Most Recent story: Caught in a Storm – posted 08/06/2026 see summary below
A Day in the Life – A Bonanza of a Tale – by JC
Summary: A tongue-in-cheek view of a typical day for the Cartwright brothers, currently on the trail of a confidence man who suckered them during their Pa’s absence. Bonanza aficionados will find 105 episode titles embedded in the story.
Rating: T 2,550 words
Summary: Lotta Crabtree’s arrival in Virginia City seemed to spell trouble for the Cartwrights, or was it the beginning of a beautiful friendship? (WHN after “A Rose for Lotta”)
Rating: PG Word Count: 630
Adam entertains an old flame. Could it be love the second time around?
Rating: Teen Words: 750
A Stop at the Shady Villa – by JC
After a nearly fatal case of mistaken identity in Kiowa Flats, Joe and Hoss continue their quest for Texas Longhorn breeding stock, inadvertently stumbling across a potential goldmine. (Written for the 2025 Chaps & Spurs Third Quarter Challenge.) Rating G Word Count 2974
Summary: Insightful observations from the Journal of Hop Sing
Rating: G WC: 445
Adam’s Journal – She Walks in Beauty – by JC
Summary: Adam chronicles the Ragan Miller affair.
Rating: T Word Count 574
Summary: A moody portrait of a man seeking grace amid grief.
Rating: T Word Count 793
Summary: In his thirteenth summer, Joe meets a girl for all seasons.
Rating: K WC: 783
Summary: The seeds of a memorable friendship are sown during a chance encounter at a Boston bakery.
Rating: G Word Count: 646
Becoming Ben Cartwright aka The Ballad of Lorne Greene – by JC
Summary: The day a balding, middle-aged, B-movie actor became a legend in the making. Written in the style of Lorne Greene’s Number One hit recording of “Ringo”
Rating: G Word Count: 203
Summary: Ben Cartwright has twice known love and loss. Will the third time be the charm?
Rating: T 1,015 words
Best Little Bed & Breakfast in Nevada (The) – by JC
Summary: The Cartwrights entertain house guests. Again. Joe has a better idea.
Rating: K+, or maybe T- 4512 words
Summary: A tribute in rhyme for everyone who loves the Cartwrights, especially those who love to write about them.
Rating: G 560 words
Joe’s plans for a romantic rendezvous go awry when Mother Nature intervenes, but that’s not the worst of it…
Rating: T Word Count: 745
Christmas Lamb (The) – by JC
Summary: In this tongue-in-cheek tale told in rhyme, Hoss makes a surprising discovery in the snow and brings home another stray for Christmas
Rating: G Words 1,000
Written for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar
Families often share and share alike, but sometimes you get, sometimes you get got, and sometimes you get even. (Written for Camp in the Pines)
Rating: T Word Count: 2592
The Cartwright brothers compete against one another on Virginia City’s newest game show. Will it be bachelor #1, Bachelor #2, or Bachelor #3? Rating: T Word
Summary: A moment of reflection for Ben as he contemplates Christmas without Adam.
Rating: G Words: 730
Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar
Summary: A glimpse into the future with grandchildren on the Ponderosa. Ben gets more than he bargained for when he offers to keep Joe’s twins while their parents are away. (Part of the Jacob’s0 Ladder series, links below.)
Rating: G WC: 520
Summary: The fire from an old flame is rekindled.
Rating T Word count: 565
Face Down in the Dust – A Balland for the Broken – by JC
Adam’s friend Ed Payson learns too late that you can hang up your gun, bt it won’t let you go,
Rating T Word Count 250
Guardian (The) — What the Heart Knows – by JC
Synopsis: A fateful encounter at the river leads to a revelation for Adam Cartwright.
Rating: T 3,475 words
If at First You Don’t Succeed; or, A Lesson in the Cartwright Way – by JC
Summary: There are a few simple rules for growing up Cartwright: 1. Never underestimate your father. 2. Don’t forget the first rule.
Rating: K Word Count: 1195
Jack Richards #1 – 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…
(A Jack Richards story, Non-Bonanza)
Rating K 2583 words
Jack Richards #2 – 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
(A Jack Richards story, Non-Bonanza)
Rating: G 713 words
Jack Richards #3 – 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 #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: There are definite advantages to being the youngest Cartwright. And who would know that better than Little Joe?
Rating: G Word Count: 657
Last Gift of Christmas (The) – by JC
Summary: Ben gets some advice from an old friend, reminding him once more that not every gift is neatly wrapped and under the tree.
Written for the 2019 Advent Calendar
Rating: G Word Count: 2,325
Summary: Love comes unexpectedly to Hoss Cartwright, leaving a bittersweet memory. A poem inspired by “The Newcomers” Season One written by Thomas Thompson.
Rating: G 168 words
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch – by JC
The Cartwright brothers – you know them, you love them, but let’s face it – after all these years things have gotten pretty predictable around the Ponderosa. It’s the same old story in a nutshell…
Rating: G WC: 563
Summary: Rainy day reflections from Hoss Cartwright in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Rating: T Word Count: 643
Summary: Adam re-assesses his life in the aftermath of his broken engagement to Laura Dayton. WHN for “Triangle”
Rating: T Word Count: 4,184
More Than a Memory #2 – Convergence – by JC
Summary: Three years ago Adam left the Ponderosa for parts unknown, and now Ben finally gets the news he has been praying for – his firstborn is coming home. However, an unexpected reunion in Stockton isn’t the only surprise fate has in store for the Cartwrights. A Bonanza/Big Valley crossover story.
Rating: T 35,257 words
More Than a Memory #3 – From Shadows – by JC
Summary: Adam and Moira begin their future together amid shadows of the past.
Rating: MA (Adult Situations) Word Count: 1315
More Than a Memory #4 These are the Days – by JC
A glimpse of Adam Cartwright redux, back on the Ponderosa after a surprise reunion in Stockton and with a family of his own.
Rating T Word Count 1284
More Than a Memory #5 – Bitter, Sweet, Wonderful Everything – by JC
Summary: Their first little bird has flown the coop, and more change is on the way for Adam and Moira.
Rating: T Word Count: 3445
More Than a Memory #6 – The Homecoming – by JC
Summary: All roads lead to home, in the end.
Rating PG Word Count: 3671
Summary: Strange things are afoot on the Ponderosa in these three after-dark comic vignettes.
Rating: K 1,040 words
Poetry of Ben and Adam Cartwright (The) – by JC
Summary: With such a well of inspiration from which to draw, one could imagine them putting pen to paper on occasion. Ben’s “Journey to the Sea” is an homage to his three wives; “Girl in the Moonlight” was composed by Adam.
Rating K+ WC 291
Synopsis: Sometimes life takes a man in a direction he never intended to go.
Rating: T 1682 Words
Summary: After an extended absence, Adam Cartwright is returning home to the Ponderosa, but an overnight stop in a California town leads to an unforeseeable delay.
Rating: T Word Count: 17967
Synopsis: A poem about what can happen when a man’s pride gets in the way of love. If the subject is a Cartwright, it’s bound to be Adam.
Rating: T Word Count: 400
Rarely Pure, Never Simple – by JC
Summary: Joe Cartwright makes a choice between his family and the woman he loves.
Rating: T Word Count: 658
Summary: A view from the riverbank, the one left behind. A poem of transition, resistance, and acceptance. Posted in recognition of World Poetry Day 2022.
Synopsis: One man’s “Field of Dreams” is another woman’s fantasy.
Rating PG 1,010 words
Summary: It’s a whale of a Christmas tale with grandchildren on the Ponderosa. Inspired by the quilt pattern, Jacob’s Ladder.
Written for the 2018 Advent Calendar
Rating: G 3,000 words
Summary: A Bonanza Gothic poem written for the “Once Upon A Midnight Dreary” challenge honoring the birthday of Edgar Allen Poe.
Rating K+ Word Count 251
Tales of the Cartwright Zone – “Brothers Family Feud” – by JC
Summary: Following the success of their appearance on The Dating Game, the Cartwright Brothers take on the Bolt Brothers of Seattle in the Virginia City premier of a new game show. (A Bonanza/Here Come the Brides crossover)
Rating: T Word Count:1975
Summary: An exploration of perhaps the most controversial subject in Bonanza fanfiction — what if Ben and Marie also had a daughter? But this is not a story about a Cartwright sister. Though viewed through a different lens, it’s a story about a family we all know and love, whose relationships are tested and reaffirmed in the face of the inevitable.
Rating: K+ 27,820 words
Ties that Bind # 2 – Imperfect Memory – by JC 
Synopsis: A conversation overheard at a party evokes Adam’s memories of Marie and his own first love.
Rating: PG-13 for adult situations, mild language 47,550 words
Ties that Bind # 3 – A Pearl Without Price – by JC
Synopsis: Adam Cartwright knows well there are some things in this world that money can’t buy, and other things are priceless.
Rating K+ 1,425 word
Ties That Bind # 4 – A Piece of Cake – by JC
Synopsis: How hard can it be, taking care of two little boys for one day? That’s what Joe thinks….
Rating K WC 1661
Ties That Bind # 5 – Something About Amy – by JC
Summary: Tennyson said, “It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” What would Joe Cartwright say? WHI/WHN for The Truckee Strip and part of the Ties That Bind AU series Rating K+ 1782 words
Ties That Bind # 6 – Guarding the Hen House – by JC
Summary: A too-pretty girl, a Saturday night dance, and a little moonlight mischief. Not to worry—Adam’s got it covered.
Rating: T 2859 words
Ties That Bind # 7 – When Angels Cry – by JC
Summary: The arrival of a range detective in Virginia City means trouble for Adam in more ways than one. A WHI for The Flannel-Mouth Gun, part of the Ties That Bind series
Rating: T 13,258 words
Ties that Bind # 8 – No Ordinary Day – by JC
Summary: It was just a typical, uneventful trip into town for the Cartwrights. Or was it?
Rating K+ 2080 words
Ties that Bind # 9 – Winter of Discontent – by JC
Summary: An early snow and bitter cold has Ben Cartwright feeling his age, but there is more than just the dreary season behind his winter woes. Set in the Ties That Bind universe but can be read alone
Rating T 6842 words
Ties that Bind #10 – Interval – by JC
Summary: What is it like, being a Cartwright daughter? Only one person could tell you, and it might not be what you think. This story is an expansion of a recent Pine Cone Challenge, the prompt being “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.”
Rating: T 2,093 words
Ties That Bind #11 – Not to Me – by JC
Summary: All Cartwrights are not created equal. In this sequel to Interval, Jilly makes a decision in opposition to her family that will ultimately change the course of her life, for better or worse.
Rating: G Word Count: 1778
Ties that Bind #12– Gently, Full of Grace – by JC
Summary: Two Cartwright lives take a tragic turn during a trip abroad. Will they ever be able to go home again? Part of the Ties That Bind AU series
Rating: K+ 4372 words
To the One — A Poem by Adam Cartwright – by JC
My entry for the World Poetry Day March 21 Challenge — A poem by Adam Cartwright. Summary: The choices a man makes in his youth may be called into question over time.
Rating K 221 words
Summary: Unexpected guests arrive at the Ponderosa on Halloween night. Written for the Michael Landon 2017 Birthday Challenge, it includes a re-imagining of events depicted in “The Strange One” Season 7 .
Rating: K+ 3702 words
