Throughout the ranching country of West Texas, stories of drought and loss are familiar refrains—most often told by the likes of Elmer Kelton, or the grizzled cowpunchers who have endured the experience personally.
But the newest take to come out of these parts has been told in fiction by a writer fresh out of the gate and barely past high school. And yes, the author knows whereof she speaks—and Kelton, she says, is one of her own top recommendations.
Sequoyah Branham of Jayton will debut her novella “In The Company Of Cows” Monday evening at the Kent County Public Library, from 6 to 8 p.m. It’s a fitting locale for her book signing; she worked at her hometown library last summer.
She’s also done her share of ranch maintenance, dayworking and horse wrangling. Her commitment to the hard work of cattle ranching informs her fiction, as captured in the book’s description: “No one listens to Nora Kelly, except her cows. Thanks to a lengthy drought, she is in danger of losing them, her livelihood, her job, and the one place she feels that she can truly be herself— the ranch. . . . Unfortunately, no rain means no grass, and no grass means no cows. Nora’s one hope is that her boss will find a new piece of land to lease, but they only have six weeks to secure a place and relocate. Determined to stay with the heifers, Nora scrounges up every ounce of bravery she has and goes to the only person who could possibly help: her intimidatingly successful uncle that she barely knows. He’s a ranch real estate agent with connections, who doesn't have time for an awkward niece.”
In her author blog, Branham describes herself as “a West Texas ranch girl in love with the simplicities of ranch life. Among my favorite parts of ranching are looking over heavy bred cows day in and day out, observing the progress of a young horse in training, and noting the coming and going of each season— even if it feels like there’s only two in Texas (Hot and Cold).”
Branham shares that in the region of Texas from Fort Stockton to Ozona, up and across to Crane, she “learned so much about riding the horse (not just the saddle) and handling livestock in this area that it has such a special place in my heart. If I don’t set my stories there, they are usually in my second favorite stretch of Texas: where the plains roll and red dirt meets the sand. Growing up, I made a fair share of memories up in this end of Texas too.”
Friends and fans will be able to meet Branham at the Kent County Public Library, 156 W. 4th St., Jayton (inside the Community Center building) Monday, Oct. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. For information, call the library at (806) 237-3287, klibrary@caprock-spur.com
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.
