Western Fictioneers Announces the 14th Annual Peacemaker Award Finalists and Lifetime Achievement Peacemaker Award

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT PEACEMAKER

John Legg

 

 

14th Annual Peacemaker Awards Finalists

For Western Novels and Stories Published in 2023

 

 

 

BEST NOVEL

 

GRAY’S LAKE, John Hansen (Summit Creek Press)

THE GOLD CHIP, Douglas Hirt (Wolfpack Publishing)

CHANGING WOMAN, Venetia Hobson Lewis (Bison Books)

RIDE A FAST HORSE, Kevin Warren (Kensington)

THE BOOT HEEL, Kevin Wolf (Thorndike)

 

BEST FIRST WESTERN NOVEL

 

THE GOOD TIME GIRLS, K.T. Blakemore (Sycamore Creek Press)

CHANGING WOMAN, Venetia Hobson Lewis (Bison Books)

. . . BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR HORSES, M. Timothy Nolting (Austin Macauley Publishers)

THE PENITENT GUN, Rod Timanus (Thorndike Large Print)

RIDE A FAST HORSE, Kevin Warren (Kensington)

 

BEST WESTERN SHORT FICTION

 

“Clarence Flowers”, John Neely Davis (FORTITUDE, Five Star)

“Prairie Blossoms”, Sharon Frame Gay (FORTITUDE, Five Star)

“The Sound of Buffalo”, Lisa Majewski and Del Howison (FORTITUDE, Five Star)

“Next to the Last Chance”, John D. Nesbitt (BRIGHT SKIES AND DARK HORSES, Five Star)

“The Great Burro Revolt”, P.A. O’Neil (SADDLEBAG DISPATCHES, Summer 2023)

“The Would-Be Bounty Hunters”, Michael R. Ritt (FORTITUDE, Five Star)

 

Winners will be announced June 15, 2024 on the WF website (www.westernfictioneers.com) and on this blog.

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms.

The Peacemaker Awards are given annually. Submissions for the Peacemaker Awards for books and stories published in 2024 will be open in August 2024. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF website. For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit: http://www.westernfictioneers.com

Western Fictioneers would like to thank the judges for the excellent job they have done and James Reasoner for being Awards Chair. 

Peacemaker Award Submissions Now Open

Submissions for the 8th Annual WF Peacemaker Awards are now being accepted for works originally published in the year 2017. 

Qualifications:

First time in print must be between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, no reprints or revisions.  Limit of 2 entries per category.

Books and short stories may be published in any country in the world (submissions must be in English) in print or electronic format. Electronic submissions must be made with Kindle/mobi or Word/text files. WF reserves the right to decline any submission for consideration of an Award.

Authors, agents, or publishers may submit a work for consideration of an Award.

At least three entrants in a category must be received during the submission period for an Award to be presented.

Novels and short stories must be set in the time period between 1830-1920 to be considered Westerns under WF guidelines. Time periods beyond the 1830-1920 traditional western focus may be included in submissions as long as the periods outside of the 1830-1920 span constitute no more than 50% of the story. At least 50% of the story MUST TAKE PLACE in the 1830-1920 period. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Nominees for the WF Peacemaker Award will be announced on 05/15/2018 and the winners will be announced on 06/15/2018.

The WF Peacemaker Award will be awarded in four categories:

Best Western Novel – Any novel published during the award year set in the appropriate time period (1830-1920), 30,000 words and higher. There are no format requirements. The novel may be a hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, or eBook.

Best Western YA/Children Fiction– Any fiction written for ages 1-17 published during the award year set in the appropriate time period (1830-1920). May be a hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, or eBook.

Best Western Short Fiction – Any short story, novelette, or novella published during the award year set in the appropriate time period (1830-1920), 500 words to 29,999 words. There are no format requirements. The short story may be published in any publication, print or electronic.

Best Western First Novel – Must meet the same requirements as Best Novel, and must be the author’s first published Western novel. If the author has published novels in any other genre they will not disqualify the author from the Best Western First Novel Award competition. Submissions for Best Western First Novel may also be submitted in the Best Novel category in the same year. 

Procedures:

If sending print form, one copy of the work must be sent to each judge (3 per category), and the Awards Chair for a total of four, accompanied with the appropriate form. 

Electronic versions should be emailed to the Awards Chair, James Reasoner with the appropriate submission form. The electronic submissions will be distributed to the judges by the Awards Chair. All entries must be postmarked or received via email by midnight, CST, January 15, 2018. Judges should not be contacted by any entrant concerning their entry during the consideration period. Doing so may result in disqualification of eligibility for the WF Peacemaker Award. Works submitted will not be returned after the awards have been announced. There is no fee to enter. There will be no exceptions made to the submission procedures, for any reason. 

Links to forms to include are at the bottom of the list of judges. You will need 4 copies for each printed entry, one for each judge and one for the Awards Chair. 


Awards Chair: James Reasoner
P.O. Box 931
Azle, TX 76098-0931
EMAIL james53@flash.net

The list of judges and appropriate submission forms can be found on the Western Fictioneers website.

Speaking as the awards chair, let me say that if you plan to submit a book or story and it's already out . . . go ahead and send it in! Spreading out the submissions rather than waiting for the last minute makes it much easier on the judges, and waiting doesn't increase your odds of winning.

Western Fictioneers Announces the 7th Annual Peacemaker Award Winners

Has it been seven years already? The winners of the 7th annual Peacemaker Awards, honoring the best in Western fiction from 2016, have been announced and you can read all about it right here. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! In the spirit of full disclosure, one of the finalists for Best Novel was my Outlaw Ranger yarn, GUN DEVILS OF THE RIO GRANDE, and it's an honor indeed to be nominated.

Peacemaker Award Finalists Announced

7TH ANNUAL PEACEMAKER BEST FIRST NOVEL: Echoes of Massacre Canyon by Ben Goheen aka Ben Tyler (Five Star Publishing) Silence Rides Alone by Ian Charles Millsted (Sundown Press) The River of Cattle by Alice V. Brock (Pen-L Publishing) The Silver Baron’s Wife by Danna Baier Stein (Serving House Books) The Wanted Lawman by A.C. Smith (Gray Ghost Publishing)   BEST NOVEL: Dead Man’s Boot by Patrick Dearen (Five Star Publishing) Far West: The Diary of Eleanor Higgins by Linell Jeppsen (Wolfpack Publishing) Gun Devils of the Rio Grande by James Reasoner (Rough Edges Press) Killing Blood by Robert D. McKee (Five Star Publishing) BEST WESTERN YA/CHILDREN FICTION: Calamity Jane: How the West Began by Bryan Ney (Dragon Tree Books) Good Water by John Nesbitt (Five Star Publishing) Grandpa and the Kid by Cliff Hudgins (Wolfpack Publishing) Lone Star Ranger 7: A Ranger Redeemed by James J. Griffin (Painted Pony Books) The River of Cattle by Alice V. Brock (Pen-L Publishing) BEST SHORT FICTION: Jake Silvershorn's Revenge - Vol. 10 Final Showdown, by Big Jim Williams (High Noon Press) Museum Piece by Brian Koukol (The Missing Slate) Odell's Bones by Troy Smith (Cane Hollow Press) Widelooping a Christmas Cowboy by Livia J. Washburn (A Cowboy under the Mistletoe, Prairie Rose Publications)

Peacemaker Awards

5th Annual Peacemaker Awards

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT PEACEMAKER:
James Reasoner

2015 BEST FIRST NOVEL:

CATTLE DRIVE – Big Jim Williams (High Noon Press)

Finalists:

PRODIGAL GUN - Kathleen Rice Adams (Prairie Rose Publications) 
COMANCHE TRAIL – Carlton Stowers (Signet) 
THE PIANO PLAYER – Carolyn Niethammer (Oak Tree Press) 
THE CALLING – James P. Hanley (5 Prince Publishing)

2015 BEST INDIE WESTERN:

HANGMAN’S KNOT - James Reasoner (Rough Edges Press)

Finalists:

OUTLAW RANGER – James Reasoner (Rough Edges Press)
LEFT HAND KELLY – Elizabeth Foley (Second Sentence Press)
FUGITIVE TRAIL – Wayne Dundee (Bil-Em-Ri Media)
TRAIL REVENGE – Wayne Dundee (Westward Tide Productions)

2015 BEST NOVEL:

THE BIG DRIFT - Patrick Dearen (TCU Press)

Finalists:

BUST OUT – W. M. Shockley (Western Trail Blazer)
MORGAN – Frank Roderus (Wolf Pack Publishing)
THE PIANO PLAYER – Carolyn Niethammer (Oak Tree Press)
DESPERATE STRAIGHTS – Janet Squires (Whiskey Creek Press)

2015 BEST SHORT FICTION:

THE 2ND BEST RANGER IN TEXAS – Kathleen Rice Adams (Hearts and Spurs Published by Prairie Rose Publications)

Finalists:

LAW DOG – Wayne Dundee (Fathers: 12 Tales of the American West Published by Western Trail Blazer)
THE RESURRECTION – McKendree (Mike) Long (Broken Promises Published by La Frontera Publishing)
THE BUFFALO RUNNER – D.B. Jackson (Broken Promises Published by La Frontera Publishing)
GUNFIGHTER’S GIFT – Vonn McKee (Published by Western Trail Blazer)

(I'm certainly very pleased and honored this morning to have my work recognized by Western Fictioneers. A big thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially Livia, without whom I probably wouldn't be in this business. Congratulations to all the other winners and finalists!)

Fugitive Trail - Wayne D. Dundee

Wayne D. Dundee's novel FUGITIVE TRAIL is in the running for a Peacemaker Award this year, and well it should be, because it's a fine traditional Western novel.

Like a lot of Civil War veterans, Eli Cole has come home to find his world ruined. He heads west, hoping to find a new home on the frontier, but he carries with him a price on his head because of a shooting in which he was involved. Starting out, his only companion is his dog Shadow, but he soon becomes involved with a small group of travelers heading for Colorado. The party is led by a minister who plans to spread God's word to the miners in the Rocky Mountains, so Cole with his violent ways doesn't really seem to fit in with the group. But with trouble dogging all of them, Cole and his gun may be just what they need.

As usual with a Dundee novel, the characters are human and well-drawn, and there's plenty of hardboiled action. Eli Cole is a very sympathetic protagonist, so the reader can't help but hope that he'll eventually find some happiness. FUGITIVE TRAIL is a fine example of Dundee's work and ample evidence of why he's one of today's most popular and highly regarded Western writers.

Peacemaker Nominations and Lifetime Achievement Award

The finalists for the 2015 Peacemaker Awards have been announced and can be found here. Congratulations to all the nominees! I'm very pleased that a couple of my Outlaw Ranger books are finalists in the Best Independently Published Western category.

As for the other news, I'm surprised, humbled, and very, very pleased to learn that Western Fictioneers is honoring me with the Lifetime Achievement Award. I wrote my first Western novel 30 years ago, and since then I've written more than 200 Westerns, so they've been a major part of my career and of my life. And I can honestly say I've never written one that I didn't enjoy. It's very gratifying to know that others enjoy them as well. Thank you to everyone in Western Fictioneers for this great honor!

Now Available: Charlie's Pie - Livia J. Washburn

Lauralee Brannam just wants to bake her son's favorite pie for his birthday, which happens to fall on Christmas Eve. But then a wounded stranger shows up on her Texas ranch, and his fateful visit leads to violence, tragedy, and redemption in this stirring Western tale.

Livia's 12,000 word novella "Charlie's Pie", which won the Peacemaker Award for Best Short Fiction from the Western Fictioneers this year, is now available individually at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords, as are the other stories from the Prairie Rose Publications anthology WISHING FOR A COWBOY. I'm biased, of course, but I really like "Charlie's Pie" and when I read it my first thought was that it would have been right at home in a 1950s issue of RANCH ROMANCES, when the magazine had gotten considerably more hardboiled than it was in its early days. Check it out! (Yeah, there's a half-naked cowboy on the cover, but it's one tough yarn, let me tell you.)

Peacemaker Awards Now Open for Submissions

The 4th annual Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers are now open for submissions. There are several changes in the rules this year. We've added a new category, Best Independently Published Western Novel, expanded the wordage in the short story category and renamed it Best Western Short Fiction, and opened it as well as Best Western First Novel to self-published work. The goal of these changes is to increase the inclusiveness of the competition. If it's a Western, there's a place for it in the Peacemaker Awards. All the rules and entry forms are available on the WF website. I'm the Awards Chair this year, so if anybody has any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail.

Peacemaker Award Winners Announced

The winners of the third annual Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers have been announced. You can find out the winners and congratulate them here. Submissions for the 2014 awards will be opening soon (for books published in 2013). I'll have all those details as soon as they're available.

2013 Peacemaker Award Nominations from Western Fictioneers

Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the NOMINEES for the third annual (2013) Peacemaker Awards

** Nominees are in no particular order.

The Lifetime Achievement Peacemaker will be presented to Robert Vaughan.

2013 BEST WESTERN NOVEL:

City of Rocks (Five Star Publishing — Cengage) by Michael Zimmer

Unbroke Horses (Goldminds Publishing, LLC) by D.B. Jackson

Apache Lawman (AmazonEncore) by Phil Dunlap

Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson

2013 BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY:

“Christmas Comes to Freedom Hill” (Christmas Campfire Companion — Port Yonder Press) by Troy Smith

“Christmas For Evangeline”  (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF ) by C. Courtney Joyner

 “Keepers of Camelot” (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF) by Cheryl Pierson

“The Toys” (Slay Bells and Six Guns — WF) by James J. Griffin

“Adeline” (Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT — Goombah Gumbo Press ) by Wayne Dundee

2013 BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:

High Stakes (Musa Publishing) by Chad Strong

Wide Open (Berkley Publishing Group) by Larry Bjornson

Red Lands Outlaw, the Ballad of Henry Starr (AWOC.com Publishing) by Phil Truman

Last Stand At Bitter Creek (Western Trail Blazer) by Tom Rizzo

Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave (Sunbury Press) by Mark Mitten

Winners will be announced on June 1, 2013 on the WF website (www.westernfictioneers.com)

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century.  Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms.  The Peacemaker Awards are given out annually.  Submissions for the Peacemaker Awards for books published in 2013 will be open in July, 2013. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site.  For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit:  http://www.westernfictioneers.com/ or  http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com/

Western Fictioneers would like to thank Larry D. Sweazy for being Awards Chair for the first three years and for the excellent job he has done.

(On a personal note, I've known Robert Vaughan for close to 25 years and have been reading and enjoying his books for even longer. His Lifetime Achievement Award is a well-deserved honor. Congratulations, and congrats as well to all the nominees.)

Peacemaker Awards

Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the WINNERs for the second annual (2011) Peacemaker Awards.

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT PEACEMAKER:

Jory Sherman

BEST WESTERN SHORT STORY

WINNER:

Troy D. Smith -- “The Sin of Eli”        Publisher: WF anthology Traditional West

FINALISTS:

“Planting Season” by Johnny D Boggs (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press)

“The Way of the West” by Larry J. Martin (The Traditional West anthology, WF)

"Blackwell's Run" by Troy D. Smith (Western Trail Blazer)

“Panhandle Freight” by LJ Washburn (The Traditional West anthology, WF)    

“The Death of Delgado” by Rod Miller (The Traditional West anthology, WF)

“Stay of Execution” by Lucia St. Clair Robson (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press)

BEST WESTERN NOVEL:

WINNER:

James Reasoner -- Redemption, Kansas  Publisher: Berkley

FINALISTS:

The Sonora Noose by Jackson Lowry (Berkley)

Blood Trails by Lyle Brandt (Berkley)

The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller (Bonneville Books)

Between Hell and Texas by Dusty Richards (Kensington Pinnacle imprint)

BEST WESTERN FIRST NOVEL:

WINNER:

Wayne Dundee --  Dismal River        Publisher: Oak Tree Press

FINALISTS:

Unbridled by Tammy Hinton (Roots and Branches Publishing)

The Black Hills by Rod Thompson (Berkley)

Bullets And Bad Bad Men by B.A. Kelly (Oak Tree Press)

The Guerrilla Man by Steven Clark (Solstice Publishing)

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21^st century.  Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms.  The Peacemaker Awards will be given out annually.  Submissions for the 2012 awards will be open in July, 2012. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site.  For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit:

http://www.westernfictioneers.com/ or  http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com/

(I couldn't be more pleased and honored to have REDEMPTION, KANSAS win the Peacemaker for Best Western Novel. I want to thank the membership of WF, my editor Faith Black, my agent Kim Lionetti, my daughters Shayna and Joanna for all their help, and most of all Livia, who really does make it all possible.)

Peacemaker Award Nominations Announced

Western Fictioneers (WF) is proud to announce the nominees for the 2011 Peacemaker Award. Winners will be announced on the Western Fictioneers (WF) web site (http://www.westernfictioneers.com/) on June 1, 2012. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms with a 2011 copyright date.  The Peacemaker Awards are given out annually.  Submissions for the 2012 awards will be open in July, 2012. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site. The following list of nominees is in no particular order. Best Western Short Story: ***There were  two ties in this category, which is why there are seven nominees instead of the required five. “Planting Season” by Johnny D Boggs (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press) “The Way of the West” by Larry J. Martin (The Traditional West anthology, WF) “Blackwell’s Run” (Western Trail Blazer) by Troy D. Smith “The Sin of Eli” by Troy D. Smith (The Traditional West anthology, WF) “Panhandle Freight” by LJ Washburn (The Traditional West anthology, WF)     “The Death of Delgado” by Rod Miller (The Traditional West anthology, WF) “Stay of Execution” by Lucia St. Clair Robson (Cactus Country Anthology, Volume I – High Hill Press) Best Western Novel: The Sonora Noose by Jackson Lowry (Berkley) Redemption, Kansas by James Reasoner (Berkley) Blood Trails by Lyle Brandt (Berkley) The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller (Bonneville Books) Between Hell and Texas by Dusty Richards (Kensington Pinnacle imprint) Best Western First Novel: Unbridled by Tammy Hinton (Roots and Branches Publishing) The Black Hills by Rod Thompson (Berkley) Dismal River by Wayne Dundee (Oak Tree Press) Bullets And Bad Bad Men by B.A. Kelly (Oak Tree Press) The Guerrilla Man by Steven Clark (Solstice Publishing) Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Western writers Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers with the mission of preserving, honoring, and promoting the Traditional Western in the 21st Century. Western Fictioneers (WF) is the only professional writers organization composed entirely of authors who have written Western fiction, the classic American genre. A writer or publisher does not have to be a member to be nominated, or win, the Peacemaker Award. Contact: Larry D. Sweazy, WF Awards Chair, larrysweazy@prodigy.net

Western Fictioneers 2011 Peacemaker Awards Now Open

The Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards competition for 2011 is open. You can find out all the details of what's eligible and how to submit on the WF website. If you have a Western novel or short story you plan to enter in the competition and it's already available, you can go ahead and submit it now so the judges can get started reading. I know some people probably feel like it's best to wait until late in the year to submit so that the book or story will be fresh in the judges' mind, but having been a judge for the Peacemaker, Spur, Shamus, and Scribe Awards, I can promise you that's not the case. The good entries always rise to the top no matter when they're submitted.

2010 Peacemaker Awards Announcement from the Western Fictioneers

The Western Fictioneers are proud to announce the winners and finalists in the first annual Peacemaker Awards.  You can read all about it here or here.  Big congrats to the winners and finalists, and if you're an author with a Western novel or short story published this year, submissions for the 2011 Peacemaker Awards will be open soon.  Details will be announced as soon as they're available. 

Peacemaker Award Nominations Announced

PRESS RELEASE 03/31/11
For Immediate release:

Western Fictioneers (WF) is pleased to announce the nominations for the first annual Peacemaker Awards.

Nominees for the 2010 Best Western Short Story Award are listed in alphabetical order:

“Left Behind” by Carol Crigger from the anthology Roundup! Great Stories of the West (La Frontera Publishing

“This Old Star” by Wayne Dundee from the anthology Bad Cop…No Donut (Padwolf Publishing)

“Two-Bit Kill” by C. Courtney Joyner from the anthology Law of the Gun (Kensington) .

“Scourge of the Spoils” by Matthew P. Mayo from the anthology Steampunk’d (Daw Books, Inc)

"Catch a Killer by the Toe" by Pete Peterson published by Untreed Reads

++++
Nominees for the 2010 Best Western Novel Award are listed in alphabetical order:

Manhunt (Berkley) by Lyle Brandt (Berkley)
Avenging Angels by Lyle Brandt (Berkley)
Settler’s Chase by D. H. Eraldi (Berkley)
Long Ride to Limbo by Kit Prate (Western Trail Blazers)
Wulf's Tracks by Dusty Richards (Berkley)
Congregation of Jackals by S. Craig Zahler (Dorchester)
++++
There will be no Best First Western Novel Award awarded this year as there were not enough entries to complete the field of judging.
The Peacemaker Awards will be announced June 23rd, 2011 in Bismarck, North Dakota. A place and time will be announced at a later date.
Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by Robert J. Randisi, James Reasoner, Frank Roderus, and other professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms. The Peacemaker Awards will be given out annually. Submissions for the 2011 awards will be open in July, 2011. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF web site. For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit:
http://www.westernfictioneers.com/
or
http://westernfictioneers.blogspot.com/

Staring Down the Barrel of the Peacemaker Awards

The deadline for submissions for the Western Fictioneers' first annual Peacemaker Awards is January 31. So if you've got a piece of Western fiction, novel or short story length, that has a copyright date of 2010, that wasn't self-published, and that you were paid for, you have until a week from tomorrow to submit it.  All the details are here.

Two More Announcements from Western Fictioneers

Next year, the Western Fictioneers will present the first annual Peacemaker Awards for the best works of Western fiction published in 2010, and submissions are now open.  You can find out all the details, including how to enter, on the WF website.

Also, if you'd like to show your support for WF and for Western fiction in general, an assortment of merchandise with the WF logo is now available here.  All profits will go to the organization.