Peacemaker Award Nominee: The Toys by James J. Griffin #western

Author James J. Griffin
Photo credit: Susanne Hall

The Toys
by 
James J. Griffin

Romancing The West is honored to feature nominees for the Peacemaker Awards this week.

The Peacemaker Awards are sponsored by the Western Fictioneers, a group of some of the most talented and prolific Western authors of our time.  On Friday, we showcased Peacemaker Lifetime Achievement Winner Robert Vaughan.  

Today, we're featuring James. J. Griffin.  His short story, The Toys, published in Six-guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas, was nominated for Best Short Story.

About the story:

The Toys is based on actual events which took place during the Johnson County War in Wyoming in the 1890s. Two homesteaders were ambushed and shot in the back by an unknown gunman, who would have been in the employ of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the organization of large ranchers who wanted to drive out all the homesteaders in the region. 

One of the homesteaders, John Tisdale, was killed while on the way home with Christmas presents for his family. 

In The Toys, Tisdale is killed by a gunslinger named Harlan Stoddard. When Stoddard examines Tisdale's body, he notices several toys scattered about, including a doll which seems to be staring at him. Tisdale takes his rifle and blasts the doll's head to bits. Little did he know what that action would lead to.

The Toys is a short story done much as if Stephen King had written a Western. Tension builds as Stoddard is pursued, and attempts to flee Wyoming and his fate.

About the author:  

James J. Griffin is a lifelong horseman, western enthusiast, and amateur historian of the Texas Rangers. His extensive collection of Texas Ranger artifacts is now in the collections of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco. Jim has written a series of Texas Ranger novels, traditional Westerns in the best sense of the term. His books are suitable for almost all ages. Jim is also a contributor to the Western Fictioneers Wolf Creek and West of the Big River series.

Learn more about Jim and his books at his website.

Congratulations for your nomination, Jim!

The Lifetime Achievement Peacemaker will be presented to Robert Vaughan

2013 BEST WESTERN NOVEL:

• City of Rocks (Five Star Publishing — Cengage) by Michael Zimmer
• Unbroke Horses (Goldminds Publishing, LLC) by D.B. Jackson
• Apache Lawman (AmazonEncore) by Phil Dunlap
• Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson

2013 BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY:

• “Christmas Comes to Freedom Hill” (Christmas Campfire Companion — Port Yonder Press) by Troy Smith
• “Christmas For Evangeline” (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF ) by C. Courtney Joyner
• “Keepers of Camelot” (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF) by Cheryl Pierson
• “The Toys” (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF) by James J. Griffin
• “Adeline” (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT — Goombah Gumbo Press ) by Wayne Dundee

2013 BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:

• High Stakes (Musa Publishing) by Chad Strong
• Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson
• Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr (AWOC.com Publishing) by Phil Truman
• Last Stand At Bitter Creek (Western Trail Blazer) by Tom Rizzo
• Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave (Sunbury Press) by Mark Mitten

Winners will be announced on June 1, 2013 

on the Western Fictioneers website. 

Robert Vaughan: Peacemaker Lifetime Achievement Award Winner! #western

Robert Vaughn, author
and
Charley, Muse

A Few Words From 

Robert Vaughan

on the

Peacemaker

Lifetime Achievement Award

So, I’ve won the Lifetime Achievement Award. When I first read that I had won, I was thrilled. That’s quite an honor.

Then I began to think about it. Lifetime? Whoa…that’s pretty absolute, isn’t it? I mean, I only have one lifetime, and I’m not finished with it yet. I hope that I have at least a few more years left.

But, I’ve already been given a lifetime award. “Here you go, Dick, here’s your lifetime award. We’re through with you now. Time for you to go to the Old Soldiers’ Home, or The Villages, or ride off into the sunset . . . whatever it is that old soldiers and Western writers do.

All right, maybe I have done a lifetime of writing — almost five hundred books, at least 200 of which are Westerns. But wait…200 Western novels with Robert Vaughan’s name? Well, not quite. I have fallen into the great Sargasso Sea of literature. I have written under almost 50 pseudonym, many of them names that I’m sworn to secrecy never to reveal. Were I to reveal all of my pseudonyms, a curse would fall upon the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the St. Louis Cardinals, and neither team would ever win another championship — all because they are my favorite teams and I had, by violating my agreement, jinxed them for the next 100 years.

I could never do that . . . I would not want to face Bear Bryant and Stan Musial up in heaven and try to explain to them what I had done. So, these great and respected, best-selling names, will forever remain a secret. All right, I won the SPUR from that “other” organization, writing as KC McKenna. and I can at least say that, though I have despite repeated attempts over the last 20 years, been unable to get that “other” organization to put an addendum on their history page, crediting me with “writing as.”

Ah, but good news! I have a Western coming out from Simon and Schuster this June — UNDER MY OWN NAME!  HOORAY! It is called When Hell came to Texas. It would really be nice to see a book, under my own name, match the sales of some of my ghost projects. Maybe if you would all tell ten friends, and they would tell ten friends and . . . well . . . you know how it goes. [RTW Note: you can pre-order now!]

My heartiest congratulations to the Peacemaker recipients who won with their own names. I have met many of you, but consider all, even those of you I’ve never met in person, to be friends.

Congratulations to Robert Vaughan, a wonderful and talented writer no matter what name his titles are under.

Dawn Luedecke: To Tame a Montana Heart #western #romance

To Tame a 
Montana Heart
by Dawn Luedecke

Romancing The West welcomes Dawn Luedecke, a country girl born and bred, who has spent most of her life surrounded by horses, country folk, and the wild terrain of Nevada, Idaho and Montana. As a child she would spend many afternoons reading books, watching western classics, and Rogers and Hammerstein movies. When she grew up she decided to leave the quiet country life for a chance to find adventure by serving a successful tour in the United States Coast Guard. During that time she found her soul mate (and alpha male) and started a family and writing career. She enjoys writing historical and paranormal romance and spends as much time as she can working on her current manuscript.

RTW: Thanks for visiting today, Dawn!  You have a new book out, To Tame a Montana Heart.  First, so we know a little more about it, please give us the blurb.

DL: Running from a past of privilege, deceit, and danger, Travis Simms is ready to settle down. What better place to forget all he left behind than the quiet little Montana town of Lolo Hot Springs? His goal is clear — build a hotel and his own destiny without complications — until one of the town's most troublesome women captures his attention. Dusty Larson is hell bent on independence, helping her sister run the Triple D Ranch. The only problem is she seems to attract bad luck and danger... and Travis. Can he tame her wild ways and keep his bachelor status intact — or does he risk losing his heart?

Dawn's running several contests on her month long tour. Stop by her facebook events page for all the contest information.  

RTW: Why do you write Westerns? What aspect of life in the Old West intrigues you the most? Did you work that into To Tame a Montana Heart?

Dawn Luedecke, author

DL:  I write westerns because not only do I love the genre (it’s one of my faves), but I grew up a country girl. The west is an important part of who I am, and I am extremely interested in history. So combining the two just made sense when I decided which genre to dip into.

The old west just seems romantic to me. I love the serene life of the country, but combine that with the simplicity of the old west and you have yourself the perfect setting for a romance. In To Tame a Montana Heart, I tried to capture that feeling.

RTW: If you lived in 1890 what would you visit first? Is there something you’ve been curious about that you can’t find in your research sources?

DL: I would love to visit Lolo Hot Springs when it was in its natural state. Now, it is a resort perfect for the modern day traveler.

RTW: If a person who had never read a Western asked you for a recommendation, what novel or movie would you recommend and why? What did the author do to bring the story alive for you?

DL:  Lonesome Dove, Tombstone, or Young Guns. Lonesome Dove is a classic cowboy movie, and Tombstone and Young Guns are based on real people and real events in history. 

Excerpt of
To Tame a Montana Heart
by Dawn Luedecke

She watched him with care. “I don’t know if I love you. I like you, a lot, but I don’t have the slightest idea what love feels like.” 

Travis’ smile grew slowly across his face. “I understand. I’m not sure if I love you or not, but I also don’t think I could live without you. So you will always have that.” His voice was almost a whisper when he said the last. 

“Truly?” Her voice cracked and she had to force herself to breathe easy. 

“Truly.” 

She inclined her head and took two brisk steps toward him. She leaned over and kissed him with all the fever of a thousand fires. He reached up and intertwined his hand through her hair to hold her still as he plundered her mouth. 

She released him with a shaky breath and jumped back to turn on her heels. “Put something nice on. I’ll be back with a preacher man.” 

“You know, I heard you only have to say ‘I marry you’ three times and then you’re hitched.” 

She threw him a sassy look and slammed the door shut. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Purchase information for 

To Tame a Montana Heart 

Amazon Kindle, Print

BN.com Nook

The Wild Rose Press Ebook, Print

RTW: What’s next? Is To Tame a Montana Heart a part of a series?

DL: Yes! In fact, I am currently working with my publisher to perfect the second book in the Montana Girl Series, titled Big Sky Brazen. It takes off where DeEtte exited To Tame a Montana Heart.

RTW: Anything else you’d like to add?

DL: I am currently on a virtual tour and have several stops and contests along the way. For more information you can always stop by my website or facebook page.

Here is one of the several contests I am doing during my tour. Have fun!

I am featured in an online magazine (pages 26-29), where I give a free sample chapter of the third book in the Montana Girl series!!! I'll give away one free signed book to anyone who can tell me what Daylene (or Justine as she's known in To Tame a Montana Heart) sings.

Click here for a free download of the magazine.

Thanks, Dawn!

James J. Griffin: Death Stalks the Rangers #western

Death Stalks 
the Rangers
by James J. Griffin

When a Texas Ranger is murdered, his fellow Rangers will stop at nothing to find his killer! Lone Star lawmen Sean Kennedy and Levi Mallory follow a cold trail across Texas to track down the man who shot Ranger Thad Dutton, and neither vicious outlaws nor a ruthless town boss will keep them from settling the score for their fallen comrade. Acclaimed Western author James J. Griffin returns with another action-packed, gunsmoke-laced tale of the Texas Rangers with Death Stalks the Rangers.

Review:

James J. Griffin provides another exciting Western adventure in Death Stalks the Rangers, as new hero Sean Kennedy uses fast guns and fists, along with a keen intellect, to solve the mystery of a fellow Texas Ranger's murder. As always, Griffin gives the reader plenty of action, colorful characters, and a vivid sense of the Texas frontier.

-- James Reasoner

   Barnes & Noble

Frank Roderus: Reaching Colorado #western

Reaching Colorado
by Frank Roderus

The reluctant protagonist of Frank Roderus's award-winning Leaving Kansas returns in Reaching Colorado, the second volume in the Harrison Wilke Trilogy. Searching for his destiny in Colorado, Harrison finds himself caught up in a wild chase involving a fortune in stolen gold. But just who stole the gold, and will Harrison survive to set things right? Reaching Colorado is an exciting tale filled with action, humor, and colorful characters, all from Frank Roderus, one of the most popular and admired modern authors of Western fiction.

Review:

When we last saw Harrison Wilke, he was leaving his home in Kansas after a near-tragedy made him no longer welcome there, in the award-winning and aptly titled Leaving Kansas. The second novel in the Harrison Wilke Trilogy, Reaching Colorado  finds him on his way to Colorado Springs, which he has heard is a bastion of the Eastern-style civilization he craves so badly.

Unfortunately for Harrison, who is about as far from a typical Western hero as you can find, he gets mixed up with what appears to be a gang of outlaws on the run with a small fortune in gold coins. When Harrison winds up in possession of the money, he just wants to turn it in to the law before the outlaws can catch up to him and kill him. As it always happens, though, doing the right thing, or at least what Harrison perceives to be the right thing, turns out to be a lot more difficult and dangerous than the young man expects. Riding the rails with hobos, consorting with soiled doves, and falling down a mine shaft are just some of the adventures Harrison has to survive along the way.

As usual, author Frank Roderus spins this picaresque yarn with great verve, making Harrison a thoroughly unsympathetic character in most respects while still rendering him likeable enough for the reader to root for him. Reaching Colorado is great entertainment, and I'm looking forward to the concluding volume of the trilogy, coming soon from the Western Fictioneers Library.

-- James Reasoner

  Barnes & Noble

Clay More: A Rope for Scudder #western @KeithSouter

A Rope for Scudder
by Clay More

Jake Scudder is just a drifting, peace-loving cowboy. So why does he find himself in jail, convicted of the murder of an old-timer he had befriended and sentenced to hang for that crime he didn't commit? 

Jake gets a chance to clear his name when the train taking him to the gallows crashes, but was that wreck an accident? Who's the real ringleader of the gang of vicious outlaws known as the Marauders? Jake Scudder has to dodge not only the law but also a cunning murderer as he attempts to save his own life and that of a beautiful young woman. A Rope for Scudder is another classic, action-packed Western from bestselling author Clay More and the Western Fictioneers Library.

Review: 

The drifting cowboy who finds himself neck-deep in trouble is a classic Western plot, and Clay More (Keith Souter) does a fine job with it in A Rope for Scudder.  Jake Scudder is literally up to his neck in trouble, because he's sentenced to hang for the murder of rancher Hank Lassiter, an old-timer Scudder has befriended only a day before the killing. A sudden burst of violence frees Scudder, but only temporarily, and he knows he'll have to find out who really killed Lassiter and why if he wants to clear his name. At the same time, a gang of outlaws have kidnapped old Hank's niece, and Scudder sets out to free her.

It's a complex plot enlivened by Souter's fine hardboiled prose and plenty of action. Trains crash, dynamite blows up, guns roar, and fists fly. The story rockets along to a very satisfying ending that includes some surprising plot twists. A Rope for Scudder is great fun, and I'm glad The Western Fictioneers Library has made it available again and given me the chance to read it.

--James Reasoner

         Barnes & Noble

It's #SampleSaturday - Read excerpts and score good stuff!

It's #SampleSaturday

Read excerpts and 

Win free books!

including

Much Ado About Marshals

by Jacquie Rogers

Coffee Time Romance and More: CTRR Award!

Night Owl Romance: NOR TOP Pick!

Five Stars from Detra Fitch, 

Huntress Reviews: A hilarious, yet romantic, comedy of errors and assumptions that kept my emotions in constant turmoil. I grinned. I frowned.  I worried. I sighed from tension relief. I snickered at Bosco's romantic troubles with two widows.  I laughed until I thought my side would split.

Five Stars from Laron Glover!

Need a break? This is a FUN book (seriously--when's the last time you read a laugh-out-loud book?)! Turn off the iphone, kick off yer boots (or Jimmy Choos) and let Jacquie Rogers provide that mini-vacation you KNOW you need!

Excerpt from 
Much Ado About Marshals
Copyright © 2011 Jacquie Rogers

1885 - Oreana, Idaho Territory

"Yes, he's definitely the one." Her sweet tone belied her accusation. Most robbery victims wouldn't be so cheerful. Was he in jail? The aroma of sagebrush and alkali had been replaced by tincture of iodine, so he could be in the doctor's office.

"Fits the description exactly."

Cole's hopes sank at the lady's certainty. While he'd never had a doubt he and Bosco would be caught, he'd hoped to make it back to the ranch to set things right. And the lady didn't have to sound so damned happy about it.

"You're sure about that?" a man's voice asked.

"Well, Doc, he's tall, so he matches the six-foot-two height, he has dark brown hair, brown eyes, and he's wounded on the right leg just like the wire said."

Cole hoped that at least Bosco had made it to the ranch. He was goodhearted, a loyal friend, but not all that quick on the draw.

"Yes," the lady continued, "he's our new marshal, all right."

New marshal? Hell, he was wanted for bank robbery! This didn't seem exactly the right time to mention it, though.

"Good," the man named Doc responded, "then I'll bill the city for his care. The wife will be happy to hear I finally have a cash customer."

"You don't have a wife."

The doctor chuckled. "No, Miss Daisy, but I'd sure like you to change that."

"Not a chance," she teased.

They both laughed, but Cole knew how the doctor really felt. Some men were born to be alone.

A cool cloth smelling of borax mopped his forehead. He forced his eyes to open. He blinked a couple of times and focused on a beautiful woman, her brow wrinkled with concern.

"Come here, Doc," she said with quiet enthusiasm. "He's awake."

Cole heard water pouring as he stared at the lady who belonged to the sunny voice. Her green-eyed gaze bathed him with compassion and reminded him of sunset on Sinker Creek, where the rays glanced off the rapids, and the rippling of the water made a man's heart feel pure.

He wondered what she'd look like if he loosened her auburn hair that was pulled tightly into a bun. She was a beauty, all right.

A slight man dressed appropriately for a doctor, or an undertaker, rubbed his brown handlebar mustache while he mulled over Cole's condition. "His color's much better, Daisy, don't you think?"

"I'll go tell Dad that he won't have to rush over here for the marshal's last prayers." She pulled on her gloves and tossed a cloak over her shoulders.

Damn, a preacher's daughter. What a waste of womanly flesh.

"Look for him at your Aunt Grace's house," the doctor advised. "When I picked up the wire telling us the new marshal was riding in, Rayburn told me that your sister had just come home. Seems like some yahoos tried to hold up her bank--put quite a scare into her, too."

Daisy clapped her gloved hands to her cheeks. "Oh, no! Is Iris all right?"

"She's fine," replied the doctor, "but I hear one of the would-be robbers is somewhat worse for the wear. She claims she shot one."

"Oh, my!" Daisy picked up her parasol and reticule. "I'll get over there right away. She may need me!"

Cole's throat tightened as Daisy hurried to the door. She'd put two and two together as soon as she talked to her sister.

"God works in wonderful ways," she exclaimed triumphantly as she unlatched the door. "It's a miracle that our new marshal showed up when he did." She swept out of the room like a queen.

Stay calm and think. So Daisy's sister was the woman who'd shot him. What lousy luck. He had to get the hell out of here.

Especially since Miss Daisy thought he was the town's new marshal.

He didn't even know what town.

♥  ♥  ♥

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