A Sky So Big: A Romantic Clash

(Clean western) A gusty young woman and a Latino man, both searching for missing family, clash amid a Nevada silver rush scheme that leaves each unsure who to trust—and scrambling to stay alive.

What if you returned from a journey to discover that your family has evaporated and someone else has taken residence in your house—oh, and is trying to kill you? Is the shadowy drifter her ally or her enemy?

• Winner: 2016 International Book Award
• 2016 Laramie Award finalist
• Literary Classics Seal of Approval
• Multicultural cast

You’ll love the genuine conflict, mistaken identity, and rash choices a person must live with when they presume to know what’s what. Set around historic Carson City and the Lake Tahoe region, the writing comes from intimate knowledge of the territory. Having lived off the land, Wilcox depended on his wit, grit, and strength (and on his animals) for survival. He and Beckstrand weave authentic detail, care for the terrain and its creatures, and folksy vernacular in a romantic thriller that will make your heart stop.

Don’t miss this standalone mystery with bonus short story—or listen to the audiobook: To Swallow the Earth (family safe—ages 14 & up; New Adult/Young Adult survival western; also a YA novel/ebook—with a strong female, Hispanic protagonist, and a First Nations/Native American Indian family).

Grab your copy of this quick read today. 54,000 words by award-winning author Ransom Wilcox (Horse & Dog Adventures in Early California) and college media instructor Karl Beckstrand (Anna's Prayer—explore all 60 of his multiracial books today)

LOOK inside! Cover by Mike Condie. 5.25”x8” paperback, 200 pages, Premio Publishing (worldwide rights © 2015), Audible, libraries, and major romance book distributors. No AI. LCCN: 2015937400; FIC027270, FIC027230, FIC027110, FIC022070, FIC002000, FIC030000, FIC033000, FIC056000, FIC059000, JUV001010, JUV002000, JUV028000, JUV029000; FRF, FRJ, YFP, 5JA; Audio ASIN: B07VGP9DC6, (eISBN: 978-1311092038), ISBN: 978-0692426777

Ransom Wilcox was born in Taber, Alberta, Canada in 1907. The family moved to Vina, north of Chico, California. They farmed, tended livestock, and did a lot of hunting and fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Once, to escape a charging wild boar, Wilcox stuck a pole he was carrying in the ground and climbed up! Financial hardship forced them to move often. One season the family lived in a tent while the men cut hay. Another year, Wilcox joined his father and brothers in Arizona, building a school on an American Indian reservation. Many elements of Wilcox's stories come from his early experiences. In 1943 Wilcox enlisted in the army. After the war, the Great Depression, and a divorce, Wilcox finished his schooling and opened a chiropractic practice off Union Square in San Francisco. Wilcox's friends called him Ray or Doc. Besides writing, Wilcox loved to walk in the great outdoors. Near the end of his life, he joked about leaving his body to science; "I'm sure they can use my brain. It's in perfect condition-never been used." His short stories and poems are published under the title, Horse & Dog Adventures in Early California.
 
College media instructor Karl Beckstrand is the best-selling author of 27 titles (60 e-books) with reviews by Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Raised in San Jose, California, he has a B.A. in journalism, an M.A. in conflict resolution, and a broadcast & film certificate. His western, To Swallow the Earth, won a 2016 International Book Award. Beckstrand's mysteries, nonfiction, STEM, and Spanish/bilingual books feature diverse characters—and usually end with a twist. PremioBooks.