When the Bluebonnets Come

Author John J. Dwyer's Civil War-era historical novels "Stonewall" and "Robert E. Lee" have sold tens of thousands of copies. They have built for him a large following of readers appreciative of his poignant, gritty, often inspiring style. With "When the Bluebonnets Come," Dwyer--a college history instructor--turns his focus to contemporary times. "Bluebonnets" tells the story of young Katie Shanahan, growing up in the heart of bluebonnet country near Cotton Patch, Texas, her life mainly about gentle animals, sweeping vistas of fragrant wildflowers, salt-of-the-earth people of the land, and a loving daddy who is a preacher and was a football hero. But what her father Ethan finds when he trails a rabid dog is the beginning of the end of life as Katie has known it. Soon, a parade of unwelcome visitors descend upon Cotton Patch-an increasingly ominous "Family Entertainment Complex," a series of church burnings, and finally, division within the Shanahans' own church and even their own home. As Katie watches her father stand up against forces far more powerful than himself, she begins to learn that courage, loyalty, and honor are more than words-and they sometimes come with a high price.