Wildcat Kitty Leroy, buffalo hunters, and cowboy dog biscuits

Jan 15, 2026 5:01 pm

January '26

Howdy pard,

Grab yourself a cup and find a place by the fire. The coffee’s hot and the conversation is free!

I’ve been as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof to start off the year. My saddlebags a re brimming with fine novels and free reads – go ahead and help yourself. I’ve got the latest gossip about that wildcat Kitty Leroy, those thousands of buffalo hunters swarming across the Plains, as well as gunslinger James “Killer” Miller. I’ve found a short film about Texan cattle drives which is worth your time, as well as a recipe for cowboy dog biscuits.

Dang, I need to stoke up that fire against the cold. As my ol’ grandpa used to say, ‘It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge’.

Mystery, thriller and suspense

Searching for an action-packed thrill ride or a twisty whodunnit? Look no further!

… I’ve some great free books here for you to choose from. Crime fiction, cozy mysteries, political thrillers, religious thrillers, whodunnits…. help yourself – they are all free!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Jinxed at Blackjack, by PJ Peterson
The Girls in the Desert, by JR Cloice
Under Fire, by Carla Crowe
Death in Smoke, by Barbara Elle

Click here to get your free books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfreebies-jan/d8tej5z3kz

Wildcat Kitty Leroy

She was dancing professionally by the age of ten. By fourteen she was performing in dance halls and saloons and was a crack shot with a rifle. Kitty Leroy (1850 -1877) was a dancer, gambler, saloon owner, soiled dove, madam, and trick shooter of the American Old West.

According to reports at the time, Kitty was a stunning beauty with a sparkling personality who left men—from notorious outlaws to officers of the law—throwing themselves at her feet. She was also a skilled flirt and seductress and didn’t hesitate to employ her feminine wiles to get her way.

Find out more about wildcat Kitty Leroy right here: https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/wildcat-kitty-leroy/

‘Action-packed’

Thank you to everyone who has picked themselves up a copy of Redding’s Ace – the feedback has been wonderful. Here’s just one review:

“This is a witty and fun cowboy tale that races along at a frantic pace and really feels like watching an old western movie or one of the TV shows of my youth. Think ‘Rawhide’ or ‘Bonanza’ or even ‘High Noon.’ There is also an element of ‘Blazing Saddles’ lurking in the background.”

Get your copy at major ebook retailers - or check out the extra-special edition containing exclusive content not available anywhere else, delivered by Bookfunnel, and readable on any ereader (including Amazon, iPad, Kobo, Nook), your tablet, phone, computer and/or the free Bookfunnel app.

You can find it here: https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/reddings-ace/

Want to finish the Sixgun Drifter series? Here’s Book 1, Redding’s Fandango:

https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/reddings-fandango/

Jump back in time

Reading historical fiction is like stepping back in time, so get on board and buckle up These free quality titles are just waiting for you to start page one! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – just like fireworks and apple pie, they are perfect for summer!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

The Prodigal Sons, by Aubrey Taylor
Rise of the Pheonix, by T Isajanyan
Bones and Clay, by Danny R Evatt
The Shanghai Secret, by Vanessa Lind

Click here to get your books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/intriguing_historical_fiction/dfiddpi365

More great reading

Buy a ticket to adventure with these fantastic free novels. They’re all about story and fun and are waiting for you to download them! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – they are all free and they won’t last long!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Death on the Harz Mountain Railway, by KC Sivils
At the King’s Command, by Mette Holm
Operation Chariot, by Robert Cubitt
Blood in the Valley, by Jean M Roberts

Click here to get your books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/newsletterhf2026/soszbr5s5s

Did you know?

One of the most notorious criminals in the Wild West was James “Killer” Miller, a paid assassin and gunslinger. He was known to have killed at least 14 people, but according to legend, the number could have been as high as 50. He was also known as “Deacon Jim” because he didn’t’ smoke or drink, and frequently went to church. He was eventually caught and jailed in Oklahoma, where he was killed by a lynch mob who stormed the prison and hung him in a barn.

Guarding What Remains

I’m proud to recommend some great historical fantasy that came across my desk – Guarding What Remains, by Michael Cardwell.

Here’s the story (spoiler-free!):

“Elanor and her family arrive to find their large log home and barn fully engulfed in flames. Their savings, hidden in a milk can—gone. It is the Summer of 1931, the Great Depression is in full swing, and millions of people are out of work. Two weeks after the fire, Eleanor and her siblings help her father load the farm truck with donations of food and clothes from neighbors and friends, and mattresses purchased from the sale of milk cows.

After one last stop at the farm, they head to the big city.

Over the next year, Eleanor battles guilt for what she saw, but didn’t stop. As her mother sinks into depression, Eleanor is determined to guard what remains of her family. She works to help provide food and clothing as they face homelessness, bitter cold, and discrimination.”

Get your free book here:

https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/f27991a8-da8c-11f0-b1ee-effc8bf2c9c3

Did you know?

Before settlers began to push into the vast West in large numbers, an estimated 50-60 million buffalo freely roamed the Great Plains. Armed with powerful, long-range rifles, individual buffalo hunters could kill as many as 250 buffalo daily. Tanneries paid as much as $3.00 per hide and 25¢ for each tongue, which made a nice living for hundreds of men, including Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, Wild Bill Hickok, and William F. Cody, to name a few. By the 1880s, over 5,000 hunters and skinners were involved in the trade.

More great reading

There’s nothing like a great story, and these quality titles are just waiting for you to start page one! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – just like a fireplace and a mug of hot chocolate, they are perfect for winter!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

Fools Angels and the Devil, by Robert Faulk
A Heart turned West, by Tim Lam
Three Moons in Nyr Eikland, by Ethan McGrane
The Widow Morgan Don’t Take No Moonshine, by Paper Lantern Writers

Click here to get your books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/freehistficjan26/qsbcm8dv0j

Documentary: Texan Cattle Drive

Whether you were a settler, a cowboy, a miner, or an outlaw, everyone had to eat. And if you could get it, beef was just about of the staple foods of choice. The West would not have been the West without the longhorn. And where did longhorns come from? Texas, by way of the cattle drive.

The Old West cattle drive era is an integral part of American history. Hollywood has its way of telling the story and history diverges sharply from that story. To get the real facts, check out this great video which takes you through the fascinating history of the Texas Cattle Drive, from its birth just after the Civil War to its decline in the 1880's.

Enjoy - it’s a good one!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDhuQqx6wlY

History and Mystery

Bone-chillers aren’t for everyone – but those in the know can’t get enough of them. These fantastic free titles are just waiting for you to start page one! Pick one, pick them all – it’s up to you. But don’t wait – ironically, time is short!

Here’s a couple of titles to whet your interest:

· The Gaslamp Murders, by Kai Marlowe

· Brothers and Kings, by Dennis Santaniello

· Devils in Price, by AD Price

· My Final Voyage, by Danny J Bradbury

Click here to get your free books!

https://books.bookfunnel.com/histandmystjan2026/r5qsybkml6

Cowboy Dog Biscuits

You won’t go wrong with a good horse, but its dogs who are a man’s best friend. Hard worker, loyal companion, fierce defender, dogs earned their place in Wild West folklore – and there was nothing they liked more than a good hand-made cowboy treat.

Cowboy cooking legend Kent Rollins knows how to treat his dogs just right – watch him cook up a mess of dog treats so good they barely make it out of the pan before his hounds wolf them down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyoGyvGbU5I

Get to know Sheriff Sol Redding

Check out my ‘Sixgun Drifter’ western series right here:

https://nickbrumbywesterns.com/sixgun-drifter-series/

From me to you: your free western

Get your free and exclusive copy of my first western Redding’s Maverick here: https://BookHip.com/NGKAHW

Nice to see you again!

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