Today, I presented my Civil War program at the West Side Elementary School in Jacksonville, TX. What wonderful young scholars and what great teachers! We divided the school up into 4 sessions, and I performed and presented to every student in the school. There’s a great deal of interest in the Civil War here. I left the school and visited Rice Elementary in Tyler and the public library. Both of those calls were fruitless as the decision makers were not in, but I did set up a signing at the Hastings Bookstore here in Tyler, Friday, March 7, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Tonight, I’ll be with the Tyler, Texas Pulpwood Queens, who were gracious enough to ask me as a visiting author to attend their reading group. I look forward to this little soiree. I happened to time my trip at the same time as their monthly meeting, so instead of taking a hotel in Lufkin, I found one in Tyler, not far from where their meeting is. The Pulpwood Queens (of any chapter) are always a hoot, and these women are some of the brightest, most beautiful, and most interesting people I’ve ever met. The Tyler Roses (as this group style themselves) were the winners of the Pulpwood Queen club competition in Jefferson in January.

Jacksonville, which began as Gum Creek in 1847, is an interesting city. It is known as the “Tomato Capital of the World.” You can learn some interesting facts about the city and see some photos of historical Jacksonville and Cherokee County here: http://www.tomatocapital.com/gallery3.asp

Tomorrow, I’ll have a long day at Brookhollow Elementary in Lufkin, Texas, then a signing at the Hastings Bookstore there. I hope I can get some rest tonight because I slept little last night, and it looks like I won’t get any tomorrow.

Pardon the short entry, but I need to read some, write some, do some online work related to the online class I’ll be teaching soon, practice my guitar, and perhaps catch a nap before I leave for the Pulpwood Queens’ meeting. I may add some more to this post later tonight.

A Rant Against Speed Traps:  A Job I’d Hate to Have:

Wouldn’t you hate to be the officer who gives tickets at speed traps? Talk about a job that should hurt someone’s conscience! One that a person should be ashamed to admit they do.  Face it, the purpose of speed traps is to generate revenue. Think of a speeding ticket as another tax if you would. (How many ways does the government want to get our money?) Speeding tickets to most civilians don’t save lives as might be claimed (a cliche is still a cliche, especially when the government says it) but speeding (and other tickets) do complicate our lives, and create pain and discomfort.  I’m not talking about a true construction site where workers are in danger of being hurt if speed is not lessened. At such places, usually the presence of an officer or an officer’s vehicle is all it takes to control traffic speed. I’m thinking of those areas where a construction sign is just thrown up, or areas where a speed limit is suddenly or arbitrarily changed.  So much real crime in our country and instead of targeting it, we turn on our own working civilians for doing something that has nothing to do with morals or character.  Officers must know that many people they ticket do not speed on purpose, and they must know that the tickets they give are REAL hardships for many people. I think that they must not care either. Our policies effectively generate money, but speeding tickets and such to not make us better people or even make our faltering society better.  It’s rather sad I think. It must also feel degrading to an officer (who wanted to help and serve society) to be assigned such tasks. If a person can find nobility or pride in such tasks, there must be a certain amount of self-delusion working.  It is not noble. Such jobs are just plain meanness.

Not long after my children’s book about Jim Limber came out, I was interviewed by Dixie Broadcasting.com. You can hear my interview via streaming video or download it as an MP3. Just scroll down the page till you come to my name and the interview. I’ll have another interview coming up on my Stories of the Confederate South.
http://www.dixiebroadcasting.com/pelicanpages.shtml

If you like news from a Southern point of view, Dixie Broadcasting is a great station to tune in to. Evidently there are many who like the station because the stations ratings are very high!  They do program some great music and speakers that are sure to challenge your thinking.

PITTMAN BOOK NEWS:

Tomorrow, I’ll be at a school in Jacksonville, Texas. Then Friday, at a school in Lufkin. Friday night I have a signing at a Hastings Books store in Lufkin. From there I’ll make my way to Sherman, Texas for a signing at the Hastings there. I’ll spend the night with my parents and drive home Sunday.  Next Tuesday, I’m scheduled to be in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I’ll have an extremely busy schedule in the Fort Worth area next week. Should be lots of fun, but there’s no shortage of work.

In 2005, I came across Confederate Battle Stories, a collection of short fiction that is edited by Martin Greenberg, Frank McSherry, and Charles Waugh. It was published by August House Publishers in Little Rock. Included are stories by some of America’s most famous authors, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and others. McSherry’s introduction, “Always Outnumbered–Never Outfought” is a stirring one.

McSherry claims that the “warriors of the Confederacy” were tough opponents, and that “some of the generals who led them, men justly ranked by historians as military geniuses” have no equal in history. He says their “valor was unsurpassed, their devotion undying.”

McSherry provides an interesting anecdote that captures the pride and spirit of the Confederate soldier. He says that “Confederate Robert Toombs, a fire-eater of the Old South, was asked by a Union friend after the war if he had applied for the pardon offered by the United States government to former Confederates.

“Pardon for what?” Toombs snapped. “I have not pardoned you all yet.”

However, the stories are not sugar-coated Southern propaganda. These stories, as good fiction must, tell the truth, portraying the hard truths of the world the Southern soldiers lived in. I enjoyed the read, and if you like the Civil War, I think you will too.

With the publication of my children’s book, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House, I realized at my signings how little people knew about the President of the Confederacy.  Jefferson Davis, a man honored  by the schools,  streets, schools, and other things named after him,  is a man that America  has yet to know.  The look on people’s faces when I tell them that Davis adopted a free child of color is priceless.

One of the best books about him is  Was Jefferson Davis Right? by the Kennedy brothers, Pelican Publishing.  This book will change the way you view history. A must read if you care anything about the Civil War (and how it changed everything about America).   Here are some endorsements of this book:

Charley Reese, nationally syndicated columnist: “Every American ought to read this brilliant new book by the Kennedy brothers.”

Thomas Fleming, editor of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture.  “Decisively refuting all the old slanders, the authors give us back the real Davis–a patriotic soldier, a reluctant secessionist, the model of a Christian gentleman, and an inspiration to all Americans, North and South.”

At the Pulpwood Queens Festival, I met a wonderful author–Heather Bornback-Bland who wrote a rich and moving account of her life entitled God Said Yes. This is a book you must order and share with others. Heather’s story builds one’s faith in God (without being a preachy account) and it helps us really understand what human dignity, compassion, and love are all about. She is a wonderful public speaker and an excellent fund raiser, so I hope your school will think of using her. Here is a photo of Heather and myself at the Jefferson Author/Book Event:

FROM HER WEBSITE:

Heather Hornback-Bland
My Story:
I would like to share with you some of my life’s joys and pains. My hope is that in sharing my story, I can give hope to the hopeless and to those that are blessed with so much, a desire to give and be thankful.

Speaking:
I am blessed to be able to speak on a number of topics including “Being Strong,” “Trusting That God Will Provide,” “Persevering Through Pain (When You Don’t Want To),” “Life After Divorce,” “God Showed His Unconditional Love,” and many more.

Press Room:
My speaking engagements and the tremendous efforts people make to support me and my ministry make their way into the papers.

Mackenzie:
A true gift to me, my daughter Mackenzie, has an incredible story all to herself. And a page all to herself, too!

The Book:
“God Said Yes” is the title of my life story in book stores on October 1, 2007. Penguin Group is the publishing my life story. We are so excited to tell you that you can pre-order “God Said Yes” on Amazon.com.

Here is a photo of Heather and her friend Kelly that Bonnie Barnes took:

To learn more of Heather do go to her website: http://www.godsaidyes.net/

Today I took off work to prepare my taxes, and I was reminded of a very fine book I read and edited for Ronald Kennedy entitled, Reclaiming Liberty. One of the chapters had the fitting title of “Taxes and Other Ways to Steal Other People’s Money.” This book is published by Pelican Publishing and if you are unhappy with or wondering about what is wrong with the current American political world, this book will answer those questions and raise some others you haven’t thought of.

Kennedy (along with many other current writers) points out that the medieval serfs paid a tax of approximately 25-30 % of all they earned/owned.When you think of how that is roughly the equivalent of how Americans are taxed today, you realize that we are not citizens–we are serfs. We are as one writer said, “Democracy’s serfs.” Kennedy points out that Americans are taxed in a multitude of ways, some of them hidden or invisible. If you have any interest in politics at all, do yourself a favor and visit the Kennedy brothers site. Steer anyone you meet who is unhappy with the present political scene to it (Most people I know are unhappy with it). http://www.kennedytwins.com/

Here is a quote from the chapter: “Money is the mother’s milk of American politics. Politicians need money to enter or maintain themselves in office [Has our government become an oligarchy?] , to grant favors to the special interest groups that provide votes in elections, to support business ventures of the politically connected, and to support the ever enlarging bureaucracy required to maintain their political empire. Most contemporary politicians are rich compared to the average taxpayer . . . their fortunes are safe; it’s your income they desire . . . regardless of who is in power–conservative, liberal, Republican, or Democrat–under the current liberal/socialist political system,your income is always at risk” (p. 163).

The Kennedy brothers have also written other books you need to find and read:

The South Was Right! Was Jefferson Davis Right? Why Not Freedom! Myths of American Slavery, and Red Republicans and Lincoln’s Marxists. I’m sure I will have other posts about the writings of the Kennedy brothers, but hopefully this will encourage you to take a look at their work.

Oh, and remember this song by the Beatles?

Taxman
Artist(Band):The Beatles

Let me tell you how it will be,
There’s one for you, nineteen for me,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
(If you drive a car), I’ll tax the street,
(If you try to sit), I’ll tax your seat,
(If you get too cold), I’ll tax the heat,
(If you take a walk), I’ll tax your feet.
Taxman.
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
(Ah Ah! Mister Wilson!)
If you don’t want to pay some more
(Ah Ah! Mister Heath!),
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah yeah, I’m the Taxman.
Now my advice for those who die,
Declare the pennies on your eyes,
‘Cos I’m the Taxman,
Yeah, I’m the Taxman.
And you’re working for no-one but me.

Today, I presented a program at Waskom, Texas High School. I’ve really never seen a better behaved and polite group of high school students. My program was my Scots-Irish program, with a show and tell table, but the rest of the day was spent performing mostly Scottish or Irish music. I’ve been invited back next year, so I think it went well. I’m tired, but I feel inspired and motivated because of the encouraging students and teachers I talked to today. I wore my kilt, and I know I exposed the young scholars to many facts about Scotland and Ireland they’ve never known about. It was a lucky day for me. I woke at 3:00 am, arose at 3:30 am, dressed and drove on to Waskom, 124 miles from my house.

Reading List:

I’ve received in the mail two books I must read and review soon: One is by Lisa Wingate, entitled, Talk of the Town. The other is My Soul to Keep by Melanie Wells. I’ll read them and post their reviews. They both have GREAT openings, so my gut feeling is that I will give them good reviews.

College News:

My ENG 101 class is going well at Delta. I have a conscientious group who are working hard. As we went over the class syllabus again, I focused on the comparison/contrast essay assignment. They are to compare a modern (relatively) modern book to its movie. For years I have told students to “Never judge a book by its movie.” Here are the choices I gave them, though I told them they could suggest others:

1. Man on Fire

2. Atonement

3. Love in the Time of Cholera

4. No Country for Old Men

5. All the Pretty Horses

6. The Crucible

7. Peter Pan (Allowing Hook, and Finding Neverland as movie choices)

8. In Cold Blood (allowing Infamous and Capote as movie choices)

9. The Scarlet Letter

10. Cold Mountain

11. The Kite Runner

My scholars seemed intrigued by the assignment, and I think it will do them good.

Book Tour News:

Tomorrow, I have a school program in Waskom, Texas. The rest of the weekend will be spent writing, reading, and catching up on chores (including tax preparation). Today I’m researching, memorizing songs, and preparing for my school program tomorrow. I’ll make some calls related to future signings also.

ART INSPIRING ART: Here is a poem I wrote after reading Olen Steinhauer’s novel, 36 Yalta Boulevard. A sign of a good novel is when one of its characters touches you or you identify with him. I thought about Brano Sev, and using lines of the novel I had underlined wrote this poem. This is an exercise I have students do to help them notice and remember important lines in a reading. So, most of the language of the poem that follows is Olen’s. Here is his website. I’d encourage you to take a look at his books: http://www.olensteinhauer.com/

Brano Sev . . .

We are the same age,

Both haunted by the past,

Both naive and idealistic.

Tutored by the school of necessity,

Tamed by silence,

Learning the techniques of coldness,

Tortured by interrogators

Until my mouth and heart spit blood,

But left with fewer scars than I deserve.

If you suffer enough,

The paranoia becomes real, constant,

The deja vu of moments repeated in memory,

Reliving shame, reviving fear, scarring your dreams,

Longing for the day when the past cannot touch me.

Brano, I am a man like you,

Staying in trouble, still waiting

For the Black Maria and

Heavy-booted men to break their

Way into my life.

I guess the fear never leaves.

They have done their work well.

Book News:

On Kathy Patrick’s blog, http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com/ (The Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club) my book was selected as the May 2008 pick! Kathy’s blog said:

“Pinecones (our pre-teen version of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club) Selection
Jim Limber Davis: Black Orphan in the Confederate White House by Rickey Pittman, Pelican Publishing.

My Grapevine, Texas book signing at the Books-A-Million for this Saturday is being rescheduled. Likely, it will now be in April. There was a management change and in the confusion of transition, my books didn’t get ordered (Books-A-Million seems to have management changes frequently). If I can, I’ll replace it, but if I have a Saturday “off” I can use the time for writing, preparing my taxes, or the never ending chores that life thrust upon us. I’ll still be in Waskom, Texas though on Friday.

I’ve been booked to be the speaker for a reception for the regional winners of the Young Authors’ Contest. Entries are judged at the school level in grades K-8 (regular ed. & special ed.) and in three categories – poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. This year we are honoring 77 district winners at a reception the afternoon of April 30.

WHAT I’M READING:

While getting my Toyota RAV serviced, I found this quote in Esquire by Michael J. Fox: “I can’t be smug because I know you can lose anything at any point.”

In the Jan/Feb issue of Poets & Writers, I underscored these quotes:

Alice Quinn said, “I’m still a believer in Robert Frost’s dictum that a good poem should be like a piece of ice on a hot stove; it should ride on its own melting” (19).

In this same issue, Aaron Hamburger writes of the popularity of the historical novel and discusses the difficulties writers face in trying to write good ones. The article is entitled, “The Pitfalls of Historical Fiction.” The article ends with this:

“And we should stop applauding novels that comfort us by confirming our sense of what the past must have been like. We should seek out the moments in historical fiction that confront us with our own frailty and ignorance–the qualities that make all ofus, no matter when or where were born, human” (25).

Reginal Shepherd wrote a wonderful article in this issue entitled, “Poetry as a Way Out.” The article is full of amazing insights into the mind of the poet and the craft of writing poetry.

You can find Poets & Writers online here: http://www.pw.org/ 

It has to be one of the finest resources available to creative writers.

While in Jefferson, Texas at Kathy Patrick’s Girlfriend Weekend, I met another wonderful author–Lisa Wingate, who agreed to a short interview that I would post on this blog. I enjoyed hearing her speak,  and her wit and work caused me to think of her as a Texan version of  Carson McCuller.

Lisa Wingate lives in central Texas where she is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books. Her novel, Tending Roses, sold out ten printings for New York publisher, Penguin Putnam, and went on to become a national bestselling book. Tending Roses was a selection of the Readers Club of America, and is currently in its eleventh printing.

The Tending Roses series continued with Good Hope Road, The Language of Sycamores, Drenched In Light, and A Thousand Voices. In 2003, Lisa’s Texas Hill Country series began with Texas Cooking, and continued with Lone Star Café, which was hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “A charmingly nostalgic treat.” The series concluded with Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner.

Lisa is now working on a new set of small-town Texas novels for Bethany House Publishers. The series debuts with Talk of The Town, in February, 2008. A new series is also underway for Penguin Group NAL, beginning with A Month of Summer (July 2008).

BOOK SUMMARY:

Talk of the Town is a zany little tale about big dreams, small town life, fried food, and the making Hollywood superstars—not necessarily in that order. While the book has a serious side that looks at grief, recovery, the temptations of fame, and the value of community, it also has a lot of laughs thanks to the quirky, crazy folks of Daily, Texas. Daily is a place not unlike many small towns, and if you’ve ever lived in one or spent time in one, you’ll probably recognize some people you know in Daily, Texas. While you’re there, don’t forget to stop in at the café for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. Say hi to Imagene, Donetta, and girls for me. Don’t be surprised if they’re cooking up more than just red beans and rice. There’s never any telling, on any given day, what will happen in Daily, and that goes double now that local Daily Darling, Amber Anderson has made it to the top on the American Superstar show. Ever since the big news about Amber hit town, it’s been dig-in-your-spurs-and-hang-on-Sally, we’re going for a ride.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Your favorite author(s) and book(s)

In terms of classics, I love anything by Twain, because the writing is real and timeless. Reading Twain makes you realize that, when you take away the modern trappings, people really haven’t changed all that much. There’s a little Huckleberry Finn in all of us. I enjoy the writings of Will Rogers for the same reason. Rogers’ humor is dead-on today, just as it was when he penned it. I’ve loved sharing C.S. Lewis with my sons as they’ve grown up, as well. Gift From the Sea is another tiny, but favorite classic.

In terms of modern writers, I enjoy reading anything by Debbie Macomber. Luanne Rice, Adriana Trigiani, and others. I loved Nicholas Sparks and his novel, The Notebook, because it encompassed so many of the feelings I had while dealing with Alzheimer’s disease in my own family. I enjoy any story that explores life in a positive way and ends with the belief that all things are possible.

I’m currently reading Paulina Porizkova’s A Model Summer, after having met her at the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend. The story is keeping me up late, reading, and sometimes re-reading passages so I can soak in the descriptions, which, for me, is always the marker of a great book.

2. What is the most significant thing as a writer that you learned in writing this book?

For me, writing Talk of the Town has been a chance to explore the fabric of small community, the way in which the members mesh like threads in a weave that creates both a canvas and a safety net.

The original idea for this story struck me several years ago while I was out to dinner with friends. The subject of nearby Crawford, Texas (at that time, the brand new location of the Bush ranch) came up, and funny “Crawford” stories began flying back and forth across the table. Strange events take place when the world stage falls on a quiet little town that isn’t at all prepared for the spotlight. It occurred to me that, not only were some interesting culture collisions involved, but the stories were just plain funny.

The inspiration rattled around the back of my mind for several years. When I finally started writing it, I thought a reality TV show would be the perfect vehicle for bringing the press, paparazzi, and the bright lights to a sleepy little town that’s about to wake up in a big way.

3. What are your favorite lines in the book?

“A wiggle in the water don’t mean there’s a fish on the hook.”

“I’ve got a big mouth, and there’s no telling sometimes what’ll tumble out. I have to repent every five minutes or so. When I get to the pearly gates, I imagine the atonement line will be long with people who don’t. I’ll be in the short line at the express gate, because I’m on the repent-as-you-go plan. ”

“You know you’re best girlfriends when you check each other’s teeth without even thinking about it.”

“The plain kind of places, the ones like Daily, where the folks are friendly and folks are friendly and a good story will buy you a cup of coffee any day of the week, don’t ever really die. They only doze off like sage old hounds sleeping away the hot afternoon, awaiting the cool of evening to get up and throw back their heads, lope through the hills and bay at the moon.”

“Sometimes it’s convenient having an auto body shop and a beauty salon all in one building. You wouldn’t think so, but sometimes it is.”

“Don’t need no 60 Minutes here. We’ve got the café. Paul Harvey would be impressed at how quick the rest of the story gets told in Daily, Texas.”

Those are a few of my favorites, but really, Daily was just a fun place to spend time, all the way around.

4. News: Recent or future author events?

I do quite a bit of inspirational speaking, so there’s always a list of upcoming appearances and events on www.Lisawingate.com.
Over the course of a year, I’ll usually speak to fifty or sixty groups of all different sizes. After spending so much of my time listening to the voices in my head and playing with my imaginary friends (who are all very real to me, so I probably need therapy), I enjoy the chance to visit with real people and talk about writing, life, and the stories behind the stories.

5. What else do you have in the works?

I have another book, A Month of Summer, coming out in July from New American Library, Penguin Group. Over the years, I’ve alternated between writing the lighter comedy of the small-town Texas books, and mainstream relationship-based stories like A Month of Summer. I love both types of writing. For me, humor and the serious emotions coexist on the page just as they do in real life. On any given day, in any random situation it’s possible to find a little of each.