"A deftly written, entertaining, and ultimately thought provoking read, 'Beyond His Mercy' is unreservedly recommended..." --The Midwest Book Review

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The American Civil War claimed and destroyed lives, stealing fathers and sons from those they loved. The horror caused many returning to cry out for death. They carried the festering scars of battle and were unable to overcome the torment of their souls. This is the story of Thomas Wilson, a soldier who returns home haunted by the destruction and devastation he both witnessed and caused. Although his regiment respects and reveres him as a sharpshooter, each man he has killed condemns him to a life of terrifying dreams and troubled days where forgiveness can never be obtained. Neither the love of his family nor the affection of a woman with sparkling dark eyes and soft black hair can chase his war demons away, for he is beyond mercy. Includes Readers Guide.

As a child Johnny Neil Smith often sat at his grandparents’ fireplace listening to stories of their parents’ struggles while pioneering south Mississippi in the eighteen hundreds. Now a retired educator with an ardent interest in early American history, Smith weaves the stories he heard as a child into all his novels. In Beyond His Mercy, he tells the story of his great-great grandfather, Lott Williams, who located the children of his murdered son-in-law and deceased daughter who lived in Cass County, Texas, and who then brought his grandchildren to live with him in Mississippi. In all of Smith’s writings, he captures the emotions behind the events that were passed down to him from his grandparents. His wife, Susan Cruce Smith, also a retired educator, takes his stories and brings them to life by adding spiritual meaning, literary style, and a woman’s perspective. They are also the authors of Beyond the Storm, and Johnny Neil is the author of Hillcountry Warriors and Unconquered, all from Sunstone Press.

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Hardcover:
6 X 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-232-7
280 pp.,$28.95

Softcover:
6 X 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-187-0
280 pp.,$22.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-523-5
280 pp.,$4.99

The year was 1864. The freezing winds off Lake Michigan swept across the snow laden grounds and through the cracks of a building that held Southern prisoners in Camp Douglas, Illinois. Huddled with the other prisoners, John mulled over the reasons he had enlisted, even after his father had forbidden it. He knew the only real reason was to protect his best friend Frankie, who had enlisted first but never even bothered to show up at the station when the recruits left for war. Shivering, he wondered if he would ever see his family again or especially the girl he had loved since childhood. John realized that nothing but an act of God could deliver him from this hell on earth. Includes Readers Guide.

Johnny Neil Smith, a retired educator in Mississippi and Georgia, taught Mississippi, Georgia, American and World History. Smith has written three previous novels, Hillcountry Warriors which received praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Unconquered which was a finalist in the Georgia Writer Association’s Author of the Year, and Beyond His Mercy with Susan Cruce Smith. Four of his great grandfathers served in the Confederate Army, and he has long been fascinated with the Civil War. His knowledge of that war and Federal prison Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois has made Beyond the Storm true to the times. The main character, John Wilson, was named after his grandfather and many of the accounts of battle and prison life relate to his great grandfather, Joseph Williams, who lost an arm in the battle for Atlanta and was sent to Camp Douglas. Susan Cruce Smith, also a retired educator, has given the book a woman’s perspective and added many of the Biblical and scriptural insights.

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Softcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-233-4
250 pp.,$22.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-560-0
250 pp.,$4.99

During the American Civil War, a young wife does everything in her power to keep close to her husband. (SEE MOVIE/TV TREATMENT BELOW)

By the late summer of 1863, the American Civil War has become entrenched into its third year, the bloody conflict raging far longer than could have been anticipated. The armies remain hungry for recruits in order to replenish their depleted ranks, the pressures being applied to all the corners of Union territory. The state of Iowa is no exception, here dwelling a certain newlywed couple, Susha and Sylvetus Potter. In no way do they wish to become separated. Nevertheless, Sylvetus succumbs to the persuasions and decides to enlist. However, Susha does her husband one better, concocting a scheme which would have her take on a manly pose, so that she might accompany him as a fellow soldier. That she has her arguments in perfect order makes it all the simpler for Sylvetus to acquiesce. Meanwhile, 800 miles to the south in Confederate Texas, Captain John Singleton is recovering from his severe wound under the care of his wife, Henrietta. Yet what she fears most is of his convalescence coming to an end, that he’ll return to the fight of which she and her husband have yet to embrace. John is torn between Henrietta’s gifted insights and intuitions and his own loyalties toward comradeship and duty. The war has too many campaigns waiting to be hatched, making it impossible to predict sure objectives. There is a good chance that Iowa will cross paths with Texas. The circumstances and encounters that may happen remain to be seen. So must trudge a private and her foes. Includes Readers Guide.

A native of the Lone Star state, with a B.S. in wildlife biology from Texas A&M University, Mark Gallik has merged his background with his lifelong passion for history and literature. The foregone conclusion is a penchant for research, to seek even the minutest of details. With that, the letters, journals and reminiscences of both military and civilian participants have been scoured, these discoveries exposing the treasures of regional tongues and varying mindsets. Naturally, the author fell into the trap of historical reenacting, from which not only did he learn the drill and rigors of campaigning, but also how to hand stitch period garments. It all provided invigorating and insightful experiences.

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Hardcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-517-5
384 pp.,$39.95

Softcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-332-4
384 pp.,$24.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-626-3
384 pp.,$4.99

"In a story based on author Steven Best's own family history, we see the bodies, minds and souls of a remarkable family tested in the crucible of battle. The results are unforgettable and thought-provoking." TRUE WEST Magazine

"...a compelling story that has been extensively researched by the author over a period of almost eight years...." DALLAS MORNING NEWS

As the Confederacy celebrates its victory over Fort Sumter, Socrates Best and his wife, Ellen, are living in Northeast Texas where Socrates has been teaching school for five years. Educated in the philosophy of Plato and the religion of Knox, Socrates hopes to ignore the war and continue developing ruler guardians who will help make Texas great. But two former students, Buck Malneck and Billy Morse, seize this chance to put their former teacher to the test. Join the conflict or hang--those are their demands.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles to the north stands Socrates' cousin Swift. Raised with Plato's Republican philosophies, but steeped in the passionate abolitionism of the Northern Methodists, Swift leaves law school to be part of the Second Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. Portage City explodes with joy as they send Swift's company off to war, but all the well wishing in the world could never prepare Swift for what awaits him at Bull Run.

Amidst the revelry, Socrates' youngest brother, Ed, watches with bated breath. This crowd will one day cheer him, he decides, and everyone will know that he is finally a man. Fighting with the Army of the Cumberland across the Southeast, he will learn there is a far greater challenge in life then being a man--staying alive.

This novel is based on the true story of a Wisconsin family caught up in the American Civil War, but it is also the story of the multidimensional human soul--spiritual, philosophical, and physical--and how it is affected by war. It is the story of man's ability to love, endure, survive, and find a meaningful purpose for life in a world turned upside down with hate.

STEVEN M. BEST is a former military intelligence analyst, and retired chiropractor. After being given an extensive letter written by his great grandmother detailing the family's experiences during the war, Best spent seven and a half years researching and writing his family story. He has visited every village and battlefield presented in this novel from Big Spring and Portage, Wisconsin, in the North, to Dangerfield, Texas, in the South; and from Perryville, Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) and Devil's Backbone in the West; to Perryville, Kentucky and Chickamauga at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, in the East.

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Website: http://www.smbest.com
Website: http://books.google.com/books?id=f_Y9O585h38C

Hardcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-0-86534-362-7
384 pp.,$28.95

Softcover:
6 x 9
ISBN: 978-1-63293-308-9
384 pp.,$24.95

eBook:
ISBN: 978-1-61139-602-7
384 pp.,$3.99