Born in a small town on the Great Colorado Plateau above the Mogollon Rim, Charles T. Whipple (writing as Chuck Tyrell) grew up on stories of the Hashknife Outfit, the Pleasant Valley War, Chief P'tone, and Geronimo. A student of Western history for decades, he brings the hardy people of early Arizona to life in his fiction.

Stomp Hale rode up to the RP Connected with a cloud on his face and fire in his eyes.

"Light and set, marshal," I called.

EASIER THAN WORKING
Gillian F. Taylor

Gillian F. Taylor grew up in Norfolk, England, playing with cowboy toys. She moved to Sheffield to attend university, and stayed there to be a writer. Her latest Black Horse Western, Two-Gun Trouble, is her eleventh book. She lives with two cats and an ever-expanding collection of pony books. Visit her online at: www.gillian-f-taylor.co.uk.

"In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter, Clementine."

Tomcat Billy's pleasant tenor was joined for the chorus by Irish's tuneless baritone.

"Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine. Thou are lost and gone forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine." More than once, Irish had said of himself, "Sure an' I can't carry a tune in a bucket." But out here on the Nebraska prairie there was no one but the wildlife and his friend to hear him.

A TIME TO LIVE
Jack Giles

Born in North Finchley, London, England, Ray Foster (writing as Jack Giles) maintains a lifelong interest in Western books and movies. Married and with six children and thirteen grandchildren, Ray is hard at work on his ninth Western novel.

Billy Gentle was, by far, the tallest child in the class. Five foot ten and with a stocky build he dominated everything and everybody-and he made sure that folks saw him coming. He liked it when he was noticed. Even better when they did what they were told, when they were told.

PRETTY POLLY
Duane Spurlock

Duane is a writer, editor, and illustrator residing in Kentucky, where he and his wife and their children garden, draw, and tell stories to one another. He maintains a website devoted to the popular fiction magazines of the first half of the 20th century, www.pulprack.com.

"Oh, Lord, Mr. Bear, please don't kill me!"

The man pleading for his life hung upside down, tied at his ankles with his own rope, which was thrown over a tree limb and hitched to the saddle horn of his horse.

The man he addressed - the man who'd strung him up in this manner - stood with his revolver drawn. He said, "You think I might kill you?"

THE BALLAD OF JESSE BARNETT
Lance Howard

Writing as Lance Howard, Howard Hopkins has penned twenty-eight Black Horse Westerns, his most recent being Haunted Pass (August, 2007). He's also written pulp adventure stories for recent anthologies such as The Spider Chronicles (with John Jakes). A musician, he lives in Maine, USA, and performs in a quartet at local nursing homes. Visit his website at www.howardhopkins.com.

Please don't hit her again. . . .

Sometimes thunder didn't crash solely from a rain-bloated sky. Sometimes it crashed as a fist shattered bone. Sometimes it echoed from the helpless feeling a mother experienced when a force beyond her control overwhelmed her life, threatened her child.

Sometimes it took that crash of emotional thunder to awaken her to the fact that should she tolerate her husband's cruelty even a day longer then the one thing she held most precious in her life might be torn away from her forever.

BUBBLES
Ross Morton

Nik Morton served in the Royal Navy. Now he's an editor living in Spain with his wife, Jen. He has sold many short stories, articles, and illustrations. This year his first Black Horse Western, Death at Bethesda Falls, was published. He writes for English periodicals in Spain and for UK's Portsmouth & District Post.

Last night's storm had swollen the river and it seemed to be rising by the minute as they herded the longhorns into the fast-running shoals. "Keep movin', movin'!" Josh Mason barked. He was a big-boned young man and, though he'd lost a lot of puppy fat, he was still overweight. Guiding his whickering horse among the steers, he boldly continued to chivvy along the fearful critters with shouts and whistles. On the other side of the broad wedge of beef on the hoof his best pal, Scott Finley, also persuaded the cattle to keep moving.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MIRAGE
I.J. Parnham

Cow-puncher, train butch, Mississippi gambler, gunslinger . . . are just some of the many jobs Ian Parnham hasn't had while he's been living in the misty glens and castle-strewn moors of the northeast of Scotland. But he has written fifteen Black Horse Westerns and four Avalon Westerns. You can visit him at www.ijparnham.co.uk.

Tucker Crowley was asleep when the new prisoner was brought in. He slipped his head out from under his blanket to see Sheriff McAllen throw the prisoner to the floor where he slid on his side against the other cot.

The prisoner gathered his breath then leapt to his feet and hurled himself at the cell door, but McAllen had already slammed it shut, locked it, and stepped back. Still, the prisoner grabbed the bars and rattled them.

"Save your strength," McAllen said, sneering. "You'll need it."

THE MAN WHO TRACKED A RIVER
Derek Rutherford

Derek Rutherford hails from the wild west of England-Gloucestershire, to be precise. He's the author of two Black Horse Westerns: Vengeance At Tyburn Ridge and Yellow Town. In his spare time he plays and teaches rock 'n' roll guitar, rides large motorcycles, and catches not-quite-so-large fish.

The day Rufus Franklin shot dead Estelle Williams and headed west, Sam Penn was standing beside the Black River watching the thaw water carry broken trees, dead cows, and even a whole log cabin somewhere to the south. It crossed his mind that there might have been someone still in the cabin, that he should have waded into the water and tried to get a rope around a beam. He could have lashed the other end of the rope to a tree and let the flow bring the cabin into the bank. But even as the idea formed it was too late.

CRAZY SHE CALLED HIM
Roy Carlton

Daniel Stephensen, writing as Roy Carlton, lives in Melbourne, Australia. His favorite Western writers include Glenn Lockwood, Ben Bridges (David Whitehead), and Matt Chisholm (Peter Watts). And he'll always make time for Zane Grey or a Cleveland Western.

They lay sprawled on the floor in the sawdust and rat droppings of an abandoned saloon in a half-built Nebraska way station called Six Mile Creek. She wouldn't move her knife from his throat, so he kept his hand tight around hers. Fair trade.

She said, "You're a crazy sonuvabitch. Why'd you kill him? We still don't know where the goddamn gold is."

STRETCH-HEMP STATION
Ben Bridges

Under his own name and a fistful of pseudonyms, David Whitehead (Ben Bridges) has been writing Black Horse Westerns for more than twenty years. He founded a fan club dedicated to the celebrated "Piccadilly Cowboys" in 1976 and at the age of 21 became consultant for IPC's Western Magazine. For more information check out www.benbridges.co.uk.

Walt Bevan came to with a low, drawn-out moan, awakened-as usual, these past few mornings-by a bad dream he'd sooner forget. He rolled over, saw by her absence that Nellie was already up and doing, and told himself blearily, Well, that figures. Nellie hadn't been sleeping much better'n him, just lately.

He lay there a moment longer, feeling old, addle-brained, and more than a mite desperate. Then, damned if he'd feel any sorrier for himself than he had to, he tossed back the rumpled sheet and threw his bowed legs over the edge of the tick mattress.

DESERT SURRENDER
Kit Churchill

Although born in South Wales, United Kingdom, Andrea Hughes, writing as Kit Churchill, has always been fascinated with America's Old West. Indeed, her great-grandfather was a pioneer to North America in the late 19th century. She has been an avid reader of Westerns, particularly Black Horse Westerns, since her teens, and also enjoys gardening, music, and talking on the telephone.

Jay Calvin took the ragged end of the cigar from her mouth and spat on the ground. She glanced back over the open, arid desert and saw, again, the dust cloud behind her. Damn that marshal, what was his problem? One card game, one crooked card game, and he had been after her for five whole days.

HECATE
P. McCormac

Philip McCormac always had a hankering to become a writer. He claims blame for nine Black Horse Westerns under various pseudonyms with another Western due later this year.

Gat him upon his mule.
-2 Samuel 13:21

Ben Foster sipped at his bourbon, staring into space. The batwings creaked and drew his attention. He watched indolently as the hairiest human he had ever seen barreled inside. With one sweeping glance the newcomer took in the almost empty saloon then walked over to the bar.

SNOWS OF MONTANA
Matthew P. Mayo

Matthew P. Mayo is a magazine and book editor and author of two Black Horse Westerns: Winters' War and Wrong Town. He lives in an old farmhouse in downeast Maine, USA, with his wife, Jennifer, and two dogs. When he's not editing or writing, he's kayaking, shoveling snow, or mowing the lawn. Visit him at www.matthewmayo.com.

Pap was right. You never know in life from one minute to the next just what's coming at you. Take that morning a month back. I don't believe in fences and there I was, on my worn-through knees in that Texas dirt, scratching around in a hole that if it got any deeper my cheek would have been grazing ground level, when I heard that far-off dog bark.

HARD TIMES FOR THE PECOS KID
Lee Pierce

Born and raised in Texas, Lee Pierce grew up on small farms and ranches where he learned to appreciate the land. He has held numerous jobs but writing is his passion. His first Western novel, Armstrong's War, was published in 2005 by Robert Hale Publishing. He lives in Dos Caballos, New Mexico, USA.

"Son of a bitch," said the startled man looking down at the two tiny holes in his bright red Saturday-night-on-the-town shirt. He raised his head to look at who had ruined his new shirt. The hombre stood a few feet away, a six-shooter smoking in his hand.