Jesse James and Banticore
I’ve always been fascinated by the Missouri outlaw Jesse James, but he’s not who this post is about today.
One of my favorite things about Booktrope, my publisher, is their lineup of authors. I love how we interact, how we band together to help each other out, and I love their books. Every time I read something from another Booktrope author, it makes me proud to be a Booktroper.
Of all the pretty fantastic authors in their library, one of the funniest is Jesse James Freeman, author of Billy Purgatory: I am the Devil Bird. If anyone is going to make me do a spit-take, it’s him (or Steven Luna, author of Joe Vampire).
While I’m grateful to everyone who’s hosted me as a guest on their blog, the interview that still makes me giggle is 11 Questions of Badassary (The Serious and Classy Author Ed.) w/ Heather Huffman!
My kids have come to expect that if their parents are snickering at the computer, Jesse or Steve are probably the cause.
The thing about these guys, and they’ll probably be mad at me for letting their secret out, is that they’re more than funny. They’re good people, too. The kind I’m happy to know.
So when my sons got new roosters, I guess it was only natural that they named them after two of their parents’ favorite authors, right?
Meet Jesse – the New Hampshire Red rooster that protects the ladies in our production bird flock.
Jesse James, my son’s New Hampshire red rooster
At first he drove me nuts; he was ill-mannered and constantly running his mouth, so I threatened to rename him Sunday Dinner. My son Blake begged me to give him a chance. He offered to take full responsibility for him. It’s hard to say no to Blake – and I had no desire to actually kill a chicken anyway – so Jesse lives on. (And the non-feathered Jesse assured me that he was only living up to his name, so it really wasn’t the rooster’s fault.)
At this point in the narrative, it’s worth mentioning that Steve Luna is affectionately referred to as Manticore around the Booktrope Lounge (convoluted story not worth explaining).
So when my oldest son picked up his blue Bantam Cochin rooster, his name was, of course, Banticore.
Banticore, my oldest son’s rooster
Banticore is a really pretty rooster, but he’s young, which means he hasn’t learned to be a gentleman – he tries to have his way with all of the hens in his coop, all of the time. That’s pretty common for young roosters – I’m sure it has nothing to do with who he’s named after.
We recently got some new ducks. One of the boys wants to name one of them Luna. I’m not sure though – naming a chicken and a duck after a colleague? That’s just strange.
My new Welsh Harlequin drake
