Even More Texas Authors to Get to Know: Up & Coming

Jann Alexander
2 days ago
4 min read

In the Lone Star State, we celebrate Texas Writers Month in May. Today, we finish with those who are just beginning. (And some notables who led the way.)

For the final part of this series in Pairings, where I feature Texas authors throughout May during Texas Writers Month, i'm highlighting those up and coming authors, with some lauded icons among them. I've long loved reading Texas authors who write about Texas, and loved films set in Texas, and enjoy reading the newest Texas authors. I'm joining them with the release of Unspoken: A Dust Novel, set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl era and beyond.

Find these Texas books by authors from the All Texas, All The Time booklist at Bookshop•org:

Choose from the All Texas, All The Time booklist at Bookshop•org:

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore

Valentine is a haunting exploration of the intersections of violence and race, class and region in a story that plumbs the depths of darkness and fear, yet offers a window into beauty and hope. Little wonder it was a Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and an instant bestseller.

Unspoken (A Dust Novel) by Jann Alexander

Of Unspoken by Jann Alexander, the NPR Texas radio commentator and author W.F. Strong said, "Reminds me, in tone, of Texas classics like The Time it Never Rained and Giant. I loved it. Alexander is a great new talent in the genre of Texana." Unspoken will be released July 3.

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River Sing Out by James Wade

In his second novel, River Sing Out, James Wade has written a southern gothic odyssey through the East Texas river bottoms which became a Deep South Magazine Pick for Summer Reading. Kirkus Reviews called it "a haunting fable of an impossible relationship fueled by elemental need and despair."

Remember Ben Clayton by Stephen Harrigan

As the Winner of the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best American Historical Fiction, Stephen Harrigan is hardly a newcomer to Texana. But in 2012, when he wrote the moving and rich historical novel, Remember Ben Clayton (and with The Gates of the Alamo already in his rearview mirror), he was becoming a recipient of numerous Texas literary awards.

The Bravest Soldiers by Elaine Aucoin Schroller

In The Bravest Soldiers, Elaine Aucoin Schroller continues her Immense Sky Saga set in Australia and spanning two wars. "A poignant, beautifully written story with engaging characters and rich details," enthused a reader who "adored" this WWII historical novel.

In The Seer, "Raquel Y. Levitt beautifully weaves together a story of visions and betrayals, sisters and friendships, violence and love at the end of the nineteenth century." — ANN HOOD

Tough Trail Home by Marie W. Watts

"Marie W. Watts' Tough Trail Home opens the barn door on a very American way of life at a unique point in time. Grab the reins and settle into the saddle for an entertaining ride," said one reviewer. Watts is also the author of the award-winning trilogy, Warriors for Equal Rights.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird

Sarah Bird has made Texas her home since she received her MA in journalism from the University of Texas, and is a best-selling novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and journalist. She's Austin's most familiar writer you may not know. Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is as fresh and winsome as her 1986 novel, Alamo House: Women Without Men, Men Without Brains.

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann

Stacey Swann has written "The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut" says Oprah Daily of her 2021 novel, Olympus, Texas. It features technicolor characters, Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology.

The Seer by Raquel Y. Levitt

In The Seer, "Raquel Y. Levitt beautifully weaves together a story of visions and betrayals, sisters and friendships, violence and love at the end of the nineteenth century" writes best-selling novelist of The Stolen Child, Ann Hood. Levitt's engrossing story of Missouri sisters with a unique clarivoyant sense, who try to prevent abuse and right wrongs, is spellbinding.

Passion and Paint by Suanne Schafer

Suanne Schafer's Passion and Paint is a tribute to her paternal grandmother. At a time when women were rarely educated, she studied at the Chicago Art Institute contemporaneously with Georgia O’Keeffe, later becoming a hardworking Texas ranch wife and a prolific painter in the social realism school. Her next book, Dust Bowl Odyssey, is due out in October.

You'll See by Suzanne Groves

In her memoir, You'll See, Suzanne Groves writes her "story of narcissistic abuse, survival" and the journey she undertook to understand her deep desire to gain her father's approval—though what she got instead were permanent scars which outlived her abuser.

Fission by Leslie R. Schover

Leslie R. Schover's novel, Fission, is coming in 2026. "For fans of Ariel Lawhon and Rhys Bowen, Oppenheimer meets The Rose Code in this World War II novel of a young mother’s self-discovery as she is drawn into a love triangle with an atomic spy in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project."