Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 41

Whatever Wednesday: Part 5 New Title Reveal!

Hello, Posse!

Sorry this is a little late tonight. I hope you are all having a great day. I spent the morning out and about. Part of my time was spent getting my second CoVid19 vaccine shot. No matter how you feel about the vaccine (that is none of my business), for me this was a good thing. With my health conditions, getting the vaccine was a blessing. So I am pretty thrilled about it. I am looking forward to getting out more this summer.

Before I can start heading out to bookstores, libraries, cafes, and movie theaters, I will be glued to the computer finishing up the new part five instalment of the Into the West Saga Serial. It is written and I am doing the first edit/rewrite tonight. Then it will go off to beta readers this weekend. With luck, it will go to the professional editor next week.

I am getting everything set up now so that when the professional editor is through with it, I can immediately set up a publication date for it. I will be so glad to get this saga complete. I have ideas for other territory stories during this time period and I really want to get moving faster on getting them all out. Hopefully, as I get more experience at this, it will start going faster.

But for now, how about the title reveal I promised you?

In my true fashion, I can't just tell you the new title, I have to show you.

Enjoy,

Stephen https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2c304a_ebcbcc6a0feb444fbf9627e69f029cd7/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Monday Movie Madness: John Wayne Month!

Hello, Posse!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and we want to extend our heartfelt love for everyone remembering loved ones today who served and never came home. Their sacrifice can never be repaid and should never be forgotten.

I am finally getting over a horrible few days battling allergies. It is difficult to write when you can see because your eyes won't stop watering and you can't breathe because everything is stuffed up. I love/HATE Spring. But I seem to have hit on the right combination of allergy meds to get it under somewhat control. Now, if the neighbors will just stop mowing!

But enough about that, I am sure you are all wondering how things have been going with the new part 5 book and when I will share more information on it. I plan to finish the book cover design and set up today. Then later this week I will do the formatting and try get the first edit complete then send it off for the second edit. With luck it should be with my professional editor next week and ready to go live by mid June. Keep your fingers crossed.

And now for today's movie. As I am a huge John Wayne fan, I thought it would be fun to do a month of John Wayne movies to celebrate his birthday. We begin with a great John Ford film, Fort Apache.

Fort Apache was released in 1948. It was directed by John Ford and stars John Wayne and Henry Fonda along with other notable stars such as Shirley Temple, Ward Bond, Pedro Armendáriz, and Francis Ford (older brother of director John Ford).

This movie was the first in the cavalry trilogy collaboration between director, John Ford, and actor, John Wayne. The cavalry trilogy included Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Rio Grande (1950).

Fort Apache has been noted as the first film to show the Native Americans in an accurate and sympathetic light. Dave Kehr, New York Times movie critic, is quoted as stating of the film, "one of the great achievements of classical American cinema, a film of immense complexity that never fails to reveal new shadings with each viewing ... among the first pro-Indian Westerns"

The movie follows Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (Fonda). He is considered a Civil War hero and moves to Arizona with his daughter, Philadelphia (Temple), to take over the command of the military outpost, Fort Apache. Thursday turns out to be an arrogant and pigheaded man who is obviously ignorant when it comes to dealing with Native Americans. Thursday is determined to start a conflict with the local Native Americans to earn himself more military honors. Captain Kirby York (Wayne) has different ideas and clashes with his new commander. Going against a military superior can have dire repercussions but when lives are at stake, sometimes a good man has to stand up for what is right.

Movie Snack Recipe

It seems fitting that for today's snack we would have John Wayne Casserole. The story behind this recipe is John Wayne himself contributed this recipe for a cookbook published in 1979 titled, Cooking with Love from Cara and Her Friends. The book was put together by Cara Connery with recipes from all of her friends, John Wayne being one of them.

I thought this would be great to leave out the biscuits, cook everything else as directed them put this on top of tortilla chips for a loaded nacho plate. I think we will be trying this on the weekend!

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

Enjoy,

Stephen Fort Apache (1948) Trailerhttps://youtu.be/1FddFfcf8wkFort Apache - The New York Times, Critics' Pickhttps://youtu.be/aus0iQO_a4YFort Apache (1948) Full Moviehttps://youtu.be/IYjJv9wd6TQ

Friday Funnies: Surprise Book!

Hello, Posse!

I am sure some of you are looking at the photo above and wondering what the heck is going on. I mean we already went through a whole cover reveal for Part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown. I even made a video for it and have been sharing the cover photo all over my social media for months now as I continued to finish writing the story . . . and writing . . . and writing . . . . I wrote so much the story was well past a novella length and frankly had stretched to double the length of Into the West: The Orphan Train and I still have at least three more chapters to go to finish the story to where I want it to be for the final novella in this serial.

How could I possibly fix this mess I had literally written myself into? I ran a poll and the consensus was without a doubt that readers would prefer if I broke it up into two books. So, that is what I am doing.

The good news is, this means the new book five is basically written. I just have to do a first edit and a little rewriting to end it how I want, then send it off to the editor.

While that is getting the professional edit, I can finish up writing the last few chapters of, what is now going to be part six, Into the West: Last Showdown. With luck, I should actually be able to release these fairly close together and I know the story already for the final book and plan to get started on that as soon a part six is with the editor.

I still blew the usual format for book five and sadly there is no way to correct that, but I think the story will be good enough it will not be a big deal. This is my first go at doing this kind of set up so it's not surprising I made a mistake. I'm human and Im learning.

Some more good news!

I already have a cover and name for the new part 5 book and will be doing a reveal next week. So keep watching my social media for more news, coming soon!

But now, it's time for some jokes!

Enjoy!

Stephen

As we will be celebrating John Wayne this month for Monday Movie Madness in celebration of his recent birthday, I thought a few John Wayne jokes would be good today.

I love to call up a hotel and when the receptionist answers, "Hello, Best Western . . ."

I yell, "True Grit, starring John Wayne!" and hang up.

Q: Why did John Wayne toilet paper never become popular?

A: It was rough, tough, and didn't take crap off anyone!

Q: Why did John Wayne always ride a horse in his movies?

A: Because it was too heavy to carry.

Q: John Wayne liked to cook. Where did he prefer to make all of his meals?

A: On the range!

Q: Did you hear that John Wayne had wanted to make a new movie just before he died?

A: Yes, it was a new western called, The Sun and set in the West!

Q: Why did everybody think John Wayne was so funny?

A: Because he was always horsing around on set!

Q: How did John Wayne know the cattle were following him on set without turning around?

A: He herd them!

Q: John Wayne rides into town on Friday and 3 days later, leaves on Friday, how did he do it?

A: His horse’s name is Friday!

And last but not least . . .

Q: Why was John Wayne so rich?

A: You'd think it was from starring in all his blockbuster movies, but actually his horse gave him a couple of bucks every day!

John Wayne on The Beverly Hillbillieshttps://youtu.be/h7MLGCPbdyMDon Rickles TV Special, 1975 With John Waynehttps://youtu.be/OREdRqiDj28

Whatever Wednesday: Happy Birthday Marion Morrison!

https://www.stephenburckhardt.com/vote-on-book-5

To order the plates you see here, go to https://www.johnwayneplates.info/

Hello, Posse!

Today in 1907, one of the most iconic cowboys was born, Marion Robert Morrison, better known as John Wayne. To celebrate his contributions to the western movie genre, I am going to do a month of Monday Movie Madness blogs focused just on John Wayne movies. Lord knows some of my personal favorite westerns star John Wayne including my all time favorite, Angel and the Bad Man, which I covered quite a while ago.

Luckily for me, there is a huge wealth of movies to draw on when talking about John Wayne. Even some of his more modern movies, like Hatari (also a favorite of mine), still have the "cowboy" feel to them. For the movie snack recipes, I am going to try to stick to things the Duke himself would like to have. There are actually a lot of recipe books that cover favorites from John Wayne. Apparently, he was very into Tex-Mex and grilling. Somehow, that just seems fitting.

So I hope you will be joining me for the month of June to celebrate all the great movies John Wayne gave the western genre. I know I am looking forward to it.

I do have another matter I want to bring up. I have been struggling hard with Into the West: Last Showdown, for many reasons. It's MUCH longer than all the other books. I blew the format I had been following, and the story is still not complete. It also kind of bothers me that I did not put THE Last Showdown, but that is very low on my list.

I have been running a poll

Be sure to check out the Friday Funnies blog, I should have it all sorted out by then. I hope, no . . . I will be able to share all the news as to how I am going to deal with this situation in the next blog. I think I know what I am going to do, but I'd love to hear from a few more people on this before I make my final decision. So please, go vote and have your say in this.

Take care, posse!

Dianne

Monday Movie Madness: Bend of the River!

Hello Posse,

Today's blog is going to be short and sweet. I am on a roll writing Into the West: Last Showdown and I want to get it finished! If you are on my mailing list, I will be sending out a question later today and I would really appreciate your help. I am considering doing something different with the current book and want the opinions of people who have been reading the serial. One of the great things about being a self-published author is I can do what I and my readers want.

But for now, let's talk about Bend of the River!

Bend of the River was released in 1952 by Universal Pictures. It is an American western that was directed by Anthony Mann and stars James Stewart, Rock Hudson, Julie Adams, and Arthur Kennedy. The movie is based on the novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick which was published in 1950. This was the second western project for Anthony Mann and James Stewart. The first being the classic Winchester '73, but honestly if you tell me you want me to watch a western with Jimmy Stewart, that is really all you have to say and I'm there.

The film follows a reformed outlaw Glyn McLyntock (Stewart). He is working as a trail guide for homesteaders who are on their way to Oregon. On the way, he ends up rescuing a thief, Emerson Cole (Kennedy) from certain execution. Cole joins the group on the trail out west. The settlers get to their destination only to discover the person who was supposed to provide them with needed supplies has changed the deal. McLyntock and Cole go to meet the trader to get the supplies, by any means necessary. Cole double crosses McLyntock and steals the supplies. McLyntock goes on the trail to hunt him down and settle the score.

With any luck, this link will work for you (it's not available in all regions) and you can ,go here to Dailymotion (

Movie Snack Recipe

If you ever read my blogs, you know I love me some cheesy jokes. So in keeping with that tradition, I decided to play off the fact that Rock Hudson is in this movie as the tie-in for our movie snack recipe today, BBC Good Food's Rocky Road (

Who wouldn't enjoy this chocolatey goodness while watching a great western with stars like Jimmy Stewart and Rock Hudson. It is a win, win, win!

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

Enjoy!

Stephenhttps://youtu.be/cfa6dEYSVrU

Friday Funnies: Goes to the Dogs!

Hello, Posse!

In case you didn't notice, yesterday was National Rescue Dog Day. This is a cause very close to my heart as we got our Shaggy from a rescue service in Russian. A local woman works here in town with them to bring dogs here that they rescued from puppy mills, off the street, and owner surrenders. We hope to get a second dog from her soon so Shaggy will have a friend.

I also support Shep's Place in the Kansas City area of the US ( . It is a sanctuary for senior dogs and does some amazing work with animals. Many of their dogs are available for adoption, but if they never find another home, the staff is committed to giving these senior dogs a comfortable, loving environment for the rest of their days. Who wouldn't want to support that?!

I would love to see photos of your rescues, dogs, cats, whatever you got! Share the love and drop photos of your furry, feathered, or scaled family members.

Don't forget to check out the Into the West: Last Showdown Sneak Peeks (

I am working on Part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown and likely all this weekend. It keeps inching closer to the final page. I don't know about all of you but it is keeping me in the edge of my seat! I can't wait to share it with you all. Sadly that day is not today so how about a laugh or two?

It's time to get on with the jokes!

Enjoy,

Stephen

Q: Why do you need to be careful when it rains cats and dogs?

A: If you don't watch where you are going you might step in a poodle!

Q: What did the dog say after he sat on sandpaper?

A: Ruff! Ruff!

Q: What kind of dog always keeps the best time?

A: A watchdog!

Q: Why are all dogs such bad dancers?

A: Because they have two left feet!

Q: Why did the poor dog chase his own tail?

A: He was trying to make both ends meet!

Q: Why are dogs like a cell phone?

A: They both have collar IDs.

Q: What do you get when you cross a herding dog and a rose?

A: A collie-flower!

Q: Which dog breed absolutely LOVES living in the Big Apple?

A: A New Yorkie!

Q: Why can't dogs use the TV remote control?

A: Because they always hit the paws button!

Q: What kind of stores do dogs love?

A: Re-tail stores!

Q: How are dogs and a marine biologists similar?

A: One wags a tail and the other tags a whale!

Q: How do fleas travel from place to place?

A: By itch-hiking!

Q: What does a dog get when she finishes obedience school?

A: Her pet-degree!

Funny Dog Videos 2020

(one guy drops the F bomb but the dogs are so adorable I still had to share)

https://youtu.be/1HygThMLzGs

Whatever Wednesday: Write, Write, (sneeze), Write!

Hello, Posse!

I hope you are all having a great week. I have been so busy lately it is driving me crazy (or at least more so!). Even as I am trying to write this blog, I am jumping around from project to project trying to keep up with everything today. I'm putting in a grocery order, watching a friends "virtual" TV series project, chatting with people in my writing group, reading a friends work, chatting with a friend on LinkedIn to use her business for a small business spotlight ad, emailing someone about advertising for my books in my hometown, and trying to write on my in between. I am sure many of you can relate to having to do some crazy multitasking every day.

I have been writing and keeping up with my social media posts for the book serial and fighting spring allergies through it all. It seems like it is so much worse this year, probably due to all the rain we have had here. I have tried everything and a friend suggested something that has helped, but I would kill for a cure to make it all go away completely! I hope to be able to breathe again by July, if I am lucky.

I know I keep saying this, but I am so close to being done with part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown that I can taste it! This story is just fleshing out so much more than I had originally planned and the characters just keep pushing for more story. I figure at this point my usual set up I have been following is so blown that I might as well just go with it and focus on writing a good story. It is already twice the size of the Into the West: The Orphan Train and I still have a few chapters left to go. This part of the story will have so much, new characters, new connections, and more action.

Don't forget to check out the Into the West: Last Showdown Sneak Peeks (

I also, took a brief break from Into the West Saga Serial to enter a writing contest. It is a 100 word flash fiction contest. They give you a genre, an action, and a word. You have to write a story from that in 100 words and you just have 24 hours to do it. There are three rounds and the winners of the final round can win some decent money. It is a fun challenge, but cash would be nice too. I will share my entries here later after they have been judged.

But for now, it's back to work so I can get part 5 to you soon!!

Take care, posse!

Dianne

Monday Movie Madness: The Desperate Trail

Hello, Posse!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I am afraid I was fighting a horrible sinus headache all weekend and did not get as much written on Into the West: Last Showdown as I would have liked, but it's inching closer and closer to "the end" every day. I hope to finish it off here soon. I really have to stop giving estimates on that because I am always wrong.

I need to make this blog today short and sweet. I had an eye doctor's appointment today that went longer than expected, then hit a few shops on the way home since I was out and about anyway. Then came home and got distracted with one of the writing groups I am in. They are a great bunch of people and too dang interesting! I have a writers meeting tonight where we are working on storytelling. Plus, it's my turn to make dinner. So let's get to it!

The Desperate Trail is an American western that aired on the TNT network in 1994. It was written and directed by P.J. Pesce and stars another of my favorite modern day cowboys, Sam Elliott. He is joined on the cast by Craig Sheffer and Linda Fiorentino.

Sarah (Fiorentino) is an abused wife and after years of humiliation and physical abuse, she kills him. Her own father-in-law, Marshal Speakes (Elliott), is the one to decide her fate and sentences her to the gallows. When the stage coach that is transporting her is robbed, she sees her chance to escape and even makes off with the money the bandit were after. Jack Cooper (Sheffer) manages to steal the money from her, but she needs that to start a new life. So she goes after him, to get it back one way or another.

Movie Snack Recipe

A Desperate Trail needs a healthy trail mix to keep you going until the final credits. I Heart Naptime, has a great recipe for Kids Trail Mix (

I personally prefer dried cranberries to raisins and vegan marshmallows but that is the great thing this recipe, you can tweak it o fit your personal tastes and dietary needs. So, why not give it a try?

Now, you know what time it is, posse! Time to grab your snacks and settle in for another great western movie!

Enjoy,

StephenThe Desperate Trail (1994) Trailerhttps://youtu.be/IqTQfyAjy-U

Friday Funnies: Languages!!

Hello, Posse!

I have been hard at work trying to finish part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown. It is crazy how much I have written and how much I still have to go to wrap this up right where I want to lead us into the finale, part 6 Into the West: Family Ties.

This serial was my first project writing for myself and has been a serious learning experience for me as I had to get back into graphic design, web design, and advertising. These are all areas I have years of experience in, but that was years ago and so much has changed. I have had a lot to learn. I think I have done a decent job getting back up to speed, but trying to do that while keeping up with everything else in life was a challenge.

I have really enjoyed every bit of this experience and I am so grateful for each and everyone of you who have been supportive and actually read my books. If you posted a review somewhere, I love you even more! Which is why I am trying to make these next two book something wonderful. The earlier books in this serial have been about 30K words. I purposely made them short to make them quick reads for busy people. Part 5 however, broke my mold in many ways. Sorry about that. I hope the story will make up for it.

The first break from the norm is the habit I had of backing up one chapter and retelling the story from another character's perspective to retell the ending of the previous book then going on after it caught back up to the ending. In part 5, I've had to back up about six chapters and retell several character's perspectives to fix the fact that I forgot a huge chunk of the story I originally wanted to put in part 4 Into the West: Most Wanted. The crazy thing is I really think it all works, we will see what the beta reader says.

The second break is the length. Right now, part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown sits at 51K and 78 words and I still have about three more chapters to write. We have past the traditional novella length and will end up with a respectable novel word count. But it will still be on the lower end of that so I hope it will still be a quick read.

The really good news is I already have part 6 plotted out in my head, the cover designed, and all the extra bits that go into making these ready to go. So after Part 5 comes out, I will spend about two weeks just promoting that then dive in and start writing part 6. I hope to have that one out for Christmas. Hope being the key word there!

Now, what does all of that have to do with languages, you might be asking. I have just learned how to translate my blogs into other languages. I am starting out with German and Spanish and might be adding a few other options here soon, maybe at least Danish and French, because I have friends and family who speak all of these languages.

But that is enough news updates for today, it's Friday! Time for funnies!!!

Have a great weekend, Posse!

Enjoy!

Stephen

Q: What language is the least spoken on earth?

A: Sign language

Q: Why did the comedian decide to learn sign language?

A: He wanted to tell jokes nobody has ever heard before.

Q: What is the longest word in the English language?

A: Smiles, there is a mile between the first and last letter.

Q: Why do chickens get in trouble when they talk?

A: Because they always use fowl language!

Q: Why should everyone learn sign language?

A: It is a very handy skill!

Q: Was it difficult to learn Braille?

A: No, I just seemed to have a feel for it!

Q: What language is the richest?

A: Silence . . . it's golden!

Dog 1: Woof Woof Woof

Dog 2: Baa Baaa Baaaaa

Dog 1: Why did you say Baaaaaa?

Dog 2: I'm learning a foreign language.

Q: What word in is always spelled incorrectly in the English language?

A: Incorrectly

Q: Is the English Language difficult to learn?

A: Maybe a little, but it can be understood through tough thorough thought though.

Q: What would you call a guy who walks around town talking to himself using only figurative language?

A: The Village Idiom.

Q: What language do fish speak?

A: Finnish.

Q: What is your favorite word in the English language?

A: Frequently, I try to use it as often as possible.

The Graham Norton Show -- Translating Jokes https://youtu.be/E9SRVqD7mIA

Friday Funnies: Languages!!

Hello, Posse!

I have been hard at work trying to finish part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown. It is crazy how much I have written and how much I still have to go to wrap this up right where I want to lead us into the finale, part 6 Into the West: Family Ties.

This serial was my first project writing for myself and has been a serious learning experience for me as I had to get back into graphic design, web design, and advertising. These are all areas I have years of experience in, but that was years ago and so much has changed. I have had a lot to learn. I think I have done a decent job getting back up to speed, but trying to do that while keeping up with everything else in life was a challenge.

I have really enjoyed every bit of this experience and I am so grateful for each and everyone of you who have been supportive and actually read my books. If you posted a review somewhere, I love you even more! Which is why I am trying to make these next two book something wonderful. The earlier books in this serial have been about 30K words. I purposely made them short to make them quick reads for busy people. Part 5 however, broke my mold in many ways. Sorry about that. I hope the story will make up for it.

The first break from the norm is the habit I had of backing up one chapter and retelling the story from another character's perspective to retell the ending of the previous book then going on after it caught back up to the ending. In part 5, I've had to back up about six chapters and retell several character's perspectives to fix the fact that I forgot a huge chunk of the story I originally wanted to put in part 4 Into the West: Most Wanted. The crazy thing is I really think it all works, we will see what the beta reader says.

The second break is the length. Right now, part 5 Into the West: Last Showdown sits at 51K and 78 words and I still have about three more chapters to write. We have past the traditional novella length and will end up with a respectable novel word count. But it will still be on the lower end of that so I hope it will still be a quick read.

The really good news is I already have part 6 plotted out in my head, the cover designed, and all the extra bits that go into making these ready to go. So after Part 5 comes out, I will spend about two weeks just promoting that then dive in and start writing part 6. I hope to have that one out for Christmas. Hope being the key word there!

Now, what does all of that have to do with languages, you might be asking. I have just learned how to translate my blogs into other languages. I am starting out with German and Spanish and might be adding a few other options here soon, maybe at least Danish and French, because I have friends and family who speak all of these languages.

But that is enough news updates for today, it's Friday! Time for funnies!!!

Have a great weekend, Posse!

Enjoy!

Stephen

Q: What language is the least spoken on earth?

A: Sign language

Q: Why did the comedian decide to learn sign language?

A: He wanted to tell jokes nobody has ever heard before.

Q: What is the longest word in the English language?

A: Smiles, there is a mile between the first and last letter.

Q: Why do chickens get in trouble when they talk?

A: Because they always use fowl language!

Q: Why should everyone learn sign language?

A: It is a very handy skill!

Q: Was it difficult to learn Braille?

A: No, I just seemed to have a feel for it!

Q: What language is the richest?

A: Silence . . . it's golden!

Dog 1: Woof Woof Woof

Dog 2: Baa Baaa Baaaaa

Dog 1: Why did you say Baaaaaa?

Dog 2: I'm learning a foreign language.

Q: What word in is always spelled incorrectly in the English language?

A: Incorrectly

Q: Is the English Language difficult to learn?

A: Maybe a little but it can be understood through tough thorough thought though.

Q: What would you call a guy who walks around town talking to himself using only figurative language?

A: The Village Idiom.

Q: What language do fish speak?

A: Finnish.

Q: What is your favorite word in the English language?

A: Frequently, I try to use it as often as possible.

The Graham Norton Show -- Translating Jokes

https://youtu.be/E9SRVqD7mIA