Following the Civil War, our re-united nation was booming; a railroad had stitched it together and men of all kinds flooded west by the thousands. Among them, boys in blue who had dreamed of homesteading, and boys in gray escaping the South's postwar anarchy. The West was wild-just the place for a generation of restless young men who had survived the most bitter war in the country's history. It was a place where a man might lose himself, and some did. When a man went west, he went with a clean slate. In this unrestrained setting, Exempt From Fear continues Nick Wright's fictional saga of his great-grandfather, Timothy Barnes as he leads a handful of dedicated men from his former CSA Ranger command in confrontations not only with enemies from their past, but with newly discovered foes as well. The only failure to mar their wartime record has returned to haunt them. Once again, they must join forces to protect their friends and the fascinating group of women to whom they were attracted from villains seeking easy money and others seeking revenge. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder throughout the War and survived. They believed in standing tall in the face of trouble, in being their own man, and to never let down a friend. These men were not trouble hunters, but when faced with it, they knew what to do.

Sheriff Will Keller came into town with an attitude, a shotgun and a great set of legs. Sheriff Will Keller let it be known the Sheriff's word was law, and made it stick. Sheriff Will Keller arrested the Mayor and shot up the saloon within a half hour of arriving in town. Things have been peaceful and quiet as a result. Until now. Murder has been done: not the face to face conflict of loud voices, bared steel, a knife in the gut: no, this is the coward's murder of a little boy, the poisoning of a helpless, handicapped child in his own bed. The Sheriff is not happy about this. There will be justice. The Sheriff will see to it. Personally.

Brando Good Life News Interview Joe: ...The Master Painter describe the book tell us what it's about. Brando: It's actually a novel that contains Villains, Cowboys, and Indians and takes place out here in Arizona. Joe: Excellent Brando: My Grandfather he was kind of the inspiration for that, he was an artistic man and he lived here in a small town in Arizona for 100 years, he just died this past February. He was the inspiration for my novel and for the title The Master Painter. The Master Painter was actually an Apache trained painter and they deal with some spiritual arts, not everything that you see meets the eye. Joe: Right. Brando: So there is some intrigue there in the book, a young boy becomes his apprentice and it's taking place during 1931 which was the year of the Great Depression and a lot of businesses were closing people were losing their homes and the nation was in an economic crisis. In the book the Master Painter paints a magical painting which the young boy the apprentice can reach into and take out as much wealth as he needs whenever he needs it he describes it as taking a cold drink of water from a mountain stream that's never ending. Joe: Excellent Brando: There are of course the cunning villains who are trying to steal the painting. There's a comedy duo team which I attribute to Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello which try to help the apprentice locate the Master Painters painting after he mysteriously disappears. Joe: Excellent, excellent. Brando: There are also a few science fiction parts thrown in there with some creatures that call themselves, The Watchers of Prisoners so there are a lot of elements in this book which people might find interesting Joe.

In their early years, the Texas Rangers protected the settlers from Mexicans and Indians along the river. As time passed, the Rangers became lawmen, protecting Texas after the Civil War. Now, times are changing and the Rangers must change with them. These men are known as the new breed. In this fourth book in the Ranger Winds Series by author E. Richard Womack, the Rangers still mourn the death of Ranger Captain Laughlin McFarland, a legend and the fastest gun in Texas. Captain Jones has been selected to replace McFarland, Dusty McFarland and Boots Law have become Ranger Captains in Uvalde and Abilene respectively, and Ryder McCoy has been assigned to establish a new station in Fort Worth. Newfangled inventions, such as one of the first horseless carriages in Texas, keep the men on their toes-as do a gang of highwaymen and the Pinkerton detective sent to catch them. Although new forensics and techniques have made detection procedures more efficient and simple, there's still plenty to keep the Rangers busy as murder, robberies, rustling, and general mayhem still plague the West as they rush headlong into the twentieth century.

Tyran and Tyrel Lyreil are about as mischievous and fun-loving as two boys can get. With their two pals, Jeff and Jam, and their two horses, Chum and Trusty, they are forever finding pranks to play on their mother's ranch. They tease the good-natured cowboys and plan excursions to a secret place in the canyons that only they know of. They are not only capable of fun, however. As they grow into young manhood they can and do work as hard as the hired hands. They hunt and they fish, but most of all, they ride. They tackle almost every creature imaginable on their vast California ranch. Their way of life is their passion. When it comes to true American honesty, blood and guts, and the right to defend and protect what is theirs, no one beats the Lyreil boys. They may be young teenagers and full of spirit, but they have a code of honor they follow that neither threats nor bullets can pierce. Between humorous exploits of good clean fun, the young cowboys know what it means to work hard and face in the duties of every day life the real possibility of sudden and violent death. Whether it's branding the cattle or facing down rank ranch bulls, ridding the earth of venomous reptiles or tracking down rustlers, the Lyreil boys get the job done. No matter what the cost.

This historically based fictional novel tells on a pair of working cowmen and their exploits in the American old west. This story chronicles a veteran cowhand, Patrick O'Connor, (Ornery) and his tenderfoot saddle partner, Francis Slimmery, (Slim), and how they made their way west to come into the steady employment of the ranch known as the, "O U T (Oh-Ewe-Tee) Spread." Further told is how the two main characters come to deal with life, contending; with their critters (cows), the elements of nature, the lay of the land, outlaws, wildlife, their friends, calico-friends, and each other, all the while toiling to tame their corner of the prairie west. Conveyed are the simple, but oft' humorous and life like escapades of these two laboring cow-saddlers, as they commence to ply their cow craft for the "brand." The setting for these accounts is far less fictional, and transpires on the very real North American frontier, circa 1880's. Told about as well is the time-honored cowboy code, one pervasive to the people of this era and played out by the two central figures. These tales dabble in the daily deeds, trials, and tribulations of nearly every aspect of a cowman's existence during that period. The anecdotal activities are set to expose the full range of endeavors, from the slow and arduous boredom of ranch chores, to the split second moments of hair-raising and life-threatening perils oft' encountered along the trails. The chapters in this story are intended to rekindle the feeling of an old west evening around the campfire, filled with tales of cowboy adventures, escapades packed with; love and luck, kinship and hardship, calamity and triumph, wisdom and self-exploration, all via the exploitsof these two saddleback heroes and their friends. All this, and shared in the old-fashioned American story-telling tradition.

It is 1933, and seventeen-year-old Rhoda Bowling is filled with indignation, outrage, and fear. Th e moment she has dreaded for quite some time has finally arrived. As her train pulls away from the depot in rural Stoutland, Missouri, Rhoda tries her best not to hate her father, but deep inside, she knows he has just ruined her life.

Against her will, Rhoda is heading for Springfield to meet her future husband, one of two men who answered her father's newspaper advertisement soliciting a spouse. Afraid her life will trace the same dismal pattern as Mama's-forever dependent on and subservient to an unloving, unappreciative man-Rhoda disembarks from the train and heads toward Nixa, where the dreaded unknown looms before her. Rhoda knows nothing about her future husband, Zachoriah Kelmsley, except that he is widowed and the father of a young daughter. Only moments after the two strangers meet, they are married in the courthouse, forever tucking away Rhoda's hopes for love and happiness-or so she thinks.

In this historical romance, a young woman on a coming-of-age journey during the Great Depression must dig deep to unleash the fierce independence she never knew she had in order to realize her true destiny.

Earl was so angry he was shaking, which is probably why he made the mistake he did. He tried to hit Chuck in the head. Chuck ducked and Earl tried to hit him again. Chuck kicked him to the most good. Earl bent forward to catch a knee in the face.

Dad ran in yelling for them to stop.

"It's stopped if Earl stays down!" said Chuck.

"What will become of us with brothers fighting?" asked his dad. "Earl's face is ruined! What did you hit him with?"

Arriving in Montana to find she's been lost in a poker game does little to calm Abbra's fears about spending two entire weeks with a bunch of cowboys. Romance author, Abbra Truelove, finds herself in a predicament when her editor offers a promotion no fan can resist. A promotion that will intentionally thrust Abbra back into rural life while she researches a book she doesn't even want to write. As if to add insult to injury, this insane promotion requires she be a house guest of the winning fan After one too many bad experiences with rough and rowdy cowboys, Abbra is reluctant to say the least Clay Benson, son of Abbra's number one fan and loser of last night's poker game, begrudgingly shows up to collect his house guest, expecting to find an older, overweight, unattractive city slicker that talks too much. What he finds is a shapely, gorgeous woman with a sweet side and a past full of secrets. After Abbra steals a horse, is involved in both a shoot out and a fist fight, then goes on to show some fancy footwork following an incident with a faulty bottle of baby oil, Clay finds it necessary to impose a list of rules to keep Abbra safe. When her ex husband show up, Clay faces losing the woman he's come to realize he can't live without and discovers she needs protection from more than just her past.

The story is being told by the now old Victor Way. At present he has been chewed by a grizzly bear and is stranded in a cabin in the wilderness with no supplies. While waiting for spring and his wounds to heal, he is reliving his first trip to the untamed west. He knew nothing of survival as he had been in an orphanage until age 14. The year is 1879 when he meets Charlie a shady man, who is in the business of fulfilling jobs in Wyoming. He has no problem lying to find people to sign his contract to fill jobs for mining, cowboys, school teachers and especially whores to keep the single men happy and working. Vick signs a contract along with four whores and a school teacher. Vick befriends an overweight man, Oliver, and decides to be his keeper. Little does he know, he himself will need Oliver to save him time and time again. Oliver keeps to himself as he feels no one likes him. He knows more than he lets on and has his own money. Oliver never forgets Vick for being the only person to ever care for him and will spend the rest of his life hoping to keep him alive. Miss Shelly is a fun loving gal and knows nothing but being a whore. She truly enjoys her life and is afraid she could loose life as she knows it. She has her eye on the innocent Vick. Miss Kelly has been let down by her husband and left him only taking her horse and one eyed dog. The only job available was being a whore. She does her job with a six shooter and takes guff from anyone. Miss Janice is elusive and just goes along doing what is handed her and asks no questions even if she knows it is wrong. No one really knows what is in her heart and she doesn't want to talk about her past. Miss Ella just likes money and swindles men out of all she can put her hands on. Jenny has an education and is the good girl of the bunch, but as life goes all her good intentions don't pan out. She trusts and loves everyone she meets and gives all she has to her friends. She and Vick share a big surprise. Walter is a big fun player and without him the gang would be obligated entirely to Charlie. He has just what they need to lead them down the path of freedom from Charlie. As they travel across Wyoming horse back and in covered wagons they encounter many hard times but manage to make life long friends with one another.