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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

New Release—A Good Day To Die by James Ciccone

 


You don’t want to make me mad. I’ve got a lot of hate in me, and I am not afraid of one blessed thing in this life. I’m Crawford Goldsby—better known as Cherokee Bill—and if you think you’re the one to bring me to justice you’re wrong…dead wrong.

They call me a half-breed, but I killed my first man by the time I was twelve, and I never stopped. Why? Because I like killing—and I’m damn good at it. Indian Territory wouldn’t be the same without me.

But this outlaw likes living, too, and when I rob that train carrying millions for a big payoff here in Indian Territory, I’ve got a plan to cut loose and run to South America—along with my fancy woman, Maggie.

Don’t get in my way. Indian Territory is mine. Oklahoma Territory is mine. If you cross me, your life is mine, too. I’m barely eighteen, and I can deliver a kill shot without even looking your way—yes, I’m that good.

Judge Parker can’t wait to get his hands on me over in Fort Smith. If he does, death by hanging will be end of me. Will Parker get his wish?  We’ll see…I’ve gotten confident in my own abilities to escape. If he gets his way at last, he won’t see Cherokee Bill running scared.

I’ll look the bastard in the eye and say, “It’s A GOOD DAY TO DIE…”

EXCERPT

Our gang, the Cook gang, was a ragtag assortment of homicidal maniacs, idiots, desperados, sexual perverts, gamblers, debtors, horse thieves, and perennial losers. And we all liked killing.

By the age of twelve, I had already managed to quit school, drink liquor, hang out with outlaws, shoot and kill a man, and gain an acquittal on a murder charge in open court. Admittedly, that was quite an impressive start in life.

In 1894, stories about me started hitting newspapers from as far away as New York and as close as the Fort Smith Elevator across the border in Arkansas. Of course, the reporters didn’t get the stories straight or put my real name out there, Crawford Goldsby. Instead, they used Cherokee Bill, and got folks all riled up by putting out that I was an outlaw with no fear, a robber on a reign of terror, a desperado at the same level of notoriety as Wild Bill Hitchcock, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Johnny Ringo, the Calico Cowboy, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. However, none of that was exactly true. It was far worse. The truth was I was a kid of only eighteen, and my “reign of terror with the law,” as they put it, was just getting started.

     

13 comments:

  1. James, I love your telling of this story of Cherokee Bill. I feel as though I "got to know him" through you. This is just an excellent book. I'm so glad we connected and got your story out. Congratulations on your new release!

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    1. No, thanks are due to you for welcoming me into your stable of distinguished writers. Your suggestion to switch the POV from the third person to first person reflective: priceless!!!!

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    1. Thanks Doris. I am honored to join your group.

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  3. I like the cover - congrats on the release, James.
    I'll give it a read.

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    1. Thanks Jerry! I like your recent title. It grabs the reader's attention, and your prose style absolutely casts a spell.

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  4. Holy Cow! I've recently finished my historical romance with a gunman and a deaconess, and I thought he was a tough guy as far as wanting certain ones dead, but this story sounds like there will be lots of action, and no messin' around. Sounds wonderful. Very nice cover also. Wishing you much success with this one, it's a sure bet it will be a hit.

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    1. Thanks Beverly. You are reading my mind. I wanted to draw the reader into the story with pace, direction, purpose and the expectation of action from the first line.

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    2. Thanks Beverly! You are reading my mind. I wanted to use pace, direction, purpose and the expectation of action to hook the reader from the first line.I figured pace and window pane prose would connect the reader to the story from the top.

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  5. Great title that will lure readers. The red in the cover is kinda fitting, too. Cngratulations and I wish you loads of success with this release.

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! High praise from you indeed. I have read your work with secret admiration!

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  6. I am not good at blogging. That is why my replies are anonymous. Lol. Mysteriously, the email address is connected to my stable. I don't know how to switch to my personal email address. I'll try to figure it out.

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    1. James, you'll figure it out. For now...you can be the mysterious UNKNOWN...LOL So glad to have you with us!

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