Reader becomes ‘fully involved’ in this novel
By Glenn Dromgoole
Plano author Lindy Bell, ACU grad and sister of retired Abilene Fire Chief Larry Bell, has penned a powerful debut novel about the dedication and dangers of fire service.
Fully Involved ($18.95 paperback) features a young couple very much in love with each other and with what they do for a living – firefighter Andy Garrett and second grade teacher Katie Garrett.
Theirs is a love they pledge will last forever. But when Andy finally goes to the doctor after hiding his excruciating pain from Katie as long as he can, they have to confront the question of what “forever” means.
This is one of the most poignant and moving novels I’ve read. I became “fully involved” as I devoured the 460-page story in just two evenings.
The author, who went through the Plano Citizens Fire Academy in addition to being the sister of a fire chief, writes knowledgeably about how firefighters face increased risks of cancer as one of the lesser-known hazards of their profession.
Read this book. You’ll love the characters, and you’ll learn something. You might want to keep a box of issues handy.
We have autographed copies of Fully Involved at Texas Star Trading, and we’ve scheduled a book signing with Lindy Bell for Saturday, Oct. 16, from 1-2:30 p.m.
Camels in Texas
In the late 1850s, the U.S. military experimented with using camels for campaigns against Indians and for long-distance transport of supplies. The project was curtailed during the Civil War, and the camels were sold off, and some wandered off on their own.
Noted Texas children’s author Kathi Appelt bases her new novel for ages 8-12, Once Upon a Camel ($17.99 hardcover), on the fact that some camels were never accounted for.
In her story, set in West Texas in 1910, an old camel named Zada has become the guardian of two baby falcons after their parents are swept away in a horrific dust storm. Zada tries to protect the babies from mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and other potential dangers as they hope to be reunited with their momma and daddy.
Along the way, Zada reflects on the history she has lived through, and the camel friends she has known, in Turkey and in Texas.
A few years ago, San Angelo writer Preston Lewis penned a youth novel based on the camel project. His camel was named Sam, who stars in Just Call Me Uncle Sam: Or How a Camel Born at Sea Found Himself in Texas ($16.95 paperback).
Both camel books are available at Texas Star. Read more about camels in Texas on the Handbook of Texas website, tshaonline.org.
