Spring has sprung, and from cookbooks to poetry to mystery, the Lone Star State is blooming with forthcoming books to breathe in and enjoy.
Arthur Herbert
In this enigmatic follow up to his critically acclaimed debut novel The Cuts that Cure, Arthur Herbert returns to the Texas-Mexico border with this saga of a small town’s bloody loss of innocence. Amoret, Texas, 1982. Life along the border is harsh, but in a world where cultures work together to carve a living from the desert, Blaine Beckett lives a life of isolation. A transplanted Boston intellectual, for twenty years locals have viewed him as a snob, a misanthrope, an outsider. He seems content to stand apart until one night when he vanishes into thin air amid signs of foul play. Paced like a lit fuse, The Bones of Amoret is a riveting whodunit that will keep you guessing until its shocking conclusion.
Lisa Harris
An Amber Alert meant to rescue a child puts two lives in danger, forcing Madison and Jonas into a race to find a woman who wants to stay hidden, a baby who needs to be found, and a murderer they’ve been tracking for years.
E. Elizabeth Watson
They’ve both run from their pasts. Can they make a future together? Years ago, Skylar Rivers fled after her boyfriend’s Army unit was annihilated. Now, she’s a veterinarian who’s created a foundation to honor the dreams they shared. When an accident lands her and her foster son in the ER, Dr. Travis Dixon arrives—seemingly resurrected from the dead. Their chemistry still flares hot, but he’s changed, and she has a troubled teen to protect. Travis has many regrets. Especially losing his friend in a battle that also took his foot, and then turning to the bottle. He hurt everyone he loved, but is now a respected surgeon determined to help injured vets. When the blonde beauty he never forgot throws his heart into a tailspin, he’ll do anything to reestablish himself in her life.
Chris Manno
The dark forces of Deep Space threaten a tenuous human Alliance weary of war and unwilling to fight a growing menace and a treacherous rebellion. Enter Gus Harcum, lone wolf, ex-military, Black Ops contractor with a ship, a ragtag crew, and more guts than sense--caught in the middle of an alien power grab as humanity stands once again on the brink of war. Come aboard, strap in, and hang on--it's a wild ride.
Lorraine Heath
Inspired by true events, a novel about how the lives of three women in a small Texas town are changed when they are called upon to train pilots for the British Royal Air Force during WWII.
Jody Hadlock
The Lovely Bones meets The Wild, Wild West in this haunting tale inspired by a true story. In the 1860s, when few rights or opportunities are available to women, 16-year-old Annie Moore resorts to prostitution in order to survive. As a highly sought-after demi-mondaine, Annie—now Bessie—garners many expensive gifts from her admirers and eventually meets and marries the son of a wealthy jeweler, a traveling salesman with a gambling problem. With her marriage, she believes her dream of returning to proper society has finally come true. She’s proven wrong when she suffers the ultimate betrayal at the hands of the man she thought would be her salvation. But Bessie doesn’t let her story end there.
Chris Mullen
Afraid of his capture and being forced to face false accusations of the killing of Patrick Byrne, Rowdy is unable to stop his flight of Dodge City. Racing through the dead of night, blood-trailing from a gunshot wound to his shoulder, and in need of care before it is too late, he succumbs to pain and exhaustion but is helped by a surprising source. Wanting to repay his rescuers, Rowdy sets off to bring a family back together and stumbles upon an old friend from the past that leads him on a journey he could never have expected. But Rowdy’s troubles are far from over. As encounters with old enemies resurface, he discovers he is being tracked by an ornery and ruthless bounty hunter. Surprised and betrayed, Rowdy is bound and forced to return to Dodge City. (Teacher's Guide available.)
Kim Powers
It’s the late 1960s in small-town McKinney, Texas. At the downtown theater and the local drive-in, movies—James Bond, My Fair Lady, Alfie, and Dr. Zhivago—feed the dreams and obsessions of a ten-year-old Clarke who loves Audrey, Elvis, his family, serial killers, Truman Capote, and the handsome boy in the projector booth. Then Clarke loses his beloved mother, and no one will tell him how she died. No one will tell HER either. She is floating above the trees and movie screens of McKinney, trapped between life and death, searching for a glimpse of her final moments on this earth. The shattering answer haunts Rules for Being Dead, Kim Powers’ darkly humorous, incredibly moving novel, reminiscent of The Lovely Bones and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, with a nod to Larry McMurtry’s iconic The Last Picture Show.
Jodi Thomas
A slice of Americana delivered with her characteristic warmth, endearing characters, and authentic Texan flair, the fourth Honey Creek novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas brings a sense of nostalgia to the town as some its older residents set out on a quest to realize dreams they long ago gave up on. Soon it seems the idea of chasing second chances is contagious as the rest of Honey Creek joins their journey…
Rebecca Crowley
Eve Klein almost has it all: a thriving career, great friends, and adoptive parents who’ve supported her in everything—including her quest to find her birth mother. While she waits for the last piece of her history, she focuses on her most exciting deal yet—a controlling share in Keller and Sons, a luxury watchmaker. To most people Keller watches are status symbols, but to Saul Keller they’re handcuffs. He thought his brother had everything under control, until a distress call forced him to leave Wall Street and move home to Orchard Hill, Missouri. He’s shifted from trying to save the family business to selling it—and finally setting himself free. Eve is Saul’s most exciting professional adversary, and he’s exactly the type of high-flyer she’s sworn off. But when she needs his help to prepare for a Passover seder with her birth mother, the lines between business and pleasure become perpetually blurred.
N.E. Davenport
Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.
Giant Banana Over Texas: Darkly Humorous Tales
Mark Nutter
Who is Mr. Dunk Tank? Why should we fear the Grateful Man? Where shall we seek the People of the Temporary Tattoo? Why must we be slaves to Drum Buttons? Look to the skies! The Giant Banana Over Texas knows all!
Last Dance on the Starlight Pier
Sarah Bird
Set during the Great Depression, Sarah Bird's Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a novel about one woman—and a nation—struggling to be reborn from the ashes.
July 3. 1932. Shivering and in shock, Evie Grace Devlin watches the Starlite Palace burn into the sea and wonders how she became a person who would cause a man to kill himself. She’d come to Galveston to escape a dark past in vaudeville and become a good person, a nurse. When that dream is cruelly thwarted, Evie is swept into the alien world of dance marathons. All that she has been denied—a family, a purpose, even love—waits for her there in the place she dreads most: the spotlight.
Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a sweeping novel that brings to spectacular life the enthralling worlds of both dance marathons and the family-run empire of vice that was Galveston in the Thirties. Unforgettable characters tell a story that is still deeply resonant today as America learns what Evie learns, that there truly isn’t anything this country can’t do when we do it together. That indomitable spirit powers a story that is a testament to the deep well of resilience in us all that allows us to not only survive the hardest of hard times, but to find joy, friends, and even family, in them.
Christina Soontornvat
In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman’s struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old.
Amanda Eyre Ward
Austin’s Zilker Park neighborhood is a wonderland of greenbelt trails, live music, and moms who drink a few too many margaritas. Whitney, Annette, and Liza have grown thick as thieves as they have raised their children together for fifteen years. While each of them has their own set of values and backgrounds, they share the belief that they can shelter their children from an increasingly dangerous world. The women’s three teenaged sons are about to begin a carefree summer as lifeguards. Whitney, Annette, and Liza’s friendship is unbreakable—as safe as the neighborhood where they’ve raised their sweet little boys.
Or so they think.
Ann Richards Legacy Project
A collection of classic and clever one-liners from the outspoken feminist Ann Richards, the forty-fifth governor of Texas.
Karen MacInerney
Sweet peaches, family secrets... and a farm-fresh murder.
A struggling peach orchard, a tangled love triangle, and a suspicious death have farmer Lucy Resnick's reporter instincts on high alert in the latest Dewberry Farm mystery. Add in old bones, a decades-old disappearance, and loads of delicious peach recipes for a juicy story you won't want to put down!
Spencer West P.I., No Man's Land
Dick Brown
An attempted assassination of the President of the United States begins a twisting trail of misdirection that leads to the brink of war.
Uncovering the plot to engage the U.S. in conflict is as elusive as chasing a ghost.
Global intrigue encounters a radical college professor, violent drug cartels in Mexico, power struggles in China’s military expansionism in the South China Sea.
But who is really behind the plot that almost launches World War III?
Spencer West teams up with the FBI, CIA, and U.S. Navy, risking his life to solve the dangerous conflict playing out between the world’s two most powerful countries in South China Sea’s no man’s land.
Nico Martini
From big city lounges to dusty roadside dives, delve into the Texas drinks scene with this newly expanded and updated edition of the best-selling Texas Cocktails, 2nd Edition. With over 100 recipes and dozens of profiles of bartenders, drink like a Texan, whether you’re just visiting or entertaining at home. Locals and tourists alike will discover new watering holes that are sure to satisfy tastes as varied as Texas is large. Far more than just a recipe book, Texas Cocktails, 2nd Edition features signature creations by the best mixologists from Houston to El Paso, and everywhere in between.
Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Sudyka
This whimsical and poignant picture book celebrates playing outside and invites readers to grab some friends, gear up their imaginations, and immerse themselves in nature.
Can you imagine what it's like to be a rock, a nest, a bird, or even a bubbling creek? A group of curious children is headed outside to find out... Would you come, too? Join in on an outdoor adventure to discover the magic and mystery of the living, breathing natural world all around us.
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 April:
Biography and Memoir
Being Patrick Swayze by Neal E. Fischer
Standing Up To China: How a Whistleblower Risked Everything For His Country by Ashley Yablon
Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark by Tamara Saviano
Cooking
It's Not Just Cookies by Tiffany & Leon Chen
Mem'ries Sweet, Comrades True: Favorite Recipes from Members of the TCU Retirees' Association
Historical Nonfiction
Barrier to the Bays by Mary Jo O'Rear
Searching for the Republic of the Rio Grande: Northern Mexico and Texas, 1838–1840 by Paul Lack
The Soul of a Small Texas Town by David G Wharton
Texas and Texans in World War II by Christopher B. Bean Editor
Toward a Cooperative Commonwealth: The Transplanted Roots of Farmer-Labor Radicalism in Texas by Thomas Alter
Poetry
Cat's Tongue by Kathleen Winter
Weren't We Natural Swimmers by Aliah Lavonne Tigh
Other Nonfiction
Book of Texas Birds by Gary Clark, Kathy Adams Clark (By (photographer))
Quotable Texas by Joe Holley
Raptors of Texas: A Natural History of Diurnal Birds of Prey by C. Craig Farquhar
Young Adult/Children
ABC Bug Book by Jessica Lee Anderson
Armadillo Antics by Michael Sampson, Bill Martin Jr
Kitty ER by Ms. Tiffany Tweedle RPh
Mindy Kim and the Fairy Tale Wedding by Lyla Lee
My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel
We Planned a Murder by Derek Wheeless
Horror, Mystery, Thrillers
About Roxanne by Nina Atwood
The Caretakers by Amanda Bestor-Siegal
Death Wears a Crimson Hat by C.W. Hawes
Maggots Screaming! by Max Booth III
Music and Memories, Another Murder by Christa Nardi
Pygmalion's Reckoning by Quintin Vargas
Romance
A Fortune in the Family by Kathy Douglass
A Ranch to Come Home To by Marie Ferrarella
Alpha Shifters: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Anthology by Erzabet Bishop
Cowgirl Tough by Justine Davis
Drop Dead Gorgeous by Rachel Gibson
Fool Me Once by Ashley Winsted
The Last Aloha by Kellie Coates Gilbert
Staking a Claim by Janice Maynard
Texas Killer Connection by Virginia Vaughan
Undercover Couple by Barb Han
Other Fiction
Country of Origin by Dalia Azim
The End of Nowhere by Patrick Dearen
Forever Texas by William Johnstone
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
The Road to Me by Laura Drake
Tall Tales and Timeless Stories by authors of Granbury Writers' Bloc
Make sure your Texas-connected title is included by emailing Publicity@LoneStarLiterary.com with the details. Listings are always free, but Boost your title ($35/$60) for even more exposure.
