I had two book signings Saturday in the New Orleans French Quarter. The weather was absolutely beautiful. As usual, my senses were overwhelmed with the sights and sounds. (Thankfully, New Orleans smells much better than it did). I always obtain images from the people and activities there that I quickly scribble down to use in future stories.  I sold a very respectable quantity of books, made some contacts with school teachers in Houston and Alabama to come and do my little Civil War program. I love this gypsy writer’s life. The only danger is I have to discipline myself and guard my private writing time jealously. I arrived in the French Quarter at 9:00 am, sold books at the Friends of the Cabildo Bookstore on Jackson square until 1:00 pm, then moved to Tisket-A-Tasket and sold books until 5:45 pm. I then drove back to Monroe, arriving about 10:30 pm.

I actually left on my trip on Friday morning, stopped at Concordia Parish Library to set up a program there, then drove on to Nichol’s University in Thibodeaux.  There I sold a book to the college library, helped the college bookstore there place an order for some of my books, and was interviewed by Felicia Harry of the Journalism Department. She is writing a feature article about my writing that will be in either the Courier or the Comet newspapers.  One paper is for Thibodeaux and the other for Houma. I was also contacted by Channel 6 in New Orleans and a possible appearance on their morning show was suggested.  I met with the Thibodeaux library staff about a program there, then I drove to Assumption Parish and spent the night with my friends there.

Today, I have a Scottish Society meeting at 2:30 pm, and more work to do than I can possibly accomplish. I now only have two weekends between now and Christmas that are not fully booked for signings or author appearances. It was pleasant and cool this morning, with the taste of fall in the air. I love the summer, but I think I needed this change. It certainly made sitting for 8 hours outside in the French quarter selling books much more bearable and traveling in good weather is much safer and bearable than driving in the rain.  Today, I’m grateful for my health, my few friends, and the chance to be a full-time writer.

Reading the Bible is important to understand much of the literature in our canon. Having read the whole Bible in every major version about about 200 times in my life, I encountered several verses in those readings that you most likely will not hear preachers use in their Sunday sermons. I decided to list a few of those for today’s entry. Though I’ve read every major translation, these are from the King James Version.

A Tried and true philosophy: Ecclesiastes 10:19: “Money answereth all things.”

The Work of a teacher: I Thessalonians 5:14:  “comfort the feebleminded.”

When life is tough:  Proverbs 31:6-7: “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.”

I’ll likely list some more verses like these in the future. I have book signings in New Orleans in the French Quarter Saturday if the weather is good.  My calendar is filling up so fast. I think things are going to escalate once Stories of the Confederate South comes out with Pelican sometime in October.

This Saturday, I’ll be doing signings in New Orleans again. For today’s post, I thought I’d include my most recent article for TGIF Weekend Bandit that I write a weekly column for on the Civil War in North Texas and Indian Territory.

Stand Watie: The Last Confederate General

General Stand Watie, C.S.A., was the only Native American to receive the rank of general and on June 23, 1865, he was the last Confederate general to surrender his command. This Georgia born Cherokee was charismatic and seemed to be a born leader. As Steve Cottrell points out, Stand Watie has become a symbol of “the fury and defiance of the Southern cause.” His Cherokee Mounted Rifles kept the Southern Cause alive in Indian Territory (see the Stand Watie Biography Page at http://www.civilwarhome.com/watiebio.htm for more details).

During the War Between the States, Watie and his men were involved in at least eighteen battles or major skirmishes with Federal troops. In one effort he and his fierce men drove Federal forces and their Indian allies all the way to Kansas. Though most of his activity was in Indian Territory, he did venture into other states. One notable example was his role in the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern in Arkansas.
In addition to being a competent commander in battles, he seemed to have a knack for guerilla warfare. Through bold raids on Federal camps and wagons Watie kept his men supplied with food and weapons. Again according to Cotrell, Watie became an irritant to the Federal Army through his “hit-and-run” tactics, and literally bogged down thousands of Federal troops as they sought to cope with his unorthodox tactics. According to Kenny Franks, “Watie’s two greatest victories were the capture of the federal steam boat J.R. Williams on June 15, 1864, and the seizure of $1.5 million worth of supplies in a federal wagon supply train a the Second battle of Cabin Creek on September 19, 1864.”

According to http://www.familyoldphotos.com/5c/2g/gen_stand_ waties_ grave_southwest.htm, Stand Watie is buried in Southwest City, MO. His tombstone reads:
In Honor Of
Gen. Stand Watie
only full blood Indian Brig. Gen in the Confederate Army. This brave Cherokee rendered heroic service to the Confederate Cause in Ind. Terr
Born in GA Dec 12 1806
Died in Cher. Nat. Sept 9, 1871
A Tribute to his memory by Okla. Div. United Daughters of the Confederacy.
“Lest we forget.”

Tonight, I did a program at the Bienville Parish Library in Ringgold, Louisiana. It went really well. I had a good crowd, and one very interested in the War Between the States. I’ve been asked back too. I sold some books and made some new friends.  Tomorrow, I return to the university world at ULM and Delta. I traded in my beloved Toyato Tacoma pickup truck for a Toyota RAV SUV.  It’s much more suited for my book business than the truck was. Better gas mileage too. And I don’t think gas prices are going to go down.

I listened to some CD’s tonight on the way home from the library. Here are some lyrics of a Rita Coolidge song that I’ve liked for many years. “Fool That I Am.” I found the lyrics here: http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Rita-Coolidge/Fool-That-I-Am.html

Rita Coolidge – Fool That I Am Lyrics

Oh, I tried to make the best of
All the sweet love that you gave me
Maybe I’m crazy but
I keep on losing ground

(CHORUS)
Fool that I am
Fool that I may be
When will I ever know what’s true
And if I found out differently
Would I still love you

Two hearts breaking
Two hearts aching
Someone’s taking
More than they gave

Trusting someone
Who has no trust in me

(CHORUS) 2X

Would I still love you

My weekends are getting so busy that it’s harder to post daily as I would like to. This morning I’m at the Region VIII Education Service Center in Mount Pleasant, Texas for a vendors presentation for school (and I hope public) librarians. I spent the night with friends in Diana, Texas and reached the center by 7:30 a.m. to set up. Surprise: I’m the only Confederate here. I hope to have not only sales, but to book appointments for programs/presentations at schools.

More good news: I’ve been booked for signings at 9-10 Sam’s Clubs during the next three months. I should be able to move a ton of books at these. My weekends are filling up fast. In fact, between now and Christmas, I only have two Saturdays not booked for signings, and by this week, I’ll have those filled.  I’ll also begin filling in Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays around those Saturdays to optimize my time traveling and get the most out of my travel expenses and travel time.  I’ll probably post another time tonight to report on how my day in Mount Pleasant (East Texas) went.

Last night, several members of the Scottish Society of Northeast Louisiana, wearing Scottish kilts and such, attended a concert at the University of Louisiana at Monroe as volunteer workers. The guest artist at the School of Visual and Performing Arts was Paddy Keenan, playing traditional Irish Uilleann pipes, flutes and whistles. He was accompanied by a fine DADGAD style guitar player, John Walsh, an Irish guitarist living in the New York area. The concert was a rich experience. Afterwards, my friend Tom talked me into going to Enoch’s Irish Pub. We drank a few pints and talked till nearly midnight. Though I did not get to speak with Paddy, I did spend some time talking to John Walsh about guitars and music. If I can get to Jackson this weekend, I hope to be a part of his DADGAD workshop at the Celtic Festival there.  I definitely plan on adding Keenan’s CD’s to my collection.  The Uilleann pipes is a complex instrument, but rich in its unique, sometimes sad, beauty.
Well, much to do. No shortage of work for sure.

At the Sons of Confederate Veterans National Convention in Mobile last July, I stayed in the Admiral Semmes Hotel.  Semmes was the captain of the CSS Alabama, a Confederate Cruiser that terrorized the Federal shipping industry during the War Between the States. At that conference, Oliver J. Semmes III, a descendant of Semmes, was a featured speaker, as was Dr. John Lancaster, a descendant of the Lancaster who rescued Raphael Semmes after the Alabama was sank. Funeral services were also held for an unknown Confederate crewmember whose body was discovered recently on the Alabama during salvage efforts. I learned a great deal about the Confederate Navy as a result of attending the SCV conference.
All the exposure to this raiding ship affected me deeply. Inspired by a song of Jed Marum, I’m hoping to write a short story based on the Shenandoah, another cruiser of the Confederate Navy. Jed is sending me a diary from one of the ship’s officers.  Someday, I may post the lyrics of that song here. After I catch up on university work, I’m also about to dive into Two Years on the Alabama: A Firshand Account of the Daring Exploits of the Infamous Raider written by Arthur Sinclair.

This afternoon I’ll be presenting my Jim Limber/Civil War Program at the library in Arcadia, a town most famous for being the location where Bonny and Clyde were gunned down. Bienville Parish also has the highest elevation in the state, which admittedly is not much at Driskill Mountain, 11 miles south Arcadia (elevation 535 feet above sea level).  Next Tuesday, I’ll do the same presentation at the Ringgold Public Library, also in Bienville Parish.

Overall, it looks like a busy week. I have university work tomorrow (see, still second guessing myself on that), helping with the ULM piper concert Thursday, and a book signing Saturday, Sept 8 in Columbia, Louisiana at the Columbian Coffee and Book shop. Then of course, there are chores and long lists of things to do with my book promotion. I also have a book to finish editing, a play to write, and two more books to write. There’s no shortage of work for sure.

As I traveled home from New Orleans Saturday night, on the Mississippi Public Radio I listened to Jill Conner Brown of Sweet Potato fame give a short speech in Oxford. This was the first time I had heard her speak, and I’ve never read anything she’s written. I was surprised to find that she is a skillful and motivating speaker, and one with a wonderful sense of humor. It may be a little unmanly for me to say, but the speech was so well delivered that it made me want to read some of her books. It really changed my perspective of her. I died laughing in the truck when I heard what she said was the Sweet Potato Queens motto: “Never wear Panties to a party.” There were many other lines that I would have written down if only I had not been driving on the Interstate in the rain.

She ended her program with a saying that truly stirred my heart: “Life is too short and too long to spend it doing anything that does not make your heart sing…” As I grow older, I’m feeling the ephemeral nature of life and my own mortality more and more. I also realized that I did the right thing in deciding to promote my writing on a full-time basis, as my writing is what really makes my heart sing.

A few years ago, I played bass guitar for a whole year with Johnny O’Neal. We performed mostly in Monroe, but we also made it to New Orleans and Shreveport. Once, we were the first act in Pontchachoula’s in New Orleans before Dr. John performed. Johnny is one of the finest musicians I’ve ever known, as well as a genuine person. We had quite a few adventures together that year, and I learned so much. Anyway, I decided to post today the lyrics of one of his original songs. This was always one of my favorites. It’s from the CD we made that was recorded live at the Barron Olive bar here in Monroe.

It’s True

Music and Lyrics by Johnny O’Neal

You think,
That just because I called you,
I need you,
You think,
Because I say I miss you,
I’m lonely too,
You think,

My whole world revolves around you,
Don’t you?

Yeah, you think,
That I’m no good without you,
Don’t you?
You think,

That everything’s about you,
I know you do,
You may not want to hear it now,
But I’m going to say it anyhow,

CHORUS:
It’s true,
Every breath I ever take I take for you,
Every move I ever make I make for you,
Now and forever,
The love we shared together,
It’s true,
It’s true,
You know that it’s true.

Yeah, you think,
That I won’t ever doubt you,
Don’t you?
You think,
That I just can’t live without you,
I know you do.
Well, it won’t change you anyway,
But I’ve got these two words to say,

CHORUS:
It’s true,
Every breath I ever take I take for you,
Every move I ever make I make for you,
Now and forever,
The love we shared together,
It’s true,
It’s true,
You know that it’s true.