(Survival/suspense, western) Winner: 2016 International Book Award, Literary Classics Seal of Approval, and 2016 Laramie Award Finalist. What if you came home after a journey and your family was no longer there? What if someone else was living in your house, running what you used to manage-and trying to kill you? Could a beautiful woman be behind the mystery? Wade Forester must stay in the shadows because, it seems, everyone has reason to shoot him. His father has disappeared, and his sister won't speak to anyone. Patricia Laughlin is searching for her family as well. Few people gain her trust or approval, though powerful landowner Bridger Calhoun might be the man to do it. After a clash throws them to opposite sides, Wade must decide if risking his life to help Patricia is worth the trouble. Bridger must win Patricia's heart, and Patricia must choose which killer to trust with her life. Set in America's historic Nevada silver rush, the writing comes from intimate knowledge of the era and area. Having lived off the land, Wilcox depended on his wit, grit, and strength-and that of his animals-for survival, just as these characters do. Wilcox weaves authentic detail and care for the territory and its creatures into an adventure that will make your heart pound and fill your lungs with the rarefied air of the old Sierra Nevada Mountains. Stand alone. Comes with additional short story. Family friendly (ages 14 & up, diverse characters), 54,000 words, 200 pages, 5.25"x8" paperback, Latino protagonist, American Indian. Simultaneously published as A Sky So Big (New Adult mystery romance/YA western suspense novel), also an ebook-soon a graphic novel and audiobook. Premio Publishing (signed books. Worldwide rights (c) 2015) PremioPublishing.com, Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Follett, Ingram, Native, Amazon/Kindle, Barnes & Noble/Nook, EBSCO, Flipkart, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Mackin, OverDrive, Oyster, SCRIBD, txtr, and select retailers. Written by Ransom Wilcox (Horse & Dog Adventures in Early California) and Karl Beckstrand (The Bridge of the Golden Wood). LCCN: 2015937400, FIC002000, FIC030000, FIC033000, FIC056000, FIC059000, FIC027270, FIC022070, FIC027230, FIC027110, JUV001010, JUV002000, JUV028000, JUV029000, ISBN: 978-0692407974, ebook ISBN: 978-1311882387
About the Author: Ransom Wilcox was born in Taber, Alberta, Canada, in 1907. Because he was sickly, it was suggested that the family move to California. They bought land in Vina, north of Chico, but financial hardship forced them to move in search of work. They farmed, tended livestock, and did a lot of hunting and fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Once, to escape a charging boar, Wilcox stuck a pole he was carrying in the ground and climbed up! One season the family lived in a tent while the men worked cutting hay. Another year, Wilcox joined his father and brothers in Arizona, building a school on an American Indian reservation. Many elements of Wilcox's stories come from his early experiences. In 1943 he enlisted in the army. After the war, the Great Depression, and a divorce, Wilcox finished his schooling and opened a chiropractic practice off Union Square in San Francisco. Wilcox's friends called him Ray (for R.A.) or Doc. Besides writing, Wilcox loved to walk in the great outdoors. Near the end of his life, he joked about leaving his body to science; "I'm sure they can use my brain. It's in perfect condition-never been used." His short stories and poems are published under the title, Horse & Dog Adventures in Early California.