Kristy McCaffrey's Blog: Author Kristy McCaffrey, page 6
August 2, 2019
Deep Blue: Réunion Island Correction
My apologies. If you purchased Deep Blue: Réunion Island at the end of July, you may have noticed that Alec confessed something to Grace that he'd already shared in Deep Blue: Australia. Sometimes discrepancies slip through despite my rigorous editorial process. I'm happy to say that as of August 1, all Deep Blue: Réunion Island files have been updated to maintain consistency from the previous novella. If you purchased the book before that date from Amazon and would like to have the updated version, you'll need to contact Amazon customer service and have them push the new file onto your device. Unfortunately, it won't automatically update. I'm not sure how it works on the other eBook platforms (Apple, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play). If you're purchasing the book after August 1, then you should receive the updated file and can ignore this notice.
Thank you to everyone! My readers are awesome (and forgiving). I'm working on another Deep Blue novella, which I hope to have out this fall. Stay tuned!
July 25, 2019
New Deep Blue Novella Releases
By Kristy McCaffrey
When shark researcher Grace Mann accompanies her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, to Western Australia for a commercial shoot with great whites, she envisions relaxing days in the sun and smoldering nights between the sheets. But as Alec’s mood becomes increasingly distant, Grace worries the chemistry they shared—so effortless in the beginning—was starting to fizzle. Is his reticence related to her, or something else? And can she find a way to help him get the footage he needs before his behavior places his life in danger?
Download at your favorite ebook retailer. Click here for more info.
(Please note: This novella was previously accessible only to Kristy's newsletter subscribers, but is now available for purchase. If you would like a free download, sign-up here for the newsletter.)
* * * * *
“Bull shark,” Grace confirmed. “And a big one by the look of it.”
Dr. Grace Mann has joined her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, on a trip to the French island of Réunion. Alec and his team—Dan “Double D” Donovan and Stephie Kim—have come to document the capture and relocation of mature bull sharks from the western coastline.
For over ten years, shark attacks have terrorized the people of Réunion, essentially ruining the diving and surfing industry. Angry exchanges between locals who want the sharks culled and a government trying to preserve the ecology of the ocean environment have failed to resolve the issue.
The relocation program is a last-ditch effort to bring a peaceful coexistence between humans and sharks, but Grace’s resolve will be tested as she enters the water with these tenacious predators. Bull sharks didn’t earn their name because they were polite.
Click here to purchase at your favorite ebook vendor.
Excerpt from Deep Blue: Réunion Island
Movement caught her eye, and she barely had a chance to shine the light of her camera toward it when a blunt nose slammed into her, shoving her violently through the water. The beady eye, a black slit against white, watched her, then its gills slid past in a flurry as the fish flicked and turned away, the dislodged camera sinking to the sea floor. Stunned, Grace struggled to keep her regulator in her mouth as the dark abyss swallowed up the equipment in the last bit of light.
She should swim down and retrieve it, but every fiber in her screamed to get out of the water. The shark had every advantage in the dark. Kicking her fins, she headed to the boat. When her head broke the surface, she spit the regulator out.
“Stephie! Get out of the water!”
The men were struggling with the captured shark and their shouts drowned out her voice. Stephie swam closer, struggling to keep her head out of the water, her heavy air tank weighing her down. A fin crested the surface behind her.
Grace ducked under, her mask still on, and pushed Stephie aside, extending her arm and shoving hard when the shark came close. The bull turned and her hand scraped on its rough skin as it bolted away.
Whipping her head above water, Grace sucked in a breath.
“You go,” Grace gasped to Stephie, who was still behind her. “I’ll watch your back.”
Stephie moved quickly to the ladder hanging off the boat, and Grace followed, her gaze continuously scanning the surroundings. A pressure wave pushed into her. She put her face in the water just in time to see a large shadow pass below.
The goddamned shark was beneath her.
Without looking up, she kept moving to where she thought the ladder was. The shadow turned, moving upward, revealing the unmistakable outline of a shark. The aggressive beast was coming straight for her. She readied herself to redirect with her hand, but it would meet her feet first. Did she have enough strength to kick it? Grace really didn’t want it to snag one of her flippers.
Pumping her arms, Grace prayed the boat was behind her.
With the shark almost upon her, she was suddenly yanked from the water. She flew onto the back deck of the boat as the shark slapped the surface with its caudal fin, turned sharply, and splashed her as it spun away.
“What the hell was that?” Alec said in her ear.
With relief, she leaned back into him. “Mother Nature’s perfect creation.”
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
Pathway Series Reading Order:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella)
Deep Blue: Réunion Island (A Pathway Novella)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
When shark researcher Grace Mann accompanies her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, to Western Australia for a commercial shoot with great whites, she envisions relaxing days in the sun and smoldering nights between the sheets. But as Alec’s mood becomes increasingly distant, Grace worries the chemistry they shared—so effortless in the beginning—was starting to fizzle. Is his reticence related to her, or something else? And can she find a way to help him get the footage he needs before his behavior places his life in danger?
Download at your favorite ebook retailer. Click here for more info.
(Please note: This novella was previously accessible only to Kristy's newsletter subscribers, but is now available for purchase. If you would like a free download, sign-up here for the newsletter.)
* * * * *
“Bull shark,” Grace confirmed. “And a big one by the look of it.”
Dr. Grace Mann has joined her boyfriend, underwater filmmaker Alec Galloway, on a trip to the French island of Réunion. Alec and his team—Dan “Double D” Donovan and Stephie Kim—have come to document the capture and relocation of mature bull sharks from the western coastline.
For over ten years, shark attacks have terrorized the people of Réunion, essentially ruining the diving and surfing industry. Angry exchanges between locals who want the sharks culled and a government trying to preserve the ecology of the ocean environment have failed to resolve the issue.
The relocation program is a last-ditch effort to bring a peaceful coexistence between humans and sharks, but Grace’s resolve will be tested as she enters the water with these tenacious predators. Bull sharks didn’t earn their name because they were polite.
Click here to purchase at your favorite ebook vendor.
Excerpt from Deep Blue: Réunion Island
Movement caught her eye, and she barely had a chance to shine the light of her camera toward it when a blunt nose slammed into her, shoving her violently through the water. The beady eye, a black slit against white, watched her, then its gills slid past in a flurry as the fish flicked and turned away, the dislodged camera sinking to the sea floor. Stunned, Grace struggled to keep her regulator in her mouth as the dark abyss swallowed up the equipment in the last bit of light.
She should swim down and retrieve it, but every fiber in her screamed to get out of the water. The shark had every advantage in the dark. Kicking her fins, she headed to the boat. When her head broke the surface, she spit the regulator out.
“Stephie! Get out of the water!”
The men were struggling with the captured shark and their shouts drowned out her voice. Stephie swam closer, struggling to keep her head out of the water, her heavy air tank weighing her down. A fin crested the surface behind her.
Grace ducked under, her mask still on, and pushed Stephie aside, extending her arm and shoving hard when the shark came close. The bull turned and her hand scraped on its rough skin as it bolted away.
Whipping her head above water, Grace sucked in a breath.
“You go,” Grace gasped to Stephie, who was still behind her. “I’ll watch your back.”
Stephie moved quickly to the ladder hanging off the boat, and Grace followed, her gaze continuously scanning the surroundings. A pressure wave pushed into her. She put her face in the water just in time to see a large shadow pass below.
The goddamned shark was beneath her.
Without looking up, she kept moving to where she thought the ladder was. The shadow turned, moving upward, revealing the unmistakable outline of a shark. The aggressive beast was coming straight for her. She readied herself to redirect with her hand, but it would meet her feet first. Did she have enough strength to kick it? Grace really didn’t want it to snag one of her flippers.
Pumping her arms, Grace prayed the boat was behind her.
With the shark almost upon her, she was suddenly yanked from the water. She flew onto the back deck of the boat as the shark slapped the surface with its caudal fin, turned sharply, and splashed her as it spun away.
“What the hell was that?” Alec said in her ear.
With relief, she leaned back into him. “Mother Nature’s perfect creation.”
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
Pathway Series Reading Order:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella)
Deep Blue: Réunion Island (A Pathway Novella)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
July 9, 2019
Polish Climber Wanda Rutkiewicz and a Giveaway
By Kristy McCaffrey
Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz was the first woman to climb K2—the second highest mountain in the world—in 1986, which she accomplished without the use of supplemental oxygen. Unfortunately, that same summer, thirteen climbers died on K2.
Wanda was born in 1943 in Lithuania, but her family moved to Poland after World War II. As a young woman, she earned an electrical engineering degree from the Wroclaw University of Technology.
Wanda Rutkiewicz
Her first major expedition was to the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia, which she found to be an unpleasant experience due to difficult relationships with the other male climbers. After that, she led her own trips, which included a number of all-female expeditions. She was known for her blunt leadership style.
In 1978, she became the third woman and first Polish climber and first European woman to climb Mount Everest.
Her goal was to become the first woman to summit all fourteen 8000-meter peaks. She reached nine, and possibly ten, although she disappeared in 1992 on Kangchenjunga (the third highest mountain), so her summit was in question. During that climb, her partner, Carlos Carsolio, and Wanda started for the summit at 3:30 a.m. on May 12, 1992, from Camp Four at 7950 meters. After climbing for 12 hours in deep snow, Carlos reached the top. As he was descending, he met Wanda. She decided to remain and bivouac (camp in the open—never recommended at such a high altitude and harsh environment) and she would start for the top the following day. She had no food, no utensils for cooking, and no equipment to bivouac. No one ever saw her again, and her body has never been found.
Wanda Rutkiewicz
Rutkiewicz once said, “I never seek death, but I don’t mind the idea of dying in the mountains. It would be an easy death for me. After all that I’ve experienced, I’m familiar with it. And most of my friends are there in the mountains, waiting for me.”
* * *
Click here for a chance to win an autographed print copy of COLD HORIZON.
(U.S. addresses only. If winner is international, then an ebook will be substituted.)
“Packed with action, adventure, and suspense at every turn!” ~ Ann Charles, USA Today Bestselling Author
“The characters are believable, realistic and unpredictable … a thrilling read!” ~ Vicki, reader
Ambition and courage at the top of the world. Ty Galloway has assembled a small team to conquer K2 and welcomes esteemed climber Lindsey Coulson. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. Both will test his heart.
Excerpt from COLD HORIZON
That night, Ty bunked in a tent with Ditch at Camp One, while Lindsey was alone next door. Time to change that.
Ty pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head. “I’m going to ask Lindsey to join us.”
“It would be the neighborly thing to do,” Ditch said as he sorted through packets of freeze-dried food.
“Try to clean up the place, would you?” Ty scooted to the front of the tent and unzipped the doorway, then crawled out into the blustery cold and braced himself against the wind. As night descended, an eerie isolation had encompassed them.
“Lindsey,” Ty yelled. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah, help yourself,” came her muffled response.
He unzipped the opening of her tent and got himself inside as quickly as he could, securing the entrance behind him. He remained in the vestibule, so he wouldn’t get snow from his boots all over her tent. He was also careful not to bump into the burner hanging from the tent ceiling that she was using to melt snow. It was easy to have a mishap in a very flammable tent.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Sitting atop her sleeping bag, she rubbed her wool-clad feet. “I’m a little tired and sore, but otherwise I feel good.”
“You sound surprised.”
She jammed her fingers into her ponytail and scratched her head. “I guess I was a little worried. You never really know how you’ll do until you’re on the mountain doing it.” She hugged her knees toward her chest.
“Wanna share a candy bar for dinner?” He pulled off his gloves and retrieved the treat from his coat pocket.
“Maybe we should split it three ways. Ditch might be hungry.”
“He’s already eaten. He had half a Pop-Tart.”
Ty unwrapped the candy bar, twisted it in half—exposing peanuts resting in a hardened nougat center—and handed a piece to her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome to hang out in our spacious accommodations,” Ty said. “Ditch likes to play Hearts, and it’s no fun with two.”
She shut off the stove and donned her mitten to carefully remove the pan filled with hot water. “Well, as you can see, I am quite busy.” Holding her water bottle between her feet, she carefully poured the liquid into it.
“If you join us then at least we’ll have an excuse to say no to Elena.”
Lindsey’s head snapped up. “Did she try to get in your tent?”
Regretting his words, Ty said, “No, sorry. I was just kidding.” But he thought he detected a tinge of jealousy in her voice, and he liked it. He couldn’t tell if the flush on her cheeks was from the cold or from her sudden outburst, but either way she looked too damned enticing.
“All right, I’m heading back,” he said, conceding defeat in his efforts to be neighborly.
“Wait. I’ll go with you. It’s kind of lonely in here by myself.”
“You could invite Elena over for a slumber party.”
“Bite your tongue.”
Once she secured the lid on her water bottle, she reached past him for her boots, bumping into him. A charged atmosphere settled around them as it became impossible for Ty not to touch her in such a confined space.
Ditch had encouraged Ty to dial it back where Lindsey was concerned, and yet at the same time he had cautioned Ty against ending up old and alone.
Ty released a laugh, easing the tension sparking between him and the woman who was affecting him far more than he’d ever anticipated.
“What’s so funny?” Lindsey asked, zipping her jacket.
“I was thinking about a passage from Alice in Wonderland. ‘It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’”
Lindsey smiled. “‘We’re all mad here,’” she said, quoting another line from Alice with a gleam in her eye.
Ty leaned close. “‘You must be, or you wouldn’t have come....’”
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
Cold Horizon is now available at:
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Print
Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz was the first woman to climb K2—the second highest mountain in the world—in 1986, which she accomplished without the use of supplemental oxygen. Unfortunately, that same summer, thirteen climbers died on K2.
Wanda was born in 1943 in Lithuania, but her family moved to Poland after World War II. As a young woman, she earned an electrical engineering degree from the Wroclaw University of Technology.
Wanda Rutkiewicz
Her first major expedition was to the Pamir Mountains in Central Asia, which she found to be an unpleasant experience due to difficult relationships with the other male climbers. After that, she led her own trips, which included a number of all-female expeditions. She was known for her blunt leadership style.
In 1978, she became the third woman and first Polish climber and first European woman to climb Mount Everest.
Her goal was to become the first woman to summit all fourteen 8000-meter peaks. She reached nine, and possibly ten, although she disappeared in 1992 on Kangchenjunga (the third highest mountain), so her summit was in question. During that climb, her partner, Carlos Carsolio, and Wanda started for the summit at 3:30 a.m. on May 12, 1992, from Camp Four at 7950 meters. After climbing for 12 hours in deep snow, Carlos reached the top. As he was descending, he met Wanda. She decided to remain and bivouac (camp in the open—never recommended at such a high altitude and harsh environment) and she would start for the top the following day. She had no food, no utensils for cooking, and no equipment to bivouac. No one ever saw her again, and her body has never been found.
Wanda Rutkiewicz
Rutkiewicz once said, “I never seek death, but I don’t mind the idea of dying in the mountains. It would be an easy death for me. After all that I’ve experienced, I’m familiar with it. And most of my friends are there in the mountains, waiting for me.”
* * *
Click here for a chance to win an autographed print copy of COLD HORIZON.
(U.S. addresses only. If winner is international, then an ebook will be substituted.)
“Packed with action, adventure, and suspense at every turn!” ~ Ann Charles, USA Today Bestselling Author
“The characters are believable, realistic and unpredictable … a thrilling read!” ~ Vicki, reader
Ambition and courage at the top of the world. Ty Galloway has assembled a small team to conquer K2 and welcomes esteemed climber Lindsey Coulson. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. Both will test his heart.
Excerpt from COLD HORIZON
That night, Ty bunked in a tent with Ditch at Camp One, while Lindsey was alone next door. Time to change that.
Ty pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head. “I’m going to ask Lindsey to join us.”
“It would be the neighborly thing to do,” Ditch said as he sorted through packets of freeze-dried food.
“Try to clean up the place, would you?” Ty scooted to the front of the tent and unzipped the doorway, then crawled out into the blustery cold and braced himself against the wind. As night descended, an eerie isolation had encompassed them.
“Lindsey,” Ty yelled. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah, help yourself,” came her muffled response.
He unzipped the opening of her tent and got himself inside as quickly as he could, securing the entrance behind him. He remained in the vestibule, so he wouldn’t get snow from his boots all over her tent. He was also careful not to bump into the burner hanging from the tent ceiling that she was using to melt snow. It was easy to have a mishap in a very flammable tent.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Sitting atop her sleeping bag, she rubbed her wool-clad feet. “I’m a little tired and sore, but otherwise I feel good.”
“You sound surprised.”
She jammed her fingers into her ponytail and scratched her head. “I guess I was a little worried. You never really know how you’ll do until you’re on the mountain doing it.” She hugged her knees toward her chest.
“Wanna share a candy bar for dinner?” He pulled off his gloves and retrieved the treat from his coat pocket.
“Maybe we should split it three ways. Ditch might be hungry.”
“He’s already eaten. He had half a Pop-Tart.”
Ty unwrapped the candy bar, twisted it in half—exposing peanuts resting in a hardened nougat center—and handed a piece to her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome to hang out in our spacious accommodations,” Ty said. “Ditch likes to play Hearts, and it’s no fun with two.”
She shut off the stove and donned her mitten to carefully remove the pan filled with hot water. “Well, as you can see, I am quite busy.” Holding her water bottle between her feet, she carefully poured the liquid into it.
“If you join us then at least we’ll have an excuse to say no to Elena.”
Lindsey’s head snapped up. “Did she try to get in your tent?”
Regretting his words, Ty said, “No, sorry. I was just kidding.” But he thought he detected a tinge of jealousy in her voice, and he liked it. He couldn’t tell if the flush on her cheeks was from the cold or from her sudden outburst, but either way she looked too damned enticing.
“All right, I’m heading back,” he said, conceding defeat in his efforts to be neighborly.
“Wait. I’ll go with you. It’s kind of lonely in here by myself.”
“You could invite Elena over for a slumber party.”
“Bite your tongue.”
Once she secured the lid on her water bottle, she reached past him for her boots, bumping into him. A charged atmosphere settled around them as it became impossible for Ty not to touch her in such a confined space.
Ditch had encouraged Ty to dial it back where Lindsey was concerned, and yet at the same time he had cautioned Ty against ending up old and alone.
Ty released a laugh, easing the tension sparking between him and the woman who was affecting him far more than he’d ever anticipated.
“What’s so funny?” Lindsey asked, zipping her jacket.
“I was thinking about a passage from Alice in Wonderland. ‘It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.’”
Lindsey smiled. “‘We’re all mad here,’” she said, quoting another line from Alice with a gleam in her eye.
Ty leaned close. “‘You must be, or you wouldn’t have come....’”
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
Cold Horizon is now available at:
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
July 1, 2019
Christmas in July: A Christmas Cowboy To Keep
Is the heat getting to you? How about escaping to the mountains with a Christmas cowboy?
This collection of long novellas is the perfect summertime escape. Each story is filled with romance, family, and Christmas cheer.
Download it today for only 99 cents!! This collection is also available in Kindle Unlimited.
The weather is cold, the atmosphere is festive, and the cowboys are hot. How do you keep a cowboy at Christmas?
Don’t miss this holiday collection of modern-day cowboys and the women they love, featuring the same USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award-Winning authors from “A Cowboy to Keep.”
CHRISTMAS, LIBERTY, AND THE THREE MINUTE MAN by Carra Copelin
Nashville event planner, Liberty Ann Hart, tries not to fall for a local carpenter, but his charisma is difficult to ignore, especially at Christmas and in the rustic setting of a Texas town called Mistletoe. Daniel Dylan Layman is determined to show the headstrong city woman a country life. Will a Christmas fundraiser spark a lifetime of love?
A CHRISTMAS CAROLE by Andrea Downing
Carrie Matheson is happy to start a new life at the Wyoming ranch she has inherited, but her six-year-old son wants to return to New York. As Christmas approaches and his pleas to Santa receive replies, it’s alarm bells not sleigh bells that start ringing. Tate Schrugge is amused by his new neighbor when she jogs over with some mis-delivered mail, but after she calls him Scrooge, she’s definitely not on his Christmas list. If these two can get together, it might be the Dickens of a romance.
THE PEPPERMINT TREE by Kristy McCaffrey
When an unexpected inheritance draws lawyer Skye Mallory home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in her Colorado hometown. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart in high school. Joe Carrigan has returned to the community he left years ago, ready to face his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. But this time, he won’t be so chivalrous.
THE DEVIL’S CHRISTMAS KISS by Devon McKay
Some things never change. Kristen Kelly’s hometown is still Christmas crazy. Her sister, Laney, will always need to be rescued. And Cole Lawson will never stop pestering her. The handsome cowboy has picked right up where they left off, teasing her without mercy. And though her head tells her to run from Cole as fast as she can, her heart has a mind of its own.
SLAY BELLS by Hildie McQueen
Carmen and Jared can’t avoid the sparks that fly between them at first sight. But when a dead body surfaces at the Christmas festival, she becomes a witness and he becomes a suspect. Not exactly the recipe for a perfect match. Can they find love amidst the mayhem and sleigh bells?
THE BEST CHRISTMAS by Hebby Roman
Sofia Rossi and Gar McCulloch meet under challenging circumstances—her estranged son has been admitted to Gar’s ranch rehab-center. Sofia is a successful New York model who had an ill-advised liaison with a wealthy, married member of New York society and lost her son to her ex’s manipulation. Gar is divorced and lost his daughter to a drug overdose. When they bond together to reclaim Sofia’s son, the last thing they expect is to find redemption in each other’s arms, making this their best Christmas… ever.
COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS by Patti Sherry-Crews
Melody Evans, a professional wedding planner, views happily-ever-after endings with a skeptical eye, but she's never lost her childlike enthusiasm for her favorite holiday—Christmas. To veterinarian rancher Leland Jennings IV, Christmas is just for kids. If he could, he'd skip the whole month of December. But he does believe there’s one woman out there for him, and he's holding out for her. Melody revives Leland's Christmas spirit, and he rekindles her heart.
This collection of long novellas is the perfect summertime escape. Each story is filled with romance, family, and Christmas cheer.
Download it today for only 99 cents!! This collection is also available in Kindle Unlimited.
The weather is cold, the atmosphere is festive, and the cowboys are hot. How do you keep a cowboy at Christmas?
Don’t miss this holiday collection of modern-day cowboys and the women they love, featuring the same USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award-Winning authors from “A Cowboy to Keep.”
CHRISTMAS, LIBERTY, AND THE THREE MINUTE MAN by Carra Copelin
Nashville event planner, Liberty Ann Hart, tries not to fall for a local carpenter, but his charisma is difficult to ignore, especially at Christmas and in the rustic setting of a Texas town called Mistletoe. Daniel Dylan Layman is determined to show the headstrong city woman a country life. Will a Christmas fundraiser spark a lifetime of love?
A CHRISTMAS CAROLE by Andrea Downing
Carrie Matheson is happy to start a new life at the Wyoming ranch she has inherited, but her six-year-old son wants to return to New York. As Christmas approaches and his pleas to Santa receive replies, it’s alarm bells not sleigh bells that start ringing. Tate Schrugge is amused by his new neighbor when she jogs over with some mis-delivered mail, but after she calls him Scrooge, she’s definitely not on his Christmas list. If these two can get together, it might be the Dickens of a romance.
THE PEPPERMINT TREE by Kristy McCaffrey
When an unexpected inheritance draws lawyer Skye Mallory home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in her Colorado hometown. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart in high school. Joe Carrigan has returned to the community he left years ago, ready to face his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. But this time, he won’t be so chivalrous.
THE DEVIL’S CHRISTMAS KISS by Devon McKay
Some things never change. Kristen Kelly’s hometown is still Christmas crazy. Her sister, Laney, will always need to be rescued. And Cole Lawson will never stop pestering her. The handsome cowboy has picked right up where they left off, teasing her without mercy. And though her head tells her to run from Cole as fast as she can, her heart has a mind of its own.
SLAY BELLS by Hildie McQueen
Carmen and Jared can’t avoid the sparks that fly between them at first sight. But when a dead body surfaces at the Christmas festival, she becomes a witness and he becomes a suspect. Not exactly the recipe for a perfect match. Can they find love amidst the mayhem and sleigh bells?
THE BEST CHRISTMAS by Hebby Roman
Sofia Rossi and Gar McCulloch meet under challenging circumstances—her estranged son has been admitted to Gar’s ranch rehab-center. Sofia is a successful New York model who had an ill-advised liaison with a wealthy, married member of New York society and lost her son to her ex’s manipulation. Gar is divorced and lost his daughter to a drug overdose. When they bond together to reclaim Sofia’s son, the last thing they expect is to find redemption in each other’s arms, making this their best Christmas… ever.
COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS by Patti Sherry-Crews
Melody Evans, a professional wedding planner, views happily-ever-after endings with a skeptical eye, but she's never lost her childlike enthusiasm for her favorite holiday—Christmas. To veterinarian rancher Leland Jennings IV, Christmas is just for kids. If he could, he'd skip the whole month of December. But he does believe there’s one woman out there for him, and he's holding out for her. Melody revives Leland's Christmas spirit, and he rekindles her heart.
June 17, 2019
The Belay
By Kristy McCaffrey
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountain Range, is the second highest mountain in the world at 28,251 feet, straddling the Pakistan/China border. Its icy sides are steep and exposed, and it’s prone to heavy storms and avalanches. K2 wasn’t surveyed until 1852, and the first known climbing attempt was in 1902, with one of the climbers none other than the English occultist Aleister Crowley. They never made it higher than 20,000 feet.
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan.
In 1953, with the summit yet to be reached, an American expedition was launched, marking the fifth quest to conquer the mountain. The team was led by Charles Houston, who had attempted to climb K2 in 1938 but had retreated just shy of the summit due to diminishing supplies and imminent bad weather.
High-altitude mountaineering had, up to this point, been an enormous undertaking with the establishment of many camps along the route to the top, taking several weeks of ascents and descents to stock gear, food, and heavy oxygen cannisters. Instead, Houston proposed a lightweight expedition, and this would later become known as the Alpine style of climbing.
There were eight men on the team: Charles Houston, a physician; Robert Bates, a climbing friend of Houston’s from their Harvard days, who had also gone to K2 in 1938; Robert Craig, a ski instructor from Seattle; Art Gilkey, a geologist from Iowa; Dee Molenaar, a geologist and artist from Seattle; Pete Schoening, also from Seattle and the youngest member at 25; George Bell, a nuclear scientist from Los Alamos; and Tony Streather, an English army officer.
As they approached the summit, Art Gilkey became ill, most likely with thrombophlebitis (a blood clot). The team decided to descend in order to save Gilkey’s life, despite that his condition was likely fatal. Since he was unable to walk, they carried him in a makeshift stretcher made from canvas, ropes and a sleeping bag.
Somewhere around 24,600 feet, Bell slipped and fell on a patch of ice, pulling off his rope-mate, Streather. As they fell, their rope became entangled with those connecting Houston, Bates, Gilkey and Molenaar, pulling them along as well. Pete Schoening, who had been belaying Gilkey and Molenaar, was now the only climber still standing and was connected to the force of six falling men. He quickly wrapped the rope around his shoulders and ice axe, and he miraculously held all six climbers from plummeting to their deaths. This act became known as “The Belay,” considered one of the most famous events in mountaineering history.
After the climbers had recovered and made their way to a tent at the next lower camp, they unfortunately lost Gilkey. He had been anchored to the ice slope as the exhausted climbers had prepared the tent. They could hear his muffled shouts, but when they returned to retrieve him, he was gone. The most likely culprit was an avalanche. Later, members of the team concluded that Gilkey had released the anchors to unburden himself from the team, but the true cause of his death remains unknown.
In more than 150 years of mountaineering, only about 300 climbers have reached the summit of K2, known as the Savage Mountain, while nearly 80 people have died trying.
Two years ago, Lindsey Coulson lost her sister on K2, the second highest mountain on earth. Searching for answers, she sets out to climb the Savage Mountain. Mountaineer and freelance writer Ty Galloway has assembled a small team to conquer K2 and welcomes the esteemed climber. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. Both will test his heart.
“Full of action, suspense and adventure. Loved this book!”
~ Rebecca Lyndsey, author/illustrator of the children’s book Into the Ocean
Cold Horizon is now available in Print.
Contact Kristy at kristy@kristymccaffrey.com if you would like to purchase an autographed copy.
Read an excerpt from COLD HORIZON
“All the 8000-meter peaks have been conquered with winter ascents now, except for K2,” Ty said, seeking to change the subject. “As usual, she’s holding out. Here’s another interesting fact—K2 is the site of the most famous belay in mountaineering history.”
“I’m hoping to get a photo as we pass the spot,” Packer said. “I’m gonna put it on my social media with hashtag ‘BadAssBelay.’”
“Why is it so famous?” Brynn asked.
“One man held the force of six falling men,” Ditch replied. “It was in 1953 and the summit of K2 had yet to be reached by anyone. The expedition—only the fifth one here—wouldn’t reach it either. It was an American team led by a man named Charles Houston, an excellent and well-respected climber. They had made it quite high on the mountain when one of their teammates, a man named Art Gilkey, for whom the memorial here is named, became very ill. They had to bring him down in a makeshift stretcher, which is a very dangerous thing to do. At one point, each man slipped in fast succession, becoming entangled in the ropes. A young climber named Pete Schoening was at the end, and he held them all, saving their lives. It was an incredible feat, really. Unfortunately, later, they anchored Gilkey to the mountain while they set up a tent, and he disappeared, likely swept away by an avalanche.”
Brynn took a sip of coffee from her mug. “Don’t all of you find the death in these places unsettling?”
“You can’t let it get to you,” David said. “On Everest, some of the dead are still where they died. You walk right by them.”
“One of the markers to the summit is Green Boots,” Ditch said. “I think he was an Indian climber.”
“They just freeze and are left there?” Captain Juneid asked, having remained silent during the meal.
“It’s too dangerous to move them,” Ditch replied. “It sounds unfeeling, but if they’re dead, they don’t need to get down the mountain.”
“Sometimes climbers try to bring bodies down,” Ty said quietly, glancing at Lindsey. Alison’s body was somewhere on K2. “But most of the time it’s all they can do to get themselves down safely.”
“Well, if I freeze my ass to K2, I give everyone here the green light to leave me,” Packer said. “I’d be happy to spend eternity here. Then everyone can pass me by, referring to the Packer marker.”
Ditch smirked. “You mean they’d be saying ‘The summit is just beyond the asshole blocking the route.’”
Packer let out a whoop. “I’ve been called worse.”
Brynn’s face took on an expression of concern. “I know climbing is addictive—I surfed for years, so I get the mentality—but really, why do you all do it?”
“It beats working,” Packer said.
Ditch finished off his coffee. “Which I don’t think you’ve ever done.”
“If you’re nice to me, I’ll let you rope up with me.”
“I think I’ll rope with Lindsey.”
Packer released an exaggerated sigh. “God, I hate it when there’s a better climber on the team than me. I have to work so much harder. Wait a minute, why do you get to rope up with the lady?”
Lindsey looked at Brynn. “Are you sure you don’t want to take up climbing?”
“Maybe I will. But I can see why you always climbed with your sister.”
“You girls are too picky,” Packer said.
“Just watch yourself,” Ty cut in. “There’ll be no messing around with my sister.”
Glee filled Packer’s face. “But Lindsey’s fair game?”
“No.” Lindsey answered at the same time as Ty.
He immediately regretted the force of his opposition, the hair rising on the back of his neck. The protectiveness for his sister didn’t surprise him, but hell if he wanted anyone laying claim to Lindsey.
Shit. So much for keeping his feelings under the radar.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
COLD HORIZON
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Print
COLD HORIZON: TELLURIDE
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Each Pathway novel can be savored as a standalone story, but for maximum enjoyment the recommended reading order is:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella available exclusively to Kristy’s newsletter subscribers)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountain Range, is the second highest mountain in the world at 28,251 feet, straddling the Pakistan/China border. Its icy sides are steep and exposed, and it’s prone to heavy storms and avalanches. K2 wasn’t surveyed until 1852, and the first known climbing attempt was in 1902, with one of the climbers none other than the English occultist Aleister Crowley. They never made it higher than 20,000 feet.
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan.
In 1953, with the summit yet to be reached, an American expedition was launched, marking the fifth quest to conquer the mountain. The team was led by Charles Houston, who had attempted to climb K2 in 1938 but had retreated just shy of the summit due to diminishing supplies and imminent bad weather.
High-altitude mountaineering had, up to this point, been an enormous undertaking with the establishment of many camps along the route to the top, taking several weeks of ascents and descents to stock gear, food, and heavy oxygen cannisters. Instead, Houston proposed a lightweight expedition, and this would later become known as the Alpine style of climbing.
There were eight men on the team: Charles Houston, a physician; Robert Bates, a climbing friend of Houston’s from their Harvard days, who had also gone to K2 in 1938; Robert Craig, a ski instructor from Seattle; Art Gilkey, a geologist from Iowa; Dee Molenaar, a geologist and artist from Seattle; Pete Schoening, also from Seattle and the youngest member at 25; George Bell, a nuclear scientist from Los Alamos; and Tony Streather, an English army officer.
As they approached the summit, Art Gilkey became ill, most likely with thrombophlebitis (a blood clot). The team decided to descend in order to save Gilkey’s life, despite that his condition was likely fatal. Since he was unable to walk, they carried him in a makeshift stretcher made from canvas, ropes and a sleeping bag.
Somewhere around 24,600 feet, Bell slipped and fell on a patch of ice, pulling off his rope-mate, Streather. As they fell, their rope became entangled with those connecting Houston, Bates, Gilkey and Molenaar, pulling them along as well. Pete Schoening, who had been belaying Gilkey and Molenaar, was now the only climber still standing and was connected to the force of six falling men. He quickly wrapped the rope around his shoulders and ice axe, and he miraculously held all six climbers from plummeting to their deaths. This act became known as “The Belay,” considered one of the most famous events in mountaineering history.
After the climbers had recovered and made their way to a tent at the next lower camp, they unfortunately lost Gilkey. He had been anchored to the ice slope as the exhausted climbers had prepared the tent. They could hear his muffled shouts, but when they returned to retrieve him, he was gone. The most likely culprit was an avalanche. Later, members of the team concluded that Gilkey had released the anchors to unburden himself from the team, but the true cause of his death remains unknown.
In more than 150 years of mountaineering, only about 300 climbers have reached the summit of K2, known as the Savage Mountain, while nearly 80 people have died trying.
Two years ago, Lindsey Coulson lost her sister on K2, the second highest mountain on earth. Searching for answers, she sets out to climb the Savage Mountain. Mountaineer and freelance writer Ty Galloway has assembled a small team to conquer K2 and welcomes the esteemed climber. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. Both will test his heart.
“Full of action, suspense and adventure. Loved this book!”
~ Rebecca Lyndsey, author/illustrator of the children’s book Into the Ocean
Cold Horizon is now available in Print.
Contact Kristy at kristy@kristymccaffrey.com if you would like to purchase an autographed copy.
Read an excerpt from COLD HORIZON
“All the 8000-meter peaks have been conquered with winter ascents now, except for K2,” Ty said, seeking to change the subject. “As usual, she’s holding out. Here’s another interesting fact—K2 is the site of the most famous belay in mountaineering history.”
“I’m hoping to get a photo as we pass the spot,” Packer said. “I’m gonna put it on my social media with hashtag ‘BadAssBelay.’”
“Why is it so famous?” Brynn asked.
“One man held the force of six falling men,” Ditch replied. “It was in 1953 and the summit of K2 had yet to be reached by anyone. The expedition—only the fifth one here—wouldn’t reach it either. It was an American team led by a man named Charles Houston, an excellent and well-respected climber. They had made it quite high on the mountain when one of their teammates, a man named Art Gilkey, for whom the memorial here is named, became very ill. They had to bring him down in a makeshift stretcher, which is a very dangerous thing to do. At one point, each man slipped in fast succession, becoming entangled in the ropes. A young climber named Pete Schoening was at the end, and he held them all, saving their lives. It was an incredible feat, really. Unfortunately, later, they anchored Gilkey to the mountain while they set up a tent, and he disappeared, likely swept away by an avalanche.”
Brynn took a sip of coffee from her mug. “Don’t all of you find the death in these places unsettling?”
“You can’t let it get to you,” David said. “On Everest, some of the dead are still where they died. You walk right by them.”
“One of the markers to the summit is Green Boots,” Ditch said. “I think he was an Indian climber.”
“They just freeze and are left there?” Captain Juneid asked, having remained silent during the meal.
“It’s too dangerous to move them,” Ditch replied. “It sounds unfeeling, but if they’re dead, they don’t need to get down the mountain.”
“Sometimes climbers try to bring bodies down,” Ty said quietly, glancing at Lindsey. Alison’s body was somewhere on K2. “But most of the time it’s all they can do to get themselves down safely.”
“Well, if I freeze my ass to K2, I give everyone here the green light to leave me,” Packer said. “I’d be happy to spend eternity here. Then everyone can pass me by, referring to the Packer marker.”
Ditch smirked. “You mean they’d be saying ‘The summit is just beyond the asshole blocking the route.’”
Packer let out a whoop. “I’ve been called worse.”
Brynn’s face took on an expression of concern. “I know climbing is addictive—I surfed for years, so I get the mentality—but really, why do you all do it?”
“It beats working,” Packer said.
Ditch finished off his coffee. “Which I don’t think you’ve ever done.”
“If you’re nice to me, I’ll let you rope up with me.”
“I think I’ll rope with Lindsey.”
Packer released an exaggerated sigh. “God, I hate it when there’s a better climber on the team than me. I have to work so much harder. Wait a minute, why do you get to rope up with the lady?”
Lindsey looked at Brynn. “Are you sure you don’t want to take up climbing?”
“Maybe I will. But I can see why you always climbed with your sister.”
“You girls are too picky,” Packer said.
“Just watch yourself,” Ty cut in. “There’ll be no messing around with my sister.”
Glee filled Packer’s face. “But Lindsey’s fair game?”
“No.” Lindsey answered at the same time as Ty.
He immediately regretted the force of his opposition, the hair rising on the back of his neck. The protectiveness for his sister didn’t surprise him, but hell if he wanted anyone laying claim to Lindsey.
Shit. So much for keeping his feelings under the radar.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
COLD HORIZON
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
COLD HORIZON: TELLURIDE
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Each Pathway novel can be savored as a standalone story, but for maximum enjoyment the recommended reading order is:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella available exclusively to Kristy’s newsletter subscribers)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
June 11, 2019
New Release - COLD HORIZON
By Kristy McCaffrey
I've got a double-release today!!
COLD HORIZON
The Pathway Series Book 2
Ambition and courage at the top of the world …
Lindsey Coulson likes to scale mountains. With her sister, Alison, she has made a name for herself climbing the tallest and most treacherous peaks in the world. But when Alison dies on a K2 expedition—the second highest mountain on earth—Lindsey stops climbing. Unable to shed her grief, it becomes clear she must return to the wilderness and only one place will do—K2, the Savage Mountain.
Tyler Galloway has finally secured a permit from the Pakistani government to bring an American team to K2. When Lindsey Coulson inquires about joining the expedition, he gladly brings the famed mountaineer on board. Her strong climbing resume precedes her, and she’ll be a welcome addition to the small crew he has assembled. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. And both will test his heart.
Each Pathway novel can be savored as a standalone story, but for maximum enjoyment the recommended reading order is:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella available exclusively to Kristy’s newsletter subscribers)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
Now Available in Digital (print is coming)
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Read an excerpt
The wind blasted Lindsey, threatening to rip her off the mountain and throw her into the abyss far below.
It was blisteringly obvious that K2 wasn’t going to give up her summit without a fight. Descending the Bottleneck in this shitstorm of low visibility was bad enough but having to guide an impaired Elena down was enough to give Lindsey sharp pangs of panic.
Had Alison been in this same spot, gripped with the same bone-deep fear?
Her sister had died on this mountain two years ago, likely not far from where Lindsey currently stood.
This won’t be my fate.
Two climbers materialized behind them in the darkness. For a moment, Lindsey thought it was Tyler, but that elation was dashed when the first one spoke with a German accent. Frieder.
They came to Ditch first, but to her surprise didn’t stop and instead climbed around him and Elena.
When they tried to do the same to Lindsey, she blocked them.
“Can you help us get Elena through the Bottleneck?” she asked.
Frieder stopped and said nothing, then finally shook his head and uttered one word, “Nein.”
To Lindsey’s shock, he said nothing more and climbed past her, hooking himself to the fixed rope.
What the hell?
When the second German, Volker, moved to do the same, she planted her axe in front of his face. “We need help with Elena.”
Volker shook his head. “We are spent.”
“So are we. If we leave her here, she’ll die.”
“Then she should not be here. Not our responsibility.”
“Bullshit,” Lindsey said. “It’ll go faster with four of us.”
Volker ignored her and climbed up a few feet to get past her. Then he went to the fixed rope, clipped on, and the swirling snow swallowed him up.
Stunned, Lindsey remained where she was, trying to quell her anger.
A loud snap filled the air, and then a rumble.
Shit!
“Hold on!” she yelled, facing the mountain and tucking her head, praying her helmet would fend off any blocks of ice.
She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting as the roar grew. A cloud of snow and ice slammed into her, and she held tight to her ice axes to keep from being blown off the mountain.
But the avalanche hadn’t hit them.
Trembling, she didn’t move.
“Lindsey,” Ditch said. “Where are the Germans?”
Her headlamp revealed the fixed rope to be still intact. Maybe the two shithead Germans were okay. She almost didn’t care.
She swung her light back toward Ditch and Elena, trying to answer, but the words wouldn’t come. Ditch had retrieved his radio. “David, come in.”
In addition to Ty, Lindsey, and Ditch, their team had consisted of David Shaw and Billy Packer. Since Shaw had summited the day before with the Poles, a move that had irritated Lindsey, he had nonetheless stepped up to care for Packer at Camp Four until the rest of them could return to help.
“I’m here,” Shaw replied.
“We think part of the serac broke off. Frieder and Volker might have gotten hit. Over.”
“Copy that. I’ll go out and look for them, but it’s a white-out. Be careful. Over.”
Ditch stowed the radio. “Is the fixed rope still there?” he asked Lindsey.
“It looks like it,” she answered, her teeth chattering.
“You stay here with Elena,” he said. “I’ll go check.”
Unable to move, all Lindsey could do was watch as he moved above her and soon disappeared into the snowstorm, just as the Germans had.
Ditch had hooked Elena to an ice screw before he had left them, so she was secure for the moment, allowing Lindsey to remain where she was and regroup.
She was shakier than she wanted to be.
The snow conditions were becoming untenable. It was too dark. A piece of the serac had just broken off, possibly killing Frieder and Volker. And if the two German men weren’t dead, how would anyone find them? Was there anyone left at Camp Four besides David and Packer?
And now, as the she waited for Ditch to return, she faced the fact that she might have to bivouac with Elena right here. Spending the night hanging off the side of K2 was a terrible idea, and one she wanted to avoid. Climbers joked that bivouac was French for “mistake.” And Elena had certainly made a mistake as she’d tried to reach the summit earlier today, instead of turning around. Now, Lindsey was paying the price for the woman’s piss-poor decision-making.
Knowing she needed to stop complaining, Lindsey switched to problem-solving mode, trying to corral her errant thoughts into something useful. Hours—no, it had been days—of oxygen deprivation was fast destroying her cognitive skills.
She had a bivy sac, but it was only meant for one person. There was no way she could secure it on this near vertical face, so they would need to ascend. But what if they got lost?
What about Ty? Was he still behind her? And wasn’t the other American team also downclimbing from the summit? If she waited long enough, surely they would meet up with her and could help get Elena down. But it was already so late. They could be hunkered down, bivouacking despite the lunacy of sitting still and waiting out the storm. Waiting for sunrise.
Or they could be lost themselves.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
COLD HORIZON: Telluride
The Pathway Series Book 2.1
Lindsey Coulson has lost her edge. After surviving a harrowing descent of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, life back home has left her with serious doubts about continuing the dangerous life of a high-altitude mountain climber. When she accompanies her boyfriend, Ty Galloway, to a trade show in Telluride, Colorado, a chance encounter with a climber who knew her deceased dad—famed mountaineer Robbie Coulson—sets her on a different course.
Ty Galloway has settled into a nine-to-five routine with his new job as editor-in-chief of Mountaineer Magazine, but the monotony is already beginning to chafe. A weekend away with Lindsey at his parents’ place seems like the perfect antidote, but when his mom and dad unexpectedly arrive, their presence puts a damper on his romantic plans. And they’ve got a few surprises in store for Ty.
This short novella follows the full-length novel, COLD HORIZON, and includes appearances from Italian climber Elena Rossi and the irreverent mountaineer Dan Beck.
Learn more and read Chapter One at Kristy's website.
I've got a double-release today!!
COLD HORIZON
The Pathway Series Book 2
Ambition and courage at the top of the world …
Lindsey Coulson likes to scale mountains. With her sister, Alison, she has made a name for herself climbing the tallest and most treacherous peaks in the world. But when Alison dies on a K2 expedition—the second highest mountain on earth—Lindsey stops climbing. Unable to shed her grief, it becomes clear she must return to the wilderness and only one place will do—K2, the Savage Mountain.
Tyler Galloway has finally secured a permit from the Pakistani government to bring an American team to K2. When Lindsey Coulson inquires about joining the expedition, he gladly brings the famed mountaineer on board. Her strong climbing resume precedes her, and she’ll be a welcome addition to the small crew he has assembled. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. And both will test his heart.
Each Pathway novel can be savored as a standalone story, but for maximum enjoyment the recommended reading order is:
Deep Blue
Deep Blue: Australia (A Pathway Novella available exclusively to Kristy’s newsletter subscribers)
Cold Horizon
Cold Horizon: Telluride (A Pathway Novella)
Now Available in Digital (print is coming)
Kindle
Nook
Apple
Kobo
Google Play
Read an excerpt
The wind blasted Lindsey, threatening to rip her off the mountain and throw her into the abyss far below.
It was blisteringly obvious that K2 wasn’t going to give up her summit without a fight. Descending the Bottleneck in this shitstorm of low visibility was bad enough but having to guide an impaired Elena down was enough to give Lindsey sharp pangs of panic.
Had Alison been in this same spot, gripped with the same bone-deep fear?
Her sister had died on this mountain two years ago, likely not far from where Lindsey currently stood.
This won’t be my fate.
Two climbers materialized behind them in the darkness. For a moment, Lindsey thought it was Tyler, but that elation was dashed when the first one spoke with a German accent. Frieder.
They came to Ditch first, but to her surprise didn’t stop and instead climbed around him and Elena.
When they tried to do the same to Lindsey, she blocked them.
“Can you help us get Elena through the Bottleneck?” she asked.
Frieder stopped and said nothing, then finally shook his head and uttered one word, “Nein.”
To Lindsey’s shock, he said nothing more and climbed past her, hooking himself to the fixed rope.
What the hell?
When the second German, Volker, moved to do the same, she planted her axe in front of his face. “We need help with Elena.”
Volker shook his head. “We are spent.”
“So are we. If we leave her here, she’ll die.”
“Then she should not be here. Not our responsibility.”
“Bullshit,” Lindsey said. “It’ll go faster with four of us.”
Volker ignored her and climbed up a few feet to get past her. Then he went to the fixed rope, clipped on, and the swirling snow swallowed him up.
Stunned, Lindsey remained where she was, trying to quell her anger.
A loud snap filled the air, and then a rumble.
Shit!
“Hold on!” she yelled, facing the mountain and tucking her head, praying her helmet would fend off any blocks of ice.
She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting as the roar grew. A cloud of snow and ice slammed into her, and she held tight to her ice axes to keep from being blown off the mountain.
But the avalanche hadn’t hit them.
Trembling, she didn’t move.
“Lindsey,” Ditch said. “Where are the Germans?”
Her headlamp revealed the fixed rope to be still intact. Maybe the two shithead Germans were okay. She almost didn’t care.
She swung her light back toward Ditch and Elena, trying to answer, but the words wouldn’t come. Ditch had retrieved his radio. “David, come in.”
In addition to Ty, Lindsey, and Ditch, their team had consisted of David Shaw and Billy Packer. Since Shaw had summited the day before with the Poles, a move that had irritated Lindsey, he had nonetheless stepped up to care for Packer at Camp Four until the rest of them could return to help.
“I’m here,” Shaw replied.
“We think part of the serac broke off. Frieder and Volker might have gotten hit. Over.”
“Copy that. I’ll go out and look for them, but it’s a white-out. Be careful. Over.”
Ditch stowed the radio. “Is the fixed rope still there?” he asked Lindsey.
“It looks like it,” she answered, her teeth chattering.
“You stay here with Elena,” he said. “I’ll go check.”
Unable to move, all Lindsey could do was watch as he moved above her and soon disappeared into the snowstorm, just as the Germans had.
Ditch had hooked Elena to an ice screw before he had left them, so she was secure for the moment, allowing Lindsey to remain where she was and regroup.
She was shakier than she wanted to be.
The snow conditions were becoming untenable. It was too dark. A piece of the serac had just broken off, possibly killing Frieder and Volker. And if the two German men weren’t dead, how would anyone find them? Was there anyone left at Camp Four besides David and Packer?
And now, as the she waited for Ditch to return, she faced the fact that she might have to bivouac with Elena right here. Spending the night hanging off the side of K2 was a terrible idea, and one she wanted to avoid. Climbers joked that bivouac was French for “mistake.” And Elena had certainly made a mistake as she’d tried to reach the summit earlier today, instead of turning around. Now, Lindsey was paying the price for the woman’s piss-poor decision-making.
Knowing she needed to stop complaining, Lindsey switched to problem-solving mode, trying to corral her errant thoughts into something useful. Hours—no, it had been days—of oxygen deprivation was fast destroying her cognitive skills.
She had a bivy sac, but it was only meant for one person. There was no way she could secure it on this near vertical face, so they would need to ascend. But what if they got lost?
What about Ty? Was he still behind her? And wasn’t the other American team also downclimbing from the summit? If she waited long enough, surely they would meet up with her and could help get Elena down. But it was already so late. They could be hunkered down, bivouacking despite the lunacy of sitting still and waiting out the storm. Waiting for sunrise.
Or they could be lost themselves.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
COLD HORIZON: Telluride
The Pathway Series Book 2.1
Lindsey Coulson has lost her edge. After surviving a harrowing descent of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, life back home has left her with serious doubts about continuing the dangerous life of a high-altitude mountain climber. When she accompanies her boyfriend, Ty Galloway, to a trade show in Telluride, Colorado, a chance encounter with a climber who knew her deceased dad—famed mountaineer Robbie Coulson—sets her on a different course.
Ty Galloway has settled into a nine-to-five routine with his new job as editor-in-chief of Mountaineer Magazine, but the monotony is already beginning to chafe. A weekend away with Lindsey at his parents’ place seems like the perfect antidote, but when his mom and dad unexpectedly arrive, their presence puts a damper on his romantic plans. And they’ve got a few surprises in store for Ty.
This short novella follows the full-length novel, COLD HORIZON, and includes appearances from Italian climber Elena Rossi and the irreverent mountaineer Dan Beck.
Learn more and read Chapter One at Kristy's website.
June 4, 2019
K2: The Savage Mountain (and my new book)
By Kristy McCaffrey
The legendary climber Reinhold Messner has described K2, the second highest mountain in the world, as the most beautiful of all the high peaks. “An artist has made this mountain,” he said.
K2 is located on the border between China and Pakistan in the Karakoram Mountains, and is the only 8000-meter peak not to have been climbed in the winter. The optimal season for summits is July and August. Most climbers approach from the Pakistani side, starting in Islamabad, then take a bus ride to the town of Skardu. From there, it’s a 10-day treacherous hike to get to base camp, situated at 18,000 feet.
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountains.
The name K2 is derived from the notation used by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of British India, given because it was the second peak measured in the Karakoram Range. Locally, the mountain is called Chogori.
K2 was first surveyed in 1856, but the first attempt to climb it came in 1902 with the occultist Aleister Crowley as one of the members of the expedition, but the team never got any higher than 21,000 feet. Subsequent expeditions in 1909, 1938, 1939 and 1953 all failed to reach the summit. In 1954, an Italian team finally succeeded. A second successful ascent wouldn’t happen again until 1977.
The difficulty in climbing K2 lies in the fact that it’s prone to frequent and severe storms that make treacherous climbing conditions even more challenging. The number of climbers who have reached the summit is only a small fraction compared to successful summits of Mt. Everest, and proportionally K2 has the second highest fatality rate of all 8000-meter peaks (Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain, has the most.)
Don't miss my new book, COLD HORIZON (The Pathway Series Book 2)
Available June 11, 2019
Ambition and courage at the top of the world …
Lindsey Coulson likes to scale mountains. With her sister, Alison, she has made a name for herself climbing the tallest and most treacherous peaks in the world. But when Alison dies on a K2 expedition—the second highest mountain on earth—Lindsey stops climbing. Unable to shed her grief, it becomes clear she must return to the wilderness and only one place will do—K2, the Savage Mountain.
Tyler Galloway has finally secured a permit from the Pakistani government to bring an American team to K2. When Lindsey Coulson inquires about joining the expedition, he gladly brings the famed mountaineer on board. Her strong climbing resume precedes her, and she’ll be a welcome addition to the small crew he has assembled. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. And both will test his heart.
Pre-Order COLD HORIZON
Kindle
Nook
Apple Books
Kobo
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Print is coming.
Read an excerpt
Lindsey's earlier euphoria had given way to a headache that had started pulsing behind her eyes. Trying to ignore it, she paused to take in the expansive view. An endless array of peaks, whiter than usual, filled the horizon. The world was crisp and new, the sun a small, shining dot in a sky as blue as a swimming pool. Lindsey had to imagine the warmth it could offer, because no rays of sunshine had reached them as yet.
She attempted an invigorating inhale of fresh mountain air, but instead it was like dragging ice cubes through her nose, and her lungs struggled for oxygen that wasn’t there. With one final sweep, she enjoyed the abundance of mountains surrounding them, a mythical, almost unreal collection of snow-covered summits and the frozen river at the bottom carved by glacier movement.
Ty, covered in a yellow and black climbing suit, motioned for her to precede him. David, clad in a blue suit, was already at the top of the Black Pyramid. He hooked onto the fixed rope, faced the mountain, then disappeared.
Ty stepped in front of her and gently pulled at her harness, doing a safety check on her once again. She didn’t bother to suppress the smile that crept on her face since the balaclava hid it. Despite the exhaustion pressing on her, she’d already checked her gear three times.
Giving a reciprocal tug on his harness, she eyed the buckle. All good.
Carefully she kneeled and clipped her harness to the fixed rope with a figure-eight device and then eased herself over the edge. The memory muscle of rappelling kicked in, and she began her descent.
Suddenly, Ty released a guttural roar. She glanced up just as Elena’s red clad body careened toward her. Lindsey scrambled to move, but it was too late—the woman slammed into her and with a jerk, they snapped to a stop.
Stunned, Lindsey hung upside down with her back to the mountain, struggling to hold Elena against her chest since the other woman likely wasn’t tied on—to anything. Lindsey’s descender had snapped off the fixed rope and was dangling in her face. Her backup clip must have caught her, but how long would it hold?
“Elena,” she said, trying to get her attention.
“Here,” she replied, her head near Lindsey’s.
Good, she was conscious.
“Before I can let you go, you’ve got to get hooked to the rope.”
Elena flailed and a wave of dizziness hit Lindsey, her stomach boiling.
Oh no.
“Hold on,” Ty yelled.
“Don’t move,” Lindsey ground out between her teeth. “Wait for Ty.”
“I’m below you.” David’s voice echoed beside her ear.
“I’ll get Elena,” Ty said, now closer.
The woman was yanked from Lindsey’s grasp. From below, David pushed Lindsey’s shoulders as Ty leaned down and took hold of her harness as well, but rather than attach her to the fixed line, he hooked himself directly to her. A wave of nausea hit as she shifted upright; she had no time to offer a warning and barely got her balaclava free before she lost her breakfast.
Twisting downhill, she vomited, barely missing David.
“Sonovabitch,” he bellowed.
Coughing, a second wave of convulsions overtook her, the bluish contents of her stomach splattered across the white snow.
“Lindsey, take it easy,” Ty said, his voice calm and soothing.
She hung off the rope, praying the queasiness would pass. This wasn’t the place to be sick.
“David, we need to get her down.” The icy change in Ty’s tone signaled the urgency of the situation.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
The legendary climber Reinhold Messner has described K2, the second highest mountain in the world, as the most beautiful of all the high peaks. “An artist has made this mountain,” he said.
K2 is located on the border between China and Pakistan in the Karakoram Mountains, and is the only 8000-meter peak not to have been climbed in the winter. The optimal season for summits is July and August. Most climbers approach from the Pakistani side, starting in Islamabad, then take a bus ride to the town of Skardu. From there, it’s a 10-day treacherous hike to get to base camp, situated at 18,000 feet.
K2, located in the Karakoram Mountains.
The name K2 is derived from the notation used by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of British India, given because it was the second peak measured in the Karakoram Range. Locally, the mountain is called Chogori.
K2 was first surveyed in 1856, but the first attempt to climb it came in 1902 with the occultist Aleister Crowley as one of the members of the expedition, but the team never got any higher than 21,000 feet. Subsequent expeditions in 1909, 1938, 1939 and 1953 all failed to reach the summit. In 1954, an Italian team finally succeeded. A second successful ascent wouldn’t happen again until 1977.
The difficulty in climbing K2 lies in the fact that it’s prone to frequent and severe storms that make treacherous climbing conditions even more challenging. The number of climbers who have reached the summit is only a small fraction compared to successful summits of Mt. Everest, and proportionally K2 has the second highest fatality rate of all 8000-meter peaks (Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain, has the most.)
Don't miss my new book, COLD HORIZON (The Pathway Series Book 2)
Available June 11, 2019
Ambition and courage at the top of the world …
Lindsey Coulson likes to scale mountains. With her sister, Alison, she has made a name for herself climbing the tallest and most treacherous peaks in the world. But when Alison dies on a K2 expedition—the second highest mountain on earth—Lindsey stops climbing. Unable to shed her grief, it becomes clear she must return to the wilderness and only one place will do—K2, the Savage Mountain.
Tyler Galloway has finally secured a permit from the Pakistani government to bring an American team to K2. When Lindsey Coulson inquires about joining the expedition, he gladly brings the famed mountaineer on board. Her strong climbing resume precedes her, and she’ll be a welcome addition to the small crew he has assembled. But K2 is a force unto itself, as is Lindsey. Both will test his limits. And both will test his heart.
Pre-Order COLD HORIZON
Kindle
Nook
Apple Books
Kobo
Google Play
Print is coming.
Read an excerpt
Lindsey's earlier euphoria had given way to a headache that had started pulsing behind her eyes. Trying to ignore it, she paused to take in the expansive view. An endless array of peaks, whiter than usual, filled the horizon. The world was crisp and new, the sun a small, shining dot in a sky as blue as a swimming pool. Lindsey had to imagine the warmth it could offer, because no rays of sunshine had reached them as yet.
She attempted an invigorating inhale of fresh mountain air, but instead it was like dragging ice cubes through her nose, and her lungs struggled for oxygen that wasn’t there. With one final sweep, she enjoyed the abundance of mountains surrounding them, a mythical, almost unreal collection of snow-covered summits and the frozen river at the bottom carved by glacier movement.
Ty, covered in a yellow and black climbing suit, motioned for her to precede him. David, clad in a blue suit, was already at the top of the Black Pyramid. He hooked onto the fixed rope, faced the mountain, then disappeared.
Ty stepped in front of her and gently pulled at her harness, doing a safety check on her once again. She didn’t bother to suppress the smile that crept on her face since the balaclava hid it. Despite the exhaustion pressing on her, she’d already checked her gear three times.
Giving a reciprocal tug on his harness, she eyed the buckle. All good.
Carefully she kneeled and clipped her harness to the fixed rope with a figure-eight device and then eased herself over the edge. The memory muscle of rappelling kicked in, and she began her descent.
Suddenly, Ty released a guttural roar. She glanced up just as Elena’s red clad body careened toward her. Lindsey scrambled to move, but it was too late—the woman slammed into her and with a jerk, they snapped to a stop.
Stunned, Lindsey hung upside down with her back to the mountain, struggling to hold Elena against her chest since the other woman likely wasn’t tied on—to anything. Lindsey’s descender had snapped off the fixed rope and was dangling in her face. Her backup clip must have caught her, but how long would it hold?
“Elena,” she said, trying to get her attention.
“Here,” she replied, her head near Lindsey’s.
Good, she was conscious.
“Before I can let you go, you’ve got to get hooked to the rope.”
Elena flailed and a wave of dizziness hit Lindsey, her stomach boiling.
Oh no.
“Hold on,” Ty yelled.
“Don’t move,” Lindsey ground out between her teeth. “Wait for Ty.”
“I’m below you.” David’s voice echoed beside her ear.
“I’ll get Elena,” Ty said, now closer.
The woman was yanked from Lindsey’s grasp. From below, David pushed Lindsey’s shoulders as Ty leaned down and took hold of her harness as well, but rather than attach her to the fixed line, he hooked himself directly to her. A wave of nausea hit as she shifted upright; she had no time to offer a warning and barely got her balaclava free before she lost her breakfast.
Twisting downhill, she vomited, barely missing David.
“Sonovabitch,” he bellowed.
Coughing, a second wave of convulsions overtook her, the bluish contents of her stomach splattered across the white snow.
“Lindsey, take it easy,” Ty said, his voice calm and soothing.
She hung off the rope, praying the queasiness would pass. This wasn’t the place to be sick.
“David, we need to get her down.” The icy change in Ty’s tone signaled the urgency of the situation.
Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC
May 8, 2019
Writing Tips
By Kristy McCaffrey
As a writer, I always appreciate advice from other authors. But when I’m asked for my own writing tips, I glance over my shoulder, because surely there’s a famous author standing behind me. Still, there are a few bits of advice I can offer.
Surround yourself with people better than you.
This is how you’ll improve. And you can always improve.
Network
Friends make the world a sweeter place. Friends can give you endless ideas about how to move forward in your career. And, finally, to get support, you must give support. Read your friend’s books. You’ll learn much.
Trust your instincts and intuition.
Follow your creative impulses—they’ll always be right and true. But be more business-like and discerning during the editing process and the subsequent marketing of a book. Don’t crumble at the first sign of criticism.
Learn the craft.
This will be an ongoing process that never ends. You’ll make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
The 80% Rule
If a story is 80% good enough, I send it off to the editor. With good editing, I strive to bring it up to 95%. It’s impossible to reach perfection, so stop tweaking and release your creation to the world.
Be authentic.
As an author, as a writer, and as a person. You are your writing. At the same time, your job is to be as invisible as possible within the work itself. Dig into your characters and plot. Embrace research.
Follow your own path.
Your journey won’t look like anyone else’s, so don’t compare yourself to another author.
Have fun.
If playing with words and stories wasn’t buried deep in your bones, you wouldn’t be doing it in the first place. There are no limitations, really, so don’t place any on yourself.
Be humble. Be curious. Be grateful.
Connect with Kristy
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
As a writer, I always appreciate advice from other authors. But when I’m asked for my own writing tips, I glance over my shoulder, because surely there’s a famous author standing behind me. Still, there are a few bits of advice I can offer.
Surround yourself with people better than you.
This is how you’ll improve. And you can always improve.
Network
Friends make the world a sweeter place. Friends can give you endless ideas about how to move forward in your career. And, finally, to get support, you must give support. Read your friend’s books. You’ll learn much.
Trust your instincts and intuition.
Follow your creative impulses—they’ll always be right and true. But be more business-like and discerning during the editing process and the subsequent marketing of a book. Don’t crumble at the first sign of criticism.
Learn the craft.
This will be an ongoing process that never ends. You’ll make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
The 80% Rule
If a story is 80% good enough, I send it off to the editor. With good editing, I strive to bring it up to 95%. It’s impossible to reach perfection, so stop tweaking and release your creation to the world.
Be authentic.
As an author, as a writer, and as a person. You are your writing. At the same time, your job is to be as invisible as possible within the work itself. Dig into your characters and plot. Embrace research.
Follow your own path.
Your journey won’t look like anyone else’s, so don’t compare yourself to another author.
Have fun.
If playing with words and stories wasn’t buried deep in your bones, you wouldn’t be doing it in the first place. There are no limitations, really, so don’t place any on yourself.
Be humble. Be curious. Be grateful.
Connect with Kristy
Website
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
April 2, 2019
Navajo Spirits and a Giveaway
By Kristy McCaffrey
The Navajo, from the southwestern region of the United States, believe a chindi is the ghost of an individual who has died. It is the part of that person that was imbalanced, or unreconciled, with the Universe. The Navajo believe that it’s best for death to occur outdoors, since this was the best way to disperse the chindi. If a person died within a homestead, or hogan, it was abandoned after the death; the chindi would likely be trapped inside the dwelling.
A skinwalker, or yee naaldlooshii, is a medicine man who has chosen to use his powers for evil. Navajo don’t like to speak of them for fear of retribution, believing them to move among their people undetected. Skinwalkers have the ability to transform into animals or other people. They often take the form of coyote, owl, fox, wolf or crow.
Some Navajo taboos:
Do not mention a dead person’s name or the ghost may come and haunt you.
Do not say chindi (evil spirit) or one will come to you.
Do not let a strange dog follow close behind or you may turn into a wolf man. The dog might be a skinwalker.
In my historical western romance novel, INTO THE LAND OF SHADOWS, Kate Kinsella and Ethan Barstow are forced to confront a chindi.
For the month of April, I'm offering a print copy of this book to one lucky winner. Hop over to my website to enter.
Excerpt
Kate wondered how far she’d get on foot before the man standing a few feet away caught her and did God-knew-what.
Ethan Barstow.
Of all her bad luck. She had never met the man, but Charley’s recollections of his brother filled her head. Liar. Swindler. Killer.
“You must be Charley’s fiancée,” he said, watching her closely, his gaze dark.
Swell. He knew who she was. She nodded, deciding now wasn’t the time to share the truth about her and Charley's relationship. Instinct told her she needed to ditch Mister Barstow, but losing the donkey was a bit of a problem. Maybe she could find the animal herself on foot. But what if the three buffoons who’d stolen her horse were still out there?
“I arrived in Flagstaff three days ago looking for Charley,” Ethan said. “I was told he’d left town unexpectedly so I’ve been trailing him. I take it you don’t know where he is, either?”
She cleared her throat. “No, I don’t.”
“Is there some reason why he wouldn’t tell you where he was going?”
Well, it’s not me, but Agnes he didn’t tell. It was far too complicated to explain, least of all to this man, so she uttered, “We’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah, Charley and I’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding as well,” Ethan said quietly, almost to himself.
Kate plastered the biggest smile she could onto her face. “I think I’ll just go look for that donkey myself. I really don’t want to be a bother to you.”
She moved past the man who was a dead ringer for Charley, possessing the same angular cheek bones and long nose, the same dark hair, the same lean build as her fiancé. Her fiancé! What a ridiculous mess that was. There had been a time, far back in the beginning of her acquaintance with Charley, when she’d found him attractive and fun. It had been short-lived, especially once Agnes entered the picture. Now, she was face-to-face with a man much like Charley, but while his eyes had been green and his demeanor inviting, Ethan’s eyes were blue, almost gray, like a lake frozen over.
There were other differences, as well, and none of them flattered Ethan. He was a man who had killed other men, and Kate knew she would never find anything appealing in that.
“Hang on a minute,” he said. His hand wrapped around her forearm to stop her—a large, warm hand. “I don’t suppose you have any idea who I am since Charley and I haven’t spoken in over five years, but I came to Flagstaff to hopefully put the past in the past. I came to see if Charley and I could bury our differences. The least I can do is to help you find him, especially since we’ll be kin one day.”
She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Up close, she could see flecks of gold buried within the blue, and a few wrinkles in the skin around the edges of his eyes. It must be her imagination that he seemed the slightest bit more friendly. Charley had charm and it would seem Ethan did as well, although Kate sensed it wasn’t without shadows.
A killer of men would undoubtedly have many shadows to keep him company. She couldn’t think of how to reply. The last thing she wanted was company, and least of all Ethan’s company. She’d find her damned fiancé herself.
“Yes, it would make sense to look together.” So much for thinking fast on her feet. Her brother, Owen, had always said she was a little slow off the mark. It would seem he was right.
“You can ride Brandy,” Ethan said as he released her arm.
He moved to his other horse and began untying the bags of supplies he’d brought with him. He moved the largest satchel to his horse and tied several knots swiftly to anchor it in place. Kate chewed her lip. She could just make a run for it. The only after-effect of her fall from the donkey was a splitting headache—her legs were perfectly fine. But Ethan would probably chase her down. And then, he’d wonder what was wrong with her. And then, maybe he’d just shoot her in the back if he decided she wasn’t worth the trouble.
The image horrified her. Perhaps she should at least be civil to the man, to ward off her immediate murder. An opportunity for escape would surely present itself.
She had a plan. This was good. Her plan was to make small talk with Charley’s brother, then run for her life when she got the chance.
Copyright © 2013 K. McCaffrey LLC
Available at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Connect with Kristy
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
The Navajo, from the southwestern region of the United States, believe a chindi is the ghost of an individual who has died. It is the part of that person that was imbalanced, or unreconciled, with the Universe. The Navajo believe that it’s best for death to occur outdoors, since this was the best way to disperse the chindi. If a person died within a homestead, or hogan, it was abandoned after the death; the chindi would likely be trapped inside the dwelling.
A skinwalker, or yee naaldlooshii, is a medicine man who has chosen to use his powers for evil. Navajo don’t like to speak of them for fear of retribution, believing them to move among their people undetected. Skinwalkers have the ability to transform into animals or other people. They often take the form of coyote, owl, fox, wolf or crow.
Some Navajo taboos:
Do not mention a dead person’s name or the ghost may come and haunt you.
Do not say chindi (evil spirit) or one will come to you.
Do not let a strange dog follow close behind or you may turn into a wolf man. The dog might be a skinwalker.
In my historical western romance novel, INTO THE LAND OF SHADOWS, Kate Kinsella and Ethan Barstow are forced to confront a chindi.
For the month of April, I'm offering a print copy of this book to one lucky winner. Hop over to my website to enter.
Excerpt
Kate wondered how far she’d get on foot before the man standing a few feet away caught her and did God-knew-what.
Ethan Barstow.
Of all her bad luck. She had never met the man, but Charley’s recollections of his brother filled her head. Liar. Swindler. Killer.
“You must be Charley’s fiancée,” he said, watching her closely, his gaze dark.
Swell. He knew who she was. She nodded, deciding now wasn’t the time to share the truth about her and Charley's relationship. Instinct told her she needed to ditch Mister Barstow, but losing the donkey was a bit of a problem. Maybe she could find the animal herself on foot. But what if the three buffoons who’d stolen her horse were still out there?
“I arrived in Flagstaff three days ago looking for Charley,” Ethan said. “I was told he’d left town unexpectedly so I’ve been trailing him. I take it you don’t know where he is, either?”
She cleared her throat. “No, I don’t.”
“Is there some reason why he wouldn’t tell you where he was going?”
Well, it’s not me, but Agnes he didn’t tell. It was far too complicated to explain, least of all to this man, so she uttered, “We’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah, Charley and I’ve had a bit of a misunderstanding as well,” Ethan said quietly, almost to himself.
Kate plastered the biggest smile she could onto her face. “I think I’ll just go look for that donkey myself. I really don’t want to be a bother to you.”
She moved past the man who was a dead ringer for Charley, possessing the same angular cheek bones and long nose, the same dark hair, the same lean build as her fiancé. Her fiancé! What a ridiculous mess that was. There had been a time, far back in the beginning of her acquaintance with Charley, when she’d found him attractive and fun. It had been short-lived, especially once Agnes entered the picture. Now, she was face-to-face with a man much like Charley, but while his eyes had been green and his demeanor inviting, Ethan’s eyes were blue, almost gray, like a lake frozen over.
There were other differences, as well, and none of them flattered Ethan. He was a man who had killed other men, and Kate knew she would never find anything appealing in that.
“Hang on a minute,” he said. His hand wrapped around her forearm to stop her—a large, warm hand. “I don’t suppose you have any idea who I am since Charley and I haven’t spoken in over five years, but I came to Flagstaff to hopefully put the past in the past. I came to see if Charley and I could bury our differences. The least I can do is to help you find him, especially since we’ll be kin one day.”
She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Up close, she could see flecks of gold buried within the blue, and a few wrinkles in the skin around the edges of his eyes. It must be her imagination that he seemed the slightest bit more friendly. Charley had charm and it would seem Ethan did as well, although Kate sensed it wasn’t without shadows.
A killer of men would undoubtedly have many shadows to keep him company. She couldn’t think of how to reply. The last thing she wanted was company, and least of all Ethan’s company. She’d find her damned fiancé herself.
“Yes, it would make sense to look together.” So much for thinking fast on her feet. Her brother, Owen, had always said she was a little slow off the mark. It would seem he was right.
“You can ride Brandy,” Ethan said as he released her arm.
He moved to his other horse and began untying the bags of supplies he’d brought with him. He moved the largest satchel to his horse and tied several knots swiftly to anchor it in place. Kate chewed her lip. She could just make a run for it. The only after-effect of her fall from the donkey was a splitting headache—her legs were perfectly fine. But Ethan would probably chase her down. And then, he’d wonder what was wrong with her. And then, maybe he’d just shoot her in the back if he decided she wasn’t worth the trouble.
The image horrified her. Perhaps she should at least be civil to the man, to ward off her immediate murder. An opportunity for escape would surely present itself.
She had a plan. This was good. Her plan was to make small talk with Charley’s brother, then run for her life when she got the chance.
Copyright © 2013 K. McCaffrey LLC
Available at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Connect with Kristy
Website
Blog ~ Pathways
Newsletter
March 21, 2019
Ada Blackjack: The Female Robinson Crusoe
By Kristy McCaffrey
Ada Blackjack, a petite Inupiat woman born in Alaska, was known as “The Female Robinson Crusoe” after living alone for two years as a castaway on an uninhabited island north of Siberia.
In 1921, Ada set sail on an expedition to Wrangel Island in the Arctic circle. She was given a one-year contract as a seamstress and cook, accompanying four men into the unknown wilderness.
Despite her Inupiat heritage, Ada wasn’t raised with any knowledge of hunting or wilderness survival. Her upbringing by Methodist missionaries ensured that her English was good and gave her a background in the Bible, housekeeping, sewing, and cooking white-people food.
Ada Blackjack and her son, Bennett, in 1923.
At the age of 16, she married Jack Blackjack, a local dog musher, and together they had three children—two of whom who died—before Jack abandoned her. Her surviving child, a five-year-old son named Bennett, suffered from tuberculosis and general poor health, and Ada was forced to place him in an orphanage because she was destitute. But she vowed to find a way to earn enough money to retrieve him. It was at this time that she learned of an expedition heading for Wrangel Island, and they were looking for an Alaska Native seamstress who spoke English.
The expedition was the ill-conceived venture of Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson. He recruited four young men to claim Wrangel Island for the British Empire, despite that Britain had never shown any interest in wanting it. Although Stefansson picked the team and funded the trip, he never intended to accompany them, and instead sent the very inexperienced crew into the unknown with only six months of supplies.
Although Ada had reservations about going on expedition with four men, she simply couldn’t pass up the salary of $50 a month, an unheard-of sum for a woman at the time. On September 9, 1921, she boarded a ship with Allan Crawford, 20, Lorne Knight, 28, Fred Maurer, 28, and Milton Galle, 19, and a cat named Victoria.
Ada Blackjack and the expedition crew to Wrangel Island.
For the first year on Wrangel Island, the team was able to supplement their supplies with local game, but when winter descended and the promised boat to fetch them never came (it had to turn back due to impenetrable ice), they were forced to stretch their meager supplies for another year.
At the beginning of 1923, their circumstances had deteriorated. Everyone was starving and Knight was ill with scurvy. On January 28, 1923, Crawford, Maurer and Galle made the decision to set out on foot across the ice to Siberia in search of help, leaving Ada to care for the deathly ill Knight. The three men were never seen again.
The camp at Wrangel Island in late autumn.
For six months, Ada was alone with Knight and cared for him, but it wasn’t easy. She struggled to do the work of four men while playing nursemaid, and Knight, in his misery, constantly berated her. On June 23rd, Knight died. After his death, Ada refused to fall into despair and was determined to survive.
For three months, Ada was alone. During this time, she learned to set traps for the foxes, taught herself to shoot birds, built a platform above her shelter so that she could spot polar bears in the distance, and crafted a skin boat from driftwood and stretched canvas. She even experimented with the expedition’s photography equipment, taking photos of herself standing outside camp.
On August 20, 1923, almost two years after first landing on Wrangel Island, she was rescued, along with the cat, Vic. Heralded as a hero and praised for her courage, Ada shied away from the attention, insisting that she was simply a mother who needed to get home to her son.
She was soon reunited with Bennett and used her payment, which was less than she had been promised, to seek treatment for his tuberculosis in a Seattle hospital. She later had a second son, Billy, and returned to live in Alaska.
While Stefansson and others profited from the story of the tragic expedition, Ada received none of the money, and smear campaigns against her character later emerged claiming that she had callously refused to care for Knight. Bennett’s health issues were never fully resolved, and he died of a stroke in 1972 at the age of 58. Ada passed a decade later at the age of 85, and she was buried beside Bennett.
Connect with Kristy
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Blog ~ Pathways
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Ada Blackjack, a petite Inupiat woman born in Alaska, was known as “The Female Robinson Crusoe” after living alone for two years as a castaway on an uninhabited island north of Siberia.
In 1921, Ada set sail on an expedition to Wrangel Island in the Arctic circle. She was given a one-year contract as a seamstress and cook, accompanying four men into the unknown wilderness.
Despite her Inupiat heritage, Ada wasn’t raised with any knowledge of hunting or wilderness survival. Her upbringing by Methodist missionaries ensured that her English was good and gave her a background in the Bible, housekeeping, sewing, and cooking white-people food.
Ada Blackjack and her son, Bennett, in 1923.
At the age of 16, she married Jack Blackjack, a local dog musher, and together they had three children—two of whom who died—before Jack abandoned her. Her surviving child, a five-year-old son named Bennett, suffered from tuberculosis and general poor health, and Ada was forced to place him in an orphanage because she was destitute. But she vowed to find a way to earn enough money to retrieve him. It was at this time that she learned of an expedition heading for Wrangel Island, and they were looking for an Alaska Native seamstress who spoke English.
The expedition was the ill-conceived venture of Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson. He recruited four young men to claim Wrangel Island for the British Empire, despite that Britain had never shown any interest in wanting it. Although Stefansson picked the team and funded the trip, he never intended to accompany them, and instead sent the very inexperienced crew into the unknown with only six months of supplies.
Although Ada had reservations about going on expedition with four men, she simply couldn’t pass up the salary of $50 a month, an unheard-of sum for a woman at the time. On September 9, 1921, she boarded a ship with Allan Crawford, 20, Lorne Knight, 28, Fred Maurer, 28, and Milton Galle, 19, and a cat named Victoria.
Ada Blackjack and the expedition crew to Wrangel Island.
For the first year on Wrangel Island, the team was able to supplement their supplies with local game, but when winter descended and the promised boat to fetch them never came (it had to turn back due to impenetrable ice), they were forced to stretch their meager supplies for another year.
At the beginning of 1923, their circumstances had deteriorated. Everyone was starving and Knight was ill with scurvy. On January 28, 1923, Crawford, Maurer and Galle made the decision to set out on foot across the ice to Siberia in search of help, leaving Ada to care for the deathly ill Knight. The three men were never seen again.
The camp at Wrangel Island in late autumn.
For six months, Ada was alone with Knight and cared for him, but it wasn’t easy. She struggled to do the work of four men while playing nursemaid, and Knight, in his misery, constantly berated her. On June 23rd, Knight died. After his death, Ada refused to fall into despair and was determined to survive.
For three months, Ada was alone. During this time, she learned to set traps for the foxes, taught herself to shoot birds, built a platform above her shelter so that she could spot polar bears in the distance, and crafted a skin boat from driftwood and stretched canvas. She even experimented with the expedition’s photography equipment, taking photos of herself standing outside camp.
On August 20, 1923, almost two years after first landing on Wrangel Island, she was rescued, along with the cat, Vic. Heralded as a hero and praised for her courage, Ada shied away from the attention, insisting that she was simply a mother who needed to get home to her son.
She was soon reunited with Bennett and used her payment, which was less than she had been promised, to seek treatment for his tuberculosis in a Seattle hospital. She later had a second son, Billy, and returned to live in Alaska.
While Stefansson and others profited from the story of the tragic expedition, Ada received none of the money, and smear campaigns against her character later emerged claiming that she had callously refused to care for Knight. Bennett’s health issues were never fully resolved, and he died of a stroke in 1972 at the age of 58. Ada passed a decade later at the age of 85, and she was buried beside Bennett.
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Author Kristy McCaffrey
Kristy McCaffrey writes western historical and contemporary romances. She and her husband live in Arizona with their two dogs. Visit her online at kristymccaffrey.com.
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