As we all wait faithfully for our five minutes of fall, here are some fantastic finds for your next great read. Our October festival of new books by Texas authors has just what you’re looking for to fascinate you, flood you with all the ‘feels’, fortify your soul, or fill a quiet evening.
T.D. Motley
August 26, 2024
The Art of Farming celebrates a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs and livestock, with wildlife cousins on the fringes.
A retired art teacher, Sam, markets herbs and produce, aided by his lovely 'sidekick' Annie, and a handful of local after-school teens. A scheming donkey named Sol is this charming story's formidable antagonist.
Just Say Neigh!: A Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 16
Jinx Schwartz
September 25, 2024
HETTA COFFEY IS A SASSY TEXAN WITH A SNAZZY YACHT, AND SHE'S NOT AFRAID TO USE IT! Fall is coming, as is the cruising season in Mexico's beautiful Sea of Cortez. Hetta can't wait to return to the Hetta C, her catamaran in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. She and her cousin, Blue, impatiently wait in San Diego's cool climes for the yearly magical temperature drops in the Sea, but not before they get caught up in a severe injustice to horses occurring near Juarez, just south of El Paso. So what are three Texan horse lovers supposed to do? Nothing? Not no, but NEIGH! NOPE! NOT A CHANCE! Join them for exciting, thrilling adventures and laughs as they take on rustlers, smugglers, and criminals on both sides of the border. The Stakes are high!
Lisa Harris
October 1, 2024
Lies filled with half-truths—especially when you want to believe them—are the easiest to believe. After her husband’s murder, Riley Bishop is working to put the pieces of her life back together, but there is one lie she never imagined being true. It’s going to take everything in her to survive what happens next. Book three in a fast-paced psychological thriller series that starts with The Lies We Believe.
Marlene M. Bell
October 1, 2024
A manipulator. A fatal plan for revenge.
Award-winning author of the Annalisse series, Marlene M. Bell, brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.
Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.
Laura has been accused of murder. How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn't just a pillar of the community; she was Laura's confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie’s will contained recent changes, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.
Tilghman: The Legendary Lawman and the Woman Who Inspired Him
Howard Kazanjian & Chris Enss
October 1, 2024
Lawman, buffalo hunter, Indian fighter, rancher horse breeder, saloon keeper, politician…even a movie maker. His name was Bill Tilghman and of all the heroes of the Old West he was one of the last, one of the most heroic, and a legend in his own time. Tilghman is about his life and the woman who memorialized his adventures.
The book Tilghman is not only the story of a man—it’s a colorful, exciting history of the last days of the Western frontier. It’s also the story of a woman, desperate to hold onto her family and honor the life of the man she loved so dearly.
Wesley Women: Texas Wesleyan in the 1910s
Risa Brown
October 1, 2024
Fort Worth, 1911 Change in the Wind
Tumult found its way to Polytechnic, the little college on the hill in Fort Worth during the 1910s. Survival depended on a new vision and new energy, and few in Texas thought the college would make it. Yet a determined group of women took on the challenge, led by some dedicated men, and the birth of a college for women materialized. The fledgling school faced the same daunting conditions everyone faced from a worldwide war and epidemic. Would the women be strong enough to endure those conditions and save their college?
The Troubling Death of Maddy Benson
Terry Shames
October 2, 2024
Everyone knows everyone in a small town like Jarrett Creek. So Chief of police Samuel Craddock is perplexed when he receives a call from a woman asking the police to rescue her sister.
Who is Maddy Benson? Maddy said she had to get away, but she didn't get far. When Craddock finds her just off the highway, she's already dead, shot in the head. And as he learns more about the mysterious Maddy and the real reason behind her recent move to Jarrett Creek, his career is plunged into jeopardy. Can he unravel a terrible knot of lies, threats, dangerous politics and shocking secrets to reveal the truth behind the troubling death of Maddy Benson?
Linda Broday
October 8, 2024
Secrets, lies, and danger hide deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas during the Depression of 1930.
Sicily Rossi is a healer and knows the power of plants that grow in the woods. She fights the deep-set ways of the starving backward people and the rage of a vicious wife-beater. She must save the young girl from a life of torment, and soon--before the raging drunk of a husband destroys everyone and everything in his path.
While pondering the problem, she finds a teenage boy living in the woods. He proves to be very beneficial in her quest to find a way of feeding the hungry town. But how can they succeed when the man destroys as fast as they build?
An Unfinished Marriage: A Novel
Cindy Bonner
October 10, 2024
Sarah Glasser has always been a good girl, striving for perfection in her life with husband, Adam, and their sons. A good mother: she volunteers at the school. A good wife: she runs their household precisely. When Adam comes home late from a business meeting, drunk and agitated, asking for a divorce, Sarah is shaken by thoughts of an unknown life altered from the one she has cultivated.
While the collapse of a marriage is a tried-and-true plot, the characters in An Unfinished Marriage are complex and relatable. With humor lightening the drama, the layers of the story peel away to reveal familiar feelings of devotion, betrayal, selfishness, and the complicated love between women and men, parents and children, and friends who sometimes become enemies.
Ian Griffin
October 10, 2024
Margaret Wood is known for her grace, beauty, and fashion in Bennett Town, Texas. As she waits for the war to end, she receives a notice that her husband, Joseph Wood, died on D-Day in France. Margaret must raise their 15-year-old son, William, alone. Joseph’s brother Henry, a wounded war veteran, provides a helping hand. The small town embraces the Wood family in their time of grief. As time passes, the town’s ugliness surfaces. Margaret comes head-to-head with Earl Bennett, whom the town is named after. As the conflict grows and Earl becomes more ruthless, the town shuns the Wood family. The strain on Margaret and her family intensifies until someone unexpected arises to become The Widow’s Savior.
The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia
Ettore Farrattini Pojani
October 11, 2024
This is the first English-language version of an award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia. The book is a love story about a cat, a family, and an Italian town. Mixing fiction with fact, Nine Lives recounts the history of the town of Amelia, Italy, at nine points in its existence. In fact, Amelia is considered the first organized city of central Italy, and is four centuries older than Rome. The author, Ettore Farrattini Pojani, uses the multiple lives of a cat named Tito as the way to span the ages. (The author is the heir of the Farrattini noble family, which stretches back into Umbrian history, and whose family palazzo is in Amelia, north of Rome.) Tito's first life occurs in pre-historic Umbria, and his ninth is in the future. Tito's mission throughout all nine of his lives is to help the town and the family to succeed. Originally published in Italy in 2022, this first English-language version is being published by Bayou City Press in Houston, Texas, and includes additional drawings, maps, lists of characters, a listing of foreign words and special terms, and notes on sources.
Brenda O'Quin
October 12, 2024
This book is about the journey through and beyond the depths of the Abyss caused by the murder of my 17-year-old son and his 16-year-old girlfriend. If you are ever faced with something similar, this will be a solace to help heal, encourage, and aid in your understanding of the path and obstacles you may face. This book is about hope. I’ll share with you the road map for navigating the maze of complex grief compounded by violence. The courts, medical examiners, probation, and parole systems are the potholes you may encounter along the way. The families who share your experience, however, are the most caring, loving, and compassionate people in the world--not despite their journey, but because of it.
In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft
Joe R. Lansdale
October 15, 2024
Ten-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep) returns with this wicked short story collection of his irreverent Lovecraftian tributes. Knowingly skewering H. P. Lovecraft’s paranoid mythos, Lansdale embarks upon haunting yet sly explorations of the unknown, capturing the essence of cosmic dread.
Rosser Coke Newton, Sr.
October 15, 2024
Richard Coke played one of the most crucial roles in Texas history. His leadership of his beloved Texas still resonates today – 150 years after he became governor. Richard Coke: Texan weaves a rich mosaic of real people and events that immerses the reader in the life and times of Richard Coke.
Lindsey Pogue
October 15, 2024
After an asteroid knocks the moon off its axis, scientists warn of Earth’s destruction. But as the years tick by, life continues mostly unchanged, and everyone falls into a false sense of security.
Ava is no stranger to loss, heartache, and the struggle to survive. Working two jobs while taking care of a sickly woman she owes her life to, it’s all she can do to keep her head above water, let alone prep for “the end.”
Knox is country boy royalty and infamous for holding a grudge. His mother is dead, his father’s a tyrant, his brother has abandoned him, and Ava is to blame for all of it. But as fire engulfs Texas, Ava and Knox must rely on each other to survive.
WM Gunn
October 15, 2024
Ichiro Hisakawa and his family were part of the American culture – living the American Dream – until February 19, 1942, when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that branded them. Taken from their homes and stripped of their citizenship due to their ancestry, they endured deplorable conditions in the “relocation camps”. Typhus ran rampant through the camp, and riots were a daily occurrence. And for the first time, America was scornful. Life was difficult and the Hisakawa family did their best to endure it all. 16-year-old Ichiro wasn’t prepared for the betrayal, murder, and escape that was waiting for him, and a new friend, Bobby King, a sixteen-year-old from 2017.
Determined: A Second Chance Romantic Suspense
Marsha R. West
October 18, 2024
Divorced, fifty-seven-year-old real estate developer Holly Grant and her sisters are determined to use the trust fund from their parents to build a tiny home project for people who’ve recently been homeless.
Barrett Armstrong, president of a nearby homeowner association doesn’t want “those people” living across from his neighborhood, and he will do anything to prevent the land’s development. Anything. Even murder.
Dan Morgan, Holly’s long-time friend and lawyer, has feelings for her which are moving past friendship. Because of her past experiences as an abused spouse, she might not be ready for a change in their relationship. Should he remain silent to maintain their friendship or risk everything for the chance at real love? When danger strikes, will he be able to keep her safe?
Margaret Izard
October 21, 2024
She finds true love in the past, but is his love worth risking her future?
She dreams of a Viking warrior with Fae-blue eyes and a God-like body that makes her heart pound like no other. Trying to save her kidnapped sister-in-law, Ainslie follows her back to the Vikings of Scotland, where she faces the very man who has haunted her dreams.
When Jarl, Rannick MacRaghnaill meets the alluring Warrior Woman who helped steal his warship, she dresses in clothing so strange that every curve teases his senses. But is she, as she claims, a woman from the future or an irresistible lying thief?
She’d risk her life to save her sister-in-law. He’d risk his honor to win her heart.
Jan Sikes
October 22, 2024
The year is 1948 and folks in the sawmill town of Crossett, Arkansas, work hard and play hard. Oliver Quinn does both. Oliver is the son of Irish immigrants who firmly believe in pursuing the American dream. His deepest desire is to play major league baseball. He only needs one chance to prove himself.
Rose Blaine is living in a nightmare where dreams don’t exist. She’s suffered for years at the hands of her violent moonshiner father and his partner. During a brutal attack, she must fight back or die. The aftermath is devastating.
Fueled by desperation, Rose strikes a life-changing bargain with Oliver. If he’ll take her and her brother to St. Louis, Missouri, she’ll introduce Oliver to her uncle, a baseball legend.
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 October:
CHILDREN'S, MIDDLE GRADE, & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
The Altruistic Crime Lord by Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle
Apple Black: Rumble Trials by Odunze Oguguo
The Art Thieves by Andrea Rogers
Creep It Under Wraps by Adrianna Cuevas
The Hero Twins and the Magic of Song by David Bowles
Hurricane Rescue by Rekha S. Rajan
Jackrabbit Jewel and the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach by Trey Armstrong
Lupita's Brown Ballet Shoes by Steena Hernandez
Merlin's Apprentice: Warrior Rising by Susan McCauley
Please Be My Star by Victoria Grace Elliott
Rosie's Wild Ride by Paige Murray; Illustrated by Kristen Humphrey
Royal Spy Institute 2: Five and Chance by Elise Hennessey
Sally's Lament by Mari Mancusi
Shadow Keeper by L.B. Carter
Tangle of Lust and Lethargy by M. Guida and Michael Anderle
What Hump? by Morley Swingle
When Black Girls Dream Big by Tanisia Moore; Illustrated by Robert Paul Jr.
MYSTERY / HORROR
After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones
Black Mass by Mark A. Daniel
Blood and Bullets by Keith Lansdale, James Aquilone, and Michael Knost
Bone Cold by Kathryn Casey
Claws by Timothy Gene Sojka
A Corgi Conundrum by M. Alfano
Covert Past by Mary Alford
Crafting a Getaway by Barbara Emodi
Death and Eggnog by Nova Walsh
Detention by Carolyn Johnson
Dex by RB Bartels
Fudgy Christmas Murders by Nancy Coco
Haunted Hearts by Lucas Mangum
Her Forgotten Shadow by Pamela Fagan Hutchins
It Came from Del Rio by Stephen Graham Jones
An Itch of Secrecy by Christa Nardi
The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker
The Long Trial of Nolan Dugatti by Stephen Graham Jones
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
The Moonlight in Genevieve's Eyes by D. Krauss
Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett
Murder in Autumn by Sanhita Mukherjee
A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke
Owl Be Enchanted by Leanne Leeds
The Residency by Kayla Frederick
Rutter Industries by Carolyn Johnson
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey
Snow is Falling, Cocoa is Calling by Kimberly Montpetit
Sterling City by Stephen Graham Jones
Three Miles Past by Stephen Graham Jones
Zombie Bake-Off by Stephen Graham Jones
NONFICTION
3...2...1...We're On The Air by Robert Steinfield
Abandoned South Texas by Teresa Nordheim
The Abercrombie Age by Myles Ethan Lascity
Ay Tú! Critical Essays on the Life and Work of Sandra Cisneros by Sonia Saldívar-Hull and Geneva M. Gano
Best Lake Hikes: Texas by Jamie Fleck
Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service by Don Carleton and Erin L. Purdy
Blue: A History of Postpartum Depression in America by Dr. Rachel Louise Moran
Books are Made Out of Books by Michael Lynn Crews
The Church: A Guide to the People of God by Brad East
Colonizing Ourselves by José Angel Hernández
David Crockett in Texas by Allen J. Wiener
Feminism, Tradition and Change in Contemporary Islam: Negotiating Islamic Law and Gender by Shehnaz Haqqani
Francisco Amangual, Trustee of the Presidio by Roland Rodríguez
Here, Now: Essays by Michelle Suzanne Mirsky
Historic Tales of Victoria, Texas by Tamara Joy Diaz
I Know About a Thousand Things by Ann Alejandro, edited by Marion Winik and Naomi Shihab Nye
Letters from Love's Battlefield by Kathryn M. Lackey
Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry by Brad East
Lost in Austin by Alex Hannaford
The Making of a Physician by Lisa Johnson
Mary Virginia Carson: Pioneer in Capturing Rock Art with Watercolors by Marise McDermott
Murder on the Largo by Eleanor Williams
No One Gets to Fall Apart by Sarah LaBrie
The Novel Blueprint by Melissa Bourbon
One National Family: Texas, Mexico, and the Making of the Modern United States, 1820–1867 by Sarah K. M. Rodríguez
Our Connected Lives: Caring for Cancer Patients in Rural Texas by Fazlur Rahman
Powerful Inquiry by Donna J. Micheaux and Jennifer L. Parvin
The Shape of Joy by Richard Beck
Spectacular Women of Architecture & Design Texas by Jolie Carpenter Berry
The Water Cries: Uncovering the Slave Auction Houses of Galveston, Texas by Anthony Paul Griffin
OTHER FICTION
After Image by Jaime deBlanc
Against the Stars by Angela Castillo
The Big Dry by Patrick Dearen
The Bookbinder's Daughter by Lynn Dean
Bounties and Changes by Michael Anderle
Cactus Cradle by Heather Renee May
Cold Snap by Lindy Ryan
Echoes of Us by Jay Jordan-Lake
The Edge of Nowhere by William W. Johnstone and JA Johnstone
Embroiled by Bridget E. Baker
Farm Hand by Jaxon Reed
Get Your Gun by Chuck Buda
Gurdon Marion by Phil Yokom
Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong
Home to Comfort by Kimberly Fish
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague
Hungry Heart by P.G. Forte
In Between Pastures by Sequoyah Branham
The Last Wagon Train by William W. Johnstone and JA Johnstone
The Librarian and the Magician by Brian Yansky
A Matter of Choice by JB Phillips
New Testaments: Stories by Dagoberto Gilb
On a NASA Flight to Heaven by D. Seth Horton
The Registration Rewritten by Madison Lawson
The Royal Gambit by Mallory Wanless
Shadows of Prejudice by Isabel Campbell and Michael Anderle
Trailing the Money Gun by Katelyn Rae
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo
An Unexpected Hero by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle
POETRY
An Authentic Life by Jennifer Chang
Faith in Mirrors by Houston Heflin
A History of Echoes by Rod Carlos Rodriguez
ROMANCE
The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride by Kayla Wolf
Arranging Ayra by Kailin Gow
Assigned to Protect by Melanie D. Snitker
Betrayed by the Alpha Wolf by Kayla Wolf
Brutal Bargain by Laurelin Paige
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
Christmas Beach Reunion by Lori Wilde & Cassidy Grace
Christmas with the Texas Cowboy by Sinclair Jayne
Colton's Secret Past by Kacy Cross
Coming Home to Paradise by Carolyn Brown
A Courtship for the Amish Spinster by Vannetta Chapman
The Cowboy Billionaire's Deception by Sylvia McDaniel
A Cowboy to Remember by Stella Bagwell
The Cowboy Who Worked Late by Liz Isaacson
The Cowboy's Christmas Wish by Kristine Lynn
A Cowgirl's Thanksgiving Kiss by Amy Vastine
Critical Strike by Janie Crouch
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
Deadly Christmas Cipher by Stacy Angell Curtis
Deserving Maisy by Susan Stoker
The Duke's Guide to Winning a Lady by Alexa Aston
Eclipse by Kat Kinney
Examining Their Bond by Jenna Brandt
Fa-La-La-La Faking It by Teri Wilson
Finding Forever by Kathryn Kaleigh
Fool Me Twice by Issa Marie
A Fortune Thanksgiving by Michelle Lindo-Rice
Gage by Kathy Ivan
Harrison Hyde and the Runaway Bride by Maggie Shayne
Her Texas Cowboy Protector by Janalyn Knight
Hometown Girl by Merrillee Whren
How to Date a Mermaid by Dianne Oren
Ice, Ice...Maybe? by Ginny Sterling
John's Purpose by Laura Domino
Little Spark of Flame by Clio Evans
Lone Star Hostage by Delores Fossen
Loose Kanon by Karen Kelley
Love is for the Birds by Diane Owens Prettyman
The Marquess's Imperfect Bride by Dorothy Sheldon
Mated for Christmas by Terry Spear
Midnight Masquerade by Nichole Rose
Midnight Snack by Kat Baxter
Midnight Treat by Loni Ree
Mountain Man Soldier by Natasha L. Black
Mysterious Teacher by Kailin Gow
One Special Christmas by Amanda Cabot
A Perfect Christmas Dance by Lori Wilde
A Perfect Christmas Romance by Lori Wilde
Perfect Enough by Kelly Elliott
Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore
The Perfect Getaway by Nancy Lavo
Restored by Faith by Katherine E. Hamilton
The Sheriff's Baby by Delores Fossen
Sheriff's Valor by Dorothy Wiley
Silos and Sabotage by Jo Grafford
Skye Travels Airborne by Kathryn Kaleigh
Spirits of the Heart by Kathryn Kaleigh
Stealing Hope by Angel S. Vane
Stein House by Myra Hargrave McIlvain
Targeted at Rescue Ranch by Barb Han
Texas Cowboy Flame by Rebecca Crowley
A Witchy Situation by Bella Pursell
Want to make sure your forthcoming Texas-connected titles are included in our feature? Email us at Publicity@LoneStarLiterary.
