Four boys lounge around a campfire beside the lapping edge of Lake Inclement. They each are a perfect 12 years of age, at the stepping off point of their teenaged years, when diving in the lake with friends and gobbling hotdogs around the fireside is just about more important than anything else. The star-studded sky stretches out above them, and they talk about nothing much when suddenly a glow appears in the woods to the south. All of them-- Walt, Paxton, Carpenter, Zack, and his faithful beagle, Flash, wonder at the sight, but it is Grampa Clondyke, Carp's beloved grandfather that is there to tell the tale of the light in the forest. It is a story he has kept buried deep inside for 70 years. He paints them a picture with his words of life in Inclement in the 1930's. He talks about Orland Buck, an unusual African American father and his daughter, Delilah, who arrive in Inclement in a pristine white Cadillac with money flowing from their pockets in a never ending stream. Orland Buck built himself and his daughter a house high up on what is now known as Buck's Point, and then he built his pretty little Delilah a rodeo arena simply because she wanted it. . Grampa's story weaves a spell over the boys, and they return night after night to hear more and more about Buck's Rodeo, the magical Delilah and the undercurrent of racism that the Buck family and anyone who associated with them faced all those years ago. And the boys begin to notice strange coincidences, odd correlations of current events with the story Grampa is sharing. Zack, also a newcomer to Inclement, begins to wonder how his father, a well-known photographer now dead 8 long years, could be connected to the photographer in this Inclement of the past. The boys decide that hearing the story is not enough. They need to travel up to Buck's Point and to whatever mysteries lie there even after Grampa strictly forbids them to go. There they learn the secrets of Buck's Rodeo, of Delilah's magical talent, and the horrible consequences of senseless hate. in the end, some mysteries are solved, while others are continued in the next book in the series, The Western Radio Hub. Buck's Rodeo is written with a strong descriptive voice that paints a story for your imagination to savor. It is written for those 12 and up, but all ages will enjoy this trip to the mythical town of Inclement, Iowa which rests on the shores of sparkling Lake Inclement. Like any other small town, characters abound, from Thorson Poe, the owner of the excellent Poe's Pizza Pies, to the scruffy band BETWIXT who plays folksongs in the park and seems to have some sort of mystical connection to Buck's Rodeo. Come visit. Stay a while. Take a dip in the lake. Sit around the fire and let it bake your clothes dry as you listen to a gravelly voice transport you to another time and place. Scarf down a hotdog with the boys. But don't forget to throw a bite to Flash every once in a while. Beagles love campfire cookin'.
About the Author: Tracy Lovett lives in the gorgeous Loess Hills of Southwest Iowa with her husband, four children, three cats and her dog, Sophia Loren. Growing up, she loved reading, writing and art equally, and found herself pursuing a career in photography. She now owns and operates her own photography studio and spends lots of time with clients making their photographic dreams come true. She had always wanted to try her hand at writing and illustrating children's books, so three years ago she wrote and illustrated Bug Summer--Raining Ladybugs. She immediately followed up with Bug Summer--Hunting Spiders, Snow Angels, Sylvia McBye Learns To Fly, and Soda's Christmas. Although she walks the earth, she lives in her imagination a significant amount of the time, constantly making notes and sketches for future book projects. Buck's Rodeo is her first foray into writing for older children and adults, and she found the experience to be unlike anything she has ever attempted before. She says she felt like she was living more in the world of her characters than in the world of "real things" during the writing process. Although Buck's Rodeo isn't illustrated except for the cover which Tracy lovingly designed, she looks forward to exploring the rich world found inside her book visually, perhaps publishing an illustrated edition sometime in the future. Her favorite things include hiking the Loess Hills, riding waterslides, and silent snowfalls during Iowa's winters. And chocolate. Must not forget THAT. To learn more about her books and art, see her website at www.inclementiowa.com.