{"id":1413,"date":"2018-12-31T17:07:06","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T17:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1413"},"modified":"2018-12-31T17:07:06","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T17:07:06","slug":"lone-star-reviewsmichelle-newby-nbcc-123","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=1413","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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Touchstone<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-1-5011-5386-0 (also available as an e-book and audio-book), 320 pgs., $26.00<\/p>\n

August 21, 2018<\/p>\n

\u201cLater, in the glove box, the police found a folder of notes. It said: Notes for the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

Troy Alan Falconer hasn\u2019t been home to the fictional Texas Panhandle town of New Cona in six years.<\/span> Despite his trepidation, Troy returns, answering a summons from his younger brother, Harlan, whose wife, Bettie, has absconded with all the money he had in the world. The two set out to find Bettie, but the task veers awry when Troy steals a station wagon from a Tahoka grocery-store parking lot. Unbeknownst to the brothers, an eleven-year-old Mennonite girl named Martha is hiding in the back. When they discover her the next morning, Martha has an agenda of her own, demanding the brothers return her to her father in Ju\u00e1rez. An inadvertent kidnapping being degrees of magnitude worse than advertent grand theft auto, the three head for M\u00e9xico by way of Presidio.<\/p>\n

Presidio: A Novel <\/span>is debut fiction from Randy Kennedy, who grew up in Plains on the Llano Estacado. Kennedy decamped for New York City, where he wrote for the New York Times for twenty-five years, first as a city reporter and then covering the art world. Kennedy\u2019s prose about the large hold of small places, the people as weather-beaten as the landscape, grabs you and refuses to relinquish its grip. Original and enthralling, Presidio<\/span> is American realism in the vein of John Steinbeck<\/span> and Stephen Crane.\u00a0 <\/span>>> READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-1-5344-0896-8 (also available as an e-book and audio-book), 400 pgs., $17.99<\/p>\n

March 27, 2018<\/p>\n

Penny is eighteen, beginning her freshman year at UT Austin. <\/span>She\u2019s funny, smart, and curious (in both senses of that word). She\u2019s an anxious introvert who \u201cwould rather eat a pound of hair than reveal her true emotions,\u201d highly organized, and a bit of a germaphobe. Penny, \u201cliving in books until the exciting part of her life could begin,\u201d can\u2019t wait to get away from her mother and her hometown boyfriend and begin her life as a science-fiction writer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam is twenty-one with \u201cirresponsible hair,\u201d managing the Coffee House where he\u2019s famous for his mad baking skills. He wants to be a documentary filmmaker but had to drop out of college because he couldn\u2019t afford it. A bit adrift, Sam is lonely, lives on a mattress upstairs at the coffee shop, trying to remain sober in the face of despair and \u201cgutted\u201d by a broken heart. Penny discovers Sam as he\u2019s in the middle of a panic attack on 6th Street (\u201ca Disneyland Main Street for day drinkers\u201d), and they exchange phone numbers in case of emergency.\u00a0 <\/span>>>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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TEXAS SPORTS<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff Fisher<\/span><\/p>\n

High School Football in Texas: Amazing Football Stories from the Greatest Players of Texas<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports Publishing<\/p>\n

Hardcover, 978-1-6835-8181-9, (also available as an e-book), 256 pgs., $19.99; September 4, 2018<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to Texas, it won\u2019t take you long to understand<\/span> that high school football games are a statewide religion, as well as a billion-dollar-plus industry.<\/p>\n

On fall Friday nights, stadium lights snap on across the Lone Star State. Bleachers fill, often to overflowing. And opposing teams charge onto the fields with much more at stake than winning their game or getting dates with cheerleaders.<\/p>\n

As Jeff Fisher\u2019s<\/span> enjoyable new book, High School Football in Texas: Amazing Football Stories from the Greatest Players of Texas,<\/span> makes clear, many high-school players suit up also for the slim chance that they will get recruited by top-rated university teams and later drafted to play for professional teams in the National Football League.\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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Middle-school boys set off on great adventure<\/h1>\n

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Lubbock author Nathan Dahlstrom writes outdoor adventure stories<\/span> for middle grade boys under the pen name S. J. Dahlstrom<\/span>. Black Rock Brothers<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Paul Dry Books, $9.95 paperback) is the fifth book in \u201cThe Adventures of Wilder Good\u201d series.<\/p>\n

Wilder, now 13, dreams of taking a summer camping trip into the wild by himself, living off the land for maybe a month or even longer.<\/p>\n

Well, his parents are not too keen on that idea. They want to nurture his interest in outdoor exploration \u2014 much better than sitting around playing video games, after all \u2014 but they\u2019re not about to let their son go off on a trip into the Colorado wilderness by himself. He can go, but he must take his best friend, Big, and a satellite phone so they can stay in touch.<\/p>\n

Wilder\u2019s mother requests that he also take the new foster kid in school who goes by the name of Corndog. Wilder doesn\u2019t want to, but out of respect for his mother he reluctantly agrees.<\/p>\n

Wilder, Big and Corndog set off on their adventure, and what a time it turns out to be as they have to rely on their knowledge, instincts, and courage to overcome one challenge after another.<\/p>\n

Along the way, Wilder and Big realize there is a lot more to Corndog\u2019s story than they ever imagined, and his newly acquired Boy Scout skills also come in handy. Two friends become three.<\/p>\n

Dahlstrom\u2019s Wilder Good books \u2014 a sixth is in the works \u2014 are wholesome, action-oriented stories that encourage boys to learn about their environment, respect others, and read good books. Dahlstrom, a Lubbock middle-school teacher who ran a boys ranch for several years, says the Wilder Good character is based to some extent on his own thoughts and experiences as a 12-year-old<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully these books relate gentle learning experiences in the outdoors and with animals and with older people that formed the basis of my upbringing,\u201d he says. \u201cI hope kids discover that real adventure is waiting for them outside their front door and that they are not dumb or uncool for saving up for a new saddle, knife, or fishing pole instead of the latest iPhone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other four books in the series have garnered awards and high praise \u2014 and each can be read as a standalone. Books one and three are set in Colorado, where Wilder lives with his parents and sister. Books two and four take place in Texas, on his grandfather\u2019s ranch. Book four, The Green Colt,<\/span> won the 2017 Wrangler Western Heritage Award for Juvenile Book and was a finalist for the Spur Award.<\/p>\n

Black Rock Brothers,<\/span> in my opinion, is the best one yet.<\/p>\n

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Glenn Dromgoole<\/span> writes about Texas books and authors. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/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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4th Annual Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop set for Oct. 13-14<\/h1>\n

Now in its fourth year, the Permian Basin Writers\u2019 Workshop<\/span> annual event will feature writing coaches, agents, and publishers from around the country, October 13-14, 2018.<\/p>\n

The two-day workshop event will be held in Midland, at the Marie Hall Academic Building at Midland College.<\/p>\n

The workshop will feature ten speakers, including Margie Lawson, Christie Craig, Manning Wolfe, David Farland, Reavis Z. Wortham, Kristen Marten, Stephen Graham Jones, Donna M. Johnson, B. Alan Bourgeois<\/span> and Arlene Gale<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/a>>>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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2018 Kids’ Summer Reading\u00a0 <\/span>DOZENS OF GREAT PICKS<\/span><\/h1>\n

sponsored by Blue Wilow Books<\/a><\/span>hop<\/h1>\n

From read-to-me books to early readers,<\/span> chapter books to middle readers to YA, you\u2019ll find these terrific new titles at your neighborhood bookshop or online. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span> Twig\u2019s Top Ten Bestsellers<\/h1>\n

July 2018<\/h1>\n

What are Texans reading these days, you ask? <\/span>Lone Star Lit\u2019s newest regular feature is a monthly list of trending titles at the <\/span>Twig Book Shop,<\/span><\/a><\/span> a leading independent bookseller in San Antonio. Click on any title for the Buy link. And we’ll also include a hotlink to related content in Lone Star Literary Life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Claudia Guerra & Char Miller,<\/span>300 Years of San Antonio & Bexar County<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-595348494<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Cirlos<\/span>Humans of San Antonio<\/span><\/a><\/span>978-1-595347930<\/span><\/p>\n

David Sedaris,<\/span>Calypso<\/span> 978-0-316392389<\/span><\/p>\n

HBR\u2019s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-422157992<\/span><\/p>\n

HBR\u2019s 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1633694361<\/span><\/p>\n

Min Jin Lee,<\/span>Pachinko<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-455563920<\/span><\/p>\n

Amor Towles,<\/span>A Gentleman in Moscow<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-670026197<\/span><\/p>\n

Andy Weir,<\/span>Artemis<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-0-553448146<\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Wright,<\/span>Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-439195468<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesmyn Ward,<\/span>Sing, Unburied, Sing<\/span><\/a><\/span> 978-1-501126079<\/span><\/p>\n

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LONE STAR CLASSIFIED LISTINGS<\/span><\/h1>\n

FEATURED:\u00a0 CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS<\/h1>\n

8.19.18<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 Fort Worth Poetry Society<\/span> seeks submissions from poets and visual artists for an anthology on classical music, proceeds from which will benefit the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. No cost to enter; accepted submitters receive a free copy of the anthology. This link to the FWPS website provides complete details: https:\/\/fortworthpoetrysociety.wordpress.com\/2018\/07\/23\/call-for-submissions\/.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

6.3.18\u00a0 The 2018 Chester B. Himes Memorial Short Fiction Prize<\/span><\/p>\n

A prize of $750.00 and publication in The Ocotillo Review<\/span> Winter 2019 will be awarded for a short story up to 4,200 words. Antonio Ruiz-Camacho<\/span> will judge. Revenue generated will be donated to Parkinson\u2019s research. Details: www.kallistogaiapress.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

>>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span> CLASSIFIED LISTINGS<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span>WHERE IN TEXAS?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Don’t miss a reading or a good read! Sign up for our FREE weekly
e-newsletter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Meet our bloggers<\/h1>\n

Bookmark them so you can return again and again!<\/p>\n

A Page Before Bedtime<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Melyssa Prince<\/p>\n

All the Ups and Downs<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Heather Cranmer<\/p>\n

Bibliotica<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Melissa Bartell
Book Fidelity,<\/span><\/a><\/span> Celia Medrano-Ortiz<\/p>\n

The Book Review<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Julie Whiteley
#Bookish<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Erin Decker<\/p>\n

Books and Broomsticks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Belle Whittington<\/p>\n

Books in the Garden<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Julia Byers
Carpe Diem Chronicles<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Maida Malby<\/p>\n

Chapter Break Book Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Lynn Poppe & Julia Smeltzer<\/p>\n

The Clueless Gent<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Michael O’Connor<\/p>\n

Forgotten Winds<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Christena Stephens<\/p>\n

Hall Ways Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kristine Hall
Kelly Well Read<\/a><\/span>, Kelly Moore<\/p>\n

The Librarian Talks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Tabatha Pope
The Love of a Bibliophile<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kristen Mouton<\/p>\n

Margie\u2019s Must Reads<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Margie Longoria
Max Knight Blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Max Knight<\/p>\n

Missus Gonzo<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Lorilei Gonzales<\/p>\n

Momma on the Rocks<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Jenn Belden<\/p>\n

Nerd Narration Blog<\/span>,<\/a> Taylor Sebring<\/p>\n

The Page Unbound<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Becca Cahill & Haley Ringer<\/p>\n

Reading by Moonlight<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Ruthie Jones<\/p>\n

StoreyBook Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Leslie Storey<\/p>\n

Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Marissa Marroquin<\/p>\n

Syd Savvy<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Sydney Young<\/p>\n

Tangled in Text<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Kelli Quintos<\/p>\n

Texas Book Lover<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Michelle Newby<\/p>\n

That\u2019s What She\u2019s Reading<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Jenn Zavaglia<\/p>\n

COMING UP ON TOUR: AUTOBIOGRAPHY<\/h1>\n

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THE GRAND DUKE OF BOYS RANCH by Bill Sarpalius
Visit with Bill August 21\u201330, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/21\/18 Notable Quotable Hall Ways Blog<\/p>\n

8\/22\/18 Review Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Excerpt StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/24\/18 Video Interview, Part 1 The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

8\/25\/18 Review Max Knight<\/p>\n

8\/26\/18 Excerpt Texas Book Lover<\/p>\n

8\/27\/18 Scrapbook Page Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

8\/28\/18 Review Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

8\/29\/18 Video Interview, Part 2 The Love of a Bibliophile<\/p>\n

8\/30\/18 Review Kelly Well Read<\/p>\n

COMING UP ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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THE THEORY OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Kristin Billerbeck
Visit with Kristin August 22\u201331, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/22\/18 Excerpt, Part 1 Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Excerpt, Part 2 Forgotten Winds<\/p>\n

8\/24\/18 Review Momma on the Rocks<\/p>\n

8\/25\/18 Playlist All the Ups and Downs<\/p>\n

8\/26\/18 Review Missus Gonzo<\/p>\n

8\/27\/18 Scrapbook Page Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/28\/18 Review The Love of a Bibliophile<\/p>\n

8\/29\/18 Author Interview Texas Book Lover<\/p>\n

8\/30\/18 Review Syd Savvy<\/p>\n

8\/31\/18 Review Book Fidelity<\/p>\n

CONTINUING ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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THAT ONE MOMENT by Patty Wiseman
Visit with Patty through August 23, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/19\/18 Author Interview Books and Broomsticks<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Review A Page Before Bedtime<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Review Chapter Break Book Blog<\/p>\n

8\/21\/18 Scrapbook Page Story Schmoozing Book Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/22\/18 Review Dressed to Read<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Character Interview Carpe Diem Chronicles<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Review The Love of a Bibliophile<\/p>\n

CONTINUING ON TOUR: FICTION<\/h1>\n

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JUSTICE BETRAYED by Patricia Bradley
Visit with Patricia through August 24, 2018<\/span><\/h1>\n

8\/19\/18 Review Reading by Moonlight<\/p>\n

8\/20\/18 Character Interview Books in the Garden<\/p>\n

8\/21\/18 Review The Clueless Gent<\/p>\n

8\/22\/18 Excerpt Part 3 StoreyBook Reviews<\/p>\n

8\/23\/18 Excerpt Part 4 Book Fidelity<\/p>\n

8\/24\/18 Review That’s What She’s Reading<\/p>\n

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Lone Star Literary Life Facts and FAQs<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u2022 Editorial policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Review policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Advertising policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Event and resource list policies<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lone Star Literary Archives<\/span><\/h1>\n

\u2022 Weekly issues<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Listens Interviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Lone Star Book Reviews<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Texas Reads<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Events<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Announcement: LSLL Launches<\/a><\/p>\n

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WHAT TEXANS ARE READING<\/span><\/h1>\n

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

Author interviews by Lone Star Lit staff<\/span><\/h1>\n

8.19.2018\u00a0\u00a0 Jay Brandon on courthouses as great settings for fiction, the company of San Antonio\u2019s literary community, and stretching your writing muscles <\/p>\n

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Jay Brandon is the award-winning author of many novels and short stories<\/span> acclaimed both critically and by readers. His first novel,<\/span> Deadbolt, <\/span>was awarded <\/span>Booklist magazine\u2019s Editor\u2019s Choice Award, after a starred review. His first legal thriller, <\/span>Fade the Heat,<\/span> was short-listed for the Mystery Writers of America\u2019s Edgar Award for Best Novel, was optioned by Amblin Entertainment, and has been published around the world. <\/span>Local Rules<\/span> was a selection of Reader\u2019s Digest Condensed Books.<\/span><\/p>\n

In all, Brandon\u2019s novels have been published by more than a dozen foreign publishers with worldwide distribution. He is a practicing attorney and many of his novels are legal thrillers. As an attorney, Brandon has practiced at the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is the highest criminal court in Texas, as well as at the Bexar County District Attorney\u2019s Office and the San Antonio Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n

Brandon has recently departed from the legal genre. The Jetty,<\/span> co-written with Joe Labatt, <\/span>is a ghost story and romance set at the Texas coast. Milagro Lane,<\/span> a family saga, mystery, and love story, is a novel of Brandon\u2019s home town of San Antonio. His most recent short story, \u201cA Jury of His Peers,\u201d was chosen by Lee Child<\/span> for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories. Brandon lives in San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n

LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE:<\/span> Mr. Brandon, How did you begin writing? Is writing something you always knew you wanted to do?<\/span><\/p>\n

JAY BRANDON:<\/span> I started writing when I was very young, in elementary school. The only consistent ambition I\u2019ve ever had was to be a writer. I was a constant reader as soon as I learned how, and as I read I tried to guess how the stories would turn out. Sometimes I liked my guesses better than the author’s, which is why I started writing myself. I loved creating stories. Still do.<\/p>\n

You attended law school in Houston. You were writing before you decided to go to law school. Why law school and how has the practice of law contributed to your writing?<\/p>\n

I went to graduate school in writing, graduated, got an agent, and wrote two suspense novels to try to break into publishing. My agent could never sell either of them. So, in the meantime, looking for an alternative way to make a living, I moved to Houston and after a brief stint in a bookstore started working in a law office. I soon realized everyone in the building was making a lot more money than I was, which was why I decided to go to law school. Late in my second year I changed agents, gave my new agent the two suspense novels; she sold them both to the first publisher she tried, after the first agent had tried for three years without success. So, my first novel was published the year I graduated from law school. >>READ MORE<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Texas’s only statewide, weekly calendar of book events
<\/span><\/a><\/span>Bookish Texas <\/span>event highlights\u00a0 8.19.2018<\/span>>> GO this week<\/span><\/a><\/span>Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor<\/span><\/h1>\n

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEK<\/span><\/p>\n