gang of raiders on the Texas plains, and Nate is left for dead. But a company of Texas Rangers saves his life, and through a twist of fate, Nate proves himself as a provisional Ranger.  At fourteen years old, he’s too young to join the ranks of the Rangers just yet—but he’s not too young to seek out the men who killed his family!

From fighting with a knife to imbibing his first bottle of tequila, Nate learns some much-needed lessons in growing up. But when he and pal Hoot Harrison confront a gang of bank robbers, Nate is faced with self-doubt.

A bloody confrontation with the pale-eyed devil who leads the band of marauders comes unexpectedly—quickly, violently—and ends with the deaths of more innocent ranch hands in a raid eerily similar to the one that took Nate’s family. Only this time, Nate isn’t the green youngster he was before. He’s got a gun and he knows how to use it. He’s A RANGER TO RECKON WITH…

Excerpt:

   Texas Ranger Captain Dave Quincy had recruited two new men, Larry Cannon and Lee Shelton.  After supper that evening, they were sitting by the slowly dying campfire, along with Jeb Rollins, having final cups of coffee and cigarettes before turning in for the night.

   “Jeb,” Lee said. “Those two boys who rode in earlier today. They seem awful young to be Rangers, especially that Nate kid.”

   “They’re both older’n they look,” Jeb answered. “Hoot’s been with us for quite a spell now. As for how Nate became part of the outfit, that’s quite a tale. And, he’s still a probationary Ranger.”

   Jeb took another swallow of his coffee, then a drag on his cigarette.

   “Well, don’t keep us waitin’,” Larry said. “Tell us about him.”

   “All right. We came upon Nate just after his family’s ranch was raided. His ma, pa, and older brother were all killed. Nate had been shot and left for dead. We found him in a root cellar. After we patched him up and buried his folks, we had to decide what to do with him. Bein’ as he had no family left in Texas, the only choice—or so we thought—was to send him back to live with relatives in Delaware, where his family’d come from. Somethin’ happened to change those plans, though.”

   “That’s pretty plain,” Lee said. “What was it?”

   “Nate decided he wanted to stay in Texas. We couldn’t figure out a way to do that. Then, as luck would have it, I ran across a bunch of rustlers the Rangers had been after for quite a spell. Mort Stevenson, and four others. Ended up havin’ a shootout with ’em. Carl Swan, the hombre who rode in with those boys today, took a hand. So did Nate. One of Stevenson’s men was about to plug me. Nate jumped on him and knocked him out. Saved me from a bullet in my guts. So, I figured he had enough sand in his craw that we could take him on as a camp helper. Cap’n Quincy put him on as a probationary Ranger instead. And that sure turned out to be the right decision.”

   “How so, Jeb?” Larry asked.

   “Nate wasn’t so certain he could cut it as a Ranger. Truthfully, neither was I. The boy was real green. Still is, in some ways. But he’s a real quick learner, and got plenty of guts to go with his smarts. Not long after he joined us, the same outfit who killed his folks ambushed us. They’re a right clever bunch. Sent a deputy who was in cahoots with ’em to start most of us on a wild goose chase. We rode straight into a bushwhackin’. And while we were lookin’ for ’em, some of the outfit attacked the men we left behind. One of those was Nate. The deputy had also remained in camp, supposedly because he was too worn out to ride with us. But he was with another part of the bunch. They intended to hit the camp and wipe out every man in it. However, Nate ruined their plans. He spotted what the deputy was up to, and warned the camp just before they were attacked. We did lose six men that night, four who were with the patrol and two in camp, but Nate kept ’em from killin’ everyone who stayed behind, while they were sleepin’. Got himself shot that night, but he healed up right quick. No sir, don’t you worry about Nate bein’ too young. That boy’s gonna be a Ranger to reckon with.” 

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