RoundUp Magazine Reviews Thunder to Breakfast

From Thunder to Breakfast
by Writer Gene K. Garrison, and Storyteller Hube Yates.

Xlibris.com. 248 pages
$21.99 Softcover
$31.99 Hardcover,
ISBN 978-1-4010-377-7 and 978-1-4010-0376-0
Nonfiction.

Reviewed by Western Writers of America's RoundUp Magazine

From Thunder to Breakfast is not so much a novel, but rather a series of stories told by a master storyteller and immortalized in ink by a more than capable writer.

The story begins when a young Hube Yates and his family move from Oklahoma to
Arizona by covered wagon. If Arizonans didn't know what was coming their way, they sure found out quickly. Yates is a character like none other; a firefighter, a family man, and a lifelong cowboy, Yates' memoirs tell of a man who has seen it all and has the stories to back it up.

Starting as a young boy and only getting better with age, Yates had a knack for being a real prankster. From scaring the heck out of border patrol agents to making a nurse almost vomit, he could take almost any situation and turn it into a humorous story that will leave you with nothing less than a smile on your face. If you want a real belly laugh or just a good old-fashioned story, From Thunder to Breakfast is a hard hand to beat.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

An Amazing Cross-Cultural Story

Title: Running From Coyote: A White Family among the Navajo
Author: Danalee Buhler
Publisher: iUniverse, August 2007
ISBN 978-0-595-40543-5
E-mail: danaleebooks@gmail.com
See Kirkus Discoveries review on author web site.
See Amazon Shorts story, "Finding a Navajo At The Bottom of the
Baptismal Tank"

Pre-print quotation from Tony Hillerman

"Running From Coyote is a remarkable book, a brilliant example of how a
writer can use memories of her own childhood to introduce the world to
another culture. Not only does Ms. Buhler provide a clear view of the
Navajo people, my own favorite Native American culture, she also tells
a wonderful story of a white girl growing up between the Sacred
Mountains. If I were still teaching my University of New Mexico
classes, I would have it on my required reading list."

The book is available from iUniverse, Amazon, Powells, Barnes and
Nobel, and other internet book stores.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coaliition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love--and that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Tackling the Tough Questions About Riders of the Purple Sage

No One to Cry To, a Long, Hard Ride into the Sunset with Foy Willing of the Riders of the Purple Sage
By Sharon Lee Willing
Biographical Memoir
ISBN-10: 1-58736-686-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-58736-686-4
Reviewer: Tim Lasiuta (Canada) reviewer (


As one of the premier western swing bands of the 1930's and 40's, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage were in demand everywhere. Radio. Movies. Special appearances. But, unlike the Sons of the Pioneers, their lineage did not continue unbroken. Unlike the Sons, their history was not chronicled, until now.

Sharon Lee Willing has provided a look into the troubled life of Foy Willing. Not that this is a sad book, but it is more a book about sadness. Foy Willing had had it all. Wealth. Fame. Reputation. And a faithful family. But his life path was the result of poor planning, and in the end, his character.

Sharon tackles the tough questions. She relates the early history of the Riders in more detail than we have ever had. But, with her appearance in Foy’s life in the 1950's, the story gains credibility. Foy had been an alcoholic, but he recovered. He still was in demand. He wanted marriage. But he was unwilling to take the final step. When he did, alcohol was again part of his life. And his marriage dissolved. That’s where the sadness comes in.

Foy was talented. More talented than his recording history tells. More passionate and creative than he is given credit for. Near the end of his years, the ‘old’ Foy Willing resurrected and he began the nostalgic resurgence of the Riders with very much success.

She even includes a discography, his film appearances, and a comprehensive list of songs written/co-written by Foy. Collectors will love this.

This is a heartfelt book. If you want a glossed over history of Mr Willing, don’t buy this book. If you want to read about the real Foy Willing, this is for you. Written by the one who knew him best, and loved him the most, "No One to Cry To" is the story of a man, blessed with talent, on a lifelong journey who finally found what he was looking for.

Tim Lasiuta (Canada)

Wondering About Authenticity? Ask a Historian!

There's Something About CAVE CREEK (It's The People)
By Gene K. Garrison
History, memoirs, lifestyles, humor, characters
ISBN: 978-1-4303-0982-6
Marshall Trimble, Official Arizona State Historian
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/AZ/200002721.html

Cave Creek is a one-of-a-kind town. In a Valley whose cities are
becoming more homogenous with each passing year Cave Creek has retained
its unique character. In time it too may become more like Scottsdale,
Carefree, Tempe, Mesa, and the other cities down below, but if and when
that time comes the old stories will keep the memories alive.

My earliest memories of the town are of the mid-1940s. My
uncle and aunt, Russell and Jeffie Talbott, owned the Golden Reef Mine
north of town. Later, my brother Dan opened an equine veterinary
practice in the area. Soon after my parents retired and joined him and
his wife Mary. I spent many hours traveling around with Dan on his
calls to the ranches north of town and many more sitting on a bar stool
at Harold and Ruth Gavigan’s Cave Creek Corral. It was here I met many
of the people in Gene Garrison’s book, including George Mileham, Jim
Hardy, and Logue Morris. There were others too, with colorful names
like O. K. Charlie, and Leadpipe.

Cave Creek is home to folks with wide interests. Geoffrey
Platts was a desert preservationist who gave his life to save a friend
in a flash flood and Catherine Jones was a colorful pistol-packin’
deputy sheriff who once shot a piece of the ear off a troublesome
bootlegger.

Cave Creek has produced some of the West’s best cowboys.
Anyone who’s ever chased a wild steer down one of those cactus-strewn,
steep-sided canyons north of town can attest that anyone who cowboyed
around Cave Creek could cowboy anywhere in the world. George Mileham
was one of the best. Jim Hardy was one of the first to be born in the
little town of Phoenix and he was still spry when Phoenix celebrated
its 100th birthday. And some say Logue Morris was the inspiration for
the great western song, “Man With the Big Hat.”

Gene has pulled these stories together into a wonderful
book about the characters and places that made Cave Creek one of the
state’s most colorful towns. It may change some in the future but the
people have left an indelible mark on the area.

Marshall Trimble

Official Arizona State Historian