Bear Claws at Western Fiction Review

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Western Fiction Review LogoWestern Fiction Review posted a review of Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two, on September 3, 2015. Steve M. (that’s all the name he goes by) regularly reviews new western novels for his blog, which originates in the UK. I am quite pleased that Steve has been willing to accept my books for review on his excellent website. I have extracted text from Steve’s review of Bear Claws and include it here:

[media-credit name=”ENC Graphic Services” align=”alignleft” width=”194″]BearClawsFront[/media-credit]”Will Braddock, fifteen years old, continues as a hunter for his uncle’s survey team, as the transcontinental railroad builds across Wyoming in 1868. Paddy O’Hannigan, whose vendetta to kill Will, his uncle, and former black slave Homer Garcon, grows more sinister and involves the theft of nitroglycerine and an attempt to blow up presidential candidate Ulysses S. Grant.

Will remains fascinated with Jenny McNabb, but it’s her sister Elspeth who will cause the biggest trouble for him as she becomes a part of a plot to steal from a German aristocrat whom Will is guiding on a hunting expedition. After a vicious bear attack, Elspeth falls into the clutches of Paddy O’Hannigan and Will must attempt to free her. Can he save Elspeth and perhaps rid the world of O’Hannigan at the same time?

This story begins shortly after the events of the first book in this trilogy, Eagle Talons. All the characters that survived that first tale are back and Robert Lee Murphy introduces us to another neat mix of fictional and real people. Like the previous book, Murphy seamlessly blends historical fact and fiction into a fast paced read that will keep you wanting to turn the pages.

The book is a series of different adventures linked by the people and the quest to build the transcontinental railroad. As well as edge-of-seat action scenes, there are also lighter moments too, such as the growing teenage romance between Will and Jenny. And it’s not just Will who could be finding love, his friend Lone Eagle succumbs too, bringing some happiness into his life after the heartache of losing his father, Bullfrog Charlie Munro.

The final part of the story, which sees Will guiding Count von Schroeder in a quest to kill a white buffalo presents a dangerous set of problems for Will, for the shooting of this animal will bring the wrath of the Shoshone down on them and creates some tense reading.

Robert Lee Murphy brings everything to an exciting conclusion that leaves some openings for certain storylines to be continued in the third book, one I am very much looking forward to reading in the future.”

You can read Steve’s review at his website. http://westernfictionreview.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/bear-claws.html

Take time to read recent reviews he has provided on other new books.

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Review, Eagle Talons - Book One, Indians, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Covered Wagon

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Jenny McNabb and her family travel west in a covered wagon in 1867 in Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One. Will Braddock first encounters Jenny when the family’s Conestoga wagon breaks a wheel when crossing a swollen creek near Julesburg, Colorado.

The Conestoga wagon was generally considered too heavy for travel in the roadless west. This heavy vehicle had been developed for hauling freight on the roads of the eastern states. There are, however, many instances of it being used for the migration to California and Oregon. One such is a Conestoga wagon that was abandoned by the Donner Party in their failed attempt to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the winter of 1846-7.

Conestoga WagonThis restored Conestoga wagon is on display in the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. Because of its size, the Conestoga could haul up to six tons. Its ends were curved upward to keep the cargo from shifting. This wagon is missing the typical canvas cover that would be stretched over a series of wooden hoops. The brackets for supporting these hoops are visible along the side of the wagon.

The McNabbs might have been more successful in their attempt to cross the flooded creek that fed into the South Platte River if they had used a plain farm wagon. Their cargo capacity would have dropped to 1.5 tons. Regardless of which wagon the pioneers used, the covered wagon earned the nickname “prairie schooner” because at a distance their canvas covers resembled the sails of a ship. That canvas would probably have been coated with linseed oil to weatherproof it and provide protection for the cargo. The wooden bed of the wagon would have been caulked with tar to enable it to be floated across rivers.

Some travelers used teams of horses or mules, which provided more speed than oxen, but horses and mules required grain to keep them healthy. Oxen, although considerably slower, could survive by grazing on local grasses.

Covered Wagon

The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Caspar, Wyoming, greets the visitor with this scene of a family heading west with their wagon pulled by four oxen. This family walking beside their team and wagon reminds me of the McNabbs. Riding in the wagon was seldom done. It is almost impossible for us today to imagine walking the 2,000 miles for the five-month-long journey to reach a new home in the far west.

 

Posted in Animals, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, Museums and Parks, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Trails, Wagon Trains | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bear Claws Reviewed by Readers’ Favorite

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

5star-flat-webReaders’ Favorite has awarded its Five Star seal to Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two, and has provided the following review by Jack Magnus:

“Bear Claws: The Iron Horse Chronicles, Book Two is a historical coming of age novel written by Robert Lee Murphy. Will Braddock is a member of his uncle’s survey inspection team which is charting the westward expansion of the transcontinental railroad. Fourteen-year-old Will’s been working as the assistant to Homer, the cook. The team has been waiting out a week-long snowstorm that’s made the impact of the strange illness affecting most of them even more devastating. After setting up camp in a sheltered area of Rawlins Springs, just east of the Continental Divide, Will’s Uncle Sean rode out to get medicine and supplies from the Wells Fargo stage station, some fifteen miles away, but he hasn’t yet returned and the sick men need nourishment. Will, as the least affected member of the team, sets out to hunt and bring back a deer or antelope, but finds his hunt is interrupted when he falls into a stream and steps on an abandoned beaver trap.

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Robert Lee Murphy’s historical coming of age novel, Bear Claws: The Iron Horse Chronicles, Book Two, is a fast-paced and exciting adventure story set in the late 1800s. Will Braddock is an engaging and enterprising young adult who takes on a lot of responsibility and succeeds marvelously at what he attempts. Murphy’s tale is impeccably researched and brings the story of the westward expansion of the rails across the Rocky Mountains towards California to life. Along the way, the reader gets to experience the west as it was at that point in time, including the interactions with the native tribes before the reservation system was imposed upon them, and a sense of the unspoiled environment and the wildlife that flourished there. This is the second volume in the series and, while I found that the author included enough background information for me to enjoy it as a stand-alone novel, I’m still planning on reading Eagle Talons, the first book, to more fully experience the series. Bear Claws: The Iron Horse Chronicles, Book Two is highly recommended.”

Readers’ Favorite awarded its Five Star seal to Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, last year. It is particularly gratifying that Bear Claws, the second book in my trilogy, has received Readers’ Favorite’s top award. You may access the Bear Claws review at this website: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/bear-claws.

Bear Claws: The Iron Horse Chronicles, Book Two, will be released by Five Star Publishing on November 18, 2015. You may read the first three chapters of Bear Claws by going to the Books tab of this website. Bear Claws is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Posted in Bear Claws - Book Two, Book Awards, Central Pacific, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Indians, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sod Houses

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Will Braddock, in Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, encountered sod houses on the Nebraska prairie during his first train ride on the Union Pacific. I described what Will saw from the open doorway of the boxcar in which he was riding. My inspiration for that scene is based upon a famous photograph of the Sylvester Rawding family “soddy” taken by Solomon D. Butcher.

[media-credit name=”Solomon D. Butcher” align=”aligncenter” width=”300″]Sod House[/media-credit]

In the photograph, you see the family members standing proudly in front of their home, with Mr. Rawding’s team of mules featured prominently alongside them. A family cow has managed to steal the show in the photo by grazing on the roof of the house. Will Braddock got a chuckle out of the cow’s antics.

The vast expanse of the western grasslands provided little in the way of timber for building houses. The cottonwood trees that grew along the streams were too crooked to yield timber in usable form. The homesteaders relied on the resource most readily available to them–the thick-rooted prairie grass. The settlers jokingly referred to the building material as “Nebraska marble.” Sod houses were not original to those settling the American west. Norsemen and other cultures had built homes in a similar fashion for hundreds of years.

Horse and PlowFarmers sometimes had to cut the tough prairie grass roots by hand; but, if they were fortunate enough to own one of the new “grasshopper” plows, they could more easily harvest the 2′ x 1′ x 6″ blocks of sod using horsepower. I can visualize that process, because as a boy growing up in the 1940s, I followed along beside by grandfather as he used a horse and plow to prepare his fields for planting corn and other crops. Although he was not “harvesting” sod, the plow still required muscle and skill to till the soil.

The typical sod house was a single room no bigger than 16 feet by 20 feet. The walls consisted of layers of sod “bricks.” The roof provided the biggest challenge to the builder. It might be formed by laying bundles of brush atop wooden cross poles, then topped with another layer of sod. During rainy periods, mud dripped onto the occupants, along with assorted creatures who lived in the sod, such as snakes. Still, the sod house provided an inexpensive method for quickly getting a family sheltered as they began their new lives. The homes were cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The thick, sod walls provided good insulation, even though they were frequently damp.

 

Posted in Animals, Eagle Talons - Book One, Geography, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Rogers Medallion Award Finalist

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Will Rogers Medallion AwardEagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, has been chosen as a 2015 Will Rogers Medallion Award finalist. According to the award organization’s website, “Will Rogers was a respected writer and cowboy entertainer whose work embodied and demonstrated the traditions and values of the American cowboy. The Will Rogers Medallion Award was originally created to recognize quality works of cowboy poetry that honored the Will Rogers heritage, but has expanded to include other works of Western literature and film.”

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Eagle Talons has been named a Will Rogers Medallion Award finalist, along with four other books, for the 2015 Western Fiction for Younger Readers category. The names of the finalists and their books in all categories are available at this link: http://www.willrogersmedallionaward.net/#!2014-winners-finalists/c20t4 .

The 2015 Award Ceremony will be held Saturday, October 24, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. in The Cattleman’s Steak House at the Ft. Worth Stock Yards in Fort Worth, Texas. Barry Corbin, noted western actor, will serve as the Award Ceremony Emcee.

Prior to the award ceremony, there will be a book signing between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, in the Hulen Shopping Center, 4801 Overton Ridge Blvd., in Fort Worth.   I am making plans to participate in both.

Posted in Book Awards, Book Signing, Eagle Talons - Book One, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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I received the Advance Reading Copy of Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book Two on July 10th. Since then, I have been busy proofreading the “galley” with the help of family members and friends. In a few days, I will compile the corrections and forward them to Five Star Publishing so they can make final changes in preparation for printing. Publication is set for November 18, 2015.

In addition to my responsibility to proofread the ARC, numerous copies have been sent by the publisher and by me to various reviewers. We await their responses, with the intention of placing “blurbs” on the dust cover of the book and the websites where the book can be ordered.

Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble list the book as available for pre-order. Amazon reveals the cover photo and current information on the publication date. B&N is behind the time, and I am having difficulty getting their information updated.

 

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy | 1 Comment

Hobbs, New Mexico, Book Signing Brought Back Memories

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Hobbs MuseumOn Sunday, June 28, 2015, I was privileged to hold a book signing for Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, at the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame on the campus of New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico. I grew up in Hobbs, attending all of my public schooling there through graduation from high school. I had not been back to the city of my youth for several years.

New Mexico Junior College produced an excellent media release, which you can read at this link: http://www.nmjc.edu/whatishappening/mediareleases.asp?storyid=1184. Rather than me repeat what the release contains, I invite you to check it out for yourself. The Hobbs News Sun produced an article informing the public of the book signing, but I am unable to find a link that does not require an on-line subscription to the newspaper.

Hobbs Book SigningOne of the highlights of the book signing was when a young man brought in a copy of Eagle Talons that he had previously purchased and read. I will not reveal his name, because I did not obtain permission beforehand from his parents. After my short talk about how I wrote my books, he purchased two additional books to give to his friends. That made the book signing in Hobbs all the more worthwhile.

I express my special thanks to family friend James Cecil who suggested the museum as a suitable venue for the book signing and for prodding the newspaper into interviewing me by telephone and writing their article. James had been a friend of my father for many years, having been one of Dad’s former students, and he was instrumental in spearheading a movement that resulted in naming a new school in Hobbs in my father’s memory.

Harold Murphy School

Posted in Book Signing, Eagle Talons - Book One, Museums and Parks, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Western Writers of America 2015 Convention

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Michael Zimmer & Lucia RobsonFrom Tuesday through Saturday, June 25- 27, I participated in the 2015 Western Writers of America convention in Lubbock, Texas. Between the many educational and entertaining sessions, I had the chance to socialize with some of the best writers of western literature in the world, as well as editors, agents, and publishers of western literature. Among those were fellow authors Michael Zimmer and Lucia St. Clair Robson.

Lucia RobsonLucia St. Clair Robson is a two-time winner of the WWA’s Spur Award. She is a wonderful historical novelist with ten books to her credit. Ride The Wind won her the Spur Award in 1982, and Last Train from Cuernavaca won the Spur Award in 2011. She graciously wrote a blurb that appears on the dustcover of my first novel, Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One. Learn more about Lucia by visiting her excellent website: http://www.luciastclairrobson.com/.

Michael ZimmerMichael Zimmer is the author of many western and historical novels, short novels, and short stories. His Poacher’s Daughter won the 2015 Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for outstanding western novel. Poacher’s Daughter was designated a finalist for the Spur Award for 2015. Michael also wrote a nice blurb for the dustcover of Eagle Talons. Visit his website at: http://www.michael-zimmer.com/.

Tiffany SchofieldI had the pleasure of spending time with Tiffany Schofield, Senior Editor of Five Star Publishing. Five Star published my first novel Eagle Talons in October 2014 and has scheduled by second novel Bear Claws for release in November 2015. Tiffany oversees the acquisition of books in several genres for Five Star, including the Frontier Fiction category for my trilogy The Iron Horse Chronicles. Through her leadership, Five Star won the 2013 Lariat Award from Western Writers of America. Five Star authors have won numerous Spur Awards.

Hazel RumneyHazel Rumney is Editorial Development Coordinator for Five Star Publishing. She has work with me to ensure that my finished books are better than what I submitted. She points out areas that are incongruous in my plot and guides me in rewrites that result in a much improved story. It was enjoyable spending time with Hazel, who kept encouraging me to finish book three, Golden Spike.

WWA LubbockLubbock and its citizens provided a welcome atmosphere for the 2015 WWA Convention. Next year the convention will be held in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I hope to be there.

 

 

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

Farmington, New Mexico, Book Signing Successful

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

The book signing at Hastings in Farmington, NM, was a great success. Several books were sold and autographed, many bookmarks were distributed, and I had the opportunity to discuss Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles–Book One, with many interested readers. I am grateful to Hastings for hosting this event.

Farmington Book SigningThis photo shows me talking about my writing with my two sisters, Suzy Fisher and Donna Murphy. We took advantage of a mini-family get-together to do the book signing. Suzy lives in Farmington with her husband Gary Fisher. Donna came to join us from Santa Fe, NM. Also attending our little reunion were Suzy’s son Eric Fisher, his wife Teri, and their daughter, Katherine, all of whom live in Farmington.

When this post about the Farmington book signing is released, I will be traveling back home to Nevada after attending the annual convention of the Western Writers of America in Lubbock, Texas, and following a presentation and book signing at the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, in Hobbs, NM. I will post blogs about both of those events in coming weeks.

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Ian’s Outstanding Book Report

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Robert Lee Murphy

Ian with School ReportIan is eleven years old, and this spring he completed the fifth grade at Running Springs Elementary School in Anaheim, California. Ian’s teacher gave his class an assignment to prepare a book report on a historical novel. Ian chose Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles—Book One.

Ian received a perfect score for his explanation to the teacher and the class about the significance of symbolism in the novel. I include a full spread of Ian’s report to enable you to better read his outstanding work. His comments are listed below his report.

 

Eagle Talons Book ReportThe railroad symbolizes escape and freedom.

The blacksmith hammer and anvil represent the life Will Braddock did not want.

Will’s pistol symbolizes justice.

The eagle talons represent protection, because they saved Will’s life.

Ian’s interpretation of the symbolism in the novel is impressive. I am gratified that Ian liked my book; because, when I wrote it, my target audience was middle-grade students. As it turned out, the book has become a “cross-over” novel with readers of all ages enjoying it. It is pleasing to have written a book that appeals to the young in age as well as the young at heart. For those who are vision impaired, there is a large print version of Eagle Talons available.

Hopefully, Ian’s experience will inspire him to enjoy reading historical novels for the rest of his life. He has passed the word along that he is looking forward to reading Bear Claws, The Iron Horse Chronicles—Book Two. Five Star Publishing will issue that book in November 2015.

Thank you, Ian, for sharing your book report with me. I proudly pass it along to the readers of my blog.

 

Posted in Book Review, Eagle Talons - Book One, Iron Horse Chronicles' Characters, The Iron Horse Chronicles, Transcontinental Railroad | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment