The Smoking Iron and Other Stories
Paperback: Amazon
Ebook: Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook
A new bride faces questions about her marriage in the shadow of a prairie blizzard.
A minister’s decision to raise sheep in cattle country stirs up controversy among his new congregation.
A spunky ranch girl matches wits with a thief.
A World War II veteran struggles with wartime scars while assuming the responsibilities of the family ranch.
And in the title story, a man is found shot beside a branding fire and a young rancher is accused of murder—but what crime was really committed there?
If you enjoy classic Western short stories in the tradition of Dorothy M. Johnson, Elmer Kelton, and Louis L’Amour, you’ll love these seven stories capturing the grit, gumption, and buoyant spirit of the Old West.
“The stories and characters were each unique, their pacing perfect, I could rhapsodize for hours! Each one felt like someone I might know or meet the next time I ride into town. I went from laughing my head off one minute in one story, to crying in the next.” ~ Goodreads reviewer
“The perfect mixture of expected and unexpected, humour and spirituality, depth and lightness.” ~ Goodreads reviewer
Outlaw Fever: Five Western Stories
Paperback: Amazon
Ebook: Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook
Three men poised on the brink between honesty and crime. A spunky young woman determined to foil claim-jumpers. Christmas Eve among the wolves and the winds. Rebellion by a brother, and betrayal from a friend.
Five short stories of the West and its people.
“No writer has ever whisked me so entirely off my feet in so few pages. Every single one of these stories was superbly crafted, emotionally raw, and descriptively compelling. I think I experienced every human emotion in the space of an hour.” ~ Amazon reviewer
Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories
Paperback: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Ebook: Amazon | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook
A gunfighter refuses to explain to his friends why he backed down from a fight.
The proprietress of the busiest eating-house in town deals with a stagecoach-load of troubles at the height of the noonday rush.
A hotel night clerk finds himself in on odd position after he allows an exhausted traveler to stay in a reserved room.
And in the title story, a young rancher and his wife struggle to hold onto their land and their dreams in the face of adversity from weather, enemies—and even doubts of each other.
If you enjoy character-driven Westerns with heart and humor, like those of B.M. Bower and Eugene Manlove Rhodes, you’ll love the six short stories in this collection.
Through Western Storms
Kindle | Smashwords
My short story “Valiant-For-Truth” is a part of this multi-author Western anthology
Crashing thunder! Pelting sand! The whirl of confusion and the winds of madness.
Join 13 unsurpassed storytellers to journey through Western storms with tales of perseverance, grit, and courage as vast as the 19th-century American landscape.
Curated by award-winning editor Richard Prosch, Through Western Storms features the best Western writers working in America today.
Some Christmas Camouflage: A Short Story
Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook
On a snowy December evening during the Great Depression, a high-spirited college student impulsively decides to do some spying on a quiet classmate—with unexpected results. A short story both funny and touching, in which mischief brings about a small Christmas miracle.
“Some Christmas Camouflage” is a short story, approximately 9,400 words long.
War Memorial: A Short Story
Kindle | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook
At the bottom of an old trinket-box sits a lump of lead—a bullet from the Civil War.
Behind it lies a story—the story of a young girl’s experiences in the days surrounding the fateful battle of Gettysburg, which force her to examine her own heart, and show her the face of war in a way she could not have understood before.
“War Memorial” is a short story, approximately 6,500 words long. (Revised second edition.)