The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories

Product Description

The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories by J. Reeder Archuleta

The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories by J. Reeder Archuleta, author of the novel
Rio Sonora, are about coming of age in rural, far West Texas. The short stories are about the people who have come to stay in a remote part of Texas with a climate that can be harsh and unpredictable and a land that is demanding and unforgiving. For these folks, there is no place they would rather live.

A young boy who finds himself alone in a small, remote Texas town. The reader never learns what happened to his mother who brought him here. Did she abandon him? Could she have been killed in an accident? The boy, named Josh, does not dwell on the fate of his mother because he’s too busy trying to survive. He is surrounded by a cast of characters who have experienced life under a variety of different circumstances. Their experience, good and bad, rub off on Josh but in spite of the fact that he appears to be adrift from time to time, he possesses an inner strength that will hopefully see him through.

Review

“A well-wrought panorama of small-town dramas and discontents … convincingly crafted from punchy, plainspoken dialogue … reminiscent of Larry McMurtry’s ‘The Last Picture Show.'”
Kirkus Reviews

“Thoroughly engaging … Narrated with passion and eloquence … True to life dialogue … Poignant and hopeful stories of determination.”
Foreword Clarion Reviews 

“A lovingly rendered portrait of a Texas life … a timeless quality … stories are conveyed in lean, elegant prose reminiscent of Annie Proulx and Cormac McCarthy.”
BlueInk Review

From the Author

A message from J. Reeder Archuleta on writing The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories…

These short stories are about growing up in a remote area of Texas. They take place in a different time. Some would say a simpler time in a less complicated world.Well, it never seems simple or less complicated at the time you actually lived it. Some folks have asked if I meant the stories to be autobiographical. No, I did not. These stories are strictly fiction with some personal experience used as a base. All the characters are fictitious but are based on the very real people I grew up with. These people place a high value on being plain spoken. I have tried to write the stories in the same manner.

About the Author

J. Reeder Archuleta was raised in Texas close to the Mexican Border and five generations of his family are in their final resting place there.  His great-grandfather is buried in Concordia Cemetery in El Paso, Texas within spitting distance of the grave of John Wesley Hardin.

Archuleta has authored two books:
Rio Sonora: A Story of the Arizona Rangers and
The El Paso Red Flame Gas Station and Other Stories.