Tales with a Texas Twist

Book excerpt: With this compilation of Texas--and Texanized--favorite myths and legends, award-winning tale teller Donna Ingham applies her own unmistakable voice to traverse her home state through such stories as: "The Coming of the Bluebonnet"--an oft-collected Commanche myth about love and sacrifice and the origin of the Texas state flower "The Story Behind the Story"--about two early cattlemen and the basis for an episode in Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" "The Life and Times of Pecos Bill"--a selection of tales about this legendary folk hero "Diamond Bill"--about an east Texas rattlesnake who fought in the Civil War "Cupid Was a Mama's Boy"--a Texanized classic Greek myth