A Flash of Lightning

Spirit Animal #6

by Barbara Neville

Action. Adventure. Danger. Intrigue. Sex. Romance. Cussin'. A companion volume to Rogue Lightning. The story of the kid and the rest of the MadDog clan continues. There are both space and planetside adventures. The ranch is prospering. The bad guys are still trying to throw a wrench in the works. We meet Sadie. Nelly is returned. The MadDogs further explore their clan's Injin heritage. Past adventures are revealed, including battles both lost and won. The spirit rocks play a part. Annie tries out a new weapon. This charming series is both funny and sexy. Review of Cowgirls Rock (Spirit Animal #3): Just now finished reading "Cowgirls Rock" and am quite glad to have had the pleasure. I very much like seeing how the characters, the stories and the author have evolved since the first book and am looking forward (as always) to the next one. Quite unlike any horse- or space-operas I've read (and there have been many), this series may well be a new genre -- or at least a significant sub-genre. With regard to the Amazon classifications for the author's writing - "good" is not good enough, Barbara is on the road to great. She makes me laugh, get worried, be happy, sad, mad and laugh again within a dozen pages... you might say I like the books. Reviews of On the Rocks (Spirit Animal #1): "A VERY ENJOYABLE READ!!! Captivating, mentally stimulating, & entertaining with a STRONG female character." "Actually my favorite summer read! I can just picture this gal ridin', shootin', and livin' it up on the range with quite a cast of characters!! Fun, lighthearted and gritty . I was born too late ! But "On the Rocks" puts me there!" "laugh out loud funny." "Dammit, the book just quit, long before it was through. I had a buncha good stuff in mind I was looking forward to, but the book just STOPPED!! Dammit again. There WILL be another, won't there? Is it here yet? Is it here yet? Is it here yet? There's a small chance this book was found to be tolerable." ""On the Rocks" has an intriguing story line with some definite surprises you don't expect in a Western. The characters are interesting, I look forward to learning more about them." "Interesting. Definitely not my usual book. I enjoyed it though."

346 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2015

About the author

2015 NaNoWriMo winner and prolific author; rustic western visionary Barbara Neville is an Arizona rancher and outdoorswoman, who writes what she knows. Her future worlds and historic past are set firmly in a longstanding tradition of caring for the land while living off of it. Cowhand, rancher, adventurer, prospector, artist and author of numerous books in the Spirit Animal series featuring Annie Many Horses. Neville writes of a speculative future, and the historic past, based on her real life experience. Her cats attend her writing sessions, preferring to lay on the keyboard. She ranches with goats, horses, guineas, peafowl, chickens, turkeys and Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs. Her dogs, goats and horses have fictional counterparts who appear in the pages of her books. She has led an unusual life of adventure, much of it off-grid.
Barb is descended from a long line of adventurous folk. Cowboys, ranchers, prospectors, settlers, homesteaders and more. She carries on the long tradition of taking the road less traveled. Her fictional world draws heavily on her own life and the people, places and experiences of previous generations.
Barb has been a rancher, horse trainer, cowhand, prospector, construction laborer, tree planter and a deckhand on Alaskan fishing boats. She has lived at various remote locations around the West.
She grew up an Air Force brat, living in such exotic locations as Spain and Hawaii. Thus she learned Spanish and Hawaiian Pidgin.
A one day round trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back afoot, and many mountain ski touring and snowshoe and hiking backpack weeks pepper her history. Surfing and snorkeling were her hobbies in Hawaii. A wilderness adventurer in many climes, she raises goats, makes her own cheese & rides the world's greatest horses one of whom made the cover of 'On the Rocks'.

Reviews

[Maureen Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an imagination!

Love these stories and think that many science and fantasy loving readers would like to be like annie with multiple lovers who all shared with zest. And throwback to earlier shoot 'em up days readers would like the zest with which annie and her crew kill all their attackers without any boohooing. Moreover, the combination of horses, space ships, and magic time traveling rocks are just delightful.

[Barbara Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it!