Hell's Fire, a new novel featuring the Locke family, is now available on Amazon. This book includes many of the characters from my Medicine Wheel novel and features physician/veterinarian Thad Locke and “Crazy Kirsten” Cavelle. The novel is a stand-alone story, but a reading of Medicine Wheel first might enhance enjoyment.
The town of Medicine Wheel’s volunteer fire brigade and its Dalmatian dog play major roles in the action segments, and the reader may find this a different kind of Western—always one of my goals. The working title of Hell's Fire was Curse of the Kaw, but I do not write from an outline, and the curse failed to appear as the words added up. As the title implies, fire replaced the curse.
I have a nice start on my next novel, Cut Nose, a historical frontier story based on the Dakota War of 1862. Expect this one to be loaded with action and suspense. I think readers who enjoyed Grit and books from the Law Wranglers series will especially like this one. I expect this book to be my longest novel to date. I hope for release by late April or early May.
Book 5 of the Law Wranglers series should be next up after Cut Nose, probably for release mid-summer.
Thanks for your interest.
Good reading,
Ron Schwab
P. S. Occasionally readers ask about the availability of my novels as audiobooks. I'm pleased to announce that Tantor Media is releasing the Coyote Saga as audiobooks over the next couple of months. Night of the Coyoteis available now. Return of the Coyote and Twilight of the Coyote will follow later this month and in March.
New Book(s) on the Horizon
In recent reviews of some of my novels on Amazon, several readers have asked whether more books in the Law Wranglers series will be forthcoming. Be assured that there will be more novels in the series. This series has treated me too well to be abandoned. I anticipate completion and release of another full-length Law Wranglers book in April or May.
I am presently working on another novel in the Locke Family Saga. It is tentatively titled CURSE OF THE KAW, but I suspect that will be changed before release in late December or early January. This is a stand alone novel but will feature characters from MEDICINE WHEEL and LAST WILL.
Before the Law Wranglers book, I expect to finish CUT NOSE. This is a historical/western novel about the Dakota War of 1862 that took place near Mankato, Minnesota. This was a horrifying and fascinating event in American history and not a lot has been written about it. Readers who enjoyed GRIT and the Comanche Sunset books of the Law Wranglers series should find this novel exciting and interesting---at least that’s my hope.
Speaking of GRIT, this novel has been our most successful book commercially and has drawn many readers to my other titles. GRIT was the best-selling book in Amazon’s Western Classics division for over a month and led other categories at various times. I did not personally consider GRIT my best work, but fortunately, many western readers disagreed and made this what some might call a “break-out” book. I can’t thank my readers enough for their support of my writing efforts.
Special thanks also to my publisher, Leafcutter Publishing Group, Inc., now printing my novels under the Uplands Press imprint for paving the way to putting my books in front of more readers.
Best wishes and good reading.
Ron
New Novel, GRIT, Just Released
I am pleased to announce the release of my latest novel, GRIT. This book is set in southwest Texas during the Comanche wars, which readers have likely guessed is historically one of my favorite subjects. The male protagonist is a school teacher, and the female counterpart is a woman whose twin sister was abducted by Comanche 14 years earlier.
GRIT is what some western writers call a ‘search novel,’ but I hope I have produced some very different twists. Sorry, you will need to buy the book to see if I have been successful.
Our recently published novella, PEYOTE SPIRITS, has enjoyed consistent sales and received favorable reviews. I do not expect to write short works regularly but will likely do another between novels sometime in 2019.
I have started my next novel, tentatively titled CURSE OF THE KAW. This may be changed, because I do not write from an outline, and sometimes my story goes a direction I had not even thought about. I can tell you it will be set in the Kansas Flint Hills and will involve some of the Locke family members from MEDICINE WHEEL and LAST WILL. I have only written 3000 words of a 70,000-word novel, so you know about as much about the story as I do at this point. We hope to have this completed and released by late November or early December.
A reminder: My readers can help us tremendously by posting a brief book rating and review on Amazon. This response has a bearing on how much promotion our books receive.
Thanks for your interest.
Good reading,
Ron Schwab
New Law Wranglers Book Released
Today, my publisher released a new Law Wranglers novella (about half the words of a full-length novel) titled Peyote Spirits. This can be enjoyed, as can Summer’s Child, without reading others in the series. The novella is an experiment of sorts. The characters from the Law Wranglers novels offer opportunities for many shorter writing adventures, and readership will determine the fate of future novellas. The novella’s protagonists are Jael Chernik Rivers a/k/a She Who Speaks and her, husband, Josh Rivers, who are involved in something of a murder/mystery at Fort Sill in Indian Territory.
The first three books of the Law Wranglers series are now being published and packaged as a trilogy titled Comanche Sunset. These books, unlike others in the Law Wranglers series, are best read in sequence starting with Deal with the Devil, then Mouth of Hell and, finally, The Last Hunt. Those who have read the books may wish to make friends aware of that from tomorrow (7/19) through next Wednesday (7/25), Comanche Sunset will be available for $0.99.
Twilight of the Coyote, which was released in late spring, has received nice reviews and ratings at both Amazon and Goodreads. While this novel features descendants from the protagonists of Night of the Coyote and Return of the Coyote, it is essentially a stand-alone book. Readers of the earlier books, however, should enjoy appearances by much older Ethan Ramsey and Skye dePaul.
The next thing on my plate is to finish writing a new stand-alone western with the working title, Grit. I am very enthused about this project and hope to see the book published and released by early September.
Best wishes and good reading.
Ron Schwab
Twilight of the Coyote Now Available!
My latest novel, Twilight of the Coyote, is now available for Kindle on Amazon. There was something of a struggle with titling this novel, as it had previously been referred to as The President and the Cowgirl and Legacy of the Coyote. The late President Calvin Coolidge is a significant character in the story which takes place during his summer-long visit to the Black Hills that year.
Those who have read my Coyote series will find that the grandson of Ethan and Skye Ramsey is the male protagonist. And, yes, Skye and Ethan appear in the storyline fifty years after you first met them. The cowgirl is a new character, and I think readers will love her.
Western readers should enjoy the book, but the storyline also takes the reader to the early days of the FBI (then known as Bureau of Investigation). I have always been fascinated with the 1920s, and I have loved writing this novel. It’s been great fun. I hope reader response allows me to write other stories from this era. Twilight has series potential.
My next project will find me returning to the Law Wranglers series, a novella tentatively titled Peyote Spirit. More to come on that in the future.
Best wishes and good reading.
Ron
New Release & Current Writing Project
My latest novel, Summer’s Child, is now available on Kindle at Amazon. This is Book 4 of the popular Law Wranglers series. My editors have been quite upbeat about the potential reader reception to this novel, and now we’ll find out if the optimism is justified. The readers rule.
Summer’s Child is set in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico, and the plot may be nearer to mystery than traditional Western. I enjoy Westerns of all kinds, but I intentionally try to carve my own Western niche by developing plots that those who read outside the genre might enjoy as well.
In this new release some of the protagonists from previous books will be reduced to cameo roles, but you will learn much more about Levi Rivers, Tabby Rivers and Oliver Wolf. I anticipate a few more additions to this series in 2018, but I am now working on something a little different for January or February release.
My working title for the next novel was originally The President and the Cowgirl. The title has now been changed to Legacy of the Coyote. Unlike many writers, I like to have a title in mind when I write. I never write from an outline (I don’t know how the story is going to end until the last paragraph is written) A working title seems to help with plot continuity, but my words may lead me to yet another title before release of the book.
Legacy of the Coyote is set in the 1920s. The male protagonist is Trey Ramsey, grandson of Ethan Ramsey and Skye dePaul from Night of the Coyote and Return of the Coyote. And, yes, Skye and Ethan are still vital and living, although their lives have not been free of tragedy. Ethan and Skye are friends of President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, who also have important roles in this novel set in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I am having more fun with this novel than any I have written to date. Whether this translates into pleasure for my readers remains to be seen. I certainly hope so.
Best wishes and good reading.
Ron
Summer's Child
I am pleased to report that Book #4 of the Law Wranglers series is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It is now in its final editing and production stages and will be officially released on November 9th.
The novel is entitled Summer’s Child, and while it includes appearances by most of your old friends from the series, Tabitha Rivers and Oliver Wolf are the featured characters. The story is set in Santa Fe and the mountains north, and the plot includes elements of a mystery. I have received encouraging reports from initial readers of the manuscript, so I am hopeful other readers will enjoy this book.
The previous book in the series, The Last Hunt, has been ranked in the top 10 of Amazon’s western classic sales for two months now, after a very brief visit to the #1 spot. Amazon reviews and ratings of the novel have been very gratifying. Any who are so inclined can help promotion of my novels by going to my author page on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Ron-Schwab/e/B013K935WC/) and rating the books. (Five stars are highest).
I am writing full-time now, and I have promised my publisher I will produce four or five books annually, so we expect to announce new titles more frequently. My next project will be a stand-alone book. The working title is The President and the Cowgirl. The final titles on my last two novels were different than the working titles, so we’ll see. We are hoping for a January release on this book.
Best wishes and good reading.
Ron
The Last Hunt
I am pleased to report that my latest novel, The Last Hunt is now available as an ebook on Amazon. Print publication will follow in the coming weeks.
The working title for this book was initially Dismal Trail, but I changed the title after finishing the project. This is Book 3 of the Law Wrangler series, and I think of it as more a historical novel than a traditional western. I hope my readers will enjoy reading this one as much as I have writing it.
I have now started Book 4, tentatively titled Wolf. Some of the characters featured in the first three books will be reduced to cameo roles in Book 4, but they will make future appearances as protagonists if the series retains its readers. I will likely give Quanah Parker a break in Book 4, but he led a life that can be mined for many stories yet.
Regardless, I do not write from an outline, so I often find myself surprised during the process of writing a novel at the roles characters assume.
Good reading,
Ron
The Coyote Saga
Return of the Coyote, billed as the sequel to Night of the Coyote, must have set a record for the longest time span between a novel and its sequel. On second thought, it probably doesn’t surpass the recent sequel to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
I wrote Night of the Coyote over 35 years ago during my early efforts to establish a career as a novelist. The book was well received despite its failure to find a publisher before I took a long hiatus from publishing efforts. A New York agent was negotiating with a major paperback publisher and died before finalizing a contract. A second agent thought the novel had promise and had an editor at Walker, western hardcover publisher, sold on the book. I even made a few changes at the editor’s request, before my agent informed me the editor had taken a job at another firm that did not publish westerns. It seemed the book was cursed. Thereafter, I put the novel to bed and shifted to the realities of making a living at my day job. When new publication opportunities arose years later, Night of the Coyote was ready to head out the gate. My few readers at the time seemed to like it, and my daughter-in-law, Brooke, showed great enthusiasm and asked when the sequel would be out. At that time, I had always thought of Night as a stand-alone book. I assumed all the readers knew I intended for Skye and Ethan to get together. I impulsively promised Brooke there would be a sequel, though, and felt committed to do it. Fortunately, other readers asked the same question and got the same assurance.
Thus, it took Sky dePaul and Ethan Ramsey over 35 years to reunite. I truly thought this would satisfy everybody. It evidently did not. Many readers have asked about the next sequel. I expect there will be one, but, with other projects in the works, I cannot say when. I promise I won’t wait another 35 years though.
Good reading,
Ron
The Coyote Saga and Law Wrangler News
April has been an exciting month so far. Return of the Coyote has garnered sales far exceeding anything I had imagined. Today, this novel will complete three consecutive weeks as #1 best seller in Amazon Western Classics. It has also been as high as #2 or #3 in several other categories.
Not to be outdone by the sequel, Night of the Coyote has enjoyed a revival which carried that book to as high as #3 in Western Classics over the past few days.
Thanks to all our readers for their support.
I am currently working on Dismal Trail, Book 3 of the Law Wrangler series. While I look for the series to continue indefinitely, this will complete what I think of as a trilogy about the last days of the Comanche wars. I expect to finish my part mid-May, but some editors and my publisher will need to do some work, so the book will probably not be available to readers until the middle of summer.
I am pleased to report that I am now writing full-time and enjoying it immensely. This will enable me to increase my production considerably. I am thinking in terms of a minimum of four novels a year. How great to have a no-stress job, have fun and make a few bucks in the process.
Good Reading.
Ron