Individual Short Stories:

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween
Mary Beth Larson emerges from the fog of loss in a new location with two young children, determined to start her life again. Glen Hampton and his little kids have already survived their own tragedy. Maybe this Halloween means something besides Trick or Treat. A contemporary short story.

Happy Halloween
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Cottonwood Cowboys

Cottonwood Cowboys
Saturday afternoon working toward evening was a poor time to pull tree clearing duty, especially this Saturday, with the dance all laid out at the school house, and a new schoolmarm to gaze at. This Western short story brings you cowboys Slim and Curly on the two-man saw, as they try to shoehorn the unexpected chore of cutting up a fallen cottonwood tree into their big plans for Saturday night. A Western short story.

Cottonwood Cowboys
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The Usual Game

The Usual Game
In this tautly written short story, Verl returns to his boarding house after a hard day working construction in the Verde Valley of the new State of Arizona. He’s dreaming of going home to Phoenix soon with his wages, home to sweet Betty’s arms. Then he finds his landlord, Fong, ensnared in the usual game run by the local card shark, Happy Sam. If Fong can’t get away, he’s going to lose the money he’s been saving for years to send for his wife in China. High stakes action in early Arizona. A Western short story.

The Usual Game
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Thumps and Losers – Two Short Stories

Thumps and Losers – Two Short Stories
What should a ten-year-old boy buy when he finds a wallet full of cash? A bicycle? A horse? Or something more meaningful?

Will business traveler Mel Harris’s phone call go unanswered because his wife Murial encountered a bear in their kitchen during the night?

Enjoy a couple of non-Western short stories from the imagination of storyteller Marsha Ward: Thumps in the Night and Losers Weepers.

Thumps and Losers – Two Short Stories
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War Party

War Party
Marsha’s Western short story that earned an A grade from her Writers Digest School instructor, novelist Stephen Overholser.

“Black smoke drew Rolla’s eye, smoke where there should not be smoke. Then he heard the noise: high, piercing yips, and a woman’s scream, and the flat report of gunshots.” With revenge in his heart, young Rolla takes part in the Battle of Salt River Canyon at Skeleton Cave in Arizona Territory.

The battle that took place on December 28, 1872, was an engagement of the decade-long Apache Wars in the late nineteenth century. This story supposes how young Rolla forged an alliance with another settler and became involved in that fight.

War Party
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Collections:

Western Stories: Four Tales of the West

Western Stories: Four Tales of the West
This collection includes newly edited editions of the short stories Cottonwood Cowboys, The Usual Game, War Party, and No More Strangers.

Cottonwood Cowboys
Saturday is a poor time for the boss to assign cowboys Slim and Curly the chore of cutting up a fallen cottonwood tree. In just a few hours, there will be a dance at the school house, where they expect to meet the new schoolmarm. The boys grudgingly work the two-man saw, trying to shoehorn the task into the time they have to get ready for Saturday night.

The Usual Game
Verl returns to his boarding house after a hard day working construction in the Verde Valley of the new State of Arizona. He’s dreaming of going home to Phoenix with his wages, home to sweet Betty’s arms. Then he finds his landlord, Fong, ensnared in the usual game run by the local card shark, Happy Sam. If Fong can’t get away, he’s going to lose the money he’s been saving for years to send for his wife in China. High stakes action in early Arizona.

War Party
For pre-teen Rolla Wood, life will never be the same after the Apache raid on his home. Bent on avenging the deaths of his parents, Rolla sets out to hunt down the war party, and learns far more than he could wish about the realities of the Arizona frontier. This coming-of-age story features a fictional account of the actual Battle of Salt River Canyon.

No More Strangers
Elijah Marshall only wants to cross the Great American Desert to Zion to reunite with his young sister. But things get complicated when he volunteers to take responsibility for making sure a new widow, her toddler son, and their wagon get safely to their destination, as well.

No More Strangers

No More Strangers
A Collection of Prose and Poetry of the West from acclaimed Western novelist Marsha Ward. Six short stories, three poems, and a novel excerpt make up this collection of Western treasures.

No More Strangers (Collection of Prose and Poetry of the West)
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Stories