Books
Fiction Set in the American West
Doris Eraldi has always loved to write, and wrote her first “book” in first grade. She began publishing essays and poetry in the 1980’s. She has since published numerous articles and essays, and also edits and writes for two monthly online newsletters. She was a contributing editor to The Whole Horse Journal for 3 years, where her feature story, Believing in Bonnie (TWHJ, March/April 1998) won second place (first place going to Jane Smiley) for Feature Article, Circulation 15,000 or more.
SETTLER’S CHASE, from Berkley Westerns. Set along the Great Divide in western Montana during the 1880’s, SETTLER’S CHASE follows Sett and Ria Foster as they struggle to protect a lost child from dangers both wild and civilized.
Settler’s Chase
2011 Women Writing The West WILLA Literary Award FINALIST
2011 Western Fictioneers Finalist – Best Western Novel
The Blessing of a Child
After losing his family, spending years in jail, and living as an outlaw for a decade, Sett Foster hoped that life would get easier. With his Indian wife, Ria, and the prospect of money coming in from taming wild mustangs, things could finally be going his way.
Then a stray Indian pony wanders into a wild herd, carrying an unexpected gift. A child—the answer to Sett and Ria’s dreams of starting a family. But the baby comes with a price on its return, and there are people who will stop at nothing to get the reward money—even if it involves prying the baby out of their loving hands.
But Sett is ready to defend his family with his own blood—and theirs…
First published in 1999 by Berkley Westerns (Penguin USA), SETTLER’S LAW is now available as a Kindle eBook.
Settler’s Law
SETTLER’S LAW is a Western Historical set in Montana Territory in 1883. Inspired by the wide-open scenery and pioneer stories of the Smith River Valley, SETTLER’S LAW tells the tale of Sett Foster, a young man who returns to his family home to atone for youthful mistakes, only to find that he is too late to save his mother and sister from a brutal murder. As Sett struggles to learn the details of what happened to his family, he is drawn into a dispute over a young French Blackfeet girl who has been sold into slavery, and finds that the villain he seeks in the earlier crime is much closer than he imagined.
Praise for SETTLER’S LAW
“Settler’s Law is a terrific ‘western’ story! I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Gail L. Jenner, Author of ACROSS THE SWEETGRASS HILLS
“Settler’s Law” is a unique western written in a style not often seen today. D.H. Eraldi is a master storyteller. Suspenseful and gritty, the book made me put everything on hold until I finished reading it. The vivid characters and exquisitely described countryside still linger in my mind.” Mary Trimble, author of ROSEMOUNT.
“Settler’s Law is a fast paced, entertaining story. DH Eraldi’s grasp of the historic Montana setting is fascinating and breathtaking! The characters, especially Sett and Ria, come alive on the page. I couldn’t put it down. If you like westerns, this is a must-read” Morgan J. Blake, author of REDEMPTION
Visit D.H. Eraldi on Facebook to keep up with news, events and to read “snippets” of her current Work In Progress!
The current work-in-progress is a historical fiction taking place in what is now Lake County, California, in a mountain basin that is now under a reservoir. Set in the years after the Gold Rush, it follows the story of an unknown stranger who has suffered a grave head injury, and the changes that brings to the inhabitants of the remote rancho.
Doris also has a third manuscript, a contemporary Trickster Myth set in the Black Rock Desert area of Nevada.
“I will tell you a short story about my writing getting away from me. Nearly thirty years ago, I wrote a Christmas poem titled A Horseman’s Christmas. It was published in a local weekly paper, and much later on the Rainbow Ag web site. A few years after this during the Holiday Season, I received one of those notorious mass emails … of my poem! Passed along from inbox to inbox, and unfortunately without any author’s credit, there was someone sending me my own poem. I was a bit affronted at first, but finally gave in. The poem is on web sites and club newsletters all over the world, most now with author credit!”
DH Eraldi