Lost loved ones, lost fortunes, and lost dreams were commonplace on the Western frontier. But, through the hardships, came the humorous old-timers. They could make a person smile in the wake of death, laugh in the face of danger, or teach youngsters how to cope with lifes problems. The Wagons of Perro Loco and Other Short Stories tells of family ranch life, alligator hunts, small-town festivals, the camaraderie of mountain men, and much more. In this collection, read and remember a horse named Bitch, dogs named Boy and Girl, and humorous characters named Lizard, Whiskers, and Chollie.
Just a few miles outside of Albuquerque New Mexico in a remote valley something has gone horribly wrong. To their eternal regret some people have mistaken the screams echoing in the hills as coyotes singing to the moon. When Josey drives his truck down into the valley he quickly learns the disturbing truth. It's not coyotes howling. It's men or what used to be men. Josey discovers that the valley is home to the depraved, the noble, the damned, the innocent, the beautiful, and of course the walking dead. When the least dangerous thing you encounter is an angry rattlesnake you know you've made a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Nestled in a remote valley, the residents of The Albuquerque Springs Trailer Park have lived out there lives nearly forgotten by the rest of the world. The trailer park is home to dozens of illegal immigrants, a hermit who has turned his back on society, a veteran of World War 2, a grumpy old woman, a family of Meth cookers known to local police officials as the Redneck Gourmets, and a beautiful young woman, are just a few. Life was peaceful and quiet (actually quite boring) until a deadly industrial accident killed Juan, one of the illegal immigrants. His friends and neighbors promised to dispose of the victim's body. Unfortunately, he came back and disposed of them- one mouthwatering bite at a time.
From the author of L.A. Weather comes “a whimsical, humorous, and passionate mystery that explores the love and hurt of a father and daughter on the run” (Jorge Ramos, News Anchor for Univision). “1,001 nights in a Mexicali women’s prison . . . González and Daughter Trucking Co. is about our compulsion to make events into stories and stories into bridges of understanding.”—John Sayles, Screenwriter and Director Serving a sentence in a prison in Mexico, Libertad González finds a clever way to pass the time with the weekly Library Club, reading to her fellow inmates from whatever books she can find in the prison’s meager supply. The story that emerges, though, has nothing to do with the words printed on the pages. She tells of a former literature professor and fugitive of the Mexican government who reinvents himself as a trucker in the United States. There he falls in love with a wild woman with whom he shares his truck and his life—that is until Joaquín González unexpectedly finds himself alone on the road with a baby girl and González & Daughter Trucking Co. is born. Joaquín and his daughter make the cab of an 18-wheeler their home, sharing everything—adventures, books, truck-stop chow, and memories of the girl’s mother—until one day the girl grows into a woman, and a chance encounter with one man causes her to rebel against another. With her stories, Libertad enthralls a group of female prisoners every bit as eccentric as the tales she tells. In González and Daughter Trucking Co., bestselling author María Amparo Escandón seamlessly blends together these elements into one compelling and unexpected conclusion that will have you cheering for Libertad and filled with joy.
During the early 1940s, young Mateo's favorite pastime is exploring the mountains near his home. He and his friends have heard the rumors about the seven mysterious cities of Cibola where the walls and streets are covered with gold and gemstones and Aztlan, the ancestral homeland of the Aztec. The friends intend to find the treasures buried within the lost cities. Seeking to escape the poverty in his small ranching community, Mateo continues to search the mountains at every opportunity, and he narrowly escapes dying there after finding what he imagines are veins of gemstones and other precious minerals. He also finds a grotto with a strange obelisk and several mummy-like individuals. Since his best friend, Modesto, has moved to California, Mateo confides in the village blacksmith, an old man who has been there for more years than people care to remember. But a greedy villager overhears their conversation, and that person becomes Mateo's mortal enemy.
Sue Buchanan charms audiences wherever she goes, revealing the terrible truth about herself: "I may as well tell you because you'll figure it out anyway: I'm not that deep. I'm shallow. But I'm deep for a shallow person. What I've found out about God is that he is totally trustworthy, and I can relax in his plans. And besides that, all he wants is -- Are you ready for this? -- for me to be his person. Just be his person, for heaven's sake! All I can say to that is, Duh! Who knows? Next I may be writing a six-volume Bible commentary!" Sue offers a merry and witty look at life from the "shallow" end of the gene pool in sixty fun devotions, sure to leave you laughing and pondering some of life's most important lessons. This very funny lady shows us all that we don't have to be "deep" to hear God's voice. All we have to do is listen and we'll find his message about love and redemption in even the smallest details of everyday life.
