DENVER, Co. – Sunbury Press has released Hard to Quit by Mark Mitten under its Milford House Press imprint. About the Book:

1892

Creede, Colorado

In a boom camp like Creede, most people want to get rich either mining silver or playing cards. LG and Davis have a different plan -- sell beef. Fighting the bitter temperatures and the winter storms of the Colorado high country, they string wire and bring in cattle. But there are things more dangerous than the weather. Having run out of luck and out of Denver, con man Soapy Smith brings his gang up to Creede to start over. His vision of success if different than anyone else's, and it involves rigging the odds in his favor. No matter who it affects, or how far he must reach. Excerpt: Squinting in the darkness, Davis tried to see if LG’s eyes were open. But his hat brim was too low, and the light too dull. He resisted the urge to check his pocket watch. Davis didn’t even want to know what time it was. The two of them were huddled around a cast-iron stove with a big dent in it. The top of the firebox was so mashed in, the iron door did not close properly, and hot embers kept rolling out every time the fire popped or shifted. Just to keep the tent warm, someone had to stay up and feed sticks every half hour or so. Davis was mad about the whole situation. Every night they drew cards to see who stayed up with it. And every night, it seemed, LG drew a high ace. Why couldn’t they just alternate? “If I ain’t getting no sleep, then you ain’t getting no sleep.” He reached over and poked LG in the cheek but got no response. LG’s arms were folded, and his chin was resting on his chest. He appeared to be sound asleep, but Davis suspected he was just as awake as he was. “Say, whatever happened to Emmanuel?” he asked in a loud voice. “That cook was one of the finest men that ever graced a chuck wagon. Top hand punching cattle, I’d add. He could fork any horse no matter how corrupt it was.” They had a long day ahead, and Davis was not looking forward to it. Building a cow camp in the middle of winter was a chore. Creede was a new boomtown. Silver had just been found, and people were flocking to the canyon creek to try their hand at mining. But LG and Davis had a different plan to get rich—beef. The only meat source in the backcountry was deer, maybe a bear, or fish from the half-frozen river. People would pay high dollar for steak. The first step was to build a fence all around their new cow camp. They had chosen an open meadow in the middle of the forest. It would be perfect to hold beeves. All they needed to do was string wire from tree to tree to circle in the whole area. Burning wood shifted inside the stove, and a lump of bright embers dropped onto the ground. “What a foolish purchase,” Davis pointed out unnecessarily. “Them boys at the Amethyst sure pulled one over on us, didn’t they? They sure weren’t straight about how it got bent in. A big Kodiak thought it was a biscuit—my eye! There ain’t no Kodiak around here. I bet one of them drunks got soaked and whacked it with a sledgehammer.” He squinted at LG again, studying him in the dim light. There was no way the man could be sleeping. This was pretend. He obviously wanted Davis to think he was impervious to hardship and could sleep through anything. Book Trailer: TRAILER #1 (Short version): https://youtu.be/99ejfwui9f8 TRAILER #2 (Full version): https://youtu.be/SugTITnkvOc Praise for "Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave": “Lyrical, fresh and an impressive debut.” —Roundup Magazine “Dialogue and actions resonate with authenticity.” —Kathleen Rice Adams, Western Fictioneers “Mitten awakens images of Gunsmoke and The Magnificent Seven . . . Certain to be a favorite of equestrians, modern ranchers and history buffs.” —Karina Wetherbee, The Summit Daily “A heckuva Western novel that more than lives up to its unusual title.” —Ron Scheer, Buddies in the Saddle About the Author: Mark Mitten was born in Texas and raised in Colorado. He has written two western historical novels. Sipping Whiskey in a Shallow Grave was nominated for a Peacemaker Award. Hard To Quit is his second novel. An experienced mountain climber, Mark has summited all 54 of Colorado’s highest peaks. He and his wife Mary currently reside in Winsted, MN. Learn more about Mark at his website: http://mmitten.wixsite.com/mark-mitten Also available on Kindle For more information, please see: http://www.sunburypressstore.com/Hard-to-Quit-9781620067482.htm