Noblesville author Larry D. Sweazy has won the Willa Award, an annual award given out by the 25-year-old writing organization, Women Writing the West (WWW), for his 2018 novel, See Also Proof: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery. The award, named for Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Willa Cather, was presented at the WWW annual conference on Oct. 14 in San Antonio, Texas. Along with the honor, the award came with a cash prize. The Willa Award is awarded annually for outstanding literature featuring women’s stories set in the West.
Sweazy is also the two-time winner the Western Writers of America (WWA) Spur Award (2005/2013), the Best Book of Indiana Award (2011), two Will Rogers Medallion Awards for Best Western Fiction (2011/2012) and the Elmer Kelton Books Award (2013).
Sweazy is also publishing his 15th novel, the second book in the Sonny Burton series, The Lost are the Last to Die. The novel will receive national distribution on Nov. 20 and will be available in all major and independent bookstores, and through online outlets such as Amazon.com. The Lost are the Last to Die will be published by Five Star (Cengage/Gale).
The Lost are the Last to Die, features ex-Texas Ranger, Sonny Burton, who first appeared in the critically acclaimed A Thousand Falling Crows (January 2016). Booklist recently reviewed this novel and said: “Genres and subgenres are beautifully blended in this fine crime novel.”
About the novel
After Sonny Burton lost his right arm in a shootout with Bonnie and Clyde, he thought his days as a Texas Ranger were behind him.
When a convict escapes from Huntsville Prison and takes the warden’s pregnant wife hostage, the Rangers come to Sonny for help because he had a long history with Billy Bunson. From his time in El Paso, when Billy was only a boy and a thief on the street, to a few years later when Billy killed his first man, Sonny was there, either chasing him, or trying to save him. Sonny knows right away if he doesn’t go after Billy, then Billy will come after him.
Praise for previous Sonny Burton novels
“Sonny is an engaging, determined hero drawing on his Texas Ranger experience to find some measure of justice. Sure to attract fans of Westerns and readers who favor well-plotted mysteries with plenty of atmosphere.” Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW and Mystery Pick of the Month.
“Sweazy’s text is an absolute treat for the senses… The character of Sonny Burton will resonate with readers. His everyman struggles with change, loneliness, and relationships are appealing across both gender and generational lines.” Foreword Reviews.
Book signings
- 21: 5 to 8 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 17090 Mercantile Blvd., Stony Creek Marketplace, Noblesville
- 22: 4 to 7 p.m., Turn the Page Books, 149 N. Walnut St., Westfield
- 23: 1 to 5 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 8675 River Crossing Blvd., Indianapolis