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.

     

New Release -- RELUCTANT PARTNERS by J. L. Guin

 

Bounty hunter Judd Jacoby has been doing things his own way for many years—up until now. He’s got a reputation for always bringing in the outlaw he’s after—and doing it alone. But when Judd is dealt a serious head injury, he’s reluctantly forced to accept a partnership with Faye McJunkin, a young woman he rescued when pursuing criminal Lonnie Sims.

When Judd and Faye track two ruthless bank robbers to a cabin, they must confront the men after dark. Faye comes up with a plan to get them in close proximity of the cabin door, but what might happen next is anyone’s guess—and the stakes are all or nothing. 

As time goes by, Faye proves herself time and again, but can Judd accept needing an unwanted partner? If he doesn’t, will he have to give up bounty hunting entirely? There might be an unexpected, surprising solution to the unusual dilemma for both of these RELUCTANT PARTNERS…if they live long enough!

EXCERPT

It was three days later when Sturgis paid Perkins a visit. He grinned when he came in and sat down in a ladderback chair next to the bed where Perkins lay. “You're looking better, Dan. Your coloring is starting to come back.”

Perkins blinked his eyes open. “Hurts like hell, but the doctor left a bottle of some foul-tasting stuff that I sip from time to time. It deadens the pain some but mostly puts me to sleep again. I think I'd rather drink whiskey.”

Sturgis laughed. “There will be plenty of time for that after you heal up. Did you notice my new addition?” He leaned forward and took a hand to pinch up the badge pinned to his shirtfront.

Perkins glared at the badge in astonishment. “What the hell is that?” Perkins knew that Carl Sturgis was a reckless man, reckless with his own life and reckless with the law. Together, they had been in enough tight scrapes for him to know that Sturgis, as well as himself, were anything but honest men.

“Why, it's my badge! I'm the new marshal of Stanley, appointed by Mister Avery Belk, unofficial mayor of the town. The badge and the job are legit, gives me something to do while waiting for you to heal up enough to ride. Part of the package he offered includes the care you receive, however long it takes. I get a hotel room, all my meals, and forty dollars a month. On top of that, I have free run of the town.”

This time, Perkins managed a grin. “Kinda like bringing a fox to watch the chickens.”

     

Pre-Order Now Available -- Blood on Bull's Run by Kevin Crisp

When Jed Deming sets out to bring home a beautiful runaway, he soon has his horse stolen and finds himself being chased by Paiute Indians. Wounded and barely able to make his escape, he comes upon a friendly camp that turns out to be not-so-friendly—leaving him at the mercy of a ruthless cutthroat gang of outlaws. But Jed has made a promise to Selena’s mother to find her—and though he’s young and inexperienced, he’s got more determination than many men twice his age.

Killing outlaws is not what he set out to do, but sometimes, a man has to test his own mettle to know what he’s worth… Will Jed be able to keep his word to find Selena in the rough mining camps she’s run to? His future depends on his success—and her decision to return with him, or stay with the life she’s chosen. The letter in his pocket explains everything—if Jed lives long enough to find Selena amid the BLOOD ON BULL’S RUN…

New Release -- UNLIKELY PARTNERS by J. L. Guin -- Giveaway!

Bounty hunter Judd Jacoby has a ruthless reputation of his own—he always gets his man. And he does it without help. When he captures Lonnie Sims, everything changes. Sims convinces beautiful Faye McJunkin to help him escape by betraying the hardened bounty man. Making off with more money than either of them have ever seen, Lonnie then rides away and leaves Faye in the middle of the prairie—alone.

When Judd finds her, he has half a mind to ride on and leave her to the cutthroats who have captured her—but he can’t do it, despite her earlier deception. Judd draws down on the two outlaws, but they won’t go peacefully. When the firefight ends and the smoke clears, Faye proves her worth. Risking his life for her, Judd has been wounded, and needs the care only she can provide.

Faye has been making bad choices ever since she left home, and Judd has been a loner since the age of seventeen. Putting their lives on the line in the hunt for killer Lonnie Sims has brought two UNLIKELY PARTNERS together as nothing else ever could.

A believable, gritty western novel with plenty of gun smoke.

EXCERPT

Higgins kept hitting the man with his fist until Lonnie turned his attention toward the beating. “That’s enough Hig! He’s out. Drag him in here and let’s get moving; we got other things to do.” Higgins put his six-gun in his holster then grabbed Gritts’s shirt at the shoulders and dragged the inert man into the cell. Lonnie shut the cell door and locked it. “Best if you keep quiet until we leave town, Marshal. It wouldn’t go good for you if you were to make a bunch of noise.”

Hodge’s face was flushed red. He had just witnessed his friend Willard Gritts suffer a terrible beating, and the marshal was helpless. “I don’t know what you two are up to, but both of you are going to answer for this!”

Lonnie shrugged, smirking. “How’s the law going to catch up to us when he’s locked in his own jail?”

The two men, with six-guns tucked into their holsters, walked casually out of the marshal’s office as if they had just conducted a little chitchat with the official. They mounted their horses and trotted to the front of the bank, where they dismounted and tied their reins to a hitch rail.

        Lonnie studied the front of the bank while Higgins’s dark eyes darted up and down the street. When they figured that all was clear, they walked inside.

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New Release — ONCE A DROVER by Jerry Guin — Giveaway!

Sam Hall was ONCE A DROVER, but everything changed for him when he stood up for what was right. From small town saloons along the trail to the larger city of Fort Worth, Sam can’t stand by and watch when things start to go south—even if it means jail time for him.

When Sam meets beautiful Ellen Riggs, he thinks there might be a chance for a future with her. But Ellen disappears, and Sam returns to his aunt’s spread near Fort Worth, determined to stay on and help her. He puts away his fast gun for a more settled life, at last.

A chance meeting with the elusive Ellen Riggs makes Sam realize that she’s in trouble—a tight spot she can’t handle alone. When she goes missing, Sam knows her worst fears have been realized, and she’s in the hands of the cruel gambler she once married. Can Sam save her from the abusive John Riggs? Do Sam and Ellen have a chance at a future together? No matter what, it’s up to him to put on his gun once more and find her…

EXCERPT

     Ellen began to see, or perhaps pay attention, to some of the goings on in the gaming room. One night, John got into an argument with a disgruntled player who had lost a large bet. The man left in a huff.
     The next day, authorities searched the riverboat for a missing passenger, to no avail. The assumption was that the man had fallen overboard and had been swept away in the river. Ellen wondered if John had something to do with the disappearance, but kept quiet.
     One night, a week before they pulled into St. Louis, Ellen left the casino early, and was walking to her stateroom when she noticed two men struggling in a darkened side passageway. It was John Riggs and an unknown man. She stepped inside a doorway, out of sight, but she could still see what was going on.
     Suddenly, a hand raised a knife, the blade glinting in the moonlight. Ellen chilled when she heard a grunt, then watched as John rifled the downed man’s pockets, then rolled his still-twitching body over the side. She was going to leave, but was so awestruck she continued to watch as John stepped through a stateroom doorway, then re-emerged with some toweling. He wiped the deck of the blood from the man, then threw the towels overboard.

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