Author Kristy McCaffrey's Blog ~ Pathways: The Wren - A 20th Anniversary Special Hardcover Edition

Monday, February 5, 2024

The Wren - A 20th Anniversary Special Hardcover Edition

By Kristy McCaffrey

In 2023 I celebrated a milestone - the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Wren. It was the first book I wrote and published (in 2003), and I've been so grateful over the years for how readers have loved and embraced the story of Molly Hart and her return home after a childhood spent with the Comanche. I knew I wanted to do something special to commemorate the event and so this hardcover edition was borne.

I published the new edition at the end of 2023 but am only now announcing it because it took weeks for my author copies to arrive, and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect before I shared the news. And I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out!

Su at Earthly Charms did an absolutely amazing job on the cover (which includes a dust jacket - squee!!). My daughter-in-law, Alex, did the interior illustrations, and she brought to life elements of the story so beautifully. My many thanks for her fabulous contributions. When I finally held a copy in my hands, I cried because a huge dream of mine had been achieved.

There are other fun additions - two short stories featuring Matt and Molly that until now were only available in digital to my newsletter subscribers, a new forward by me, and three essays previously published on my blog about the making of the Wings of the West series (The Wren is Book 1).

Copies are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Walmart.com, and Booktopia. Autographed editions can be ordered on my Etsy shop and will include a new bookmark, a sticker of Molly's slingshot, and a cup coaster. I'll drop the links at the end of this post.

A 20th Anniversary Special Hardcover Edition

(Includes two bonus stories not published anywhere else - The Shiny Penny and Song of the Wren)

Captured by Comanche as a child, Molly Hart was assumed dead. Ten years later, Texas Ranger Matt Ryan finds a woman with the same blue eyes.

Such a little sprite she’d once been, stirring up emotions within him he’d never expected—affection, fondness, protectiveness. Such a resolute woman she’d become, stirring … he really didn’t want to dwell on that. Nothing good would come of it.

“A rousing, spicy story of long lost love in the gritty Old West. The Wren will make your pulse flutter and your heart sing.” —Ann Charles, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Award-winning Deadwood Mystery Series

Ten years have passed since Molly Hart’s ranch was attacked, her folks murdered, and she was abducted. Now, at nineteen, she’s finally returning home to North Texas after spending the remainder of her childhood with a tribe of Kwahadi Comanche. What she finds is a deserted home coated with dust and the passage of time, the chilling discovery of her own gravesite, and the presence of a man she thought never to see again.

Matt Ryan is pushed by a restless wind to the broken-down remains of the Hart ranch. Recently recovered from an imprisonment that nearly ended his life, the drive for truth and fairness has all but abandoned him. For ten years he faithfully served the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers, seeking justice for the brutal murder of a little girl, only to find closure and healing beyond his grasp. Returning to the place where it all began, he’s stunned to encounter a woman with the same blue eyes as the child he can’t put out of his mind.

A sensuous historical western romance set in 1877 Texas.

Bonus Content

THE SHINY PENNY - A Short Story
Christmas Eve 1878
Molly Hart Ryan and her sister, Emma Blackmore, return to the abandoned Hart Ranch to visit the gravesites of their folks. While confronting the past revives a deep heartache and sadness that has long been buried, it also offers an unexpected gift.

SONG OF THE WREN - A Novella
October 1879
Matt Ryan finds more than rustlers when his cattle begin disappearing. Forced to confront an enemy he thought long gone, he must ready for a fight, but he’s never faced a battlefield like this before, and only his wife, Molly, can save him this time.

Also included are three essays by the author about creating the series:
Naming A Series After Birds
The Psychology Behind the Wings of the West Series
Fun Facts about the Wings of the West Series

Reading order of the Wings of the West Series:

The Wren (Book 1)
The Dove (Book 2)
The Sparrow (Book 3)
The Blackbird (Book 4)
The Shiny Penny (Short Story 4.1)
Song of the Wren (Novella 4.2)
The Bluebird (Book 5)
The Songbird (Book 6) - Novella
Echo of the Plains (Book 7) - Short Story
The Starling (Book 8)
The Canary (Book 9)
The Nighthawk (Book 10) - Preorder Now

Now Available