CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes Guest Review and Interview!

Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Publisher

Pronghorn Press, (May, 2024)

Category

Historical Fiction, Western Fiction

Tour date

August 5-Sept 20, 2024

ISBN

978-1-941052-72-3

Available in Print and ebook, 340 pages

Description Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes

When Hannah Brandt, who comes from a hardscrabble background in Ohio and Nebraska, first gets to ride a horse in 1895 at the age of 14, she realizes that there is no going back. . . Her destiny is to be a rodeo star and break new ground as a female bronco rider. She wins first place in a race at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo at 18, and soon she’s known by a new name: Sunny Gale.

Her marriage to her first husband, Luke Mangum, ends in divorce and she’s taken in by the Pickering clan, who are rodeo royalty. After she marries Tad Pickering, her star continues to rise as she and her spouse amaze crowds with “Roman Riding,” each of them standing astride two galloping horses. When tragedy occurs, Sunny quits the clan and moves on. . . She finds a refuge in New Mexico with one-legged rancher Angus Laroche, who dispenses tough love. . .

But her love life continues to be complicated, and the novel’s resolution sees her life come full circle, after a fashion. This is a story of rodeos, marriages, sexism, and social mores—all churned together. . . A moving, memorable, and fully realized rodeo saga. Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Praise Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes

"is a captivating rodeo saga bound to leave a lasting impression..filled with unforgettable characters and compelling narratives. Prepare to embark on an exhilarating journey as you dive into the captivating world of rodeo, filled with heart-pounding excitement and profound emotions. Get ready for the gripping narrative to sweep you off your feet and be prepared to fully immerse yourself in the magic of Sunny Gale."-Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Reviews

"Though some of Hannah's issues are specific to her time period, her saga serves as a poignant, timeless reminder of the complexities that lie beneath the surface of seemingly glamorous pursuits. Those who have an interest in historical fiction and historic women’s rights will find this book enlightening. It’s an eye-opening read and an evocative mixture of fact and fiction."-Michaela Gordoni, City Review

"The transition of Hannah Brandt into Sunny Gale is a key component of the well-structured plot. Horseback riding is not just transportation so much as an escape. Hannah(Sunny) is an extremely interesting character as she lives by her own rules and aspires to be the best. Yet her desire to push herself to the limit comes at the cost of more than a few relationships. Sunny Gale is a story about a woman who bucked social conventions, asserted her independence, and sacrificed much to satisfy her dreams. Author Jamie Lisa Forbes has written a truly engaging novel."-Philip Zozzaro, City Book Reviews Tulsa

"Sunny Gale is a wonderfully written story that is filled with action and wonderful family moments along the way as well as historical accuracy of the time period. Sunny is a very strong and interesting protagonist and shows that strength throughout the story. Sunny Gale is exciting, well-written and developed, and will make the reader laugh and cry throughout. While this is the first book that I have read by this author, it will definitely not be the last. I was extremely impressed with the whole story and cannot wait to see what else is out there for my reading pleasure. I would highly recommend the story to all. Quill says: Sunny Gale is a wonderful example of a story that will pull readers into a new world, in this case, one of rodeo riding and the entrance of women into the sport. With its wonderfully descriptive writing and historical accuracy, I am sure that it will be a great success and of interest to many."-Kathy Stickles, Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Praise Jamie Lisa Forbes

“Unbroken is a powerful, absorbing book from the first page to the last. Forbes’ Wyoming ranch background adds rich flavors to the story. The author draws realistic, complex characters. Unbroken is an unvarnished testimonial to a way of life that few of us know.”– Mary E. Trimble, author of ‘ TUBOB: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps’

“Eden gets kicked out of her house by her mother and shows up at Rowen's house asking for a place to stay. They take her in and she becomes one of the likable characters in this book. I would recommend this book if your like to read about the deep south during the 50's and later.”- Detweilermom, A Room Without Books Is Empty

“I suggest picking up Eden because it brings light to the past and in someways helps you understand the present. Every sentence had me clinging to each word as I read. Every word had me wanting to continue reading. I believe this author has done a beautiful job and look forward to reading more work in the near future. It is brilliantly sad.”- Amber, Imaginative Mama’s

Guest Review by Laura

Sunny Gale

An absolutely beautiful novel that made me feel empowered and seen as a woman, 'Sunny Gale,' by Jaime Lisa Forbes is the kind of story that only comes around every once is a very long while.

I have read only one other book by Forbes, and though I do remember loving that one, I think I found this one even more entertaining. 'Sunny Gale,' is about a young girl who grows into a woman and finds the strength within herself to achieve her dreams. But, more specifically, it is about a cowgirl.

Fourteen-year-old Hannah Brandt has suffered betrayal and loss before, but when her abusive step-father coldly murders a wild horse that she had been attempting to befriend, it becomes Hannah's last straw. This action sets off a domino effect that stays with Hannah for the rest of her life, and leads to her becoming one of the first female rodeo champions in history.

Persevering against hardships and many critics (one of whom is her own husband) Hannah eventually becomes one of the greatest rodeo riders of a generation and she is one of the first women to ever do so professionally. But, in chasing her dreams, she finds that she must put everything else aside in order to catch them.

Will it be worth it for Hannah to give up her personal life for a successful professional career? You'll have to read the book to find out, and I highly recommend it.

Forbes is a fantastic writer, capable of giving just enough description to keep the story going, and just enough action to keep things interesting. I loved the overall message of this story and the way that the ending wrapped everything up, while still leaving room for the readers imagination.

Five stars for this absolutely thrilling read!

About Jamie Lisa Forbes

Award winning author, Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a ranch in the Little Laramie Valley near Laramie, Wyoming. She attended the University of Colorado where she obtained degrees in English and philosophy. After fourteen months living in Israel, she returned to her family’s ranch where she lived for another fifteen years.

In 1994, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2001, she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law and began her North Carolina law practice.

Her first novel, Unbroken, won the WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction in 2011. Her collection of short stories, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories, won the High Plains Book Awards for a short story collection in 2015.

Her novel about life in rural North Carolina entitled Eden was published in 2020. Ms. Forbes continues to live—and write—in North Carolina

Website

https://www.jamielisaforbes.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Jamielisaforbes

Twitter

https://twitter.com/JamieLisaForbes

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/jamielisaforbes/

Buy Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Amazon. Barnes&Noble

Interview with Jamie Lisa Forbes

-Please tell us something about ‘Sunny Gale’ that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

To me, the history of women’s rodeo had an arc suggestive of Greek tragedy. For two generations, a group of exuberant women competed successfully in the rodeo arena as racers, bronc riders, ropers and trick riders until an unnecessary device on a horse caused the death of a champion bronc rider, at which time women performers were eliminated from major rodeos for close to a decade and only allowed to return in the 1940’s, initially as rodeo queens. It was that arc of glory and achievement followed by tragedy that influenced me to have my heroine see herself in terms of Greek myths and stories. Then too, my father studied ancient Greek and when I was growing up on the ranch, many of our horses had Greek names. So Sunny Gale’s horses also had Greek names.

- Describe the room you are sitting in as though it was a scene in ‘Sunny Gale’.

The house overlooked a mountainside so that it sat eye level among the crowns of Frazier Magnolia trees which rose from below. Looking out on the treetops gave her the sensation of living in a tree house. In the mornings when the sun broke from the foggy blue hills, the leaf clusters, large as ladies’ fans, cast dappled shadows on the wood floor and sage-colored walls. As the light glided across the room, it illumined the Charles Russell pencil portraits of Native Americans, gamblers, trappers, all wanderers who once roamed the Western landscape. The ever-moving light illumined each tiny detail of the prints—a pipe, a glove, beadwork on a sash, a chiseled line on a face—reminding her that no matter how vast the West, lives are made, or shattered, on the most miniscule of details.

Which character do you love to hate?

Sam Pickering.

I based the Pickering family on a family of the period who provided livestock to the rodeos, competed in the rodeos and put on their own wild West shows. In thinking about the early 20th century in the Western states, I was influenced by the lack of choices for women and the limited venues for them to showcase talent, in this instance, horsemanship. I concluded that a woman’s ambition would have been vulnerable to exploitation by the few entrepreneurs who could make events happen—or not. In my research, I never came across any instances of actual exploitation, but I would be surprised to hear if it had never happened.

What words do you use over and over that drive your editor crazy?

I drive myself crazy with words or expressions that I use repeatedly. It’s just an odd function of my brain that I will hit on an expression that feels right and then my brain will automatically repeat that expression page after page. In polishing Sunny Gale, I found that it was stars. I had repeated the same description for a starry night over and over and over. I was horrified that I had done that.

How much time and effort went into your research for the book?

A lot. Initially, I researched the lives of the women participants in rodeo, how early rodeo functioned, in particular, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the fates of Western settlers. But as I wrote the book, I had to stop and research details I hadn’t thought of, such as clothing. For example, when I wrote the scenes where Hannah decides she loves to ride, it first occurred to me, what was she going to wear and how was she going to acquire it. She was not going to go to Walmart to buy a pair of jeans. I then had to go back and research the riding outfits that were acceptable for women, what they were made of and how they were made. I want to remind my readers that all these outfits were hand sewn.

-What writers have you drawn inspiration from?

Herman Melville, Eudora Welty, Thomas Mann and my new favorite, Italian author, Michele Mari. His short story, The Soccer Balls of Mr. Kurz, should be required reading everywhere.

What other inspirations do you draw from?

As far as Sunny Gale was concerned, the lives of the actual women were inspiring. Riding at the level of their performance requires an overwhelming amount of commitment and added to their challenges was the sexism intrinsic to the period. As an illustration, from 1895, when my novel begins, until 1920, women could not vote in any state but Wyoming. There’s a message there about where real power resided.

After learning of the historical women behind Sunny Gale, I felt sad that I never got to meet even one of them. So I had to write a book to make them live again.

Tell us about your cover. Did you design it yourself?

The front cover is a scene from an actual early Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. Although I can’t say with certainty, I believe the image to be from the year that Teddy Rosevelt visited the event, as I fictionalized in Sunny Gale.

The back cover is a modification of one of the many photographs of women riding broncs.

I have no design skills whatsoever. My wonderful editor and publisher, Annette Chaudet, has those skills and put that cover together.

Which actress would you like to see playing the ‘Sunny Gale’? Are there any other characters that you would like to be played py a specific actor?

I think Emma Stone would make a great “Sunny Gale” and to repeat a powerful romantic duo, Ryan Gosling as Clem Albright.

Sunny Gale Web Tour Schedule

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus

Aug 6 Excerpt

Gracie Net Galley & Goodreads

Aug 7 Review

Kathleen Celticlady's Reviews

Aug 8 Guest Review

Laur& Interview

GudReader Goodreads & Net Galley

Aug 12 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus