#NewRelease: The Saga of Indian Em'ly — 99-cent Boxed Set

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

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

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


The Saga of Indian Em'ly Books 1-4 is a tale of bold adventure Middle Grade readers won't be able to put down. At only 99 cents, it's a bargain.


Excerpt:

Something wasn’t right. The night animals ceased their songs in unison, and another troublesome cloud shrouded the moon. An icy shiver trickled down my backbone to the tune of silence. The happy drumming coming from the camp, telling the world of the birth of Red Lake’s firstborn son, had slowed to a stop. I froze, pulling Cactus Flower back onto her bottom. She rose from the hard-packed earth, her bottom lip puffed out and her inky eyebrows knitted together above her eyes. Before she could open her mouth to speak, a flock of beating wings sent me cowering, nose first, into the dirt beside her.

“Knocks Down, why did those birds –”

Instinctively, I slapped my hand over her mouth, taking care enough to be gentle. No sooner had she quieted, than another sound echoed through the solemn night air.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

I slipped my finger over my lips, wordlessly instructing Cactus Flower to remain silent. She nodded and I removed my hand from over her mouth.

Now Available

#NewRelease and GIVEAWAY: On Solid Ground: The Jo Harper Collection Vol. II

Looking back, especially when you reach a certain age, time is more weirdly mercurial than ever. A year passes quickly, its fleeting months scattered like seed to the wind, but paradoxically the days were long and sometimes interminable.

Or it can be the other way around. Days fly by with busywork and odds and ends, but you wake up to think, My God! It’s still only February.

Sometimes it’s all slow. Or all fast.

More than a year has passed since “Waiting for a Comet,” the first Jo Harper story made its debut, and nearly twelve months now since Jo’s first four adventures were collected. Since then, four more stories have appeared from Painted Pony Press, a complete unpublished tale waits in the wings, an Early Days of Abby Drake story will appear this fall in an anthology of stories, and the audio version of “Waiting for a Comet” will be ready for the holidays.

It’s all been a dazzling roll through the calendar, and a thundering 2016 looks to be close at hand.

Time, for Jo and Frog, while filled with more adventure, passes more slowly. She turned 13 this year, and Frog turned 11. They might stay at that age for a while. Or they might not – I honestly didn’t intend for them to have birthdays. It just happened.

And for me, that’s an example of the most exciting aspect of writing Jo Harper. Nothing has been planned. For the first time in my experience writing fiction, I have a body of work that was not outlined, not pre-figured. Each of these stories found me sitting down, writing into the dark. When you read the first chapter and don’t know what’s going to happen next, rest assured that I didn’t either.

Jo Harper has put a lot of fun back into my writing. I hope this second volume of stories does the same for your reading.

Blurb:

Jo Harper rides the range again with Frog Beemer, Constable Abby Drake, McGee the dog, and a host of no good owlhoots. If you love rollicking old-fashioned adventure, grab this second volume of four novella-length stories.

In 1911, when trouble comes to Willowby, Wyoming, thirteen year-old Deputy Constable Jo Harper is usually on top of it. But trouble has a way of following Jo, and strangers aren't always what they seem.

When old friends prove to be enemies, and enemies might be friends, Jo relies on all her wits to seek justice.

And sometimes just to stay alive!

Jo Harper rides the range again with Frog Beemer, Constable Abby Drake, McGee the dog, and a host of no good owlhoots. If you love rollicking old-fashioned adventure, grab this second volume of four novella-length stories.

Richard Prosch's series about young Jo Harper and her friends, set in early 20th century Wyoming, just keeps getting better and better. — James J. Griffin, author of the Lone Star Ranger series

A part Mark Twain, part Rooster Cogburn, a dose of H.G. Wells... —Wayne D. Dundee

Please leave a comment below for a chance to win a free digital copy!

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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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Fabulous Five: Five novels for Middle Grade Readers -- Boxed Set Only 99 Cents

THE PHANTOM RANGER AND THE SKATEBOARD GANG—James And Livia Reasoner

The Texas Rangers’ job is to protect, so when Ranger Jackson’s great-great-great granddaughter needs help, he reports for duty! But how can Codi explain her ancestor’s ghost to her history project partner—and her dad?

Waiting For a Comet (Jo Harper Book 1)—Richard Prosch

Halley’s Comet brings a surprise Jo Harper never expected! Action, humor, and real life history combine for an exciting mystery about one girl’s summertime quest for family, friendship, and justice on the windburnt Wyoming range at the dawn of a new century.

Racing a Dog Star (Jo Harper Book 2)—Richard Prosch

Flung headlong into the Dog Days of summer by multiple mysteries that may or may not be related, Jo Harper and Frog Carpenter face them together and solve them! In this sequel to WAITING FOR A COMET, Jo, Frog and sure-shootin' lady Constable Abby Drake return for another visit to the exciting town of Willowby, Wyoming in the hot, dry summer of 1910.

The Apache and the Pale Face Soldiers (The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 1)—Sara Barnard

With no one to lean on but each other and the fragile balance between the Apache and the soldiers irreparably upset, an Indian war begins. Knocks Down and Cactus Flower must make their way as children of The People, the Comanche,  in the pale face world – pale faces who have now become the enemy.

On the Colorado Trail (The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 2)—Sara Barnard

After a dangerous failed attempt at escape by Knocks Down and his sister that leaves Cactus Flower injured, can Knocks Down bring himself to trust the soldier, Pale Face Joe? His life depends on it, and his little sister's does, as well!

Now Available

#NewRelease -- The Saga of Indian Em’ly Book 4: The Journey Home by Sara Barnard -- #Giveaway

BLURB
Twelve-year-old Knocks Down and his little sister, Cactus Flower, manage to escape the evil orphanage along with a new pale face friend, Kid McCoy. But once they escape, they are set upon by a gang of murdering claim jumpers who steal Cactus and leave Knocks Down for dead. 

Determined to find his little sister, Knocks Down gets to the nearest town where they’ve taken her, only to discover she has been sold as a slave! With Kid McCoy’s help, Knocks Down goes after her. Escaping once more, they encounter an old nemesis, a soldier from the nearby fort that was responsible for their mother’s death—and he’s set on seeing Knocks Down and Cactus Flower dead, as well. 

How can a boy defeat a battle-hardened soldier? Just when Knocks Down is about to give up, the biggest surprise of all changes everything on THE JOURNEY HOME…

EXCERPT
    The day passed quickly and in relative silence until Kid realized something. “Say Chief, where is it we’re headed, anyway?”
    I scanned the foreign horizon, an odd feeling suddenly gripping my backbone. “South,” I whispered, “back home, to the land of the Comanche.” Without thinking, I dropped to a crouch and let every sound fade away. Chirping birds, whistling wind, even the breath of Cactus and Kid. Every sound disappeared except the one that had pricked my ear and shot the rash of tingles in the first place. 
    “Something has happened nearby.” 
    Cactus slipped her hand into mine. “I hear it, too. Let’s go.”
    Kid scratched his head. “What’d I miss? I don’t hear nothin’.”

    By the time we arrived at what was left of the pale face camp, Kid heard it too. The dog’s whimpering had grown louder with each step, and more mournful. There hadn’t been but six people in camp, two of them children, and no survivors. The dog, a hulking black beast with pointed ears, low hips and a long tail, lay by the body of the girl. Whining, he licked her face and nuzzled her hands, as if trying to wake her from a deep sleep.

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#NewRelease -- Six-Gun Salad by Richard Prosch -- #FreeGiveaway

It's double-barreled excitement from Painted Pony Books with the release of the latest story in Richard Prosch's critically acclaimed Jo Harper series, SIX-GUN SALAD, as well as a free book promotion for the first story, WAITING FOR A COMET, from August 11 through August 14.

Blurb

Would you cry over spilled potato salad? Would you risk your life for it? Jo Harper can't contain her frustration when a determined Danish lawyer and a hard-headed German farmer get ready to square off with guns over just that.

But things are more than they seem, and an old-world grudge means Jo has less than 48 hours to stop certain violence between these two!

It's an Elizabethan tragedy-in-the-making unless Jo, Frog and Abby can unravel the threads of a dangerous plot that threatens to tear apart not just two families, but the entire town of Willowby, Wyoming.

Excerpt

    Having roped a goat, knocked down three dolls with a rubber ball, pitched horseshoes, and guzzled a lemon soda, Jo Harper wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.
     Happy cries, laughter, and shouts came from voices of every age, carried on the ever-present Wyoming summer wind, and the mouth-watering smells of grilled sausages and warm rhubarb pie weren't far behind. A passel of boys played baseball to her left.
    Directly behind the church, girls skipped rope.
    A loud clank to her right signaled a new game of horseshoes was underway. It looked like everybody in the community was at the picnic, and there was no way Jo could stay still any longer.
    She was ready for her next adventure.

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Don't miss the first book in this great series, WAITING FOR A COMET, which is now free for the Kindle through August 14!