Lassoing Up Fun and Fame in Lubbock, Texas

Photo: WWA

The 62nd annual Western Writers of America convention took place June 23 through the 27th, in Lubbock, Texas. 

WWA is home to over 650 members, whose writings take place in the historic American West.

During the WWA convention, members, agents, publishers, editors, and others gathered to talk, teach, learn, and shop, while making friendships and listening to music.

Each year, the WWA inducts members into its Hall of Fame. Famous past writers include John Steinbeck, Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain), Willa Cather, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This year's inductee and Owen Winster Award honoree, Win Blevins, is the first living writer to receive this honor. Blevins is best known for his classic "Give Your Heart to the Hawks."

Along with Win Blevins, others inducted into the Western Writers Hall of Fame include: Judy Alter, Matt Braun, James A. Crutchfield, David Dary, Max Evans, Andrew J. Fenady, John Lakes, Leon C. Metz, N. Scott Momaday, Robert M. Utley, Dale L. Walker, Richard S. Wheeler, and Jeanne Williams. John Wayne, John Ford, and Clint Eastwood were inducted as non-writers.

Since 1953, the Western Writers of America has honored writers for distinguished works about the American West with the Spur Awards, which encompass a variety of categories. 

For a complete list of this year's Spur Award winners, visit the link below.

Image courtesy of WWA

WWA Spur Award Winners

Secrets, Lies, and Ghostly Encounters in Arizona

Cactus Country is thrilled to announce the release of Patricia Grady Cox's first novel, Chasm Creek. This Southwestern writer finds her inspiration from the rich history and scenic landscapes of Arizona.

In Chasm Creek, ghostly encounters and bloody confrontations expose the secrets of three unlikely friends based on lies.

Morgan Braddock is separated from his family by a noose. Ester Corbin and her children were abandoned by her husband. Rubén Santiago, a kidnapped Navajo, was taken to Mexico as a child and raised Roman Catholic.

Chasm Creek is a dramatic story of love, loss, and finding one's place in the unforgiving Arizona Territory.

Purchase your copy of Chasm Creek through the link provided below.

Order Chasm Creek - Patricia Grady Cox

A Great Read on the Rise

Cactus Country Publishing and High Hill Press are honored to announce the release of Pulitzer Prize award nominee, David Lee Kirkland's newest novel, Rising Tide. This historical fiction novel takes place in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina during the American Civil War. Rising Tide is available in hardback where all good books are sold or online through the link below.

David Lee Kirkland's Rising Tide - Amazon Books