What Remains Wild — Chris Navarro's First Novel

What Remains Wild, my first novel, is now here — a Wyoming rodeo cowboy, a wild mustang named Big Man, and a chance at redemption. For more than 40 years, I've made my living as a bronze sculptor, telling stories through my art. I've always believed that a good sculpture should tell a story without saying a word.

Well, now I've decided to tell one with words.

I'm excited to announce the publication of my first novel, What Remains Wild: A Wyoming Cowboy, a Wild Mustang, and a Chance at Redemption.

I've written four nonfiction books over the years, but writing a novel was an entirely different experience. Instead of telling my own story or sharing the inspiration behind my sculptures, I had to create characters, give them lives, put them through difficult situations, and figure out how they would respond.

And I'll tell you something. I became attached to those characters.

A Lifetime Around Horses

I started training horses when I was 12 years old. At 16, I began competing in rodeo, riding saddle broncs and bulls. More than 50 years later, I'm still competing in team roping.

Horses have been a big part of my life.

I've learned that you can make a horse do certain things through force, but you can't force a horse to trust you. Trust has to be earned. It takes patience, understanding, and respect.

And the more I've worked with horses, the more I've realized that people aren't all that different.

That idea became an important part of What Remains Wild.

The Story of Clint Chase and Big Man

My novel follows Clint Chase, a Wyoming rodeo cowboy who lives for the next eight seconds.

He's young, talented, and thinks he has the world by the tail.

Then one terrible decision changes everything.

Clint finds himself in prison, carrying the guilt of what he's done and wondering whether his life will ever amount to anything again.

Eventually, he arrives at the Wyoming Honor Farm, where inmates work with wild mustangs.

There he meets Big Man, a wild horse that has lost his freedom but not his spirit.

Clint knows how to ride a bucking horse. But earning the trust of a wild mustang is something entirely different.

He can't simply climb aboard and ride the buck out of him.

He has to learn patience. He has to learn to listen. And most importantly, he has to learn that trust is something you earn, not something you demand.

As Clint works with Big Man, something begins to change in both of them.

But this isn't just Clint's story.

It's also the story of Mary Johnson, a mother who has suffered a terrible loss and must find a way to keep living when the life she knew has been shattered.

Writing Mary's story was especially difficult for me. There were times when I found myself getting emotional as I worked through what she was experiencing.

I wanted her grief to be real. I didn't want to offer easy answers, because sometimes life doesn't give us any.

Why I Wrote This Book

I've always been drawn to stories about struggle.

Maybe that's because I've experienced plenty of it myself.

When I left my job in the Wyoming oilfields in 1986 to become a full-time artist, I had no guarantee I would succeed. I just had a dream and the determination to chase it.

Over the years, I've learned that life doesn't always turn out the way we plan.

We make mistakes. We face disappointments. We lose people we love.

But I believe what matters most is how we respond when life knocks us down.

That's the heart of What Remains Wild.

It's a story about responsibility, forgiveness, friendship, and the possibility of redemption.

It's also about understanding that some mistakes can never be undone, but that doesn't mean a person has nothing left to give.

A New Chapter in My Life

I've created hundreds of sculptures over the years, and I've always enjoyed the challenge of bringing an idea to life.

Writing this novel was another kind of challenge.

Instead of shaping clay, I was shaping words.

Instead of creating a sculpture people could walk around and admire, I was creating a story I hoped people could step inside and experience.

And I discovered something along the way.

I really enjoy writing fiction.

My hope is that when someone picks up What Remains Wild, they won't want to put it down.

More importantly, I hope the story stays with them long after they've finished reading.

Where to Find the Book

What Remains Wild is available now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

Paperback: $12.99 Kindle: $4.99

Personally signed paperback copies are expected to be available at Navarro Gallery & Sculpture Garden in Sedona, Arizona, beginning November 16.

I'm also recording the audiobook myself. I wanted listeners to hear the story in my own voice, and I'm looking forward to sharing that version when it's ready.

If you read the book, I'd appreciate hearing what you think. And if you enjoy it, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help other readers discover the story.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my art and writing over the years. I've always believed that if you have a dream, you ought to go after it.

After 40 years of telling stories in bronze, I'm beginning a new chapter by telling them with words.

Embrace the struggle. No grit, no quit.

Chris Navarro