From its historic towns to its prairies and deserts, the mystique of West Texas is captured is this guide. Provided in this book is information on tourist services, historic places, museums, galleries, annual events, restaurants, accomodations, shopping areas, side trips, and more.
Eric O'Keefe is an American author, editor, and journalist based in Dallas. His most recent book is The Cup, and he currently serves as the editor-in-chief of The Land Report.
The Cup (2009) is the story of Damien Oliver's dramatic victory on Media Puzzle in the world's richest and most prestigious two-mile handicap, the Melbourne Cup. The week before the race, Damien's only brother, Jason, died following a track accident in Perth while riding an unraced horse at Ascot Racecourse. The tragedy bore a haunting similarity to the death of their father, Ray Oliver, who died in 1975 after a racing fall in the Boulder Cup in Kalgoorlie. Damien's decision to honor his brother by returning and competing in Australia's greatest race culminated in Media Puzzle's emotion-charged victory, which has been rated one of the memorable moments in Australian sports history. The chestnut gelding was bred in the U.S. by Walter Haefner's Moyglare Stud and trained in Ireland by Dermot Weld for owner Michael Smurfit.
O'Keefe traveled to Australia, Dubai, and Ireland to research The Cup, which was published in Australia by Slattery Media and launched in the Committee Room at Flemington Racecourse on August 4, 2009.
The Cup is being made into a movie based on a script by O'Keefe and Australian director Simon Wincer. Scheduled to be filmed in April 2010 and released in October 2010 just prior to the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup, the movie will be directed by Wincer. Australian actor Stephen Curry is cast as Damien Oliver and Ray Winstone as Dermot Weld. Lance Hool of Silver Lion Films and Kirk D'Amico of Myriad Pictures are executive producers.
In addition to The Cup, O'Keefe has written numerous guidebooks, including the Texas Monthly Guidebook to West Texas and the Big Bend (1995), the Texas Monthly Guidebook to El Paso (1996), and the Lone Star Guide to Big Bend and West Texas (1999). He was a contributing author to the Texas Monthly Guidebook to Texas (1998) and the Lone Star Guide to Texas (1999).
He authored The Art of Chuck DeHaan (2005) with photography by Gustav Schmiege.
