Search This Blog

Thursday, February 20, 2020

New Release -- The Gunslinger's Redemption: A Six Guns and Prairie Roses Novel by Shastina Gray

Widow Martha McKenzie and her young son, Eddy, live in the shadow of California’s beautiful Mount Shasta. Martha helps in her father’s bakery, and still grieves the loss of her husband ten years earlier, cut down by a murderer’s bullet.
Wealthy mine owner Horace Slade promises to fulfill all Martha’s dreams of a life of luxury in San Francisco—if she’ll only marry him. But something holds her back, despite Horace’s repeated attempts to get a ring on her finger.
Jake Gideon is a bounty hunter, a gunslinger hired by Wells Fargo to catch stagecoach robber Black Bart. When the trail leads him to Yreka, Jake is taken with Martha—but she wants nothing to do with a hired gunman—especially the one she suspects might have been responsible for her husband’s death ten years earlier!
Even if Jake decided to settle down and give her his heart, how could Martha ever be sure he’s telling her the truth? When a dark specter appears, it may be too late to give Jake a chance to prove himself. In a winner-take-all game, will Martha’s life be forfeit?
EXCERPT
     Stewart used a technique called placer mining. As he had explained it to her, in this area, gold deposits were found in the sediments of local creeks and streams. A miner used a wide shallow pan to dip into the dirt. He then submerged the pan into the water and shook it. If gold existed, the heavy metal would settle at the bottom of the pan.
     Martha knew Stewart shared her dream of living in San Francisco. He had told her he envisioned opening a shop where he could sell his inventions. He had said he would start by building clocks. Moving to San Francisco was the reason he panned for gold. He had found a little gold nugget his last trip out. However, it was not big enough for them to leave Yreka.
     Martha completed her chores inside the cabin and went to the wood pile to gather up enough fuel to light a campfire. She was mighty thirsty, and thought a cup of coffee would do her good.
     The sun streamed through the boughs of towering fir and cedar trees. She breathed deeply of the fragrant cedar-scented air. The only sound to reach her ears was the high-pitched hum of the forest dwelling insects.
     Crack! The stillness was shattered with the sound of a gun blast. Nearby birds fluttered from the trees and escaped to the sky. Martha gazed in horror as Stewart thudded to the ground.


Trade paperback coming soon.




     

17 comments:

  1. Oh! What a compelling excerpt. Masterful tension building. Congratulations on your new release! Great cover too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations on your new release! Very intriguing characters. Love the setting too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Patti. I chose to set this book in the historic mining town of Yreka, California because I love the palindrome of Yreka and Bakery, minus the letter 'b'.

      Delete
  3. Congratulations on your new release, Shastina. I wish you every success.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations on your new PRP release, Shastina! We are so glad to have you with us, and I wanted to tell you again how much I loved your story!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cheryl! I'm glad you enjoyed this story. I loved writing it. And, I'm honored to be a part of the PRP group of talented authors.

      Delete
  5. Congratulations on your new release, Shastina. I love the old west and your characters are very much in keeping with the period. Can't wait to read this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Becky! I love writing historical fiction. I think it's so much fun to drop a person who walked this Earth into a story. and have them interact with my fictional characters. In this book, it's Black Bart and President Rutherford Hayes.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Thanks Mary! Glad you liked the excerpt from Chapter 1.

      Delete
  7. Wow congrats on your new release and what a gun slinging old west wonderful story. I am also glad that you are having print copies made as this sounds so good. peggy clayton ptclayton2@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Peggy! Yes, the paperback is now available at Amazon. My gunslinger was inspired by characters like Shane, Matt Dillon, and others.

      Delete
  8. Oh, I just love it when a story starts out so dramatic like yours. Wishing you much success with this and all upcoming ones. Looking forward to a great read. I'm just finishing one about a gunman and hope it reads as dynamic as yours. So nice to meet you. I so enjoy all the authors we have at PRP.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Beverly. I hope you enjoy my book. I think historical westerns are fun to read and write. I'm very glad to be part of the PRP author 'stable'.

    ReplyDelete