Bozeman Paymaster Nominated for Will Rogers Medallion Award

It is with pride and humility that I announce Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre is a finalist for the Will Rogers Medallion Award for 2023 in the category of Western Traditional Fiction. Bozeman Paymaster was published by Five Star in June 2022.

These are the four other finalists for the award in this category:

  • Bullets and Silver by Nick James (Sourcebooks)
  • Rio Hondo by Preston Lewis (Five Star)
  • Oklahoma Odyssey by John Mort (Bison Books)
  • The Accidental Sheriff by Ron Schwab (Leafcutter Publishing)

The winners of this year’s awards will be made during the Annual Awards Banquet in the Fort Worth Stockyards on the evening of Saturday, October 21, 2023. I plan to go to Fort Worth to participate in the awards ceremonies.

My trilogy about building the first transcontinental railroad, The Iron Horse Chronicles, has been the recipient of the Will Rogers Medallion Award in prior years.  Eagle Talons won the 2015 Bronze Award for Western Fiction for Younger Readers. Bear Claws won the 2016 Silver Award for Western Fiction for Younger Readers. Golden Spike won the 2018 Silver Award for Western Fiction for Younger Readers.

My frontier historical novels are available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, as well as independent booksellers. Many public and academic libraries have copies of my books.

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Great Arts & Crafts Fair

I, along with nine other members of Anthem Authors, participated in a book selling during the Spring Arts & Crafts Fair at Sun City Anthem in Henderson, Nevada, on April 1, 2023. No, it was not April Fools’ Day. It was a successful day of sharing our writings with members of our wonderful Nevada community.

I, enjoyed being showcased between two outstanding Anthem Authors, Mary Ann Unger and James Logsdon (shown in the photos above). I give great credit to both of them for being primary critics of my writing over the past several years. As the saying goes, I couldn’t have done it without them.

Posted in Army, Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Signing, Bozeman Paymaster, Eagle Talons - Book One, Golden Spike - Book Three, Indians, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Trails, Transcontinental Railroad, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Great South Point Book Signing

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, I had a very successful book signing during the National Finals Rodeo at South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. I thank the staff of South Point for their assistance that ensured the event was outstanding. My wife, Barbara, and long-time friend, Cathy Mufich, helped me at the signing table. My daughters, Beth from California and Stacy from Kentucky, worked the crowd in their hoop-skirted period costumes (which they made) to encourage book lovers to head over to the book signing location in the extremely busy casino.

Stacy Tiller and Beth Murphy

I sold out of the books I had available from my Iron Horse Chronicles trilogy and made a big dent in the inventory of my new historical novel, Bozeman Paymaster.

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Signing, Bozeman Paymaster, Eagle Talons - Book One, Golden Spike - Book Three, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

South Point Book Signing

The talented folks at South Point Casino have produced another excellent poster advertising my book signing that will take place there on Saturday, December 3, 2022, from noon to 4 PM. Look for this poster when you enter the casino. The book signing table will be next to the Benny Binion statue in the main hallway leading to the arena.

If you are in Las Vegas on December 3, stop by and say hello. My daughter from California, Beth, and my daughter from Kentucky, Stacy, will be dressed in period costumes of 1866, the year the Fetterman Massacre took place in what is now Wyoming. They will hand out flyers inviting everyone to visit the book signing table. Long-time business associate, Cathy Mufich, and my wife, Barbara, will be assisting me.

Autographed books make great Christmas presents!

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Bozeman Paymaster Versions Available

Three versions of Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre are now available. Select the version that best suits your reading style and enjoy my historical fiction interpretation of a fascinating story about America’s Manifest Destiny.

The original hardcover version published by Five Star Publishing is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.

A paperback version is available on Amazon.

A Kindle version is also available on Amazon.

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Book Signing at Sun City Anthem, Henderson, NV

On Saturday, October 22, 2022, I participated with other members of Anthem Authors in the Sun City Anthem Arts & Crafts Fair at 2450 Hampton Road in Henderson, Nevada, from 9 AM to 1 PM.

This was my first book signing at which I offered Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre for autographed sale in addition to my trilogy The Iron Horse Chronicles.

My next book signing will be at South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, December 3, 2022, from noon until 4 PM. This signing will take place during the time of the National Finals Rodeo. Daughter Stacy will come from Kentucky and daughter Beth will come from California to help me. Both daughters will be wearing frontier period attire of 1866, the year the Fetterman Massacre occurred. My wife, Barbara, and my long-time friend and business associate, Cathy Mufich, will also assist.

If you are in Las Vegas that day, be sure to stop by and say hello. You will find us next to the Benny Binion equestrian statue in the main hallway leading to the South Point Arena.

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Signing, Bozeman Paymaster, Eagle Talons - Book One, Golden Spike - Book Three, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roundup Magazine Reviews Bozeman Paymaster

Tom Carpenter reviewed Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre in the August 2022 issue of Roundup Magazine.

For those of you who do not subscribe to Roundup Magazine, I copy the review here:

“This story of the Fetterman massacre is told from the first-person perspective of Zachary Wakefield, a paymaster’s clerk. The author, a former Army paymaster, uses his experience and historical research to provide a fresh perspective of an event that has been the subject of numerous books, fiction and nonfiction. In chronological order, the story proceeds with historical accuracy and plenty of action. The author provides a satisfying solution to the problem posed by his first-person narrator: How will Zachary survive the massacre? With plenty of interesting and esoteric detail of paymaster duties and a token love story, the story marches briskly in short chapters.”

 

Roundup Magazine is published bi-monthly by Western Writers of America. You do not need to be a member of WWA to subscribe to the magazine that will keep you abreast of the latest and best publications in the western genre. Subscriptions are $45 per year. Send your check to Roundup Magazine, 271 CR 219, Encampment, WY 82325.

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Historical Novel Society Reviews Bozeman Paymaster

Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre, is reviewed in the August 2022 issue of Historical Novels Review. Thomas J. Howley wrote the review. He states in part: “The author includes authentic technical details of terrain, equipment and daily existence in this extraordinarily harsh environment. The action, drama and scenes draw the reader’s apt attention. Very well done.”

You can read the entire review here: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/bozeman-paymaster-a-tale-of-the-fetterman-massacre/

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Review of Bozeman Paymaster at Western Fiction Review

A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre
By Robert Lee Murphy
Five Star Publishing, June 2022

 

Fighting to defend their favourite buffalo hunting grounds following the Civil War, Lakota Chief Red Cloud’s coalition of Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapahos drove the military forces out of the Powder River country.

On a bone-chilling day in December 1866, Captain William Fetterman led eighty men into the army’s worst defeat at the hands of the Indians until Custer’s Last Stand a decade later. 

Despite the turmoil of virtually constant Indian attacks at Fort Phil Kearny, a youthful paymaster clerk and a beautiful young schoolteacher fall in love. Their future is torn asunder when in the aftermath of the Fetterman Massacre the United States abandons the forts protecting the Bozeman Trail, closing the shortest route used by immigrants to reach Montana’s goldfields.

Red Cloud’s War was the only war the American Indians won fighting the U.S. Army.

Having enjoyed Robert Lee Murphy’s Iron Horse Chronicles trilogy about the building of the transcontinental railroad I was eager to see how he told the story of the Fetterman Massacre. The vast majority of characters that appear in this book are real. Into this meticulously researched and well told tale the reader will follow the events that led up to the massacre, the loss of Fetterman and his men, and the aftermath.

Into this historical struggle, Robert Lee Murphy places a small number of fictional characters. It’s around Zach Wakefield, the paymaster’s clerk, that the fictional elements revolve as he falls in love with Katy O’Toole. Katy, though, is engaged. Then there is Duggan McGuire who is also interested in the young schoolteacher.

The story is told in the first person, through Zach, so there are certain events that can only be told by describing what he sees after they’ve happened, such as the massacre of Fetterman and his men. Zach only gets to witness the results as he helps gather the dead. The brutalities of war are graphic in their descriptions, especially when describing how people died.

Murphy easily held my interest as the historical events played out and he seamlessly blends his fictional storyline into them. The constant Indian raids means there’s plenty of action. There’s also the very cold winter weather to deal with, and a long ride in these sub-zero conditions to survive. Murphy also includes lots of detail about army life and their outdated weapons they have to use. How Fort Phil Kearny was built is another fascinating aspect of this tale.

The book ends with an historical afterword which tells of what happened to many of the surviving characters.

If you have an interest in the Fetterman Massacre, or like stories that are based around historical events, then this book should be on your reading list. Equally, if you just enjoy well told tales, then this is a book that I think most western fans will enjoy.

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Bozeman Paymaster Published!

My frontier historical novel, Bozeman Paymaster: A Tale of the Fetterman Massacre, was released by Five Star Publishing on June 22, 2022. The hardcover book is now available at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Click on the links in the sidebar to order.

A large print edition will be available soon. Trade paperback and Kindle versions will not be available until this time next year, 2023.

Posted in Army, Bozeman Paymaster, Geography, Indians, Trails, Wagon Trains, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments