Description

With Rough Patches II, the follow-up to her acclaimed story collection Rough Patches, author Deanna Dickinson McCall has assembled another powerful collection centered on female protagonists in the ranch country of the contemporary American West. Shaped by challenging circumstances as well as the equally demanding landscapes they inhabit, her characters exhibit a brand of strength instantly recognizable to readers fortunate enough to know true "women of the West." Against long odds, McCall's protagonists courageously stare down adversity - sexism, illness and the unimaginable dangers of both the frontier era and modern-day ranch country. Yet, even in the darkest of moments, these characters push forward, armed with the hope and fortitude that has long defined the cowboy - and cowgirl - spirit.

Deanna Dickinson McCall has cows, horses and a love of the land bred into her, coming from a family that began ranching in Texas in the 1840s. She has ranched in several western states, including 25 years spent raising her family on a remote Nevada ranch without phones or electricity. Riding on her own ranches, riding for day wages, receiving cattle at sale yards, and selling feed and vet supplies have given her fodder for her been-there, done-that stories and poetry. She and her husband ranch in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico.