The Trials and Tribulations of Making E-book Covers

Book covers can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make them.  If you have any kind of photo software, you can make a book cover.

To start you need the size.  Do you want this book to look like a mass market paperback or a hardback?
Mass market paperbacks are 4 ¼” by 7”, with DPI set at 300, this converts to 1275 pixels by 2100 pixels. For Barnes and Noble’s Nook it would be 1269 by 2000 since 2000 is the largest they allow.  A cover this size will work for both Kindle and the Nook.

Trade paperback and hardbacks vary in size but 6” by 9” is a good standard size, with DPI set at 300, this converts to 1800 pixels by 2700. For Barnes and Noble’s Nook it would be 1333 by 2000.

Now you have your shape.  You can start in your photo program with a shape the right size. Your cover can be created using a colored shape, or a photo the right size.

Now you need to find a photo or image that will fit your book that is also legal for you to use.  Do not search for  a photo on the internet to use unless it is in public domain.  You can draw/paint the image, take a photo, or find a painting or photo that is in public domain, or buy the rights to a image online.  There are many places where you can get images to use for a few dollars.  You don’t want the  image to be too busy.  The title and author’s name should be prominent.  Your image does not need  to overpower or make it difficult to read.

The following cover  starts with the black 6: by 9” black shape.  First I add a public domain image.  I centered the image, but thought I might need more space for the title so I lowered the image a little.

 A simple font title gets added

 This is an example of using a different font for the author name.

 The results are a simple easy cover.

If you want to use a full photo cover, trim your photo to fit the shape. For example this is a photo my daughter, Joanna Reasoner took.

To make it into a cover simply crop it.

 With the title at the top, it was a little crowded,  instead I put the author name on top.  You’ll notice that I used plain black on top, but changed it to white with black outline when I moved it to the bottom.  I wanted it to stand out more against the background.

  You can add more text, but try to keep the cover as clean as possible.  It’s wise to test it by zooming out to make the image small.  You want to be able to read the title and author’s name when it’s thumbprint size.

A few of the covers I’ve created.

 Livia J. Washburn has been writing professionally for over 30 years.  Washburn received the Private Eye Writers of America award and the American Mystery award for the first Lucas Hallam mystery, WILD NIGHT. She has been writing both mystery and western stories with the Lucas Hallam character for almost 20 years. She is married to bestselling author, James Reasoner. Her website can be found at www.liviajwashburn.com, and she blogs when she can find the time at http://liviajwashburn.blogspot.com.

FREE E-BOOK COVER

Everyone who comments to this post will be entered in a free e-book cover contest.    Cover will be designed for your book.  Contest will end Sunday January 13th.  Winner will be announced Monday January 14th.  Good luck!

UPDATE 
It's been pointed out that some of the readers who might comment wouldn't need a cover, so I'll offer one cover and an e-book of any of the books shown.  Stagecoach Charlie and Bluebonnet Brunch are not books, just illustrations of how to make a cover.

The winner of the cover or e-book was Kristy McCaffrey. Congratulations Kristy.  If you did not receive my email, you can reach me at livia@flash.net.

Peacemaker Awards Submissions

Just a reminder: Submissions to the Peacemaker Awards are open until midnight January 31, 2013.

Qualifications:

Copyright dates must be between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Works must have been published by a reputable publisher that pays advances and/or royalties. No self-published works will be considered for a WF Peacemaker Award. This includes works published directly by the author on web sites and programs such as iUniverse, Kindle, or Lulu. Proof of the viability of the publisher is the submitter’s responsibility; author, agent, or publisher, and must be provided on request. Publishers that cannot be verified to meet the above standards will not be considered for a WF Peacemaker Award. Books and short stories may be published in any country in the world (submissions must be in English) in print or electronic format. Electronic submissions must be made with Word or PDF files. WF reserves the right to decline any submission for consideration of an Award.

Authors, agents, or publishers may submit a work for consideration of an Award.

At least three entrants in the Best Western First Novel must be received during the submission period for an Award to be presented.

Novels and short stories must be set in the time period between 1830-1920 to be considered Westerns under WF guidelines.

Nominees for the WF Peacemaker Award will be announced on 04/15/2013 and the winners will be announced on 06/01/2013.

The WF Peacemaker Award will be awarded in three categories:

Best Western Novel – Any novel published during the award year set in the appropriate time period (1830-1920), 45,000 words and higher. There are no format requirements. The novel may be a hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, or eBook, as long it has been published by an appropriate publisher.

Best Western Short Story – Any short story published during the award year set in the appropriate time period (1830-1920), 500 words to 10,000 words. There are no format requirements. The short story may be published in any publication, print or electronic, as long as it has been published by an appropriate publisher.

Best Western First Novel – Must meet the same requirements as Best Novel, and must be the author’s first published Western novel. If the author has published novels in any other genre they will not disqualify the author from the Best Western First Novel Award competition. Submissions may be made in both novel categories in the same year.

You can find information about how to submit on the Western Fictioneers website.

SIX SENTENCE SATURDAY--FIRE EYES BY CHERYL PIERSON

I’ll start off the “SIX SENTENCE SATURDAY” feature here at our new and improved Western Fictioneers blog. I had to go ahead and include the rest of the paragraph for it to make sense, so I guess we can call it “SIX SENTENCE OR FIRST PARAGRAPH SATURDAY” to make it fit.

This is from my debut novel, FIRE EYES. Here’s the story of what happened: Three years ago in May, 2009, my debut western historical romance, FIRE EYES, was published by The Wild Rose Press. I was thrilled! Finally, my dream had come true, with the help of a wonderful editor and publishing company.

When I got my first box of books, I sat and gazed at the covers—just like any first time author would. My husband teased me about “rubbing off the paint”—but I was so proud of them, and justifiably so. A lot of very hard work had gone into that story, not just from my perspective, but also from many other people. My editor at The Wild Rose Press, Helen Andrew, was wonderful. She really explained in detail why certain things couldn’t stand and had to go or be changed.

But part of what ‘had to go’ was important to the story, in my mind. Still, there were company guidelines to be followed, and neither of us could do anything about that. So we worked together to find a way to take out the parts that made it more “western” than “romance” and still came out with a fine story.

However, in the spring of 2012, I asked for my rights back for FIRE EYES and got them. I submitted the story to WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER. I was able to re-edit the book and add in much of what I’d had to take out or rewrite in the first version, and it was released with a brand new Jimmy Thomas cowboy cover and lots of renewed interest.

The book is available now at Amazon, Lulu, Monkeybars, Barnes and Noble, Sony and Apple and many other retailers.

I’m very happy about breathing new life into this wonderful story. Once again, when my print copies arrived, I sat on the floor and ‘rubbed the paint off’ all over. I’m so grateful that I’ve had two chances to get my story out there—another thrill, a second time around!

The set up: Kaed Turner, U.S. Deputy Marshal, has followed a younger, more inexperienced deputy, Mitch Beckley, who had set out to pursue a ruthless gang of border raiders in Indian Territory. He’s caught up with him, all right. The gang has captured Beckley and is killing him slowly and mercilessly. From where Turner sits, he can also see something else—the green deputy isn’t the only captive. Andrew Fallon’s gang has stolen two young Choctaw girls Turner knows well—the granddaughters of the chieftain who raised him. Alone with no backup, there’s not much he can do for Beckley. His focus has to be on the two young children.


"Don't kill me! Please!"
God, Beckley, don't beg.
The other marshal's tortured screams ripped through Kaed Turner like a war lance. And he couldn't do one damn thing to save Mitch Beckley. Right now, he had no choice but to sit where he was and listen to the young marshal's pleas, knowing that Beckley was going to die, no matter how he begged. Even though Kaed was tempted to do something, walking into Andrew Fallon's camp would be suicide for him. He had to wait. Hunker down here in this damn undergrowth, hide, and wait.


Blurb:
Marshal Kaed Turner is given a rare second chance at love with the mysterious woman the Choctaw call “Fire Eyes.” But can he quiet the ghosts from his past and protect the love that was stolen from him once before? There’s only one way: Kill outlaw Andrew Fallon, along with the murdering band of men he leads.




FIRE EYES


Cheryl’s Amazon Author Page

Six-guns and Slay Bells -- Story 13

The Toys

You all have heard of the Johnson County war, right? Tom Horn was famous for the things he did up there, things the Wyoming Stock Growers Association knew of and cottoned to. You know, right?

But have you heard of Harlan Stoddard? Gunman. Assassin. Bushwacker. The man who killed at least two small-time ranchers from hiding and without warning. The man who took the trouble to shoot the head off a doll that one of the men was carrying home for his little daughter.

If he just hadn’t shot up that doll.

But how’d he know the doll had it in for him. How’d he know the tin soldiers drum would rattle out his death march. How could he know? I mean, toys. Trinkets. Things that kids like to make believe with.

The day came when Harlan Stoddard rued his cold-blooded destruction of toys. Yes he did. But how? What revenge could porcelain dolls exact on a full-grown man? How much fear can a little toy drum beat into a man’s scull.

Wouldn’t you like to know?

JAMES J. GRIFFIN is a lifelong horseman, western enthusiast, and amateur historian of the Texas Rangers. He is the author of a series of Texas Ranger novels, and his extensive collection of Texas Ranger artifacts is now part of the permanent collections of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco. To learn more about Jim, visit his website at www.jamesjgriffin.net

Yes, I know Christmas has come and gone. But these stories are too good to be crowded into a corner and hogtied by a seasonal title. They're creepy enough to save you a lot of air conditioning money come summer.

So what's this new year all about?

I'm not an officer of Western Fictioneers. Not even a very prolific soldier. But in my bones, I feel fiction set in the American frontier west of the Mississippi river (and sometimes a bit east) will see a surge in 2013 somewhat larger than that of 2012.

Personally, I'm trying to find a method for upping my own productivity. If any of you have nuggets of wisdom in this regard, please leave them in the comment area so we all can do more.

I do a lot of writing, but most of it happens to be non-fiction, and much of it is magazine work. If I were based in the States, I would probably be writing for True West and some of the western regional magazines. As it is, I write for inflights and I get assignments from Switzerland, of all places, to do articles for a publishing company there. And guess what? I make more money for a 1,500-word magazine article than I do for a Black Horse Western novel, considerably more.

Running off at the computer is not one of my strong points, either. I write fiction in longhand, in notebooks, usually an hour at a time, sometimes more, sometimes less. Works out to about 500 words in that time. OK. That means a novel of BHW length in about three months. But novels for Western Trail Blazer or Solstice are longer, or a good deal shorter. Then I do a little pulp work.

Back in the day, I would concentrate on one novel, start to finish. Then I kept reading where people would switch from one story to another, refreshing themselves. I tried that in 2012. Didn't improve my productivity. Made me frustrated because my books weren't getting done as fast. Maybe for me, one at a time is the better way. Start, middle, end--isn't that how a story is supposed to go? Hmmm. Maybe.

The exception is fantasy. The fantasy series I'm working on (four novellas out now) doesn't seem to interfere with my Western novels. The gumshoe I'm working on does. Go figure.

So. What's up for 2013? Two novels in progress. I think I will now finish up Diablo first. Then turn back to Yaqui Blood. Then on to a historical for Western Fictioneers. I'll do my refreshing with some fantasy and some pulp short stories. Also going to start doing .99 series of memoirs about the yacht I built in New Zealand a few years ago--the one I wrecked on the rocks of Great Barrier Island. Watch this. A yacht picture in a Western Fictioneers blog. Let's see what the comments about that are!!

Her name was Resolution.

Now. Come on. Tell us what you're going to do in 2013?

Charlie Whipple aka Chuck Tyrell

New books and stories by Western Fictioneers

Author-members of Western Fictioneers continue to publish Western novels galore (no pun on the famous Ian Fleming character whose first name was Pussy). Below please find the latest. If something looks good to you, push a button and make a purchase. These days, that’s all it takes.

Pete Peterson

Avalon/Encore: The Relentless Gun, A Dark Trail Winding and Reckoning At Raindance, all in both paperback and Kindle... and one crime novel from Melange Books: All The Sad Young Savages, in paperback and ebook.

Dave Fisher

My latest release is The Turning of Copper Creek.  By the end of January I will have two new novels coming out, Zak Doolin's Gold and We Never Back Down, Book 4 of The Poudre Canyon Saga.  The Poudre Canyon Saga is proving to be a very popular series.  Information can be found on my website.    All these books and those that have been out for a while can be found on my Amazon Author Page .

Troy D. Smith

Lines of Blue and Gray: Tales of the Civil War is up for kindle, and paperback should be up soon as well (final proof approved.)  Also short story "Christmas Comes to Freedom Hill" is on amazon. 

Jory Sherman

The Baron Decision from High Hill Press (or maybe Cactus Country). Another western is due out from there, Deadly Duel, but don’t know if it’s available yet.  Sidewinder series, entitled Nest of Vipers. 

Phil Dunlap

AmazonEncore just published the fifth book in the Marshal Piedmont Kelly series, Apache Lawman. It continues the series started by Avalon Books. It is available in Trade paper and ebook formats from Amazon only. My next in the Cotton Burke series is Cotton's Devil from Berkley. It debuts January 1.

Matthew Mayo

Tucker's Reckoning (Ralph Compton series, Penguin/NAL), and Hot Lead, Cold Heart (Gritty Press).  And coming soon, a pair of short stories under the title Two for the Trail (Gritty Press). .

Cheryl Pierson

Christmas anthology that released not long ago with 4 of my western/Civil War short stories in it called A Hero For Christmas. Also had a couple of single sell short stories that released (Christmas theme) separately-- A Night for Miracles  and Meant to Be. A few weeks ago, I had a cont. rom. sus. book, Temptation's Touch that released.

And of course, my story in Six Guns and Slay Bells, and my part in Wolf Creek

                                         

Keith Souter

Medical Meddlers, Mediums and Magicians - the Victorian age of credulity (The History Press) hardback and ebook. The Classic Guide to King Arthur (Golden Guides Press) hardback and ebook. The Little Book of Golf (The History Press) hardback and ebook. The Pocket Guide to Dice and Dice Games (Pen & Sword) paperback and ebook, and due out in USA by Skyhorse 1st Jan 2013. How You Can Talk to Anyone:Teach yourself ebook: Never be lost for words (Hodder Educational) previously out in paperback.  The Curse of the Body Snatchers, the first YA novel in the series The Adventures of Jack Moon (G-Press) paperback and ebook  And in the process, due out in summer 2013. Understanding and Dealing with Stroke (Summersdale) paperback and ebook. Understanding and Dealing with Depression (Summersdale) paperback and ebook. The Tea Cyclopedia - a toast to tea (Skyhorse). Death in Transit (Hale Crime) the fifth in the Inspector McKinnon, West Uist series of crime novels - hardback. More details are on my website if needed.  

James Griffin

Death Rides the Rails has just been released by Solstice Publishing. Ebooks are available now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the publisher, or through my website. Print copies will be available within a week or two.

Meg Mims

My large print edition of Double Crossing is out now!! From Center Point Publishing -- it's GORGEOUS! and it was chosen a Finalist in the Best Books for 2012 by USA Book News besides winning the '12 Spur for Best First Novel!  The sequel, Double or Nothing, will be out in 2013.

James Reasoner

The Silver Alibi (A Judge Earl Stark Western)

[Kindle Edition] 

[trade large print]

James is a man of many words, but few words, if you get what I mean.

Charles T. Whipple

Writing as Chuck Tyrell, other than Western Fictioneers' Six-Guns and Slay Bells and 2012 Christmas Selection from Victory Tales Press, I published only two Westerns in 2012. Dollar a Day, and Road to Rimrock. Both are hardback from Black Horse Westerns and will not hit the eBook circuit for some time. 

Writing as Charles T. Whipple, I've introduced novellas about the Masacado Scrolls, a fantasy saga that is set in ancient Japan. So far, four novellas are out. The Fall of Awa, The Shadow Shield, The Road to Kio, and The Horse Soldiers.

After a look at all the credits above, just tell me the Western is dead. Ha.

Livia Reasoner / Charlie Whipple

Meet Western Fictioneer Matthew Pizzolato

1. What was your first Western novel or story and was it published? 
My first published work was a short story titled "The Old Outlaw" and it was accepted by a small press magazine called The Storyteller.

2. What Western writer or writers of the past were the biggest influence on your work?
I grew up reading Louis L'Amour novels and quickly accumulated everything he had written. I not only enjoyed his writing for the entertainment value but I gleaned a lot of life lessons from his stories that shaped me into the man that I am today. His stories always started fast and contained a lot of action, and I suppose that subconsciously, I've tried to begin my stories the same way.

I also enjoy reading Don Coldsmith, Loren D. Estleman and Elmore Leonard.

3. Is there a particular scene from a Western novel that was so powerful when you read it that it stuck with you? Perhaps has become a scene you've tried to live up to/equal in your own writing?
I'd have to pick a movie for that one. The most powerful scene I've ever watched was the ending of the Clint Eastwood film, Unforgiven. Seeing it for the first time gave me chills and goose bumps. Eastwood's character in that movie was part of the inspiration for Wesley Quaid, the antihero protagonist of my latest release, OUTLAW.

4. What's the first Western you remember reading from cover to cover?
I'd be hard pressed pick out one in particular because I've been reading Westerns for as long as I can remember. Most likely, it was something by Louis L'Amour.

5. Who is your favorite historical Western figure, and why?
Wild Bill Hickok. I've always been fascinated with his life and the tragic events of his death.

6. How much historical research do you do, and how do you go about it?
I've accumulated several shelves of historical books and I turn to them as I need to look up something. I do a lot of research online as well and on occasion, I'll visit the library.

7. How important is setting? How important is it to get setting right? What's the best use of setting in a Western as far as you're concerned?
I think that setting can be critical in a Western, as vital sometimes as a character, but a lot of it depends on the story. Louis L'Amour always used setting well in his stories.

8. How do you choose where to begin your story? Do you use prologues?
It depends on the story. I've used them before, but most of the time I don't. Usually, I start with an idea see where it takes me.

9. Do you do all your research ahead of time, or as you go along?
I research as I'm writing. If I come across something I'm not sure about I'll look it up online or in one of the historical books I have. Then I'll do a fact check again as part of the editing process.

10. Which of your characters do you identify with the most, and why? Was there a role model for this particular character?
My Texas Ranger character, Jud Nelson, would probably be the one that I identify most with, but I have put part of myself in all of the characters that I write, whether they are heroes or villains.

11. Do you outline and plot your story or do you write as the inspiration or MUSE leads?
Sometimes I write a general plot summary to serve as a sort of road map, but I never outline an entire story. For me, doing so would take the fun and enjoyment out of writing. Like Louis L'Amour said, I write because I want to see what happens next.

12. Are you a conservative in your writing and stick with traditional ideas for your characters and plots or do you like to go beyond the norm and toss in the unexpected and why?
I like to go against the norm and to create characters that don't fit the mold. Whenever I read fiction, I like to find characters that I can identify with, or in other words, characters that are flawed but are inherently good like antiheroes.

13. Do you need quiet when you write, listen to music, or have the TV on and family around?
I prefer it to be quiet, but I can write with noise going on around me.

14. Have you experienced the "dreaded" writer's block and how did you deal with it?
I don't believe in writer's block. Like Robert B. Parker said, I think that writer's block is another word for lazy. Whenever I get stuck on a story, I put it aside and work on something else. I've found that letting something simmer in my subconscious for a short period allows me to return to it with a clear mind.

15. Who is your favorite fictional character that you have created?
The protagonist of OUTLAW, Wesley Quaid, is my favorite character because for me, writing an antihero is a lot of fun. Instead of being limited by the moral absolutes that the traditional hero an villain stories require, I find that writing an antihero allows me to explore the gray areas of morality.

16. Who is your favorite fictional character that someone else created?
William Tell Sackett by Louis L'Amour. There was a lot of the loner aspect of Tell Sackett that I found myself identifying with as a young man.

17. Do you address "modern" issues in Westerns? Racism. Feminism. Downs Syndrome. Mental disabilities. Genetic disorders. Sociopathy. Immigrant questions. Brutality. Pedophilia. Any more?
I have addressed racism and bullying in a couple of my most recently published stories, "Day of Reckoning," and "Sixguns and Pitchforks," that were published in online magazines.

18. Have you found that being able to self publish through Kindle and Nook, that you find yourself writing more of what you want rather than what the agent, editor, and publisher wants?
Apart from my short stories published in print journals and online magazines, I have always self published, so I've never had to deal with having anyone else tell me what to write.

19. Do you make a living writing? If not, what is your day job?
I don't yet make my living from writing, but that is a goal that I am striving toward. In the meantime, I work as a meat cutter in a grocery store.

20. What are you writing right now?
I'm working on a series of short stories that is a sequel of sorts to my latest release, OUTLAW. I will be publishing them as a collection the first part of next year.

21. What do you plan to write in the future?
I'll always be writing Westerns because I think the potential of the genre is endless.

22. What made you decide to write Western fiction?
I decided to write Western fiction because I've always loved reading Westerns. I always said that I was born in the wrong century and writing allows me to go back in time and live vicariously through my characters.

Excerpt of Wolf Creek Book 3

MURDER IN DOGLEG CITY

PROLOGUE

  

Laird Jenkins had been in so many saloons, gambling dens, and houses of ill repute across the West that he couldn't even begin to remember all of them. Sometimes it seemed to him that he had spent his entire life breathing in the distinctive yet dubious perfume blended from tobacco smoke, stale beer, whiskey, piss, unwashed human flesh, bay rum, and cheap lilac water.

One thing he knew: the dens of iniquity here in Dogleg City, the less savory area of the settlement known as Wolf Creek, weren't any different from the ones he had visited elsewhere, with one or two exceptions.

The place he was in at the moment, Asa's Saloon, was one of those exceptions. It was owned by a black man, something you didn't see every day. Many of the clientele were black as well, but not all—there were a handful of Mexicans and a few white men who looked down on their luck. Not the sort of place Laird would normally choose to drink in, but he wasn’t really there to drink. He was there to do a little business with Asa Pepper. That business wasn't concluded yet, but Laird thought he had made a good start on it.

Without saying good night to anyone – there wasn't anyone in here that he would want to strike up a social conversation with, as Asa’s customers tended to be the dregs of the town – Laird left the saloon. He paused on the boardwalk just outside to take a deep breath of the night air and clear some of the saloon fumes from his lungs. He was about to head toward the Imperial Hotel, ready to turn in for the night, when an overpowering urge struck him. He turned the other way, toward the nearby alley, and started fumbling with the buttons of his fly.

Damn, he told himself, he wasn't old enough to be plagued like this. He ought to have a few years left, at least, before he started having to hurry these things or else he'd piss his britches.

The darkness of the alley folded around him. He got himself set, ready to relieve his bladder. And then, wouldn't you know it, the blasted thing went balky on him and refused to do anything.

With that to worry him, he almost didn't hear the faint noise of someone moving behind him. Laird didn't particularly like the idea of being disturbed at his personal business like this, and he knew as well that robbers often lurked in alleys near saloons, lying in wait for unwary drunks. His hand moved slightly toward the butt of the Colt on his hip.

But maybe it was nothing. A cat or a rat. Or maybe Asa Pepper had followed him from the saloon, deciding that he wanted to hear more of what Laird had to say about how they could both make some money.

“Mister Pepper?” Laird said without looking behind him. “Is that—”

The muzzle flash split the darkness. A blink of orange flame, there and then gone, and as it lit up the alley something smashed into Laird's back, a hammer-blow almost perfectly centered between his shoulder blades. It drove him forward off his feet. His face smashed into the hard-packed dirt of the alley floor. A fierce pain expanded through him, followed by an even more terrifying numbness. In that brief moment while Laird's muscles still worked, he managed to roll onto his back. Dying in an alley behind a saloon was bad enough. Dying with his face in the dirt and shit and trash of that alley was worse.

Laird tried and failed to draw air into his lungs. Everything was slipping away from him, and he wished he could breathe in that heady saloon fragrance once again, just one more time, just . . .

Now Available on the Nook

Wolf Creek: Murder in Dogleg City Now Available at Amazon

Welcome back to Wolf Creek.

Here you will find many of your favorite authors, working together as Ford Fargo to weave a complex and textured series of Old West adventures like no one has ever seen. Each author writes from the perspective of his or her own unique character, blended together into a single novel.

In our latest adventure: Dogleg City is what folks in Wolf Creek call the seedy part of town. Life is cheap there, and death is common. At first this murder seemed like any other –but the more Marshal Sam Gardner and his deputies learn about it, the more it seems this death will blow Wolf Creek wide open…

About the author: Beneath the mask, Ford Fargo is not one but a posse of America's leading western authors who have pooled their talents to create a series of rip-snortin', old fashioned sagebrush sagas. Saddle up. Read ‘em Cowboy! These are the legends of Wolf Creek.

Appearing as Ford Fargo in this installment: L. J. Washburn, Matthew P. Mayo, Phil Dunlap, Chuck Tyrell, Jerry Guin, & Troy D. Smith

    Coming soon for the Nook at Barnes and Nobles

Sample - Wolf Creek: Kiowa Vengeance

The six-man Kiowa scouting party came down on the Manning ranch like a wolf on the fold.

Roy Manning and his younger brother, Hal, had been about to go looking for a couple of strays. They’d just ridden out of the barn when Hal got an arrow through the throat. He made a gurgling sound and clutched his neck with both hands. Blood spurted between his fingers, and his horse broke into a run, throwing Hal’s body off about twenty yards away.

A ball from an 1866 Henry Yellow Boy blew a hole in Roy’s heart, and he pitched from the saddle, dead before he hit the dirt.

Two of the Kiowa warriors jumped from their horses and drew their knives. One cut away Roy’s scalp while the other was busy stripping Hal to remove his genitals.

The other four warriors had already stormed into the house, where Sue Manning was trying to hide her son and two young daughters. A warrior knocked her to the floor with one blow, while the other three dealt with the screaming children. All the surviving Mannings were dragged outside.

They killed the boy first, then held Sue while they raped her daughters. She’d fainted long before they got to her.

When the warriors rode away from the ranch, no one was left alive. And in that, they were lucky. The scouting party, steeped in blood, headed northeast, toward the road where the stage from Wichita would be heading for Wolf Creek.

This Sample is from the opening chapter by Bill Crider. Crider is a native Texan and former college teacher and administrator living in scenic Alvin, Texas, near enough to the Texas Gulf Coast to have been through two hurricanes. He has written around seventy-five novels in various genres, including both standalone westerns under his own name and series western novels under various house names. His mystery novels featuring Sheriff Dan Rhodes have been appearing just about every year since 1986. He has been nominated for the Edgar Award and the Shamus Award for his novels, and He won the Anthony and Derringer Awards for his short crime fiction. His wife, Judy, is his proofreader and constant inspiration. They make a great partnership. If you want to learn more about them, check out Bill's website at www.billcrider.com or follow his blog at http://billcrider.blogspot.com.

Wolf Creek: Kiowa Vengeance

Welcome to Wolf Creek.

Here you will find many of your favorite authors, working together as Ford Fargo to weave a complex and textured series of Old West adventures like no one has ever seen. Each author writes from the perspective of his or her own unique character, blended together into a single novel. In our latest adventure, Wolf Creek is threatened by marauding Kiowa warriors who seek to avenge the deaths of their comrades at the hands of buffalo hunters. While the town fortifies itself, and a cavalry detachment looks for the raiders, the stage from Wichita is attacked –leaving a handful of Wolf Creek citizens alone and on foot in hostile territory…

About the author: Beneath the mask, Ford Fargo is not one but a posse of America's leading western authors who have pooled their talents to create a series of rip-snortin', old fashioned sagebrush sagas. Saddle up. Read ‘em Cowboy! These are the legends of Wolf Creek.

Appearing as Ford Fargo in this installment:

Bill Crider, Jackson Lowry, Kerry Newcomb, Troy D. Smith, Frank Roderus, Robert J. Randisi.

Trade paperback only $8.99 

Ebook only $2.99

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