Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War A Luke and Jenny Adventure, the second installment of the Luke and Jenny series of historical novels by Arizona author and storyteller Gayle Martin, has been named as a finalist in the Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards under the category of children’s fiction.

In Martin’s book Luke and Jenny, a young brother and sister, visit the historic town of Lincoln, New Mexico, with their mother as part of their summer vacation. But when a thunderstorm begins to brew they soon realize things are not as they seem. Luke and Jenny are mysteriously swept back in time and find themselves face-to-face with the infamous Billy the Kid. Young readers are right there with Luke and Jenny as they learn firsthand the real story of Billy Bonney and the battle for control of Lincoln County. Adults too can learn about this famous and mysterious outlaw.

“I entered this book as an unpublished manuscript,” says Martin, “I hadn’t had the chance to send it to my editor yet. But taking risks is part life, and I look at literary competitions as part of the fun of being an author.” But she admits she was still surprised.

“I knew the competition in the children’s books category would be very tough. So to be named a finalist, among all those other entries that were already published and edited, really made me feel validated as a writer, and as a storyteller.”

Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War – A Luke and Jenny Adventure is published by Five Star Publications, Inc.,  ISBN 978-158985-119-1 historical fiction, and is available through Ingram and Baker & Taylor.  For more information and/or to schedule an interview with the author, please contact Gayle Martin.