Mountain Man Series

Sam Bass Meets the Mountain Man

“Women love bad men. You may not believe it, but it’s true.”

—Sam Bass

In this fictional account Sam Bass, the famous Texas outlaw, flees the pursuit of the Texas Rangers after robbing a bank, beating a path to the mountains of New Mexico where he encounters the famous Mountain Man. They tangle with a bear in the middle of a river, survive a death run by a tribe of Comanche, hideaway in a beaver dam to avoid capture, commune with an Indian Maiden and end up at the annual Rendezvous of Mountain Men in Wyoming. As such it is an authentic account of the lifestyle and the monumental challenges of the men who ventured into the untamed wilds of the Rocky Mountains and lived to tell the tale.

The Bear Man of Hallett’s Peak

“When the Chinook Wind blows up from Mexico spilling over the top of the mountain, people get cranky about then, restless, irresponsible, apt to go out and shoot somebody.”

The mountain man has moved to the base of Hallet's Peak, eight miles from Estes Park, Colorado. He hopes for a predictable life. But Jimmy, a fourteen-year-old townie, has gone missing and it's winter at high altitude. He needs to be found in a hurry. The mountain man seems to be the only one with the courage and the know-how to do such a search in the middle of snowstorms, floods and ranging outlaws ready to shoot and then ask questions.

Under the protection of his bear skin coat, riding his savvy horse, relying on his knowledge of forests, floods, Arapahoe warriors and survival in the midst of man-killing snowstorms, he strikes out. But what he encounters is nothing like anything he's ever experienced before.

Hawk Series

The Guns of Lonesome Justice

“Every man has evil inside him. If it gets awakened you spend a lot of time trying to keep that monster down.”

—Carson Hawk

Colorful characters, evil like you’ve never seen before, and tons of action involving unheard-of gunbattle techniques from the savvy and strategic mind of Carson Hawk.

Penngrove, a small town in West Texas, is under siege by a band of outlaws occupying the Bar W ranch nearby. They intimidate citizens, annex property that doesn’t belong to them, and torment the ladies of the Bar at the End of the Trail.

Sheriff Nicholas Yoder has had enough. He enlists the help of the famous and clever, gunslinging Texas Ranger, Carson Hawk, to help defend the town and its occupants. What results is a gun battle the likes of which Texas has never seen before in an epic, mythic conflict between good and evil.

Carson Hawk: Retired Texas Ranger

“The size of the boy is not the size of his secret.”

—Jimmy Fitzhue

Carson Hawk, a retired Texas Ranger, is just trying to live a simple life, but he becomes thrust into action when he is called upon to solve a crime and identify the members of a violent cult that has its grip on the quiet town of New Beginnings, Texas. This story unravels like an old treasure map, buried in a cave for decades, full of danger, beautiful women, a wolf in sheep's clothing, and a boy with a curious mind. The story is told through the observing eye of an experienced storyteller who will make you feel as though you are standing side-by-side with some very memorable characters as they face the thrilling moments of this epic drama.

A Cody Austin Adventure

Blood and Desperation in Texas

“Few men know the desperation it takes to rob a bank.”

Few men know the desperation it takes to rob a bank, to step outside the gentle behaviors that a loving mother has tried to mold out of wild thing and make of him an honorable man. Few men know the depravity it takes to pull a trigger and kill a man. Sam Johnson knew. If you love the great Western novels of Cherokee Parks, Paul L. Thompson and C. Wayne Winkle—you will love Blood and Desperation in Texas.

Possum Trot Series

Showdown at Possum Trot

“. . . Nothing like a gun to encourage attendance in church.”

—Jebediah Tull

Jake and Galen are old friends but have been separated for ten years while Galen, a Texas Ranger, chases outlaws. Looking for a change in his life, Galen finds Jake serving as the sheriff of Possum Trot, Texas and decides to set up shop as the medical man in the town. But there’s a big problem. Horse Diggins, the evil owner of the Angel Dust Saloon, has set out to control the town by any means possible. Lines are drawn and the conflicts run deep. The town becomes a stage for the unpredictable and uncharitable actions of humans as portrayed by gunslingers, whores, a gun-toting parson, and bandits that just keep on showing up.

Massacre at Idyll Valley

“The prairie keeps its secrets but the wind unroofs the deeds of men.”

Shock waves raced through the neighboring community of Possum Trot, as if a tornado had hit next door, or flash flood suddenly wiped a whole town off the map. Only this desecration was the intentional work of one twisted human soul. It cannot be avoided or forgotten. It rides over the community of Possum Trot like a suffocating cloud of smoke and ash, raining down on the citizens constant reminders of the danger they are in.

Sheriff Galen Clay searches for ways to defend his town and overturn the power of the Dry Creek Gang, perched not far away with malice, power, and the element of surprise on its side.

How does Galen do it? How can he spy on the gang, fortify his town, reverse the advantage of surprise so that any attack must find an unwilling target with resilience, determination, and its own ingenious surprises.

Oh. And there’s a love story too. Sages on the front porch. A Confederate canon even gets into the act. This book has it all.

Christmas Western

Christmas in Consequence, Wyoming

“Not every good deed is done by those who profess to be stewards of religion.”

Christmas doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Not even if you know the scriptures backwards and forwards. That's what the new parson discovered when he came to Consequence, Wyoming with his six gun and his bible, ready to convert the wicked and build a huge congregation. What he learned there took him to a side of life he'd not considered sacred or worthy and yet was made to see value and even honor in the most unaccustomed of places. There’s a bit of O Henry in this story.

The Pecos Trilogy

The Guns of Pecos County

“The dust had a name. It was called One Man Dying.”

After a dramatic gunfight with an Outlaw, Marshal Luke, is hired by a local Governor who has been plagued by high crime in a state bordering Mexico. With roving gangs of murderers flooding across the border—the Governor made an election promise to get elected. He would hire the toughest gunfighter to rid the state of crime… He gives the Marshal one order. Remove the filth from my state… anyway you can! The Marshal has a hard task ahead of him—but with the help of a lady in need, and some good folks who want their state cleaned up—he takes the criminals on. Above the law, with a gun in his hand, the Marshal goes to war and all who stand before him have two choices… SURRENDER… OR DIE! This action led Western features a ton of lead, a Bounty Hunter with a bad attitude and a lot of dead BAD GUYS! Ride along as The GUNS OF PECOS COUNTY clean up the lawless state that time forgot!

The Long Ride

“Wisdom sits in places. . . Like water that never dries up. You drink from places. . . then the mind becomes smoother.”

—Chief Running Deer

Watts mixes together three of the truly classic forms of storytelling: Western, psychological drama and the Hero's Journey to form a new category of Wild West legend. In lyrical flowing words and images suitable for the silver screen, we experience the struggle that Luke the gunslinger goes through to leave behind his past as a savage bounty hunter and the haunting memory of the men he has killed for a more balanced life. In so doing, he risks his his own life over and over again to enter this dangerous quest. He is guided in his pursuit by a series of colorful characters who show him new ways of thinking and deliver to him ancient wisdom necessary to the understanding of the often troubled challenges we face as humans. Underneath it all, a haunting love story lies at risk. How will all this turn out? This action led Western features a ton of lead, a Bounty Hunter with a bad attitude and a lot of dead BAD GUYS!

A Gathered Peace

“Nobody wants to leave behind an act of unqualified evil.”

—Luke

Welcome to the third book in The Pecos Western Trilogy, Luke’s quest that carries him all over West Texas, searching first for his own damaged soul, then for his love, Adeline, who all but gave up on him and took off.

His Odyssey-like journey carries him through stand-offs with angry cowboys who want to kill him, mysterious characters who challenge and expose his personal flaws, and strong women who simply demand he get serious and grow up.

Will he find his soul? Will he find Adeline? Will the distractions of the dangerous escapades and the affection of other women get in the way? Read on and find out…