Alexander Copperspring was just a Cog in the Machine. A proud Cog, follower of the Clockworker, tinker, and engineer. He had come to Bowman’s Station on behalf of the Midlands and Pacific Railroad Company, to help build the station and prepare the infrastructure needed for the railroad on its long way to the coast. That had been six years ago, and while the station was ready, the railroad was still slow in coming to the valley.That was when the Martials came to town. The lead Martial was belligerent and showed his disdain as he explained that Judge Wilcox had ruled that no proper claim was filed for the settlement and the valley had now been claimed by Hanson Cumberland, the cattle baron. As trespassers on this land, the Judge was giving them 24 hours to grab their possessions and leave the valley.
Alex’s temper, and his mouth, got the better of him. He railed against the Judge and his “justice” on behalf of the man with the biggest bag of gold. Before he knew it, he’d managed to challenge the Martial to a duel to decide the matter. But before the Martial could drag him to the Circle and gun him down as an unarmed man, an old drifter spoke up, invoking some obscure clause of the Way to gain Alex another week to prepare for the duel.
As the Martials rode out of town, Alex realized the situation he was in. He had a week to build a gun, learn how to use it, and then fight for his life and his community. A week left to live, his only help, this weather-beaten old stranger who offered to teach him The Way of the Gun.
The Way of the Gun Anthology is finally out! The e-book is available for $2.99 on PayHip, and for $4.99 on Kindle (Amazon must have its cut…), but will soon be appearing in all your favorite e-book venues. The paperback version is available for $9.49 (marked down from $9.99) from Amazon.
