BEST SELLING NOVELIST RAY BLACKSTON RELEASES LAST MANGO IN TEXAS MARCH 9
Author’s Writing Praised By Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Southern Living, The Dallas Morning News, Booklist, Romantic Times, More
Nashville, Tenn. (February 17, 2009) – Best selling, critically-acclaimed novelist Ray Blackston offers his highly-anticipated sixth book, Last Mango in Texas, March 9, 2009 from FaithWords (ISBN-13: 978-0-446-57961-2, $13.99, trade paperback).
Lauded by such respected publications as Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Southern Living, The Dallas Morning News, Booklist, Romantic Times, CCM, Charisma and numerous others, as well as tens of thousands of readers that have been captivated by his story-telling, award-winning author Blackston embarks on a brand new adventure in his trademark style filled with humorous relational dialog.
“You’ll likely find Kyle and Gretchen just as entertaining as Jay and the gang from Flabbergasted,” says Blackston, comparing Last Mango in Texas characters to those in his critically and commercially successful debut novel. “And though the humor is there in good dosage—and a quirky Texas vibe flows through the entire story—a couple of deeper themes also weave themselves into the narrative.”
Last Mango in Texas Synopsis
Texas Tech student Kyle Mango is attending a college party when he meets Gretchen, an artsy animal lover whose independent spirit sparks his attention. But after a month of bliss, they suddenly find themselves in rough waters. When Kyle inherits four oil wells from his uncle, he sees his affluence as an opportunity to impress Gretchen. But as graduation nears and Kyle is about to make his move, Gretchen hears news of an oil tanker spilling its load near the coast of Alaska. Leaving Kyle behind in Texas, she joins a group of campus activists to clean oil from suffering birds. A fast-maturing Kyle is torn between managing his business and risking everything to fly to Alaska to pursue Gretchen. Through it all, Kyle explores faith in God and His power to change lives.
Blackston’s writing has been praised by Publishers Weekly, who says his “tongue-in-cheek humor about the lives of Christian singles will grab the attention of readers.” ChickLitBooks.com has said his writing is “fast, funny, and quirky.” Romantic Times calls his writing “top quality lad lit, straight from the guys’ hearts to yours…witty and funny…full of wise insight,” as Charisma agrees that his writing is “humorous yet thought-provoking… an enjoyable romantic escape that single as well as married individuals won’t want to put down.”
A former Texan now residing in Greenville, SC, Ray Blackston walked away from a corporate cubicle in 2000 to pursue a writing career. Ray speaks often at writer’s conferences and has a passion for teaching creative writing to budding novelists. His first novel, Flabbergasted (Baker), sold 70,000 copies and was chosen as inspirational novel of the year by The Dallas Morning News. His follow-up novel, A Delirious Summer (Baker, 2004), was a Crossings Book Club main selection. Both books hit the Christian fiction best seller lists. Blackston was a finalist for a Christy Award for best first novel in 2004 and an Audie Award for best audio novel in 2006. A profile in Christian Retailing Magazine named Blackston as one of the “faces to watch” in Christian fiction.