James Oliver Virmala

Growing up on the Grand Kankakee Marsh in the 1800s was a life that Tyler Tomas loved. Hunting and fishing with his grandpa filled his days. His best friend Wil would join him in adventures through the nearby forest. It was a perfect world until youth was left behind. Life brought Tyler Tomas from the Grand Kankakee Marsh to the Devil's Tower. Each turn on the trail took a bit of his innocence.

In 1840 the demand for beaver was gone, leaving the mountain men searching for another way to survive.

Life was good for the young man in front of the La Maison in New Orleans. He ruled the front porch of the saloon and brothel that provided him with access to whiskey, women, and an occasional hand of cards. When the young man came into possession of a U.S. 1819 Simeon North Flintlock Pistol, little did he know that it would change the course of his life. Soon he found himself a hunted man. The trail to freedom took him all the way to the Rocky Mountains.

Life in the mountains had sheltered Beau Levesque from the realization of time passing. The next vista to view, or the satisfaction of overcoming a challenge, had been enough. With age came doubt of what he'd really accomplished. This doubt drove him to the Artic and back.His envy of those who had succeeded in creating a family left him with an emptiness that the next horizon wouldn't fulfill. The war between the North and South offers a purpose that brings him back east. Beau must decide: Should he fight for his southern roots, or join forces against them? Little does he know that coming events would make this question the least of his worries.

A prospector leaves family, friends and love behind to satisfy a burning need, risking life and limb on the 1800s frontier in search of gold. After giving up so much, the final reward is just beyond his reach as his most feared enemy now threatens to prevent him from attaining it.

Beau and Eli flee Arkansas with the law close behind. Their only option is to head for the 19th century frontier, equipped with little of the experience needed to survive the rigors of living and surviving in the Rocky Mountains. The mountain man life provides them with the refuge they need as they struggle to keep one step ahead of the dangers that threaten to take their lives. Little do they know that the life they have chosen is threatened by something that all the strength and knowledge of mountain men can't defeat.

Bart had lived a hard life, scouting for the army, guiding wagon trains, and brawling in more saloons than he could remember. His scarred fists and the Dragoon on his hip had dealt justice to all comers. Tired of the fighting, drinking, sleeping in stables or waking up in the street, Bart Nevell is determined to change, look up a past love and build a ranch in Texas.

At the request of his wife, Joan, Oli August faces the uncertainties and dangers of the wild Kansas plains and the distrust of soldiers to discover the truth about a theft and murder. The army has charged Joan's brother with the crime and will schedule him to be hung at Fort Leavenworth.

Determined to fulfill his dream after the death of his brother, Tom comes face to face with the wild forces of the western frontier. Working through the challenges that stand in his way, the young man struggles to survive as he fights, bleeds, and loves, earning his right to be a mountain man.