IN THE PRESS
Acclaimed Author Clara Sneed Revisits the Infamous Sneed–Boyce Saga in Two Powerful Literary Works
“Because This Is Texas” and “Before We Turn To Dust” present a compelling approach to one of Texas’s most infamous family tragedies.
NEW Brick & Elm Interview with Chip Chandler
“One of the most notorious feuds in Amarillo history is reexamined in a new book—one that wouldn’t have happened had descendants from both sides of the feud not worked together to tell the story.”
Clara Sneed named as 2026 Grand Prize Winner by Texas Author Institute for Before We Turn to Dust
Sneed also took home the Best Criminal/Crime Biography Award for Because This is Texas
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Photo taken at the official book launch of Clara Sneed’s Before We Turn to Dust at Burrowing Owl Books in Canyon, TX on December 7th, 2024.
Sneed's new book 'Because This is Texas' hits No. 1 on Several Charts
Sneed's 'Because This is Texas' Expands on True Story of Feud Between Ranching Families
Editor's note: The author of “Because This is Texas,” Clara Sneed, was in Amarillo recently to promote her new release and other books and share the story behind the story. It is as twisted and intriguing today as it was in 1912, when it was a heated topic and front-page banner news for the Fort Worth Telegram and Amarillo Globe-News. Sneed is a relative of the man who shot two men for revenge of an unfaithful relationship with his wife.
What Readers Are Saying / Before We Turn to Dust
“Beautifully conceived and written. A masterful work about a subject the author clearly holds dear.”
— ★★★★★
“Meticulous attention to historical detail and the inspired, believable voices of the characters make this drama come to life.”
— ★★★★★
“Great book. Could not put it down!”
— ★★★★★
I couldn’t put this book down as it raced to its inexorable conclusion. I really liked the wrap-up with the legal transcript and the newspaper accounts of the events (and the postscript was the perfect coda, just what I was wondering about in the aftermath of the explosive finale). The straightforward and therefore surprisingly understated legal and newspaper accounts of the events, juxtaposed with the jury decision they were describing, leave you shaken, wondering about the nature of justice, not only in the Texas Panhandle at the dawn of the 20th century but in the headlines of today. Unbelievable, in the most literal sense of the word.
— ★★★★★
"What an epic, compelling story. The depth and intensity of the author’s research was evident. A family saga rich in intrigue, passion and moral dilemma. And the ending, a stunning and shocking conclusion. Highly recommend."
— ★★★★★
Because This is Texas is an Amazon Bestseller!
Released June 2025
An updated edition of Sneed’s non-fiction account of the infamous Sneed-Boyce Feud, originally published in the 1999 edition of the Panhandle Plains Historical Review under the same name.
“Clara Sneed has written a definitive study…Learned journals, as a rule, are unexciting and opposite of sexy, but (this) will knock your hat in the creek.”
— KENT BIFFLE, The Dallas Morning News
“One of the great Amarillo stories— some say the greatest— told with authority and high style.”
— MARY KATE TRIPP, Amarillo Globe News
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