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).


Copyright Alexandra McCaffrey

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.


Copyright Alexandra McCaffrey


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

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

Barnes and Noble

Walmart

Booktopia

Kristy's Etsy Shop



Monday, January 1, 2024

Jerome, Arizona

 


By Kristy McCaffrey

Happy 2024! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. This year brings a new addition to my Wings of the West series. THE NIGHTHAWK is Book Ten and will be released July 17, 2024. You can pre-order a digital copy today. The story takes place in Jerome, Arizona Territory, in 1899. It’s a lovely little town with great views of the red rocks of Sedona in the distance.

 


Today Jerome is known for its art scene and wineries, but in the 1800’s it was called the “Wickedest Town in the West.” Built on Cleopatra Hill, it sat on a vast deposit of copper.

Jerome 1897


Prehistoric Native Americans were the first miners. Later, the Spaniards came seeking gold, followed by an influx of Americans, Mexicans, Croatians, Irish, Italians, and Chinese. It was a raucous town filled with miners, freighters, gamblers, bootleggers, saloons, prostitutes, and preachers. The copper deposits discovered here are among some of the richest ever found.


The Nighthawk


Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.

Come along with Sophie and McKay as they find adventure, mystery, and love.

Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.

Pre-order The Nighthawk

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

Apple Books

Nook

Kobo, Google Play and Paperbacks will be coming.