Sam Payne Trilogy
An authentic trilogy of life on the frontier.
Book 1: And the Wagons Rolled
Broken-hearted, young Sam Payne runs away from his home in England looking for a better life. After sneaking aboard a steamship, Sam finds himself destitute in the port city of New Orleans. A stranger in his new country, Sam struggles to support himself, stay fed, and turn his life into something better than it was. Finding the fortitude to pull himself up and provide for himself proves to be more challenging than Sam ever imagined. Follow Sam as he battles hunger, poverty, and a nagging brute bent on making Sam’s life miserable. Up the rivers and across the plains, Sam follows opportunity where it leads and learns to make the best of a bad situation.
Book 2: Pony Boy
Summer of 1860 finds Sam Payne shoveling horse manure at the lonely Pony Express station at Mud Springs. Although dutiful in his work, Sam can’t help but admire the daring Pony riders as they carry mail bound for far off places. The winds of change soon blow, and Sam gets his chance to climb in the saddle. Fast horses, hard riding, and lonely miles accompany the work, but Sam sets out to prove he is an able Pony Boy. Although he finds quick success, an unexpected turn of events soon sets Sam on a journey he never anticipated. Traversing the lonely plains, Sam is put through a physical test that pushes him past his limits and straight into unexpected dangers. Along the way, he’ll come face-to-face with the reality of how deadly the plains are to a man afoot.
Book 3: Trail to Cheyenne
The year is 1868, and the railroad is only beginning to transform the West. Railroad camps are turning into permanent towns and a new way of life is taking hold. Although young, Sam Payne clearly sees the changes, but he doesn’t know what they mean. His uncertainty leaves him filled with doubt and fear about the future. Struggling to find his way, he takes a chance and commits to an emerging enterprise; the cattle drive. After the Civil War, men earnestly began driving herds of Texas longhorns north to meet a growing demand for beef. Allured by potential profits, Sam joins a group of Texas men to drive a herd to Cheyenne. Crossing some of the toughest country in the West, Sam and his companions meet an endless array of challenges as they push 2,600 wild cattle up the trail. These difficulties force Sam to question his motives for the drive and his future in an uncertain world. If he can make sense of it all, he just may find his North Star.
An authentic trilogy of life on the frontier.
Book 1: And the Wagons Rolled
Broken-hearted, young Sam Payne runs away from his home in England looking for a better life. After sneaking aboard a steamship, Sam finds himself destitute in the port city of New Orleans. A stranger in his new country, Sam struggles to support himself, stay fed, and turn his life into something better than it was. Finding the fortitude to pull himself up and provide for himself proves to be more challenging than Sam ever imagined. Follow Sam as he battles hunger, poverty, and a nagging brute bent on making Sam’s life miserable. Up the rivers and across the plains, Sam follows opportunity where it leads and learns to make the best of a bad situation.
Book 2: Pony Boy
Summer of 1860 finds Sam Payne shoveling horse manure at the lonely Pony Express station at Mud Springs. Although dutiful in his work, Sam can’t help but admire the daring Pony riders as they carry mail bound for far off places. The winds of change soon blow, and Sam gets his chance to climb in the saddle. Fast horses, hard riding, and lonely miles accompany the work, but Sam sets out to prove he is an able Pony Boy. Although he finds quick success, an unexpected turn of events soon sets Sam on a journey he never anticipated. Traversing the lonely plains, Sam is put through a physical test that pushes him past his limits and straight into unexpected dangers. Along the way, he’ll come face-to-face with the reality of how deadly the plains are to a man afoot.
Book 3: Trail to Cheyenne
The year is 1868, and the railroad is only beginning to transform the West. Railroad camps are turning into permanent towns and a new way of life is taking hold. Although young, Sam Payne clearly sees the changes, but he doesn’t know what they mean. His uncertainty leaves him filled with doubt and fear about the future. Struggling to find his way, he takes a chance and commits to an emerging enterprise; the cattle drive. After the Civil War, men earnestly began driving herds of Texas longhorns north to meet a growing demand for beef. Allured by potential profits, Sam joins a group of Texas men to drive a herd to Cheyenne. Crossing some of the toughest country in the West, Sam and his companions meet an endless array of challenges as they push 2,600 wild cattle up the trail. These difficulties force Sam to question his motives for the drive and his future in an uncertain world. If he can make sense of it all, he just may find his North Star.