74th Street Press*Olympia

Publisher info

The new series of "K" novels begins with Blood Tax, set in a very different era from the previous novels, 16th century, and location, the Fiefdom of Kostel on the Balkan Peninsula--right at the frontier dividing line between Muslim followers of the Ottoman Empire and Christian feudal serfs living and farming on the lands of the Hapsburg Monarchy. Turkish brigands attack Am Furtt, a small farming hamlet, creating terror, burning farms and abusing villagers. The objective of the Turks is to kidnap five-to-ten-year-old boys and girls as white slaves. The young ones are converted to Islam and prepared to serve the Sultan as loyal elitists--warriors, administrators, clergy and sex slaves. Maria is raped by the Azim, the leader. He divines that a child is conceived from the union and vows to return in five years to collect his son. After fighting battles on the shores of the Caspian Sea, Azim and his men return to Am Furtt. This time, the serfs are ready.

The author's books are well researched and authentically portray the difficult life of serfs living under the lord of the castle in the 1600's.

Smashwords Interview

What do you read for pleasure?
I love history, whether reading action/adventure historical novels for pleasure or doing research for one of my books. I suppose that is why I enjoy adding greater depth, flavor or the times, and authenticity to my work by linking historical events in my writing. I pride myself on accuracy when describing these events.

At one point, I found myself avidly involved in genealogy, and the result is that I have a large collection of family names going back, in some cases, to the invention of surnames in some geographic regions of Europe. Still, I find it even more interesting to uncover tales that have been handed down through the generations by family members. Many times, I draw upon these to create a framework for my stories.

And, I love the American west. By heavens, the settings provided are so varied. It has been an incredible canvas for many authors of western tales. I'm glad that I can participate.

Yes, I do like history.
What kindled your interest in the American frontier?
As a youngster, my family moved west over the storied asphalt trail named U.S. Highway 66, the twentieth-century version of the dusty dirt trails of previous times. Completed in 1938, that ribbon of road stretched twenty-four hundred miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, crossing eight states, and three-time zones. Known variously as “the Mother Road,” “Main Street of America,” and “Will Rogers Highway,” it had been celebrated in many different venues.

It was the route that breathed life into my boyhood dreams of adventures about pioneer trails, cowboys herding cattle, and Native Americans riding the open plains, created by books, movies, and magazines of my early days. Decades later, my wife and I retraced this journey and more, in the current mode of the covered wagon, a motorhome complete with several hundred horses, as research took us to most of the locations used in my stories.
Read more of this interview.
Becca
Price: $5.99 USD. Words: 5,680. Language: English. Published: March 24, 2018 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Humor & comedy » General, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
(4.00 from 1 review)
It’s 1889 in Ohio, with Becca, willful and opinionated, facing the choice of marrying conventional Will or adventurous Frank, the man from Washington Territory, whose proposal arrives in the form of a telegram over the newfangled telegraph lines. Its arrival stirs this witty story with crisp and crackling dialogue while setting the cauldron boiling between the saucy redhead and her father.
Gates of Greed
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 17,420. Language: English. Published: February 3, 2018 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Graphic novels & comics » Graphic novel, Fiction » Historical » Medieval
This graphic tale centers on the 1583 war between Ottoman and Persian armies for the fortress of Derbent, located on the Caspian Sea. Commander Azim is distracted by memories of his rape of Maria five years earlier in her village on the Kupa River. He yearns to return and bring her and their son to Istanbul-the boy to become a warrior and Maria to service Azim's needs, if he survives the battle.
American Frontier Short Stories, 1800's Vol. l
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 55,780. Language: English. Published: October 30, 2017 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
This novel contains seventeen adventure packed short stories about the American West in the nineteenth century and the people who settled the vast continent. All tales are based on historical events and relay the confrontation of settlers with struggles against man and nature. Native Americans encountered the full onslaught of migrating settlers, and several tales speak of their plight.
Blood Tax
Price: $14.99 USD. Words: 73,690. Language: English. Published: July 7, 2016 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Historical » Medieval
Kidnapping five-to-ten-year-old children to become white slaves is the objective of the Muslim Turkish attack in the 16th Century on the Christian Fiefdom of Kostel on the Kupa River. The abducted children convert to Islam, become unwaveringly loyal to the Sultan and are molded into warriors, empire administrators, clergy in the Greek Church, housemaids and instruments for sexual pursuits.
Bride by Mail
Series: Six Bulls of Missouri, Book 4. Price: $14.99 USD. Words: 64,130. Language: American English. Published: March 27, 2014 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier, Fiction » Romance » Action/adventure
Adventure, romance, tragedy, and evil come together in this exciting story, set in the 1800's. Writing to a stranger, Eva yearns for greater fulfillment than her small Ohio town offers. Frank seeks to mend his broken heart. Through letters, love blooms. Based on historical events, the backdrop for the exciting story is majestic Mount Shasta, Washington State, and the magnificent American frontier.
Avenge
Series: Six Bulls of Missouri, Book 3. Price: $14.99 USD. Words: 83,330. Language: English. Published: August 18, 2011 by 74th Street Press*Olympia. Categories: Fiction » Historical » General
Violence rages in 1853, when outlaws steal Curtis Sommer's prized horses. The young man begins a journey across the American frontier from Missouri to Texas and on to Nebraska Territory. He seeks justice while confronting vicious enemies and the fury of nature. The last outlaw escapes and brutally rapes a young woman. The two become entangled in startling twists of fate and an epic battle of wits.

Books

The Carolinian
Series: Six Bulls of Missouri, Book 2. Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 66,340. Language: English. Published: March 9, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
Abraham, a recruit in General Andrew Jackson's ragtag army, faces the enemy in New Orleans and learns the eternal truth-God is blind to a man's color. Midwest Book Review says "A riveting story set against a tragic time in American History."The News Dispatch:"Brilliantly captures the essence pioneers(s) in 1830s." "Highly recommended for community libraries" by Michael Dunford, "wholly absorbing
Runaway Slave
Series: American Frontier--Short Stories by Richard Puz, Story 4. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 2,360. Language: English. Published: December 1, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
(4.50 from 2 reviews)
Tobacco plantation owner Alvin Tolle is confronted with a split-second decision that will affect the rest of his life. All of my books are drawn from the American frontier in the 1800s. This story is about one man at the forefront of dealing with racism and slavery in North Carolina. Runaway is a snippet from my hard copy novel "The Carolinian," available at Amazon.
Canyon of Death
Series: American Frontier--Short Stories by Richard Puz, Story 9. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 5,880. Language: English. Published: December 1, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
On the American Frontier in the 1800s, the greatest loss of life on the Oregon Trail was not from Indians, accidents, or weather. The biggest danger was unexpected, silent, and deadly. Josiah and his party come across a large herd of cattle on its way to the California gold fields with drovers that are dying or dead. Read Puz's latest novel, Bride by Mail.
Smoke
Series: American Frontier--Short Stories by Richard Puz, Story 8. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 2,450. Language: English. Published: October 7, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General
Short Story about the American frontier in the 1800s. Prairies are one of God’s greatest gifts, but these can also turn deadly. Pioneers take desperate measures to save everything they have created.
Roaring River
Series: American Frontier--Short Stories by Richard Puz, Story 6 . Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 5,170. Language: English. Published: October 7, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General
Bushwhackers ambush two men, killing one. The survivor leads a posse to track down the band of killers, leading to an epic battle.
Danny Boy
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 2,520. Language: English. Published: September 24, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » General
Whimsical and humorous, a riverbank tavern is the setting for pioneers quenching their thirst after long hot days on their wagon train journey to Indiana. They meet two riverboat men and have a merry time, hoisting rounds of boiler makers, until a fight breaks out in the tavern. Then—fists, knives, and pistols spice up the evening.

74th Street Press*Olympia's tag cloud

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74th Street Press*Olympia's favorite authors on Smashwords

Smashwords book reviews by 74th Street Press*Olympia

  • Anger is Terminal on March 26, 2012
    (no rating)
    Action and adventure are the hallmarks of this fast-moving story. Beginning in Washington DC, ex-army special forces member, Clell finds himself traveling west and uncovering a vast drug cartel that is dangerous and deadly. To seek revenge, he teams with others to track the gang to Mexico and confronts them in a stunning battle. Read the book, you'll enjoy it from this first-to author.