I’ve been remiss in my blog duties, but I’ve been buried in book editing for days. I’ll be in Lake Charles at a school Friday, and performing and signing books at the Swamp Celts Festival in Baton Rouge on Saturday. In other words, I’ll be swamped with work.

Here is something I put together for TGIF about some little known Texans during the War Between the States.

Some Texans Worth Remembering . . .

In More Generals in Gray by Bruce Allardice, printed by LSU Press, I found the names of several Texans who served the Confederacy during the War Between the States. Here are a few of the men mentioned in the appendix of this book and a short description of each man:

Frederic Samuel Bass, (1829-1897) was a prewar teacher in Marshall Texas. As a colonel, the notes said he commanded Hood’s Texas Brigade near the end of the war.

August Buchel (1811-1864) was a colonel of the 1st Texas Cavalry, a native of Germany, and a soldier of fortune. He was promoted to Brigadier General just before he was killed at the battle of Mansfield.

Thomas Jefferson Chambers was a colonel of the 14th Texas and was briefly governor of Texas in 1861 and promoted to general late in the war. He too resided in Marshall, Texas.

George M. Flournoy (1832-1889) was a colonel of the 16th Texas Infantry and prewar attorney general of Texas.

William Harrison Hamman (1830-1918) was a Virginia-born Texas lawyer of Robertson Texas.  He was appointed brigadier general of Texas state troops in December, 1864.

David Bell Martin (1830-1892) was a brigadier general of the 10th Brigade of the Texas Militia and later commandant of conscripts in Texas. Before the war he worked as a merchant in Cherokee County.

Hugh McLeod (1814-1862) was a West Point graduate and colonel of the 1st Texas Infantry. A New York-born Galveston resident, McLeod had been Texas’ secretary of war.

The more I study Texas history, the more fascinated I am.  If you’ve heard of these men or are related to them, drop me a note at rickeyp@bayou.com

Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate: A Review

I said before on this blog that Lisa Wingate is a Texas version of Carson McCullers.  I just completed her novel, and I now believe that statement even more. Having been raised in Texas, with grandparents in Rochester, a town in West Texas, I was surprised to find another author who loved that part of the country as much as I did. In Talk of the Town, author Lisa Wingate has created a story that is so true-to-life and so depictive of the people in West Texas that it rattled me. More witty than the Don Johnson movie Hotspot, the story not only revealed the culture and people of a small Texas town, but it reminded me of the many reasons why I love West Texas and the people who live there.

The plot is more complex than one might think at first glance, leading the reader on to discoveries about the characters and the town of Daily, Texas.  And in the process, the reader learns much about him or herself, discovering that fame is highly underrated, compared to the joy of finding true love.

The story is told in alternating chapters, using the voices and point-of-views of the young Mandalay Florentino and the older Imagene Doll.  At first, I was not interested in Imagene’s POV, but as I read on, I realized how important she was to the story.  Mandalay caught my attention from the first, perhaps because I had met the author and identified that voice with her.

The author is an expert of the similes and metaphors contained in the language of Texas residents. One could almost create a lexicon of West Texas idioms from this novel. The novel is also an expose of the “reality” shows, revealing gimmicks and reminding the reader to not believe that what we see on TV is always the “real” thing. However, with the depiction of Amber, one is led to think that maybe, just maybe, there are some people who have not sold out to Hollywood (or other places) and that if there were more people like Mandalay, our entertainment would be of better quality.

Here are two of my favorite lines:

“Those dreams, the ones that are dreamed for us, not by us, are the truest of all” (242).

“It made me wonder what else I might of missed, just because I was afraid” (122).

If you want to learn more of Lisa Wingate and her writing, go to http://www.lisawingate.com/

Rosemary Poole-Carter’s novel, Women of Magdalene, was a moving read for me for many reasons. First of all, I read everything I can that touches on the Civil War, and though this novel’s setting is after the War, the War has deeply affected the novel’s characters. The writing is rich in allusions. The author reveals extensive research, not only into matters that concern the war, but research of a neglected part of Louisiana history and the life of its residents in a post-war setting. The novel also moved me because of the subtle and beautiful way its lines touched the life-issues of family, love, women’s rights, medical practice, including especially our treatment and view of “the insane.”

If I were asked to express what the possible themes/messages of this fine novel might be, I would suggest these:

1)  Robert, the protagonist, has been as scarred internally by the war, as scarred and maimed as the hundreds he feels he maimed as a physician. He is a tormented soul who finally finds redemption and peace when he finds something and someone worth dying for. The story is told masterfully from his point of view.

2) This is a story about our need and our search for healing through true love. Robert and Effie’s love is a pure one, so unlike the lust or power-driven relationships about them. When one discovers that kind of love, then like Robert he or she can say, ” I will ask for nothing more.”
3) This is a story about madness, about the madness in each of us, about how close to the edge of madness we all are. The story is also about masked madness, the hidden insanity of those who have no conscience, those who judge, define, use and control those deemed to be mentally incompetent, especially women.

To learn more of Rosemary Poole-Carter and her wonderful fiction, go to http://www.poole-carter.info/ 

After I completed my second day of Civil War programs at Hallsville, TX Junior High yesterday, I drove to my Delta Community College class, arriving at exactly 5:00 p.m., which is when my class starts.

I had a grand time with these students at Hallsville, and it seemed that as word spread through the junior high grapevine, the students’ energy (who began rather reserved) greatly increased. Likely that’s typical for junior high kids.

This weekend, I’m off to Oklahoma to visit my parents and help them prepare their garden, and I’ll also be working on a book I’m editing.  The author is Bob Boan, and it’s entitled, Williams Lake Was Once The Center Of The Universe.  I think the author has a winner here. I’ll give it a little review after I’ve finished my editing.

A Song about Catalina: A friend read my post about my Catalina Island visit and sent me these song lyrics. Evidently the island is much more famous than I realized.

(Words and Music by band members Glen Larson and Bruce
Belland)

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance,
romance, romance

Water all around it everywhere
Tropical trees and the salty air
But for me the thing that’s a-waitin’ there-romance

It seems so distant, twenty-six miles away
Restin’ in the water serene
I’d work for anyone, even the Navy
Who would float me to my island dream

Twenty- six miles, so near yet far
I’d swim with just some water-wings and my guitar
I could leave the wings but I’ll need the guitar
for romance, romance, romance, romance

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance

A tropical heaven out in the ocean
Covered with trees and girls
If I have to swim, I’ll do it forever
Till I’m gazin’ on those island pearls

Forty kilometers in a leaky old boat
Any old thing that’ll stay afloat
When we arrive we’ll all promote romance, romance,
romance, romance

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance,
romance, romance

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin’ for me
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]

These East Texas schools keep surprising me. I had a WONDERFUL day with the 8th Graders at Hallsville Jr. High. These kids are sharp, civilized, polite, and eager to learn new things. This has to be because of the fantastic teachers here. A few of the 8th grade teachers and I gathered at Papacita’s, a Mexican restaurant in Longview where my lodging is. Here is a photo of Mary Beth, Rachel, Melissa, Margaret, and myself after our meal.

Librarians continue to be my favorite people, and Terri Nalls has a fantastic library. In tomorrow’s post I  need to tell you more about her program, and especially her co-workers, Sarah Roberts (one of the most committed librarians I’ve ever met) and Tom Campitillo who is a parent who volunteers to work in the library. And I must mention her very diligent student workers.  Meeting them, I am convinced that students who WANT to work in a library will be on the sharper side of the human race.

With librarians who believe in the power of books, librarians like Terri, these young readers will be sure to grow intellectually and emotionally.  Tomorrow, I have another day with the 8th graders at the school, again presenting my Civil War program. More later then. Make music, make peace, make the world a better place.

Book Signing and Program News:

Tomorrow (Monday) morning at 8:00 a.m., I’ll be interviewed at The Cross, KBMQ/KLIC  in Monroe, Louisiana.  The subject will be writing and discussion of my children’s book, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House.

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1-2, I’ll be at the junior high in Hallsville, TX, presenting my Jim Limber and Civil War Program.

In addition, I’ve been asked to perform for the children at the Swamp Celts Festival in Baton Rouge, April 12.  I’ll also have a booth to sign my books at.   You  can learn more about this fantastic Celtic festival here, http://www.swampcelts.com/ 

Excitement is building for my Scottish Alphabet book which we hope to have in print by August-September.  I hope to begin preselling and making presentations for the book soon. If you would like to preorder a signed and discounted copy, drop me a note and we’ll discuss it. rickeyp@bayou.com

A Wonderful Civil War Song: On Rosemary Poole-Carter’s website, I found a beautiful arrangement of a song, “Somebody’s Darling.” If you like Civil War music, be sure and check it out. (Wava Everton, vocals; Lesley Modisette, guitar) Rosemary is the talented author of Women of Magdalene. http://www.poole-carter.info/images/Wava%20Everton%20-%20Somebodys%20Darling.mp3

Every now and then I take an inventory on the tools that are helpful to me in my writing. Of course, the most important tool is self-discipline, for as John Dufresne says, “The first rule of writing is to sit your butt down and write.” However, I’ve also found these tools most helpful:

1. My Dictionaries.  I use two: Miriam-Webster 10th Collegiate Edition and the American Heritage 4th Edition.

2. My Thesaurus: The Synonym Finder.  There’s not a thesaurus like it.

3. Magazines:  I read these for ideas, inspiration, and writing trends. Currently I subscribe to Poets & Writers, Writer’s Chronicle (this keeps me informed on college trends and the academic side of creative writing) Cowboys & Indians (as it seems more and more of my work is going west, and besides, I just like it) and Oxford American (for the Southerner in me).

4. Fiction and Novel Writer’s Market by Writer’s Digest. Don’t know where or to whom to send your work? This is invaluable! I should get a new one each year, but I usually get two years out of an edition. Mine is already dated and needs to be replaced.

5. The Internet. Now, one can obtain instant answers, spelling, information, or directions immediately.  Lots of junk, true, but good stuff too.

5.  My iBook. My whole life is in my laptop. I would not surrender it during a robbery. It is more portable than a typewriter and I can usually find Wi-Fi free, though that is becoming more difficult.  As soon as I’m financially able (yuk, yuk!), I plan on using the AT&T service that enables you to have wireless anywhere you can get a signal for a cell phone.

 One of the programs I do in schools is creative writing. In those sessions, I teach students how to create their own children’s book.  Teachers with whom I’ve discussed this program are excited about it.  If you’re a writer, you might find a door into being published through a good children’s book. Now, writing a good children’s book is harder than it may sound, but it is worth the effort. Here are five reasons why you (as a writer) might want to write a children’s book.

1. As a  writer, you need to know about the genre. Everything you learn about writing and publishing can be of use to you in your marketing and in your conversation.

2. There is a huge market for children’s books. Parents who read WANT their children to read.

3. If you want to reach two or more generations at one time with important information, then a children’s book is the way to do it. This is why I chose to write Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House in children’s book form. I knew I would reach teachers, parents, grandparents, and children with this touching story that’s been left out of the history books.

4. Children’s books are valuable to teachers as performance readings and story time material.

5.  Children’s books inspire students to become writers and artists.

Say it ain’t so! Civil War Quotations: “The Rebel Army is now the legitimate property of the Army of the Potomac.” — Union general Joseph Hooker said this shortly before he was defeated by the Confederate Army at Chancellorsville, VA.

Another favorite ironic quote: ” They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”

http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=294&forum_id=1:

Certainly billed as one of the most ironic and famous last words of a man at the battle of Spotsylvania.  The highest ranking Union general to be killed in the war,  “Uncle John Sedgewick, was shot through the left eye by a Confederate sharpshooter (using a Whitworth).

Not long ago, as you may remember from my blog notes, I was in Dublin, Texas. In the parade, I was reminded of our debt to Mexico. Here is a photo:

Here are the Dublin Beauty Queens! What beauties!

Here I am, waiting on the parade and orders to march.

And here is a photo of a beautiful girl. I call this photo, “California Bonnie.” She is standing underneath a statue of the Greek goddess, Diana, the Huntress.

I do try to take as many photos as I can these days.  I throw away many. But I’ve learned those Kodak moments can really mean something in the future, but if we lose them, we have to live with the regrets.

After listening to The Tin Roof Blowdown on audio CD by James Lee Burke, I am more impressed than ever with Burke’s writing.  His writing has fascinated me for some years now. Since first lines in writing a novel are so important, I decided to take a look at the first lines of some of the Dave Robicheaux novels:

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead “The sky had gone black at sunset, and the storm had churned inland from the Gulf and drenched New Iberia and littered East Main with leaves and tree branches from the long canopy of oaks that covered the street from the old brick post office to the drawbridge over Bayou Teche at the edge of town.”

Jolie Blon’s Bounce “Growing up during the 1940s in New Iberia, down on the Gulf Coast, I never doubted how the world worked.”

A Stained White Radiance “I had known the Sonnier family all my life.”

Black Cherry Blues ” Her hair is curly and gold on the pillow, her skin white in the heat lightning that trembles beyond the pecan trees outside the bedroom window.”

Heaven’s Prisoners “I was just off Southwest Pass, between Pecan and Marsh islands, with the green whitecapping water of the Gulf Stream to the south and the long, flat expanse of the Louisiana coastline behind me–which is really not a coastline at all but instead of huge wetlands area of sawgrass, dead cypress strung with wisps of moss, and a maze of canals and bayous that are choked with Japanese water lilies whose purple flowers audibly pop in the morning and whose root systems can wind around your propeller shaft like cable wire.”

Dixie City Jam “Not many people believe this, but in the early months of 1942, Nazi submarines used to lie in wait at the mouth of the Mississippi for the tankers that sailed without naval escort from the oil refineries at Baton Rouge into the Gulf of Mexico.”

*Though there are several other novels I could have used, I think these are representative of Burke’s style. Writing in the first person, he is a master of narration with wonderful diction and insights into the human condition. I would like to know your thoughts on Burke, so drop me an email with Burke in the “reply” window.