Last fall I was honored when King Cotton III: Jack & the Ripper won the gold medal for best historical fiction at the 2025 CIPA EVVY Awards. And I was just as happy to learn this month that the same book won BEST WESTERN FICTION in the 20th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards. For two decades, the National Indie Excellence® Awards  have been regarded as a “highly respected honor in independent publishing, celebrating exceptional books from self-published authors, small to mid-sized presses, and university presses across all genres.” Their full list of 2026 Winners and Finalists is now available at www.indieexcellence.com.

 As the name suggests, King Cotton III: Jack & the Ripper is the third book in the King Cotton trilogy. The first book, King Cotton, was a finalist in both the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards and was a finalist for Readers' Favorite INDIES Book of the Year. In spite of all that, my wife still says that the second entry, King Cotton II: Kentucky Gold, is the best. Another example, I suppose, of why they make different flavors of ice cream.

King Cotton IV: Slaughter in New Mexico is in the works!