Legends is the story of many people and many places, a story repeated many times throughout history, but it is told here through the lives of two young people and their adventures during the late Nineteenth Century and the beginning of the Twentieth, those last great days of the great American Wild West. The story weaves through a number of historical places and events, and many actual historical people interact with the fictional characters of the story. While the town and ranches may never have existed, many of the other places are still there to this day, and may be seen be by those who would venture there. Follow Jack and Marty and their friends and families, from their first meeting and their early lives, through their discoveries and education, and be with them as they cross the continent from Colorado to the Atlantic and back again. Live with them as they discover friendship, love, and parenthood, and as they survive tragedy; and enjoy discovering with them the new technologies on the brink of The Twentieth Century. Cheer along with them their triumphs and mourn their losses, and experience with them their fears and doubts, hopes and dreams, as you follow along with them on their daily quest to simply survive and prosper, to raise their families, and to make their world a better place. Finally, watch as Jack and Marty develop into adulthood, living their daily lives and raising their own family, and share their fortunes and misfortunes and that of those around them while they left their marks upon our history. Go with them as they face the challenges of every day life to become the true Legends of the great story that is The American West and see the west and its people as ittruly was.

Tom has been writing since 1959 when a high school teacher encouraged him to write his own stories instead of book reports about the work of others. At about the same time, a co-worker tagged him with the nickname ?Forty Rod?, although Tom says, ?I honestly don?t remember who it was or what it meant. I just liked it and kept it all these years.?

Having a wide and varied, although not very financially rewarding, series of ?careers? has allowed Tom to travel to forty eight of our States and a number of foreign countries, to have lived in many places and done many jobs with a variety of people from all over the world. The characters in his writings are all composites of people he has known.

Retired now, Tom has had a life-long interest in the American west, in guns and Second Amendment issues, in people, and in books of all kinds. His retirement allows him the time and freedom to re-write some of the many stories started those many years ago, and to develop new stories, and to present them to you for your enjoyment.