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William Sibley
Author
HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

Larry McMurtry meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is Sibley’s best yet — a rollicking screwball comedy with a heart as big as Texas. — Steven L. Davis, Author, Past President, Texas Institute of Letters “A rousing success! Writing about an entire village and the surrounding ranches – and doing both extremely well. I figured this would be “funny” going into it but was honestly surprised about how damn hilarious it was. A sparkling comedic romp. Writing about South Texas, especially in the ranch scenes, was incredibly moving. You really brought to life that world in so many ways – beautiful writing and wonderful observations. Pete’s death scene was a masterpiece – not so much for the scene itself, which is brilliantly written, but for how all of the other great descriptions you have of the land and the ranch work lead very naturally up to that moment, and how it completes the portrait you’d been creating. Really well done. It was all so much damn fun to read! I did come to feel that there was a bit of a spell cast over the town, a la “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Thinking about the love triangle reminds me a tiny bit of McMurtry’s Leaving Cheyenne. I was also thinking about your connection to McMurtry because you write so well of Rita Blanca, just as he wrote of Archer City. there’s a real kinship there between you and him and these books you’ve created. I bet he would’ve loved reading this.”
Plot/Idea: 9 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Sibley’s screwball comedy takes the best elements of sweeping soaps like Dallas and Dynasty and splatters them with a gritty coat of Texas mud. Unflinching and true to life, Sibley unravels the machinations and private intentions of wealthy Texans.

Prose: Sibley’s punchy prose will hook even the most seasoned comedy reader.

Originality: Although a tale of warring families has been explored before, Sibley’s panache will draw readers in. There are enough twists and turns to this story, but readers may find the large cast of kooky characters overwhelming.

Character Development/Execution: Sibley’s heavy-handed characterization and broad vulgarity may be unappealing to some readers, though entertaining to others. 

Blurb: This colorful tale set in the small town of Rita Blanca, Texas, follows the misadventures of the Pennebaker and Lyndecker clans as they fall in and out of love, swindle each other, and are subsumed by lust. 

Date Submitted: April 10, 2022

Reviews
Set in the south Texas town of Rita Blanca, where the Dairy Queen is still “the locus of all things essential to civil existence,” Sibley’s boisterous comic novel blends small-town satire and humanist warmth as it unspools its tales of isolated people learning to love. At the heart of the sprawling townie cast is Marty Pennebaker, recalled from her Manhattan career to oversee 50,000 acres and care for her ailing rancher father. Marty has been carrying on in secret with Pettus Lyndecker, the strapping son of a broke and occasionally criminal family; Pettus’s sisters run a flower shop in town facing competition from a well-heeled neighbor’s new rival store. As that conflict heads toward possible violence, a handsome man from Monterrey, Mexico, arrives in town bearing a check for $250 thousand dollars–and a surprise connection to Marty’s deceased brother, Tom.

Sibley seems to relish crashing his characters into each other’s lives and letting the sparks fly. His prose is sharp and evocative–witness the “hard, flat, hot, and cruel” landscape of mesquite trees and barbed wire–and offers epigrammatic jewels: “[I]n Texas nearly everyone claimed to be Christian, from bank robbers to topless dancers.” A screenwriter and playwright, he reveals story and character through the kind of comic dialogue and incidents that people who aren’t from a place might think are exaggerated—and that people who are from a place are usually too polite to dish to outsiders.

A funny thing happens, though, as the story moves through its weddings, funerals, crimes, confrontations, and surprise romances. Sibley reveals open hearts and minds among his cast, reminding readers not to assume that small-town means simple. “Caught in all this vastness, this stillness, day after day, year after year–it’ll turn you mad as a snared coyote,” one character muses. At its best, Here We Go finds these snared coyotes daring to find new ways to love.

Takeaway: A satirical small-town Texas comedy with welcome, surprising heart.

Great for fans of: Cathie Pelletier, Donald Harrington.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Sibley (Sighs Too Deep for Words) crams this quirky Texas epic with humor, contemporary issues, and oddball characters. Wealthy rancher Pete Pennebaker is dying and wants to hand his empire off to his only daughter, Marty, who has recently returned from New York City and is carrying on a poorly concealed relationship with Pettus Lyndecker, the oldest in a large family of downwardly mobile ranchers with a history of legal troubles. Chito Sosa, a Mexican investment banker, arrives and surprises Marty and Pete by introducing himself as the widower of Marty’s deceased brother Tom, who made Chito promise to return to his hometown to spur change for the better. Meanwhile, Pettus’s sisters struggle to keep their flower shop afloat after a spoiled young woman open a competing shop across the street, and Pete uses his influence to protect a newly arrived Syrian refugee. A love triangle between Pettus, Chito, and Marty takes an unusual turn while complicated schemes to thwart business rivals produce life-altering consequences. Sibley manages to keep all the plates spinning while offering a strong sense of small-town Southern life. This eccentric, multifaceted story has a great deal of heart. (Self-published)
REVIEWS

MORE REVIEWS:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781637527757

“Sibley (Sighs Too Deep for Words) crams this quirky Texas epic with humor, contemporary issues, and oddball characters. Sibley manages to keep all the plates spinning while offering a strong sense of small-town Southern life. This eccentric, multifaceted story has a great deal of heart.” - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

 

http://reviewsbyamoslassen.com/?p=83366 - "What the story is really about is finding happiness and what a fun way to read about it. Filled with wonderful humor and satire, I was unable to put this down and finished it in one sitting." - REVIEWS, Amos Lassen

https://readersfavorite.com/user/author/mini-critique?id=1160649 - "William Jack Sibley’s sense of comedic timing is impeccable, and his ability to squeeze humor out of almost every line in the book is incredible. With a comedic ensemble that has something for everyone and a vision of Texas that will make readers feel like they’re reading the book in spurs, Here We Go Loop De Loop is a brilliant summer read for fans of comedic writing." - READERS FAVORITE, K.C. Finn

     

https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/All-the-world-s-a-small-South-Texas-town-for-16408708.php?sid=5c9263953f92a40ad96859bf&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news_a&utm_campaign=SAEN_ExpressBriefing&fbclid=IwAR01voBJKi4XYkQvZnPom7mQwDLGKtLtWg_s5MF18WYiPvElryrl00yaiws#photo-21388315 “- (A) vividly drawn … cinematic quality …  very funny tale set in the fictional small Texas town of Rita Blanca. The book focuses on three ranching families whose lives are intertwined, and all of which are at a point of transition.” SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS, Deborah Martin 

 

https://booktrib.com/2021/08/19/texas-lives-breathes-and-chuckles-in-hilarious-novel-here-we-go-loop-de-loop/?fbclid=IwAR03f0tgrWfSu7r0JK0-A-JYMcdcGoNQAq4GSEB75QUjom7fh4xplKu-xV4 - “Every book has characters and a setting, but it’s a rare occurrence when you stumble upon a book in which the setting itself is a character.Here We Go Loop De Loop (Atmosphere) by William Jack Sibley is one of those special finds where a place comes alive on the page and develops on an arc of its own over the course of the narrative. Sibley has given readers a string of laughably ridiculous scenes that you’d have to read to believe, but luckily his prose is so chock-full of sensory description you’ll have no trouble picturing each moment. It is also a timely book that allows readers a chance to examine serious social issues ranging from immigration to economic class disparity, to discrimination based on sexual orientation and more — all through the safe and enjoyable lens of humor. This is a book about a lot of different people and a lot of different things, all of it very entertaining. But in the end, it’s a story about pursuing happiness even when it doesn’t look the way people are used to. Here We Go Loop De Loop is a wild and hilarious ride and you’ll be glad to have joined Sibley on it.” BOOKTRIB, Paige Bremner

 

https://booklife.com/project/here-we-go-loop-de-loop-55323 - "Sibley seems to relish crashing his characters into each other’s lives and letting the sparks fly. His prose is sharp and evocative–witness the “hard, flat, hot, and cruel” landscape of mesquite trees and barbed wire–and offers epigrammatic jewels: “[I]n Texas nearly everyone claimed to be Christian, from bank robbers to topless dancers.” A screenwriter and playwright, he reveals story and character through the kind of comic dialogue and incidents that people who aren’t from a place might think are exaggerated—and that people who are from a place are usually too polite to dish to outsiders. A funny thing happens, though, as the story moves through its weddings, funerals, crimes, confrontations, and surprise romances. Sibley reveals open hearts and minds among his cast, reminding readers not to assume that small-town means simple. “Caught in all this vastness, this stillness, day after day, year after year–it’ll turn you mad as a snared coyote,” one character muses. At its best, Here We Go finds these snared coyotes daring to find new ways to love.” BOOKLIFE

 

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=189965 - “This book is no doubt a different kind of love story with hilarious characters. The emotional interaction of the characters is perfect; the reader gets to see everything that makes them human. The use of detailed descriptions helps in seamless comprehension. The author's vivid description of what a ranch is and how it works, using the actions and dialogues of the characters, is a big plus to the book. This is such an entertaining and beautifully written book. I had to save the best for last. The biggest positive of this book is the rich dialogues. I could pick the characters out following their conversations because their personalities shined forth in their interactions. I was enthralled at the effortless and consistent expression of the Texas lingo through the conversations. There was absolutely nothing to dislike about this book. Lovers of hilarious family stories would have a great time reading this book.” ONLINE BOOK CLUB 

 

https://hesaidmag.com/2021/10/06/sibley-revelry/ - “William Jack Sibley‘s Here We Go Loop De Loop should be on everyone’s shelf (or downloaded to their Kindles.) The publisher sent us a copy of his book to review and from the very first sentence, we knew we were going to be hooked: “The drunk she nearly ran over, now lying in the middle of the road at one-thirty in the morning, was none other than her father, Pete Pennebaker.”  We’ve all had one of those nights where nothing seems to go right and we nearly run over our dad, but this scene sets up one hilarious, page-turning Texas-set satire from a talented, prolific writer. At the core is a woman who loves a man who’s in love with another man, but the colorful prose and wildly memorable dialogue introduce us to a load of small-town characters, eerily relatable to many Texans and as compelling as the main protagonists. We’d love to see this turned into a movie. Or a limited TV series. Or a fully immersive virtual-reality video game where you can drink iced tea with the locals. Anything really that keeps these characters alive long after the last page is turned.” HE SAID MAGAZINE, DALLAS

 

https://readersfavorite.com/author-area/1160648/reviews#r1278142

"Sibley writes to harmonize the setting and character emotions, making Rita Blanca a living thing, giving you a sense of place that will remain in your memory. Here We Go Loop de Loop is an intelligent and witty must-read piece that will make you feel glad that you joined the ride." READERS FAVORITE, Vincent Dublado

 

http://cwsmiththeauthor.com

"A delightful, rollicking romp. There are really hilarious riffs and set-pieces, a bon mot about every other paragraph, and scads of wonderfully authentic details. There are, of course, scenes of 'serious relief,' such as Pete’s meditation on immigration and the interior monologues of our three principals who are struggling to place themselves somewhere in the spectrum of human sexuality. It’s a really bold book. A remarkably successful pastiche of important cultural themes. Above all, it’s a story about the struggles with change on a personal and social level and about the accommodations everybody has to make to an inevitably different future. It’s a distinctly individual work with very unexpected twists." CHARLIE SMITH, Author & Executive Council Texas Institute of Letters

 

https://readersfavorite.com/author-area/1160648/reviews#r1278141

"A story with humor, action, and a lot of passion. This novel felt like watching a movie. Author William Jack Sibley held nothing back and gave readers everything to make this story as interesting as possible. Marty’s character is as interesting as it sounds. She appears to be strong and unshakable, but she is just human in the end. With the responsibility of the whole ranch on her shoulders, Marty does not have enough time to be “herself.” So, she tries to become her father, but she can pretend only for so long. The author brings in different characters and those characters bring more twists and turns to make the story interesting. The dialogues are as entertaining as they are revealing, something that I enjoyed thoroughly. The charactersare chasing different forms of happiness without realizing that their happiness is just a step behind them." READERS CHOICE, Rabia Tanveer

 

https://smashbomb.com/s/here-we-go-loop-de-loop

"A rich, funny, entertaining read.

Here we go loop de loop is a cracker. With well written and interesting characters you can't help but slide into Texas with them and forget the real world. It's quite an emotional read that was pulling at my heart strings but also resonating with the other things too. It had me laughing out loud and, I admit to a few tears too.  So, if you're looking for something that will have you immersed for hours, make you laugh, cry, get you frustrated and fulfilled then grab this with both hands, run and hide away from reality with your cuppa." SMASHBOMB, Charlotte

 

https://bookshelvesandteacups.com/2021/11/15/book-tour-arc-here-we-go-loop-de-loop-w-j-sibley/

"An ode to Texas, and a hilarious one at that. The Lyndeckers and, to a lesser extent, the Pennebakers are two parts insane and one part funny, a combo able to pull in anyone gravitating too close to them – starting with the reader. The characterization is what really stands out here, Here We Go Loop de Loop’s strong point. Sibley does a marvelous job with it, creating characters who are vibrant and unique, albeit a little extravagant. Pair it up with their individual arc—character growth? Sibley turns that concept into a mission—and voila, you’ll get the  recipe for a brilliant book. The story, told via multiple POVs, is captivating and entertaining. Sibley possesses the skills to spin a pleasant tale, not falling for the infodump trap that’s so common with multiple POVs." BOOKSHELVES AND TEACUPS

 

https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/article/10-notable-books-2021-San-Antonio-authors-16710576.php?sid=5c9263953f92a40ad96859bf&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news_a&utm_campaign=SAEN_ExpressBriefing

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS - 2021, 10 Best Books by San Antonio Authors.

“Sibley’s third novel opens with a killer scene in which a woman driving home in her Mercury Montego in the wee hours nearly runs over her elderly father, who is lying in the road. The rest of the book lives up to the promise of the opening pages. It spins a story about three very different ranching families in the fictional Texas town of Rita Blanca who are all at a point of transition.” SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS

 

https://indiereader.com/book_review/here-we-go-loop-de-loop/

5 of 5 rating, “Aside from being a comic tour de force, HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP also offers contemplative moments focusing on real human emotions like life and death and love and loss. That Sibley can tug at the heart at the same time as making the reader laugh is testament to his skills. Don’t be fooled by the jokes, Sibley is a serious talent. INDIE READER

 

https://litnuts.com/blogs/news/here-we-go-loop-de-loop-by-william-jack-sibley?_pos=1&_sid=8a68855c8&_ss=r

A cowboy, an heiress, her brother's husband...and a badass 72 Mercury Montego. "Wonderful example of generous escapism." -Kirkus Reviews. An entertaining and very funny novel set in the imaginary Texas town of Rita Blanca. Sibley breathes joyous life into a world that is sometimes strange and sometimes off-kilter but always recognizably real.

LITNUTS

 

https://booklife.com/profile/william-sibley-84830

Sibley’s screwball comedy takes the best elements of sweeping soaps like Dallas and Dynasty and splatters them with a gritty coat of Texas mud. Unflinching and true to life, Sibley unravels the machinations and private intentions of wealthy Texans. His punchy prose will hook even the most seasoned comedy reader. Although a tale of warring families has been explored before, Sibley’s panache will draw readers in. There are enough twists and turns to this colorful tale set in the small town of Rita Blanca, Texas to keep you thoroughly engrossed with the misadventures of the Pennebaker and Lyndecker clans as they fall in and out of love, swindle each other, and are subsumed by lust. 

BOOKLIFE

 

https://indiereader.com/2022/06/announcing-the-2022-discovery-awards-winners-duplicate-1/?mc_cid=10de542375&mc_eid=55b892522b

With a cast of eccentric, funny Texas characters trying to make sense of their crazy lives, William Jack Sibley’s HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP is a surprisingly sweet family saga and a delightful dive into the intricacies of family annoyances and affections and the complications that ensue when brave, passionate people fight for themselves and each other. INDIE READER DISCOVERY AWARD WINNER

 

 

https://www.digitalpwselect.com/pwselect/booklife_june_13__2022/MobilePagedReplica.action?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TXPWSE220614002&utm_content=gtxcel&pm=2&folio=135a#pg18

Sibley (Sighs Too Deep for Words) crams this quirky Texas epic with humor, contemporary issues, and oddball characters. Wealthy rancher Pete Pennebaker is dying and wants to hand his empire off to his only daughter, Marty, who has recently returned from New York City and is carrying on a poorly concealed relationship with Pettus Lyndecker, the oldest in a large family of downwardly mobile ranchers with a history of legal troubles. Chito Sosa, a Mexican investment banker, arrives and surprises Marty and Pete by introducing himself as the widower of Marty’s deceased brother Tom, who made Chito promise to return to his hometown to spur change for the better. Meanwhile, Pettus’s sisters struggle to keep their flower shop afloat after a spoiled young woman open a competing shop across the street, and Pete uses his influence to protect a newly arrived Syrian refugee. A love triangle between Pettus, Chito, and Marty takes an unusual turn while complicated schemes to thwart business rivals produce life-altering consequences. Sibley manages to keep all the plates spinning while offering a strong sense of small-town Southern life. This eccentric, multifaceted story has a great deal of heart.

BOOKLIFE (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY)

 

(and more ... stay tuned!)

 

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AMAZON (PURCHASE/ READER REVIEWS) - 

https://www.amazon.com/Here-We-Go-Loop/dp/1637527756/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1PIBX1LTQ1CVS&dchild=1&keywords=here+we+go+loop+de+loop+sibley&qid=1631298659&sprefix=HERE+WE+GO+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-2

 

BARNES & NOBLE (PURCHASE/ READER REVIEWS) - 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-we-go-loop-de-loop-william-jack-sibley/1139671689?ean=9781637527757

 

 

Steven L. Davis, Author, Past President, Texas Institute of Letters

"Larry McMurtry meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is Sibley’s best yet — a rollicking screwball comedy with a heart as big as Texas."

News
06/25/2022
WINNER TWO NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS!

WINNER/ FIRST PLACE, “INDIE-READER DISCOVERY AWARD,”

Best Book of Humor, 2022, HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP

https://www.prweb.com/releases/2022/6/prweb18706921.htm

 

       WINNER/ GOLD MEDAL “IPPY” for

HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP

     Humor Book of the Year, 2022

(INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS, “IPPY Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent and university books released each year.”)

#32 - https://ippyawards.com/164/2022-medalists--general-categories-1-59?fbclid=IwAR2XZ2w8_FyDVsabF3gPI3ld7j1tEK2Q6mLit84XcDJ_6UyzTQutkx2kYrM

 

Also selected, "10 Best Books by San Antonio Authors, 2021" - San Antonio Express News 

https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/article/10-notable-books-2021-San-Antonio-authors-16710576.php?sid=5c9263953f92a40ad96859bf&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news_a&utm_campaign=SAEN_ExpressBriefing

 

and, “THE TOP 10 LGBTQ+ BOOKS TO READ THIS PRIDE MONTH “ - Indiereader, June 16, 2022

https://indiereader.com/2022/06/the-top-10-lgbtq-books-to-read-this-pride-month/?mc_cid=52656a164e&mc_eid=55b892522b

 

 

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