MY first historical novel, “Cattle Kate” has been very well received, and gotten attention from reviewers across the country. Here’s a sampling of what they’ve said.
**PUBLISHERS WEEKLY names Cattle Kate one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2014** http://www.publishersweekly.com/
**Starred review by Publishers Weekly: “…her outstanding first novel…Bommersbach beautifully recreates the milieu in which Ella struggled to realize her dream….” http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4642-0302-2
**Interviewed by Publishers Weekly Radio, with hosts Rose Fox and Mark Rotella, Oct. 3, 2014.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=8&podcast=312
**Six page feature, True West Magazine, “Dead Wrong About Cattle Kate,” November, 2014. http://www.truewestmagazine.com/jcontent/history/history/history-features/7301-dead-wrong-about-cattle-kate
**Reviewed by internationally-acclaimed author C.J. Box: “I grew up in Wyoming hearing one story about the lynching of Cattle Kate, but thanks to this revealing and meticulously novel, I now know the real story…” (Book jacket)
**Reviewed in PopcornReads.com: “My hat is off to Ella Watson for being an uppity woman…and to Jana Bommersbach for being an uppity author who’s determined to get the truth out about her….” http://popcornreads.com/fiction/cattle-kate-by-jana-bommersbach-historical-western-review-giveaway/
**Invited to contribute to Reading The Past Cattle Kate: The Woman Behind the Legend, an essay by Jana Bommersbach Using the tools at their disposal, historical novelists can help rehabilitate the reputations of real-life figures who were treated unfairly by history. In the case of Ella Watson, “treated unfairly” is a big understatement. After reading this powerful essay, I could see why Jana Bommersbach felt obligated to tell her story.
**Reviewed by Silver’s Review: “Ms. Bommersbach did a great deal of research and turned her research into quite a fascinating, splendid book.” http://silversolara.blogspot.com/2014/10/cattle-kate-by-jana-bommersbach.html
**Interviewed by National Public Radio’s KJZZ in Arizona by host Steve Goldstein, Oct. 15, 2014.http://kjzz.org/content/56180/jana-bommersbach-her-new-novel-cattle-kate
**Reviewed by bibliomaven: “It is the story of a gutsy, brave woman whose true story is finally being told. Reading this is an interesting way to learn about history of the American West, and I appreciated that Bommersbach devoted many pages to historical facts about what really happened to Watson and how the false legend was created.” http://bibliomaven.workpress.com/
**Reviewed by Story Circle Book Reviews: “This is a fine and well-told story…Toward the end of the book are careful notes on each chapter, almost as fascinating as the story itself…For a history buff, the notes are as enticing as the novel….” http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/cattlekate.shtml
**Invited to contribute to the Campaign for the American Reader series of blogs. http://americareads.blogspot.com/2014/10/pg-69-jana-bommersbachs-cattle-kate.html
**Invited to contribute “A Conversation with Jana Bommersbach” to Omnimystery: http://www.omnimysterynews.com/2014/11/a-conversation-with-jana-bommersbach-author-of-cattle-kate1411140800.html#.VHNOVckzAzN
**Excerpted by The Arizona Republic, Nov. 4, 2014: “Jana Bommersbach has written about murderers and mobsters in her long, distinguished career, and last year she penned her first children’s book, “A Squirrel’s Story.” Now she’s back with her first historical novel, “Cattle Kate.” Then reprinted the opening of Chapter 11, “I Love Being A Homesteader.”
https://janabommersbach.com/janablog/2014/11/24/arizona-republic-excerpt-of-cattle-kate/
**Page One feature in News-Monitor, Hankinson, North Dakota: “Novel Brings Cattle Kate to Life,” Nov. 4, 2014.
**Reviewed by Lynn Bueling of Western Writers of America, appearing in the Bismarck Tribune: “The author soon engages us with the image of Kate twisting and kicking so violently at the end of the rope that her beautiful beaded moccasins fly off her feet. Doubters of the authenticity of the scene or the story can view those moccasins on page 22 in the November, 2014 issue of True West magazine. http://bismarcktribune.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/cattle-kate-recounts-true-story/article_a1522dd6-7197-11e4-a910-9fc788f2e692.html
Scheduled to be interviewed by Arizona’s top PBS station, KAET-TV, by Ted Simons on his Horizon Show, on Dec. 1, 2014.