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?
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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What's a novel without wonderful characters? Ones that fight evil, bad guys, and give kindness and empathy to those needing protection. And dialogue. FLAVORFUL DIALOGUE. And since it is the west, the description of the country becomes a character in itself. My two cents!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the new book! Sell millions!
Charlie Steel
This comment is mine (Cheryl)—Blogger hates me on my phone.
DeleteHi, Charlie! So glad you stopped by today. Yes, you are so right about the characters— including the setting! Louis L’Amour was a master at that!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl, great post. Perhaps it is adolescent memory, but my favourite female character is Marlene Dietrich as Alter Keane in Rancho Notorious. Favourite male character is Yul Brynner as Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven.
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, yes, Chris Adams--such a character, wasn't he? And who else could have played him as well? No one, in my opinion. Yul Brynner was always very unforgettable. I remember how perfect he was in The King and I, too! The Magnificent Seven was just such a great movie.
DeleteSorry, above comment by Keith aka Clay More
ReplyDeleteKeith, thanks for commenting, didn't see this until after I'd already written my comment. I was wondering who it was--Blogger is not being kind to us! LOL
DeleteMemorable characters for me are Scarlett Ohara, Rhett Butler and Melanie Wilkes in GWTW, Jo in Little Women, and Gandalf, Sam and Frodo in Lord of the Rings
ReplyDeleteI agree--those characters in Gone With the Wind are all very memorable, even the secondary characters! And Jo in Little Women, too! These are all good ones!
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