Women also won the West. They were a hardy lot, willing to give all to make a go for themselves in a harsh land that knew no bounds of punishment. Of necessity, they learned the land, how to read men, and to use firearms. They learned their lessons well. Laura Sumner is such a woman. 1878 proves an eventful year for Laura. Her cousin Victoria, from New York City visits the Sumner Horse Ranch in the Colorado Territory. The Easterners soon find themselves out of their element. Laura proves that she is not only a Lady, but also well accustomed to life on the frontier. Laura returns to her birthplace, Dallas, Texas to help her parents save their small farm from foreclosure. An unscrupulous rancher wants the Sumner farm for less than honest reasons. When the rancher threatens violence, she takes steps to protect them in spite of overwhelming odds. The lady horse ranchers year continues as she and her best friend, Cole Stockton, travel by rail to San Francisco. Another adventure unveils as Laura again proves her mettle under desperate circumstances. In mid-November, Laura is overdue back at the ranch and her wranglers fear for her life as Mickey, Lauras mount, gallops wildly into the ranch yard with reins trailing. A wild blizzard is hot on his heels. Laura is hurt and alone in the wilderness, and must use all means at her disposal to survive. A novel of the Old West, packed with the drama and suspense of interpersonal relationships, outlaws handled with determination and six-gun justice, as well as personal hardship, and adventure.
Land west of the Mississippi in the late 1870’s is tagged “Wild West” by eastern civilization. Law abiding travelers are accustomed to malicious road agents, thieves, and other scoundrels who make a living taking from hapless folks who can’t defend themselves. Johanna Stockton rides the stagecoach from Bismarck, in the Dakota Territory toward the Colorado Territory when, without warning, the coach is attacked by a gang of outlaws. The driver and all passengers are robbed at gunpoint, then murdered. That is, except for Johanna who is held hostage as the band sets out for Mexico. Cole and Clay Stockton get wind of the situation. With one thought in their minds——“they have our mother.” The lawmen set out in pursuit. A cavalry unit from Fort Lyon, Colorado Territory is on patrol when a few in the group kill their officer and other men before they desert and ride toward Montana and the gold strikes. They wreak havoc on innocent settlers as they pillage their way North. A troop of Cavalry along with U.S. Marshal Cole Stockton are on their trail. Doctor Carlin Simmons is kidnapped at gunpoint from his office by two hard men. He is taken deep into the Colorado Territory wilds to save several gunshot bank robbers from dying. The abductors threaten the doc with “them’s kinfolk. They die, you die.” The doctor closes his eyes in prayer that the ever-vigilant Cole Stockton reads the subtle signs in his office and links them to the robbery. Smokey Joe Walker, a friend of U.S. Marshal Cole Stockton is arrested and held in the Denver City Jail for breaking into the Wells Fargo and Company during the night. He is caught rummaging through files, but manages to telegraph Cole Stockton for help. When trail hardened outlaws escape local posses, a certain brand of lawman is summoned. These men know the territory that they ride and can read the trail signs. There is no place to hide from justice when the United States Marshal is on their trail.
The Stockton Saga continues. It is 1879 and lands west of the Mississippi are still the Wild West and rife with lawlessness. Colorado, within the infancy of statehood, is alive with gold discoveries, open range for cattle, and new settlers. Wealthy, powerful men are looking to take over and control the state their own way. Gangs of outlaws harass settlers, stagecoaches are being robbed, and range disputes need settled. Standing against these unsavory factions are a federal judge and his small hand-picked group of U.S. Marshals bent on delivering swift and decisive justice to the spoilers. Early on a cold January morning, Federal Judge Joshua B. Wilkerson is charged with conspiracy and arrested in his home by Special Agents from Washington D.C. He is paraded in handcuffs to his own Denver Jail. In desperation, the judge’s wife Marie, turns to the one person she knows can help her husband, U.S. Marshal Cole Stockton. In mid-spring, Clay Stockton, U.S. Marshal for the Dakota Territory in Bismarck is ambushed at night from a dark alley. Although severely wounded, he kills the two men who laid in wait for him. Clay’s deputy, Sandy Merrick sends for Cole Stockton. Cole enlists the assistance of their mother, Johanna Stockton, and his lady friend, Laura Sumner. The trio travel to Bismarck post haste. Cole unravels the whys and wherefores of the vicious attack on his brother. The perpetrators are about to experience Cole Stockton’s brand of law and justice. A novel of the Old West packed with the drama and suspense of interpersonal relationships, outlaws handled with determination, and six-gun justice as well as personal hardship, humor, and adventure.
Flint Stockton served gallantly at San Jacinto and afterward moved northward intent on gathering stray cattle and horses to start a ranch. He meets Johanna McKenna on a westward wagon train; they marry and strike out on their own to build a family along the Comanche Trace, the ancient Comanche war trails. Their first son, Cole, seems born to the gun. It is a wild, untamed, lawless land in an era where every mothers son carries a gun and knows how to use it. Some are better than others and with the reputation come stories about those who bear the title gunfighter. Coles travels put him in contact with ruthless, savage men who are used to having their own way and taking what they want from hapless victims. He is forced to defend himself, and does so with fire in his soul. Out of necessity, he becomes a lonely man, drifting from town to town, untrusting except to himself. From child on the Texas frontier to adulthood as a man behind the gun, Cole Stockton searches for his destiny, struggles with his direction in life, and emerges as a gunfighter whose moral code makes him a man of justice.
The Stockton Saga continues. Cole Stockton, renowned gunfighter, swears in as Deputy United States Marshal; however, it takes more than a badge and a fast gun to deal with lawless elements in the wild Colorado Territory. It takes skill and steadfast determination in the face of overwhelming odds to enforce justice. Texas born Laura Lynne Sumner inherits her Uncle Jesses ranch after he is murdered by rustlers. Her uncles hired hands refuse to work for a woman and desert her. She is left to work the ranch alone. Riding the Colorado Territory in search of wild horses is hard enough for a man accustomed to the trails; for a woman alone, it takes shear guts. In order to make a go of it, Laura needs men who will staunchly support her. The paths of lawman and lady converge to share a destiny foretold to Laura years earlier, One will stoke the fires of your soul. He is born of deadly skill, yet you will seek the comfort of his honor. An historical novel of the Old West, packed with the drama and suspense of wild horse hunts, interpersonal relationships, and outlaws handled with six-gun justice.
1880 Paris, Texas sat on the edge of one of the most dangerous territories of the Old West. As a young girl, Lydia Forsyth loses her best friend when their family is robbed and murdered by three vicious men. After committing outrages against the family, the trio escapes to safety into the Indian Territory. Comforted by her loving parents, Lydia vows to learn the gun for protection. Following the loss of her mother, she travels the Indian Territory with her mercantile sales representative father. She becomes familiar with Choctaw culture as well as gaining an understanding of the dangers of camping in the wilds of the Territory. Later, Lydia boards at a finishing school in Dallas. Upon graduation, she returns to Paris, Texas where she seeks to become a Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern Indian Territory. The attractive, skilled horsewoman is an expert marksman who always rides with Colt Revolver on her hip and a Winchester on the saddle. This historical novel of the Old West is brimming with suspense, humor, and the personal relationships of a passionate young woman who becomes one of the select few women to wear the Star of a Deputy U.S. Marshal and ride the Indian Territory serving justice.
One woman’s journey to self-discovery in the Gilded Age could destroy everything she’s ever known. “May's historical fiction picks apart the delicate facade of American gentility in upper-class, well-heeled families on the wild West Coast at the end of the nineteenth century.” - Lisa Lickel, author and blogger, Living our Faith Out Loud Vivian, the daughter, for whom the last decade of the 19th century leads her down a dark path of uncovering family lies to create a brighter future for herself. Jake, the son and heir, whose search for a father figure results in a journey of sin and redemption. Larissa, the family matriarch, whose obsession with Nob Hill's rigid social codes hides the shameful secrets of her past. In this 4-book box set: Book 1: The Specter: Vivian Alderdice is not your typical Gilded Age debutante. In the midst of her glamorous life of parties and balls, her grandmother dies. A woman shows up at the funeral claiming the woman she knew was not Penelope Alderdice, Nob Hill socialite and wife of the city’s biggest shipping tycoon but Grace Carlyle, an artist in search of adventure in a small coastal town named Waxwood. Is the intruder a crank or, as Vivian’s mother claims, “confused”? Or is she telling the truth? Vivian’s determination to find out takes her into the life of the woman she thought she knew, uncovering family lies kept hidden for over forty years. Book 2: False Fathers: At nineteen, Vivian’s brother Jake has a huge burden on his shoulders. His mother expects him to take his place as the new head of the family, but Jake hardly has the qualities of a patriarch. When the family goes to Waxwood for the summer, Jake befriends an older, illusive man prepared to teach him all he needs to know about Gilded Age manhood. But is his mentor all he claims to be? Or is he a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Will Jake discover the true meaning of Gilded Age masculinity or will he redefine it? Book 3: Pathfinding Women: Vivian Alderdice is now twenty-six, unmarried, and has no prospective suitors. Her brother’s tragic plight the year before left the family on shaky ground in Nob Hill society. Their social position depends on Vivian capturing the heart of a wealthy Canadian bachelor determined to become a member of their exclusive society. But to win him, she and her mother must spend the summer in Waxwood. When a young man she meets on the train brings skeletons of the past out of the closet, Vivian finds herself torn between fulfilling her social obligations or embarking on a journey to uncover more family lies. Will Vivian’s summer unravel truths that might destroy the Alderdices forever? Or will she unearth a more authentic version of herself as the new century approaches? Book 4: Dandelions: For Vivian Alderdice, the twentieth century begins with a new start. Now a working woman and progressive reformer, she's forsaken the elegance of Nob Hill for the more modest Waxwood. She’s laid Penelope Alderdice’s specter to rest at last. But Vivian’s peaceful existence is thrown into turmoil when the man who ruined her brother’s life appears like another specter she must exorcise. At first, Vivian hates him with a passion. But when she sees how his own undiscovered past has destroyed him, leaving him helpless in the hands of a cousin who hates him worse than she does, she finds herself wanting to help. Is it his journey Vivian will discover in the dark forest of guilt and betrayal or her own? Come dive into this series that reveals the destiny of one woman during one of America’s most turbulent times today!
Stockton’s Path to Bankruptcy How our city government grabbed and abused power and partnered with the newspaper to mislead the community By: Dennis Cochran Stockton, California, grew out of the Gold Rush of 1849. It became a thriving city through agriculture and manufacturing. It boasts excellent schools and colleges and has a world-renowned symphony and art museum. But, in July 2012, it was the largest American city to file for bankruptcy and currently is # 8 on Forbes Most Dangerous Cities in America. Stockton’s Path to Bankruptcy is an insider look at how the city fell apart. In 1993, Stockton won enterprise zone designation from the state government to be used to revitalize the depressed city center. Dennis Cochran was one of several locals invited to submit an incentive idea. He proposed a volunteer-staffed graffiti cleanup program. Cleaning graffiti is an easy, cost-effective way to discourage crime and promote beautification. Initially encouraged by the enterprise zone, Cochran soon learned that it was corrupt and mismanaged with unclear policies, skyrocketing permit fees, and local businesses bullied until they abandoned the center entirely. Like many citizens, Cochran was on the outside of the local government – his offers of help ignored and his good advice rejected. In just under twenty years, Stockton’s local government, protected by a local newspaper, destroyed the trust of its citizens. Cochran chronicles every bureaucratic twist and depravity – from the city losing $43,000 a day, plundering public safety funds to finance a ballpark, to stealing land from a local church. Stockton didn’t become bankrupt because of the financial bubble or housing crisis. Stockton went bankrupt because of its public officials’ abuse of power and attitude of hostility towards the community. Exposing mistakes acts as a disinfectant – and Stockton’s Path to Bankruptcy is a powerful aid to helping heal Stockton and serves as a warning to citizens of other cities.
