Press
Release
Montana author creates memorable
novel
Long
after finishing “The Watershed Years”by Montana author
Russell Rowland, readers will be remembering its sharply
drawn characters and their surprising fates. That’s
how good this novel is. The writing is excellent—taut,
deceptively simple, and powerful—but it is the irresistible
story that sets this novel apart.
“The
Watershed Years” is the much-anticipated sequel to
Rowland’s highly acclaimed first novel, “In
Open Spaces.” Both books vividly chronicle the lives
of the Arbuckles, a ranching family in eastern Montana.
In
the new book, the family patriarch dies under mysterious
circumstances and the ranch falls to the three grown sons:
Blake, the book’s narrator and recently married to
Rita; Bob, a quiet man married to ambitious Helen; and
Jack, missing for years, presumed dead, and Rita’s
ex-husband.
After
years of hardships and heartaches, the family has finally
been rewarded with good weather and good harvests. Will
this relative wealth bring the family together or will
Jack continue to look for ways to exploit the ranch for
his own gain? Will Helen finally get her wish to have children
and strengthen her case for taking over the ranch? Rowland
explores these questions with the same understated grace
he showed in his first novel, pushing this family to be
brink of success, only to have the desires of a few family
members threaten the entire operation. It is a compelling
story of a family’s struggles with jealousy, greed,
and murder.
Rowland,
who lives in Billings, said he drew inspiration for the
novels from his own ranching family. In fact, the Arbuckle
Ranch is still a working cattle ranch near Alzada. It was
started by William and Valentine Dickey in the early 1880s
and was one of the first cattle ranches in Montana. Rowland’s
great grandfather George Arbuckle took over the ranch in
the early 1900s.
“When
I wrote my first novel I debated whether or not to use
the Arbuckle name and run the risk of offending anyone
from the family,” Rowland said. “I chose to
use the name for two reasons. The first was because I wanted
to honor the members of the Arbuckle family who built this
ranch. Many of these people endured hardship that our own
modern generation couldn’t possibly imagine, and
their efforts have made my life seem downright luxurious.
But the main reason I chose to use “Arbuckle” was
because it’s just such a fine name.”
However,
Rowland said it is important to note that the characters
in his novels are not modeled after actual family members. “These
characters took on their own personalities and made their
own decisions,” he said. “As much as I would
like to claim control over them, they proved to be just
as independent of spirit as those who inspired them.”
Rowland’s
first novel, “In Open Spaces,” was praised
by writers Ivan Doig, Guy Vanderhauge, and C.J. Box, among
others. It made the San Francisco Chronicle’s bestseller
list and was named among the Best of the West by the Salt
Lake City Tribune.
“The
Watershed Years” is a 256-page paperback that sells
for $12.95. It is available from bookstores and from Riverbend
Publishing, 1-866-787-2363.
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