# Calling Crow - a new and different family saga for your Kindle!



## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

_Calling Crow _ is book one of the Southeast Series.

"Frontier fiction at its finest and most compelling." -- Terry C. Johnston

Chapter 1​
The blue sky stretched over and away from the green bean field, seemingly all the way to the ends of the earth. It was a medicine sky, and as Calling Crow worked with two other men, he knew something bad was coming. A small fire crackled around the already-narrowed base of a tree they were felling as they chopped away the brittle, blackened wood with their stone axes.

Calling Crow was the tallest of the three, muscled and slender. He paused in his chopping and glanced back at the sky.

The tree was still as big around as a fat old man, and he knew this job would take them most of the day. He removed the short mantle of woven bark which covered just the upper part of his body. Now, like the other two braves, he wore only a breechclout of deerskin held in place by a leather girdle. His pleasing, oval face was copper-colored like a leaf in autumn, and he had high cheeks and a full, proud nose. He picked up the axe and chopped powerfully at the tree.

The larger of the other two braves, Sun Watcher, knelt as he used his axe to heap glowing embers up and against the trunk. Birdfoot, a small thin brave, swung tiredly at the tree, breaking off a piece with a clinking sound. His intense face was blackened here and there with soot.

Calling Crow noticed something moving in the distance and put down his axe. With brown eyes the color of a pool of cedar water, he stared at the far-off tree line. A solitary figure was approaching, running very fast.

Both young men turned to Calling Crow after a while. The runner had momentarily disappeared behind a distant sand dune.

"What is it?" said Sun Watcher.

"A runner is coming," said Calling Crow. A moment later the figure crested the dune moving so fast they all immediately grabbed their clubs, looking to see if he was being chased. He was not, being instead in a great state of excitement. He tried to shout and lost his footing, tumbling and throwing up a spray of sand. He rolled into a heap as the others ran up to him. It was Calling Crow's cousin, Runs Like Deer. He got to his knees, coughing as he fought for breath.

Calling Crow clapped him on the back. "Cousin, what is it? What have you to tell us?"

"Hurry," said Runs Like Deer between gasps, "it is the men from the heavens, come down in their cloudboats!" He got to his feet and staggered back up the dune.

Calling Crow, Sun Watcher, and Birdfoot looked at each other for a moment and then went back to the tree to get their bows. They followed Runs Like Deer up the dune. 
Only a handful of villagers had ever seen the men from the heavens in their beautiful cloudboats. It was said that they roamed the big water in search of newly dead souls to take to the land of the dead.

A half hour later Calling Crow, Sun Watcher, and Birdfoot gasped for breath as they reached the top of the bluff. They found a swarm of little ones, boys mostly, looking out to sea. Their shouting pierced the air like gull cries as they jumped and pointed. A somber-faced old man and woman knelt facing the sea as they prayed.

Calling Crow climbed to a higher vantage and looked out. He could not believe what he saw. Out on the sea at a great distance, two white clouds had detached themselves from the blue heavens and now sat on the waters. As the warm rays of the sun burned into his face, a chill went through him. There was no doubt that this was a sign, but what did it mean?

Calling Crow watched a boy put an arrow to his bow. His arm muscles bulged as he pulled the feathered shaft back to his cheek. Calling Crow frowned at the other boys watching expectantly. They should know by now that even if an arrow could reach the distant cloudboats, it would only pass harmlessly through them, for they were from the spirit world.

The boy released his arrow, and it arced out a good distance and fell into the sea beyond the rocks. Undaunted, he lay on his back, and using his legs to hold his bow, launched another arrow. It too fell woefully short. Disappointed, the crowd of boys again fixed their attention on the distant cloudboats. A mild seaward breeze started up behind them as Runs Like Deer came over to stand beside Calling Crow. Together they watched the two white shapes in silence.

"I think they're moving," said Runs Like Deer.

Calling Crow strained his eyes and detected the ships closing the distance to the dark point of land jutting out on the periphery of his vision. What did these things bode for his people? A huge cloud passed overhead, and the sea turned the wintry color of dead leaves. Smoke reached Calling Crow's nostrils. He turned to see two boys on their haunches, blowing a handful of smoking kindling into flame to call the people from heaven. Calling Crow ran over. "No," he said angrily as he kicked the flames out. "We must not call them until the Council of Old Men has been consulted."

The boys glowered at Calling Crow, and he glared back at them.

"Go away!"

The boys walked off, and Calling Crow turned and looked back out to sea. The cloudboats had disappeared, but he could not take his eyes off the sea. What were those things? The sight of them caused a great fear and sadness in his heart. He said nothing to the others, and after a while they wandered off. He sat in the sand and stared out at the waters. Despite the warmness of the day, he shivered. The sea often had that effect on him, ever since it had taken his father. Back when he was a boy, his father had gone out fishing with some other men when a storm suddenly came up. Calling Crow remembered running to the beach, crying as the wind lashed his face and lightning lit the angry sky. The next morning the empty canoe had washed up on the beach and his father and the other man had never been found.

Copyright © 1995 by Paul Clayton


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

Sounds good. I just downloaded a sample and will probably be adding this to my TBR list.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is just a little bump to tell all the Kindle folks about a wonderful novel.

Best! 
Calling Crow


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is 'another' little bump to tell all about a fine novel.


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## DonnaFaz (Dec 5, 2009)

callingcrow said:


> This is 'another' little bump to tell all about a fine novel.


Hi, Paul,

I haven't seen your book thread before today. Welcome to KBs!

Pop over to the thread called "Tags, tags, tags" and start exchanging tags with your fellow authors. Tags are a way to get Amazon customers to notice your book.

~Donna~


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I just wanted to let folks know that I just made the first book in my Southeast Series available for readers, priced at only 99 cents.  The two other books will become available within the next couple of days.  Please check it out, and, please tell a friend!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hello again, Paul, and congratulations on your book.

(If you've gotten this welcome before, it's just as a matter of housekeeping. We like to put a copy of the "welcome letter" in each book thread. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, it just helps us know that you know the rules.)

A brief recap of our rules follows:

--We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Instructions are posted here.

--Please bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it; we ask that authors have only one thread per book and add to it when there is more information. You may start a separate thread for each book (or you may have one thread per series of books, or one thread for all of your books, it's your choice).

--You are encouraged to respond to member comments and questions, but remember that you may only bump your thread (back-to-back posts by you) once every seven days. Once you've responded to a member, that resets the clock to zero and you must wait seven days to post, unless another member posts before then.

--We ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead.

--Self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar; specifically, this means that you may not suggest your OWN book in Book Corner threads.  Our most successful authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles! Also, please note that putting link information in the body of your posts constitutes self promotion; please leave your links for your profile signature that will automatically appear on each post.

All this, and more, is included in our  Forum Decorum. Be sure to check it from time to time for the current guidelines and rules.

Oh, and one more thing: be sure to check out the index threads at the top of the Book Bazaar. . . .there are details there about how you can be listed so that our readers can find you. And there are threads at the top of the Writer's Cafe with further information on promotional opportunities here at KindleBoards

Thanks for being part of our little community! Feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Please check out the first volume of my Southeast series. The Series chronicles the encounters of the coastal Muskogee with various European visitors in the sixteenth century.

1555. Calling Crow is haunted by his recurring dream of the Destroyer who will one day lay waste to his village. Then Spanish colonial slavers from the island of Hispaniola arrive on the shores of the Southeast, lands that have been home to the Muskogee people for generations. Calling Crow and another brave are taken and bound into slavery. Life in the gold pits and slave camps is humiliating and brutal, but Calling Crow refuses to let them break his spirit. Aided by a kindly priest, Calling Crow vows to learn the language and ways of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy in order to eventually save his own people. But first he must regain his own freedom.

"Frontier Fiction and its finest and most compelling" Terry C. Johnston

http://www.amazon.com/Calling-Crow-Southeast-Series-ebook/dp/B004EYUI9G/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_3


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## Dana Taylor (Jan 8, 2010)

This sounds exciting and an interesting time period to learn about.  Good luck with it!

Dana Taylor


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Thank you, Dana.  I'm hoping folks will give it a try.  I don't think they'll be disappointed.
Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

When I was writing my _Calling Crow _ series, getting into the heads of my sixteenth century Spanish conquistadores sometimes seemed more of a stretch than understanding the coastal Muskogee people living along the Florida coast. Why? Well, which people, as depicted in current cultural treatments, is more approachable, more imaginable-- gentle people living in small communities, fishing and planting on a small scale as to leave nary a trace on the environment?

Or, a people emboldened by their recent military expulsion of a longtime, foreign invader (the Spanish Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula), governed by an overarching moral structure (15th century Catholicism), that has set itself upon a quest for worldwide dominance, using 'conversion' both as a tool to pacify native people, and as a salve to the conscience of the conquerors', telling themselves that at least the people they enslave and work half to death will go to a better world when their miserable lives are over, due to having been baptized?

I put everything I had as a young writer into _Calling Crow_. I think it is, to quote one of my mentors, 'a damn good book.' Another fine writer, Terry C. Johnston, author of _Crack in the Sky_, called it, "Frontier fiction at its finest and most compelling."

I hope you'll give it a try.

Paul Clayton


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hello again, Paul. I've merged your latest post with your existing thread for this book. . .and realized it never got our 'official' welcome post. So here it is! 

(If you've gotten this welcome before, it's just as a matter of housekeeping. We like to put a copy of the "welcome letter" in each book thread. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, it just helps us know that you know the rules.)

A brief recap of our rules follows:

----We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Instructions are posted here.

--Please bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it; we ask that authors have only one thread per book and add to it when there is more information. You may start a separate thread for each book (or you may have one thread per series of books, or one thread for all of your books, it's your choice).

--You are encouraged to respond to member comments and questions, but remember that you may only bump your thread (back-to-back posts by you) once every seven days. Once you've responded to a member, that resets the clock to zero and you must wait seven days to post, unless another member posts before then.

--We ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead.

--Self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar; specifically, this means that you may not suggest your OWN book in Book Corner threads.  Our most successful authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles! Also, please note that putting link information in the body of your posts constitutes self promotion; please leave your links for your profile signature that will automatically appear on each post.

All this, and more, is included in our  Forum Decorum. Be sure to check it from time to time for the current guidelines and rules.

Oh, and one more thing: be sure to check out the index threads at the top of the Book Bazaar. . . .there are details there about how you can be listed so that our readers can find you. And there are threads at the top of the Writer's Cafe with further information on promotional opportunities here at KindleBoards

Thanks for being part of our little community! Feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I've decided to keep the price at a dollar until my promo in March is over.  So check it out!  And, a POD copy will soon be available.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I have purchased this book, Paul.
I so thoroughly enjoyed White Seed that I know I will also enjoy this one.
And, if my research is correct, there are more of the Calling Crow stories?

Just sayin......


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

"Frontier fiction at its finest and most compelling!"  Terry C. Johnston.  What more can I say?  Check it out!  For only a buck!  Burma Shave...


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Wow, what a great intro into a fantastic series.  When Calling Crow was first published, it was the lead book in the catalogue!  Check it out at this fantastic (for the next two months) price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This sale won't last!  Check out a wonderful novel for only $0.99.  Originally published by Putnam/Berkley


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What a great read!  And for under a buck.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Just another reminder about a great read for only 99 cents.  And, the paperback version is now available also!  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Frontier fiction at its finest and most compelling! -- Terry C. Johnston


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

"Superb!" states the latest review.    I'm happy with that.  I've always known it was a damn good novel.  Anyway, this sale ($0.99) won't last forever.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I have finally gotten around to starting Calling Crow - terrific as I had expected.
I will come back and give a full report when I have finished it.

Just sayin.....


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A couple more weeks at this price.  Just got a  nice review and more coming (more good ones, I hope  ).  Enjoy!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I just finished this book last night.
Terrific.
Now I have to go get the 2nd Calling Crow book.

Just sayin......


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Thank you for the plug, Sir.  I hope you enjoy no. 2.
Best!
Paul Clayton


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Watch for the big push on Friday, the 25th, as CC rockets up in the charts.  Only 99 cents!  Also, check out my new review on Amazon.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great entry price.  I'm attempting to lower it even further!


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## poetzel (Feb 17, 2011)

No need to lower the price, it's a bargain at 99 cents


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Paul,
I completely agree with poetzel.
And I am now 75% through the second Calling Crow book.
gonna hafta get book three.

Just sayin.....


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, this book is delighting readers everywhere.  And at a great price.  Why not give it a try?


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel! And an even damner good price!!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

The price will be going up soon.  So if you want a damn good read that will take you away, check it out now.  And enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Just received another nice review for CC, bringing the total to 10.  Check out what is definitely a 'damned good novel.'


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

All right, Paul.
I have finished all three Calling Crow books.
I feel like he is an old friend now.
And I have loved reading so much about the Spanish incursion into America from the Native American point-of-view.
Horses are "big dogs" - wow.

I just want you to know how much I have enjoyed this body of work.

Just sayin......


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What can I say other than, this is a damn good novel!  Paul Clayton


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a great series, and a great introductory price.  Originally published by Putnam/Berkley.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

$0.99 for entry into a fantastic series.  I know you'll enjoy this book.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What a show!  And only 99 cents for admission!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Great price!  Great read!  Originally published by Putnam/Berkley.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Calling Crow, volume one of the Southeast Series, gateway to hours on hours of fine reading.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Recently imitated; never duplicated or topped...  read the original 'frontier fiction' saga.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Try the first book in a fabulous series.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Open a door into this wonderful world, for only $2.99.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Check out the series that's competing with the Gears's about 'the Conquest.'  Calling Crow is a fascinating, fun read.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is the first book in a fantastic series, originally published by Putnam/Berkley.  A damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great price.  A great intro, to a great trilogy. I hope you'll sample it.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

"Frontier fiction at its finest and most compelling..."  That's the short version.  I'll post Terry C. Johnston's complete blurb at a later point.  A great series at a great price.  Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Normally I get this up on Wednesday.  Anyway, I hope you give this book a look.  The first in the Southeast Series, it's a worthy read.
Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Get in on this fantastic series for only $2.99!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Hey, everybody!  Go on over to Goodreads.com and register to win one of twenty copies of my CreateSpace edition of Calling Crow.  So far only about 500 folks have registered and I'm giving away twenty copies.  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great saga you'll not soon forget (and two other books in the series), for only $2.99!  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Try this fantastic intro to a great series, for only $2.99!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What can I say?  Terry C. Johnston said it best.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Paul,
I am so glad that you continue to "bump" this thread.
Because everyone needs to be reminded that they can read this terrific series of books.
While each one can be read stand-alone with no problems, it is a stronger story if the Calling Crow books are read in order.
Thanks for writing them.

Just sayin.....


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is the first in the Southeast Series, one helluva read, for a great price.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

One helluva read for only $2.99!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Sample this wonderful saga today!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Still a steal at $2.99, and a damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A helluva bargain at 2.99 and a damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

One helluva read!  But don't take my word for it.  Sample it.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

So Paul,
Are there going to be any further novels about this time/place.
I thoroughly enjoyed Calling Crow - all three books.
What are you working on now?


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel!  And at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good read at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Try this fantastic series at a fantastic price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a good place to start if you would like to sample my writing.  If it is to your taste, you can go on to the two over (at this time) volumes in the series, and then on to White Seed.  I hope you'll give my books a try.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Before Plymouth, before Jamestown... there was Calling Crow! Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel!  And only three bucks!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Frontier Fiction at its finest!  -- Terry C. Johnston


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Start this great series, for a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A fantastic series!  Get your copy of book one before the price goes up!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Get your copy now before the price goes up!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Strike!  While the price is still low.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel at a damn good price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is the low-cost entry point to a series that will entertain you for over a week.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Check out a  fine series which puts you there...  Three books at a great price.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Lose yourself in this wonderful series.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

a wonderful series, originally published by Putnam/Berkley.  Enjoy.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful series at a great price.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, what can I say other than Have a Great Fourth!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Check out this great series for a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Check out this wonderful series for only $3.99!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful series at a great introductory price!  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series, at a great price!  Check out a sample today.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Time for a little reminder about a great book at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Go back to pre-Colonial America and spend time with Calling Crow.  Bet you'll have to read the sequals.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a wonderful book, and a wonderful series (3 books total).  I would love to read it myself but I'm too busy right now writing my next novel.  Bye!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful story at a great price.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

First contact...  No, not with aliens.  I'm talking about the first contact between the mighty nation of Spain and the Native Americans living along the Southeast coast.  Be there!  It's easy, just download the sample.  Enjoy.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Turn on your Kindle, press a few buttons, and you're off.  It's that easy to transport back to 16th century pre-America.  Historical fiction at its finest!  See for yourself!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Enter an ancient, brutal world where war and slavery are the norm.  Be transported... for only $2.99!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Frontier fiction at its finest!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

... till February 15th, at the bargain price of... you guessed it, $1.49!  A great way to 'taste' a great series. Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a temporary price reduction for a wonderful series.  Read the reviews; I ain't lying.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a great price for the introductory volume to the Southeast Series.  Enjoy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great book at a great price!  Soon to be an audio book.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great read at a great price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series.  Try a sample!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A great series, at a great price!  Sample the book today!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Frontier fiction at its finest! -- Terry C. Johnston


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a wonderful series at a great price!  Enjoy.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a great series! 

"Frontier fiction at its finest!" -- Terry C. Johnston


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful saga for a great price.  And, as Terry C. Johnston said,  "Frontier fiction at its most compelling!"


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