"Tom Named By Horse-pt 3"

Howdy Friends, 

Many of our Coffee Clutch and Facebook friends know of my novel. For some, this is the first you've heard of it. Tom Named By Horse is the first of a trilogy about Tom Named By Horse. An Historical Fiction spanning the years from 1850 to1910.  Of course it's a love story, and much more than that ... The first book tells of a young Tom, orphaned on the prairie, sold to a sadistic buffalo hunter from whom he escapes – and immediately befriends Chief Red Cloud's granddaughter. Charged with a mission by Red Cloud, Tom selects the chief's granddaughter to travel with him. And that is just the beginning .... This excerpt is the Second Chapter, and we meet Army scout Buck Hawkins, among other key characters. You can read pt1here… I hope you enjoy, and please leave your comments. Thanks!

Kessy, Saturday and me writing -

Chapter Two 

 “Yo, Buck Hawkins … General wants to see you!” Sergeant Worly scratched his white beard, as he swung up on “Old Bedlam's,” porch, the officers' quarters in Fort Laramie.

“Yea?  Have a seat Sergeant. I haven’t finished my morning coffee. Just got in two days ago from four weeks of scouting and tracking renegades and the only thing I want to ride is this lopsided old chair. Have a cup with me.” Buck pushed his feet up against a porch post, rocked his chair back and forth on its rear legs, and was quite content.

“Can’t Buck. I gotta get to the corrals and look at the new saddle stock that came in while you were out on your pleasure trip.”

“What do you know about saddle stock? The last time you sat a horse we were still a British colony.” Buck smiled wide at the Sergeant.

“I didn’t mean I was gonna ride 'em, I just gotta count 'em. General wants to know how many made it through the renegades his favorite scout told him wasn’t there.

“Well they weren’t there when I was. Because if they were, I’d of seen 'em and run them off.

“You must have just missed ’em. Because they sure gave the Lieutenant and his boys a run for their lives!”

“That's not good. Guess I'd better go see the General.” Buck bounced down the heavy plank steps of Old Bedlam. "Thanks for the warning, Sergeant."

As Buck approached the General’s office, he was a little surprised to find him on the porch.  “Morning Buck,” the General didn't bother to stand.

“Morning, General Sturgis, and a fine morning this is!” Buck tried to set the mood with his wide grin.
“Not if you have to answer to Washington for raided settlements, and missing horses. Buck what can you tell me?”

“Well, we have Arapaho to our East. Sioux and Cheyenne to our South, and renegades and outlaws to our North and West. Go more than twenty miles in any direction, and you'd better have a fast horse.”  Buck took a seat on the rail facing the General.

Buck was a good looking young man and liked to dress in deerskin pants with fringes down the outer seam, and leather moccasin boots. He always wore army issue blue blouses and a dark leather vest. When he walked across the parade, any officer’s wives that happened to be about would surely watch. His sparkling green eyes could pierce a man through when angered, and melt any woman he turned his soft gaze upon. It had been gossiped that Lieutenant Harris’ wife had openly expressed desire for the man, causing a rift to exist between the two men. Although for Buck’s part, it was simply a way to torment a man he considered a good friend

“I need to know where Hooker’s camp town is. There has been a report they raided another settlement near Little Bear Creek and killed three men and stole the livestock. I have dispatched four men to guard the settlement, but we need to do away with the whole bunch. They cause more trouble then the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux combined. I want you to leave now and find where they hide like snakes in the grass. I want to know their numbers. Buck I want this over.”

“Numbers I can give you now. They have close to fifty, mostly lazy outlaws, and drifters, but they have begun to attract renegade Indians. They say that a renegade Sioux called, Tall Dog, is sending word to all Arapaho, Cheyenne and Sioux villages to join him with Hooker.”

“Well the Sioux and Cheyenne are fighting each other.”

“Not when they can fight you,” Buck pointed his finger at the General.

*********

The old buffalo hunter guided his wagon horses carefully through the narrow pass that led up the last steep grade. His wagon was loaded with the results of a successful hunt. Not just for hides, but whiskey, and guns too, that he could sell to the band of outlaws and renegade Indians. He stopped the wagon in the center of the camp.

The camp had grown into a small town since the old man had last visited. Shacks of board and canvas numbered over twenty, and now there were even women in the camp. “Where’s Hooker?”  Bellowed the hider.

A crowd of mildly interested ruffians gathered around the wagon

“What have you got for me this time, old timer?”  Hooker walked around the wagon pushing the curious aside and trying hard not to get mud on his fancy boots.

“Whiskey for everybody, hides for the Injuns, and ten of these new Henry repeaters. For anybody with gold coins.” The boastful old hider flipped back some skins to reveal a wooden crate.

Hooker ripped the top from the crate and stared at the neatly packed rifles.

“Yeah,” the hider said. “I followed the sutler coming from Fort Laramie after he met with the Army buyer there. I knew he had these rifles along. I got’im talking after a little whiskey. One of them fancy gents thinking he would get rich quick sellin’ rifles to the Army. Fool was too new from the East. Come here representin’ a big Army contract for these new repeaters. So I moved ahead about twenty miles, and when he came over the rise I, well you can just say I put him outa the repeater business and put me right in it. I took these here Henrys and six hundred dollars in gold coins he had on him … There’s gonna be a big shipment moving from Fort Kearney to Fort Laramie, in a few weeks.”

“That, you old cuss, is worth a drink!” Hooker slapped the hider on the back and led the way to the makeshift canvas saloon. Hooker and the old hider settled at a small table in the corner.

“I can tell you this,” the hider held his voice low. “You need more men than you have now. The wagons with the rifles leave Fort Kearney with a cavalry escort of fifty troopers. They’re expected in Fort Laramie by the end of October.”

“Tall Dog will find us more. They’re scattered all over the prairie just waitin’ to kill U.S. soldiers. He can gather fifty in a week. Those renegade Sioux and Cheyenne will follow him anywhere. Almost every day another handful leaves Red Cloud, and wander into the village Tall Dog started just north of here.  What day do the wagons leave Fort Kearney?”

“To get to Fort Laramie on time, they need to get started in a week or two. That many men, horses and wagons, it’ll take those soldier boys a good two weeks to make the trip.”

“What other supplies are coming along?” Hooker’s eyes held an evil glow.   

“You’ll be able to outfit all your men with brand new U.S. Troopers clothes!” The hider wiped his mouth on his sleeve and smiled at Hooker.
“Troopers clothes? New Henry repeaters and new clothes!" Hooker scratched his cheek. "Ha, we’ll have our own army. You get back to the fort and find out when they’re leaving Fort Kearney, and get back here.”

******** 

 I'll be going publishing in a few motnths and am editing now. I hope you enjoyed this look into "Tom Named By Horse" – Please share your comments. I'll continue to share excerpts from time to time as I edit and polish ….  

To Read Pt 4 CLICK HERE  

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

What About Self-Publishing?

Howdy Folks,

 

On Monday's Coffee Clutch we discussed the importance, value and how-to's of the weighty Query Letter. The query letter is perhaps one the most challenging tasks of aspiring authors on their journey toward publication, if an author wants to be published by a conventional publisher, be it the big publishing houses, mid level or small independent publishers. If you desire to go that route, where you want to engage an agent and publisher, you need a great query letter. I chose to do that ... I wanted the validation of professionals. And the lessons I learned from all involved made me a far better writer, and taught me much about the writing/publishing world. I am eternally grateful.

Writing in the barn ... Kessy, Saturday and me ...

But what if you don't want the bother of learning how to write a query letter, a synopsis, and perhaps a chapter synopsis? What if you don't want to go through all the rejections, yup you'll get a bunch. I think I got a six foot stack! What if delays, and conforming to someone else's editing, and the pile of other things that go along with being published aren't for you?

There is always self-publishing. Self publishing is fast becoming a viable and respected option. Just a few years ago, if you were self published it carried a bit of a negative connotation with it. That has changed a lot, but not totally. One thing I've heard commented on often is, with today's ease of self publishing too many books are being published with a less than adequate editing, stories that don't hold together and other issues the publishing houses would have helped to polish.

If you choose the self publishing route, be careful to select a quality, and honest publisher. There are a lot of scammers out there who would love to take your money, and hurt you. Do your research. There are easy to find websites where you can get info on self publishing houses before you sign. Check them out.

I have a number of friends who have self published with Amazon, and are quite happy there. Were I to self publish, I think I would do so through Amazon. You can find and hire editors there to help you, and cover design folks, too. Depending on what you want to spend, you can engage a lot of help, or a little. You can also self publish directly to e-book with minimal cost and they'll arrange the financial split.

When going with a conventional publisher, they'll assign you an editor, take care of the cover design, and all the many details like getting your ISBN number; you'll need to do these things yourself if you self publish. Publishers will take their cut, but you don't need to pay all the costs of publishing, like you do if you self-publish.

Whether you self publish, or publish conventionally, you're pretty much on your own for marketing. So that's not a real consideration. But all the other things are. If you self publish, you will net more on each of your sales; you can set your own price, and be in charge of your editing, cover and all those other details that need to be addressed.

Self publishing is now far easier than it has ever been, and if it interests you, go for it. Just remember, you are then the publisher.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch