He had thought this valley beautiful when he found it uninhabited. But now he found it even more beautiful.
It seemed the mystery of Grapevine Springs has been solved.
He liked that.
He had hated the idea that history could be cheated by simply being planted for the sake of money. That had bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
To him, history was everything.
He loved history, he loved supporting the research into history. He loved the researchers who worked to get history correct, no matter how politically wrong or inconvenient that might be.
And more than anything, he loved living in the history.
He loved the people and the way of life and everything about it.
Even after thousands of years of living in the past, it just never got old.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres.
At the moment he produces novels in five major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, a superhero series starring Poker Boy, and a mystery series featuring the retired detectives of the Cold Poker Gang.
His monthly magazine, Smith’s Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.
During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.
He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.
Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series.
For more information about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, please go to www.deanwesleysmith.com, www.smithsmonthly.com or www.fictionriver.com.
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Jabberwocky
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Copyright Information
Smith’s Monthly Issue #27
All Contents copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith
Published by WMG Publishing
Cover and interior design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing
Cover art copyright © by Adrenalinapura/Dreamstime.com
“Introduction: Another Thunder Mountain Novel” copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith
“The Smoke that Doesn’t Bark” copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
“The Call of the Track Ahead” copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
Writing into the Dark copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
“Growing Pains of the Dead” copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
“The Case of the Dead Lady Blues” copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
Grapevine Springs: A Thunder Mountain Novel copyright © 2015 Dean Wesley Smith, cover design copyright © 2015 WMG Publishing.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Smoke That Doesn’t Bark
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
The Call of the Track Ahead
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
Writing into the Dark
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
Growing Pains of the Dead
ONE
TWO
THREE
The Case of the Dead Lady Blues
ONE
TWO
THREE
Grapevine Springs
AUTHOR’S NOTE
PART ONE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
PART TWO
NINE
TEN
TWELVE
PART THREE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
PART FOUR
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
PART FIVE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
THIRTY-NINE
FORTY
EPILOGUE
Subscription Information
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Copyright Information