Upcoming Autograph Parties
(Meet the author and get signed books.)
September 21, 7 p.m.: slide show, talk, and signing books
at the walking club's monthly meeting at the Universal City Library
(Pat Booker Road just south of in San Antonio, Texas.)
Texas: 107 Best Walks
No matter where you go across the 268,581 square miles
that make up Texas, you'll be able to find a fun and interesting
place to walk thanks to this book. You'll discover such places
as Tyler State Park's wonderful walk through the thick piney woods
of East Texas (shown above), a stroll around a lake in Dallas
where jet airliners come in just above your head, stepping around
actual dinosaur tracks near Glen Rose, wandering around a replica
of Stonehenge near Hunt, descending into a narrow, dark path at
Closed Canyon near Lajitas, being careful not to step on alligators
near Needville, getting an education as you inspect the exhibits
at the Panhandle-Plains Museum in Canyon, having chacalacas fuss
at you as you walk by at Bensten-Rio Grande State Park in Mission,
or walking through an actual meteor crater in Odessa. The vast
majority of the walks are for people of all ages and walking ability.
Included is information on what makes each walk special, its location,
and full contact information.
Texas: 107 Best Walks
is published by The
Great Texas Line Press, P.O. Box 11105, Fort Worth, TX 76110,
800-73-TEXAS. Available at your local bookstore, directly from
the publisher, from amazon.com, or get a personally autographed
copy from the author.
Pick up a copy of the March issue of Texas
Parks and Wildlife magazine for Allan's take on the 12 best
walks in Texas state parks. Or check the article out on-line at
http://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2010/mar/ed_1/index.phtml.
Who is that park
named after?
For the first time in one book are the stories
behind the names of Texas state parks, natural areas, and historic
sites. In this book you will discover how Mother Neff was responsible
for the entire Texas state park system and a hundred more revelations.
"Subtitled 'The story behind the names
of the state parks of Texas,' Kimball's book is equal parts travel
guide and history lesson, as useful as it is compelling. While
it may be of interest to people who like their history Texas style
(and that's a whole passel of people) or those who plan on visiting
a Texas state park (another big ol' group), 'Who Is Mother Neff
and Why is She a State Park?' offers something for every reader.
"The writing is clean and concise, and
the book kicks off with an informative introduction, followed
with seven distinct sections representing geographic regions of
the mammoth Lone Star State.
"The guidebook aspect is thorough enough
that users will feel well-served by the level of detail included.
And black-and-white photographs of parkland vistas and portraits
of pivotal park founders are peppered liberally throughout.
"A sample: Did you know that Kickapoo
Cavern State Park is home to the largest natural column in the
state--at eight stories tall? Yep. Still curious about Mother
Neff and her cohorts? Then do I have a book for you..."
--From the review by Matthew P. Mayo in
RoundUp, the magazine of the Western Writers of America.
"Kimball's book is a readable survey
of Texas' 90-plus state parks, but his main focus is on telling
the story of how a particular park got its name. One day as he
drove past a sign indicating the proximity of Mother Neff State
Park, Kimball wondered who the heck Mother Neff was. He did a
little research and learned that she was Isabella Neff, the mother
of former Gov. Pat Neff. In 1916, Isabella Neff donated six acres
in Coryell County for use as a park. When the state park system
was created on Gov. Neff's watch in 1923, he donated another 250
acres and someone else donated three more acres, and the 259-acre
parcel became Texas' first official state park.
"Most of the other state parks have names
based on their location (as in Abilene State Park) or a person
(as in McKinney Falls State Park) but each place has a story which
Kimball tells well."
--From the review by Mike Cox in his Texana
column in the Austin American-Statesman.
"A name is rarely meaningless; often
it recognizes the important contribution of an individual or group
of people, or brings to light a story long forgotten or obscured.
Kimball's detailed descriptions uncover the meaning and human
sentiment behind the names of some of our favorite places."
--From the review by Kathryn Hunter in
Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.
"In Who Is Mother Neff And Why Is
She A State Park? it is easy to feel the appreciation for
the preservation of heritage and respect for the usefulness of
each park author Allan C. Kimball has for each square foot of
the more than 500,000 acres preserved with the Texas state parks.
"Opening our eyes to the impact that
those of today will have on those of tomorrow is what Kimball
craftily encompasses with the ensemble of research shown in this
book. Kimball shows how many lives have impacted the names of
the Texas state parks and how those parks are remembered today:
by their names. Readers learn how nearby geography, people's names,
and roots of words from many native languages came together as
the namesake of each park.
"This book is an example of the love
and pride our ancestors had for Texas and how that all began with
a name."
-- From the review by Salvador SeBasco,
Literary Director and Host of The Inside View show, a CNN affiliate
"I haven't been able to put [this book]
down since it arrived! [Kimball] has included fascinating information
for any history buff--especially Texans or visitors to the state.
I like his writing style, too. It almost feels as if he is in
the room telling me the story."
--Shelly Tucker on her This Eclectic Life
blog
Who Is Mother Neff And Why Is She A State
Park? The Story Behind The Names of the State Parks of Texas is published by Eakin
Press, P.O. Box 21235, Waco, TX 76705, 800-880-8642. Available
at your local bookstore, from amazon.com, or get a personally
autographed copy from the author (see details below).
A guide to the Big
Bend
This book could save your life. At the very
least, the Big Bend Guide will make any trip to the remote
and beautiful Big Bend area of Texas more pleasant and more productive,
showing you exactly where to go and what to do and what you should
take with you to make your trip a safe and enjoyable experience.
"Kimball's book contains plenty of useful
information for anyone planning a visit to the 800,000-plus-acre
Big Bend National Parl or any of the beautiful country around
it. The literature of the Big Bend is almost as extensive as its
rugged desert and mountainous terrain, but Kimball's guide is
the best small source I've seen... I was amazed at how much information
he was able to pack in."
-- From the review by Mike Cox, Lone Star
Book Blog
"Whether spending two days or ten, Kimball
provides the skinny on what to do, where to go, and how to get
there."
--Texas Highways magazine
"For first time visitors to Big Bend,
Kimball's guide is as important as bringing along enough water."
-- Austin Chroncile
The Big Bend Guide, Top 10 Travel Tips,
Top 10 Hikes, and Top Itineraries for the Casual Visitor is
published by The Great
Texas Line Press, P.O. Box 11105, Fort Worth, TX 76110, 800-73-TEXAS.
Available at your local bookstore, directly from the publisher,
from amazon.com, or get a personally autographed copy from the
author.
Historical fiction
at its best
Set in the Big Bend of Texas in the 1880s,
Rainbows Wait For Rain is historical fiction at its best,
heavily spiced with blistering action, non-stop adventure, and
simmering romance. A sage saloonkeeper, a canny Indian scout,
a youthful Texas Ranger, and a cavalcade of memorable characters
follow a suspenseful trail with kidnappers, Apaches, Comances,
Buffalo Soldiers, and cold-hearted killers.
"The characters are all quicky and larger
than life. Excellent."
-- Legendary western novelist Elmer Kelton
"Very good indeed. A fine novel."
-- Premier western historian Robert M.
Utley
"A writer with the gift of pathos and
an eye for detail, capable of bringing to life memorable characters
both heroic and fallible, Allan C. Kimball stands toe-to-toe and
eye-to-eye with Larry McMurtry and Elmer Kelton in this compilation
of his trilogy of tales that are set in the Big Bend region of
Texas. Following the adage of "let the terrain dictate,"
Kimball uses his encyclopedic knowledge of the history and geography
of that rugged landscape to bring his stories to life.
"Filled with real-life historical figures
Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp, and even a fictional Texas Ranger
named Joaquin Jaxon modeled after modern day Texas Ranger Joaquin
Jackson, and fictional characters such as Ethan Allan Twobears
and Dutch the saloonkeeper, and some memorable women as well,
Kimball weaves a tale that rings true and leaves the reader feeling
as if he has ridden through the terrain and encountered these
people and these places.
"As delightful a historical novel as
has come along in decades."
-- Richard D. Jensen review in Round-Up,
the magazine of the Western Writers of America.
Rainbows Wait For Rain is published by Sun
Country Publications, P.O. Box 1482, Wimberley, TX 78676,
512-842-5162. Available from selected bookstores, from amazon.com,
or get a personally autographed copy from the author.
The Legend of Fort
Leaton is a true story of dreams, courage,
murder, and revenge.
A group of rugged individualists carved a
home and a future out of the suffocating Chihuahuan Desert in
the Big Bend area of Texas. Their fortress along the banks of
the Rio Grande provided the only oasis of civilization in that
desolate land. They fought hostile Indians, brigands of all sorts,
even the land itself. Their landmark remains standing today, a
hand-hewn adobe trading post an entire acre large that is a tribute
to the daring and resourcefulness of the pioneers who settled
the most forbidding of America's frontiers.
"Finally the story of Fort Leaton is
told and told in an entertaining and delightful book."
--Lajitas Sun
The Legend of Fort Leaton is published by Sun
Country Publications, P.O. Box 1482, Wimberley, TX 78676,
512-842-5162. Available from selected bookstores, from amazon.com,
or get a personally autographed copy from the author.
COMING
SOON
Texas Landmark Museums
Museums bring us history and they do it better
than anything else can. We can see it; sometimes we can even touch
it. Museums are real. By looking at the real thing, we
can make history our own and not have to rely on anyone else's
interpretation of it. You don't have to believe the movies or
TV or a book, you can go and walk through the actual Alamo in
San Antonio. Wonder about how oil was discovered and brought up
from the depths of the earth? Visit the Panhandle Plains Historical
Museum in Canyon. At the same place you can examine a Tyrannosaurus
Rex skeleton. You can see a meteor, firearms from Texas Rangers,
World War II airplanes, President Bush's Oval Office, President
Johnson's Lincoln, the history of Dr Pepper, space craft, a battleship
and an air craft carrier, the window from which Lee Harvey Oswald
fired, barbed wire, how Buffalo Soldiers lived, and the best art
in the world whether it's Western or Renaissance or contemporary.
You want the real thing? Just go visit a museum. Texas Landmark
Museums will guide to all the best museums in the Lone Star
State.
Texas Landmark Museums is set for publication by The
Great Texas Line Press in the Fall of 2010. Watch for it!
Get a personally autogaphed copy
If you would like to have a signed copy of
any of the books above, contact me via e-mail,
or write to P.O. Box 1482, Wimberley, TX 78676. Get an autographed
copy for yourself, for a friend or a relative. Signed copies make
thoughtful, special gifts.
About the author
I've been writing since I was seven years
old when my grandmother put paper and pen in front of me to keep
me occupied on a rainy day in my native Vermont. "Write me
a story," she said, and I've doing that ever since. My first
paying job was at a newspaper (back when 10-year-old kids got
to deliver them to your front door). All I ever wanted to be when
I grew up was either a cowboy or a writer, and when I moved to
Texas I got to be both. I had a slight detour in the U.S. Navy,
but thanks to Uncle Sam I got to see most of Europe, some of Africa,
Australia, lots of the Caribbean, and all of the Pacific Rim including
an interesting place called Vietnam.
For most of my adult life, though, I've worked
as a journalist at daily newspapers in Texas. Sometimes I was
an editor, but most of the time I was a reporter. I got to cover
major league sports, gubernatorial races, prison boot camps, banking
scandals, hurricanes, heart transplants, and cowboy hat manufacturing.
Thanks to my press pass I got to meet several presidents, sports
stars, musicians at the top of the charts, movie stars, Bronco
Birnbaum, and beer drinking goats.
In 1990 my wife Madonna and I moved to the
Texas Hill Country and started the Hill Country Sun magazine
where we met many wonderful people and got to write about them.
We sold the magazine a couple of years ago and now just take on
projects we love to do.
I love to hike, paddle my canoe or kayak,
and have fun at Cowboy Action
Shooting events. My favorite authors are Elmore Leonard, Mark
Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe. Ben Rehder is pretty cool, too. My
favorite novel is Catch-22. My favorite movie is The
Professionals. My favorite restaurant is Vinnie's in Leakey,
Texas. My favorite place is at the top of Lost Mine Peak in the
Chisos Mountains. My favorite team is the Boston Red Sox. Oh...
and my favorite color is olive.
Copyright 2010 by Sun Country Publications, Inc.
Last updated 23 August 2010