Historical Romance set in 1800's featuring mail-order brides needed for men of the West. Roosma, Mennonite, Non violent must protect mail order bride cousins with his guns very reluctantly

Comanche and Kiowas joined forces to raid all the settlements from the Oklahoma territory in the western part of the Panhandle south into Texas, about as far as the Canadian river. Bart Calhoon hadn't been back to his old ranch for over two years in Hartley County, and his trip now with a new wife was beset by difficulties of swollen rivers, savage Indians and a nefarious character accompanying their journey -whose outcome was a tremendous but successful gamble.

A murderous and muddled getaway from the Silver City bank robbery puts young Jimmy Doss and Slats McClary a few trail days ahead of ex-ranger, Hank Darcy. They escape through the rugged Gila Mountains of Arizona Territory, defile a bizarre family and bring more manly trouble than the Missouri run-away youngster can handle. The raw-boned mining town of Globe deals them endless problems, including Jimmy’s fascination with a painted lady. And Slats, attempting the role of a gentleman gains a money-slick reputation with his cousin, Irish Pete, before they slip into a twisted sale of a mine to a rich, strong-armed buyer. Can the ex-ranger eventually close in on the killer outlaw twosome with his plan for frontier justice behind the back of a corrupt local marshal? And another deadly bank robbery could thwart all plans for the lawmen and their prey. Globe’s prominence, which exploded with the discovery of a uniquely shaped chunk of near-pure silver ore seems a proper place for a not-so-pure climax for many provocative lives.

The major character in the story is Troy O’Neill, an Arizona boy reared by a religious mother of Dutch heritage and an adventurous Irish father. The boy treks northward into the wilds of the mountains and canyons of Utah in search of an ancient Aztec treasure. Amid harrowing experiences and life-and-death struggles, the impossible dream comes true.

The major character in the story is Troy O’Neill, an Arizona boy reared by a religious mother of Dutch heritage and an adventurous Irish father. The boy treks northward into the wilds of the mountains and canyons of Utah in search of an ancient Aztec treasure. Amid harrowing experiences and life-and-death struggles, the impossible dream comes true.

A former marshal with a trouble past drifted into Twin Creeks looking for some rest and a chance to forget his problems but fell into more trouble than he could handle. The entire town wanted him to be hanged, so Morgan Reeves had to decide if he was going to run or risk his life to save a woman with a reputation and her son.

A former marshal with a trouble past drifted into Twin Creeks looking for some rest and a chance to forget his problems but fell into more trouble than he could handle. The entire town wanted him to be hanged, so Morgan Reeves had to decide if he was going to run or risk his life to save a woman with a reputation and her son.

A story of four boys whose lives, thrown together through their misadventures, over the summer haphazardly grown into men, finding what life is all about.

Pete was born on a ranch near what is now Fort Worth, Texas. His father was a red-headed Irishman, who had lived and traded with the Comanche for years. His mother was the daughter of a Comanche medicine man and a cousin to Quanah Parker. The white man knew him as Pete O’Neal; the Comanche knew him as Little Fire. Pete was accepted to West Point, but his education was cut short when the Civil War broke out. He spent the entire war as one of Jeb Stuart’s aides. After the war, he did a lot of things; he lived with Indians, fought Indians, worked on the railroad, and punched cattle. It took six hundred heads of cattle, one very large dog, and a Wyoming winter to set his mind at rest. A letter from his uncle in Texas got him started on his way home.

After setting out from the only home he knew, Jody Wells fought to make his way west, where trouble and danger were daily occurrences. Only to end up serving four years in the penitentiary for a robbery he didn’t commit.

The US Army’s fighting experience from the Civil War’s end in 1865 until the Western Frontier’s end in 1890 has come to be known as the Indian Wars period. Previous conflicts had been limited to skirmishes with native tribes as their people were pushed westward into yet unwanted territory. Following the 1849 gold rush, travel routes and settlement pockets had increased across the trans-Mississippi regions as ever-greater numbers of Euro-Americans quested for land (and gold), enlarging the conflict between incompatible ways of life. As settlers and adventurers besieged tribesmen, some chose guerrilla warfare, characterized by skirmishes, raids, massacres, battles, and campaigns of varying intensities that ranged over plains, mountains, and deserts of the vast American West. Because the army’s responsibilities involved great distances, limited resources, and extended operations (often impeded by governmental policies), its punitive actions suffered. From revolutionary times, the new United States held anti-standing-army sentiments believing that the “Indian problem” can be settled by nonmilitary means. Hence, the post–Civil War army dropped in half by the critical centennial year when the nation was shocked by the Little Big Horn catastrophe. In the previous ten years, a series of forts had been built and a command structure was organized for frontier defense around two western commands: the Division of the Missouri (containing Departments of Arkansas, Missouri, and the Platte) and the Division of the Pacific (containing Departments of California, Columbia, and the Gulf). Since the theater of war was largely uninhabited, its variations in climate and geographical features and its extreme distances were accentuated by army manpower limitations, logistical problems, and movement difficulties. In the postwar decades, few officers and soldiers had frontier and Indian-fighting experience against an unorthodox enemy. Those who had previous contacts approached their opponents with respect and were often helpful in promoting solutions to the Indian problem. Most memorable among the army’s nineteenth century leaders are the names of Sherman, Sheridan, Miles, Howard, Gibbon, Sully, Cooke, Canby, and Crook. Given the central role their soldiers made in dealing with the Indians, the US Army and a few of its notable leaders made major contributions to the consolidation of the American continent.

Asante is a story about three brothers and their journey to a place where they belong. Set in post slavery America (Reconstruction period), the tale is rich with the struggles and unique triumphs of that time. Drama ensues and tension builds as the brother settle in Apache Junction, Arizona. While making the best out of the hand they are dealt, they encounter an all-new level of deception, corruption, greed, and double dealings. Never has there been a story that teased at the possibility of Negros progressing directly from slavery to this level of status in society, furthermore creating their own space. Although this is a work of fiction, it does inspire the drive to do more, go further, try harder, dream the impossible dream. As you accompany the characters on their journey in this book, you will sense some themes of today’s economical and social politics. You will identify some parallels between the greed written about in these chapters and the greed in the headlines today. My hope is that every reader can find a character, idea, issue, or situation that they can relate to and that draws them deeper into the story.

This book is a composite of fact, fiction, and fantasy. Some poems are a mixture of all three. Credit for the inspiration must go to Baxter Black, to my mind the greatest of the Cowboy Poets.

In December of 2004, I had just finished re-reading one of Baxter’s books when the idea came to me to maybe write a poetic birthday card for my darling Lavenia. The idea had come, but as hard as I tried, the words did not. I then recalled an old author’s adage, “Write about what you know.”

That day I penned “Last Big Wreck”; the next day “Crossed Over”; and the next day “Mogollon Roan”. The rest, as they say, is history. And yes, she did get her birthday card.

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Award

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Snow in the Vineyard is a fictional introspective of a boy who experienced life on the homestead, in the town and years later returned as editor-publisher of the hometown newspaper.

By the time Albert and Saskatchewan achieved provincial status in 1905, settlers by the hundreds of thousands flocked to the free homesteads of the western prairie. In the Palliser Triangle, on a veneer of topsoil, they faces choking drought, incessant winds, unrelenting winters, and plagues of pests. Only a fraction survived the hardships of the unforgiving prairie. Tom Reardon and his bride Hannorah settled a marginal quarter north of the fictional town of Henley Junction.

The story follows their lives, loves and tragedies through three generations as they interact, inter-marry and feud with neighbors and towsfolk. Their lives become entangled in intrigue, including rape, murder, political blackmail and eco terror. Fundamental to their existence is an endless campaign to stabilze the region with a small share of Red Deer River water. In the end, love conquers all except the futile quest for a secure supply of water.

Joe Manning owned a good-size ranch outside of a small town in Virginia, and he was plowing one day close to his house. He was getting ready to plant a garden patch for the family to use for their livelihood. Three men came along the road. All three had sidearms and one man had a rifle. He shot Joe in the back while Joe was trying to get to the house to get his rifle and defend his family. Then they killed his wife and young daughter, burned the house down around them, and left Joe in his yard bleeding to death. Joe, who cared deeply about people, was the first person in the community to volunteer to help everyone who was in need. Joe, with his wife at one time or another, had entertained in their home all the people in the area. Who could have shot poor Joe Manning in the back twice and destroyed his family and house? What is going on around here? This has always been a nice area of the country. I wonder who is behind all this killing. Why would they kill his wife and daughter, and why would they have burned down his nice house? This is really a mystery. I wonder if Joe will survive. The doctor does not think so. I wonder what the sheriff is doing about it. He does not seem to have a clue. Will anyone else have to die before we find out who the culprits are?