Publisher's Synopsis
The 1860s in California were turbulent in their changes due to the speed at which America grew. Almost overnight, tens of thousands of diverse peoples migrated West, and the discovery of gold and silver brought a feverish, desperate rush to the far West.
Stella Horn, a former widowed prostitute, found herself partnered with an outlaw group who took advantage of the struggle for law and order, robbing stages to meet their ends. She was attractive, wore men's clothes, had become independent, more than proficient with six guns, and was alluring in her presence.
Cole Ringer, a recently promoted Regional Director for the Overland Stage Company, took charge of the Western Stage lines operating out of San Francisco and began seeking to bring justice to those outlaws robbing stages, focusing on Stella Horn and her cohorts who had killed his brother while robbing a stage.
One of the hidden oddities I included in my book was to utilize my writings to address my pet peeves through the elimination of characters, one pet peeve per book. This first book addressed my pet peeve for the annoying seat belt dingers that insistently ring until the driver's seat belt is fully buckled. In this story I created Nils Bolin, a filthy elixir tonic salesman who carried a pocket watch that dinged on the hour, bothering Stella during her escape from jail. Nils dies a slow painful death. Stella's cohort Ivy picks the watch from Nils dead body as they escape, a fate soon to plague anyone who possesses the watch.
In my second book, I address another of my pet peeves, which I will disclose when that book is released.
"Stella Horn Escapes,
Smokey Canyon Gold,
The Chase for Mountain Charlie's Gold"