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.

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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.”

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#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 -- 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.

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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.

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

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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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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.

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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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