Author Chat Webinar:

This afternoon,  from 3:30-4:15 p.m., I’ll be featured on Texas Region XI Media and Library Services ‘s “Chat with an Author” interview.  It will be recorded, so I’ll post that link as soon as I have it.

More Mickey Newbury Lyrics:

I’ve gotten good response from posting the lyrics of the talented songwriter, Mickey Newbury, so I decided to post another song of his that I want to add to my song list. It’s called Genevieve. Newbury writes some emotionally powerful lyrics.

Genevieve by Mickey Newbury

Genevieve, Genevieve
What does it all mean to you?
Genevieve, Genevieve
My heart is breaking in two,
Goodbye so long,
I will never be this hurt again,
Genevieve, Genevieve
See how the mornings begin.

Well wouldn’t it be nice,
If I could say what the hell it’s been fun.
But Genevieve, Genevieve,
Your leavin’ me leaves me undone.
So my old friend the highway,
I will cry on your shoulder again,
Oh Genevieve, Genevieve
Here’s where the story begins.

Laughing like a fool
‘Till I was no longer able to breathe
A broken down shell of a man
And his woman and me
Stopped at a café
They would not let us come in
Oh Genevieve, Genevieve
See how the madness begins.

Genevieve, Genevieve,
I just had to see you somehow,
Oh the years have been kind,
You were never as lovely as now,
Closing my eyes,
I can almost be with you again,
But Genevieve, Genevieve,
Here’s where the story will end.

Here are the lyrics for another of Jed Marum’s songs from his wonderful new CD, Sands of Aberdeen. This beautiful and moving song is entitled, “The Way Your Earth Moves” and was composed by Jed.

The Way Your Earth Moves, (c) Jed Marum 2008

I love the way your earth moves
When the sun is low in the sky
When low the light-fall shades the earth
And colors run the sky
I love the way your earth moves
As I pass along my way
It’s just a little bit of heaven
I can show my children every day

I love the way the clouds roll
Into the setting of the sun
In a silent blaze of glory
Another day is done
I love the way your earth moves
At the closing of the day
It’s just a little bit of heaven there
To show my children every day

BRDG -And when my time on earth is done
My light fades like the colors of the sun
Raise up my song along the way
It’s just a little bit of heaven there
To show my children every day

I love the way your people
Wander in and out of light
And short their days are numbered
As they travel through this life
I love the way your people
The ones I’ve loved along the way
Brought a little bit of heaven
I can show my children every day

My Scottish Children’s Picture Book and My School Programs

Here is a little ad about me appearing in the Forum Magazine in Shreveport! The magazine has also indicated interest in an interview.

School Program at Dubach, Louisiana

I had a wonderful time with the students of Dubach High School last Friday. I was welcomed warmly by the very devoted and talented staff. I’ll have some photos and more thoughts of the program in a future post.

University Park Barnes & Noble in Fort Worth

I did some storytelling and some children’s music at this store Saturday morning. Then I signed books the rest of the afternoon. I had a grand time and met so many great people.

Mickey Newbury Chords and Lyrics: The Thirty-Third of August

I’m still enjoying the Winter Winds CD by Mickey Newbury. Here is another song on his CD that I intend to learn and use in my Americana show.

Lord today there’s no salvation

The band’s packed up and gone

Left me standing with my penny in my hand,

There’s a big crowd at the station

Where the blind man sings his songs

He can see what I can’t understand.

Chorus:

It’s the thirty-third of August

And I’m finally touchin’ down

Eight days from Sunday

Lord and I’m Saturday bound.

Once I stumbled through the darkness

I tumbled to my knees

A thousand voices screamin’ through my brain

Woke up in a squad car

Busted down for vagrancy

Outside my cell as sure as hell

It looks like rain.

CHORUS:

Now I’ve put my dangerous feelings

Under lock and chain

Hide my violent nature with a smile

Though the demons danced and sang their songs

Within my fevered brain

Not all my God-like thoughts

Lord are defiled.

CHORUS:

Verse chords: D, G, D   A, D, G, D, A

Chorus chords: G, D, A ,D

Gone to Texas and The Vengeance Trail of Josey Wales by Forrest Carte

I just completed a read of these two novels. Rich in detail that could have only come from exhaustive research, I believe these novels to be among the best westerns I’ve read. In tone, they reminded me in some ways of Larry McMurtry’s Comanche Moon and of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. This thought makes me think I should create future posts on these two novels as well. Though I’ve long had an interest in the Missouri Guerrillas of the Confederacy, and enjoyed reading the story of Bloody Bill Anderson, the Devil Knows How to Ride (about Quantrill), and viewing the movie (starring Jewel Kilcher) Ride with the Devil, I felt for the first time like I was inside the head of one of the Missouri Partisans. The particular volume I read contained both novels as well as an author’s preface and an afterword by Lawrence Clayton.  The Native American lore collected by the author and worked into the text was fascinating and comprehensive. I learned much more than I expected from this read. Here are some interesting phrases and quotations:

“A Missouri slapping” – (. p 381 hit with a pistol barrel)

About Geronimo: “it was said he was seen dancing with the mountain “gans,” the spirits” (360).

About the toughness of the Apache warrior: “The Apache warrior could run seventy miles a day, go five days without food. When he drank from a waterhole and slaked his thirst, he filled his mouth with water and after four hours of running, he swallowed it. It carried him fifty more miles without the swelling of his tongue” (358).

About the desert: “The desert brings darkness as it does death, quickly and without warning” (230).

Here’s a good description of the famous Rebel yell: “Laura Lee heard a sound that began low and rose in pitch and volume until it climaxed in a bloodcurdling crescendo of broken screams that brought pimples to her skin. The sound came from teh throat of Josey Wales . . . the Rebel yell of exultation in battle and blood . . . and death. The sound of the scream was as primitive as the man” ( 134)

There were so many other quotations, but perhaps these will pique your interest in reading these fine novels.  I know that in my next collection of historical fiction on the Civil War, at least one story will be about the Missouri partisans.

Missouri Guerrillas and North Texas

One of my favorite movies of all time is Josey Wales. I must have seen it a dozen times. I finally obtained the book the movie was based upon, Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter.  After reading only a few pages, I was reminded of how connected Indian Territory and North Texas (where I lived and where my parents live now)  was to the Confederate Partisans of Missouri.  Evidently, they often made their way here.  To understand these guerrilla fighters, is it important to see them in context. As Carter says in his preface, “Missouri is called the Mother of Outlaws.”  She acquired her title in the aftermath of the Civil War, when bitter men who had fought without benefit of rules in the Border War (a war with a War) could find no place for themselves in a society of old enmities and Reconstruction government . . . Many of them drifted to Texas.”

Carter says that with “muffled horses’ hooves, they would slip through Union lines to cross the Indian Nations on their way to Texas to lick their wounds and regroup. But always they came back” (9).

These men were likely the fiercest fighters in the Confederacy.  They were feared and hated by the Federal (Yankee)  forces, so much that in 1862, General Halleck issued General Order Two: Exterminate the guerrillas of Missouri; shoot them down like animals hang all prisoners.”  This was followed by General Order Eleven which gave orders to arrest the womenfolk, to burn the homes and to depopulate the Missouri counties along the Border of Kansas.

My point is that these fierce Confederates often moved through North Texas and Indian Territory. Quantrill was in Bonham, Bloody Bill Anderson’s men camped outside of Sherman and married a saloon girl from the area, and there’s little doubt that some of the other fighters left a desolate Missouri, moved here to stay and were absorbed by the Red River Valley’s population.  I know that in the Kemp Cemetery there is a grave of a soldier who was in the 6th Missouri. Whether he’s Confederate or Federal, I’m not sure, but I intend to look into it.

If you can obtain a copy of Carter’s book, I think you’ll enjoy it.  It reflects good research and if you like to read westerns, it will stir your heart.

*Correction to an earlier post: I reposted the correct and complete lyrics to Mickey Newbury’s song, “Nights When I Am Sane” on Oct. 19, 2008. I finally obtained the CD it was on. Yesterday, I listened to the song till I was manic. I have these creative episodes now and then in which I temporarily lose my head.

I’ve reviewed a few of Jed Marum’s CD’s on this blog in previous posts. Jed’s site is here: I believe him to be one of the most talented guitarist and vocalist in the Celtic music world. I’ve listened to hundreds of songs related to the War Between the States, and I believe Marum has also composed some of the finest Civil War music of this age. After listening to Marum’s newest CD production, Sands of Aberdeen, once again I must say that I am impressed with Marum’s musical vision and with the quality of his work  as well as that of the wonderfully talented musicians who work with him. Here’s a little bit of information on this new CD:
The album was recorded in Dallas and in Toronto and was produced by Paul Mills. This has been been a LONESTAR STOUT project and includes Hugh Morrison, Mason Brown, Pete Dawson along with Jed and Jaime Marum and David Shaw. The new album features original and traditional music, a blend of Scottish, Irish and American roots music with a strong Celtic flavor.

I intend to do a few posts on this CD, including posting interviews with the other band members. For today, as I immediately fell in love with the title song of the CD, “Sands of Aberdeen,” a ghost story, I decided to begin with it. Here are the lyrics along with a few of Marum’s notes on the song.

JED MARUM LYRICS:

Sands of Aberdeen, (c) Jed Marum, 2008

Grey and blue while I wait for you
All on the South Breakwater
Overdue how I long for you
I long to see your sail

May the Cold North Sea bring you home to me
I am my mother’s daughter
From that foreign shore, frozen Labrador
Home to Cruden Bay

CHO: Every night I hear your footsteps
Climbing up my stair
You kiss my cheek and I awaken
I speak your name
But you’re not there

Time wears away
Wearing day by day
Are you still among the living?
Months have been
Since you should have seen
The sands of Aberdeen

Time wears away
Still I wait and pray
Along the South Breakwater
I watch for you
How I long for you
I long for your embrace

Notes: I used a diary of a Scottish sailor and fisherman who sailed with his crew from England in the 1830s to form the back story for this song. They would fish and trap for furs in Labrador each season. They’d wait for the sea ice to break up in the spring, then set up camp for the summer. Ships in those days didn’t always return home, and sometimes those left behind in Scotland and the UK would never have a clue what happened to their loved ones who sailed away to the new world. I wondered how the young wife of a sea captain from Aberdeen might feel while facing the likely loss of her husband to the frozen Labrador shores or the unforgiving North Atlantic.
You can find more information on Jed Marum, his music, CD’s, and order this newest release, The Sands of Aberdeen here:

Here is a photo of Jed:

Jed Marum at Chicago Gaelic Park Irish Fest

I’ve always been a fan of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. I have the novel, the movie, have books about the movie, and collect every article I can on it. I know of two museums devoted to Mitchell’s novel–one is in Jefferson, Texas and one in the Atlanta area. I intend to visit both of them. I’m designing a college course of Civil War fiction, and I intend Gone with the Wind to be one of the works we study. Certainly, the novel was one of the books that inspired me to write my own, Stories of the Confederate South.

I just finished Michener’s book, Literary Reflections: Michener on Michener, Margaret Mitchell, Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote & Others (Forge 1993). One section was devoted to Gone with the Wind, and I was delighted to read Michener’s thoughts on Ms. Mitchell and on the novel. I’ve always admired Michener as a writer, though I’ve only read two of his novels–Caravans (about Afghanistan) and The Covenant (a prophetic work about South Africa). One late night when I lived in Naples, Florida, I remember hearing him interviewed on a distant talk radio program. That is one of the memories we writers have, one of the trigger experiences that plunged us into the brutal world of writing.

Here are some quotations from Michener’s book concerning Mitchell and Gone with the Wind:

“[T]he things Scarlet set her mind on were unthinkable” (205)

“[C]ritics will have to grapple with the problem of why her novel has remained so readable and so important to so many people” (207)
“Within a year of publication, 1,383,000 copies had been sold. Today [1993] sales stand at about 21,000,000” (207)

“[T]his story of a saucy French-Irish girl of sixteen facing up to the Civil War and holding her family together through the post-war reconstruction became more than a mere novel. It became a symbol” (208).

“Primarily, however, it is the South that changes, altered by war and defeat and social upheaval and stark determination to reestablish itself” (220).

Trivia: Mitchell’s original title was “Tomorrow is Another Day.” Scarlett’s original name was Pansy (after Mitchell’s favorite flower).

I hope you’ll pardon the brief, personal, and therefore, uninteresting post today.

Last night, in addition to meeting with contacts and a small informal signing, I went to House of Shock in New Orleans. What an experience! You can see and read all about the House of Shock here: It has to be the largest, the best, and the most frightening haunted house attraction I’ve ever been to. It is so frightening that one customer actually died from fright. I kid you not. The staff is numerous and well-costumed, the lines are long, and after attending this, no haunted house could hope to compare.

During my return drive today, I met with several teachers, librarians, and a principal in Brookhaven and in McComb. The good news on that as a result of these visits is that I’m going to present a program at the Mississippi School of the Arts in the future, as well as the McComb, MS Public Library. There are a few other programs in the works as a result of my queries, but I’ll let you know about those as they are confirmed.

I was so impressed with the students at the School of the Arts. THOSE are my kind of people. And after viewing a dance class, talking to some creative writers, and seeing visual artists hard at work (the artists are taught by my good friend, Tito) I’d have to say that the brightest and most creative kids in Mississippi are likely to be at this school. I was most impressed! And three of my books are now in the school’s library! I wish Louisiana would have been bold and loved the arts as much as Mississippi did when it created this school. You can see and read all about the school here:

I just arrived home from my two-day trip, and I did not make plans for tonight. I’m overloaded with work anyway. Perhaps I’ll watch a movie or two, but whatever I do, I know my thoughts will be on Halloween–one of my favorite nights of the year.

After an exhausting Friday in New Orleans, an exhausting but exhilarating weekend at NELA Celtic Fest, I am delighted to share this news: Pelican Publishing in Gretna, Louisiana, has agreed to publish two more of my children’s books. These are working titles, as I know the publisher has the right to tweak things. The first is another alphabet picture book with a working title of The Little Confederate’s ABC Book.  I intend for this to be sort of Civil War primer for the children of the South.  Our Southern culture and history is slipping from public and family consciousness and we need to hold on to it. Each letter of the alphabet has text in poem form that teaches the young Southern scholars about the words, history, people, and culture of the South during the Civil War.

The second book has a working title of Sunday School with Professor Jackson, and it tells the story of a black Sunday Presbyterian Sunday school that the great Stonewall Jackson taught at just before the War Between the States.  Several notable and influential black educators and ministers came from that Sunday school. They were also grateful for Jackson’s work, even raising money for a stained-glass window in their church that honored Stonewall. You can see that window today in the church in Roanoke, VA.

The next stage involves the publisher finding a good artist for the work. I suspect the book will be available sometime next year.  I’ll publish sample poems with some illustrations as the artwork comes in.

Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking at the state convention of the Louisiana Reading Association. My topic is, “Why Authors Should Fall to their Knees and Worship Librarians.” I’ll try to make a post about that event tomorrow night.

Yesterday afternoon, I was at Tisket-a-Tasket on Decateur Street in New Orleans. The signing went well, and Ms. Lisa, the owner, as usual was a delight to work with. I met people from all parts of the U.S. including a couple of people from Scotland (They bought the Scottish ABC book) From there, I drove to the Barnes and Noble in Metairie. There, I worked on my online classes for a couple of hours, then presented story time. What a delightful group of parents and children I met!  I told stories of the Civil War and of Scotland and also played my guitar. Here is a photo of me and Gina Liuzza, the Community Relations Manager of that store. She loves her work and it shows in the quality of the program she’s been able to build. She said she was quite pleased with my program.  It looks like this is a store I’ll be back to. I did one signing years ago for my novel, Red River Fever.

I returned home to Monroe late–about 1:00 a.m. Rose early to go to the Celtic Fest here. I worked till about 7:30 p.m. and then left.  It was a great day.  I ‘ll be back tomorrow and certainly will have more to report. I ran into several old friends. Here is a photo of my friend Amy, a very creative and sharp lady whom I haven’t seen in a long time.