I had a really difficult choice to make when it came to picking the cover for my new novel, Gold and Gunslingers: A Tangled Roots II Historical Mystery, primarily because the cover designer, Ken Dawson of Creative Covers, sent me eight great designs to choose from. Each design would have worked. To help with the decision, I asked for and received help from many people on social media. Each design earned great feedback.

Since then, people have been asking me which one I chose. I’m finally ready to reveal the full cover. I hope you like it. The book is coming soon! I hope it’ll be out in early December.

Here’s the book’s description:

Gold and Gunslingers is a dual-timeline historical genealogical mystery about family, self-esteem, sibling rivalry, and life’s struggles.

During the 2020 Covid pandemic, a young father, Seth Landry, wants to follow in his older brother’s footsteps as an amateur genealogist. He hopes he’ll uncover family secrets the way his brother did when he traced their German roots, but he’s working on their American side and going back to the 1850’s California Gold Rush days.

The investigative journey begins with his discovery of diaries and journals, written by five people, that have been collecting dust in the Landry home attic. Seth believes one or more of the five strangers must somehow be related to the Landrys but who: Is it a former sheriff turned miner Ralph Preston, the  local doctor Daniel Friedman, the widow hotel owner Laura Carson, a female miner Magda Shapiro, or wife and mother Emma Hamilton.

Seth has something to prove to his family, his over-achieving brother, and perhaps to himself. He  has the drive, but self-defeating habits, former buddies and life’s challenges threaten to derail and maybe even destroy his marriage and the life he has built. Can Seth discover why the diaries are in his attic? Is there a connection between those five people and his family? Can Seth overcome his set-backs and insecurities? What happened to the gold the miners found?