Author Description

Review In eight chapters, each a related story that could stand stoutly alone, Lee Priestley has breathed new life into a bygone era of soldiers, settlers and Indians in southern New Mexico. Her finely-drawn characters spring to life as we read: Lieutenant James Haskell, little 'Dougie' MacArthur, Remus the Buffalo Soldier, Shannon O'Connell of Shalam Colony, and troopers Ryan and Tolliver. Each engages our sympathies and beckons the reader more deeply into their lives and time. Together, these tales--told in the voices of people who lived and died in the Rio Grande Valley--weave a small tapestry of the hardscrabble struggles and modest triumphs that was life in a remote part of the 'Old West,' now mostly ignored or forgotten. Based on actual events and incidents of mid-19th century Doa Ana County, and recounted in Lee Priestley's own eternally youthful voice. Within: Sound of the Bugle infects the reader with an eagerness to range the Mesilla Valley and its mesas, to hunt out the old forts' ruins and physically absorb the real story of life on the frontier. -- Tony Chiaviello Product Description Lee Priestley's delightful collection of 'Hearsay History' presents another perspective on how life was lived at frontier forts during New Mexico's Territorial period. The stories are based upon actual incidents and individuals. About the Author Lee Priestley was born in Kansas, educated in Oklahoma, and resided for many years in Louisiana and New Mexico. She is the author of numerous novels and picture books and more than a thousand short stories. Much of her work has southwestern settings and characters. She lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and has taught creative writing at the University of Oklahoma and New Mexico State University. Marquita Peterson is a native New Mexican who has studied art in Texas, Oregon and Iadho. Her works in oil, water color and ink are in private and corporate collections throughout the country. She teaches art classes