R.j Ruud

Conceived in Colorado, born in Missouri, raised in Minnesota, R.j Ruud now resides high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where he spends his days skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, fishing, climbing, and camping -- when he's not up all night writing.

For more about R.j, visit RjRuud.com

Lost Creek

Action & Adventure

According to Clancy, there was a family of serial killers living in Lost Creek -- the Campbells. "They've been killing off outsiders fer a hundred years. The head of the family is Sheriff Campbell. He's been killing under the shield of his badge since he was first elected back in 1964. His daughter, Darla, is the drug-dealing bartender at the Wagon Wheel Saloon."

When Jack Leery suddenly finds himself the owner of a rural cabin on a hundred acres in Lost Creek, Colorado, left to him by a mysterious benefactor called Martin Johannsson, he leaves his professional life as a website designer in Minneapolis to set out on what turns into the adventure of a lifetime.

Jack's nail-biting journey to Lost Creek over treacherous mountain roads in his old Honda Accord sets the tone for this beautifully written tale that taps into mythic archetypes of the American West. At first completely alone in his primitive shack, Jack is soon adopted by Martin's dog, Blue. Then when Jack meets his neighbor, the crotchety old Vietnam vet Clancy, a strange bond is formed. But is Clancy's story about the murderous Campbell family just another one of his tall tales far too fantastical to be true? By the end of this action-packed novel filled with dizzying twists and turns, Jack will have laid his earlier identity aside and found out who he really is.

Seven Strange Years

Humor & Satire

Waking up in the hospital to find wires snapped to your chest, tubes jammed in your veins, and handcuffs tearing at your wrists is a horrible way to start your day -- especially when you don't remember who you are or how you got there.

That was just the beginning of "Johnny's" bad day. He was poked. He was prodded. He was told he had done horrible things. Then the cops came and hauled him away. They tossed him in jail with nothing but a notebook full of strange letters he had supposedly written to friends and family. It was a conspiracy of epic proportions. And Johnny's only hope for proving he's not the criminal they say he is are the letters an old man claiming to be his father gave him.

Seven Strange Years is a compilation of letters that tell the tales of a mad traveler buzzing around the country wreaking havoc wherever he lands, pieced together in jail as Johnny scours the letters for evidence that might save him from years in prison. And reading letters rife with tales of freedom and adventure is nothing short of torture when you're stuck in jail.