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Successful Houston trial lawyer profiled in new Hardy title
Michael Lee Lanning, author of more than twenty books, has written an interesting biography about high-profile Houston/Galveston trial lawyer Tony Buzbee.
Tony Buzbee: Defining Moments (John M. Hardy Publishing, $28.95 hardcover) focuses primarily on Buzbee’s success in winning multi-million–dollar verdicts or settlements for his clients.
Buzbee grew up poor in East Texas, graduated from Texas A&M in 1990 on an ROTC scholarship, served as a Marine platoon leader, and graduated second in his law class at the University of Houston before launching his practice in the Houston/Galveston area. A generous benefactor of Texas A&M, he was appointed to the Texas A&M System Board of Regents in 2013.
“This is a tough business,” Buzbee says. “I didn’t get into it to make friends. I got into it to make a small, sometimes large, difference in the lives of those who deserve it. Sometimes that means I, in some circles, am the bad guy, but so long as I do what I do with integrity and honesty, I don’t worry one whit about what others think.”
There are some parallels between the author and Buzbee. Lanning grew up poor on a farm in West Texas (Fisher County) in a house with no telephone or running water. He graduated from Trent High School in 1964 before going on to Texas A&M and a career in the Army. He lives on the Bolivar Peninsula across the bay from Galveston.
Lanning, best known for his books on military history, especially Vietnam, also published a book last year on his own battle with cancer, At War with Cancer ($14.99 paperback). Read more about his books on his website, michaelleelanning.com.
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Narrative Poems: Gwendolyn Zepeda, named Houston’s first poet laureate, has a new collection of sixty-two narrative poems titled Monsters, Zombies, and Addicts: Poems (Arte Público Press, $14.95 paperback). It is Zepeda’s second book of poems. She also is the author of a short story collection and three novels.
Her poems cover a variety of topics related to life in the modern metropolis, touching on such matters as ants, maggots, worms, shoes, fears, TV, paper dolls, animals, hurricanes, family and death. The poem “Sad Shock” begins: “A woman who worked in our building killed herself this morning.” Recalling that she had spoken with the woman just the day before in the ladies’ room, the poet reflects, “I wished aloud—offered the hundred dollars in my savings for the chance to go back in a time machine to yesterday, to somehow know what she was thinking, and to somehow change her mind.”
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Glenn Dromgoole is co-author of 101 Essential Texas Books. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.
>> Check out his previous
Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Lit
Book NOTICES 5.17.2015
Received Jan-May 2015
At Lone Star Literary Life, we genuinely appreciate every title submitted to us for review consideration. Our goal is to help Texas readers, booksellers, and libraries discover books they’ll likely want to read or showcase. If a new title is about, or set substantially in, Texas, whether fiction or nonfiction, we’ll make every effort to review it in our pages. If it’s a book of poetry or short stories by a Texas author, we’ll give it coverage as we’re able. Other books received in our offices are listed here; current titles on this list may be scheduled for future reviews.
Baty, R. Gaines
Champion of the Barrio: The Legacy of Coach Buryl Bary
Biography
978-1-62349-266-3
288 pgs., $24.95
Texas A&M University Press
February 2015
Bradley, Ed
We Never Retreat: Filibustering Expeditions into Spanish Texas, 1812-1822
History
978-1-62349-257-1
344 pgs., $47.00
Texas A&M University Press
February 2015
Brandimarte, Cynthia, with Angela Reed
Texas State Parks and the CCC: The Legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps
History
978-1-62349-296-0
188 pgs., $25.00
Texas A&M University Press
January 2013
Brickhouse, Jamie
Dangerous When Wet: A Memoir
978-1-4668-3730-0
286 pgs., hardcover, $25.99
St. Martin's Press
April 2015
Cartwright, Gary
The Best I Recall: A Memoir
978-0-292-74907-8
272 pgs., hardcover, $27.95
University of Texas Press
June 2015
Chaplo, Paul V.
Marfa Flights: Aerial Views of Big Bend Country
978-1-62349-168-0
192 pgs., softcover, $29.95
Texas A&M University Press
July 2014
Chávez, Denise
The King and Queen of Comezón
Fiction
978-0--8061-4483-2
328 pgs., paperback, $19.95
University of Oklahoma Press
September 2014
Dixon, Kemp
Chasing Thugs, Nazis, and Reds: Texas Ranger Norman K. Dixon
Biography
978-1-62349-256-4
256 pgs., $29.95
Texas A&M University Press
February 2015
Fields, Tricia
Firebreak
Fiction
978-1-250-05505-7
288 pgs., $25.99
Minotaur Books
March 2015
Garcia, Elizabeth A.
Border Ghosts: Deputy Ricos #4
Fiction (Crime)
978-0-9905259-9-8
306 pgs., paperback, $18.95
Iron Mountain Press
July 2015
Holcombe, Larry
The Presidents and UFOs: A Secret History from FDR to Obama
History
978-1-250-04051-0
$27.99
St. Martin's Press
March 2015
Jackson, Ron J., Jr., and Lee Spencer White; foreword by Phil Collins
Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend
Biography/History
978-0-8061-4703-1
352 pgs., hardcover, $29.95
University of Oklahoma Press
March 2015
Kent, Kathleen
The Outcast
Fiction (Historical)
978-0-316-20611-2
352 pgs., $16.00
Little Brown
October 2014
Kibler, Julie
Calling Me Home: A Novel
Fiction
978-1-250-02043-7
352 pgs., $15.99
St. Martin's Griffin
January 2014
Koenig, Minerva
Nine Days
Fiction
978-1-250-05194-3
$24.99
Minotaur Books
September 2014
Masters, Ben
Unbranded: Four Men and Sixteen Mustangs. Three Thousand Miles across the American West
Memoir/Photography
978-1-62349-281-6
188 pgs., hardcover, $40.00
Texas A&M University Press
January 2015
McKenzie, C. B.
Bad Country
Fiction
978-1-250-05354-1
Hardcover, $24.99
Minotaur Books
November 2014
Meyer, Kimberly
The Book of Wanderings: A Mother-Daughter Pilgrimage
Memoir
978-0-316-25121-1
368 pgs., $27.00
Little, Brown
March 2015
Moran, Jan
Scent of Triumph: A Novel of Perfume and Passion
Fiction
978-1-250-04890-5
$15.99
St. Martin's Griffin
March 2015
Paulda, Mark A.
El Paso 120: Edge of the Southwest
Photography/Essay
978-0-87565-602-1
128 pgs., $35.00
Texas Christian University Press`
October 2014
Ridge, Rachel, Anne; foreword by Priscilla Shiver
Flash: The Homeless Donkey Who Taught Me about Life, Faith, and Second Chances
Memoir/Pets
978-1-4143-9783-2
254 pgs., hardcover, $19.99
Tyndale
May 2015
Riley, Gretchen, and Peter D. Smith with Stephanie Foresythe-Sword
Famous Trees of Texas (Texas A&M Forest Service Centenial Edition)
Natural History
978-1-62349-238-0
188 pgs., hardcover, $35.00
Texas A&M University Press
January 2015
Shankle, Melanie
Nobody's Cuter Than You: A Memoir about the Beauty of Friendship
Memoir
978-1-4143-9748-1
236 pgs., paperback, $15.99
Tyndale
April 2015
Sitton, Thad (narrative); photographs by Carolyn Brown
Caddo Lake: Visions of a Southern Cypress Lake
Natural History
978-1-62349-239-7
188 pgs., $30.00
Texas A&M University Press
January 2015
Smith, J. Griffis
On the Road with Texas Highways: A Tribute to True Texas
Photography/Essay
978-1-62349-183-3
244 pgs., paperback
$29.95
Texas A&M University Press
September 2014
Wells, Lynn Chandler
Wink of an Eye, A Mystery
978-1-250-05319-0
$24.99
Minotaur Books
November 2014
Beings: Contemporary Peruvian Short Stories
Fiction (short stories)
9781908616739
212 pgs., paperback
Somos Libros
July 2015
* * * * * *
Fiction
Little, Brown and Company
Hardcover, 978-0-316-28494-3
371 pages, $26.00
May 5, 2015
“Forgiveness never ends, he thought to himself. Either it’s a bottomless cup or it’s nothing.”
James Hannaham’s Delicious Foods grabs you in the first paragraph and the curve balls keep your attention. Darlene, Eddie’s mother, is devastated by the murder of her husband. This educated middle-class woman, brought low by what she considers her guilt in his death, finds oblivion in crack cocaine. One night as Darlene is walking the streets of Houston, a minibus pulls up and she’s offered a job making good money and a nice place to stay with a company called Delicious Foods. The company harvests broken people and Darlene disappears. Eddie, eleven years old, sets out to find her and bring her home.
>> read moreNew York: Doubleday
Hardcover, 978-0-385-53807-7
224 pages, $23.95
September 16, 2014
Love Me Back is “5 Under 35” honoree and Rona Jaffe award winner Merritt Tierce’s debut novel. Marie is a young twentysomething woman who lands a coveted waitressing job at an upscale Uptown Dallas restaurant. Serving herself up night after night, Marie is mired in a miasma of hedonistic nihilism, the drugs and alcohol and musical beds her clawing for oblivion. “But it wasn’t about pleasure; it was about how some kinds of pain make fine antidotes to others.”
>> read more
Best Texas Beach Reads & Travel Books
Lone Star Literary staff
Memorial Day is nearly here — and with it plans for rest, relaxation, travel, and a good book. What Texas reads will be going in your carry-on or beach bag? Let the staff of Lone Star Lit make your choices easier, with genres from historical fiction to YA. Our first installment appeared May 10 (check it out here) ; today we serve up some great guides to Texas destinations you'll want to read about—and visit. >> READ MORE
Enter our Great Texas Travel Guide Giveaway
SUBSCRIBE TO LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TODAY and enter to win a FREE copy of one of these great Texas destination books—valued at up to $39.99.
It’s easy. Simply click here and enter to win.
No purchase necessary. Odds of winning depend upon numbers of entries.
The value of these beautiful books ranges from $18.95 to $39.99, but one of them can be yours to own. Gorgeous photography and lyrical descriptions of state parks, waterways, deserts, and canyons can be yours to savor and enjoy. >> ENTER
Backus retires as director at Texas A&M Press, Davies assumes post
Charles Backus, Texas A&M University Press’s Edward R. Campbell Press Director, retired from that position effective May 17. Backus came to Texas A&M in the fall of 1999, following previous assignments as director of the university presses at Vanderbilt (1993–1999) and Syracuse (1987–1993).
This month Shannon Davies steps up as the new holder of the Campbell press director’s chair. Davies, who earned a PhD in American civilization from the University of Texas at Austin, arrived at Texas A&M as senior editor in 2000, following a decade as science editor at the University of Texas Press. >> READ MORE
JUST FOR FUN Try the History Channel's Texas history quiz—for a chance at a trip to the Alamo City. Click here
Texas Rising, A&E/History channel miniseries and book featuring work of Austinite David Marion Wilkinson, debuts Memorial Day 2015
Martha Louise Hunter, contributing writer
Austin novelist/screenwriter David Marion Wilkinson shared writing duties on Texas Rising, the ten-hour television series that premieres Memorial Day on A&E/History about the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers after the events at the Alamo. Wilkinson is author the of Not Between Brothers: An Epic Novel of Texas.
Credited as a co-producer for Texas Rising, Wilkinson came on board as a historical consultant and quickly began co-writing the script with Leslie Grief and Darrell K. Fetty. Wilkinson will also appear in the companion documentary, along with Texas historian H. W. Brands and series stars Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson. The all-star cast of Texas Rising also includes Ray Liotta, Oliver Martinez, Brendan Fraser, and Kris Kristofferson.
>> READ MORE
2015 WLT Writers and Editors Conference set for June 26-28 in Austin
The 2015 Writers League of Texas Editors and Agents Conference will be held June 26 through June 28 at the Hyatt Regency in Austin. Three days of panels, lectures, readings, workshops, and consultations give aspiring and established authors a chance to learn and grow in the writing profession. >> READ MORE
Sachse Author Con set for May 19
The Friends of the Sachse Public Library will host their first Author Con Tuesday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sachse is six miles northeast of Garland, Texas.
A celebration of local authors showcasing works from children’s picture books to young adult, inspirational nonfiction, and thriller fiction novels, this event will provide attendees a chance to talk with authors, socialize with friends, and discover the services the library has to offer.
Award-winning writer and photographer Reavis Z. Wortham of Garland is the creator of the Red River Series, including Burrows and The Rock Hole. >> READ MORE
Writing Poetry: Passion, Process, and Publication slated for May 21 at BookPeople
Join the staff of BookPeople Thurs., May 21, 2015, for a discussion about the craft and business of poetry, featuring four award-winning poets from varied backgrounds and literary traditions to give the panel a broad vantage point. Panelists are Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Derrick Brown, Carrie Fountain, and Sasha West. >> READ MORE
* * * * *
Geaux Behind the Spine with the men of
Miles Arceneaux
How did three Texans manage it—to write a thriller with a generous helping of humor together, and live to repeat their success? Author and host Ally Bishop talks with the personable trio behind the Miles Arceneaux novels, Brent Douglass, James R. Dennis, and John T. Davis, to learn the genesis of Thin Slice of Life, La Salle's Ghost, and now, Ransom Island. Tune in to our new monthly audio interview to find out how Arceneaux nearly wound up in the editor's wastebasket—but came back to life in an entirely new guise. >> LISTEN NOW (mp3)
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LONE STAR LISTENS interviews
>> archive
Elizabeth Crook on a writer's family, past and present
Elizabeth Crook is the author of four novels, The Raven’s Bride, Promised Lands, The Night Journal, and the 2015 Jesse H. Jones Winner (Best Novel) from the Texas Institute of Letters, Monday, Monday, based on the aftermath of the tragic 1966 sniper shooting at the University of Texas. She has written for anthologies and periodicals, including Texas Monthly and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, and has served on the board of directors of the Texas Book Festival. Lone Star Literary Life caught up with her via email, and she shared with us some of her own story.
LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE: Let's start with your Texas upbringing. You grew up in San Marcos. Did you ever go to Aquarena Springs and see the swimming pig? A lot of people lament "Old Austin," but San Marcos was different in the ’60s and ’70s as well. The former Southwest Texas State Teachers College, now Texas State University, was known for being LBJ's alma mater. What was it like growing up in San Marcos?
ELIZABETH CROOK: Beautiful. I love that place. My mother still lives there, so I make the drive from Austin regularly. I was there last weekend for a family wedding. I-35 has changed a lot and there’s certainly more traffic, but once I hit the downtown square of San Marcos everything feels pretty much the same. There are a lot more people—it's a city now and was a small college town back then, but it feels like home to me. I’ve written two memoirs for Texas Monthly about growing up there—“Dad vs. the Dress Code” and “Our House.”
>> READ MORE
Bookish Texas event highlights 5.17.2015
>> GO this week Michelle Newby, Contributing Editor
AUSTIN Mon., May 18, BookPeople, Michelangelo Signorile speaking and signing, 7PM
AUSTIN Mon., May 18, BookPeople, MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE speaking & signing It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality, 7PM
RICHARDSON Mon., May 18, Blake Kimzey on "Writing Out of the Wilderness," 7 PM
Richardson Public Library, Author and University of Texas at Dallas Creative Writing teacher Blake Kimzey will present “Writing Out of the Wilderness: How to Survive Rejection and Forge a Path to Publication,” 7PM
DALLAS Tues., May 19, First United Methodist Church, Anthony Doerr & Jim Shepard, 7:30PM
Tues., May 19, First United Methodist Church of Dallas, Anthony Doerr & Jim Shepard: Compassion and Catastrophe, 7:30PM
ODESSA Wed., May 19, Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, An Evening with Neil Gaiman, 7 PM
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