Slocum 345

Slocum’s in the range war from hell! Belle Nelson killed two bounty hunters who murdered the wrong man—her husband—before the third high-tailed it. The sheriff praised Belle’s bravery, but she’s not waiting for the law to catch the one that got away. He’s a hired gun out of Texas who had no reason to think her husband was an outlaw with $500 on his head—a point she’ll emphasize before she blows him to hell. As he’s passing time in Wyoming, Slocum’s eye is caught by a pretty, pistol-packing lady. A former tomboy who rode like the wind, Belle is all growed-up—and tracking cold-blooded killers. Even if his motives are not entirely professional, Belle welcomes Slocum’s help. Neither knows what to expect. But Slocum begins to notice that his pretty companion has something hard and twisted deep inside her—something bloody and in need of watching…

"Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch is more than just a writing handbook; it’s a key to unlocking every writer’s innate creativity by offering countless paths to verbal expressiveness." —San Francisco Chronicle Great sentences pivot on great verbs. In Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch, Constance Hale, best-selling author of Sin and Syntax, zeroes in on verbs that make bad writing sour and good writing sing. Each chapter in Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch features four sections: “Vex” tackles tough syntax, “Hex” debunks myths about verbs, “Smash” warns of bad writing habits, and “Smooch” showcases exemplary writing. A veteran journalist and writing teacher, Hale peppers her advice with pop-culture references and adapts her expertise for writers of every level. With examples ranging from the tangled clauses of Henry James and the piercing insight of Joan Didion to the punchy gerunds of the Coen brothers and the passive verbs of CEOs on trial, Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch offers a reenergized take on the “little despot of the sentence.”