MY GOODREADS REVIEW of @jdclappwrites "Grit Before Grace" (@CowboyJamboree) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Grit Before Grace by JD Clapp "When I read the description of this novel, I knew I had to read it. The main character, Jim Jackson, appealed to me even before I met him on the page because like me, he's a writer living with grief and regrets he's tried to bury at the bottom of a bottle. I was also intrigued that the author JD Clapp told us right up front that his main character is dying. We're told on the cover he's got a tumor growing on his brain, and the clock is ticking-- he's running out of time to write his last book and most importantly, to make peace with the people in his life. I lost my best friend to brain cancer so perhaps I was destined to love this one. Having lived next door to my friend and watched her daily decline, I was interested to discover how the author would portray a character whose life slowly then suddenly changes when a tumor affects motor skills, speech, etc. I was most interested in the character Jim Jackson-- what would he do with the limited time he had left and how would the author end the book since the dying man is narrating for us? Jim Jackson is a hunter, and his hunting expeditions take us through some of the most vivid and gorgeous settings I've read in a novel in a long while. You'll be swept away with "bald eagles, swirling flotsams, black bears on rocky beaches", "krill moving in unison.. with the grace of a single dancer...the whale exhales, turning the surface into what looked like a boiling cauldron." Clapp's descriptions of nature will make you want to walk in the woods and sit in the quiet. I could write pages for this review to tell you some of the brilliant techniques JD Clapp employed to make all of this happen, but you're going to have to read this for yourself. And I highly recommend that you do. For me, the ending of this novel was unforgettable. Admittedly, the tension throughout much of the book remains relatively static, but as you near the end, it tightens to the point you can't stop turning pages. It's so emotionally tense, and the way Clapp ended this one made me cry so hard for so long that it's taken me a couple weeks to finally write this review. This book is for those who like to think while they read. For those who like to climb inside the characters' bodies and feel with them, to remember their own regrets, their own pain, maybe attempt to work out some issues in their own mind while they watch fictional characters wrestle their demons on the page. This book is for nature lovers and word lovers. In my humble opinion, I'd say this book is for everyone." --REVIEWED BY TRACIE ADAMS

MY GOODREADS REVIEW of @thedrevlow "The Captain's Been Drinking" (@CowboyJamboree ) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Captain's Been Drinking by Benjamin Drevlow "If you, like me, are a fan of Drevlow's voicey, gritty work, well...he's done it again. "The Captain's Been Drinking" is simultaneously disturbing and funny. As with all of Drevlow's writing, I found myself thinking how uniquely gifted this author is in creating a narrator whose voice is so authentic you feel like they're telling the story to you personally. It's more like an experience than reading. One review I read said of the characters Davey Boy and Eddie that they're like friends we've all had at some point in our lives. I beg to differ. I hated these guys, and I wouldn't stand behind them in line at a concert much less be friends with them. But unlikeable characters are often the most intriguing and memorable. Drevlow is a master at dialogue--often it's what his characters hold back, what they never say between the lines that is incredibly thought provoking. This book was a constant surprise with the awkward comedic coming-of-age friendship/love story and murder mystery braided together in a way only Drevlow could write. This is for grit lit fans with a dark sense of humor." --REVIEWED BY TRACIE ADAMS

So thrilled to be included in this special issue of @CowboyJamboree ❤️❤️❤️ Check out the whole issue! My flash fiction is “Safe Enough” “The room shrinks. The man looks like he hopes the floor will swallow him whole. Mama’s eyes are empty. I remember one time after Daddy’d been gone for months, I asked if she was lonely. She said nah, more like sad. She said sad was when you miss yourself and she’d been sad long before she ever met Daddy. "We've been sleeping in the car," Mama mumbles. I stare at my shoes. I hate when people know that.” cowboyjamboreemagazine.com/s…

So thrilled to be included in this special issue of @CowboyJamboree ❤️❤️❤️ Check out the whole issue! My flash fiction is “Safe Enough” “The room shrinks. The man looks like he hopes the floor will swallow him whole. Mama’s eyes are empty. I remember one time after Daddy’d been gone for months, I asked if she was lonely. She said nah, more like sad. She said sad was when you miss yourself and she’d been sad long before she ever met Daddy. "We've been sleeping in the car," Mama mumbles. I stare at my shoes. I hate when people know that.” cowboyjamboreemagazine.com/s…

The Best Small Fictions 2027 nominations from Gooseberry Pie: @JEK_Writer Louella Lester @d_marcusa Disario Elena Rotzokou @KSilverHajo gooseberry-pie.com/best-smal…

“For the Love of Hot Mustard” was written for my nephew Josh. This BEST OF THE NET nomination is for him too, and everyone whose life has been touched by leukemia. 🙏🏼 (Story link in comments below)

EAGLE-EYED, Cowboy Jamboree Magazine's fall issue incited by the artistry and life of Eagle Pennell, drops tomorrow. Look for it. 🦅

There was a video going around a few weeks ago of a kid walking down the hall at his school after beating leukemia. Seems like I saw it a hundred times. Made me think of my childhood friend, Justin, every time.