Join us on Friday, October 11th, at 7PM in our courtyard to celebrate the release of Austin author Catherine O'Connor's novel Dust Covered Lies. A riveting piece of historical fiction, Dust Covered Lies is a book about the power of family across time and distance, and what we're willing to do and say to protect those bonds. This event is open to all, and tickets are available to those who want to reserve a copy of the book and a seat.

about the book

Set in Texas during the 1870s and in the 1930s at the height of the Dust Bowl, Dust Covered Lies tells the story of Frances Abbott, or Frannie, an orphaned immigrant who faces a terrible choice that will haunt her the rest of her life. Frannie is a teenage champion markswoman when she and her autistic and artistically gifted brother, Juan Esteban, set off on a scientific hunting expedition on the Colorado River led by a dangerous con man who claims to be a French zoologist. 

When a murder is committed and Juan Esteban’s life is in danger, Frannie lies to protect him. Determined to take her secret to the grave, Frannie and her brother flee to the dust-covered Texas panhandle to escape the one person who could reveal the truth about their past. 

about the author

Catherine O’Connor is a writer and landscape architect. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Duke University and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. A native Texan and Austinite, she is the founding principal of Co’design, LLC and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas School of Architecture.

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