Welcome to Shadowlands Ranch, headquarters for all things related to my (Anne J. Thomas) books and J.A. Fleming’s artwork. Just to save any confusion, Anne J. Thomas and J. A. Fleming are one and the same!
Situated where the Great Plains roll up to the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, not much has changed in this remote region in northeast New Mexico since the days of the Santa Fe Trail. History whispers to you as the wind stirs the grass and sighs through the fragrant juniper and piñon pines. It’s easy to daydream about a time when fleets of prairie schooners rumbled across the undulating prairie ocean to Santa Fe. On this site we celebrate those days and revisit them through the eyes of the characters in my novel “Into the Shadowlands”, and its sequel “Whispers Across the Plain“. Whether we relive the trail as it was when Tate and Abby crossed it in 1876 or visit it in the 21st Century, as Julia and Lisa did, there is so much to explore!

The memories of the pioneer days are embedded in this area around Watrous. Known as La Junta during the trail years, it was a major hub and meeting place and the scars left by the 1000’s of wagons that traveled through this lush vale, (where two rivers, the Mora and the Sapello, meet) are deeply etched in the earth. The ruins of historical sites like Fort Union and Loma Parda are nearby and even a herd of buffalo roam at the Wind River Ranch just eight miles away. But along with the history, there is what makes New Mexico so unique. With its magical light, superstitions, traditions and art, it is known as the Land of Enchantment. Multi-cultural and authentic local craftsmen,  photographers, painters and weavers dwell in many of the little villages that date back to the time when New Mexico was still part of old Spain