{"id":1048,"date":"2018-12-31T15:24:05","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T15:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1048"},"modified":"2018-12-31T15:24:05","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T15:24:05","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1048","title":{"rendered":"Lone Star ReviewsMichelle Newby, NBCC,"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span><\/span>Lone Star Reviews<\/span>Michelle Newby, NBCC,<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n
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FICTION<\/p>\n

Jan Reid<\/span><\/p>\n

Sins of the Younger Sons<\/span><\/p>\n

TCU Press<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 320 pages, 978-0-87565-428-7 (ebook also available); $32.50<\/p>\n

June 2017<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Si Dunn<\/p>\n

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,<\/span> thousands of Basques left their economically and politically troubled homeland along the border between Spain and France. Many of them resettled thousands of miles away, in parts of South America, Central America, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States, including along the Texas-Mexico border.<\/p>\n

Austin writer Jan Reid\u2019s<\/span> intriguing new novel, Sins of the Younger Sons,<\/span> takes readers back to the mountainous Basque country in the mid-1990s, through the eyes and actions of Luken \u201cLuke\u201d Burgoa. Luke is a Texan raised as a Basque inside the fences of his family’s Texas ranch, yet often dismissed as \u201cjust another South Texas Mexican\u201d by suspicious neighbors.\u00a0 >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>Texas Reads<\/span>Glenn Dromgoole<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Story for grandson to become seven-book fantasy series<\/h1>\n

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Plano police captain Steve Copling is the author of the first book<\/span> in a new series of young adult fantasy novels, Sage Alexander and the Hall of Nightmares<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Brown Books, $18.99 hardcover).<\/p>\n

The 400-page novel was Copling\u2019s response to a request from his grandson, Sage Alexander Copling, then ten, to write him a book for Christmas. He gave the main character\u2014- a legendary warrior with supernatural abilities who must save the human race from the Seven Princes of Hell \u2014 his grandson\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

It was originally a 28,000-word novella that became the basis for the longer novel. The next year he turned out another novella for Sage\u2019s younger brother, Nikhil, which is the foundation for what will be the second book in the series.<\/p>\n

The seven-book series is based on the seven deadly sins. Copling said his objective in developing the series was simply to write stories that Sage and Nikhil would enjoy reading.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I continue to focus on that goal,\u201d he says, \u201cI know that other kids their age will also love getting to know Sage Alexander and reading about his adventures.\u201d Copling, who has spent more than thirty-five years in law enforcement and corporate security, has also written two adult crime novels, The Listener<\/span> and The Shooting Season,<\/span> which contain no profanity, a rarity in the mystery genre. A third crime novel is in the works.<\/p>\n

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Bluebonnet book is back:<\/span> A new tenth anniversary edition of the popular and entertaining children\u2019s book, Don\u2019t Eat the Bluebonnets<\/span><\/a><\/span> by Ellen Leaventhal<\/span> and Ellen Rothberg,<\/span> has been published by Clear Fork Publishing ($16.99 hardcover, $10.99 paperback).<\/p>\n

Leaventhal explained that the original book was no longer in print, so she and Rothberg brought it back as a slightly revised story with a new illustrator, Joel Cook.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, is it the same story? Basically, but not completely,\u201d Leaventhal writes. \u201cIn my humble opinion we came up with a much more child centered solution to the same problem. The text is more upbeat and child-like, and the fun illustrations by Joel Cook move the story along at a fast clip.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, messing with something proven is scary, but when given a chance to make something good even better, why wouldn\u2019t we take it? It was that, or no more book.\u201d<\/p>\n

The story revolves around a cow, Sue Ellen, who doesn\u2019t always do what other cows do. When they moo, she whistles. And when she is told, \u201cDon\u2019t eat the bluebonnets,\u201d she does anyway. She eats them all, and then she is sorry. But what can she do about it? There must be a way to make it right again.<\/p>\n

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Glenn Dromgoole\u2019s<\/span> latest book is West Texas Stories<\/span><\/a><\/span>Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/p>\n

>> <\/span>Check out his previous Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Lit<\/a><\/span>erary Life<\/span><\/h1>\n

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LONE STAR LISTENS interviews\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>>> archive<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

Kay Ellington, Editor and Publisher<\/span><\/h1>\n

8.27.2017\u00a0\u00a0 Accounting for Austin author Sherry Thomas\u2019s success<\/h1>\n

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In less than a decade Austin author Sherry Thomas, a native of China,<\/span> has taken the world of historical fiction by storm and will be publishing her thirteenth novel this fall. Her eclectic writing ranges from historical romance to historical young adult to historical mystery. She talked with us via email about emigrating to the U.S., Baton Rouge\u2019s beignets, and the most romantic place in Texas \u2014 as well as her Baker (Street)\u2019s dozen of novels.<\/span><\/p>\n

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE:<\/span> You have an interesting life story, Sherry. You were born in China, and at the age of thirteen emigrated to the U.S. Would you tell readers a little bit about your family, the town of your childhood, and how you came to the U.S.?<\/span><\/p>\n

SHERRY THOMAS: <\/span>I grew up in Qingdao. If anyone here has had beer from China, it\u2019s most likely Tsingtao beer\u2014same name, just different romanization. It\u2019s a very new city, by Chinese standards, and was little more than a fishing village until it became a German concession following the Boxer Rebellion, at the turn of the twentieth century. So the old downtown is almost entirely neoclassical, as are the many colonial-era villas along the coast.<\/p>\n

As a child, I lived with my mother and my grandparents. My grandparents had both been educated in English-medium schools in Shanghai in their youth. In fact, Grandpa had studied in the U.S. in the 1930s, going for a PhD in biology, but war broke out between China and Japan and he, being the eldest son, hurried home, taking only a master\u2019s degree with him.<\/p>\n

Grandpa escaped the wrath of the Cultural Revolution much better than did most other people of his background and connections\u2014he had two siblings who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1940s. So I enjoyed a rather idyllic childhood as a pampered only child, read just about every book I could find or borrow, spent as much time with my friends as my grandmother allowed, and in general didn\u2019t mind my life at all. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Texas’s only statewide, weekly calendar of book events<\/h1>\n

Bookish Texas<\/span> event highlights\u00a0 8.27.2017
<\/span>>><\/span><\/a><\/span> GO this week\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n
FACEBOOK BULLETINS from Houston \/ Katy \/ Galveston area bookstores during Hurricane Harvey: Please call ahead this week, as schedules may change. Here\u2019s wishing safety for bookstores and their owners!<\/span><\/span><\/span>FORT WORTH\u00a0 Tues., Aug. 29<\/span>\u00a0 The Dock Bookshop, Fort Worth Poetry Slam and Open Mic, 8PM<\/span><\/span><\/span>AUSTIN\u00a0 Wed., Aug. 30\u00a0 Austin Public Library – Terrazas, Aural Literature: Local writers read their own work aloud for the public, 7PM<\/span><\/span><\/span>DALLAS\u00a0 Wed., Aug. 30\u00a0 SMU – Tower Center, lunch and a discussion of an immigrant\u2019s story in the U.S. with best-selling author Nick Adams, 12PM<\/span><\/span><\/span>AUSTIN\u00a0 Thurs., Aug. 31\u00a0 BookPeople, BAILEY CHASE speaking and signing Spiritual Gangsta: The Search for Truth, 7PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>HOUSTON\u00a0 Thurs., Aug. 31\u00a0\u00a0 Poison Girl, Poison Pen Reading Series featuring BJ Love, Elizabeth Lyons, and Daniel Pena, 8:30PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>WESLACO\u00a0 Fri., Sept. 1\u00a0 The Storybook Garden, Force Friday: celebrating the launch of BB-8 ON THE RUN written by Drew Daywalt, 6PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>DALLAS\u00a0 Sat., Sept. 2\u00a0 B&N – Lincoln Park, Nancy Churnin, The Dallas Morning News theatre critic, launches her new picture book, Manjhi Moves a Mountain, 6PM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>SAN ANTONIO\u00a0 Sat., Sept. 2\u00a0 The Twig Book Shop, Marcedes Fuller signs While You Were Out From Work – Life Application and Transformation, 11AM<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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News Briefs 8.27.17<\/h1>\n

Texas Book Festival to launch Dan Rather\u2019s new book, What Unites Us<\/h1>\n

Book tickets now available<\/h1>\n

The 2017 Texas Book Festival has announced it will host the official national launch<\/span> of What Unites Us,<\/span> the highly anticipated new book by Texan Dan Rather,<\/span> one of the world\u2019s best-known journalists. Rather will discuss his new book in conversation with Evan Smith,<\/span> CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune, Sat., Nov. 4, 2017, at noon at the First Baptist Church on Trinity Street.<\/p>\n

Book tickets are now available via the Texas Book Festival website. Ticket includes one pre-signed copy of the book and grants access to priority seating at his Festival session. This event will not include a public signing.<\/p>\n

In this moment of crisis over America\u2019s national identity, Rather has been reflecting\u2014and writing passionately almost every day on social media\u2014about the world we live in, what our core ideals have been and should be, and what it means to be an American. What Unites Us<\/span> is a collection of wholly original essays that celebrate our shared values and remind us of what matters most in our great country.\u00a0 >> READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sambuchino to lead off Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop, Sept. 15\u201317 in Midland<\/h1>\n

The Third Annual Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop<\/span> 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.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s 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<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Texas Center for the Book to award $1,000 to outstanding literacy organizations; seeking applications and nominations<\/h1>\n

Nominate your favorite organization that contributes to literacy<\/h1>\n

The Texas Center for the Book is seeking applicants<\/span> for the 2017 Texas Center for the Book Literacy Award. The award honors qualified non-profit organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to increasing literacy with a $1,000 cash prize to assist in promoting reading and combating illiteracy. This year, an honorable mention recipient will also receive a $500 award. The nomination period for the 2017 Literacy Award is open from May 22- September 1, 2017 and the winner will be will be announced during the 2nd Annual Texas Author Summit kicking off the Texas Book Festival on Nov. 2, 2017.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the Center\u2019s website<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u2014\u2014\u00ad\u2014\u2014\u2014 A D V E R T I S E M E N T \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

Lone Star Listens compilation available Sept. 15, for readers, fans, and writers everywhere<\/h1>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>The present generation of Texas authors<\/span> is the most diverse ever in gender, age, and ethnicity, and in subject matter as well.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Lone Star Listens:<\/p>\n

Texas Authors on Writing and Publishing<\/p>\n

edited by Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon; introduction by<\/p>\n

Clay Reynolds<\/p>\n

Available in trade paper, library hardcover, and ebook Fall 2017<\/p>\n

360 pages, with b\/w illustrations and index<\/p>\n

Featuring novelists, poets, memoirists, editors, and publishers, including:<\/p>\n

Rachel\u00a0 Caine \u2022 Chris\u00a0 Cander \u2022 Katherine\u00a0 Center \u2022 Chad S. Conine \u2022 Sarah\u00a0 Cortez \u2022 Elizabeth\u00a0 Crook \u2022 Nan\u00a0 Cuba \u2022 Carol\u00a0 Dawson \u2022 Patrick\u00a0 Dearen \u2022 Jim Donovan \u2022\u00a0Mac Engel \u2022 Sanderia\u00a0 Faye \u2022 Carlos Nicol\u00e1s Flores \u2022 Ben Fountain \u2022 Jeff\u00a0 Guinn \u2022 Stephen\u00a0 Harrigan \u2022 Cliff\u00a0 Hudder \u2022 Stephen Graham Jones \u2022 Kathleen Kent \u2022 Joe R. Lansdale \u2022 Melissa Lenhardt \u2022 Attica Locke \u2022 Nikki\u00a0 Loftin \u2022 Thomas\u00a0 McNeely \u2022 Leila\u00a0 Meacham \u2022 John\u00a0 Pipkin \u2022 Joyce Gibson Roach \u2022 Antonio\u00a0 Ruiz-Camacho \u2022 Lisa\u00a0 Sandlin \u2022 Donna\u00a0 Snyder \u2022 Mary Helen Specht \u2022 Jodi\u00a0 Thomas \u2022 Amanda Eyre Ward \u2022 Ann\u00a0 Weisgarber \u2022 Donald Mace Williams<\/p>\n

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\u2014and a great Texas reference volume.<\/p>\n