buffalo soldier
Cover Reveal – Buffalo Soldier: Range War
The tenth book in my Buffalo Soldier series, Range War will launch soon. I’d like to share the cover I’ve chosen for this volume, which is the story of Ninth Cavalry Sergeant Ben Carter and his special detachment. They are caught in the middle of a dispute between cattlemen and sheep ranchers – with a gang of hired gunmen to complicate the mix.
There were a few other designs considered (see below), but I thought the stark, simplicity of the one above best illustrated the story. 
My First Book Promotion for 2014 – ‘Buffalo Soldier: Yosemite
Get number seven in the Buffalo Soldier series, Buffalo Soldier: Yosemite, free for your Kindle for a limited time only – January 5 – 7.
Ben Carter is ordered to escort a survey party from Fort Union in New Mexico to Yosemite Valley in central California. The mission of the survey is to encourage the U.S. Congress to expand the national parks system. What should be a routine duty for the men of the Ninth Cavalry’s Buffalo Soldiers is complicated beyond Ben’s imaginings.
In the first place, one of his men is seriously injured coming back from a scouting mission and faces a long period of convalescence. He is replaced by a new trooper who comes with a checkered background and the taint of cowardice under fire. Ben worries about the man’s reliability on a mission that is being watched not just by the regimental commander, but the President of the United States.
Ben learns a lot about the new man, and the people he is assigned to protect, during the long journey to California, and that his routine mission is anything but, as he discovers that the natural beauty of Yosemite covers greed and danger that rival anything he has had to face before.
Art: Buffalo Soldiers at Yosemite
My next ‘Buffalo Soldier‘ novel will be about the Buffalo Soldiers at Yosemite; only, instead of being about them patrolling Yosemite after it was designated a national park, this will be a fictionalized story of Ben Carter and his men escorting the naturalists who mapped the place prior to the designation.
Given that the cavalry often accompanied railroad and other survey teams, this is well within the realm of possibility. At any rate, below are two paintings – or actually, two versions of the same painting – that I’m considering for the cover. Comments welcome.
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Interview on “Until You Walk the Path You Don’t Know Where it Goes”
Internet radio personality Theresa Chaze will be interviewing my tomorrow on her BlogTalk radio show, “Until You Walk the Path You Don’t Know Where it Goes.” This will be my third time on her show, and we’ll be talking about my recent books, what life’s been like since I retired from government service and went into writing full time, and my writing habits, among other things. Theresa’s shows are always fun and interesting, so you won’t want to miss it – and, I’m not just saying that because I’m on the show. Check the following link for air time and other information:
http://theresachaze.blogspot.com/2013/06/charles-ray-author-vietnam-veteran.html
Charles Ray's Ramblings 