Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 258

24 May 2015 - AWESOME TREES

AWESOME TREES
G'day folks,
I always try to provide something of beauty on this blog. Check out these amazing trees. Granted, not all of these amazing beautiful trees are trees (the Wisteria is a vine, Rhododendrons are shrubs, and bamboo technically belongs to the grass family), but we’ll give them a pass because they are amazing, huge and beautiful. So once you step outside and take a breath of fresh air, hug the nearest tree and say thank you.
 144 YEARS


 JAPAN

BONN, GERMANY

OREGON, USA






 125 YEARS


SOUTH AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

 YEMEN

BRAZIL



NEW ZEALAND

HAWAII, USA

 HAWAII, USA



CALIFORNIA, USA

 PORTLAND, OREGON


SOUTH CAROLINA, USA

 OREGON, USA


Clancy's comment: Wow. Staggeringly beautiful, eh?I'm ...

23 May 2015 - LOUIS PASTEUR

LOUIS PASTEUR1822 - 1895G'day folks,
No doubt you have heard of this man.
Louis Pasteur worked tirelessly to develop antidotes and cures to many dangerous illnesses such as anthrax and rabies. He also successfully invented a way to pasteurise milk and make it safe from Tuberculosis.

Louis Pasteur was born in Dole, Eastern France. He was a conscientious and hard working student, though not considered exceptional. One of his professors called him ‘mediocre’. He received a doctorate in 1847 and after obtaining posts at Strasbourg, Lille and Paris he spent much time researching aspects of Chemistry. One key discovery related to research on tartrate acid showing the crystals contained a mirror image of right-handed and left handed isomers.

 His most important discoveries were in the field of germ study. He showed that germs required certain micro-organisms to develop; using this knowledge he found that the fermentation of yeast could be delayed. Louis Pasteur then turned to practical ways of killing bacteria in liquids such as milk. His process of pasteurisation successfully killed bacteria in milk without destroying milk protein. This was a radical discovery and made drinking milk safe. The process of pasteurisation was named after him and it saved many lives.



Louis Pasteur was a great believer in hard work, never content to rest on his laurels he continued to work very hard in his laboratory to develop more cures. He said in advice to other scientists:

 “An individual who gets used to hard work can thereafter never live without it. Work is the foundation of everything in this world.”

Louis Pasteur next created a cure for anthrax – a disease that mainly affects cattle. He found that by giving cattle a weakened form of the illness they were able to develop immunity to the illness.

This success encouraged him to develop a cure for rabies – a very common disease at the time. Using similar principles he developed a weakened strain of the disease. Testing on animals affected with rabies was successful, however he was reluctant to test on humans for fear it might not work. At one point he considered testing on himself by subjecting himself to a rabies and then trying his cure. However, before he could implement his scheme a young boy was brought to him who had been bitten 14 times by a rabid dog. His parents agreed to try the uncertain new technique. His treatment was a success and news of the treatment soon spread. Over 350 people came to Louis Pasteur for treatment. Louis and his team of scientists worked around the clock to save the people who had contracted rabies.

There was only one failure a ten year old girl Louis Pelletier. Louis knew the dies ease was too advanced when she came, but, he tried nevertheless. The girl died in his arms, with tears in his eyes, the great scientist said to her parents.

“I did so wish I could have saved your little one.”



It was testament to the big heart of the famous scientist he took so much interest in his patients. It was testament to the big heart of the famous scientist he took so much interest in his patients. In 1888, friends and supporters funded an institute for the treatment of rabies. Louis Pasteur successfully campaigned for better research facilities for scientists. His pleas of more funding were heard by Napoleon III and Louis Pasteur argued that

“Physicists and chemists without laboratories are like soldiers without arms on the battlefield.”

Louis died in 1895 aged 73. 


Louis Pasteur had great faith in the good nature of humans. He worked tirelessly to deliver real benefits for the treatment of infectious diseases. More than any other person, Louis Pasteur helped to increase the life expectancy of man in the late nineteenth and early twentieth Century.


Achievements of Louis PasteurProcess of Pasteurisation making milk safe to drinkCure for rabiesCure for anthraxHis principles were used by later scientists such as Frankland, Valley Radot, Emile Duclaux, Descours and Holmes in developing vaccines for dies eases such as typhus, diphtheria, cholera, yellow fever and different strains of plague  
Clancy's comment: Thank you for your dedication, Louis.

I'm ...








 

22 May 2015 - 'THE SHEARIN' CREW' - Gunnedah Hero

THE SHEARIN' CREW

- Gunnedah Hero -

G'day folks,
Time for some more of my bush poetry. This is one of the four poems included in my award-winning novel - 'Gunnedah Hero'. It is the sort of poem that was written many decades ago by the wiley writers and poets that roamed Australia; guys like Henry Lawson, Banjo Paterson, Nettie Thomas, J F Archibald etc.








THE SHEARIN’ CREW


Me mind was led to thinkin’ of our famous shearin’ crew,
‘twas meself and Mo Devine, and also Curley Jones and Blue.
The four of us we humped our swags way back in ‘sixty-four,
it’s now I do recall those blokes, the three I still adore.
Best damn crew I ever had; not one a slaggin mate,
yet how we met was such a tale so let me now relate.


It was a hot and dusty day when I met Mo Devine,
I found him sittin’ on a log a-sippin’ lousy wine.
Mo sure as hell was scruffy and yet while a happy cove,
he may have dressed a little rough but he could shear by jove.
I joined him on a rugged log beneath a Peppercorn,
he’d polished off ‘most half his grog but didn’t look forlorn.


‘Twas that night that the two of us met Curley Hathaway,
a dingy pub right out the back – it was our lucky day.
Now Curley was a classer and he claimed he was the best,
and so I took his word onboard until he stood the test.
The three of us, we laughed a lot that awful drunken night,
in a small town west of Hay when we gave that pub a fright.


  The lot of us next mornin’ had a rugged awful day,
was only water from the tank, for grog we’d saved no pay.
We’d blown the bleedin’ lot on all the wine and homemade brew,
the three of us were lucky ‘cause the work was near, we knew.
And that’s when we met Bluey –  a true redhead with a grin,
we found him bumpin’ into town a-thirstin’ for a gin.


Word had come to all of us that work was on the go,
the good news came through just in time as credit ceased to flow.
So Bluey, Mo and Curl and me, we left that dingy town,
we’d had a time, oh yes we had, and left without a frown.
There was a need on ‘Tillby Down’ – it was a whoppin’ place,
owned by some rich pastoral bloke, they said he had some grace.


So, Bluey, Mo and Curl and I we snared that shearin’ work,
Mo and Bluey sheared that mob, not once did either shirk.
Curley was the Classer and he was indeed the best,
while I became the Ringer in a team to beat the rest.
But God I must advise ya though, there was a contest on,
another crew was there as well –  some coves from Billabong.


 My three mates read my mind and then the race was on, ya know,
the eight of us sat waitin’ for the bell to let us go.
It rang so loud and off we went like eagles to their prey,
our top crew took it gently but the other mob, no way.
Those blokes they flew like crazy men – that gang from Billabong,
thick sweat came quick and bleedin’ fast, while we just cruised along.


By ‘smoko’ time that other mob were one in front, ya see
but they looked loose and ragged while we lot were fresh and free.
The lunch bell rang on time and while I spied the tally sheet,
that soft bunch here from Billabong went searchin’ for a seat.
But Bluey, Curl and Mo and I said nothin’ outta line,
we ate our lunch and smiled a lot; so all was lookin’ fine.


An hour still left till stumps I grinned as Blue and Mo let go,
both them blokes just lifted and they clipped like hell, ya know.
When the bell rang really loud I slyly glanced ahead,
we’d won by three outright you see, those coves looked almost dead.
But bein’ the humble gents we were we didn’t brag one bit,
we’d knocked ‘em off, we’d done it well and still we felt real fit.


The next week came, we did the same as cool as cool can be,
we thrashed the pants right off that crew and won the bonus fee.
It was the greatest season and we made a name, ya know,
and even now from time to time young shearers hear it so,
in sixty-four when four top blokes became a champion crew,
and made a name for ‘emselves – ‘twas me, Mo, Curl and Blue.




 Clancy's comment: Like it? Make ya smile? Hope so. Now, head up to the top of the page and click on 'Gunnedah Hero Reviews' and read what folks think about this novel. Then, be courageous and buy a paperback or e-Book. You will love it. If you buy a paperback, I'll write whatever you wish in the front.

I'm ...

21 May 2015 - AMAZING HUMMINGBIRDS

AMAZING HUMMINGBIRDS
G'day folks,Check out these cute birds. They are tiny but so beautiful. Have a close look at the structure of their feathers. 


















































Clancy's comment: Mm ... Pretty amazing, eh? Awesome photographers too.

I'm ...

20 May 2015 - T W LAWLESS - Guest Author

T W LAWLESS
- Guest Author -
G'day folks,
Welcome to my interview with another Australian author who writes thrillers. T W was born and raised in outback Australia but currently lives in Melbourne. He was a health professional for many years but always wanted to write books. During his time in the health field he studied creative writing, screenwriting and film- making. His first book was Homecountry which was published in early 2013 and became an Amazon Best Seller. Thornydevils was released in May 2014. His third Peter Clancy thriller, Blurline, is set for release in March 2015. 
Welcome, T W ....
1.    TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.I didn't write my first book until 2012. Before that, there were years of agonising over what creative field to venture into. I tried a few, from composing music to writing screenplays. I finally settled on writing books. 
2.    WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?              I took the leap of faith to write and publish a book in 2012 when my wife wrote her first      book and I was getting treated for thyroid cancer. 
3.     WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?                 I do lots of research.  I do interviews occasionally. I then write a plot and chapter outline and a profile of the characters.  Even though I do a thorough plan of the book, I still allow spaces for improvisation.

4.    WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?             The creative process is exciting. Sometimes it's hard to stop when you're on a roll.  I like gems that come from nowhere such as witty dialogue.

5.    WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?The editing process can go on and on but it has to be tight, it has to look professional


6.    WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?            I was a Registered Nurse for twenty-five years. You meet some interesting characters and get involved in horrific situations but it was a good training ground for someone who wanted to be a thriller writer.  

7.    WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?When my first book, Homecountry, became an Amazon best seller.
8.    WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?I should be working on an outline of the fourth Peter Clancy book but I can't get motivated at present. It'll come.
9.    WHAT INSPIRES YOU?              Injustice, dark places, interesting characters.                 


10. WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?              Thrillers.

11. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?              Write every day. Read every day. Don't get put off by negativity. Always be professional. 

12. DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?Occasionally. I go for long walks or talk things through with my wife.
13. DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?I always write in the morning after a couple of coffees. I can't do it at night.
14. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?            I have a cramped office full of books and guitars. My cat lies in a cardboard box next to me.  He makes sure I stick to the desk for a few hours.           

15. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?             The actual process of writing. I'm always amazed by the fact that I can create an imaginary world and inhabit it with interesting characters. 

16. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?Frederick Forsyth.  He does meticulous plotting and uses factual events which I like.  I like how his books read like investigative stories. 
17. WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?            They couldn’t put the book down.
18. WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?            When they focus on Peter Clancy's lifestyle; he swears too much or drinks too much. I think they've missed a great story. He’s a journalist not a Buddhist Monk.


19. WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOUThe first book was more me. Part of it was set on a cattle station. I lived on one as a kid. As for the other books, there’s only a little of me there.
20. OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE? My family and music.
21. DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?Always. The covers and the book covers are done by professionals. 
22. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.It would have to involve living in a house overlooking the sea. I’d write in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon.  



23. IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?                    My wife. No one else would put up with me.

24. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?                     Stop destroying the world.   

25. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?            To keep writing. I want to write at least six more Peter Clancy thrillers.

26. WHAT FIVE BOOKS WOULD YOU TAKE TO HEAVEN?The Grapes of Wrath, Trinity, The Bible, My Dark Places, Under Milk Wood, The Day of the Jackal.
27. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?             Occasionally I see myself as Peter Clancy but his lifestyle would wear me out. 

28. DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?They seem to tread a well-worn path and don't encourage new talent.  
29. DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?              Of course, but I have great books to write. Writing is the only way I can deal with the world and maintain my sanity.  



30. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?Blurline. It was the most complex of the three books I've written.  I t was an enjoyable book to write.
31.  HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER. I could say when I can buy a house in the south of France. No, I define success as the ability to keep writing and publishing. The big break will come and so will the French house. I promised my wife. 

32. WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?Despite being a hard-living, flawed character, Peter Clancy has a big heart and a big sense of justice. The endings should always surprise you too. 


33. HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
Lots.   They must catch the reader’s eye. 
34. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?To make a good living from writing. To have a few awards thrown my way would be great also.


35.   WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?Peter Clancy is the brand. Jennifer Douglas and I are developing the Peter Clancy fan club at the moment. 

36.  ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
Yes. I like the control. I publish under my own banner, Campanile Publishing. I even have a logo. I’m a total professional.
37. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.Mad, Bad, Dangerous, Edgy, Dark. Well, not really. I’d like to think so. No, I’m more, anxious, meticulous, tenacious with occasional lapses of humour.
38. WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?               Injustice. Rednecks.


39. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
Blurline. It's the third in the Peter Clancy series. It's my best work.  Very complex, very dark, occasionally funny. The way I like to write.


40.  WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?As the warm water of the Mediterranean embraced him, Peter felt at total peace.   
                   41.WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE         TO SHARE?
That I can buy that house for my wife in the south of France.
                     42. ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

                         Don’t get up if you think you have a story that needs to be shared with the world.             

 
WEBSITE

AMAZON BOOKS

Clancy's comment: Thank you, TW. Well done. Love the answer to number 38. Keep going. Happy to join your fan club.

I'm ...

19 May 2015 - SARAH JOSEPHA HALE

SARAH JOSEPHA HALE
G'day folks,Ever heard of  Sarah Josepha Hale? Well, she was a renowned 19th-century writer and editor who pushed for girls’ education reform and the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

 “Everything that contributes to bind us in one vast empire together, to quicken the sympathy that makes us feel from the icy North to the sunny South that we are one family, each a member of a great and free Nation, not merely the unit of a remote locality, is worthy of being cherished.”
—Sarah Josepha Hale
Synopsis
Sarah J. Hale was born in 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire, going on to work in publishing after the death of her husband in 1822. In addition to writing the children’s classic poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Hale was a novelist and magazine editor, helming Godey’s Lady’s Book for decades. She was also an ardent supporter of girls receiving an education and became known as the Mother of Thanksgiving for her push to make the celebration a national holiday. 

 Background and Early Writing Sarah Josepha Buell was born on October 24, 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire. She received private tutoring from her brothers growing up and later became a teacher herself at a school in her hometown. She married lawyer David Hale in 1813, and the couple went to have five children. David died of a stroke in 1822, and, after working in the millinery trade for a short time, Sarah embarked on a career as a writer and editor to support her family. She went on to anonymously pen the 1823 book The Genius of Oblivion and Other Original Poems, and a few years later released the novel Northwood: A Tale of New England (1827).


Famed Publishing Career and Poetry
Towards the end of the decade, Hale took on a position as editor of Ladies’ Magazine, later called American Ladies’ Magazine. She did a bulk of the writing for the publication while also relying on other contributors for original content, though in 1837 the magazine was acquired by Louis Godey. It eventually became known as Godey’s Lady’s Book, and Hale continued to work for the magazine for 40 years, relocating to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and focusing on what was seen as feminine etiquette of the day. The publication would eventually have a circulation of 150,000 and published the work of prominent scribes like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Hale had also worked with childhood educators and penned Poems for Our Children(1830), which included the poem “Mary’s Lamb,” later becoming widely known as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Over the forthcoming decades, Hale continued to release works from a variety of genres, including Three Hours; or, The Vigil of Love: and Other Poems (1848) and Women’s Record; or, Sketches of All Distinguished Women, from “The Beginning” till A.D. 1850, which had multiple editions and is credited as the first work to honor female writers.


Girls' Education and Thanksgiving 
Hale was a staunch proponent of education for girls and women, pushing for entrance into professions like teaching and eventually medicine. She helped establish the Troy Female Seminary and finance Vassar College and campaigned for women to join the institution’s faculty. But Hale did not support suffrage and the feminist call for equal access to a wide range of work and did not take up abolitionist causes with other women reformers, though she took an anti-slavery stance in Northwood.
Hale has also been called by some the Mother or Godmother of Thanksgiving as she ardently pushed for some time to have the day recognized as a national holiday. Thanksgiving was regularly celebrated by different parts of the country, but not in a particularly unified way. During the Civil War, Hale wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward in 1863 calling upon the leaders to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. The president followed suit, ultimately leading to a fixed time of annual celebration over the years.
Sarah J. Hale retired at the age of 89 from the editorial and writing work that came to define and enrich her life. She died on April 30, 1879 in Philadelphia.


Clancy's comment: Well, there ya go. I've learnt two things whilst researching this woman. Yet again, another outstanding woman of her time.
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18 May 2015 - EUROPE IN PICTURES

EUROPE IN PICTURES
G'day folks,
To those of you who have never been, welcome to Europe.












































































Clancy's comment: Inspired to go, or go again? I certainly am.
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17 May 2015 - FAMOUS AUSTRALIANS

FAMOUS AUSTRALIANS
G'day folks,
Time to fly the national flag and look at some famous Aussies.


Kylie Minogue – Actress and singerSir Donald Bradman – Cricketer who dominated the game in 1930s and 1940s. Finishing with a test average of 99.94 Bradman was so far ahead of his contemporaries, that no one has come close to his dominance. A quintessentially modest Australian rural boy, who drew great admiration from beyond the game of cricket.Saint Mary MacKillop – Saint. Looked after orphaned children and Aboriginal children in Australia’s outback.Sir Howard Florey – Helped develop Penicillin John Curtin – Australian Prime Minister during World War Two. Andrew Banjo Paterson – Australia’s Bush poet. Composer of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ popular Australian song.Paul Hogan – Actor/ ComedianEdith Cowan – Campaigner for women’s and children’s rights. The first women to enter ParliamentShane Warne - cricketerSir Henry Parkes – Established Federal Convention in 1891 bringing the different states together as one country.Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – Flying pioneer. In 1928, made the first trans-Pacific flight from America to Australia.The Rev Dr John Flynn – Founder of Royal Flying Doctor Service – visiting patients in the outback by planeSir Marcus Oliphant. – Inventor who helped develop magnetron for Radar, and the Nuclear BombOlivia Newton-John – Singer/ ActressNaomi Watts – ActressSir John Monash – Military commander who restored pride after initial failings at Gallipoli.Bob Hawke – Prime MinisterEddie Mabo – Aboriginal who challenged the idea of ‘terra nullius’ and helped eventually win land rights for AboriginalsAllan Border – cricketerRobert Menzies – Prime MinisterSister Elizabeth Kenny – Revolutionised the treatment of polio patients.Rupert Murdoch – Media MogulEvonne Goolagong – Tennis PlayerCathy Freeman – Aboriginal 400m runner
who was face of the 2000 Sydney OlympicsDame Elisabeth Mudoch – (philanthropist)Germaine Greer (feminist, writer) – World famous writer and famous.Cate Blanchett (actress)Dame Joan Sutherland (singer ) One of greatest bel canto opera singersClive James – (writer, broadcaster)John Bradfield (engineer) and designer of one of Australia’s most recognisable structures.Greg Norman – golfAlbert Jacka – Military hero in Gallipoli World War OneCaroline Chisholm – Helped migrant women to find decent accommodation and better conditions in early Nineteenth CenturyBetty Cuthbert – Olympic track gold medallist.Heath Ledger – ActorNicole Kidman – ActressSteve Irwin – Crocodile HunterIan Thorpe – SwimmerGeoffrey Rush – ActorRod Laver – Tennis PlayerClancy Tucker – Aspiring author & photographerJohn Hickman - Gentleman extraordinaire.Lorraine Cobcroft - Writer with exceptional talent.







Clancy's comment: That's just a few, folks. Sadly, our sports men and women receive more fame and glory than many others who also make, or have made, a massive contribution.I'm ...

16 May 2015 - JOHN GRISHAM

JOHN GRISHAM
G'day folks,
Welcome to some facts about one of my favourite authors. John Grisham is a best-selling author known for many of his legal thrillers, such as ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Pelican Brief,’ ‘A Time to Kill’ and ‘The Runaway Jury.’


“[Writing] was more difficult than laying asphalt, and at times more frustrating than selling underwear. But it paid off. Eventually, I was able to leave the law and quit politics. Writing’s still the most difficult job I’ve ever had — but it’s worth it.”
—John Grisham

Synopsis
Born on February 8, 1955, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, John Grisham worked as an attorney and Mississippi legislator before becoming a best-selling novelist with works like The Firm, The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill, all of which were turned into hit films. Grisham has continued to publish an array of titles, such as Bleachers and The Litigators, and has also worked in screenwriting, as seen with the 2003 baseball film Mickey.


Background and Early Career
John Grisham Jr. was born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The second-oldest of five siblings, he developed a love for books early on. Grisham and his family moved around for a while, due to job opportunities for his father, who worked in construction, eventually settling in Southaven, Mississippi. Initially thinking of a pro baseball career and working a variety of jobs before college, Grisham went on to study accounting at Mississippi State University and then law at the University of Mississippi, graduating in 1981. 
Grisham wed Renee Jones in May of that year, with the couple going on to have two children. After starting his law career as a tax attorney, Grisham set up a practice doing personal injury and criminal defense work in Southaven, and in 1983 he earned a seat in the state legislature on the Democratic ticket, serving through the rest of the decade.


Signs to House with 'The Firm'
During a trial in 1984, Grisham heard the horrifying details of a young girl recounting her experience of surviving rape. This catalyzed the attorney to start writing a novel that examined the issue, focusing on the actions of a fictional father and an attorney. The finished book, A Time to Kill, would initially get a 5,000-copy printing from Wynwood Press. 
After leaving politics in 1990 and closing his law practice, Grisham moved to Oxford, Mississippi with his family and devoted himself more completely to his new calling. The galley of his next novel, The Firm, ended up being circulated in Hollywood, and the film rights to the book were bought by Paramount for more than half a million dollars. The novel was sold to Doubleday. The Firm (1991) was on The New York Times best-seller list for nearly 50 weeks, becoming the top-selling book of the year. The film version was released in 1993 and starred Tom Cruise, Holly Hunter and Gene Hackman. A Time to Kill would later be picked up as a paperback by Dell Publishing and became a best seller as well.


Array of Best Sellers
While writing his next novel, The Pelican Brief, Grisham took the words of a retail chain executive to heart and made the commitment to complete a book a year. The Pelican Brief was published in 1992 and became a No. 1 New York Times best seller. In the coming years, Grisham followed with an array of hit titles, including The Client (1993), The Runaway Jury (1996), Bleachers (2003), Playing for Pizza (2007) and The Litigators (2011), among many others. His Time to Kill sequel, Sycamore Row, was released in 2013.
Grisham has worked in other literary genres outside of the adult novel as well, as seen with his nonfiction work The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town (2006), the short-story collection Ford County and the young adult series Theodore Boone.


Hit Film Adaptations
Besides The Firm, numerous other Grisham books have been turned into major big-screen ventures, including Pelican Brief (1993), The Client (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), The Chamber (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), Runaway Jury (2003) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004), which was based on Grisham's 2001 novel Skipping Christmas. With a changing movie-industry climate, over time Grisham has increasingly turned to the world of television, with The Firm becoming a NBC series in 2012. 
Grisham has continued to nurture his love for baseball, overseeing the construction of multiple baseball fields around his home and becoming a Little League commissioner. He has also provided funding for the Southern publication Oxford American.  

Clancy's comment: As I said, this guy is one of my faves. Love his work. Not surprised that he was rejected by agents and publishing houses prior to being discovered. Seems to happen to all top writers, but it makes me wonder about the ability and preception of some agents and publishers.
I'm ...

15 May 2015 - 'BRUNO'S SEVEN WIVES' - Gunnedah Hero

BRUNO'S SEVEN WIVES

- Gunnedah Hero -
G'day folks,
Today, I present a bush poem that I wrote some years back. It is one of four bush poems included in award-winning 'Gunnedah Hero'. You have already read one of the poems - 'Me Old Banana Box'. 

This book has won two awards in the Australian National Literary Awards; one as a book and the other as a manuscript. So, this bush poem is a humorous tale of a smooth Italian on the Australian goldfields during the gold rush in the 1850's.









BRUNO’S SEVEN WIVES


‘Twas way back in the big o’l Rush – the golden one I mean,
I met a Latin bloke, so rough and tough and downright lean.
It happened quite by chance down at a ‘Sly’ near Tamba Creek,
of all the wildly tales he had ‘twas gold he hoped to eke.
Me and Bruno, we had fun and laughed with happy glee
but two pint-pots and pretty soon neither of us could see.
We made the other patrons leave with all our talk and noise,
we didn’t mean them any harm, us larrikins of boys.


Ol’ Bruno, he was quite a lad and had a wife or two,
was my turn to get lucky when I met a girl named Prue.
She was a strong and solid lass, and boy she had a smile,
made her way to see him as she walked a lengthy mile.
He said she was his seventh – and I thought him up to tricks,
lucky that I’d kept the peace, then met his number six.
A shorter girl with darker hair was quite a charming maid,
poor Jane, she sat there all forlorn, a-lookin’ rather staid.


I got up in the morning and had Bruno come to me
with another bold and fearless lass he called his number three.
Ah, this one was a sweetie – so damn young and pretty too,
the newest one of Bruno’s and by far the best of few.
She too was Latin, seems that she had followed him by sea,
had crossed the wildest oceans just to find and be with he.
I liked that gal indeed – for me it was her Latin charm,
though nought a chance I knew I had, but lookin’ did no harm.


A week had passed us by and then I met a bawdy one,
a girl so full and amply built; by God, she was some fun.
And just when I had chances and some thoughts I might deplore,
Bruno came upon the scene this time with number four.
To make things even worse along came woman number two,
so there I was just starin’, there was nothin’ I could do.
I sat still all agog and just admired his lovin’ way,
while Bruno made the sounds that seem to make all women sway.


That lean, smooth Latin lover, he said everything just right,
he charmed the girls, he soothed their souls and left me no delight.
I’d never seen the likes of him; smooth charm he sure did ooze.
Old Bruno played it super cool and let his women choose.
He knew of all the tiny whispers girls so like to hear,
it was a tried and simple style and made them feel no fear.
I’m sure it was his charming grin and true romantic heart,
that offered him the full-proof edge and left me with no start.


Yet me and Bruno stayed as mates like bees inside a hive,
but some time  later on the scene out came his number five.
She was true Irish, just like me, but greener than the rest,
her name was Kathryn Ryan and by far the very best.
One night while we were sittin’ ‘round a hot and roarin’ fire,
just havin’ fun and laughin’ ‘till the humour turned to ire,
it was a bold and tough old wench who came upon the scene,
she bowled right in on all of us, so hard and downright mean.


 ‘Twas Bruno’s number one; a scary gal called Madame Lash,
who spat out evil anger making all the others dash.
Then she let forth ya know, she was a swearin’, cursin’ dame,
and left our dearest Bruno feeling weak and kind of lame.
That’s how it happened way back then, back amidst the Rush,
When I met a clean lean Latin - so full of lovely gush.
That’s how I came to find meself a cute ‘lil Irish wife,
when Lash got hold of Bruno and caused a heap of strife.




Clancy's comment: Bring a smile to ya face? Hope so. Now, hit the 'Gunnedah Hero Reviews' button above and read what people thought of this novel. Then, head to the top right hand side of the page and buy a paperback or e-Book. You'll love it!

By the way, the sequel has just been released - 'A Drover's Blanket'.


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