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 -- THE FLIGHT OF LYDIA GRIMM by Richard Prosch

Jo Harper Book 9

Jo Harper and her sidekick, Frog Beemer, are on their way to the movie in small-town Willowby, Wyoming. Beautiful Hollywood heroine, high-flying Lydia Grimm, is Jo’s role model—and she’s sat through Lydia’s latest movie, Wings Aflame! countless times. The only thing that can stop Jo and Frog from sitting through it again is the real thing—wings aflame—right over their heads!

Fantasy becomes a flaming reality on the Wyoming range as a burning airplane falls from the sky, and Jo and Frog grab their horses and ride to the scene of the disaster to help.

But when Frog returns to Willowby for help, Jo is held at gunpoint by the German pilot who has survived the crash!

All bets are off when Jo learns that her captor is involved with the very star she idolizes—Lydia Grimm! Lydia’s in danger, but it’s up to Jo to figure out why—and she’s determined to get to the bottom of this deadly mystery.

Will Frog return with help in time to save Jo? Can Jo unravel the mystery she’s caught up in? With a madman on the loose, Jo has no choice but to join in THE FLIGHT OF LYDIA GRIMM…

EXCERPT:

     “I’d swear that was the sound of a gasoline engine,” said Frog. “Listen! There it is again.”

     “It is a gas engine, but it’s no car,” said Jo, grinning.

     She pointed to the sky.

     “An airplane!” said Frog.

     It was extremely rare to see an airplane in the clear sky above Willowby, but to see one at night, just after she’d been talking about flying, was an exciting change of pace from a typical weekend night. Jo watched the dimly lit shadow putter along the blue horizon. Jo couldn’t help but think how lucky she was to be growing up in such a time as this, when, after centuries of trying, people flew through the air like birds.

     And just like that, something that sounded like a loud firecracker went off above them and the airplane motor started to whine.

     “It’s coming down! The airplane is coming down,” said Jo, pointing at a spark of light falling out of the purple night toward the dark shadows of nearby Autograph Rock. “She’s on fire!”

     “She?”

     “Hurry! Grab a horse and let’s ride!”

GET THE ENTIRE JO HARPER COLLECTION! Books 1-4 are available in the FINDING THE SKY set, and ON SOLID GROUND contains books 5-8! You will want them all!

&      

New Release -- Sarah's Music by Stella Long with Jessica Pierson Illustrating

~ A children's tale of dreams, sharing with nature, and accomplishment from Choctaw storyteller Stella (Fichek) Long ~

Sarah wishes with all her heart that she could make beautiful music, but her voice won't carry a tune. Determined to play her songs, Sarah sets out in search of a way to make her dream come true.

On her journey, she receives a special gift that will finally make her music real ... but how? Can her friends in the forest help her unlock the secret, or will the music she dreams of stay trapped in her heart forever?

Stella Long's mountain path was one of beauty as she walked alone at the age of six, talking with her friends, the creatures of the wild in the Choctaw language. (Fichek is her Choctaw name; Estella is the English name she likes best.) The mountain was her playground. There were times when she'd forget to go home until the night musicians, the insects, began tuning their instruments.

Stella (Fichek) writes and tells children's stories, getting her ideas from the animals and birds as she sits for hours in the solitary quietness of the lakeside observing animal behavior. She weaves a part of her life into these stories combined with Choctaw songs and sounds of the flute.

Available in Trade Paperback

New Release -- THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER by Randy Lee Eickhoff -- Giveaway!

Christmas promises to be a bitter time of change for Samantha “Sam” McCaslin following the death of her mother. At thirteen years old, tomboyish Sam tries to fill her mother’s place on the family’s South Dakota ranch, the Bar X. Pressure from her grandparents forces her father to choose between sending Sam to live with them, or seeking a housekeeper to help at the ranch.

When Mrs. Six Feathers and her two children, Sarah and Timmy, arrive at the Bar X, Sam deeply resents their coming. She chooses to ignore them as much as possible. But when Sarah and Sam become the victims of Billy Kincaid’s vicious bullying, a bond begins to develop between them as they fight back.

As Kincaid’s behavior becomes dangerously psychopathic, Sam’s very life is threatened. With only her quick wits to survive Kincaid’s ruthless cruelty, every second counts. Will her friends be able to help her in time, or will she become a victim of Billy’s deadly vendetta? At what should be the happiest season of the year, Sam will learn just how important family really is…

With The Christmas Spider, Randy Eickhoff has written a warm, wonderful, off-beat tale.  Yet, it also illustrates a modern problem concerning the bullying of children in today’s society. The timeliness, however, of the Christmas season will make it be a great choice for families to read aloud on Christmas Eve.  – Lucia St. Clair Robson Award winning American historical novelist

A heart-warming and beautiful fable for a beautiful season. Real people with real, human problems discover through the myth, spirit, and ultimate truth of Christmas that there is healing and hope in the world. Randy Eickhoff has given us an instant classic! – William Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lost Constitution and The Lincoln Letter

EXCERPT

     “Sam,” he began. “We need to talk.”

     I sighed. It was going to be worse than I suspected. Whenever Pa prefaced his words with “we need to talk” I knew to prepare myself. I made an elaborate show of closing my book, staring up at the exposed beams in the ceiling.

     “Sam, I would appreciate your attention.”

     Pa’s voice had a warning to it, and although I had heard what he said, I knew what he meant. I pulled my feet from between the cushions and swung around, sitting and facing him.

     “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I was caught up in my book.”

     “What are you reading?” he asked, although I knew he had seen the title. This was going to be really bad news if he felt he had to wade around in shallow water before jumping in.

     “Roy Rogers and the Mystery of Howling Mesa,” I said, holding the title so he could see it.

     “You’ve read that before.”

It wasn’t a question, but I treated it as such.

     “Yes, but I like it. Old books are comfortable, sometimes, like when you really don’t want any surprises, or can’t find another book like it that you want to read, so you read it again.” I shrugged. “Sometimes, I just like reading something familiar.”

     He cleared his throat again. “Sam, your grandparents and me’ve been talking about you maybe going in and living with them so you could go to school this year in Fort Pierre.”

     I shook my head, remembering suddenly what I had overheard the night when Pa and I had stayed over in town. A bad feeling came over me.

      “I don’t want to, Pa. I want to stay here.”

     “Sam,” he began, but I broke in.

     “Besides, you need me here, Pa. Especially with—” I couldn’t say the words about Mother being gone. The words just wouldn’t come. I continued, fumbling for something to say, rattling on desperately as if I could talk long enough, everything bad would go away.

Be sure and leave a comment for a chance to win a free ebook, THE CHRISTMAS SPIDER!

     

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.

BUY LINKS   Barnes & Noble     Smashwords     Kobo 

    

#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--DOGBREAD AND DIAMONDS by Richard Prosch--#Giveaway

Just about any small town, ranch, or farm has its share of special desserts, pastries, and secret recipes. When I was a kid in Nebraska, the main street Bakery had its dusted, frosted wares on display by 6:00 am and, if they weren't sold out by 9:30 whatever was left was hard as a rock.

You had to get there early.

If you did, you were more richly rewarded than the Divine Right kings of Europe or the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. Long Johns, Bizmarks, Apple Fritters: these were the jewels of the plains, warm and glistening with a sugar glaze.  These were riches beyond compare.

Remembering those mornings, digging into a grease-stained brown paper sack, made me wonder about Willowby, the fictional Wyoming town where Jo Harper lives. Was there a proper bakery back there in 1911, or were the breakfast treats of Jo's time more intimate, as befits a fledgling western settlement?

Before I married Gina, I met her Grandma Frida, a woman known well in her community for the pastries she made.  Delivered in bulk to work crews, field hands and the ladies at the bank--free of charge--Frida's fried doughnuts were the stuff of legend.  And the recipe unknown.

I decided that's the kind of breakfast Jo, Frog and Abby Drake would enjoy best. Home made, hand delivered --in the same brown paper sack I remember, with the same sensual overload.

Jewels of the plains. Diamonds in the rough.

Stolen diamonds is where this story begins...

BLURB

In the wild west, decades before Willowby, Wyoming was founded, Stink Carmichael robbed a stage coach of the famous Dakota Diamonds and was never heard from again. When Jo Harper and her best friend Frog find the loot in a hidden cellar, old secrets come out and greed can't help but rear its ugly head. When Frog disappears and Jo is accused of pilfering the diamonds herself, things can't get any worse. But Constable Abby Drake has a few secrets of her own and a sack of warm, flaky breakfast rolls might just be the key to saving the day.

EXCERPT

    "We shouldn't be here, Frog," said Jo Harper, her lace-up boot slipping on the next step down. "It's muddy."

    "It's damp," said Frog. “And since when have you ever in your whole life been worried about a little mud?"

    A cold draft swept up the slippery wood plank steps from the underground darkness below, bringing with it a smell of mildew and grime that threatened to close Jo's throat. 

    A grim welcome from the hidden cellar deep underneath the Beemer mansion in Willowby, Wyoming.  

    "It's not mud I'm worried about," said Jo, quickly cupping her hand around the wick of the flickering candle she carried. "This is the longest set of steps I've ever seen. It's falling and breaking my neck that worries me. Then who's going to bail you out of trouble?"

    "Ha-ha. Ain't you funny? You oughtta be in the movies, Jo."

    Again, eleven-year old Frog Beemer dropped away down into the dark, fearlessly taking the stairs two at a time.

    Jo waited for him to say something.

    "Frog?" she said, ears straining, eyes peering past the dim circle of candle light.  Jo willed her leg forward into space, sliding her toe out, over the worn edge of the step. "Frog, where are you?"

    She put her weight down on her right leg.

    A low squeal, like the settling of timber came from the hole ahead. 

    Timber. Or something else. Maybe something alive.

Leave a comment for a chance at a free copy of Richard Prosch's Dogbread and Diamonds.

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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.”

BUY LINKS

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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

#NewRelease--Redbuds and Bullets (Jo Harper Book 6) by Richard Prosch -- #Giveaway

Be sure and leave a comment for Richard Prosch to enter the drawing for a free ebook of REDBUDS and BULLETS.

BLURB

Thirteen year old Jo Harper's trip to attend the reading of her mysterious uncle's will isn't welcome news to everybody in Willowby, Wyoming, and with the notorious Casper Brothers on the loose, the spring of 1911 isn't the best time to steam across the wide open west.

But with great expectations and grim determination, Jo hurtles into adventure, learning along the way who her friends are, and who wants her out of the way for good.

Blossoming danger! Dark captivity! And wildflowers galore!

EXCERPT

Jo's face flushed hot. She was the poor country hick without a ticket.

"I said, is there a problem?" said the conductor with a gruff voice.

"I'm afraid I've lost my ticket," said Jo.

"Lost? Or never had one to begin with?"

"No, I had it when I got aboard."

"I doubt that very much."

"Where's the other conductor? He knows. He saw it. When I told him I was going to Kansas City."

"Other conductor? What are you talking about? I'm the conductor on this train. There is no other!"

What was going on here? Jo's mind was awhirl. There had been another conductor. Jo was sure of it.

Now, this conductor reached down and pulled her up by her shirt collar. "Pick up your hat and satchel," he said. "No ticket, no passage."

"Wait!" said Jo.

"I'm sorry, kid," said the man, now clamping a meaty hand on Jo's arm. "Off the train."

Off the train?

"But I've got to go to Kansas City," said Jo. "My aunt is waiting for me."

"Don't tell me no sob stories. Let's go."

Easily twice Jo's size and weight, it was easy for the conductor to push her down the aisle toward the back door. When they got there, he pulled open the exit, and a wall of wind hit them both.

The train clickety-clacked along the tracks and a new fear rushed into Jo's head.

The man was going to throw her off the train, all right. While it was still moving!

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NEW RELEASE -- The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 3: The Orphanage by Sara Barnard -- Giveaway!

Be sure and leave a comment for a chance to win an ecopy of Sara Barnard's The Orphanage!

Far from home in a land foreign to them, kidnapped Apache siblings Wind That Knocks Down Lodges and Cactus Flower are at the mercy of the Army soldiers they have grown to despise. When ordered to dispose of the children or else, the Army soldiers waste no time in depositing them at the nearest Catholic orphanage, where unlikely alliances are forged and Knocks Down must make a decision: conform to the Pale Face world or risk everything for an unlikely chance at escape.

Excerpt

    “A new garrison,” Cactus translated, though she didn’t have to. I was rolling the pale face words off my tongue easier with each passing sunset. “Wants to see the …prisoners?” Her word tweaked up at the end, turning it into a question. She looked at me. “Do they mean us?”

     Glancing over the seat again, I could see that they did. “They’re coming with a big man that is red in the face and whose head is covered in silver hair, like the cunning fox. Sit up and look like one of The People.”

     Cactus Flower did as I said, just as the dirty canvas pulled back. The red faced man peered in, a brown wad that looked like a fat twig clenched in his teeth. He must have held it there often, because a brown stain from the juice had crusted on his lips. “Kids!” he spat, flinging the wad of juicy brown paper and leaves into the back of the wagon with us. Neither Cactus nor I flinched. “Brats! Whelps, they are.”

     Silence covered the men like the burial shroud had covered my mother.

     The big man with the hair like the silver fox continued, his face growing redder with each breath he sucked in. “You call these Injuns prisoners? It’s no wonder why the general saw fit to relieve you bunch of misfits. Me and my men are taking over. Now.”

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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.

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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