A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE (and a giveaway!) by CHERYL PIERSON

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Several years ago, about ten or so, I wrote a book called “The Half-Breed’s Woman” about our hero, U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall, who was the son of a white man and an Indian woman. Brought up in Indian Territory, he’s lived a very hard-knock life with his younger brother, Brendan, who is also a deputy marshal.

The heroine is a young debutante from Washington, D.C., Callie Buchanan, whose stepfather, Dunstan Treadwell, has nefarious plans for her now that she is eighteen. She is on the run (who wouldn’t be?) and Treadwell hires Jaxson to track Callie down and return her to him.

Jaxson takes the job, but things get complicated, and soon they are both in danger.

As the years passed, I thought of so many things I wanted to change in this book. Writers do that, many times—and a “do-over” is not always possible. BUT, in my case, I was able to do just that, and what fun I had with this!

I’m re-releasing this fabulous story under a new title and cover, A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE. It’s full of surprises and action, and one of the most poignant love stories ever.

It’s one of my favorite stories, and I have plans, still, to write sequels as to what happens to these characters—they are some of my very favorite creations. I hope you will feel the same.

Here’s the blurb—it tells the gist of the story much better than I can in the space I have:

A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–A sensual western historical romance that draws you in and won’t let go. 

U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall is hired by Dunstan Treadwell, a powerful government official, to track down his runaway stepdaughter, debutante Callie Buchanan. When Jax realizes he’s been double-crossed by Callie’s stepfather, he doubles down to protect Callie from an evil nemesis from his own past who has been hired to kill them both.

The stakes have changed: Treadwell doesn’t want Callie back—he wants her dead. And the man coming after them is a master at murder.

Jax catches up to Callie in Fort Smith, and none too soon, for Wolf Blocker, the man Treadwell has hired to murder his stepdaughter and Jax, is one step ahead of them—and he’s got assassination on his mind. Jax and Callie set out on the stagecoach for Texas, neither of them able to be honest about their circumstances. With Blocker on their trail and Apaches ahead of them, the future is uncertain.

One thing Jaxson knows: he cannot take Callie back to Washington to face an attempted murder charge. Matters are further complicated when Jax and Callie are forced into marriage by worried Cavalry Captain Alan Tolbert to avoid the trouble he believes Treadwell could cause.

Through all the pretense, the hardships, and the deadly danger, one thing becomes obvious. Callie and Jaxson were meant to be together for this new beginning, for this new forever love that neither of them had ever hoped to find. Will they live long enough to see it through?

Have you ever read a story or seen a movie that had characters so REAL that they stayed with you long after the book was finished, or the movie had ended? What characters have stayed in your heart and mind long after the story was over?

I’m giving away two digital copies of A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE today, so be sure and respond in the comments!

A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–KINDLE LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yn85vnkk

A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE–PAPERBACK LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mryt2fwf

CHERYL’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  https://tinyurl.com/2k7xeddt

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A native Oklahoman, I've been influenced by the west all my life. I love to write short stories and novels in the historical western and western romance genres, as well as contemporary romantic suspense! Check my Amazon author page to see my work: http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
I live in Oklahoma City with my husband of 40 years. I love to hear from readers and other authors--you can contact me here: fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cheryl.pierson.92
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules

48 thoughts on “A MARSHAL FOR CALLIE (and a giveaway!) by CHERYL PIERSON”

    • Hi Denise! I have several too! But I’m thinking we’ve both read a lot of books over the years and there are probably more of these characters than we have space to list if we sat down and thought about it. A movie and a book both that come to mind is To Kill a Mockingbird. Those characters seemed so real to me, and always have!

  2. There are 2 that come to mind. One from Shanna Hatfield’s rodeo romances. Cooper James the rodeo clown was a delightful character. The other is Cain Whitelaw from Naomi Rawlings’ Texas Promise series. A tough Texas Ranger with a good heart he tries to hide.

  3. I feel that way about the characters in the “Mitford” series by Jan Karon. I was so disappointed when Hallmark made a movie based on the first book because they really botched up the characters from the book and went way off the story line.

    • That just bugs me so much when they try to make a movie out of a well-loved book and feel they need to change things up! I read somewhere that Vivien Leigh kept a copy of Gone With the Wind with her during filming and tried to stay with the character Mrs. Mitchell wrote in the book for her character in the movie. She was told to “get rid of the book”–I’m glad she didn’t!

  4. I felt that way about several characters in Sharon Srock’s Women of Garfield series. They are written os well and so real, I actually felt the need to pray for them. And then I would remember that they are just characters in a book.

    • Oh, Rhonda, I’m so glad you mentioned Sharon Srock! I knew her “when” and did some editing for her back in the day–lovely person! Her stories were all very realistic, with characters that seemed like they could walk off the pages. Every one of her stories was like that, and I loved that they intertwined.

  5. Howdy Cheryl! I am sure I have! And have read many. I think my favorite characters have been the Weavers. It’s a family the Kit Morgan has wrote about. The female character was Bella. She had a personality that one never forgets! And I loved Shanna Hatfield’s, Sadie. As a child and as an adult. She was one you never forget either. I’m sure there are more, but those two come to mind. As far as the male characters, there have been many. But, The Sacketts by Louis L’Mour has always been my favorite of all when it comes to a male character.

    Your book sounds very good! And to be made into a series, even better!

    • Hey, Tracy! All wonderful authors and stories! The Sacketts were very memorable and realistic–loved the movie adaptation of that series with Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott! And Shanna’s and Kit’s characters are always, to me, so realistic and relatable!

      Thanks for your kind words–I need about 48 more hours in every day to work JUST on my writing! LOL

  7. Yes, Mary Connelly’s book “The Husband Tree!”
    Your book sounds intriguing. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

    • I love Mary’s writing–she has mastered adding wonderful humor to her stories, and that is the hardest thing to do in my opinion–I’m not all that good at that! LOL I do love to read her stories because of that and the realism it adds to her characters and the storyline.

  8. Les Miserables (the book) had a huge impact on me! It took forever to read, but now it’s my favorite book that’s not scripture! The characters affected me and lived in my mind for months afterwards, and the observations that Victor Hugo made about human nature and choices (that aren’t in the musicals or movie) set the book apart!
    Your book sounds intriguing!

    • Ami, I remember in one of my French classes in high school, we read bits and pieces of that book–I’ve never seen the musical or the movie. This is one I need to revisit! Thanks for mentioning it!

  9. I have truly gotten into a series so heavily, I felt like they were my next door neighbors. I wanted that story to go on and on. This book could very well be one as well.

    • Judy, thank you for such a nice compliment! I hope you will read and enjoy it, and I would love to continue that series–I have so many ideas for these characters. They are all very real to me, (of course) and I hope they will be to others as well!

  10. Have you ever read a story or seen a movie that had characters so REAL that they stayed with you long after the book was finished, or the movie had ended? What characters have stayed in your heart and mind long after the story was over?
    I have had numerous stories where the character stays with me long afterwards.
    One: Flights of Fancy (american heiresses – 1) by Jen Turano (Miss Isadora)
    two: series: High Sierra Sweethearts – books 1 – 2 – 3 by Mary Connealy (Trace Riley)
    three: A Mighty Fortress (hymns of the west – 1) by Faith Blum (Joshua and Ruth Brookings) these are just a few
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    • HAHA!!! You made me laugh at that! How many times have I had to say that to myself? And you know, it’s so exciting to be reading a book like that where you just can’t wait to get back to it, and then be sorry that it’s ended. When I first started reading romances, my first one was Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers–and as soon as I finished that book I started re-reading it again! She had such a way of writing all her characters, even the secondary ones, that made them seem like very real people!

  13. Hi, Cheryl! Congrats on the new re-release!! So many of us are doing what you’ve done–given our books a fresh edit, and I think modern-day readers appreciate that. You wouldn’t think so, but our writing styles change over the years and so do our ideas. Ha!

    The heroine on your new cover is so cute!

    • Hey Pam! Isn’t it amazing how, when you re-read something you wrote several years ago, you think to yourself, “I would love to re-do this!” LOL I wonder if I’ll be thinking that ten years from now? LOL I’m so glad to have the chance to make a few changes in this story, because I really do love the plot and the characters soooo much!

      I love the heroine (and of course, the hero) — she is perfect for him!

  14. Hi Cheryl, I think I read that book, THE HALF-BREED’S WOMAN, I really enjoyed it. Yes, one book I read, HIS SPRING TIME BRIDE, by Kathryn Albright. The characters, Gabe & Riley’s story has stick with me. They had to over come a lot of problems before they finally wed. I have trouble with digital books as I have problems with my eyes, but; I wanted to respond to your post.

    • Yep, that was the one, Lois! I’m so glad you read it and enjoyed it! I think that was one of the stories that came to me without “problems” in the plot, etc. so well–some of them give you fits, but this one just unfolded like it should.

      I prefer paperback books, too, Lois, because of that very reason with my eyes. Thanks so much for responding! If I draw your name today we will figure out something and it will be a paperback, so you can read it! LOL

  15. I have… one time I was telling someone about a movie I saw and after a while realized it was a book I was telling them about… the writing and characters were so real that it felt like it was a movie I watched and not a book I read.

    • Oh wow! That is great, Colleen. The author would be thrilled to know that had affected you like that, I’m sure! That’s quite a talent to be able to write so well that someone remembers it as a movie. You really had to “see” and “know” those characters for that to happen!

  18. Rhett and Scarlett has always stayed with me but I think it was because it was the first book that I read that got me into reading in the first place. I still have a copy of the book to this day.

    • Oh, yes, for sure! Rhett and Scarlett, but also the rest of the entire “cast” of characters, both in the movie and in the book! They were all soooo real to me! Aunt Pittypat, India, even the Tarleton twins–that was just a masterpiece in so many ways!

  19. Quinn from Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series. There was just something about him that I really liked and I believe (it’s been awhile since I read it) that Lisa O’Malley is his lady love. Quinn is a US Marshall and has been trying to solve his father’s murder for years.

  20. Linda Broday has a new book coming out entitled Courting Miss Emma. The children living in Heaven’s Door orphanage called out to me. I could hear them plotting, defending one another, laughing, being silly, etc. I love books that call out to my heart. I have experienced that with many authors books.

    • Kathy, kids in a story always grab me and won’t let go. I have a young boy in A Marshal for Callie that is quite a surprise all around, and I fell in love with him when I was writing about him. Linda always does great with kids in her stories–I will definitely grab Courting Miss Emma!

    • Great, Linda! I hope it’s not too much trouble–Amazon has not linked it all up yet after over a week and I can’t call them until Wednesday. So I put all the links in the blog. I hope you love it. I’m going to go snap up Courting Miss Emma, too! I need more time to just read! LOL So glad to see you– I know you’ve been really busy!

  23. Yes. Many characters and story lines stay in my head after the book has ended. There is one book that still haunts my mind. It is Kristin Hannah’s book The Four Winds. Thank you for sharing. Happy book birthday. God bless you.

    • Oh, Debbie, I have not read that one–I love Kristin Hannah’s stories! Will definitely add that to my list–haven’t read one of hers for a while and it’s time to get back to it! LOL Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!

  24. Sorry I got here so late. The first romances I read were Julie Garwood’s medieval Highland books. That was many years ago, but many of the characters and stories still pop up in my memory. I go back for rereads when I can. Saving Grace and Ransom are favorites. Just writing this, favorite scenes from the books are coming to me.
    By the way, the link for the paperback of A Marshall For Callie takes me to the page for a Dell laptop computer.

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