Ryland Creek Saga

It was a simpler time.

Widower Jacob Ernst struggles to raise his two young sons, Nathan and Mead, on their modest farm. They’ve grown up listening to the nighttime songs of hounds in the pursuit of the wily ringtail. Chasing raccoon through darkened hills, Jacob teaches his sons the legends of their hometown and a deep respect for all woodland creatures. For this is Painted Post—a storied place where the lessons of life, love, and death play out beneath its mighty oaks.

But worlds collide.

Evil follows the Ernsts and their hounds into these mystical hills. The scourge of the illegal drug trade, coupled with the treachery of one of their own, leads to an inevitable showdown. Some will learn not all of Painted Post’s vivid tales are pure legend, and this rugged woodland wields a brutal justice. For in the darkest hollows, unbreakable bonds are forged.

Second place winner: 2022 New York State Outdoor Writers Association Excellence in Craft Awards—Television, Radio, Video, and Audio category!