Catherine M. O’Connor’s debut novel, Dust Covered Lies, earned two prestigious Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America — “the Emmys
in the world of Western writing,” said Dan Williams, director of TCU Press.
“My colleagues and I are ecstatic for Catherine and also happy that Patrick Dearen’s novel, The Big Dry, was named a finalist for a Spur,” Williams said. “Just to receive news that one of our books was chosen as a finalist would have been a big deal, but two Spurs and a finalist award is simply outstanding for a small academic publisher of three full-time and two half-time employees.”
Since 1953, Western Writers of America has honored authors with Spur Awards, recognizing distinguished fiction and non-fiction about the American West. Notable past winners include Taylor Sheridan for Wind River and David Grann for Killers of the Flower Moon.
TCU Press authors competed for Spur Awards against works of fiction and nonfiction from all around the country, including titles from the “Big Five” publishers in New York City: Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster.
Dust Covered Lies won Spur Awards for Best Western Contemporary Novel and Best First Novel. This dual recognition is an exceptionally rare achievement for a debut author and places O’Connor among the star talents of Western literature. She will receive her awards at the Western Writers of America convention in Amarillo, Texas, in June.
Set in Texas in the 1870s and the 1930s, Dust Covered Lies follows the journey of Frances Abbott, known as Frannie, an orphaned teenage immigrant and champion markswoman. Alongside her autistic and artistically gifted brother, Juan Esteban, Frannie embarks on a scientific hunting expedition led by a dangerous con man posing as a French zoologist. When a murder occurs and Juan Esteban’s life is threatened, Frannie makes a fateful decision to lie and protect her brother. The siblings then flee to the dust-covered Texas Panhandle, desperately trying to outrun their past and the one person who could expose their secret.
“Introducing these characters into the world has been exhilarating,” O’Connor said. “For the longest time, they were just my little friends inside my head. It was moving to hear that readers respected their unique nature, perseverance and bravery.”