by LOREN C. STEFFY<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Genre: Western \/ Rural Fiction \/ Small Town<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Date of Publication: May 25, 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Number of Pages: 304 pages\u202f<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Malloy, a ranch manager and lifelong cowboy, knows that his occupation\u2014and his community\u2014are dying. He wants new- millennium opportunities for his son, even though he himself failed to summon the courage to leave familiar touchstones behind. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Witherspoon, an ambitious, Lexus-driving techie, offers a solution. He moves to Conquistador to build and run a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant that will bring prestige and high-paying technology jobs to revive the town\u2014and advance his own career.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What neither man anticipates is the power the “Big Empty” will wield over their plans. The flat, endless expanse of dusty plain is as much a character in the conflict as are the locals struggling to subsist in this timeworn backwater and the high-tech transplants hell-bent on conquering it. While Malloy grapples with the flaws of his ancestors and his growing ambivalence toward the chip plant, Witherspoon falls prey to construction snafus, corporate backstabbing, and financial fraud. As they each confront personal fears, they find themselves united in the search for their own version of purpose in a uniquely untamable Texas landscape.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n CLICK TO PURCHASE!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Stoney Creek Publishing Group<\/a> (Currently 25% off)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u2502TAMU PRESS<\/a> \u2502Bookshop.org<\/a> \u2502 Amazon<\/a>\u2502<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u25c6\u202f\u202fWEBSITE<\/a>\u202f \u25c6\u202f BLOG<\/a> <\/span><\/span>\u25c6 FACEBOOK<\/a>\u202f \u25c6\u202f\u202fTWITTER <\/a>\u25c6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u25c6\u202f\u202fAMAZON<\/a>\u202f \u25c6\u202f GOODREADS<\/a>\u202f <\/span><\/span>\u25c6\u202f INSTAGRAM <\/a>\u25c6\u202fLINKEDIN<\/a> \u25c6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Stoney Creek Publishing<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u25c6\u202fWEBSITE<\/a>\u25c6 FACEBOOK<\/a>\u25c6 TWITTER<\/a>\u25c6LINKEDIN<\/a>\u25c6 INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u25c6 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Click the blog names for direct links to book reviews and special features. <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lonestarliterary.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/field\/image\/big_empty_the.png\"){kind=spacer}
ABOUT THE BOOK: <\/strong>When Trace Malloy and Blaine Witherspoon collide on a desolate West Texas highway, their fender bender sets the tone for escalating clashes that will determine the future of the town of Conquistador.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: <\/strong>Loren C. Steffy is the author of five nonfiction books. He is a writer at large for Texas Monthly<\/em>, and his work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide. He has previously worked for news organizations including Bloomberg and the Houston Chronicle, and he is a managing director for 30 Point Strategies, where he leads the 30 Point Press publishing imprint. His is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and is the co-host of the Rational Middle podcast. The Big Empty<\/em> is his first novel. Steffy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University. He lives in Wimberley, Texas, with his wife, three dogs, and an ungrateful cat.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lonestarliterary.com\/sites\/lonestarliterary.etypegoogle10.com\/files\/article_body_images\/LoneStarBookBlogTours_6.png\")
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