Kay Ellington, Editor and Publisher

8.20.2017  Joe Tone on Bones, breaking through from journalism to the publishing deal, and the smell of new books

In his debut book, Joe Tone tells the story of how two brothers, one immigrating to the U.S. and the other joining the Zeta cartel of Mexico, crossed paths later in life. Although the tale is as gripping as any novel, it’s not fiction. It’s a true story, and since 2012 former Dallas Observer editor Tone has been trying to solve the puzzle of a family saga of cartels, horse racing, and cowboys. Last week Tone talked us with via email, to tell us a bit about how he put the pieces together.

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: Congratulations on your new book and your movie deal! Since 1997 you’ve been on a relentless path — college, graduate school, daily newspaper, a series of alternative newspapers, working most recently as the editor-in-chief of the Dallas Observer. How did growing up in Northern California in the 1980s and ’90s inspire your decision to go into journalism?

JOE TONE: My mom played a big role, always strategically leaving the newspaper in front of my breakfast in the morning. Sports helped, too: I loved them, but was never quite big enough to compete, so I used my reporter’s notebook as my way onto the sidelines and into locker rooms. That started me on the path to storytelling, and I had some great professors, editors, and mentors who expanded my journalistic and literary horizons over the years.>>READ MORE

Texas’s only statewide, weekly calendar of book events

Bookish Texas event highlights  8.20.2017
>> GO this week   Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor

News Briefs 8.20.17

Permian Basin Writers’ Workshop slated for Sept. 15–17 in Midland

The Third Annual Permian Basin Writers’ Workshop will be held Sept. 15-17, 2017, at Midland College. Administered by the Permian Basin Bookies, a nonprofit organization of West Texas writers, and the Midland Public Library, the workshop aims to bring nationally recognized members of the writing community to the Permian Basin once a year to provide high level professional development for the local writing and literary community.

This year’s three-day event features an all-day overview of publishing options on Friday, fifteen different break-out sessions on craft and the business of publishing on Saturday, and special seminars on Christian publishing and screenplay writing on Sunday. >> READ MORE

Wild River Press invites proposals from Texas authors

An international publisher of high-quality hardcover fishing and hunting titles is expanding its geographic reach, with sights set on Texas for a series of new books in 2018.

“Texas is known far and wide as one of the great outdoor states in the country,” said Tom Pero of Wild River Press. “We hope to work with talented Texas writers to bring that experience to print in a special way that accurately captures, celebrates and salutes your fine outdoor tradition.”

During the last decade, Wild River Press has won a string of gold, silver, and bronze medals for editorial graphics and editorial excellence. Among its award-winning titles are Blue Marlin Magic, A Passion for Tarpon, and A Passion for Grouse. >> READ MORE

 ——­——— A D V E R T I S E M E N T —————

Lone Star Listens compilation available Sept. 15, for readers, fans, and writers everywhere

The present generation of Texas authors is the most diverse ever in gender, age, and ethnicity, and in subject matter as well.

Week in, week out, Lone Star Literary has interviewed a range of Texas-related authors with a cross-section of genre and geography. To capture this era in Texas letters, we’re pleased to bring you

Lone Star Listens:

Texas Authors on Writing and Publishing

edited by Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon; introduction by

Clay Reynolds

Available in trade paper, library hardcover, and ebook Fall 2017

360 pages, with b/w illustrations and index

Featuring novelists, poets, memoirists, editors, and publishers, including:

Rachel  Caine • Chris  Cander • Katherine  Center • Chad S. Conine • Sarah  Cortez • Elizabeth  Crook • Nan  Cuba • Carol  Dawson • Patrick  Dearen • Jim Donovan • Mac Engel • Sanderia  Faye • Carlos Nicolás Flores • Ben Fountain • Jeff  Guinn • Stephen  Harrigan • Cliff  Hudder • Stephen Graham Jones • Kathleen Kent • Joe R. Lansdale • Melissa Lenhardt • Attica Locke • Nikki  Loftin • Thomas  McNeely • Leila  Meacham • John  Pipkin • Joyce Gibson Roach • Antonio  Ruiz-Camacho • Lisa  Sandlin • Donna  Snyder • Mary Helen Specht • Jodi  Thomas • Amanda Eyre Ward • Ann  Weisgarber • Donald Mace Williams

As a collection of insights into the writing and publishing life, the book will be useful in creative writing classes (not just in Texas alone) and other teaching settings, as well as for solo reading and study—and a great Texas reference volume.

• Lone Star Listens will be available for preorder May 31 and will ship around Aug. 1.
• Examination and review copies will be available May 31 in watermarked pdf format.