I’ve talked a bit about the Wolf Creek series before here. It’s one of my most favorite projects I’ve ever worked on, anywhere, anytime. It’s been “in hiatus” for a few months, but will be back with some new adventures this month! A brand new Wolf Creek anthology, WAR STORIES, will have one of my stories in it, and there will also be a two-part anthology called LUCK OF THE DRAW all about gamblers, wild women and rowdy times in Wolf Creek! I don’t have a story in that one, but it’s bound to be excellent.
The series is the brainchild of Troy Smith, a good friend of mine, and an excellent writer and “idea man”. His thought was to create a bible to be used by the participants of the series to work from for the fictional post Civil War town of Wolf Creek, Kansas. Any member of the Western Fictioneer professional writing organization could contribute when their character was called for in the plot structure.
Now this is quite a daunting task when you think of having at least 23 (and climbing!) people who wanted to contribute, having to come up with plots that would involve at least 6 characters in each book–some of them the same as a common thread– and keep all the books fresh and interesting. But Troy managed to do it–though he likens it to ‘herding cats’. Wolf Creek: Book 1 Bloody Trail is available for only .99, and I’m proud to say there are many more that follow this one in the “shared universe” tradition!
But one book, Wolf Creek Book 6: Hell on the Prairie, differs. It’s an anthology of short stories by some of the contributors about their characters.
I loved this idea, because each participant was able to write a short story featuring their character(s) and show a depth to their character they might not be able to convey in a collaborative effort such as the other books before this have been. My story is called IT TAKES A MAN, and of course, Derrick McCain, my foremost character, is at the center of this one.
When Derrick and his mother are ominously summoned to the Cherokee settlement of Briartown, Derrick is determined to set things straight with the man he’s learned is his real father. But once he arrives, he’s distracted by the beautiful cousin, Leah Martin, of his best friend’s wife. Leah is hiding a secret—one that could be the death of her. Once Derrick discovers it, will he walk away? Or will he save her…and possibly himself? IT TAKES A MAN to do what his heart tells him.
I’m also pleased as punch to say that this story was a finalist in the 2014 Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards in the short fiction category! What a thrill!
Another thrill? This story has just been released as a single sell short through SUNDOWN PRESS! Yes, it’s still available in the Wolf Creek collection, but it’s also available now all on its own. I’m giving away a copy of it today to one lucky commenter!
Here’s a little about IT TAKES A MAN:
Can two strangers put their pasts aside and make a life together?
Ex-Confederate soldier Derrick McCain needs some answers from his father, Cherokee statesman Collin Ridge—and he’s waited long enough. But Ridge is on his death bed when he summons Derrick and Fiona McCain, Derrick’s mother, to return to Indian Territory. Will they make it in time? It’s the only chance Derrick will have to learn what he needs to know from the man who can tell him everything—if he only will.
As Fiona and Collin patch up their long-ago unrequited love, Derrick meets a young woman who is out of choices. Pregnant, disowned, and bearing the weight of guilt over the death of her sister, Leah Martin has nowhere to turn. But the dark-eyed beauty sparks something inside Derrick that he thought long dead, and when her father shows up with an abusive suitor, Derrick vows to keep her out of harm’s way.
Can he protect Leah from what her father has planned for her? Offering marriage would change his life forever—and he’s not in the market for a wife. To make matters worse, the child she carries is that of Derrick’s nemesis, Clark Davis. IT TAKES A MAN to do the right thing…can Derrick McCain deliver?
Thanks to everyone for stopping by today! I hope you’ll check out the Wolf Creek series and my short story single sell, IT TAKES A MAN. Also, be sure to pick up these awesome boxed sets–available in PRINT AND IN DIGITAL FORMATS!
Summer has started off with a bang for me, in a fantastic way. I wanted to share with you all what my year has been like (the good parts of it!)
I always think when summer rolls around I will have more time. I think this started when my kids were little and I looked forward to not having to get up and make the school run every single morning, and then again in the afternoon. Even though it never happened the way I thought it would, for some crazy reason, I believed it would be that way year after year.
The one thing I did get a little more of in the summer was reading time. At least, it seemed that way. This summer I’ve had several new releases of my own I want to tell you about. Some of these are re-releases in a different format, but others are brand new!
KANE’S DESTINY is the third and final book in the Kane trilogy. It was released a few months ago. Each of these books were released separately (KANE’S REDEMPTION, KANE’S PROMISE, and KANE’S DESTINY) but then we decided to release them all under one cover as KANE’SCHANCE. Why? There are a couple of contests I’d like to enter, but there is no category for these shorter works. With a bit of editing and shaping, the stories were made into one continuous novel.
KANE’S CHANCE was released earlier this month and is available in both print and digital formats.
These “KANE” stories are for all ages, young and old alike. And everyone in the middle. They’re a “coming of age” tale about Will Green, a young boy who is kidnapped by a band of renegade Apaches after his family is killed. The first two books deal with that part of his life, and the last one, KANE’S REDEMPTION, deal with one of his biggest fears—his Bostonian grandfather coming west to claim him and trying to force him to leave Texas and go back East with him.
When KANE’S CHANCE begins, Will is ten years old, and by the end of the book, he’s thirteen. The adventures he has, the changes he goes through, and the inner torment he deals with throughout the stories speak not only of the maturing process every young man must go through, but also, his realization that the deaths of his entire family hinged on the poor judgment of his father. This is not a romance, but I hope you’ll find it to your liking all the same. Here’s the blurb for KANE’S CHANCE:
My name is Will Green and I have to share the story of how I met Jacobi Kane or I’ll bust from holding it in. Apache renegades murdered my family and took me prisoner when I was ten. I never believed I’d live to see another sunrise, but Kane appeared as if from nowhere and fought to save me. Never saw a man so determined before, but I did have to step in and help a bit.
I didn’t know at the time that Kane kept a secret from me, one which might change my high opinion of him. Then he met Laura, and she helped both of us heal in different ways.
Later on, once we settled down on a place of our own, Kane led a band of lawmen in their mission to annihilate the renegades responsible for killing my folks – and Kane’s first wife and children. Laura sent me along after them, just to be sure Kane stayed safe. It turned out to be good planning on her part.
Once I turned thirteen, my own doubts crept in as to whether I actually should be with the Kane family. Then my wealthy grandfather showed up from back East, determined to take me to Boston. Took some doing for me to learn the true meaning of family and just where I belonged. In the end, my grandfather and I faced a fight for our lives and, once more, our survival relied on Jacobi Kane and me. Now, I’ve got a family fortune to deal with – one I never knew about or wanted – one someone else wants bad enough to kill me for.
But I’ve found my place in life, with Kane’s help, and I don’t plan on giving it up anytime soon…
And speaking of romance, I have a brand new western historical romance, GABRIEL’S LAW, available NOW! It’s published through WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER, and if this cover doesn’t make you grab a fan I don’t know what will! That Jimmy Thomas looks hotter every time I see him! Here’s the blurb for it:
GABRIEL’S LAW by CHERYL PIERSON
When hired gunman Brandon Gabriel is double-crossed, it seems that his luck has run out. But Gabriel has more than luck; he has Allison Taylor, a lost angel from his troubled past who turns up and turns the tables. Old love blooms and new wounds begin to heal as Brandon and Allie tentatively make plans, but danger and self-doubt cast shadows on their hopes. When Allie and her ranch are threatened by an old enemy, long-buried secrets come to light and the stakes have never been higher. Will Brandon discover his chance at happiness in time to fight for it? Can Brandon and Allie confront the past, face down their demons, and forge their dreams into a future?
One thing Brandon doesn’t count on is the fact that Allie has already set a plan in motion that includes bringing orphans to her home—orphans like she and Brandon had been, early in life. Remember Travis Morgan from Fire Eyes? OK, that’s all I’m gonna say!
Christmas in July at WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER will see another of my short stories (Christmas, of course!) released as a “single sell” story for .99. THE WISHING TREE was first released in the VICTORY TALES PRESS A 2012 CHRISTMAS COLLECTON. Now, it’s being offered as a stand alone story, and I’m thrilled. I don’t have the cover for it yet, but will try to share it as soon as I can–I know it will be another good one–Karen M. Nutt is a genius with covers!
Pete Cochran, a war veteran with both visible and invisible scars, is mostly a loner, rather than scare children. Then a special woman with a son walks into his life as he works at his father’s Christmas tree lot – a woman with problems he can’t ignore.
Maria Sanchez and her son Miguel eke out an existence on her part-time earnings, but share an abundance of love, except when terrorized by her drug addict relative. When she meets Pete, she sees him not as a frightening man, but a wounded hero returned from war. Her son seems immediately drawn to the unusual Christmas tree vendor.
Will a special tree – a wishing tree – contain enough magic to fulfill all their Christmas desires?
This is a lovely, heartwarming story that I hope will touch you as it did me.
By the way, Wolf Creek: Book 1 Bloody Trail is now ON SALE at Amazon for only .99! It is ranked around #40 in the Kindle Best Westerns list presently! I provided the link above.
Here’s the blurb for Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon’s Drop:
The brutal Danby gang paid dearly for their raid on Wolf Creek. But some of them escaped, and their new leader Clark Davis is hungry for revenge -on the town, and on the man that he believes betrayed the gang, Derrick McCain. Seminole scout Charley Blackfeather, meanwhile, wants his own revenge on Davis for his actions in the war…at the Centralia Massacre. Blood is going to flow… Appearing as Ford Fargo in this volume: Robert J. Randisi, Bill Crider, L. J. Martin, Wayne Dundee. Cheryl Pierson, and Troy D. Smith.
This edition of Wolf Creek is also ranked in the mid 40’s on the Kindle Best Westerns top 100 list! Here’s the Amazon link for it:
Last but not least, another delicious entrée from the Wolf Creek writers is hot of the presses as of last week! Wolf Creek Book 6 :HELL ON THE PRAIRIE, is different than the others. It’s the first Wolf Creek anthology. I loved this idea because each participant is able to write a short story featuring their character(s) and show a depth to their character they might not be able to convey in a collaborative effort such as the other books before this have been. My story is called IT TAKES A MAN, and of course, Derrick is at the center of this one. And guess what? It, too, is on the Kindle Best Western top 100 charts–last I checked in the mid 30 range! I’m so thrilled to have all three of these Wolf Creek books I contributed to in the top 100 all at once!
Here’s the blurb for my story IT TAKES A MAN:
When Derrick and his mother are ominously summoned to the Cherokee settlement of Briartown, Derrick is determined to set things straight with the man he’s learned is his real father. But once he arrives, he’s distracted by the beautiful cousin, Leah Martin, of his best friend’s wife. Leah is hiding a secret—one that could be the death of her. Once Derrick discovers it, will he walk away? Or will he save her…and possibly himself? IT TAKES A MAN to do what his heart tells him.
Here’s the link for Wolf Creek Book 6: HELL ON THE PRAIRIE.
I sure hope this will provide you with some ideas for some stories you might enjoy over the summer! There’s something here for everyone! For more great reading, please visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE here : http://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
Please be sure to leave a comment before you go–I’m giving away a digital copy of KANE’S CHANCE and also one of WOLF CREEK BOOK 1: BLOODY TRAIL today! Don’t forget to leave your contact information!
