SYNOPSIS
“Tough Trail Home is a delightful read about a family coming to terms with each other and their new lives.” –Pamela Stockwell, author of A Boundless Place
The Dunwhitty family is flying high until their carefully choreographed life falls apart during the 2008 Great Recession. Lisa’s firm goes belly-up while Michael’s shuts down after selling faulty heart valves. Desperate, Lisa insists they regroup by seeking refuge in rural Central Texas on land she inherits from a distant relative she barely knows.
It’s not the ranch Lisa remembers, but a ramshackle money pit. Michael and their teenage son, Andrew, despise the place. Only their young daughter, Jessica, is happy. After a bitter argument, Michael moves to the city. As his job search drags on, Lisa begins to plant roots; friendships develop for her and the children. With the help of Michael’s parents, her neighbor, and the remains of her savings, she begins to return the ranch to its former glory. The couple continues to drift further apart, Michael turning his attention to another woman.
A call from the sheriff’s department that their son is in custody jolts the couple to the core. Can they repair their relationship for the sake of their son? Or is it too late?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An award-winning author, Marie W. Watts is living her dream of being a writer. Her novel, Tough Trail Home, has received acclaim as a winner of the 2024 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Summer Competition for Fiction – Women’s Genre; Winner in the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards “Regional Fiction ‐ USA Southwest” category; 2024 Speak Up Talk Radio International Firebird Book Award Winner, and The Outstanding Creator Award for Best Fiction Book of Summer 2024 (2nd place).
Her novel has garnered reviews such as “inspiring,” “fantastic read,” “beautiful scenery, heart, and hope,” and “a wonderful story about resilience and resourcefulness.”
She and her husband live on a ranch in central Texas. In her spare time, she supports a historic house and hangs out with her grandsons.
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REVIEW
Marie W. Watts presents a contemporary small-town fiction titled Tough Trail Home, set during the financial crisis of 2007 to 2008. The story follows Lisa and Michael Dunwhitty, who experience a dramatic shift in their lives—from a time filled with lavish lifestyles, fancy cars, and great jobs to a period marked by death, foreclosures, and job loss that strains their relationship. When Lisa discovered she could inherit a four-thousand-acre ranch from her deceased great-uncle in La Grange, Texas, she saw it as a potential fresh start. Will this perfect storm serve as a new opportunity for them to embrace the next chapter in their lives?
Though the descriptions of the area are vivid, the strength of this author lies in her thorough character development. Lisa’s determination in the face of her failing marriage and arduous work to make a living from the ranch is supported by her ability to network with her new community. Andrew, their teenager, struggles when his entitled life vanishes; he loses his friends again and moves to an unfamiliar rural setting. Jessica, their daughter, is young enough to love the chance of animals to care for and the opportunity for her imagination to blossom. Michael views it as too much work to renovate the rundown buildings or make a living from the ranch. Unwilling to shift his goals, he heads for the city to find a new corporate job and dabbles in other relationships. Lisa is forced to raise their rebellious teenage son and preteen daughter.
Life lessons are woven throughout this story. The challenges of being unable to buy new things and having to settle for practical reasons, the struggles of a broken marriage, and the emergence of new support systems all influence the development of each character. The diary of an ancestor that Lisa uncovers offers valuable insights and perhaps a glimpse of hope as she navigates her journey. Will she manage to keep her family together?
Readers who appreciate resilient individuals facing challenges will enjoy this contemporary tale, “Tough Trail Home.” The theme of preserving the Dunwhitty family through tough decisions and hard work will resonate with fans of strong female characters. Enjoy the story and imagine the next chapter that awaits them.
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