PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTHWEST AUTHOR TAKES ON CHARACTER’S QUEST
”Have you seen my Juanita?” Signs Peak Interest
for One Step Over The Border
Stephen Bly of Winchester, Idaho, award winning author of 100 books, has so gotten into his newest character’s life, that he’s caught up in the search to find Juanita, the girl of rodeo cowboy Hap Bowman’s dreams.
“An idiot obsession,” Hap’s roping partner, Laramie, chides.
But Hap and Bly keep looking anyway. And so does Bly’s family, friends and fans. Juanita’s description is listed on the home page of www.OneStepOvertheBorder.com: raven dark hair, dark eyes, has a petite birthmark the shape of a horse’s head under her right ear. She lived in sight of the Rio Grande and spent time with Hap in Central Wyoming, summer of 1988 and is 31 years old now. That’s who Hap and Laramie determine to find on a summer’s jaunt along the Rio Grande from Matamoros, Mexico, to Creede, Colorado.
Bly’s had pictures sent to him of “Have you seen my Juanita?” signs popping up everywhere—on websites and message boards, in waiting rooms and bulletin boards, on car bumpers and t-shirts, at rest stops and stuck to magnetic surfaces. “They’re even on fence posts. One gal stuck a bumper sticker on her horse’s rump. Maybe we really will find her,” Bly says, “If so, she’ll be featured on Hap’s website for sure.”
One Step Over the Border has inspired a blog by Hap Bowman, a Juanita Sightings page, and an audio poetry reading. Bly’s three sons are working on a video for the site and they’ve gotten the whole family involved in the production. There’s even a free “Have You Seen My Juanita?” Search Kit ready to send to those who e-mail cowboy Hap at HapBowman@yahoo.com with their snail mail address.
Best known for his classic historical westerns, Bly’s no stranger, too, in getting heavily involved into his contemporary characters. In Paperback Writer, a distracted
detective rides along with his author, serving as alter ego and companion in troubles on the road. “Life imitates art, they say,” Bly muses. “I care so much for my characters I find it hard to let them go. But also my desire is for the reader to find their own real life discoveries, to be encouraged in their own struggles, by the vicarious ‘entering into’ the quests of my fictional characters. In the Juanita search, readers become a part of the story before the book even comes out. And as with so many of our own ‘idiot obsessions,’ Hap and Laramie believe they’re looking for Juanita, but discover divine providence steps in too.”
Other writers have taken notice of By’s campaign. Montana author, Tricia Goyer, who’s been gaining readers through her WWII books, like Arms of Deliverance, says, “Bly caught my interest. What a fun idea! The more I read of the Juanita search, the more my interest is piqued. If I see that book on the shelves, I’m going to want to know what happened to Juanita. . . which is what any author wants.”
The story of Hap’s search to find his Juanita, in the book One Step Over the Border, releases June 2007. Pre-orders are now available at your nearest quality bookstore or favorite online bookstore or through www.blybooks.com.
CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Stephen or Janet Bly
P.O. Box 157, Winchester, ID, 83555
ph: 208-924-5885;
e-mail: stephen@blybooks.com or janet@blybooks.com
website: www.blybooks.com
NOTE: Jpg. color photos of Stephen Bly, Juanita search signs with family grouping and on horse’s rump, and cover copy of One Step Over The Border, available upon request, as an e-mail attachment or sent by snail mail. Also, a full press kit is available.
INTERVIEW--QUESTIONS ONLY
One Step Over The Border, by Stephen Bly,
Center Street/Hachette Book Group USA, $12.99
Stephen Bly
P. O. Box 157
Winchester, Idaho, 83555
e-mail: stephen@blybooks.com
ph: 208-924-5885, fax: 208-924-7303
websites: http://www.blybooks.com, http://www.onestepovertheborder.com
It’s a romp. A road adventure. It’s CowboyLit. Rodeo cowboy Hap Bowman’s on a search for Juanita, the gal of his dreams, whom he hasn’t seen in 18 years. He seems stuck on 12-years-old and the enchanting girl he met then. And he wants to give her a small box of treasures.
An idiot obsession,” his roping partner, Laramie Majors, chides. But Laramie agrees to a final summer’s trek along the Rio Grande. If they don’t find Juanita during those months, Hap promises to drop the idea of the gal. But if they find her, will she feel the same as Hap does about their years ago interlude?
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WHY ARE YOU A GOOD CHOICE FOR AN INTERVIEW?
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YOU’RE KNOWN FOR YOUR CLASSIC WESTERNS, WHY WRITE A CONTEMPORARY WESTERN?
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YOU’RE A WRITER, A PASTOR, A MAYOR, AND A GUN DEALER. WHAT DO THESE DIVERSE AVOCATIONS HAVE TO DO WITH OTHER?
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WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER?
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WHY DID YOU ENTER INTO YOUR CHARACTER’S SEARCH FOR THE MISSING FICTIONAL JUANITA?
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE E-MAILS HAP AND ORDERS A “JUANITA SEARCH KIT?”
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HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR THE STORYLINE?
- WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SCENE AND WHY? WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST?
- HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ‘MOST LIKELY’ READER?
WHAT ‘FELT NEED’ DOES THIS BOOK MEET?
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HAP’S ROPING PARTNER, LARAMIE, CALLS HAP’S SEARCH FOR “HIS JUANITA” AN ‘IDIOT OBSESSION.’ WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE GET SUCKED INTO IDIOT OBSESSIONS? AND HAVE YOU EVER HAD ONE?
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IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR BOOK ADDRESS MISSING PERSONS ISSUES OR DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL ALIENS? OR DOES IT?
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HOW DOES YOUR PERCEIVED THEME FOR YOUR NOVEL RELATE TO REAL-LIFE NEEDS?
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WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS BOOK FROM OTHERS YOU’VE WRITTEN?
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HOW DO YOU EXPECT THIS BOOK TO IMPACT READERS?
GIVE SOME SPECIFIC BENEFITS.
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WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WRITING THIS BOOK?
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WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BOOK, ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER?
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WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE ABOUT THE LIFE OF A WRITER?
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WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STORY ABOUT THE LIFE OF A NOVELIST?
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HOW CAN ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER BE PURCHASED?
NOTE: REVIEW COPIES OF ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER WILL BE AVAILABLE BY MAY 2007. IF YOU’D LIKE TO RECEIVE A SAMPLE, SEND US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS WITH REPLIES
One Step Over The Border, by Stephen Bly,
Center Street/Hachette Book Group USA, $12.99
Stephen Bly
P. O. Box 157
Winchester, Idaho, 83555
e-mail: stephen@blybooks.com
ph: 208-924-5885, fax: 208-924-7303
websites: http://www.blybooks.com, http://www.onestepovertheborder.com
It’s a romp. A road adventure. It’s CowboyLit. Rodeo cowboy Hap Bowman’s on a search for Juanita, the gal of his dreams, whom he hasn’t seen in 18 years. He seems stuck on 12-years-old and the enchanting girl he met then. And he wants to find her and give her a small box of treasures that mean something to only him and her.
An idiot obsession,” his roping partner, Laramie Majors, chides. But Laramie agrees to a final summer’s trek along the Rio Grande. If they don’t find Juanita during those months, Hap promises to drop the idea of the gal. But if they find her, will she feel the same as Hap does about their years ago interlude?
1.) WHY ARE YOU A GOOD CHOICE FOR AN INTERVIEW?
I write about the West (historic or modern) from the inside. Born and raised on western ranches, I have both the heart and mind to describe things as they really were . . and are. You’ll get a folksy, personal . . . right to the point, interview with humor and heart.
2.) YOU’RE KNOWN FOR YOUR CLASSIC WESTERNS, WHY WRITE A CONTEMPORARY WESTERN?
Well, there are those who think the frontier has long passed and with it the “code of the west.” The truth is, both are still around . . . and it’s fun to show that in a contemporary story. The West is so big, so diverse, so enchanting it’s a thrill to write about it in any era.
3.) YOU’RE A WRITER, A PASTOR, A MAYOR, AND AN ANTIQUE GUN COLLECTOR. WHAT DO THESE DIVERSE AVOCATIONS HAVE TO DO WITH OTHER?
And you didn’t even mention my fondness for Jimmy Buffet music. In every field I want to grow as a person . . . push myself . . my skills . . . my understanding . . . my spirit. I not a sit around and let life come to me person. I want to dive into life and change it . . . change it for the better if I can. Look again at that list . . . . I write a lot of fiction books . . . all from a Christian world view . . . being pastor helps me stay focused . . . I’m mayor of a town of 308 in the mountains of Idaho on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation . . . that keeps me very western . . . and I collect old Winchester rifles . . . which reflects my love of historical accuracy. (And Jimmy Buffet music? Hey, there’s not a whole lot of difference between a pirate and an outlaw.)
4.) WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER?
It’s a buddy story, road romp . . . where the time tested values of cowboys rub up against contemporary values. It’s a crazy story that becomes more logical as the reader gets deeper into it. In spite of yourself, it will make you laugh and make you cry, and make you think about your own life in a fresh, new way. The characters are a little crazy . . . but the reader will make life-long friends with them.
5.) WHY DID YOU ENTER INTO YOUR CHARACTER’S SEARCH FOR THE MISSING FICTIONAL JUANITA?
What a fun project! Don’t we all have someone in the past . . . that we knew for only a short while . . . that we wish we could have known all our lives? So when Hap and Laramie ventured out on a search for Hap’s Juanita . . . I decided to invite others to go along too. I want the whole country to be searching for his Juanita. But she’s fictional, some complain. Oh, there’s a thin line between fact and fiction.
6.) WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE E-MAILS HAP AND ORDERS A “JUANITA SEARCH KIT?”
There’s a lot of fun things in the kit . . . bumper sticker, magnet, bookmark, stickers, flyers, etc. It’s a whole packet of search material that will equip anyone to set out and find a “Juanita” where they live. If they send Hap an e-mail or snail mail him a picture of the fun places where they’ve stuck their Juanita signs, they’ll receive a free copy of the book. It’s all there on the website at http://www.onestepovertheborder.com/
7.) HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR THE STORYLINE?
Paperback writers have crazy minds. I have stories lined up to be told that are longer than the Wal-Mart line the day after Thanksgiving. I wanted a story so audacious the reader would have to laugh . . . that would become so believable the reader would have to care. This is what popped into my head.
8.) WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SCENE AND WHY? WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST?
The last scene is my favorite, because it makes the whole quest have purpose and meaning. I can’t say more or it would spoil the story. The funniest? The two café scenes. . . one in a Mexican Cantina . . . and one in a Wyoming roadhouse. Both have me laughing no matter how many times I read them.
9.) HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ‘MOST LIKELY’ READER?
WHAT ‘FELT NEED’ DOES THIS BOOK MEET?
While the book will very much appeal to both men and women readers, by sheer numbers . . . more women will read it, especially country gals with cowboy-on-their-mind kind of hearts. While people often talk of women looking for “knights on white horses” most American women have at one time in their life longed for a “cowboy” on any color of horse. So this will have some appeal there. Plus the drive to find that one girl . . . the one you can’t forget . . . has an appeal to the reader. As far as felt need . . . we all have a felt need to find the “right” person to share our life with . . . and the need to think that other person has been searching for us. In that way, it’s a satisfying (and yet surprising) story.
We have the need to be searched for and found . . . . the need to complete something we promised ourselves long ago. We have the need to do the right thing, even if no one knows it. The need to make a stand against all odds. And the need to be a friend (and have a friend) through all the struggles in life.
10.) HAP’S ROPING PARTNER, LARAMIE, CALLS HAP’S SEARCH FOR ‘HIS JUANITA’ AN ‘IDIOT OBSESSION.’ WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE GET SUCKED INTO IDIOT OBSESSIONS? AND HAVE YOU EVER HAD ONE?
People grab onto “idiot obsessions” because of the goal (or perceived goal) in their mind it will accomplish something . . . it will produce something . . . . it will change something . . . and this obsession is the only way they know how to achieve that result. Have I had one? Are you kidding? Being a full time fiction writer is an idiot obsession. Most people have the good sense to avoid such an occupation.
11.) THE WHOLE JUANITA CAMPAIGN HAS ALLUSIONS TO THIS . . . IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR BOOK ADDRESS MISSING PERSONS ISSUES OR DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL ALIENS? OR DOES IT?
This book does not deal with either subject. Juanita is not lost, kidnapped or hiding. She just hasn’t been seen by Hap in 18 years. It’s a “where is she now” kind of story, so it doesn’t deal with the heartbreaking issue of a missing person. While there is a moment of pondering about illegal aliens risking their life to cross the border . . . that subject is not dealt with. Yet, there are some contemporary issues dealt with in the book . . . from domestic abuse . . . to across the border cattle rustling . . . to marijuana growing . . . to eminent domain issues . . . to handicapped children . . . and others. The issues are not as important as how Hap and Laramie deal with such issues.
12.) WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS BOOK FROM OTHERS YOU’VE WRITTEN?
First of all, I’ve never had two male protagonists before. The point-of-view goes from chapter to chapter between Hap and Laramie. From a technical stand point, I’ve also never written a novel without some interior monologue. This has none. And, more than any before, the moral of the story gradually unfolds. It’s more subtle than others, I think . . . I never jerk the line, but just let the reader slowly swallow the bait.
13.) HOW DO YOU EXPECT THIS BOOK TO IMPACT READERS?
GIVE SOME SPECIFIC BENEFITS.
Okay . . . they are going to laugh . . . and cry . . . . and shake their heads . . . then tell their friends “you need to read this book.” They will definitely want to know more about Hap and Laramie. But in the process, they will see both Hap and Laramie find completion . . . and healing . . . from the past, and that will give the reader hope for their own situation. It will encourage them to keep plugging away, because there is a way to resolve what you are struggling with.
14.) WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WRITING THIS BOOK?
Getting to meet Hap and Laramie . . . they changed my life. I laugh a little deeper because of them. But I love their loyalty to each other. It makes me cherish my friends even more. Also, I love the switches in the story . . .. the places when they get themselves into such a bind, I was about to give up on them . . . and then something unexpected happened . . . . and they made it a success.
15.) WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BOOK, ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER?
Reading ought to be enjoyable. Read One Step Over the Border for fun. Relax. In doing that, it will change the way you look at your life. A change for the better, I think.
Sometimes I think a book is merely the sub-title of life. We live our lives with triumph and tragedy . . . and a good book tells the story in print…just in case you missed the storyline somewhere. So a good book, even historical fiction, is in sync with real life. That’s what this book does.
16.) WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE ABOUT THE LIFE OF A WRITER?
Incessantly long lists of interview questions.
17.) WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STORY ABOUT THE LIFE OF A NOVELIST?
I love how readers become close friends of my fictional characters. I’ve been amazed when lady readers (and their daughters) write to me asking for the phone number of one of my fictional single cowboy characters.
18.) HOW CAN ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER BE PURCHASED?
One Step can be pre-ordered at your nearest quality bookstore, or at www.BlyBooks.com (to get an autographed copy), or from your favorite online bookstore such as http://www.amazon.com
NOTE: REVIEW COPIES OF ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER WILL BE AVAILABLE BY MAY 2007. IF YOU’D LIKE TO RECEIVE A SAMPLE, SEND US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
JANET CHESTER BLY BIO
813 Camas St., Winchester, ID, 83555
ph: 208-924-5885 fax: 208-924-7303
email: janet@blybooks.com website: http://www.blybooks.com
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B.S., Literature & Languages and Fine & Performing Arts Interdiscipline, Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho
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speaker at conferences on women’s issues, family challenges, and devotional themes (list available upon request)
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teacher at writers conferences/web communities; panelist, The Writers View e-group; mentor, Christian Writers Guild; Writer of Year Award, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference; Judge, International Self-Published Book Awards, Writer’s Digest Magazine
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member, Winchester Community Church, Winchester, Idaho
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music director, teacher of challenged adults
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mother of three sons: Russell, Michael, and Aaron (all married), grandmother of Zachary and Miranda
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wife of Stephen Bly—pastor, mayor, author, speaker
BOOKS AUTHORED: 11
Including . . .
WORDS TO LIVE BY FOR WOMEN, 2004, Bethany House
HOPE LIVES HERE, 2001, Discovery House
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, 1999, Discovery House
AWAKENING YOUR SENSE OF WONDER, 1997, Discovery House
THE HEART OF A RUNAWAY, 1995, Discovery House
BOOKS CO-AUTHORED: 18
Including . . .
THE CARSON CITY CHRONICLES (3), 2000, Servant Publications
THE HIDDEN WEST SERIES (3), 1998, Servant Publications
THE POWER OF A GODLY GRANDPARENT, 2003, Beacon Hill Press
BOOKS CONTRIBUTED TO: 6
Including . . .
Women’s Devotional Bible, NIV, 2006, Zondervan
WHAT THE WIND PICKED UP, 2005, short stories by ChiLibris novelists, iUniverse
THE STORYTELLER’S COLLECTION, 2001, Multnomah
THE BIBLE FOR TODAY’S CHRISTIAN WOMAN, 1998, Thomas Nelson
PARENTING: QUESTIONS WOMEN ASK, 1992, Multnomah
FAMILIES: ADVICE FROM EXPERTS, edited by Jerry Jenkins, Moody Press
A MOMENT A DAY, 1988, Regal Books
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grad of Fresno State University, CA, Philosophy, summa cum laude
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M. Div., Fuller Theological Seminary, CA, 1974
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first book released, 1981
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Christy Award winner, Westerns, 2002
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Christy Award finalist, Westerns, 2003
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author of 100 fiction and nonfiction books, inc. historical and contemporary westerns
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mayor of Winchester, Idaho, pop. 308
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pastor of Winchester Community Church
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speaker for men’s and writers’ groups, USA and Canada
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does great radio interviews
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member, Western Writers of America
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mentor, Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild
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represented by agent, Frank Weimann, The Literary Group, NY
Married to writer, Janet Chester Bly, 44 years; they’ve co-authored 18 books.
Resides in north-central Idaho at 4,200 ft. elev. in the ponderosa pines across from Winchester Lake State Park, on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
Raised 3 sons: Russell, Michael, & Aaron. The family now includes 3 wonderful daughters-in-law and two teen grandkids. b
Third generation westerner, Steve spent his first 30 years working family ranches and farms in central California.
Hobbies: Collects and restores antique Winchesters; studies histories of Old West; pursues the 3 Rs of ridin’, ropin’, and rodeo; and does construction on Broken Arrow Crossing, a false front western village next to his home.
Seldom seen without cowboy boots, hat, and jeans, even in the pulpit.
Recent books: One Step Over The Border, June 2007, Center Street/Hachette;
The Horse Dreams Series—Memories of a Dirt Road Town, The Mustang Breaker, and Wish I’d Known You Tears Ago.
ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER EXCERPT
“Hap, you’re thirty-one years old and you refuse to date anyone without the name Juanita. It’s a full blown obsession.”
The cool westward wind drifted over them, pregnant with heat to be birthed later in the morning. A distant rooster sounded startled to crow so late. Bacon grease congealed in a black skillet, parked in the dirt between them.
“Laramie, I’m tryin’ harder this summer to understand than I ever have. I know one thing, this is my last season of searchin’. I got to give it my best shot. That’s the only way I’ll be able to walk away from it.”
“If last night’s any indication, we won’t live another week. Sometimes it’s like walking the floor with an addict. I try to keep you upright and moving until this ‘drug’ works out of your system.”
“I sorta figure that last night was progress.”
“Progress?” Laramie waved his boot like a pointer stick. “You don’t have a clue whether she lives in the U.S. or Mexico, or whether it’s in Texas, New Mexico, or Colorado. She could have moved to Cody, Wyoming, by now. Think of that for irony.”
“We checked out Cody ten years ago.”
“You’ve got to narrow it down some, Hap. It’s like looking for some particular penguin in Antarctica. We’re going to find Juanitas all over, but how can we tell the right one? So far the only site we’ve crossed off the list was that run down cantina in Matamoros.”
Hap studied the tanned creases around Laramie’s eyes. He kept thinking of the old rodeo phrase, “it ain’t the years, boys . . . it’s the miles.” His voice lowered, “I eliminated some others last night. I was layin’ there in my aches and pains tryin’ to think it all through and it dawned on me. My Juanita is the kind of gal to make somethin’ of herself. We were lookin’ in the wrong place last night.”
Laramie shook his boot out. Something dropped to the sand, dug a quick hole, and buried itself. “What was that?”
“A beetle, I guess. Now, listen up. This is huge. I decided there will be no more searchin’ out cantinas, saloons or casinos. I’m just sure my Juanita’s teachin’ at a school, nursin’ at a hospital, or runnin’ the soup kitchen at the gospel mission. We need to be lookin’ on the good side of town. That’s the kind of woman she is.”
Treeless brown prairie grass stretched north of them. Laramie gazed at the horizon as if expecting a fox to jump up. “The Rio Grande’s eighteen-hundred miles long. That’s not what I’d call narrow.”
Hap stood up slow, unlocking his back as if it were a pair of vise grips. “We ought to go search a hospital. Maybe they’d rent us a cheap room for the night. That would do us the most good.”
Laramie wiggled his toes, then shoved his foot in his boot. “Hap, I promised you I’d ride the river with you. And you know I keep every promise. But that doesn’t mean I comprehend all of this.”
Hap scratched his unshaven chin. “Look, if it’s any consolation, I don’t understand me either. Sometimes this drive feels like a disease. But I aim to get cured. And the antidote is somewhere between here and the headwaters of the Rio Grande near Creede, Colorado. I guarantee, partner, this is the last summer you and me have to put up with this.”
SAMPLES AVAILABLE,
BY REQUEST
Send us your name and address and what you would like to receive and we’ll be delighted to send you for publicity or review purposes . . .
____ Stephen Bly photo
____ Janet Chester Bly photo
____ a copy of One Step Over The Border
____ a copy of any other Bly book: _____________________________
____ a complete Bly books booklist
____ One Step Over The Border postcard(s)
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” outdoor signs photos
____ a complete Juanita Search Kit
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” bookmark(s)
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” bumper sticker(s)
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” 1 ½ x 2 5/8” stickers
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” magnet(s)
____ “Have You Seen My Juanita” flyers
____ When The Cowboys Come To Town cowboy poetry booklet
____ When The Cowboys Come To Town cowboy poetry cassette
____ When The Cowboys Come To Town cowboy poetry CD
____ Stephen Bly’s Favorite Fiction desktop calendar (while supplies last)
ONE STEP OVER THE BORDER
WHOLESALE ORDERS INFO
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STEPHEN BLY BOOK REVIEWS
About Paperback Writer . . . "In this fresh contribution to the CBA market, Bly, the prolific Christy Award winning author of series westerns, pens an amusing parody of the proverbial dime-store paperback novel . . . this book is a funny, enjoyable romp for CBA fiction readers." Publishers Weekly
"Once in awhile, you come across a novel that is truly different. Christy Award-winning author Bly (The Long Trail Home, 2002 Western category) has written a psychological thriller that is like nothing else in the Christian fiction genre . . . This engrossing roller-coaster read will appeal to male readers as well as anyone who has ever dares to dream larger than life." Library Journal
From The Bookwatch . . . "The Long Trail Home is a superbly crafted, deeply inspiring, thoroughly entertaining, highly recommended novel played out against the backdrop of the American frontier."
About Fool's Gold: "Bly provides a rip-roaring Western in the tradition of Louis L'Amour, filled with humorous characters and an abiding appreciation for the Lord's mysterious ways." Library Journal
"Bly does a lot of things right for lovers of the traditional western . . . (he) clearly knows the country he writes about: the difference between pinion pines and chaparral, what the weather will do, how horses tire. He knows about guns and seems to have thoroughly researched the behavior of Indian war parties. . . Luke Short and Frank Gruber come to mind. There ought to be some takers among both Christian and western readers." Booklist
About Miss Fontenot . . . "Bly's hallmark rollicking charm is very much in evidence in this adventurous tale of the Old West. Of special interest is the unusual portrayal of a highly independent yet deeply religious woman who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to express her thoughts and feelings." Library Journal
"Bly offers a kinder, gentler Western that should appeal to fans of Louis L'Amour." Library Journal
About his cowboy poetry . . . "Topics range from the sacred and local heroes to dancing in Deadwood and 'Suckersville, New Mexico.' Obviously, Bly doesn't take himself too seriously--a fine trait for any cowboy poet." Bunkhouse Reviews, The Western Horseman
READER COMMENTS . . .
THE HORSE DREAMS SERIES
Well written contemporary western fiction . . . Great life-lessons learned without being preachy.” G. Dueker, OR
“Pure entertainment for fans of 'Westerns'. . . started out with so much action it was hard to stop reading. The fun continued throughout the story at a steady pace. . . No sagging middle or useless scenes. I feel like I know the characters in the story as personal friends . . . The guy humor was a hoot as it SO fit the story. Casey Cree-Ryder is probably the most zany character I've had the pleasure of knowing. She was just too much fun.” Michelle Therese, AZ
“. . . fast-paced, engaging dialogue that often transforms the reader into another world. . . breathtakingly refreshing . . . One thing I can say is that you'll walk away with a few personal revelations of your own. Alyice Edrich, TheDabblingMum.com
“Stephen Bly is able to bring me to tears either with laughter or pathos. How he can write so believably about females amazes me . . . Made me want to revist the land of blue skys, wide open spaces and typical Western people, culture and terrain.” J. M. Ashby, TX
“I swear Stephen reached down into my heart to speak her thoughts and desires. A scene described by Stephen can crack even the stuffiest brow.........told so well that you wished you were the heroine riding off into that sunset with that cowboy!” CJ Hardin, OR
“The rich characterizations of Bly puts the reader firmly in the head of schoolmarm Dev Worrell as she tries to find out if you really can go home again . . . another good read from a talented writer.” Terry W. Burns, author, Mysterious Ways Series, River Oak
“I almost became uninterested in it because of stress in my life. My husband is in the hospsital for the 3rd time since Good Friday and we can’t do anything special except recall some beautiful memories. However, suddenly the humor in your book made it so funny that I had to share it with another librarian friend. You have such a unique way of including so many events, situations and conversations that I forget the impossible reality to finding they warm my heart. Are you as funny in life as with written words?” Margaret S.
“The only bad thing about this book, it seemed to run as fast as a Mustang. One minute I was in Chapter 1, the next I’m done. Ya gotta love Stephen Bly’s books.” Catherine N. WA
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