Books published by publisher Mountainside Books, LLC

On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote gold-mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins - and not a single bone was ever found. One hundred sixteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them to the abandoned mining town so they can learn what happened. Recently, a similar party had also attempted to explore the town and was never heard from again. Now the area is believed to be haunted. This crew is about to discover, 20 miles from civilization with a blizzard bearing down, that they are not alone, and the past is very much alive. Revised edition: This edition of Abandon includes editorial revisions.

Ever since Grey Alexander’s parents disappeared five years ago, she’s had one goal—to keep herself and her younger sister Rin alive. But surviving in the North American Wildlife Preserve isn’t easy, especially for the unconnected who can be shot on sight by border patrol robot drones. Through the guidance of their eccentric old neighbor Mrs. March, Grey and Rin get through by smuggling contraband into the Mazdaar government’s city zones. But when Grey is captured by the merciless General Evangeline Yurkutz and is forced to become bait for her mother and father, she questions everything she thought she knew about her life in the Preserve and her missing parents. Is it possible Jupiter isn’t uninhabitable? And could this planet, whose sky swirls with orange vapors and where extinct-on-Earth creatures roam free, hold the key to reuniting her family? A fast-paced, character-driven space adventure that's reminiscent of science fiction's golden age.--KATHY TYERS, author of the The Truce at Bakura: Star Wars Legends and Balance Point: Star Wars Legends

Only a week ago Grey Alexander thought she and her sister were orphans. And like everyone else she believed Jupiter was uninhabitable. Now she’s standing on its surface, reunited with her mom and dad and on the brink of an interplanetary war. The government of Mazdaar is ruthlessly determined to claim Jupiter like they already have Earth, but Grey has joined her parents and Commander Fleur March in the Yien Dynasty’s resistance effort. Jupiter, where extinct animals roam free and seem to have an uncanny ability to communicate with her sister, is the last hope for the freedom of mankind.When Mazdaar unexpectedly descends with a fleet of their terrifying Triangle jets, Grey and her family barely escape with their lives. Cut off from reinforcements and traveling in a ship full of strangers, who can they trust? Surely not Dana Yurkutz, the traitorous prisoner who even though she inexplicably saved Grey’s life is still loyal to Mazdaar.Deception is their enemy’s most powerful weapon, and light and darkness soon blur on this new frontier. Nothing is as it first seems, and Grey and Dana must each choose sides before it’s too late.

Philip Anderson is a reluctant gunslinger whose fame has spread through the Dakota Territory. He can't escape his reputation as the hero who took down the entire Maxwell Gang, and he's even had a popular dime novel written about him. All Philip yearns for is to live a quiet life raising horses and to finally marry his beloved Anna. He'd gladly give up his half of the treasure map his murdered father left behind, but until Jacob Wilkes is captured he can never hang up his gun. Bent on destroying Philip and everything he loves, Wilkes has his eye on the hidden cache. And on Anna.Just when Philip thinks he might be able to bury the demons of his past, the unthinkable happens and Anna and her family are kidnapped. Riding his Arabian mare Raven, he is forced into the race of his life as he desperately tracks his enemies across the desert. Can he rescue Anna before it's too late? Joining forces with old friends like Teddy Roosevelt and Running Deer, Philip is pushed to the breaking point. Will he ever be free, or must he make the ultimate sacrifice for those he loves under the shadow of Devil's Tower?

Teen sisters Grey and Rin Alexander are barely surviving as Mazdaar resisters in the North American Wildlife Preserve. Danger lurks around every sandstone rock, but the girls are resourceful and have become smugglers to make ends meet. They have no idea their most perilous mission is about to begin. Are these outlawed siblings up to the challenge? Under the Wire is a 10,000 word short story that takes place two years before the events of the novel Jupiter Winds.

After being picked on at school yet again, Alison Henry seeks refuge in her favorite place, the woods behind her cabin home. Her day couldn't get any worse. At least that's what she thinks before she spots the magnificent buck. Desperate to protect the deer from a teenage gang out to shoot him, Ali has no idea she's about to begin the adventure of a lifetime. This buck is no ordinary deer, and it turns out Ali is no ordinary girl. When she suddenly begins to hear the buck talking in her head, she thinks she's going crazy. She certainly can't be The Interpreter this buck named Artemis says she is, the one destined to bring together the men and creatures of his realm. She's just a kid who misses her deployed father and gets teased at school for wearing the wrong clothes. But Artemis is convinced. She must follow him. Before the full moon sets Alison Henry finds herself in the strange land of Torone where evil beasts trap and devour the creatures of the woods and the rightful heir to the throne is hunted and on the run. What can one girl possibly do?

High school sophomore Kisrie Kelley has always been a misfit, a fact her nemesis Wendy, who’s bullied her since elementary school, won’t let her forget. Kisrie longs to fit in and feel normal, but is that even possible when color guard and photography are her only talents? Her Reese’s Peanut Butter cup addiction and a pestering “prodigy” little sister who thinks she’s a bush baby don’t help, and some days Kisrie contemplates moving to a different planet. Will she ever please her perfectionist mother and get to be just a normal teen? But Wendy has troubles and secrets of her own. Her beauty pageant dreams are her only hope of escaping her poverty and her mother’s questionable lifestyle. Everything spins out of control, and cyberbullying takes things to a whole new level when Kisrie overhears Wendy plotting to spread vicious rumors about her English-teacher uncle. Kisrie must decide whether to snitch and risk Wendy’s wrath or shut up and watch her uncle’s career crumble. Only the truth can set them all free, but will Kisrie be too late? Hilarious, heartbreaking, and honest, Spin is a novel you won’t soon forget. I could not put this book down. With a fresh voice, a lot of laughs, and unique characters, Gudger captures the essence of teens and the extraordinary temptations and issues they face. And I want to go spin a flag now.—KIMBERLEY WOODHOUSE, award-winning author of All Things Hidden, No Safe Haven, Race Against Time, and Denali DreamsWhat if all life’s ups and downs aren’t about you? What if the people you’ve known forever live a different life than you’ve imagined? What if God asked you to see your worst enemy through His eyes? Darcie Gudger asks readers these introspective questions via her debut novel, Spin. Readers will identify with many of the usual suspects of high school hallways as they reconsider if the grass really is greener on the other side.—LAURA L. SMITH, author of It's Addicting

When Kisrie Kelley’s lifelong nemesis Wendy Wetz crashes the Wyoming wilderness trip arranged exclusively for Kisrie and her color guard friends, it’s all Kisrie can do to keep her cool. Okay, so the “trip” is actually punishment for when the girls inadvertently foiled a police sting and caused a sex trafficking ring to get away. They’re supposed to learn to work together and make wise decisions, but is that even possible with trouble making Wendy, who isn’t even a member of guard, tagging along?What Kisrie doesn’t know is that Wendy is purposely drawing the man who kidnapped her toward herself to protect Kisrie’s younger sister. She also doesn’t know the serious PTSD Wendy’s fighting through each grueling step of the trip. Is there any chance a girl like her can be redeemed, or will the former Queen of Mean revert to her old ways for good? Pushed to their limits in the unforgiving wilderness, Kisrie and Wendy must face their fears. But what if the biggest fear is secretly hunting Wendy? If Kisrie happens to be in the way, well, that’s life… Or death.

Kisrie Kelly's worst enemy Wendy Wetz has disappeared. On any other day it would be a good thing--she'd throw a parade and dance in the street--but Kiz's little sister has vanished as well, leaving most to believe the girls are in the hands of bad people. Determined to bring her sister home, she knows the first forty-eight hours are the most critical--at least that's what she knows from reading suspense novels.Soon Kisrie takes matters into her own hands with the help of her color guard friends. She'll do anything to get her annoying sister back, even if it means spending a night in jail and worse yet, bringing Wendy home too. But she soon finds herself face to face with way more than she bargained for--the evil world of human trafficking. Her family's worst nightmare has the power to bring them together or blow them all apart.

When fourteen-year-old Palmer Keene’s parents forced him to move to Grant City he lost his friends, his dog, his whole life. So what if he’d made a stupid mistake and ruined his father’s reputation? It wasn’t his fault, but his dad didn’t believe him.So when rebel Chad Tarpley sticks up for Palmer, the reluctant preacher’s kid is more than happy to call Chad a friend. His parents don’t approve, but they just don’t understand. Besides, Christians are supposed to love everyone, even kids who just got out of juvie and who live on the rough side of town like Chad. But is his new friend really who he seems?When Palmer is accused of a serious crime, he reluctantly turns to Miss Perfection, Cassie Hurst to help clear his name. The stakes are high for both Palmer and his family, and soon innocent lives are on the line. There is only one way Palmer can make things right, and that could cost him everything.A great, page-turning read for teens on the need and power of forgiveness.--BILL MYERS, bestselling author of Eli

When Kisrie Kelley’s lifelong nemesis Wendy Wetz crashes the Wyoming wilderness trip arranged exclusively for Kisrie and her color guard friends, it’s all Kisrie can do to keep her cool. Okay, so the “trip” is actually punishment for when the girls inadvertently foiled a police sting and caused a sex trafficking ring to get away. They’re supposed to learn to work together and make wise decisions, but is that even possible with trouble making Wendy, who isn’t even a member of guard, tagging along?What Kisrie doesn’t know is that Wendy is purposely drawing the man who kidnapped her toward herself to protect Kisrie’s younger sister. She also doesn’t know the serious PTSD Wendy’s fighting through each grueling step of the trip. Is there any chance a girl like her can be redeemed, or will the former Queen of Mean revert to her old ways for good? Pushed to their limits in the unforgiving wilderness, Kisrie and Wendy must face their fears. But what if the biggest fear is secretly hunting Wendy? If Kisrie happens to be in the way, well, that’s life… Or death.

Puffernut Flies South is a warm hearted fantasy for the young and the young at heart. A careless moment and an unplanned escape plunge Puffernut, a young cockatiel, into the wondrous world beyond his cage. When he discovers that he can’t find his way back, the best day of his life quickly turns from exciting to a little scary. Led astray by strangers, Puffernut embarks on a misdirected search for home. As his unplanned flight of passage takes him ever farther from his intended goal, it also leads him to new friends and new insights. Along the way he encounters a cast of memorable characters. There’s the knowledgeable Cadwalader P. Escurel a reclusive and slightly grumpy squirrel. A parrot, Capt’n Papagayo, is a wily old pirate guarding his treasure. Leopold the Great is an inch and a half long lizard who’s the benevolent king of all he surveys. Puffernut also faces challenges and dangers, confronting the likes of Rusty, a villainous cat, and a dread barbarian, Carnac the Usurper. Little Puffernut’s quest never returns him home but it leads him into an adventurous life in the wild and a newfound confidence in himself.At 11,847 words, the novelette, Puffernut Flies South, is a fun filled page turner that will leave young mid-grade readers well satisfied and wishing for more. Puffernut Flies South also appeals to: parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians who appreciate its out-loud readability and its positive life lessons.