The Land of Rain Shadow - by Joyce Gibson Roach (Paperback)

About the Book

"Collection of short stories detailing the fictitious lives of people in Horned Toad, Texas"--

Book Synopsis

They came and scattered themselves about the plains and prairies of West Texas like seeds thrown into the constant winds. In clusters or in singles they dug in. Depending on rainfall, they flourished or failed. Maybe the journeyers arrived in the springtime of a good year and saw the beauty of the place, expecting it to last. Maybe it did last for a season or so before a bad dry spell set in. Maybe it was several years before a real drought appeared, which they foolishly thought would pass. Regardless, there were soon small pockets of people becoming inseparable from the land. Some were made sad, mean, cantankerous, negative; some quiet, kind, patient; but all shared stubbornness, informed by the very land itself. In these eight stories that share the same setting across time, Joyce Gibson Roach writes of the place that sparked her treasured West Texas sensibility. Her fictive Horned Toad calls to stand and speak itself into existence--to live again in words. The characters are all familiar West Texas-types speaking in the tongues of dry places. All reflect their moments in time, proving that human nature does not change in this land of rain shadow.

Review Quotes

Joyce Gibson Roach is a legend. She has truly outdone herself with her new collection of stories about the place that made her who she is. It's an honor to know her and to know this book.
--Sarah Bird, author of Above the East China Sea

With these eight gems of short fiction, Joyce Gibson Roach captures the culture of West Texas with precision and authenticity. Roach's characters speak the language of the folk and carry the values of small-town Texas. The gallery of characters, from high-toned women to cowboy ranch hands, along with young narrators with hidden dreams and complicated questions, provide a chronicle of West Texas that has both local color and universal application. This book is destined to be a classic of Texas literature.
--Phyllis Bridges, Cornaro Professor English, Texas Woman's University

I know the exceptional talent of this award-winning author and have read most of her stories as well as most all of her writings in other genres. This new collection contains an unpublished story--"Crucero"--which I believe is one of the best she has ever written. It is a gem.
--Bob J. Frye, emeritus professor of English, Texas Christian University

About the Author

Joyce Gibson Roach is a retired Texas Christian University adjunct English professor, author of non-fiction books, short fiction, and juvenile fiction, a folklorist, grassroots historian, rancher, and naturalist. Her writing has won three Spur Awards and the Carr P. Collins Prize. She is an active member of many organizations, including the Texas State Historical Association, the Texas Folklore Society, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the West Texas Historical
Association.