These Western Winds
Time Will Tell Series, Book 1
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Proverbs 27:17
Kansas Territory, 1854.
It was never supposed to be like this.
Eight years ago the Morrens left their life of wealth in Boston for a simpler life on the Western frontier. Now, their children are orphans, heirs to the Morren legacy, and stranded in the wild lands they loved . . . and someone will do anything to ensure they don’t make it back to Boston alive.
For Nathaniel and Carrie, the frontier town they’ve called home for so long now feels empty. Divided by their grief and waiting for their guardians to call them home to Boston, the two are oblivious to the danger that haunts their steps.
Enoch Slater has lived with the Morrens since his dad walked away seven years ago, leaving him bitter, but desperately trying to be strong. Now, with his life uprooted once more and his friends buried in their own grief, the burden of holding them all together falls heavily on his shoulders.
When foul play is uncovered in the Morren parents’ deaths, and danger comes closer than they could ever imagine, the three are forced to face their deepest fears.
Isolated in their sorrows, they must decide whether to turn to others for help or try to make it alone.
. . . But is it already too late?
Available Now!
Trigger Warnings:
- Abuse (physical, emotional) referenced and depicted, non-graphic
- Murder/attempted murder/hired assassin
- Death & Grief
- Depression
- Dissociative PTSD flashbacks and nightmares (including flashbacks of murder/injury/screaming)
- Gambling
- Moderate Violence (including mentions of blood; gun violence; one non-graphic on-page depiction of child abuse [physical not sexual] and several allusions to it; on-page fistfight/brawl)
- Parental abandonment/neglect
- Racist ideologies held by some characters
- Substance abuse (alcoholism; frequent theme, presented as destructive not good)
- Suicidal thoughts/past attempted suicide (referenced, not described)
- Teen marriage referenced (not encouraged)
General Content:
- ADHD Rep
- Dyslexia Rep
- Mental Health Rep
- No Spice (light flirting, teasing allusions to romance; married couples may kiss once or twice [not described])
- No swearing (references to “cursing” may appear a few times; foul language is not promoted, and no swear words or euphemisms for swear words are used)
- Openly Christian (multiple understandings of faith referenced)
- Uplifting of men/masculinity is a noticeable theme
- Working through grief
You know those old boys’ adventure books from the late 1800s and the early 1900s? I loved those as a kid.
As Iron Sharpens Iron began as a throwback to that style of writing. Did I nail it? No, it took on my personal voice as I went along. It also became the first in a series . . . which became the first in a series of series.
I have two main goals in all of my books: to show the biblical values I hold in action, and to encourage others to seek the truth and follow through with their beliefs no matter how tough life gets.
Nat and Enoch’s friendship being closer than brothers reflects how much I value loyalty, which is probably the most consistent theme throughout my writing.
I set this tale in 1854 because I chose the time period for the next book first. 😅 This one is perhaps less historically accurate than succeeding books will be because I developed the plot for this book last of all of them, but already had some key aspects written that I just couldn’t ditch for the sake of historicity. I chose Colorado as the setting (Kansas Territory at the time) because I wanted mountains . . . and then didn’t set it close enough to them for them to have any significance in the story. Go figure.
Rain hovered unfallen in the sky, shrouded in scattered clouds outlined starkly by bright moonlight as Nathaniel Morren descended from the Deanes’ barn loft, fiddle in hand. He went carefully so as not to knock the instrument against the rough-cut wooden ladder, worn smooth from frequent use. Enoch Slater met him below, eyes shining in the moonlight that flooded from the open door.
“Do you have it?” Enoch asked.
Nat lifted the fiddle so that it could be seen in the moonlight.
“You know this is a bad idea, right?” he said, pulling the string to close the trap door into the loft. “We have to be up early.”
“I know.” Enoch winked. “But you know you’re dying to play that tune you’ve been whistling all week.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t quite smile—it took more than that to pull a smile from him these days—but he wanted to for just a second.
Excerpt from ‘These Western Winds,’ by Lexi T. Walker © 2026
“Project Torn”
Time Will Tell Series, Book 2
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalms 103:12, HCSB
Publishing Timeline
This represents where I am at in the process currently. Keep an eye out for changes in that little blue bar, because things should be moving forward at a steady clip!
