{"product_id":"the-big-empty-9781734082296","title":"The Big Empty","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Big Empty\u003c\/i\u003e captures a moment when Big Tech seemingly promised everything. By turns funny and painful, Steffy's story builds like an accelerating freight train, reaching a fast-paced climax.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Epoch Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Like the titular land itself, Steffy's novel is uncompromising in spotlighting the strains that the drive toward material achievement puts on the individual in the face of nature's whims.\"--\u003ci\u003eSouthern Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e When Trace Malloy and Blaine Witherspoon collide on a desolate West Texas highway, their fender bender sets the tone for escalating clashes that will determine the future of the town of Conquistador. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Malloy, a ranch manager and lifelong cowboy, knows that his occupation--and his community--are dying. He wants new-millennium opportunities for his son, even though he himself failed to summon the courage to leave familiar touchstones behind. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Witherspoon, an ambitious, Lexus-driving techie, offers a solution. He moves to Conquistador to build and run a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant that will bring prestige and high-paying technology jobs to revive the town--and advance his own career. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e While Malloy grapples with the flaws of his ancestors and his growing ambivalence toward the chip plant, Witherspoon falls prey to construction snafus, corporate backstabbing, and financial fraud. As they each confront personal fears, they find themselves united in the search for their own version of purpose in a uniquely untamable Texas landscape. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLOREN C. STEFFY\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of five nonfiction books and a writer- at-large for \u003ci\u003eTexas Monthly. \u003c\/i\u003eHe's also an executive producer for Rational Middle Media and a managing director for 30 Point Strategies, where he heads the 30 Point Press publishing imprint. He has been a business journalist for more than 30 years, writing for publications such as Bloomberg News, the Houston Chronicle and Forbes.com. He lives in Wimberley, Texas, with his wife, three dogs and an ungrateful cat. With \u003ci\u003eThe Big Empty, \u003c\/i\u003ehis debut novel of contemporary western fiction set against a rural backdrop, Steffy explores critical issues facing small towns across the country, including water rights, land use, and energy demand.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Stoney Creek Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50398385930514,"sku":"9781734082296","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e685dd31-6bb9-493c-9d89-e6a5de9199dc.jpg?v=1729067108","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-big-empty-9781734082296","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}