woostify domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/latestwordpress/lonestar.a1professionals.net_public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131After nearly eighteen years writing “Texas Reads,” Dromgoole is retiring his syndicated column<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For twenty years, I\u2019ve been writing books or writing about books.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My first book, What Dogs Teach Us<\/em>, came out in the fall of 1999 and is still in print. It was a surprising New York Times <\/em>best-seller and led to such other literary gems as What Cats Teach Us, What Horses Teach Us<\/em>, and even something along the lines of What Aggies Teach Us<\/em>. All in all, I have been privileged to have more than thirty books published, with most (but not all) of them still in print.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since March 2002 I\u2019ve also written a weekly column about Texas books and authors called \u201cTexas Reads.\u201d It has run in Lone Star Literary Life from pretty much the beginning of this wonderful on-line literary newspaper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have enjoyed writing about Texas books and have gotten to know many of the authors whose books I\u2019ve reviewed. Texas is blessed to have a talented stable of dedicated and prolific writers, some of whom have attained best-seller status although most labor in relative obscurity. Over the years, I have tried to give them some public recognition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had been writing the column for more than two years when my wife Carol and I decided to start a Texas book and gift store, Texas Star Trading Company, in downtown Abilene in 2004. The column and the book store have been a good fit. I often get preview copies of books by Texas writers, and if they look promising we order books to sell. We\u2019ve been able to invite many authors to come to Abilene for library programs, the book festival, or book signings at our store.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of our favorites was Elmer Kelton. From the time we opened in 2004 until he passed away in 2009, Elmer would come for book signings once or twice a year. He had a strong following in Abilene and was always so gracious, taking time to visit with his many fans. He even dedicated his novel Other Men\u2019s Horses to me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another favorite has been Lisa Wingate. I\u2019ve written about nearly every one of Lisa\u2019s novels in my column, and Carol and I were excited when Lisa\u2019s latest novel, Before We Were Yours, hit the New York Time Best Sellers list and stayed there for more than a year, then made the list again when the paperback edition came out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We\u2019ve enjoyed getting to know novelists Jodi Thomas, Leila Meacham, Diane Kelly, Sandra Brown and many others. John Erickson, author of the Hank the Cowdog books, became a friend, as did best-selling authors Jeff Guinn and Carlton Stowers and children\u2019s authors Kathi Appelt, the late David Davis and Penny Klostermann.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n