Elizabeth “Beth” A. Garcia, award-winning West Texas author, passed away at home with family and friends on May 19.

Garcia lived for more than thirty years in Big Bend country. It was her love of remote, far West Texas that inspired her writing.  "I have loved to write since I was a child. As I grew up, I never made much time for it.  I was busy raising a family and running a company. Once I started writing, I realized how many stories [had] been stockpiled in my brain. I'm getting them out as fast as I can," Garcia told her fans.

Her first novel, One Bloody Shirt at a Time, won Best Crime Novel of the Year from the Texas Association of Authors (TAA) for 2013. It was her first novel, but not her first written story. For several years, Garcia published short stories in the Big Bend Gazette. Garcia went on to win four more first-place awards from TAA. In addition to novels and other stories, Garcia regularly wrote a blog on her website, which she shared with the Alpine Avalanche and later with the Daily Planet.

Garcia said that anyone who would like to donate in her memory should plant something or give to the charity of your choice. She posted a farewell message to her website: “To all my dear friends, I love you. You were treasures in my life, and I’ll see you on the other side.”