Languorous days await. Find a fire ant-free patch of grass, sip some lemonade, and peruse our June Texas Books Preview, where you can take a journey back through time -- or through Texas, face the thrill of adventure, dive into a mystery, and of course, find romance. Lone Star Lit is here to help you ramp up your summer reading!
Chasing the Panther: Adventures & Misadventures of a Cinematic Life
Carolyn Pfeiffer
Chasing the Panther is the coming-of-age story of a young American woman who jets off to the passionate, turbulent world of 1960s Europe. There, she works with some of the era’s most influential artists, cinematographers, and tastemakers, experiencing a series of joyful, tragic, and ultimately life-defining events.
Brian Porter
Veterinarian Nate Holub takes a job in his father’s Texas hometown, wondering if a city boy has what it takes to be a country vet. As he struggles to adapt, Nate reconnects with his family and discovers that his father’s accidental death thirty years earlier was much more complicated than he realized. Nate delves into the past, afraid of what he might find. He encounters a resentful cousin, a wary town patriarch, a reclusive uncle, a beguiling hidden garden, and a mysterious illness. Nate is drawn to the Holub family farm, where he seeks refuge in nature and tries desperately to reach Viola, his inscrutable grandmother. The farm is a place that haunts his memory, a place where dark family secrets dwell.
Frontiers: The Texas Panhandle and Plains
Stephanie and James Khattak
This fine art coffee table book is a visual journey that takes readers through the historically significant, culturally rich and naturally beautiful plains, canyons, mountains and deserts of West Texas.
Shelley Shepard Gray
New York Times bestselling author delivers a sweet, enchanting Amish romance between a sheltered young woman eager for adventure and a young man who hopes she’s the adventure he’s been waiting for.
Mary Efendi
Mary Efendi's first novel tells the story of Maryam, a young woman from Baku, Azerbaijan, who is thrown into the chaos of immigrant life when her mother decides to emigrate to the United States. Efendi, with nostalgia and introspection, carries us through the highs and lows of her protagonists's early years and treats us to a world populated with real life characters from the streets of Chicago. Efendi skillfully paints a tender picture of home that will appeal to immigrants from many countries.
Lisa Harris
Riley Bishop finds it impossible to know what is truth and what are lies as she is forced to question her own sanity while searching for her missing daughter. Apprehending fugitives as a part of the SOG team gives Tucker Shaw the purpose and drive he needs to fight the demons from his past. But when Sadie’s mother comes to him with credible evidence on who is behind her daughter’s disappearances, the situation quickly spirals out of control with a final twist that has Tucker questioning everything he knows to be true.
Lorraine Heath
A scandalous book by an anonymous author takes London by storm, and everyone is convinced its villainous “Lord K” is the greatly admired Earl of Knightly. Heartbroken that he left her at the altar, Miss Regina Leyland impulsively sought revenge by revealing the true Knightly to the world but never expected the uproar to bring enemies to her door. To keep her identity hidden, she must trust the one man with the power to destroy her. Knightly and Regina pretend a reconciliation to salvage their reputations and throw the ton off their scent. But false friendship soon turns to powerful passion. When truths emerge, threatening all they hold dear, they must face their past if their story is ever to deserve its happily ever after.
C.D. Britt
Welcome to Ifreann, once known as Hell's Gate. Bryndis Kenneally is an anomaly, which is saying something when you live in a place once called Hell. Born into a family of healers, she is unable to follow in their footsteps since she has disturbing visions with almost every human touch. She keeps her head down until a freak sandstorm brings more than she bargained for—a man of shadows who seeks retribution, a crow that follows her everywhere, and two strangers with a message appear inside the locked gates of Ifreann. But will these strangers be her end or her salvation? Either way, she knows she can no longer pretend to be a normal woman among a town looking for witches to burn.
David Z. Pyke
A hero lost in battle. A shocking discovery. And a daring odyssey. 1838. Silas Grant prepares for a future with the girl of his dreams. The resourceful sixteen-year-old is learning the blacksmith trade from his father and frontier skills from Texas Revolution veterans. But when a portrait of David Crockett triggers hope that Crockett didn’t die two years earlier at the Alamo, Silas joins a quest for the truth. Exploring a world healing from the war, Silas and his companions investigate the accounts of Alamo survivors, follow the trail of the Mexican army’s retreat, and pursue a witness to the final moments inside the Alamo. Their journey turns lethal as layers of the last stand’s legend peel away to reveal an astonishing secret.
Dan McDowell
When She Comes Knocking is a gripping psychological thriller that tells the story of Ben Decker, a burned out pharmaceutical sales rep. Struggling with the scars of the past, he hopes moving to a new house will provide the fresh start he needs to leave his troubles behind. Things take a dark turn when Ben's new neighbor, Jean Jackson, comes knocking. Struggling to identify her unpredictable behaviors and motives, Ben finds himself working to unravel a complex mystery with his family quickly landing front and center. As tension and suspense build, Ben must confront his demons as he fights to protect his family from the descending suburban nightmare. Taut and suspenseful, readers will stay on the edge of their seats beginning to end.
A Night of Screams (Anthology)
Edited by Richard Z. Santos
This riveting collection of horror stories—and four poems—contains a wide range of styles, themes and authors. Creepy creatures roam the pages, including La Llorona and the Chupacabras in fresh takes on Latin American lore, as well as ghosts, zombies and shadow selves. Migrants continue to pass through Rancho Altamira where Esteban’s family has lived for generations, but now there are two types: the living and the dead. A young man returns repeatedly to the scary portal down which his buddy disappeared. A woman is relieved to receive multiple calls from her cousin following Hurricane María in Puerto Rico, but she is stunned to later learn her prima died the first night of the storm! There’s plenty of blood and gore in some stories, while others are mysterious and suspenseful. Contributors include Ann Davila Cardinal, V. Castro, Ruben Degollado, Richie Narvaez, Lilliam Rivera and Ivelisse Rodriguez.
Black Cowboys and Early Cattle Drives
Nancy K. Williams
After the Civil War, emancipated slaves who didn't want to pick cotton or operate an elevator headed west to find work and a new life. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving drove two thousand longhorns across southern Texas blazing a trail to Bosque Redondo in New Mexico. In 1866, the new Goodnight-Loving Trail was crowded with cattle headed for a government market. By the 1870s, twenty-five percent of the over thirty-five thousand cowboys in the West were black. They were part of trail crews that drove more than twenty-seven million cattle on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, Western Trail, Chisholm Trail and Shawnee Trail. They were paid equally, and their skill and ability brought them earned respect and prestige. Author Nancy Williams recounts their lasting legacy.
Boundless: Twenty Voices Celebrating Multicultural and Multiracial Identities (Anthology)
Edited by Ismée Williams and Rebecca Balcarcel
When identities cross boundaries, with love that knows no bounds. From platonic and romantic love to grief and heartbreak, these stories explore navigating life at the intersection of identities, and what it means to grow up surrounded by a multitude of traditions, languages, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics. Returning to a father’s homeland. Trying to fit in at chaotic weddings and lavish birthday parties where not all are welcome. Processing grief at family gatherings. Figuring out how to share the news of a new relationship with loved ones. This collection celebrates multicultural and multiracial characters at the helm of their own narratives, as they approach life with a renewed sense of hope and acceptance.
Karen Witemeyer
Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the west, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters—and her jealous mistress plotting her demise. After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from females and is rarely disappointed. So when a young woman found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her. With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus investigates a robbery case tied to Penelope’s old acting troupe. The evidence points to her guilt, but Titus’s heart divines a different truth—one that might just get Penelope killed.
A.M. Arthur
Wyatt Gibson is in Texas looking for answers about his past. When he talks his way into a job at Woods Ranch, he never imagines that the hot cowboy he (almost) slept with the night before not only works there, but is the one showing him the ropes. As a rustler at the ranch, Jackson Summer handles all sorts of things: mucking, herding, grooming, riding—and minding his own damn business. A lifetime of hurt will do that to a guy. What he never imagines handling is the greenest cowboy to ever step foot in Weston, Texas. Jackson is determined to keep his heart safe—and falling for a hot young thing like Wyatt is definitely not safe. Especially because Jackson knows Wyatt is keeping a secret…one that he can’t quite put his finger on but that just might change life at Woods Ranch forever.
C.W. Smith
The Museum of Marriage showcases characters struggling with the demands and mysteries of the solitary life, romance, and marriage. The young men of "The Balcony Scene" and "Big Rig" worry over their futures with those exotic creatures of another sex; the women in "The Marriage Museum" and "Leave Me Be!" wrestle with their emotional turmoil about their relationships. The collection's most uplifting picture of these very knotty human dilemmas comes in "Suitors," where a young woman must choose between two equally worthy men. Having given her heart to a longtime but distant lover, she's unexpectedly attracted to another closer by. "That he could arouse her interest was a little thrilling but also frightening, promising in equal measures the rosy pleasures of infatuation and the torment of feeling unfaithful."
Rey Terciero
In this swoony and spooky teen summer romance graphic novel set on a Texas ranch, sixteen-year-old Cade Muñoz finds himself falling for the ranch owner’s mysterious and handsome son, only to discover that he may be harboring a dangerous secret.
Raising the Steaks: My Journey to Creating the Best Steakhouse in the World
Samir Dhurandhar
In a whirlwind culinary tour, taking readers from his chef origins in India to celebrated Manhattan eateries to the famed Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse in Dallas, Samir Dhurandhar tells a singular, savory American success story. The author overcame daunting challenges to land a partner role in the Phil Romano–created restaurant Nick & Sam’s, earning him the nickname “celebrity chef,” despite his humble persona. Find out why A-listers from George Clooney, Shaq, and Diddy to NBA megastar Luka Dončić just had to meet Samir―and become lifelong customers.
Micah Fields
Fields depicts the history of Houston with reverence and lyrical certainty, investigating the conflicting facets of Texan identity that are as resilient as they are catastrophic, steeped in racial subjugation, environmental collapse, and capitalist greed. He writes of the development of the modern city in the wake of the destruction of Galveston in 1900; of the wealthy Menil family and self-taught abstract painter Forrest Bess, a queer artist and fisherman born in 1911 who hardly ever left the Gulf Coast; of the oil booms and busts that shaped the city; of the unchecked lust for growth that makes Houston so expressive of the American dream. We Hold Our Breath is a portrait of a city that exists despite it all, a city whose story has always been one of war waged relentlessly against water.
Arun Gandhi & Bethany Hegedus
Where can we find peace? It shows in the way we walk, stand, or form a circle. It can be found when we play or dig in the garden, speak up or ask for help, or sit still and listen to the silence. Whether we’re learning, taking turns, or getting past hurt feelings and misunderstandings, peace is always there, as long as we look at one another, ready to discover. Drawing on the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi and educator Maria Montessori, coauthors Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus offer an inviting primer brought to life through the warm, wondrous illustrations of Colombian artist Andrés Landazábal. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If we are to teach real peace in this world . . . we shall have to begin with children.” You, Me, We does just that, as it celebrates the peace that can be found in us all.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
There are so many Texas-connected books publishing this month that we couldn’t feature all of them. The following books also publish in June:
BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
Adore by Morgan Rice
Bear Willis & Kit Carson: Texas Do or Die! by Peter Alan Turner
Camp Sylvania by Julie Murphy
The Fight for Midnight by Dan Solomon
Glitter Everywhere! by Chris Barton
Lupe Lopez: Reading Rock Star by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Pat Zietlow Miller
One Creepy Street - Tomorrow by Lee Jordan, Illustrated by Tiffiny McDowell
Secrets of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Twisted Witchcraft by Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle
What She Missed by Liari Tamani
Where Wildflowers Grow by Ha Dinh
NONFICTION / POETRY
The Amulet by E.R. Bills
The Bet by Jay D. Rodgers
Camp Wolters: Mineral Wells & World War II by Stacy Croushorn
Capturing Skunk Alpha: A Barrio Sailor's Journey in Vietnam by Raúl Herrera
Duty to Serve, Duty to Conscience by James C. Kearney, William H Clamurro
Lone Stars Rising: The Fifty People Who Turned Texas Into the Fastest-Growing, Most Exciting, and, Sometimes, Most Exasperating State in the Country by Texas Monthly
The Mammals of Trans-Pecos Texas by Franklin D. Yancy, David J. Schmidly, Richard W. Manning, Stephen Kasper, & Chester O. Martin
Mundane Mentions by Cole Bauer
To Be A Woman by Katie J. McCoy
Words from the Silent Generation by Kenlea Barnes
Writing Nonfiction by Mike Cox
MYSTERY / SUSPENSE
A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari
Cashmere Heretic by Cristian Cuevas
Chasing the Past by Mary Alford
Dial M for Mud Cake by Kaz Delaney
Family Matters: Lies Across Texas by M.R. Dimond
The Gap by Ninie Hammon
Ghostwriters and Gravediggers by Brittany E. Brinegar
The Gulf by Rachel Cochran
Hearing Her Cries by Calle J. Brookes
Honey, Hairballs, and Murder by Leanne Leeds
Men Lying Dead In A Field by Richard Schwindt
The Mule Ears by J J Rusz
Murder On The Guadalupe by Bruce Hammack
Please Don't Push Up the Daisies by Diane Vallere
The Roswell Lowdown by Philip Beck
Summer Vacation Murder by Rachel Woods
Three Confess by Luana Ehrlich
Too Late by Colleen Hoover
Witch Angel by Trana Mae Simmons
ROMANCE
A Noble Inheritance by Kasey Stockton
A Rogue to Reform by Hildie McQueen
Aiming for His Heart by Julie Benson
Banshee's Lament by Darlene Tallman
Berserker: The Sköll Clan Shifters by Dallas Ryan
Black Velvet by Calliope Parrish
Bless Your Heart by Lyra Parish
Can't Let Her Go by Kianna Alexander
Chasing Cheyenne by Anna Brooks
Country and Clove by Violet Taylor
The Cowboy and His Sleeping Beauty by Kaci Rose
Designs on the Duke by Alexa Aston
Duncan by Kirsten Osbourne
Everything to Lose by Harlow James
Fake Fiancee for Hire by Laurie LeClair
Falling for the Cowboy Doc by Cari Lynn Webb
He's My Cowboy (Anthology)
Honeymoon for Six by Chris Keniston
Judge by Elle James
Learning to Trust Again by Alexa Aston
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Mail Order Myth by Kirsten Osbourne
Make Me Yours, Cowboy by Dylann Crush
Mr. Alpha Undone by Kelsey Green
My Romantic Billionaire by Bokerah Brumley
Noah by Lori Wilde & Kristin Eckhardt
The Perfect Amish Match by Vannetta Chapman
The Pocket Pair by Emma St. Clair
Pride Not Prejudice (Anthology)
Ranger Justice by Lynn Shannon
The Reprobate by Silvia Violet
Rowan: Firebrand Cowboys by Barb Han
Savior Complex by Kelly Fox
Secrets of Lost Hope Canyon by Colleen Thompson
Snickerdoodle by Bokerah Brumley
The Summer Melt by Emily March
Targeted in Silver Creek by Delores Fossen
Texas Heart (Anthology)
The Trouble With a Small Town Cowboy by Debra Clopton
The Trouble With Darcy by Evie Snow
The Twelve Mile School by Judy McGonagill
Wolf on the Wild Side by Terry Spear
OTHER FICTION
Daddy Boy by Emerson Whitney
Eden: A Glen Haven Tale by Michael Breakfield
The Engineer's Apprentice by J.R. Martin
Hostile Territory by William Johnstone & JA Johnstone
House Woman by Adorah Nworah
Into Enemy Territory by Michael Anderle
Ivan and Phoebe by Oksana Lutsyshyna
Juest Check Comics by Karen Kacy Jey Jacobs
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede
Muley Cow Creek by Wes Gorman
Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin
Prince Liberator by Fred Hughes
Reap & Burn by Olivia Hardin
Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith
Run Baby Run by Melissa Lenhardt
Touched by J. Grace Pennington
Walking on Fire by Kathryn Crawley
Want to make sure your forthcoming Texas-connected titles are included in our feature? Email us at Publicity@LoneStarLiterary.
