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Jack Richards #1 – There is a Season – by JC
Summary: A man’s life and the things that matter most are revealed in a series of Christmas Eve vignettes. Mind you, this is not a Bonanza story. It is a piece of original fiction featuring a character born many years ago in a Bonanza World journal—an actor named Jack Richards, not-so-loosely based on the real life of Pernell Roberts. If that intrigues you, or if you’re just in the mood for an easy read in keeping with the season, you may enjoy this. I hope so.
Rating: T 11,083 words
Jack Richards #2 – Right is the Third Left – by JC Summary: He may be retired, but to his fans Jack Richards will always be Alex Carver, the most drop dead gorgeous cowboy to ever roam the Badlands…
Rating K 2583 words
Jack Richards #3 – When Your True Lover Comes Your Way – by JC Summary: It’s another Wednesday, another “western of the week” for a young actor still looking for his big break. But a man’s luck can change when he least expects it. A Jack Richards story for Valentine’s Day
Rating: G 713 words
Jack Richards #4 – Reprise – by JC Summary: Tragedy offers a middle-aged actor a second chance at the role of a lifetime. (A Jack Richards story, Non-Bonanza)
Rating: T 11,709 words
Jack Richards #5 – Return to Grace – by JC Summary: In this comedy from the Jack Richards/Malibu Sunset archives, Jack returns to his hometown to honor a last request. But not everyone got the memo…. (Posted this week in honor of Pernell Roberts’ birthday)
Rating: K Word Count: 2603
Summary: When twelve-year-old Joe comes home from school without his jacket, it’s up to Hoss to find out why.
Rated: K WC 1700
SUMMARY: Joe has talked Hoss into another scheme although for a good cause, and Ben confronts Roy about it in this sometimes serious, sometimes flippant story.
rating = pg word count = 1064
Je T’aime, Ma – by Pulitzer2016
Summary: Eleven-year-old Adam never wanted another step Mother, but now that Marie is on the Ponderosa – and six months’ pregnant – there’s little he can do but be polite and try not to think of the beloved step Mother he lost. But when Ben goes away on a business trip and Marie is injured, Adam must ride alone for help. Along the way, he realizes that things have a way of becoming precious, even when we don’t intend them to.
Rating: K Word Count: 12,446
Summary: A mysterious young woman rescues Joe from the Truckee River. But who is she really?
9,015 words Rated: T
Jenny and David Series #1 – Love is Blind – by Cinderella
Summary: Jennifer Cartwright, Ben’s adopted daughter, is a rough-ridin’ tomboyish kind of girl, that is, until Pa sends her to check up on David Williams, who had been blinded a few months earlier. Romance, Drama, and Goodbyes all rolled into one.
CAUTION: Introduces two non-canon characters!
Rated: K+ 5,600 words
Jenny and David Series #2 – Love Me Tender – by Cinderella
Summary: Jenny gets her first teaching job, and she and David build a house. Short but sweet–more of a happy story, doesn’t really have any action. All reviews are very appreciated!! Sequel to Love is Blind
Rated: K+ 6,050 words
Jenny and David Series #3 – Bleeding Love – by Cinderella
Summary: David has come home and everything seems to be going well…that is, until Jenny is kidnapped! Can the Cartwrights find her before something horrible happens? Part 3 in the ‘Jenny & David’.
Rated: K+ 8,320 words
Summary: Hoss has an unusual gift for Little Joe. A prequel challenge piece.
Rating: K WC: 510
Summary: Jewels can be found many places; one just has to learn to appreciate them.
Rated: K+ Word count: 535
Summary: Hoss Cartwright has found an untraditional meaning to Jingle Bells. Not a Christmas story, just a lesson in love.
Rated: G 2,260 words
Summary: Adventures in ‘riding herd’ leads one brother on a merry chase.
Rating: G Words: 550
Written for the 2023 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Summary: A group of poems about Joe Cartwright .
Rating: K Word Count: 578
Joe & Anna #1 – The Assassin – by Rita
Synopsis: First in a series involving Joe and his love interest, Anna Ravinsky. Joe has to learn the identity of someone who has been hired to murder a prominent citizen of Nevada before it’s too late.
Rating: PG (12,000 words)
Joe & Anna -2 – Captured Minds – by Rita
Synopsis: The second in a series about Joe and Anna. Anna is abducted and Joe is hurt in her rescue, leaving him with severe headaches and loss of memory of the incident. Anna is upset that every time someone hurts Joe, she has to suffer along with him and decides to leave Virginia City. Joe has to regain his memory in time to find the abductors and keep Anna from leaving.
Rating: PG (19,850 words)
Joe Cartwright, Junior Detective – by BettyHT
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright was born curious. He unfortunately was also devious and prone to avoiding work whenever possible. In possession of other traits that could work to his advantage or against him, Little Joe Cartwright could have been the greatest outlaw in the West. However, he grew up in the right family and learned to use his powers for good. That was especially important in the life of his oldest brother a short time after Adam returned home from college.
Rating T Words: 9020
Joe Cartwright – Magician! – by Questfan
SUMMARY: My entry for the Michael Landon Birthday Challenge. Michael was well known as a practical joker and the challenge was to write a Bonanza story celebrating that fun side of Michael in his role as Joe Cartwright. Make it scary, funny, or dramatic . . . or all three!
Rating: K Word Count: 659
Joe Cartwright – Seven Up – by JoanS
Summary: A woman finds an old diary in an antique store.
Rated: K 15,220 words
Summary: Ben gets word to say his youngest son is dead.
Rated: K+ 7,440 words
Joe’s Christmas Wish – a Christmas poem – by KateP
Summary: What does Joe wish for Christmas?
Rating: G (130 words)
Summary: It’s love at first sight… again.
Rating: K+ 4,060 words
Summary: Joe decides to take Adam’s advice and turns to a journal to work through something that is weighing on his soul.
Word Count: 14,277 Rated: K+
Summary: Joe was tossed off of a horse and hurt badly. With Hoss and Ben away on business, Adam is left with the responsibility of taking care of Joe. What he doesn’t expect is the book he finds in Joe’s nightstand drawer.
Rating: G Word count: 2727
Summary: A What Happened Later for A Time to Step Down.
Rating: K+ 2,350 words
Summary: 2010 Halloween Challenge: Injured and alone Ben prepares to take a journey.
Rated: K+ Word Count: 5050
Summary: An accident forces Joe to embark upon a journey he had never expected to take.
11,075 words Rating: T
Journey Home (The) – by Tavia42
Summary: On a trip away from the Ponderosa, the Cartwright boys encounter some old friends and one old foe. Even though he has a grudge against Hoss, Joe becomes the target in his scheme for revenge. A What Happened (Much) Later for “The Ape,” featuring Leonard Nimoy as Freddy, and a What Happened (Long) Before for the “Quaker Girl” episode of Gunsmoke, featuring William Shatner as Fred Bateman. No knowledge of Gunsmoke is necessary to read this story.
Rating: PG | Word Count: 22,322
Journey Through the Valley of the Dead – by ViveAdam
Summary: Cindy arrives in Virginia City, in search of a father left for three years, looking for a gold mine.
Rated: K + WC 30,600
Journey Worth Remembering – by JoanS
Summary: A trip for Ben and ten year old Little Joe takes an unexpected turn.
Rated: K 21,260 words
Joy Cometh in the Morning – by DebbieB
Summary: After their father’s death, Adam and Hoss are forced to put aside their own grief in an effort to save the life of their grieving youngest brother. Ben’s death has devastated Joe, turning his world upside down. No longer able to face the future without the man he loved and respected and more often than not, needed, Joe gives in to his despair and takes to his bed waiting for death to claim him. Adam and Hoss know that only a miracle can save their brother now, will it come in time and who is this man that claims to be the real Ben Cartwright?
Rating: G 12, 575 words
Summary: Virginia City’s Annual Independence Day Festival, as reported by Sam Clemens. Written for Round 1 of the Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament. My words were: Roy Coffee, Dr. Martin, politician, engagement, and ledger.
Rating: K Word Count=2049
Summary: A WHN for “The Hunter” and “The Crucible.” Twelve years ago, there was Kane; this time, it’s Tanner. Once more, the Cartwrights grapple with the repercussions when one of their own is tortured by a madman.
Rated PG13 WC 20,300
Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged – by Rona
Summary: Ever been accused of jumping to the wrong conclusion?
4,205 words Rated: T
Judgment – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: A story of struggle, suffering, and triumph for the Cartwrights.
Rated: T – Word Count: 59500
Summary: A prequel to “The Julia Bulette Story”. It attempts to explain the apparent connection between Ben and Julia.
Rating: T Word Count: 2480
Summary: A ‘What Happened Instead’ for the Julia Bulette Story, seen from Julia’s point of view. Mild sexual content.
Rated: MA WC 26,000
July 1898 – by the Tahoe Ladies
Summary: Ben writes down his thoughts… Warning character death.
Rated T Word Count: 1640
Summary: Hoss exhibits, once again, his ability to find friends in the strangest places. A WHB for “The Tall Stranger”
Rated: Family Friendly / Word count: 1973
Jury (The): A Missing Scene – by Grimesgirl
Summary: Just what was Adam supposed to do when he returned to Virginia City only to hear malicious talk concerning Hoss?
Rating: K+ 1,400 words
Jury-Go-Round (The) – by Puchi Ann
Summary: Written for Camp in the Pines, 2018. Sometimes the best show in town is in the courtroom, especially when the Cartwrights are involved.
Rating: K Word Count: 5,385
Just a Chance – by KateP Summary: Little Joe puts himself in danger when he tries to help a friend.
Rating: T (14,790 words)
Just a Dream, Maybe Not – ElayneA
Summary: A little bit of England visits the Ponderosa
Rating: G 1,660 words
Written for the 2024 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Just a Neighbor – by Millieshepherd
Summary: In the aftermath of Laura Dalton running off with Will Cartwright and Adam’s accident that left him crippled, he is still trying to recover both physically and emotionally. In an attempt to heal and get rid of the itch to leave the Ponderosa for a while, he buys a six-month homestead claim contract. His piece of land is a beautiful little spot about forty miles north of the Ponderosa and he soon discovers his closest neighbor is a pretty young lady named Felicity Quinn. While helping each other through multiple situations, a close friendship grows between them and they aren’t sure if they want to continue to be “just neighbors”. (This story takes place around the beginning of season six.)
Rating: PG Word Count: 7,648
Just a Prank – by DKJ Summary: It was just a boy’s prank, so why did it cause such a rift between brothers.
Rating: K+ word count: 5279
Summary: It really was a misunderstanding. It could have happened to anyone, only it didn’t.
Rating: G 1,020 words
Just a Taste of Vengeance – by Little Jo Cartwright
Summary: After Adam Cartwright is shot down by an old enemy of Ben Cartwright’s, Joe swears to get even with the man who seriously injured his brother. Joe travels to Carson City in pursuit of Jed Clemens, his brother’s would-be murderer. But after Joe manages to locate Clemens, things start to go wrong…
Rating T 7,050 words
Just a… #1 Just a Little Disagreement – by freyakendra
Summary: Adam comes home with a black eye and a poor excuse for how he got it, so his family helps him produce a better plot..
Rating: PG
Just A… #2 The Dawson Gang – by freyakendra
Summary: The results of the boys’ efforts in Just a Little Disagreement.
Rating: PG
Just a… #3 Poker Game – by freyakendra
Summary: Joe comes home late from a poker game without a story worth telling, so Adam helps him concoct a plot intense enough to satisfy SJS fans everywhere.
Rating: PG
Just a… #4 Loser Take All – by freyakendra
Summary: The results of Just a… Poker Game.
Rating: PG
Just and the Unjust (The) – by JennyG
Summary: The rain falls on us all, and when the river rises, Adam’s plans take an unexpected turn.
Rating: T 8,250 words
Just Another Friday – by Lily of the West
Summary: Everybody needs a bucket. When a new hardware shipment containing identical-looking buckets arrives in Virginia City, a day full of fun and adventure ensues..
Rated: T 35,750 words
Just Another Unfortunate Accident – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: The Giggly Sisters turn their discerning eye on the accidents that befall a certain member of the Cartwright family.
Rated: T WC 1900
Summary: Little Joe Cartwright would never cheat, well, not at anything but checkers.
Rated: K Word count: 2918
Just One More Cookie – by Alley May
Summary: “Little Joe loves to eat cookies, but how far will he go to get them?”
Rated: K 1,480 words
Summary: Hoss finds an old abandoned well on the Ponderosa … the hard way.
Rating: K Word count: 8,648
Just the Two of Them – by Alley May
Summary: When little Joe and Marie are home alone for the day, little Joe helps her realize one very important fact.
Rated: K 1,930 words
Just the Way They Are – by BettyHT
Summary: Prequel. After Adam returns to the Ponderosa from college, Joe harbors a lot of jealousy of Adam and it colors all of his interactions with his oldest brother. The trip home from a cattle drive and a series of unfortunate events will begin healing the rift between the brothers.
WC = 8613 Rating: T
Just What You Always Wanted – by the Giggly Sisters
Summary: Ever wondered why you never see more than one bare-chested Cartwright at a time? Or why the boys bare feet are taboo? The Giggly Sisters investigate.
Rated: K+ WC 2300
Justice for Abigail – by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A companion story to You Can Always Check In by BettyHT.
Rating: T 17,700 words
Summary: Why did Adam really leave the Ponderosa. He claimed it was for Justice.
Rating: Teens, due to western-themed violence. (29,205 Words)