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Kelly
Sinclair
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| Kelly
Sinclair lives in Temple, Texas, but is a transplant from the
South Plains. She has been a reporter, a rock singer-songwriter, and is
currently a librarian. One of her poems appeared in the Texas Observer political
magazine, and her computer-derived prints are featured in art galleries.
Sinclair
has worked with an experimental art-rock ensemble, written country songs
for such Texas acts as the Maines Brothers, and sung backup for funk bands
and bluegrass performers. In her writing, she follows a similar path of
exploring her creative boundaries, writing scripts, plays, and musical
song-cycles. |
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Accidental Rebels |
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It's the
summer of 1989, and in the small Texas town of Tantona, to be openly gay
is to be notorious. But three closeted women are Mandy, a young reporter, is hung up on God and women. Librarian Tina is eager to ditch old personal dramas, and rocker Cat is struggling to get her band off the ground. Unanticipated connections bring the women together... and then there's Sherron, a reckless blonde who becomes the talk of the town. When secrets
come doused in Texas barbecue sauce, all the ingredients are present for
a surprising and spicy mix.
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If
the Wind Were a Woman
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| Tantona,
Texas, in the 1970s isn’t exactly a hotbed of women’s activism
and social turmoil. Barbara Wolfe lives in Tantona, and she’s had her
fill of wondering if any of the community’s conventions will ever change.
Local society has its expectations for all of Tantona’s residents,
and only a fool would dare to venture outside the well-drawn lines of what’s
considered acceptable conduct. So Barbara lives her life in the closet,
and although it’s dull to the point of inertia, it’s at least
predictable.
Then beautiful and secretive Darlene Fisher comes on the scene. The relationship that develops between Barbara and Darlene puts Barbara on a collision course with Darlene’s violent fiancé. At times, it seems citizens in every social strata in Tantona have a stake in what happens between Barbara and Darlene. And then there’s the upheaval that transpires in Tantona's political arena, thanks to two women daring to believe they have the right to fall in love. If Darlene were nothing more than a headstrong gust of wind, Barbara might have had a shot at getting a lasso on her and controlling the events that beset them both. Instead, with Darlene being an uncontrollable force of nature, Barbara finds herself on the verge of becoming a local legend and gay pioneer—that is, if she manages to survive. You met these fascinating characters later in their lives in Kelly Sinclair’s debut novel, Accidental Rebels. Make the journey back in time to see how it all began here in the pages of If the Wind Were a Woman. |
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Lesser
Prophets
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Debra Shanrahan, a veterinarian in New South Wales, Australia, anticipates a typical day of treating hogs and other livestock. The first hog she treats seems to be suffering from an unusually bad bout of bronchitis. Hardly cause for alarm-until the hog's owner and others who were on the farm turn up dead from suspected pneumonia. Within days, people all over the world are falling suddenly, terminally ill with a virulent strain of flu. Governments either overreact or fail to take any action, but all too soon it becomes undeniably apparent that the unthinkable has happened: the Australian hog's illness has jumped from the swine species to the human species, and there's no known treatment, no cure, and no way to contain it. The pandemic decimates the population in every corner of the globe. But oddly, some people are resisting the virus, even if directly exposed to carriers. Who are these hardy survivors? They are, for the most part, a group that was previously despised, mostly unloved, and only fitfully tolerated. They are the gays and lesbians. Men and women
who were once marginalized in many societies are now elevated to be leaders
and redeemers who must find their way in a world where the old rules no
longer apply. God, or Fate, or the Omniscient Divine has intervened and
forever changed the hierarchy. Follow the riveting stories of Debra and
others who survive, in their struggle to triumph over biological Armageddon
and create a new world.
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