Review Roundup: The Quick and the Dying

Wolf Creek Book 7: The Quick and the Dying
By Ford Fargo
Western Fictioneers, August 2013
$8.09 paperback, ISBN 0615887309
$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00F6B4KX6
$2.99 other e-formats, ISBN 9781301457243
118 pages

The last time former outlaw leader Sampson Quick encountered his old gang, he had to kill a couple of the ingrates to convince them he was out of the business for good. Now the notorious Hounds gang is back, looking for Quick’s help with a raid on Wolf Creek’s bank — and they’re not inclined to take “no” for an answer.

Since his arrival a few short months ago, the good folks of Wolf Creek have embraced Quick, whom they know as effete British painter James Reginald De Courcey. They consider him a mite odd, but mostly harmless. If only they knew….

The Quick and the Dying, the seventh book in the Wolf Creek series, seems almost a transitional piece. Things have settled down a bit in town now that the Kiowa are talking peace, the gang of leftover border ruffians that terrorized everyone in books 1 and 5 have been dispatched once and for all, and the megalomaniacal rancher nearby was handed his hat, at least temporarily.

Nothing is ever as it seems in Wolf Creek, though. Even the peace isn’t very peaceful, as town drunk Rupe Tingley discovers when the mugging he’s trying to avoid turns into accidental arson. Tingley’s creator, Matthew Mayo, does a remarkable job of conveying a drunk’s alcoholic haze in the first chapter. While the flophouse in which he lives burns around him, Tingley descends into an imaginary hell of flashbacks interspersed with eerie lightning strikes of clarity in the present. By the time De Courcey shocks the entire town by singlehandedly dragging Tingley from the inferno, readers will be ready to hop on the sobriety wagon themselves.

From there, the story departs into a rattlesnake’s nest of plots, subplots, counterplots, double-dealing, and assorted intrigue that is nothing short of dizzying. Quick/De Coursey (written by Kerry Newcomb) and his dilemma, which form the spine of the tale, rapidly recede behind a handful of other schemers who seem to be laying foundations for double-crosses in the future. Chief schemer to watch: photographer Wilson Marsh, who’s scummier than ever before. In Marsh, Jackson Lowry has created a skin-crawling everyday evil that fascinates.

Except for town marshal Sam Gardner (Troy Smith) and deputy Seamus O'Connor (Wayne Dundee), the point-of-view characters in The Quick and the Dying are ones who haven’t been heard from in a while. In addition to De Coursey, Tingley, and Marsh, bounty hunter Rattlesnake Jake (Phil Dunlap) is back and as casually intimidating as ever. Frank Roderus’s barber John Hix continues his understated channeling of Sweeney Todd in the Old West. By the time all the unusual suspects finish laying their plans and forming unholy alliances at the climax, a shootout in the bank should be the least of anyone’s concerns.

The Quick and the Dying ties up one loose series thread quite tidily. At the same time, the book opens so many new cans of worms that the writers should have enough bait for years. How all of the new threads ravel ought to be interesting to watch.


Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and an author. She received a review copy of Wolf Creek Book 7: The Quick and the Dying from the publisher. Her opinions are her own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily supported by Western Fictioneers or individual members of the organization. Links in the review are for convenience only; they do not produce affiliate revenue.

Review Roundup: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon’s Drop
By Ford Fargo
Western Fictioneers, June 2013
$8.99 paperback, ISBN 1490356002
$2.99 Kindle, ASIN B00D6PPDNK
144 pages

When the remnants of an outlaw gang attack innocent women at a local church, the men of Wolf Creek embark on a desperate mission to rid the territory of the desperados once and for all. Outlaws are never as easy to dispatch as one might hope, however, and this time Wolf Creek’s wolves may have met their match.

One of the most striking things about the Wolf Creek series is that even when a volume begins with a tidy, slice-of-life scene in what should be a sacrosanct setting, a subtle sense of impending doom sweeps across the pages like a gathering storm. Showdown at Demon’s Drop, the fifth volume in the addictive series of collaborative novels, opens on the ladies quilting circle that meets at a church on the edge of town. From the very first page, readers will wonder what’s up with schoolmarm Cora Sloan (penned by Bill Crider), whose secret is eating her alive from the inside.

Very quickly, the mystery of the schoolteacher’s past (which no doubt will be revealed in a future volume) takes a backseat to a larger threat that has loomed over the Kansas prairie since Volume 1. The surviving cutthroats from Wolf Creek: Bloody Trail want revenge on a man who used to be one of them, and they’ll let nothing stand in the way of their lust for the traitor’s blood. After murdering one innocent woman, they kidnap the minister’s wife as part of a plan to lure Derrick McCain (written by Cheryl Pierson), now a peaceful farmer, to his death.

As usual, other members of the ensemble cast refuse to let anyone go down without a no-holds-barred fight. In Showdown at Demon’s Drop, deputy and former New York City cop Seamus O’Connor (Wayne Dundee), enigmatic Black-Seminole scout Charlie Blackfeather (Troy D. Smith), gunsmith Dave Benteen (Robert J. Randisi), and blacksmith and diehard Confederate Angus “Spike” Sweeney (L.J. Martin) defy the brigands’ order that McCain come alone to a remote hideout only he knows how to find. Despite McCain’s demand that the others remain behind, they follow at a distance, devising their own revenge scheme.

McCain emerges as the standout in this volume, as might be expected since his predicament forms the heart of the story. Thanks to some stellar writing by all the contributors, Showdown at Demon’s Drop imbues a tale of evil and vengeance with very human, and very relatable, angst. The residents of Wolf Creek, all of them hardened by brutal — and largely mysterious — pasts are remarkably resilient. Some former secrets emerge into the light of day in Volume 5, but more arise to take their place.

There is no end to the intrigue in Wolf Creek, nor is there any shortage of grit in the series. Fans of western action will lose themselves in this volume as easily as they did in the previous four, and they’ll be just as eager for the release of the next book.


Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and a novelist in training. She received a review copy of Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon's Drop from the publisher. Her opinions are her own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily supported by Western Fictioneers or individual members of the organization.

Western Trail Blazer Day: WAYNE DUNDEE

Troy Smith here. Today, Wayne Dundee has graciously agreed to talk a bit about his works available from Rebecca Vickery's WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER imprint. I'll turn it over to Wayne in a minute, but first I want to say a few words about HIM.

Wayne has been a force in the crime fiction genre for some time, but in just the past few years a lot of us have discovered him to be one of our favorite western authors, as well. In 2010, the first year of the Peacemaker Awards, Wayne's "This Old Star" won for best short story. The next year, his first western novel, Dismal River, won for -well, best first western novel. Then this year he won another Best Short Story Peacemaker, for "Adeline."

I just wanted to throw all that in, because it oughtta be said. Now here's Wayne, to talk about WTB.

On the long and rocky road that I laughingly refer to as my "writing career", I have dealt with a handful of different editors and publishers. For the most part (putting aside the subject of copy editors), these dealings have been pleasant enough—except for those occasions when my sales didn't warrant continuing a business relationship. 

But I have never come close to dealing with anyone more personable or genuinely charming than Rebecca "Becca" Vickery and her staff at Western Trail Blazers. Having only just broken into the Western genre a few months prior, with the publication of my first novel, I submitted a novella entitled "The Grave of Marcus Pauly" to WTB for consideration as part of their Dime Novel line. In this age of e-mails, I heard back very promptly from Becca and was delighted to hear she wanted to publish "Grave". That was in June of 2011. In quick order, Becca also accepted two more works I submitted: "O'Doul", another short Dime Novel; and HARD TRAIL TO SOCORRO, my first novel-length work for WTB and the first title in my Bodie Kendrick – Bounty Hunter series. These all appeared in 2011, and another Dime Novel, "This Old Star", came out in 2012. [Note: "This Old Star" originally appeared in a 2010 anthology, Bad Cop...No Donut (Padwolf Publishing.)]

"O'Doul" spent a nice amount of time in Amazon's Top 100 sales ranking for Westerns, and I often joked that I wished to heck I hadn't killed off the title character by the end of that tale. But, alas, it was too late. My Bodie Kendrick character, however, I definitely did not kill off in HARD TRAIL TO SOCORRO. He was planned right from the get-go as an ongoing series protagonist. And while HARD TRAIL didn't enjoy much time in the Top 100, its sales were nevertheless encouraging enough for me to continue with more adventures featuring Kendrick. Hence, RIO MATANZA appeared in 2012 and Book #3 in the series, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, came out just last week.

I can't overstate the importance Becca and WTB has been to my writing in the Western genre. Through much of it, Becca has been fighting health issues yet in no way has this affected her charm or professionalism. The prayers and best wishes—certainly including mine—of all who know Becca on a personal or professional level (and the two are really one and the same) are with her in her brave battle. When the battle is won, I look forward to working more with her in the future. The world of Western fiction needs Becca and WTB.



Persevere-   Wayne Dundee

Note: To find all these works and many more, check out Wayne's Amazon Home Page and check out his BLOG

Wolf Creek 5: Showdown at Demon's Drop

The lead is flying in Wolf Creek Kansas once again!

Volume 5 is brought to you by (alphabetically):

Bill Crider
Wayne Dundee
L. J. Martin
Cheryl Pierson
Robert J. Randisi
Troy D. Smith

This one is a sequel of sorts to Wolf Creek 1: Bloody Trail.  Here's the blurb:

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..

WC 5 is available for kindle at AMAZON, and for virtually all other digital platforms at SMASHWORDS.COM  [NOTE: if the Amazon link is not live yet -they're slower than usual this time around for some reason -smashwords sells ebooks for both the Kindle and the Nook] ...it'll be at B&N soon, and will be in paperback in a couple of weeks or so (we'll keep you posted.)

Here's a preview, courtesy of Bill Crider:

People had been a bit suspicious of Cora Sloane when she’d arrived in Wolf Creek to take over the job of teaching school after the death of the previous teacher, and Cora couldn’t have that. She didn’t want anybody looking into her background too closely.  So she’d done what she could to fit in and become a part of the community. 

Was someone ill? Cora would take some fried chicken to the family. Was there a death in the house? Chicken again, and maybe some fresh-baked bread.

And Cora was in church every Sunday, which had led her to become a part of the quilting group that met on Tuesday evenings in a little room just off the narthex of the church. Cora had learned to quilt from her mother, and she was so good at it that the other women accepted her into the group immediately and were glad to have her.

One of the women that Cora liked best was the preacher’s wife, Kathleen Hyder. She was tall and pretty, kind and compassionate, and Cora thought it was a shame that she was married to Pastor Hyder, who was, to Cora’s way of thinking, a real prig.

Each Tuesday, Kathleen stayed after the others had left to clean up and put the little quilting room back in order. Cora had begun staying to help her, as it gave them a chance to talk. This evening Ruthie Mae Simkins, a sweet, matronly woman who’d taken a liking to Cora, had also stayed.

As they tidied up, Cora watched Kathleen, who hadn’t seemed herself the whole time. She was usually calm and cheerful, but this evening she’d been jittery, twitching at little noises, her eyes darting to the window and the door.

Ruthie Mae had noticed it, too, and she was the one who asked about it.

“Kathleen, dear, you seem nervous tonight.  Is anything wrong?”

Kathleen placed a quilt on a frame.  The quilt was a red-on-white Irish chain pattern, and Kathleen smoothed it with one slender hand.  “I’m not sure,” she said.

“Not sure?” Cora said.  “Is Pastor Hyder all right?”

Kathleen smiled for the first time that evening.  It wasn’t a happy smile.

“He’s always doing just fine,” she said.

“Then what is it?” Cora asked.

“I wish I knew.  I’ve had an odd feeling about things for more than a week.  It’s as if someone’s been watching me.  Sometimes I feel as if a bug is crawling over my skin.  I’ve never seen anyone watching, but now and then out of the corner of my eye I get just a glimpse of someone moving away around a corner. I just can’t shake off the feeling that something strange is going on.”

“Oh, my,” Ruthie Mae said.

Cora walked to Kathleen and put a hand on her arm.  “Have you told Pastor Hyder about this?”

Another sad smile.  “Oh, yes, I’ve told him.  We have no secrets, the pastor and I.  He just smiled and quoted scripture to me.”

“Scripture?”

Kathleen nodded.  “From one of the psalms.  ‘He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber.’  That was supposed to be a comfort to me, that God is watching us all the time. But I don’t believe it’s God who’s been watching.”

“Then who could it possibly be?” Ruthie Mae asked.

Kathleen shook her head.  “It felt more like the devil than God, but it’s probably no one.  I told Derrick about it, too, and he just laughed at me. He said I was spooked by the bank robbery.”

Cora had met Derrick, Kathleen’s brother, but that was the extent of their contact.  He seemed much nicer than Kathleen’s husband, that was for sure.

“We were all spooked by the robbery,” Ruthie Mae said, “but I don’t feel like I’ve been watched.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Kathleen told her.  “I’m just being silly. I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

Ruthie Mae came over and patted her arm.  “You don’t have to worry about anyone watching tonight.  It’s just the three of us here, and there’s no one peeking in the windows.”

Cora wasn’t so sure that there was nothing in what Kathleen had said. Cora had some experience with being watched, and she knew the feeling all too well. That was why her embroidered cotton workbag, which contained the usual needles and thread and scissors, also held something that not too many women carried with them when they went quilting: a heavy cap-and-ball revolver. And it was loaded.

Cora looked across the room to where the workbag sat on a chair near the door.  The colorful embroidered flowers of red and yellow comforted her. Or maybe it was the thought of what was inside the bag that did the trick.

“We should finish here,” Kathleen said. “We’ve already stayed later than usual.”

There wasn’t much more to be done, and as they turned to straighten the chairs and pick up a few remnants of cloth, they heard the outer door of the church creak open.

“That’s probably Dill,” Kathleen said, “come to walk me home.”

If it was the preacher, Cora thought, it would be the first time he’d come for his wife. Maybe her feeling had meant something to him, after all.

“I’ll get the door for him,” Ruthie Mae said, starting in that direction.

She didn’t have a chance.  The door opened hard and slammed into her.  She staggered back, knocking over a quilting frame, as two men crowded through the doorway and into the room. One was tall.  The other was stocky. Both held pistols in their hands. Cora saw other men out in the narthex.  She didn’t know how many.  One of them looked very young.

The taller of the two inside the room said, “Goddammit, Davis, there’s three of them.”

The stocky man pointed to Kathleen with his pistol. “She’s the one we want.”

Ruthie Mae stepped in front of Kathleen. “You can’t have her.”

Davis covered the short distance between them in three steps and clubbed Ruthie Mae on the side of her head with his pistol barrel. Her eyes rolled up and she hit the floor like a sack of feed.

Kathleen screamed as Davis grabbed her arm. She tried to jerk free without success. 

The taller man said, “Keep quiet or you’ll get hit, too.”

Neither man was looking at Cora, so she moved quickly to her workbag and pulled out the big revolver.  She held the pistol in both hands and cocked the hammer with her right thumb.

But she didn’t fire. She was afraid she might hit Kathleen, who was still struggling with the two men.

“Run, Cora!” Kathleen cried.  “Get help!”

Cora didn’t know how she could get past the men in the narthex, but she decided to try.  She turned to the doorway, but they’d seen her get the gun.  They had their own guns out and they were pointed at Cora.

Cora wasn’t afraid. She’d had guns pointed at her before, and now that there was no danger of hitting Kathleen, she pulled the trigger.

C'mon... you've GOTTA find out what happens next!

Better read it now, Book 6 will be out in one short month...

WINNERS for the Third Annual (2013) Peacemaker Awards

Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the WINNERS for the third annual (2013) Peacemaker Awards

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT PEACEMAKER recipient: 

Robert Vaughan

2013 BEST WESTERN NOVEL:
Unbroke Horses (Goldminds Publishing, LLC) by D.B. Jackson

2013 BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY:
“Adeline” (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT — Goombah Gumbo Press) by Wayne Dundee

2013 BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:
Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms. The Peacemaker Awards are given out annually. Submissions for the Peacemaker Awards for books published in 2013 will be open in July, 2013. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site.

Western Fictioneers would like to thank Larry D. Sweazy for being Awards Chair for the first three years and for the excellent job he has done.

Review Roundup: Peacemaker Nominees (Short Stories)

The third-annual Peacemaker Awards winners will be announced June 1. Between now and then, I aim to review all the nominees in four posts. Let’s start with the nominees for 2013 Best Western Short Story, shall we?

I don’t envy the judges their task. All of the nominees in the category are so strong that choosing a favorite or defining “best” seems well-nigh impossible.

The reviews appear in alphabetical order by story title.

“Adeline”
By Wayne Dundee
in Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT
Goombah Gumbo Press, August 2012

Wayne Dundee’s short story about a hardened bounty hunter and a jaded madam who band together to preserve a child’s innocence is the only nominee not set at Christmastime. The heartwarming tale explores themes of regret and redemption as the bounty hunter and the madam embark on a plan to rescue a precocious pre-teen girl from the sexual slavery they suspect awaits her after a farmer claims the girl during an Orphan Train stop. The writing is top-notch, emotive, and action-packed, but never maudlin or preachy. Proceeds from the sale of the anthology benefit the National Organization to Protect Children, a non-profit supporting non-partisan legislative that protects children from abuse, exploitation, and neglect.



“Christmas Comes to Freedom Hill”
By Troy D. Smith
in Christmas Campfire Companion
Port Yonder Press, November 2011

Troy Smith’s fiction always is notable for the way it breathes life into little-discussed slices of American history. This tale, told in first-person as though an elderly black man were recounting one of the seminal moments in his life, combines two such slices: The Works Progress Administration’s Great Depression effort to document the memories and experiences of former slaves, and the Exodusters, former slaves who headed west after the Civil War with the hope of escaping bigotry and oppression. Filtering a child’s sense of wonder through the wisdom of age, the narrator describes for a WPA interviewer how his sheriff-father’s faith saved the upstart Exoduster town of Freedom Hill, Kansas, from destruction at the hands of a white cattle baron. Not a shot is fired; instead the story brims with a High Noon-type of tension as it becomes apparent the lawman will confront the ruthless baron and his gang alone. Smith’s prose is eloquent and evocative, ultimately making the point that no matter how different the external trappings, inside all men share the same hopes, dreams, desires, and needs.


“Christmas for Evangeline”
By C. Courtney Joyner
in Six-Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas
Western Fictioneers, October 2012

The creepiness in C. Courtney Joyner’s contribution to Six-Guns and Slay Bells creeps up on readers. Haunted by a bank robbery that went awry two years earlier, a banker and a reformed outlaw share a drink on Christmas Eve, only to discover the crime they thought they got away with won’t go unpunished. While the banker sinks ever deeper into madness and the increasingly spooked outlaw tries to talk him back from the edge of a cliff that will destroy them both, the ghostly presence of a beautiful suicide — collateral damage from the bank robbery — manipulates both men…with gruesome results. The twist at the end is sure to leave a chill.


“Keepers of Camelot”
By Cheryl Pierson
in Six-Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas
Western Fictioneers, October 2012

Cheryl Pierson’s genre-blending time-travel tale overlays her usual gritty style with a softer, more psychological veneer. Exploring themes of loyalty, love, and forgiveness, “Keepers of Camelot” finds King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot “reborn” in the Old West as, respectively, a gun-toting drifter, a stagecoach way-station owner’s wife, and an Apache warrior. Though they’ve caught glimpses of one another several times during their centuries of life-hopping, this Christmastide is the first time all three have come face to face since Lance and Ginny’s betrayal of Arthur killed Camelot. According to legend, the Once and Future King will return when and where he’s needed, but Arthur is weary of returning again and again. An orphaned teenage boy’s unshakeable belief in the legend holds the key to peace for all of them. Even those who are not fond of time-travel stories will enjoy this bittersweet tale.


“The Toys”
By James J. Griffin
in Six-Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas
Western Fictioneers, October 2012

James J. Griffin’s “The Toys” presents another descent into madness at the hands of the supernatural. This time, a gunman hired by powerful cattlemen intent on ridding the open range of nesters discovers ruthlessness at Christmas carries a steep price. Pitting guilt against innocence and might against right in the microcosm of one man’s thoughts, Griffin delivers ironic retribution from an unlikely source — leaving readers to decide whether the gunman destroyed himself from within. The style and theme are fairly typical for Griffin, though the outlaw protagonist is something of a departure. Griffin’s badmen always get what’s coming to them — no surprise there. The difference here lies in the way the inevitable justice is delivered.


Kathleen Rice Adams is a Texan, a voracious reader, a professional journalist, and a novelist in training. She received review copies of all except Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT from the author or publisher. Her opinions are her own and are neither endorsed nor necessarily supported by Western Fictioneers or individual members of the organization.

WOLF CREEK DAY: Coming Attractions by Troy Smith

by Wolf Creek editor Troy D. Smith

This month, I thought I'd tease you with a sneak peak at the volumes we plan to have available for the rest of 2013.

Now that folks are becoming aware of our series, I've made some slight changes to the font of our covers, including making the "Wolf Creek" part smaller than the main title; let me know whether you think it works or not.

With no further ado, here are our upcoming installments and tentative writing teams:

Wolf Creek 5: Showdown at Demon's Drop

The surviving members of the Danby Gang have regrouped, and come back to Wolf Creek for a horrible  revenge. Several Wolf Creek citizens will be forced into a showdown with the outlaws in their hidden Indian Territory lair...

With:

Bill Crider
Wayne Dundee
Cheryl Pierson
Robert Randisi
L. J. Martin
Troy D. Smith




Wolf Creek 6: Hell on the Prairie

A short story anthology, in which Ford Fargo shines a solo spotlight on several of our upstanding citizens (and some not so upstanding.) Some of your favorite characters gain a little more depth, and there are some big surprises.

Contributors TBA (depends on who else chips in!) For anyone wanting to join our motley crew, this would be a good opportunity to introduce a new character, just sayin'... (if you can get a story in by June 1, that is!)



Wolf Creek 7:  The Quick and the Dying

Notorious bank robber Sampson Quick has been laying low in Wolf Creek, disguised as an effete artist. But his old partners have finally caught up with him, and threaten to expose his secret unless he joins in their scheme...

With:

Matthew Mayo
Frank Roderus
Bob Vardeman
Phil Dunlap
Wayne Dundee
 Troy D. Smith

Wolf Creek 8: Night of the Assassins

Tsu Chiao, owner of the opium den and brothel The Jade Chamber, has marked several Wolf Creek citizens for death. To achieve this he has sent word to his Tong associates in San Francisco, and requested their best boo how doy... also known as The Hatchet Men.An all-out war between Tsu Chiao and Ira Breedlove may ensue...

With:

James J. Griffin
Bill Crider
Chuck Tyrell
Clay More
Matt Pizzolato
Troy D. Smith

Wolf Creek Book 9: A Wolf Creek Christmas

Another anthology, with a self-evident theme... open to any WF member who wants to participate. Deadline: October 20.

As you can see, the people of Wolf Creek have a busy few months ahead of them!

Peacemaker Award Winners

Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the WINNERs for the second annual Peacemaker Awards for books published in 2011.

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT PEACEMAKER:

Jory Sherman

BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY

WINNER:

Troy D. Smith -- “The Sin of Eli” Publisher: WF anthology Traditional West

FINALISTS:

“Planting Season” by Johnny D Boggs (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press)
“The Way of the West” by Larry J. Martin (The Traditional West anthology, WF)
“Blackwell’s Run” (Western Trail Blazer) by Troy D. Smith
“Panhandle Freight” by LJ Washburn (The Traditional West anthology, WF) 
“The Death of Delgado” by Rod Miller (The Traditional West anthology, WF)
“Stay of Execution” by Lucia St. Clair Robson (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press)

BEST WESTERN NOVEL:

WINNER:

James Reasoner -- Redemption, Kansas Publisher: Berkley

FINALISTS:

The Sonora Noose by Jackson Lowry (Berkley)
Blood Trails by Lyle Brandt (Berkley)
The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller (Bonneville Books)
Between Hell and Texas by Dusty Richards (Kensington Pinnacle imprint)

BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:

WINNER:

Wayne Dundee -- Dismal River Publisher: Oak Tree Press

FINALISTS:

Unbridled by Tammy Hinton (Roots and Branches Publishing)
The Black Hills by Rod Thompson (Berkley)
Bullets And Bad Bad Men by B.A. Kelly (Oak Tree Press)
The Guerrilla Man by Steven Clark (Solstice Publishing)

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms. The Peacemaker Awards will be given out annually. Submissions for the 2012 awards will be open in July, 2012. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site. For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit:

http://www.westernfictioneers.com/ 

Contact: Larry D. Sweazy, WF Awards Chair, larrysweazy@prodigy.net