Readers Circle: Sandra Cox's Western Keeper Tyree

 

Summer Readers Circle--Meet My Guest, Sandra Cox

Hello and Welcome to the Readers Circle.
Read on for a wonderful opportunity to meet new and/or favorite authors and discover new books!

Keeper Tyree
by S. Cox
Western

Pull your chair up in the circle and join in as we have the pleasure to welcome my good buddy and honorary cousin, Sandra Cox. She explains why she writes Westerns and shares an excerpt from the book. 

She is also giving away an eCopy of KEEPER TYREE. To enter, leave a comment below. Deadline for entry is Sunday, July 25, at 10:00 pm EDST. Good luck!!

Photo courtesy of Pixabay Clker Free Vector Images

 

 Thanks so much, Janet for hosting me and helping me get the word out about Keeper, Cuz. Appreciate it and you.

Why I Write Westerns by Sandra Cox

My writing has been all over the boards. I’ve written nonfiction, paranormal romance, romantic suspense and YA fantasy.  A few years back I settled into Western and Western Romance and that’s the lane I’ve stayed in.  I’m still drawn to the world of paranormal so if I get a yen to write supernatural, I make sure it has a Western backdrop. In SUNDIAL, a time travel, our heroine is taken back to the days of Sam Houston. MONTANA SHOOTISTS starts out in modern day Montana and Abby finds herself flung back to the cattle and sheep wars.  Mateo in MATEO’S LAW is a shapeshifting sheriff.

Why Westerns? That’s a darn good question, pardner. They say to write what you know. Well, I didn’t grow up in the Wild West. Yes, I’m old as dirt, but not quite that old😊 nor did I grow up on a ranch, but I did grow up on TV Westerns and movies.  My dad loved them, so that’s what the family watched while I was growing up. The Lone Ranger. Bonanza. Roy Rogers and Trigger. And the list goes on.  I guess I absorbed the old West through osmosis. Whatever the reason, it’s my niche and even though it took me a while to get here, I’m glad I arrived😊

Cowboy phrase of the day.

Like we do today, the cowboys of the old West used a good bit of slang. Soiled dove was a term used for a prostitute. It was Saturday night and he was looking to visit a soiled dove.

~*~

Keeper Tyree is an aging bounty hunter who lives by his own set of rules. He’s a hard man, but he’s just, and his word is his bond. He’s a loner and likes it that way. Then Cathleen O’Donnell catapults into his life looking to hire his gun. Josiah Pardee has killed her boy and she’s out for vengeance. Somehow all his hard and fast rules, including working alone and minding his own business, crumbles in the face of the immovable widow he now works for. He finds himself rescuing soiled doves, a myopic bookworm more suited to city life than the Wild West, and an hombre being dragged to death by angry cardplayers, as he tracks down the murdering sidewinder Josiah Pardee.

  

Excerpt from Keeper Tyree by S. Cox

Sipping strong, black coffee, he settled in. A twig snapped. He grabbed his gun and stood up.  His horse snorted and the snapping came again as the stallion stepped on another small limb.

“Damn horse,” he muttered under his breath and slunk back into the shadows.

This time he heard the thump of approaching horse’s hooves. They grew louder as they came closer, stopping in the shadow. A few moments later a slender rider with a black duster and hat pulled low on his forehead walked around the campfire. He stopped, his back to Keeper. Keeper leaped, knocking the rider to the ground, face eating dirt.

“Who are you, mister, and why are you following me?” He put his boot on the stranger’s back and pressed down.

“Can’t breathe.”

The voice, low and husky, held a familiar quality.

“Mrs. O’Donnell?” His eyebrows shot up toward his hairline.

He pulled her up, cursed long and fluently, finishing with, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Air whished out of her lungs and she took a couple of deep breaths.  “I told you, I want to end Pardee, the way he did my son.”

He took a couple of deep breaths himself to keep from throwing down his hat and stomping on it, then clutching his hair and howling. After a minute, he got himself under control. “Have you ever killed a man, Mrs. O’Donnell?”

“No. But I won’t have a problem killing Pardee.”

Anguish, carried on the chill night breeze, washed off her in waves, till it hit his pores and filled him. “Ma’am, it stains your soul. You may think you want to do this, but it’s not something you’d wish to live with.”

As if to emphasize his words, a coyote howled in the distance. A lonely sound that emptied a body out and left one hollow and alone.

She shivered, then tossed her chin up. “What’s your soul like?”

“Black as sin, ma’am. But I can live with it.”

“I can too.”

He shoved the gun he’d sheathed deep into the leather holster. He wore two Smith and Wesson five-inchers that gave him an edge when a fast draw was of the essence. A little handier with his right hand, he could use either proficiently and had on more than one occasion.

“I don’t want you on my conscience.”

Surprise flickered across her features. “You have no reason to have me on your conscience.” She put her hands on her hips and studied him. “I’m told you’re ruthless. So far I’ve seen nothing to back it up.”

“Don’t think for a moment I’m not. I’ve done things you would never dream of.” His voice roughened.

“I think the stories about you are exaggerated.”

The humor of the situation hit him. No one had ever accused him of being soft. No one would dare. Molly’d had a point when she told him to watch out for Mrs. O’Donnell. The woman showed all the signs of being trouble.

 

 

About Sandra:

Author S. Cox

Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener, and also writes as S. Cox. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina. Her stories consist of all things Western and more. She is a category bestselling Amazon author, Eppie finalist and award winner. Her stories consist of all things Western and more. She is a category bestselling Amazon author, Eppie finalist and award winner.   

Click here to download your copy of KEEPER TYREE.

        Click here to visit Sandra at her website 

        Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sandra_Cox

Janet's Review of KEEPER TYREE

S. Cox is an outstanding storyteller. In this Western, the bad guys are really really bad and the good guys are good, but with a shade of badness. She paints the main characters brighter and brighter as we follow them through the story. And, oh those unique, quirky characters they meet as they trail the bad guy. It reminds me of a road trip story. The action is fast and furious, the love scenes tender. The book read easily and the tale kept me turning the pages. If you love Westerns, you'll love Keeper Tyree. (and yes, the author reveals how he got his name, Keeper.)

Yee-haw! Hey, Pardners, 

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