Return to Independence: A Novella

by David Fitz-Gerald

Somewhere between Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and Little House on the Prairie… you'll find Return to Independence and The Frontier Adventures of Alvah Nye.

Alvah Nye never set out to become a desert guide, but when he encounters a family in desperate need, he can't ride past. With winter-hardened Comanche circling the prairie, outlaws prowling the draws, and sickness dogging their heels, Alvah and his brothers of the trail must fight for every mile on the long road back to Independence, Missouri in 1851.

But arrival isn't the end of the journey. It's only the beginning.

A new wagon, a restless wind, and the faint stirrings of a future he can't yet name all tug Alvah westward toward the life he is meant to build. Somewhere up that storied trail lies purpose, belonging, and the first spark of a destiny waiting to catch fire.

Return to Independence is the gripping prequel to The Frontier Adventures of Alvah Nye, a Western saga of courage, loyalty, frontier yearnings, and the eternal search for home.

Set in the same world as Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail, this novella welcomes new readers and longtime fans eager to follow Alvah Nye into the vast frontier.

Perfect for readers of Louis L'Amour, Larry McMurtry, and clean, classic wagon-train epics of the American West.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 25, 2026

About the author

David Fitz-Gerald writes frontier and pioneer western fiction from the wilds of western Vermont—about as far west as you can get without slipping into New York.

Though he’s never wrangled beeves to market, Dave was a top hand on his grandfather’s dude ranch in the Adirondack Mountains… before he turned ten. He’s lived most of his life on dirt roads. Whenever he gets the chance, he travels west to recharge his spirit on the windswept prairies.

He’s an Adirondack 46’er which means that he’s hiked to the top of every mountain in the park. In 2018, Dave completed the 1960s fitness craze by hiking 50 miles in one day. That’s one heck of a long walk, but not nearly as grueling as the iconic trails that he chases in his fiction.

Even after all these years, Dave still has his head in the clouds like Ken from My Friend Flicka, and a quiet, self-reliant spirit like Sam from The Trumpet of the Swan. That blend of wonder, heart, and spirit runs through the characters he portrays. His editor states he is “exceptionally good at creating real moments between characters”—and readers seem to agree.

Dave’s breakthrough series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail won Chanticleer’s Grand Prize for Book Series. He’s now the author of nearly twenty novels and counting, and as long as there’s coffee in the kitchen, Dave will be plotting one adventurous story after another.