Birthdays: Joseph Conrad (1857), Kate O’Brien (1897), Morgan Llywelyn (1916), David K. Shipler (1942), Grace Andreacchi (1954), Mark Salzman (1959), Stephen Elliott (1971), Zlata Filipovic (1980)

David K. Shipler won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction for “Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Poisoned Land”

Quote: “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” – Joseph Conrad

“If you do all that work of figuring out exactly how writing is done, then it’s available to you at anytime, and you can build on it. It’s like the difference between shooting one hoop and having it go in by accident and saying later, ‘I shot a basket,’ – and practicing so much you can do it whenever you want.” – Mark Salzman

Tip: When writing a cover letter or proposal, don’t be cutesy or use fancy fonts. This is a business. Treat it as such.

Jumpstart: The book lay on the table, coated in dust, unopened for centuries. She drew near and it quivered, much like her stomach. “I am for you,” whispered in her mind…

Birthdays: Joseph P. Lash (1909), Dan Jenkins (1929), Leon Litwack (1929), David H. Fisher (1935), David Macaulay (1946), Elizabeth Berg (1948), T.C. Boyle (1948), George Saunders (1958), Ann Patchett (1963)

Joseph Lash won the National Book Award and Pulitzer for Biography for his works on Eleanor Roosevelt.

Leon Litwack won an American Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for History for “Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery”

David H. Fisher won the 2005 Pulitzer for History for “Washington’s Crossing”

Quotes: “I’ve loved books and reading from the time my mother began reading to me, and I’ve loved writing ever since I could hold a pencil.” – Elizabeth Berg

“I think people become consumed with selling a book when they need to be consumed with writing it.” – Ann Patchett

“Making books is hard work. Some books are, of course, more demanding than others.” – David Macaulay

“But then, that’s the beauty of writing stories—each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there’s no feeling like it.” – T.C. Boyle

“Fiction is a kind of compassion-generating machine that saves us from sloth. Is life kind or cruel? Yes, Literature answers. Are people good or bad? You bet, says Literature.” – George Saunders

Tip: A rejection is not personal. As in The Godfather, “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.” And that’s what a rejection is. It’s a business decision by a publisher who doesn’t think they can work with your manuscript. It’s not you.

Jumpstart: If someone had asked her to predict what would happen that day, she probably wouldn’t have guessed that it involved the destruction of the world by strange supernatural forces, and that she was now on her way to fight them. How had this happened to her?

BUCK ME by Andrew Grey

Fiction, Gay Contemporary Romance, 251 pages

4****

Blurb: Emmett McElroy is the cowboy horses hate. When his heir apparent brother dies and his father has a heart attack, he does his duty and steps up as head of the family ranch, but he wishes things were different and his life choices were his own. Just when he begins to get his legs under him, he arrives home to find his high school crush has been hired as ranch foreman. Ex-rodeo cowboy Nathaniel Zachary desperately needs work. When Mrs. McElroy offers him a job while her husband recovers, he jumps at it. The only issue is Emmett… because Nathaniel has never been able to get his best friend’s brother out of his mind. Tensions only increase when, after drowning his sorrows, Emmett foolishly agrees to enter a bucking bronc contest at the local rodeo. The attraction that grows as Nathaniel helps prepare Emmett for the contest is something neither of them expected, but as Emmett’s father’s health improves, the happiness they’ve built may break faster than a cowboy thrown from the meanest bronc.

Thoughts: This was a good read. There are numerous moments (the horses constantly biting Emmet), tense ones, romantic ones, and more. The setting is well-done and the characters realistic. The author puts me right there, on the ranch, with Emmet. His frustration with his family comes across perfectly and I love the way he finally sends a very strong message to his mother that he is gay and will not have her continue to throw women at him. The relationship between Emmet and Nate grows through their continued working together and blossoms into real romance. There is some heat, but not over the top for this story.

Recommendation: Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”