Dismal Trail Now Available on Amazon!

Thanks to all who follow my novels. I am pleased to inform you that my latest book, Dismal Trail, is now available on Amazon Kindle. The trade paperback version is forthcoming.

Dismal Trail is a standalone novel set in the Nebraska Sandhills. The protagonist is Morgan Fraser, a U.S. Marshal seeking to retire and take up fulltime life on his small Sandhills ranch. His dilemma is that he cannot escape his past, professional or personal.

A revenge-seeking criminal has placed a bounty on Fraser’s head, complicated by the fact that the marshal’s estranged son and daughter have found their lives entangled in the conflict. There are many twists and turns in the plot, and there should be enough action to satisfy those who seek that in their reading.

The novel includes a cast of new characters with the exception for a minor role by one from Blizzard. There is romance, of course, and tragedy, but I want to entice my readers to pick up the book and sort it all out.

I must, however, mention Dingo. Those who have read my other books are aware that it is difficult for me not to include special animals in my novels. In this case it is a dog that today would likely be called an Australian Red Heeler, and I think my readers will love this canine representative. I added Dingo to the cast because many years ago I owned such a dog with the same name, and she still lives on in my heart, seemingly more so as I grow older.

I like to think I have something for everyone in Dismal Trail. I hope you will enjoy it. It’s on to the next novel now. I know very little about it, but I will return to the Southwest. While it will be a standalone novel, I anticipate Grit McKay from Grit having a supporting role. Tentative title subject to change is The Wolf’s Mouth. I hope to have this book completed for mid-summer release.

Until then, wishing you the best and good reading!

Unbroken Now Available on Amazon!

My latest novel, Unbroken, is now available on Amazon Kindle. The trade paperback version is forthcoming.

 Unbroken is a historical fiction novel based upon the life of Henry Ossian Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, who sought his dream in the Southwest. I have written historical fiction previously, including Spur Award finalist Cut Nose, but prior works have been based on events more than individuals.

 After my work on Unbroken, I can attest it is much easier (at least for me) to focus on events. Nonetheless, I have satisfied a longtime desire to write about this unique person and his achievements. Some of the action scenes in this novel are fictionalized. There is no way a writer can be certain what a historical character truly thought, said, and did in given situations, although Flipper left writings and there were some public records that were helpful in that regard. I have tried to tell his basic life’s journey with historical accuracy, and I hope readers will enjoy the book and learn a bit during their reading journey.

 I have started working on my next novel with a working title of Dismal Trail. This book will be a standalone set primarily in the Nebraska Sandhills (think Coldsmith and Blizzard). I think I may be better at just making stuff up, and I know it is easier. This will likely be a substantially longer novel than Unbroken, which is shorter than most I write. I hope to see this book released in early March of next year.

 Thanks to all readers for considering my books on your reading menu. I am grateful to all who follow my work.

The Prince of Santa Fe -- newest Law Wranglers book -- just released!

My latest novel, The Prince of Santa Fe, is now available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DC5N8VHQ

This book, while it may be read as a standalone, is a Law Wranglers novel. I receive more reader requests for books from that series than any other, and this effort is a response to that interest. Besides, the Law Wrangler books are fun to write, and I find myself frequently calling upon some of these characters for smaller roles in other novels.

The novel revolves around a villain who has built a castle near Santa Fe and dubbed himself the “Prince of Santa Fe.” There should be ample action for readers who seek out action with bank robbery, kidnappings, and cold-blooded murder.

Most of the characters from previous books will make appearances, but some who had small parts in earlier books will step into larger roles. These include Rylee O’Brian, Gabriel Laurent and Michael Rivers, the son of Josh and Jael. I hope readers will find this an enjoyable read.

I have started a new project, a standalone historical novel with a working title of Unbroken. (Titles have a way of changing.) I anticipate this will be my most challenging project to date. It will be based upon the life of Henry Ossian Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point. I became acquainted with this remarkable man during other research and have wanted to write about him for four or five years. He made an appearance in Ghost of the Guadalupe. Historical novels can be daunting in mixing fiction without departing from historical accuracy.

I will try hard to produce a novel you enjoy.

As always, thank you for your interest in my books.

Best wishes for good reading,

Ron

"Blizzard" Now Available on Amazon

My latest novel, Blizzard, is now available on Amazon.

I return to the Nebraska Sandhills for the setting of this story. This is a standalone novel, but the main female protagonist is Maddie Sanford from my Bloodhounds series. Of course, her wolfdog, Pirate, is at her side. Rance Coldsmith from the Coldsmith novel makes a cameo appearance.

This may be my longest novel. There are several subplots moving in this book as the story unfolds, but they come together and culminate with the Nebraska Blizzard of 1888. This devastating storm, sometimes called “The Children’s Blizzard,” made the history books and struck other states throughout the Midwest. Nebraska and South Dakota took the worst of it, however.

I think of my novels as primarily character-driven, and this one should have characters for every age group.

Blizzard was more challenging to write than most books I have done. I hope my readers enjoy the end-product.

I don’t know what my next novel is about at this writing. I usually have something in mind before I finish the current project. Inspiration will strike by sunrise, and I will be started on the next (or if it does not strike, I will be writing anyway). I hope to have three more titles out in 2024.

As always, thanks for your interest in my novels. Good reading.

Ron Schwab

"Bushwa" Now Available on Amazon

My latest novel, Bushwa, is now available on Amazon.

Bushwa is the back story of Obadiah “Bushwa” Sparks, a character in the three-book Lockwood series. Setting is primarily New Mexico Territory during the Civil War when the Confederacy was attempting to expand the war and acquire that territory and other western states.

This book, featuring a character who is something of a scalawag, will be a bit different than many of my novels, but I will also be introducing some new more respectable characters. There should be ample action and a bit of romance as well.

The Mescalero Apache play an important role in this novel, and my research revealed a lot of information I had not previously known about the tribe. I have tried to weave some of this into the novel to share with my readers. In this regard, I discovered an excellent, easy-to-read book by James L. Haley entitled “APACHES, a History and Culture Portrait,” which I recommend to readers who enjoy non-fiction now and then.

I have tried to write a novel that runs the gamut of emotions, but I hope the reader will find more than a few laughs in this one. Regardless, the author has enjoyed writing it.

Some of my readers may be interested to know that four of my novels are now available in audio format. Tantor Media has previously produced an audio version of the Coyote series (Night of the Coyote, Return of the Coyote and Twilight of the Coyote). Now Ghost of the Guadalupe has been produced as an audiobook and recently been released.  For those who are interested in audiobooks (or have friends and family who are), all may be purchased on Audible.

Until next time, best wishes and good reading,

Ron

"Ghost of the Guadalupe" Now Available

I am pleased to inform you that my latest Western novel, Ghost of the Guadalupe, is now available as an ebook on Amazon. Trade paperback editions should be available in a few weeks, and an audiobook version will also be in production shortly.

Ghost of the Guadalupe is a standalone novel set in the semi-arid lands of southeastern New Mexico at the base of the north side of the Guadalupe Mountains (the southern part of the mountains is located in Texas). It is an isolated land with a scattering of small ranchos and a structure called the Triad owned by Dr. Roman Hayes, an older man who lives in the stone building that also houses a trading post and two-bed hospital. He has had a long relationship with the “ghost” that resides in the Guadalupe but has never seen the frequent visitor to the Triad.

Doc Hayes’s best friend and neighbor is Conor Byrne, a young, former West Pointer, trying to eke out a living in this near-barren land that both men love.

Two events change the lives of the friends and spur the Ghost to action. First, a young woman, Kathleen Ryan, nearly kills the man who claims to be her common law husband with the butt end of an axe. She is arrested, jailed and escapes with a deputy’s horse, eventually ending up as a fugitive at the Triad. Then, a lawyer for the notorious Santa Fe Ring, notifies Doc, Conor, and other residents of the area to vacate their properties because of a Spanish land grant claim. Enforcers are already nearby to compel eviction.

This is one of my longer novels because of two running plot lines. Those who have read my Law Wranglers series will meet up again with two of the lawyers, Jael Rivers (a/k/a She Who Speaks) and Danna Sinclair. I also introduce a new supporting character, Henry Ossian Flipper, West Point’s first black graduate, a fascinating character from history. I have read a great deal about this interesting man and hope to find a story someday that will give him the role he deserves.

My next project is Bushwa, another standalone with a familiar character from the Lockwood series. This book will take Obadiah “Bushwa” Sparks back to the years before he appeared in Lockwood, Wyoming. I anticipate that this will be a fun, yet very challenging, story. We are shooting for late fall release.

On another note, for those who enjoy reading western non-fiction, I recently finished reading Standing Bear is a Person by Stephen Dando-Collins. This book has been out for about 20 years and is available on Amazon. This is a story of the Ponca “Trail of Tears” from Northeastern Nebraska to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and the legal battle Chief Standing Bear waged to return to his homeland. The result was a landmark court decision that declared that Indians were people with rights, also. This book is paced much like a novel, and those who have not read the Standing Bear story and like history should enjoy this one.

My thanks always to those who read my novels. I try very hard not to disappoint my readers.

Best wishes and good reading,

Ron Schwab

"Trouble" Now Available on Amazon

Dear Readers,

My latest novel, Trouble, is now available on Amazon. This is the third and final book (for now) in the Lockwood series. The novel, of course, focuses on Brady “Trouble” Yates, the young entrepreneur from The Accidental Sheriff and Beware a Pale Horse.

Samantha Morris again plays an important role in her difficult romance with Trouble, and most of the usual Lockwood, Wyoming residents make appearances. Grant Coolidge and Hannah Locke, now married with a new baby on the way, are active participants in a story plot that involves the destruction of Trouble’s lumber business as the result of a conspiracy between a would-be competitor and bureaucrats at the Interior Department. I think the reader will find enough action and more than a few surprises in this one.

Some of my characters in the Lockwood novels have been among the most popular among my readers. Rest assured that they will likely appear in future books and perhaps even be featured in a standalone novel. As my regular readers know, such appearances have become something of a trademark for my work.

On that note, I have had many inquiries about another Law Wranglers book. My next novel will include some of those old friends in minor roles, but they will need to wait a bit for star billings. I do not know what the plot is yet, but the setting will be primarily on the New Mexico side of the Guadalupe mountains. My tentative working title is Ghost of the Guadalupes, but since I do not outline or plot my novels in advance, the story often demands a change in title. I hope to have the novel completed for August release.

As always, thanks for your interest and support of my books. I hope you will find Trouble an entertaining read.

Ron

"Beware a Pale Horse" Now Available on Amazon

Dear Readers,

My latest novel, Beware a Pale Horse, has now been released and is available on Amazon. Beware a Pale Horse is a sequel to The Accidental Sheriff, which was an Amazon best seller for some months and is still doing very well. This book continues with the adventures of writer Grant Coolidge, lawyer Hannah Locke, and teenage entrepreneur Trouble Yates. Bushwa Sparks, Enos Fletcher, Samantha Morris, and other characters from the previous book will have roles, also.

The plot centers around a range war flaring up in Big River County where Lockwood, Wyoming is located. The county Stock Growers Association has employed hired guns, self-identified as the Justice Riders, who are terrorizing local homesteaders and alleged rustlers with lynchings. Once again, the writer protagonist will be reluctantly pressed into the conflict. There will be some action in this one and, of course, a bit of romance.

I enjoy writing about the characters in my Lockwood novels. Most of my readers are aware by now that characters from other novels frequently appear in cameo roles in my current books. This book will be no exception.

My current project is another sequel to the Lockwood books. The working title is Sammy and Trouble, however that may be changed prior to release of the novel. This will complete a trilogy set in Lockwood, Wyoming. The book will focus on Trouble Yates and Samantha Morris, who will now be old enough to marry. But will the obstacles be too great? Will both live to see a wedding? The author does not decide such things in advance, so we must wait and see what happens. As I have explained previously, I do not outline or plot my stories before I write. I come up with a setting and a few characters I think might be interesting, as well as a tentative title, and just start writing. A sequel, of course, has many of the characters already identified. I just don’t know what is going to happen to them. It is a challenging job playing God with characters’ lives. I am hoping for an early April release.

I hope you will enjoy Beware a Pale Horse. Sequels to a successful novel tend to leave this writer a bit uneasy because of a certain fear of letting your readers down from a previously popular title. You will be the judge of that.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Best wishes and good reading.

Ron

"The Accidental Sheriff" Now Available on Amazon

My latest novel, The Accidental Sheriff, is now available on Amazon Kindle. I always seek to provide something a little different for my readers, and I hope this book does that. The male protagonist, Grant Coolidge, is a dime novelist who writes westerns without ever having been west of the Mississippi River. He proceeds to remedy his travel deficiencies in this book and encounters a basketful of surprises in Lockwood, Wyoming,

If you have read my other books, you have visited Lockwood in the Coyote series andLooking for Trouble, and you will meet many of the inhabitants again. I also include two strong female characters, Hannah Locke and Bright Moon Dupree. Romance? Count on it. A few tears? Could be. Humor? I have tried.

You will meet Trouble Yates, Sammy Morris and Enos Fletcher again. I think readers will like a new character, Obadiah “Bushwa” Sparks, as well as several other newcomers.

I hope my readers enjoy this novel. It has been fun to write. My next book will be a sequel with a storyline based upon a range war. Since I don’t outline or plot ahead, my readers now know as much as I do at this point. My working title is Beware a Pale Horse. By release time, my publisher may want to change this, but I like to have a title when I do my writing. I hope to have this completed for November release.

For those who may not be aware, permit me to brag a bit. In June Old Dogs was honored by Western Fictioneers, an organization of western fiction writers, with the Peacemaker Award as the Best Western Novel of 2021. I was interviewed on the Western Fictioneers blog a few weeks ago. If any reader is interested, you may click this link to read the interview.

Thanks for your interest in my novels.

Best wishes and good reading.

Ron

"Day of the Dog" Now Available on Amazon

Old Dogs may not may not have been my best novel, but it certainly enjoyed market success, and many readers have expressed that it was their favorite of my novels. Confession: While I do not consider the book my best work, it wins out as my own personal favorite by a nose. Thus, I could not resist the temptation to revisit the characters in the book.

Day of the Dog is now available on Amazon Kindle. This book features Jordy Jackson, Jack Wills’s foster son, and Jack’s granddaughter Sierra, as well as Rudy Kilgore, the old Texas Ranger and Jack’s loyal friend. And a new canine warrior is introduced to worm his way into the hearts of readers. Many of the other characters in Old Dogs make appearances, also. And many “Jackisms” will keep Jack Wills’s memory a continuing presence.

The novel can be read as a standalone, but if you have not read Old Dogs, you should really read it first. Day of the Dog turned into more sequel than I originally intended. I have flinched at writing sequels to some of my best sellers (i.e. Grit, Cut Nose) for fear of disappointing, but I could not stay away from this one. I hope readers will agree with my decision.

Thanks to all those who make it possible for me to pursue my dream as a fulltime novelist.

Best wishes and good reading.

Ron Schwab