Dead Rednecks!

I am very happy to say that the first installment of my new mystery short story series, Dead Rednecks!, is now available from Publishing by Rebecca J. Vickery.

It's about two brothers in Knoxville -the eldest is a tough ex-con trying to go straight, and the younger has pulled himself out of a nervous breakdown by opening a detective agency and dressing like Humphrey Bogart. Older brother Hoss Qualls tries to keep young Howard from getting himself killed -a task complicated by Hoss's criminal past continually returning to haunt him, and by the shenanigans of their assorted kinfolk. There is a lot of humor, but the stories are straight mysteries in the redneck noir genre.

Volume One is called "Dead Rednecks Are My Specialty." More installments will appear in weeks to come. I hope you check 'em out- I am really enjoying writing them. As added incentive, I am offering a free pdf of Volume One to a random person who comments on this blog between now and midnight this Friday (the moment March 1 becomes March 2.)

Here's the first two books:

Book 1: Dead Rednecks Are My Specialty

Ex-con Hoss Qualls and his eccentric brother Howard (who has watched too many Bogart movies) set out to prove their cousin Ivory's innocence in a murder case -a task that is complicated by the fact Ivory has killed in just such a way before...

Book 2: Dead Rednecks in the Holler (coming soon)

Hoss Qualls returns to his hometown after learning that his cousin Bucky has been shot dead in the woods, along with an old enemy from Hoss's criminal past. He's determined to get to the bottom of it -if his family doesn't drive him crazy first.

And after that, Volume 3: Dead Rednecks on a Friday Night


And here's how it all starts:

"They say you killed somebody, Ivory."

Ivory yawned and scratched his head, which bobbed sleepily. I thought for a second he was going to topple face-first into the glass partition which separated us.

"Am I keepin' you up, or somethin‟?"

"Sorry, Hoss," he said. "I had a late night."

"I reckon you did, all right," I said.

I couldn‟t help looking nervously over my shoulder, glancing at the other folks there for the afternoon visitation. A very pregnant young woman in a tube-top sat to my right, arguing heatedly with the prisoner behind the window. She sat on a stool but her belly pressed against the glass. The man withered at her scolding; I felt the same, but for a different reason. I don't like being in jails, even when I'm on the right side of the glass. It smothers me. If not for the fact that my parole was up a few weeks earlier, I wouldn't even be allowed in as a visitor—I almost wished I had that for an excuse, so I wouldn't have to be there.

But Ivory was my cousin, and he was in deep shit. Deeper than usual.

"Seems like I remember these cots bein' more comfortable," Ivory said.

"They say you killed somebody," I repeated.

"I did."

"Last night?"

"I don't remember. I don't think so. But I did kill somebody, I kilt Arlis Potter over at the Advance Auto Store that time."



"Dead Rednecks Are My Specialty" can be found at these sites:

Amazon.com

Smashwords (for just about all digital platforms)

Lulu

"A wholly engaging read and an important work of literature"

I received an incredible review for my Spur-winning novel Bound for the Promise-Land -and a great one of the new Wolf Creek mystery western I edited and co-wrote -over at the Western Fictioneers blogspot, from Kathleen Rice Adams.

"Told entirely through Alfred's eyes, the story is brutal in many places and remarkably tender in others. If it isn’t already, the book should be required reading alongside classics by Mark Twain, William Faulkner, and other authors known for the historic and cultural significance of their work.

Impeccably researched and exceptionally written, Bound for the Promise-Land packs an enormous emotional and intellectual punch..."

I am both honored and humbled by this reaction to the work I am proudest of. Read the whole thing HERE... and if you haven't read the book, Check it out.

Telling Good Stories

Today I spend a few minutes at Tom Rizzo's excellent site "Telling Good Stories," answering his (very good) questions. Tom, whose first novel Last Stand at Bitter Creek came out last year to much acclaim, spent years as a journalist and it shows.

Find it HERE.

Standing Stone American Indian Cultural Center

This time around I want to tell you about something that's very close to my  heart. Last year I was greatly honored to be asked to serve on the board of directors of the STANDING STONE AMERICAN INDIAN CULTURAL CENTER in Monterey, Tennessee.

Of course, there wasn't one at the time, per se. It was an idea. But we've put in a lot of work this past year, and now we have a physical location (with a cool sign and everything!) In fact, we recently hosted our first class. We're now in a position to start planning the museum part and applying for grants... but we still have a ways to go. What is needed most is funding to provide rent, and if possible buy the property.

The lion's share of the work has been done by the Center's director, Robert Redhawk Edlridge... an accomplished orator  and performer who is a member of the Sappony tribe of North Carolina.

Robert Redhawk Eldridge, in front of Monterey's "Standing Stone"

Our goal is to eventually have, not only several classrooms where folks can sign up to learn hands-on about various American Indian crafts, but also a museum space with items and information about the Indians of the Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee, as well as space for indigenous artists to display their work. We also hope to eventually be able to help fund a scholarship for promising American Indian students at nearby Tennessee Tech University.

Early American settlers in the area discovered a large monolithic stone on a sandstone ledge (reports on its height vary, ranging from 8 to 16 feet)- travelers described it as looking like a dog sitting on its haunches. Legend says the stone served as a marker on the Tollunteeskee Trail, which served as a trade route between several Indian tribes, and that it may have been a boundary marker between the Cherokees and the Shawnees (some say Chickasaws -the fact is, both Shawnees and Chickasaws claimed the area at various times.) We cannot say for certain whether the stone was worked into its reported shape, or was set in place because it had a natural similarity to a dog or wolf, or when it was erected. Or if it was erected at all, for that matter, or just occurred naturally. (I suspect it may have predated the Cherokees, and could have been put in place by the prehistoric mound-building cultures that inhabited the area before the historic tribes came onto the scene. But that's a guess.)

It did, however, definitely serve as a landmark for pioneers headed west. The wagon road called the Avery Trace followed the route of the old Indian trails, connecting the Clinch Mountains of East Tennessee with the settlements around Nashville. The Standing Stone Inn was a stopping point for many travelers in the early 19th century -many of whom rubbed the stone for good luck, or took pieces of it along with them for souvenirs. By the end of the 19th century only a 3-foot fragment remained, and that was blasted into smaller pieces by the railroad. In 1895 the citizens of Monterey placed what was left of the stone on a pedestal, where it has been a local monument ever since.

The stone itself notwithstanding, the Cumberland Plateau was a crossroads for American Indians before the arrival of Europeans. The trails that traversed it connected the area with the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Coast, the Great Lakes, and the Rockies.

The Center's museum will focus on the tribes whose presence impacted the region from the time of first contact with the Spanish until Indian Removal -primarily Cherokee, Shawnee, Creek, and Chickasaw. Some items have already been donated. Several fundraising events have also been held, including a concert last spring which featured indigenous performers.

Another great event is coming up on February 16- if you're in Middle Tennessee you should think about attending!

No matter where you are, though, if you care about history and American Indian culture, we can use your help. Contact Robert Redhawk for information about how you can donate or volunteer- robertredhawk@charter.net . Honestly, every little bit helps, and it is a very good cause.

Western Fictioneers Focus on the Blackwell Saga

Cruise over to the newly revamped Western Fictioneers blogsite -content is being updated daily, with all kinds of cool regular features: Wicked Wednesday (focus on villains), My Favorite Novel (and also Short Story), Friday Five (each Friday a different western author answers five questions about themselves and their work), Cowboy Cooking, and many more.

Today the focus is on my Blackwell short story series. Go check it out, and follow the blog!

First Blackwell Story of 2013- The Blackwell Gang

The latest Blackwell short is out- first of the new year!

Get it HERE

"Duke Blackwell, California outlaw, is trying to go straight -but his efforts are complicated by a string of stage robberies by someone impersonating him. Now he has to catch "the Blackwell Gang" before the law catches him... "

Clarence and Dudley, Christmas Angels First Class

If you're like me, the Christmas season doesn't seem complete without a viewing of the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life. I'm sure you know the story: George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), a good man frustrated by life, is about to commit suicide when he is visited by an angel, Clarence (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George what life in the town of Bedford Falls would be like if George had never been born. George learns that he is rich indeed, because he has the love and respect of so many people. No one in my house can get through the movie with a dry eye.

BUT- I bet many of you have never seen another movie with similar themes, that was also released in 1947- The Bishop's Wife (though more of you may have seen the 1996 remake, The Preacher's Wife.) I've seen the original version two or three times, but this year I just happened to see it soon after seeing It's a Wonderful Life, and the two movies together have given me a lot to think about.

In The Bishop's Wife, David Niven plays Bishop Henry Brougham. The Bishop prays for help to get a new cathedral built -it is his dream project, but has encountered many snags. The answer to his prayer is a suave angel, Dudley, played by Cary Grant. To the Bishop's dismay, everyone seems to love Dudley more than they love him, even his wife Julia (Loretta Young). Dudley even visits the wealthy widow that has been hesitant to contribute to the bishop's project... the angel convinces her to make a huge donation, but not for a cathedral. Instead, she insists (at Dudley's suggestion) on giving the money to the poor. It seems that Dudley was not sent to help the bishop build his impressive cathedral -he was sent to teach him what is really important. Henry realizes that he must fight to win back his long-ignored wife's affection.

In some ways, this movie is almost the opposite of It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey is a good man who doesn't realize how good he is, and how much he had meant to his town; he thinks he is a failure. He is visited by a rather bumbling angel, who shows him just how loved he is.

Henry Brougham is the opposite of George Bailey; he is arrogant and self-righteous. He is not really trying to build a cathedral for God, he is doing it for himself. He is sent a debonair angel, who basically shows him that he is an arsehole, and had better change his ways before he loses his family. The lesson is learned. Instead of learning, as George did, that he has been a good man all along, the bishop learns to become a good man- or at least find the good man dormant within him.

Ultimately, though, both angels bring the same message to the prayerful supplicants who summoned them.

You have so much to be grateful for.

You are so blessed.

Angels are envious of what you have.

The most important thing in life is giving to those in need... who are less fortunate than you. Praying doesn't bring you more physically -rather, God calls on you to give more. And then your non-physical blessings will grow.

All those messages are perfect for this season -and for every day. Next year, I highly recommend you watch them back-to-back and think on what Clarence and Dudley have to say.

Heck, there's no reason you have to wait for next year.

PS: Another thing the two films have in common- Robert Anderson, who plays young George Bailey and a singer in a choir that the angel Dudley works with.