Mark P. Lynch's new blog

So, this is the blog. Well, a blog. My blog.

We’ve yet to see how often it will be updated and how much of what does actually get written here is worth reading. But as somewhere to begin, this is the beginning. It’s my intention to post some tales here, talk about stories, writing, publishing (and not publishing and self-publishing), science fiction and fantasy (what we loosely call speculative fiction if we don’t want to appear like hacks), crime fiction, mainstream fiction, Westerns, and of course the big bad bear in the woods.

The big bad bear in the woods is the scary thing. And quite rightly so. It’s the thing that gets you in the night, rears its head and snaps at you when you think you’re okay and happily wandering through the trees and enjoying the weather, maybe even thinking about what the Pope’s doing.

When the Links page is up and running properly, I’ll sort out some links to sites about ME and fibromyalgia.

I did consider not doing the ME/fibro thing. But it’d be hard not to talk about it in this blog. If I’m to be honest, then it’s a part of me. It’s shaped my life massively. Relationships, travel, work, writing... hard to imagine any of it being the same if I’d been a healthy person. It’s shaped this blog post, after all.

But there’s all the rest as well. You know, science, politics, life, art.

It’d be my pleasure if you to stick around and share that with me.

I’m Mark. Pleased to meet you.

Read more at http://markpatricklynch.blogspot.co.uk/

Review of Railroaded! by Mark Bannerman

Mark notes in his interview that he's a fan of Ernest Haycox. His well-crafted sentences, the details he uses to build his characters, and the descriptions of events all provide proof that he's studied Haycox's finer works. There is a pulse and rhythm to Bannerman's narrative that demonstrates his attention to his storytelling craft.

His structuring of the novel provides a nice example. Most BHWs I've read offer a linear narrative, building from a traditional exposition of place and setting, introducing characters, and then adding the points of conflict from A to B to C. ..

Read more at Spur And Lock

Bestsellers on Amazon.com - 6 August

1. Gun Runners (Black Horse Western) by Paul Green (Jul 31, 2012)

Hardcover $16.79

2. Hour of the Black Wolf (Black Horse Western) by Mark P Lynch (Jul 31, 2012)

Hardcover $16.77

3. Invite to a Showdown (Black Horse Western) by Terell Bowera (Jul 31, 2012)

Hardcover $21.50

4. Ghosts of Poynter (Black Horse Western) by Amos Carr (Jun 30, 2012)

Hardcover $19.04

5. Drummond Takes a Hand by Alan Irwin (Dec 30, 2011)

Kindle Edition $5.31

6. Ride Back to Redemption by Eugene Clifton (Apr 30, 2012)

Kindle Edition $5.34

7. Arkansas Smith (Black Horse Western) by Jack Martin (Apr 13, 2010)

Kindle Edition $5.39

8. Comanche's Revenge (Black Horse Western) by D. M. Harrison (Mar 1, 2012)

Hardcover $29.84

9. The Black Mountain Dutchman (Black Horse Western) by Steve Ritchie (Jan 1, 2011)

Hardcover  $17.70

10. Trail of the Burned Man (Black Horse Western) by Thomas McNulty (Feb 1, 2010)

Hardcover $0.48

Mills and Boon for the tough guys

A short article from a fan of Black Horse covers, along with their titles and author names.

Library Books by their Covers

An Interview with Terrell L. Bowers

So, Terrell, what prompted you to become a writer?

My dad got me started reading Westerns. After about a hundred of them, I decided there wasn't enough romance or humor. Being a wit (perhaps only half of one) I tried to infuse more of a relationship between guy and girl. And, when I could add some humor, I did...
 
Read more of this interview at Avalon Authors

Review of Tanglefoot by Logan Winters

Logan Winters once more comes up with the goods in this fast paced book that has greed as its central theme. Greed made legal by hastily re-written laws that it seems cannot be opposed or changed. So even though Chad and his new friend deputy Byron Starr, who has a dubious past of his own that could be his undoing, it seems that this is one new law that they can’t beat...

Read more at Western Fiction Review

E-BHWs - July 2012

Meredith's Justice by Philip Harbottle

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Raiders who seem intent on destroying every ranch in the valley are terrorizing the district of Mountain Peak in Arizona. When rancher David Meredith becomes their latest victim, it opens a new chapter in the violent and bloody history of the town of Mountain Peak. Caught up in the maelstrom of events is David's troubled younger brother, Bart Meredith. He is aided - and sometimes led - by his heavyweight father, who shows an amazing talent for ingenious stratagems, and Jane Talbot, a courageous young woman who herself becomes a target for the terrorists. Can the unlikely team of father and son avenge David Meredith and unmask his killer, or will they join him in death?

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Blood Gold by Scott Connor

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When Patrick Grady and Rusty Anderton ride into Hangman's Gulch with a stash of gold filling their saddlebags the last person they want to see is the notorious bandit Jack Wolf. But their luck doesn't hold, and when Jack ambushes them their only consolation is that he doesn't take their lives too. Patrick and Rusty vow to retrieve the gold or die trying, but the news of their ill-fortune has spread and now every man within a hundred miles wants it for himself. One hell of a fight is coming and whoever survives it sure will have earned a slice of that gold!

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Tennesssee Renegade by Hank J. Kirby

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Bucky Enderby was just sixteen when he had to flee his native Tennessee for killing three men. After going to war, he ran with outlaws, but soon he found himself riding the lonely trails again, looking for something he couldn't put a name to. Kim Preece had at least part of that 'something' and he tried to settle down. Then, the newly revived Texas Rangers beckoned and he crossed the Rio to find a wild kid worth thousands in reward money. There were men who aimed to claim that money - but first they would have to get past Enderby's guns.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Town Tamer by Jack Holt

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Trouble was brewing from the moment Dan Clancy rode into Watts Bend. His chance meeting and early friendship with Lance Roebuck is threatened by Clancy's instant rapport with Lucy Bracken, commonly seen as Roebuck's future wife. When Lucy rejects Roebuck's marriage proposal, Clancy, by definition a drifter, is warned off and slowly spirals into becoming the town drunk. Meanwhile, Roebuck has become the town hardcase with ambitions to control the entire range with the help of hired outlaws. Wrongly accused of murdering the town marshal and due to be hung, Clancy manages to break out of jail and head for the hills. Now, sober and with a future mapped out with Lucy, he must return to Watts Bend to settle old scores once and for all.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

The Goose Moon by Caleb Rand

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Whilst in Canada buying livestock, Will Stryker kills a railroad gambler. The shooting was in self-defence, but fearing reprisal from the Mounties, Will escapes into the border snowline. That's where he finds Linny Jule who's fleeing from her cruel and sadistic father. Deciding that his daughter has been taken from him, Larris Jule trails the pair south to Polson where he settles on Will's small cattle ranch as payback. In an effort to regain his property, Will confronts Jule and his hired gunmen in the midst of a mighty blizzard that engulfs the town. Can Linny rely on Will to do the right thing? And is the deadly pursuit finally over?

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Raven's Feud by Corba Sunman

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From Mexico, Raven heard of Beths enquiries, so he travelled to Texas to stop her. He had spent year searching for Stig Ivey before he tired of that life. Now he was back and Stig was soon to be back as well. Now with all his prowess with a gun Raven must face killers, lawmen and rustlers, but above all the outlaws that killed his kin.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Dead Trouble by Jake Douglas

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Deke Cutler served ten long, hard, years in the Texas Rangers and looked forward to his retirement. He aimed to join his old pard, Durango Spain, on the Red River ranch they had bought. But, recovering from a near-fatal shot in the back, Deke ran into a new kind of lawlessness along the Red and beyond, in the wild lands known as the Indian Territory. There were more than Indians to contend with: 'dead' men from Rio kept turning up and all of them had him in their sights. With his gunarm crippled, Deke knew he was in bigger trouble than any he had endured in the Rangers.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Longhorn Country by Tyler Hatch

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He was a man of two tribes and the Comanche blood that flowed in his veins was that of one of the most savage raiders of the south-west. But a white man had raised him and there was as much hate as duty mixed in with those years. They called him Blaine, a name known far and wide across Texas: a man who said little and who was willing to be judged by his actions. He worked hard and fought hard, essentially a loner with a void in his heart that could never be filled. Unless he killed the man who had raised him - a man to whom he owed everything. And Blaine always paid his debts.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Vengeance Pass by Lance Howard

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Johnny Laredo is a myth, a figment of a West hungry for legend, a name whispered around campfires - or so everyone thinks. Everyone but former manhunter Jim Hannigan. Drawn to the peaceful Colorado town of Castigo Pass in search of the outlaw responsible for the murder of a banker's daughter, Hannigan stumbles into an ever-deepening mystery. Promptly jailed as a suspect in the disappearance of a young woman, his troubles don't end there. Concealed shooters, brutal hardcases and constant danger stalk him at every turn - not to mention a fiery young woman bent on revenge.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Darrow's Badge by Gillian F Taylor

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Sapphires, rubies, pearls and diamonds: to Sir Hugh Keating, English aristocrat and Govan town deputy, the jewellery is the dowry for his future wife. To Black Elliott and his gang, however, the jewellery means money and prestige. So, when the gems are stolen, it means a lot of trouble for Sheriff Darrow. Somehow he must prevent the jewellery from being smuggled out of Govan and he and his men are stretched to their limits as they guard the trails and search the town. Meanwhile, Black Elliott must stay one jump ahead of the law as he fights to keep his men under control. Darrow's right to wear his badge is under threat and as time runs out for both men, the battle of wits will finish in a cloud of gunsmoke.

Available on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com

Bestsellers on Amazon - 30 July

1. Darrow's Badge (Black Horse Western) by Gillian F Taylor (31 Jul 2012)

Kindle Edition Available for pre-order £2.74

2. Sabinas Kid (Black Horse Western) by Steve Ritchie (29 Feb 2012)

Hardcover  £9.12

3. Buck and the Widow Rancher by Carlton Youngblood (29 Feb 2012)

Kindle Edition £2.74

4. The Ghosts of Poynter (Black Horse Western) by Amos Carr (30 Jun 2012)

Hardcover £10.25

5. The Prairie Man (Black Horse Western) by I. J. Parnham (31 Aug 2011)

Hardcover £4.99

6. The Devil's Payroll (Black Horse Western) by Paul Green (30 Dec 2011)

Hardcover £8.18

7. Wild Bill Williams (Black Horse Western) by Jack Martin (31 Oct 2012)

Hardcover Available for pre-order £12.38

8. All Guns Blazing by Doug Thorne (30 Dec 2011)

Kindle Edition £3.43

9. Arkansas Smith (Black Horse Western) by Jack Martin (30 Apr 2012)

Kindle Edition £3.43

10. Shadow Man by Andrew McBride (30 Dec 2011)

Kindle Edition £3.43

Mark Bannerman's new website

About Mark Bannerman:

Mark Bannerman is the pseudonym of Anthony C Lewing who was born at Colchester, Essex. He was educated at Kings College School, Wimbledon, and served for 35 years in the British Army. Now retired, he writes full time and teaches creative writing to adult students. He lives with his French-born wife Françoise in Ash Vale, Surrey, and has two grown-up children.

Mark Bannerman has had over thirty novels published. He's traveled the Old West many times soaking up the atmosphere. He has toured indian stongholds and army forts, and has visited the graves of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Red Cloud, Captain Jack and many more.

Most of his books have real history as their background. He says he thinks up many of his plots while walking his dog Timothy on the Ash Ranges.

He admits that the word "Western" is for some readers an immediate turn-off. The old "B" Hollywood movies, corny as they were, must take much of the blame. He says "Some writers merely follow the hackneyed style of these films, but they do the western no favours.

"The quality of a western story is a reflection of the author's skill. It should be as interesting and intelligent as a story set in any other locality. A good writer will avoid the clichés and stereo-typed characters of old films and write about real life situations where difficulties arise from the people themselves or are inflicted by the harsh environment."

As a complete contrast, Mark has also written a saga entitled the Cornish Woman. This features Rosena Bray who is orphaned by shipwreck in 1890 and is brought up by Cornish fisher-folk. She falls in love with a pious Welshman, but all is not as it seems, the Great War intervenes and she becomes trapped in a whirlpool of murder and duplicity.

Mark has also had some three hundred short stories published in men's and women's magazines, crime anthologies, children's publications, newspapers and so on. Many have been translated into foreign languages.


His books can be bought from the internet site "Amazon" and are availible from public libraries.

Read more at:

http://mark-bannerman.co.uk/

Black Horse Western Series: The Appeal of the Wild West

The Black Horse Western series has provided Robert Hale Ltd readers with drama, action and suspense over the years. Here, Paul Green, Steve Hayes, Terrrell L. Bowers and Chuck Tyrell tell us why they love writing westerns and what it is that they love about the genre....

Read more at Halebooks.wordpress.com

Black Horse Westerns - July 2012

The Gun Runners by Paul Green

The Civil War over, Captain Sam Curtis just wants to return home, but instead finds himself embroiled in a covert operation to smuggle weapons to Mexican rebels, fighting to rid themselves of Emperor Maximilian I and the French forces who have invaded their country. Betrayed and left for dead, by the ex-Confederate, Henry Fontaine, he faces many obstacles in his quest to recover the weapons and complete his mission. Aided by Sergeant Ben Boyd and the fiery Consuela Martinez, he battles bandits, the French Army and royalist guerrillas, commanded by the ruthless Colonel Dupin, before facing his enemies in a final showdown at the rebel held town of Tacambaro.

Drifter by Steve Hayes

When El Carcinero and his outlaw gang raided the Mercer ranch, they turned life upside-down for young Emily Mercer, who was away at school at the time. The mystery man known as Drifter was an old friend of the Mercers. But much as he wanted to get even with El Carcinero, he just didn't see how it was possible. Aside from the fact that he'd be hopelessly outgunned, the bandits had long-since fled back across the border into Mexico. Still, he hadn't reckoned on Emily. Wise beyond her years, she was determined to get back the horses the outlaws had stolen - especially her beloved stallion, Diablo - and no one was going to stop her. So she and a lawman, well past his prime, rode out after the bandits. Since Drifter couldn't let them go by themselves, he went right along too. And when the gun-swift Mesquite Jennings joined their small army, he almost started to feel sorry for El Carcinero. Almost...

Hour of the Black Wolf by Mark P. Lynch

Sheriff Gus Dudgeon finally has a witness who can identify the masked outlaw Black Wolf, who has terrorized Autumn Jericho for years. Gus must keep the witness safe until a wanted poster artist arrives and a likeness of the outlaw sketched. It should be simple. But Black Wolf has influence across town and Sheriff Dudgeon finds he can trust no one but his closest men. While the sheriff is protecting his witness, Black Wolf sends Big Jim Deal to prevent the artist arriving. But it seems Big Jim is also having trouble trusting his men, and there are people lurking in the shadows and willing to help Dudgeon, too. With tensions rising, time running out, the hour of the Black Wolf is at hand.

Road to Rimrock by Chuck Tyrell

The town of Rimrock lay dying, and its local drunk lay in the gutter, passed out again. As usual, Marshal Matt Stryker put Stan Ruggart in the hoosegow to sleep off the whiskey like a regular lowlife. But Ruggart has a family, and a fortune. When Ruggart's throat is cut and the will turns up in Stryker's pocket there are serious problems on the horizon. The marshal needs to keep ahead of three gunmen looking for vengeance, and stay alive long enough to probate the will. Two women also want him dead, and one wants to go with him on the road to Rimrock...

The Outlaw's Daughter by C. J. Sommers

Matt Holiday was riding a dangerous trail. He had a kidnapped boy and a woman to worry about, a quartet of robbers behind him, $20,000 in missing gold to find and an unwelcoming outlaw town ahead of him. With the gunfighter, Frank Waverly, searching for him it would be a lucky day if that gold was ever returned to the Butterfield Stage Company. And the most dangerous gun on the range belonged to the beautiful Serenity Waverly, Frank's daughter. She rode with Matt, but he suspected that would last only as long as it took them to recover the stolen gold. She had outlaw blood in her and knew only outlaw ways.

The Rose Canyon Gang by Owen G. Irons

Rose Canyon was far more forbidding and desolate than its name implied. A rugged notch carved into the face of Arizona's Yavapai Mountains, it sheltered few living creatures in its depths, other than for Dane Hollister and his small band of men, all recently fired without reason from their jobs on the MM ranch. Dane didn't like the feel of any of it. The MM owner, Madison McGraw lay in his bed dying slowly. His foreman the brutish Frank Baker had taken what seemed a series of high-handed actions, including their firing. Some of Dane's crew were ready to give it up and ride out to new country. Dane was just about to forget the matter himself when young Roberta Madison was driven from her own land by Bruno and his men. Then the Rose Canyon gang - men and women alike - knew that it was time to head into battle.

Tanglefoot by Logan Winters

It was a long way from Kansas to Las Palmas, New Mexico Territory, but Chad Dempster had trouble brewing at home and was hoping the trip would be worth it. He wanted a new town, new ways, and a new name. On emerging from the Overland stage, he got all three at once, but not in the way he could have expected. He stumbled out, hit the ground and became the immediate butt of the local wits who dubbed him 'Tanglefoot'. Fortunately, or so he thought, Glen Walker, one of the town's first citizens came to his aid, dusted him off and offered him work. What Chad could not have known was that Walker had chosen him as the ideal dupe to help him loot the town of Las Palmas, using a badge and a gun.

Invite to a Showdown by Terrell L. Bowers

After a bizarre double killing forces her into exile, Rowena Jansen is living like a hermit in Keylock, Colorado, and concentrating only on survival. Travis Clay went off to war and witnessed the terrible suffering of men and his country. Afterwards, he joined his friend to work on a ranch, but when a deadly ambush costs Clay a herd of cattle and leaves him near death, he sets out to find the men responsible. Inadvertently ending up in Keylock, his fate is joined with that of Rowena. Four men are searching for her, intent on a killing, while Travis is on the trail of five or six murdering rustlers. The only way to win such a war is to invite both sides to a showdown.

Bestsellers on Amazon - 23 July

1. The Prairie Man (Black Horse Western) by I. J. Parnham (31 Aug 2011)


Hardcover  £11.93
2. Buck and the Widow Rancher by Carlton Youngblood (29 Feb 2012)

Available for download now £2.74

3. The Ghosts of Poynter (Black Horse Western) by Amos Carr (30 Jun 2012)

Hardcover  £10.26
4. The Devil's Payroll (Black Horse Western) by Paul Green (30 Dec 2011)

Hardcover  £9.12

5. Wild Bill Williams (Black Horse Western) by Jack Martin (31 Oct 2012)

Hardcover Available for pre-order £12.38

6. All Guns Blazing by Doug Thorne (30 Dec 2011)

Available for download now £3.43

7. Shadow Man by Andrew McBride (30 Dec 2011)

Available for download now £3.43

8. Arkansas Smith (Black Horse Western) by Jack Martin (30 Apr 2012)

Available for download now £3.43

9. Trail to Fort Laramie by Jack Edwardes (30 Dec 2011)

Available for download now £3.43

10. Twilight Trail (Black Horse Western) by Lance Howard (31 May 2012)

Hardcover £12.38