Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 38

Whatever Wednesday: Work, Work, Work . . .

Hello, Posse!

I have been hard at work on part six of the Into the West Saga Serial, Into the West: Last Showdown. This one has been a very interesting challenge. I knew this book was going to go a bit darker, but I have been having to pull my characters back as they keep taking the story much too dark. I may need to write a murder mystery after this serial to get out some of these story ideas that keep trying to creep into this book.

I plan to finish the new opening chapter today, then make sure it blends well into the rest of the book that is already written. After that, I just need to write the actual "last showdown" and the cliffhanger chapter. When that is finished, it will be ready for editing.

I was thinking about this today, I have often set my book release dates to coincide with the birthday's of my family members and I put special messages in the book for them. I realized today, I have never released a book on my own birthday. So, that is the plan!

My birthday is September 19th, which falls on a Sunday this year. My hope is to publish on Friday the 17th and do a bunch of special things for the release that will all end on the 19th. It also happens to be National Talk Like a Pirate Day in the US so there should be a few fun things we can think of to do to celebrate.

I really love these opening chapters where I get to take a character that has given a very strong impression in a previous book (rarely a good one), then write about why they actually are the way they are. When a reader learns their motives behind their actions, it can often completely change their perspective of them. One reason I like doing this, is because I have often found this to be true in life too.

I will give you a bit of a sneak peek, My opening chapter is going to be about Sheriff Jones from Missouri. If you remember, he is the man who gave Blackjack the scar on his face. While I do not expect people to actually start liking Sheriff Jones after reading his backstory, I think it will make at least a few people sympathize with the struggle he has with his own personal demons. Some people are mean because they are born that way, while others become mean because that is what they had to do to survive.

I will be working on a few things coming up in the next few months. I am hoping for a Christmas contest to go with the release of part seven, the final book in the Into the West Saga Serial. So much to do and so little time to do it. I should get busy!

I'm off to write on the book. Keep watching my blogs and social media for updates and be sure to join my mailing list so you never miss out on something good. I never spam you, in fact with my hosting plan, I can only send three emails a month to you. You can quit at anytime! What have you got to lose?

Have a great day, Posse!

Stephen

Monday Movie Madness: Stagecoach

Hello, Posse!

I hope everyone is having a great day. I have to say I am so not feeling up to writing this blog today. I was up until 5 am this morning working on part six, Into the West: Last Showdown. The first chapter is still being a bit ornery, but I am slowly wrangling it into shape. That darn Sheriff Jones from Missouri is as much of a pain to me as he is to Blackjack and Shorty!

Today's movie is another great form John Wayne. Sometimes I think I could just spent all of my time writing blogs about his movies and that would keep me busy for quite a while. I have already covered most of my favorites, but there are so many I am still learning about. Like this movie today. I have just started watching it after discovering the full version online for this blog. It hasn't even finished and I'm thinking about watching it again.

The movie I am talking about is Stagecoach staring Claire Trevor and John Wayne and was directed by none other than the legendary John Ford. This movie has been called Wayne's "breakthrough roll". The movie was released in 1939 by United Artists. Trevor and Wayne are joined on the cast by other notable actors of the time including John Carradine, Thomas Mitchell, Andy Devine, Louise Platt, George Bancroft, Donald Meek, Berton Churchill, Tim Holt, and Tom Tyler to name a few. Even if you do not recognized the names, I am sure if you are a fan of movies from this era, you will know most of these actors by sight.

The movie follows a group of unusual passengers as the travel west by an Overland stagecoach in June of 1880. The group is heading for New Mexico through Apache territory and are dealing with the ever-present fear of a possible Indian attack. Geronimo and his Apaches have been reported to be on the warpath.

The trip begins with a motley crew that includes a gambler, a whiskey salesman, an alcoholic doctor (who commanders the whiskey salesman's samples), a prostitute who was been run out of town by a group of "proper" women, and the respectable wife of a cavalry officer who is on her way to meet up with him (she is also pregnant).

Marshal Curley Wilcox joins the group while on the look out for an escaped fugitive, The Ringo Kid (Wayne), who he later arrests and adds to the overcrowded stagecoach. An unscrupulous banker also joins the troupe. Unknown to the other passengers, he is actually on the run after embezzling money from his bank. The odd mix of characters must learn to trust each other and band together to make it to their destination safely.

Stagecoach kid of reminds me of other movies like Clue, Rope, and even And Then Their Were None (to name just a few), where you have a cast of very different characters "trapped" together and they begin to open up and learn a lot about each other and find that first impressions are not always what they seem. It is well worth the watching!! I am so glad I found this movie. I really enjoyed it.

Movie Snack Recipe

This simple puff pastry ,Ham and Cheese Pinwheel recipe comes from Well Plated by Erin. Using pre-made puff pastry makes this a quick and easy tasty treat for movie night or any night.

You can always play with the ingredients and make this your own. Personally, I plan to make this with vegan deli slices and vegan cheese and call them "Stagecoach" wheels.

So now it's that time, posse. Time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie.

Enjoy,

Stephen

P.S. Don't forget many great western movies started out as great western novels. Why not try the award-winning Into the West Saga Serial books by me, Stephen Burckhardt.

Stagecoach Trailer (1939)https://youtu.be/OE-VWDsdkwMStagecoach Full Movie (1939)https://youtu.be/m597TtqsFkQ

Friday Funnies: National Beer Day 2021!

Hello, Posse!

It is National Beer Day and we will be celebrating tonight with a nice cold pint and pizza while we watch a movie or two. One of the things I love about where we live is there are some great breweries where you can try a lot of great craft beers.

While it's always important to drink responsibly, having a good quality brew once in a while can be a nice treat, especially on a hot day. I love the sampler tray you can get in some of the breweries. You get to try a lot of the flavors without having to buy and drink a full glass.

I have also found a brewery in the U.K. that I am planning to buy a gift pack from next Christmas. It seems like it's a must for every Star Wars fan, Original Storm Trooper Beer. (

Some really love their packaging and the glassware is something I really feel like we need in our bar. I am already looking forward to trying a nice cold Storm Trooper Beer while I check out the printing of the final book in my Into the West Saga Serial. It is tentatively slated for a Christmas release. I have planned it this way for a special reason which I will share when things are ready to go.

Until that time, I want to leave you all with a smile and a laugh or two. Check out these great bar jokes!

Have a great weekend, posse.

Stephen

Two dragons walk into a bar.

The first one says, “Dang it's hot in here.”

His friend snaps back, “Just shut your mouth!”

The bartender says, “Hey, we have a drink named after you!”

The screwdriver exclaims, “Wow, you have a drink named Phil?”

Two guys walk into a bar.

The third one ducks.

Two quotation marks walk into a “bar.”

Comic Sans, Helvetica, and Times New Roman walk into a bar.The barkeep shouts, "Get out!. We don’t serve your type here!”

A five dollar bill walks into a bar

The bartender shouts, “Get out! This is a singles bar!”

An amnesiac walks into a bar.He goes up to a beautiful blonde and asks, “So, do I come here often?”

A neutron walks into a bar and orders a drink.When he's ready to leave, he asks, “Bartender, how much do I owe you?”The bartender replies, “For you, neutron, no charge.”

The barman says, “We don’t serve time travellers in here.”

A time-traveler walks into a bar.

E-flat walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve minors.”

And last but not least . . .

Two jumper cables walk into a bar.One of them says, “We’d like a couple of beers, please.”The bartender says, “OK, but don’t start anything.”

Best of Bubba J - Jeff Dunham

https://youtu.be/3j-FKbhQM1s

Whatever Wednesday: Promotions

Hello, Posse!

I hope you are having a great week. I am starting to relax a bit more. Last week, Pedro had to go out of town on the first business trip since CoVid19 hit the world. I was a little worried about Pedro having to take the five hour train ride and having to tour several plants and all the people he was going to have to meet with, but I trust him to take the right precautions to keep up both safe and healthy. Stress can have odd effects on me with my neuro conditions. I can get very absent minded. To be honest, I was having some issues before Pedro left. My biggest stresser was I was very worried I would end up locking myself out of the house while he was gone.

With Pedro being so far away and the landlord being out of town too, there is no one close by who has a spare key to let me back in. I actually ended up put my keys on a lanyard and hooking the cord over the doorknob and then sat the keys on the table by the door. This put a barrier between me and the door that I had to remove to be able to go out the door, thus reminding me to grab my keys before I left the house. It worked well.

On to business . . .

I have been thinking about promotional items for a while now and I was wondering how much of an interest is there really in this kind of thing for a book series? I had begun setting up a store online a while back, but the the merchandise provider ended up having a stock issue and I was never able to get things set up.

I have some cute designs that would easily go on mugs, bags, and T-shirts. You can see the ones for the Black Coyote Saloon here. I personally want he tin cup design.

This could be a lot of work getting a tore set up and I am just not sure it would have enough of a payoff to make it worth the time and effort. Should I create a few items like these or just stick with my items I use for free giveaways like the book bag, the bookmarks, and pens that have my pen name in them. I also have free downloadable fun pages on the Members Only page in case you haven't joined there yet. It's free to join, no strings attached, and you can quit at any time.

Let me know what you think, posse. Your opinion matters!

Take care, posse!

Dianne

Monday Movie Madness: War Arrow

Hello, Posse!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I am going to just jump right in and get to the movie. I am trying to focus on finishing up part six, Into the West: Last Showdown and I want to get back to work.

I am going to be straight with you all. I have never heard of this movie before. I was shocked because I love Maureen O'Hara's work. I am definitely going to have to watch this very soon!

War Arrow is an American Western released in 1954 by Universal Pictures. The movie was directed by George Sherman and stars Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler. The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces for any western movie fan: John McIntire, Suzan Ball, Noah Beery, Charles Drake, and Henry Brandon to name a few. War Arrow is based on the Seminole Scouts that worked with the U.S. Army.

The story follows cavalry officer, Major Howell Brady (Chandler). He is dispatched to Texas by the U.S. government to deal with an Indian uprising. His decides to arm and train a friendly tribe to help the soldiers deal with the renegades. The idea is not supported by the fort's commander. The two military officers have more trouble when Brady falls for the same woman with whom the garrison commander is in love.

Movie Snack Recipe

When I saw this recipe, I did not care that I could not tie it to the movie in any way, shape, or form. It just sounded too good for me to pass up, and look how cute. I suppose you can say the toothpicks are little "War Arrows," but that might be a bit of a stretch, even for me.

Now, I will of course I will be using a vegan bacon I make with rice paper (even my carnivore husband loves it. I have to put it out of direct sight in the fridge or he eats it all pretty quick), but this would be great with smoked ham, prosciutto or, of course, the traditional bacon called for in the recipe.

You can find the recipe for these adorable BLT Bites at She Paused 4 Thought (

So now you know what time it is, posse! It's time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!

Enjoy!

Stephen

Note: I could not find a trailer for this film.

Friday Funnies: Friendship Day!

Hello, Posse!

Happy National Friendship Day! I hope you are all happy, healthy, and safe. I keep hoping that the state of the world will get to be where we can all start traveling and visiting friends and family on a more regular basis. I have not been able to travel to my hometown for a few years now. The internet helps keep everyone in touch, but it's not the same as hugging a friend with whom you dearly miss spending time.

We are looking forward to some nice days here. It looks like the water in the basement of your building has finally dried up from where it flooded a few weeks ago. Our landlord is on vacation and will not be back until the first of August. We have been having more rain this week, but just light mists or heavy rains that only last a few minutes. Nothing that is going to cause more damage here. Thank goodness.

The flooded basement did force me to clean out everything we had in storage. I was shocked how much of it all was just empty appliance boxes we had just been holding onto for when we get a house and move out of this apartment. Something about cleaning so much stuff out just made me feel lighter and more focused. I have been working on plans to build a portable sound booth for recording my audio books next year. I am really looking forward to working on those. Once I get the process down, it should be a lot easier to keep up with them as I write future books.

Things have been agonisingly slow because this Into the West Saga Serial has been a learning experience for me. When I started this all back in 2015, I had NO idea what I was doing. I have been learning how to write, format, publish, market, and create audiobooks all from just researching things on my own or bugging friends who have experience in those things.

So to thank all of my friends who have helped me by letting my use their name for characters, who have read my books, who have supported me and my work in general, thank you! Happy Friendship Day! I know how lucky I am to have you all in my life and I can only hope that make you feel the same.

Happy Friendship day, Posse!

Stephen

Q: How can you tell that the ocean is friendly?

A: It always waves!

Q: How is a good friend like a four-leaf clover?

A: They’re very hard to find!

Q. What kind of tree always has a lot of friends?

A: A Poplar

Q: What does the tiger say to his friends before they go on a hunt for dinner?

A: Let us prey.

Q: Why doesn't Dracula have friends?

A: Because he's such a major pain in the neck.

Q: What did the volcano say to its best friend?

A: I lava you, pal!

Q. What did one math book confess to his best friend?

A: I’ve got so many problems.

Q. Why can’t glasses ever tell their friends funny jokes?

A: They could crack up.

Q: What did the sink say his friend the toilet?

A: Are you okay? You look flushed!

Q: What kind of music do mummies listen to when they hang out with their friends?

A: Wrap music.

Q: Why did the cookie go see his friend the doctor?

A: He was feeling crummy.

And last but not least . . . (Marvel fans will get this)

Q: What’s Thanos’ favorite app to talk to his friends?

A: Snapchat.

Dad Jokes to share with your friends. https://youtu.be/SAgYiERRDPY

Whatever Wednesday: Birthdays!

Hello, Posse!

It is great that the 28th just happened to fall on a Whatever Wednesday so I can use my blog to wish my #1 beta reader (who happens to be my mother) a wonderful birthday. It is difficult living so far away from family at times like these. My husband sent me back to the U.S. for mom's birthday the year before CoVid hit. I am so thankful I got to have that time with her.

When day's like today come around, I always start to wonder how many other people in the world make a big deal out of birthdays. As for me, birthdays have always been a big deal. I love birthday's so much that whenever people ask me how old I am, I never say how old I am but how old I will be on my next birthday. I have always been like that for as long as I can remember.

I also like celebrating big! Not necessarily with a big party, but with something memorable. When I was 25, I went bungee jumping at the Kansas State Fair on my birthday. That started a birthday stunt trend that I have tried my best to keep up with over the years. Every five years I would go do something crazy on my birthday. I reasoned that I love doing dangerous things like this anyway so if I save them to do on my birthdays, and something goes terribly wrong and I should not survive the stunt, it's still kind of cool. I would end up going out on the day I came into the world. Yes, my friends have told me this is a morbid thought, but it makes sense to me and is oddly comforting (and a little amusing).

I have done some great stunts in my life. I have gone scuba diving, skydiving, even flown a glider in the Rockies, I have been planning on a hot air balloon flight for years, but something seems to always muck up our plans.

We had planned to go for my 50th birthday, but my husband and my dog got a stomach bug and I spent my birthday taking care of the two of them. We did get to go see Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias live on stage a few days after my birthday so it was still a great birthday. I plan to try again for my 55th birthday next year. Cross your fingers for me.

For my family and friends, I love to make a big deal out of their birthdays as well. I made banners for my mom and dad that I would always put on the front of the house. I would decorate inside and make sure they had their favorite things to celebrate. Dad is not fond of cake so he always got birthday donuts.

I had only been dating my husband for a few weeks when his birthday came around. I found out what his favorite kind of cake was and made one for him. I invited him over for dinner and threw him a surprise Star Wars themed birthday. I think that might have been one of the reasons he proposed to me. Since we have been married I have thrown him a lot of Star Wars birthday parties. Once I even made him a Yoda cake. Pedro has even learned to bake cakes so he can make my birthday cakes for me. It was so incredibly sweet.

I would love to know about all of you. Do you celebrate birthdays? Do you go big or have a quiet day? If you don't celebrate, why not? Share your photos and stories with us. We would love to hear from you all. While you are at it, I would love it if we could fill the comments on this blog up with Happy Birthday messages for my mom, Sharon Stephens. If you read my books you should recognize that as the name for the mouthy matriarch for my town Sharon Springs, which was named for her. Yes, my mother is as feisty as my character in person too

No matter if you celebrate birthdays or not, I wish you all many, many more!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Dianne

Monday Movie Madness: For a Few Dollars More!

Hello, Posse!

I am going to be real honest, I am not motivated to do my social media this week. I will tell you more about why next week but just know that if I miss something this week, I will get back on schedule next week. Just a tad burnt out at the moment.

Today's movie, For a Few Dollars More, is considered a "spaghetti Western." It was directed by Sergio Leone and released in 1965. It stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. It is the second movie in the Dollars Trilogy following A Fist Full of Dollars and followed by The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.

After seeing the first movie, Eastwood agreed to come back for the second film, but Charles Bronson passed and was replaced by Van Cleef. The film was quite international with co-production involving companies in Italy, West Germany (it was still divided by the Berlin wall at that time), and Spain. the movie was not released int he U.S. until 1967.

A vicious criminal known a El Indio (Gian Maria Volonte) is terrorizing citizens in the Wild West. Two bounty hunters are hot on his trail. Monco (Eastwood) and Col. Doulas Mortimer (Van Cleef) start out as rivals as they both race to collect the bounty no El Indio, but eventually they realize they have a better chance if they team up. As with the other movies in this trilogy, there is always plenty of action.

Move Snack Recipe

Since this film has some heavy Italian influence, how about a nice Italian pizza snack? Here is a great recipe from Taste of Home, Mini Pizza Cups. These bite-sized snacks will go great with any western you care to watch. It is always great when you can find a recipe like this that is quick and easy to make and tasty too!

So now you know what time it is, Posse! It's time to get your snacks and settle in for another great western!

Enjoy,

Stephen For a Few Dollars Morehttps://youtu.be/DDRNEwFOttw

Friday Funnies: Cowboys!

Hello, Posse!

I hope you had a great week and are looking forward to an even better weekend. This week has been a tad stressful here. Still dealing with a flooded basement while trying to work and keep track of friends who suffered worse flood damage than we did. We got very lucky here.

I have been working on the next book, Into the West: Last Showdown. I started writing the new opening chapter of the book, but it went very dark, very fast. This book is going to have some heavier subjects because we have a sheriff who is very pro slavery and fighting against lawmen in the Kansas Territory that is trying to come into the Union as a free state.

This is all based on Kansas history and I am walking a very thin line with being historically accurate without being offensive or too preachy. It's going to be a balancing act for sure! I know the odds are that not everyone will be happy with how I handle the subject, but if I worried about pleasing everyone, I'd never write anything ever.

Just know, I am working on the next book and doing my best to handle the topic with respect. I hope to have it off to my amazing editor, Greg Wood, by the end of the month with any luck. Keep your fingers crossed. Then there will just be one final book to finish out this saga and I will spend some time getting my audiobooks made.

I figured since I am just now learning how to do audiobook tracks, it would be better to do them all in one shot than to try to do one audiobook after every book release. Since I have short term memory issues, I would have to relearn the process with each book until it finally got stuck in my long term memory. I really do not want to deal with that. Hopefully if I spend just one month doing nothing but audiobooks tracks I will get the process down and into my long term memory for when I want to do it all again for another book serial. That is the hope anyway.

But enough about all of this, how about some Cowboy jokes. Tomorrow is the National Day of the Cowboy so a few quips and puns about cowboys seems fitting.

Have a great weekend, posse!

Stephen

Q: What can a cowboy come down with if a wild horse sneezes on him? A: Bronc-itis

Q: Where do cowboys go to reflect on their life? A: The ponder-osa.

Q: Why did the cowboy keep a bale of straw by his bed?

A: To feed his night mares.

Q: Why did the cowboy shoot the artist?

A: Because he started to draw.

Q: What’s the first rule a cowboy is taught about filling up a canteen from a river?

A: Always go upstream from the herd.

Q: How did the cowboy become so rich?

A: He got a couple of bucks every day from his horse.

Q: What do they call a cowboy Santa?

A: A jolly rancher

Q: What did the cowboy say when he lost his dog?

A: Well, Doggone!

Q: What did the cowboy say when asked if beans give him gas?

A: Darn Tootin’!

Q: What do you call a cowboy who teaches acting?

A: A stage coach.

Q: What do cowboys put on their pancakes?

A: Log Cabin syrup!

Q: What is a cowboy's favorite basketball team?

A: The Spurs.

and last but not least . . .

Q: Who wrote the book “Talk Like a Cowboy?”

A: Hal D. Yall.

Tim Vinehttps://youtu.be/tHp77qig_AkPeterson Farm Broshttps://youtu.be/YrJ5yQ5JNb0

Whatever Wednesday: Vacations!

Hello, Posse!

I hope you are all safe and well and having a great week. I do not know about you, but I am not going to lie, I need a vacation! Pedro and I have been in this home with just each other and our wonderful rescue dog, Shaggy, for more than a year now due to CoVid19. While we have been getting out more and more the last few months, we still have not "spent" time out anywhere.

We go to a shop, pick up a few things, and then come home. We are not eating out or going to movies or local events like we had always done in previous years. We had also taken a vacation every year before CoVid. We would either each make a solo trip to our home countries to visit family and friends, or we would go somewhere else together. I'm American and Pedro is Chilean. It was always too expensive for us both to go to both countries together every year and with our parents getting older, we did not want to miss out visiting our families every year.

Pedro had been able to go back to the US with me one year and still make a trip to Chile to see his family. We were all set for me to go to Chile with him finally and still be able to make a trip back to the US when CoVid hit. We have hope that we will be able to at least make a short local trip somewhere soon, just to relax and have some different scenery. Pedro does have his first business trip in more than a year coming up soon, but he'll be working, so it's not really a vacation from anything but me and Shaggy. Which, granted, should still do him some good, and me as well. I plan to eat popcorn for dinner as I watch scary movies. Pedro is not a fan of either.

I hope the virus situation in Chile gets under control soon. I would love nothing more than to get to meet more of my extended family in person. I have been luckily enough to meet my sister-in-law and one of my stepdaughters, but there are so many more people I am dying to meet. Thank goodness for video chat until we can make that happen.

So what are your plans for vacations? Will you be taking one this year? Is it a staycation or will you be heading over the border now that some places have begun to open up?

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a safe and relaxing time. I think we can all use a bit of that!

Take care,

Dianne