Noteworthy Reads: BEATING THE BUSHES by Christine Matthews

Two fathers. One missing boy. A friendship that binds the two men, even beyond death.

When fifteen year old Stevie Kracher goes missing, volunteers descend on a small Missouri town to join the search. One of those volunteers is Vincent Lloyd, whose six-year-old little girl had disappeared three years earlier. When her body was finally found, Vince became the prime suspect. Now he sees this new abduction as a chance to redeem himself, and to help save a child.

Baylor Kracher is frantic to find his son. Nothing this devastating has ever happened to him; when he meets Vince he's found the only person he believes might understands his terror. Working with an Internet search group, fighting an aggressive reporter who's convinced that Vince killed his daughter, neither man will give an inch. But are they too late? And if they succeed, are they prepared for what they might find?

(WD here: I read this very powerful suspense thriller in virtually two sittings and was captivated every step of the way. The multiple-POV writing style is done about as effectively as I've seen. You can read my 5-star review on Amazon. I give this a big recommendation.)

Dundee Interview Available Now at Robb Website/Blog

Today, on Julia Robb's website/blog, she is featuring an interview with yours truly. You may find it of interest.

Julia is a fine writer and Western historian whose work is well worth checking out as well, as are the many other interesting features on her site. Even if you think you've heard all the bloviating you can stand from me, do yourself a favor and have a look at the rest of the site and be sure to follow the links to Julia's own books.

Speaking of links, you can access the site here:  

http://juliarobb.com/category/blog/

Another Look: FLAMING STAR (1960 film starring Elvis Presley; directed by Don Siegel)

For Elvis fans and Western movie enthusiasts alike, this is actually a fairly significant film. It was Presley's sixth starring role and the second one (following G.I. BLUES) after he'd completed his much-ballyhooed hitch in the army.

While BLUES was a huge box office hit, FLAMING STAR did okay but not nearly as well. His next film, WILD IN THE COUNTRY, also was something of a box office disappointment. With the exception of G.I. BLUES, all of Presley's films up through WILD contained some serious elements and showed promise for his potential to be quite a good actor. Nevertheless, his mentor and manager Col. Tom Parker saw the lesser box office clout of WILD and FLAMING STAR (which featured only two song performances with one of them only done over the opening credits) as signs that what Elvis's audiences really wanted was to see him sing and dance and flirt with pretty girls and to hell with anything too somber or requiring the development of his acting chops. Hence, the following string of lightweight musical fluff (with a couple arguable exceptions) that most folks today tend to identify Elvis with today, as far as his film work.

And that's a damn shame.

There's no better example than his work in FLAMING STAR to show what a strong presence he was on the screen --- and how much stronger he could have gotten, if given the chance.

As half-breed Pacer Burton, Presley is dark and lithe and increasingly dangerous as the events of racial intolerance between Whites and Indians unfold and escalate in this action/drams Western. Elvis is supported on all fronts by veterans --- from director Don Siegel (this was prior to the renown he would gain in later years after teaming with Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry films and others, but he was a well-established craftsman at this point all the same); to writers Nunally Johnson and Clair Huffaker (on whose novel the screenplay was based); to co-stars such as Steve Forest and Barbara Eden --- and he holds his own and then some. Silent film goddess Dolores del Rio plays Pacer's Kiowa mother, veteran character actor John McIntire his father. They turn in the film's two finest performances --- del Rio in a noble, understated way; McIntire in a wide-ranging arc from tough gruffness to grim, deep sorrow. But next in line, acting-wise, and not by very much, is Elvis himself … considerably ahead of rather wooden turns by Forrest and Eden.

My biggest quibble is with the whole "flaming star of death" thing that serves as the title tie-in and allegedly is some sort of premonition that Indians sometimes envision when the time of their death is near. It seemed a little too hokey and out of sync with the straightforward grittiness that the rest of the film seemed to be striving for.

Otherwise, FLAMING STAR is tight, tough, and quite satisfying. It may not be THE SEARCHERS … but it's a hell of a lot closer to that, I assure you, than it is to TICKLE ME or any of those other musical throwaways Elvis got stuck doing later on.

Another Look: THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD

In 1958, when this movie came out, I was 10 years old. I still remember it vividly, albeit with the aid of a handful of re-viewings. What I also remember vividly is the bombardment of TV commercials that came with it. That's not to say I recall clearly the content of said commercials --- except for the impact made by the first sight of the Cyclops as presented in Ray Harryhausen's much-touted Dynamation. Even on our tiny, grainy, black-and-white TV screen I knew I was looking at something special and spectacular and I couldn't wait for a chance to see the movie.

This was probably my first awareness of big motion picture hype.

(1958 was also the year of Joseph E. Levine's uber promotion for Steve Reeves' Hercules, but that's a story to be covered another time.)

As film entertainment, The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad is an epic adventure filmed in rich Technicolor with state of the art special effects (for the time) that stands the test of time and can be watched and enjoyed over and over. One could quibble about the lousy acting, the poorly choreographed fight scenes, the inaccuracy of Sinbad's ship, and so forth. But the 10-year-old kid who saw these things for the first time nearly six decades ago didn't find fault in any of those things … and the remnants of that 10-year-old who recently sat down and once again watched 7^th with his youngest grandson didn't give a hoot about them, either.

While some of the fights and fisticuffs were poorly staged, the sword battle between Sinbad and the evil magician's skeleton was top notch. (This was such a popular scene that Harryhausan used versions of it twice more in Jason and the Argonauts and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger – each perhaps technically better, but none more exciting or effective.)

The stop-action special effects methodology that Harryhausen learned from his mentor Willis O'Brien (the original King Kong, Mighty Joe Young) then went on to hone and refine throughout his career, holds a special place in my heart over today's admittedly superior cgi techniques … and none of the creatures thus created (except Kong himself, of course) are stamped more indelibly in my mind/imagination that the Cyclops from The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad.

Another thing that made an ever-lasting impression on me was the chant to call out the Genie of the lamp who played such an important part in this film. Say it with me: "From the land beyond beyond, From the world past hope and fear – I bid you, Genie, now appear!"

I don't think there's been a point at any time in my later life when, if asked, I couldn't have remembered and recited that for you. Same is true for "Klaatu barada nikto", the critical message for Gort the robot, in the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. I bet there's a high percentage of guys my age (especially the adventure-minded daydreamers, again like me, many of whom probably aspired to and/or became writers) who could also make that claim … Spare me the forced memorization of passages from Edna St, Vincent Millay, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, etc., that they tried to pound into my head in high school --- give me quotes from impactful action movies, and I'll nail 'em every time.

Anyway, back to The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad … If you haven't seen it in a while or somehow have never seen it, I urge you to grab a DVD copy or catch it on TCM or whatever, and give it a look. It holds up really well. If you can corral a youngster to sit down and watch it with you, I bet they'll get a kick out of it, too. And that will enhance your own viewing enjoyment.

WHEN A CHARACTER COMES TO LIFE - LITERALLY

Over the past weekend I had a rather interesting experience involving the cover to O'Doul, one of my Western Trail Blazer "dime novels" that has gotten some new life breathed into it recently via a nice uptick in sales. In fact, along with the Peacemaker Award-winning This Old Star, another of my "dime novel" titles (please believe I mention this out of pride, not to sound boastful) it has, for some time now, been holding in the top 20 in Amazon sales for the Westerns > Short Stories category.

In the course of this, O'Doul came to the attention of an Arizona gentleman named C.L. "Lee" Anderson who sent me an e-mail with this query: "Just curious. How (or where) did you find the photo on the O'Doul cover? The ol' boy sure looks the part."

I replied, explaining that the cover was done by Laura Shin back when she was helping Becca Vickery put out the WTB brand (since taken over by Troy D. Smith). I added that I was pretty sure they got the image of the "ol' boy" from Dreamstime as I had subsequently seen other poses of that same cowboy still available there.

Mr. Anderson then wrote back, informing me that the picture was of him seated on his horse, Concho. He included this link to his website: http://historicaloldwest.org/index.html

I got a real kick out of this --- meeting (via correspondence, at least) the personification of one of my fictional characters. If you check out Lee's website – and I definitely encourage you to do so – you will learn much more about him and Concho, the skillfully trained rescue he calls "my faithful partner". They do authentic living history presentations/re-enactments all over the Southwest and serve as the Arizona ambassadors and flag bearers for the National Day of the Cowboy.

I really appreciated Lee getting hold of me and introducing me to the "real" O'Doul but, in so doing, I fear he may have gotten my hopes up for something more that will likely go unrealized … You see, I have also purchased and utilized Dreamstime images for some of the work I've put out under my own Bil-Em-Ri Media banner. In particular, I'm thinking of some of the "sexy babe" covers I've done for some of my crime shorts and the recent Joe Hannibal re-issues. (See below.)

 

You don't suppose there's a chance any of the models such as shown here might be contacting me with some inquiries, do you?

Nah, I don't figure so, either ...

But an old geezer can dream, can't he?

2015 Off To A Great Start --- Available Now > BLAZE! BITTER VALLEY (print version); THE LAWYER: STAY OF EXECUTION; HANNIBAL FOR HIRE (The Joe Hannibal Collection - Volume II)

The term "embarrassment of riches" comes to mind …

In nearly 67 years of living, I've hardly been a stranger to embarrassment. And, except for the monetary kind, I've also enjoyed plenty of the type of riches that really count: love; friendship; decent health; modest levels of achievement and recognition.

But seldom have so many desirable things landed in my lap in such a short amount of time as I've experienced in this transitional span closing out 2014 and starting 2015.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. The pattern for most of my life, though, has been that things tend to go sort of good for a while and then not so good for a while. So a big chunk of Really Good makes me a little nervous about what might be coming around the corner …

Nevertheless, I will welcome the good and savor it for as long as it lasts.

Here's what I'm talking about:

As previously covered here, the exciting new Adult Western series, BLAZE! (created by Steve Mertz), kicked off at the beginning of this week with the launch of three simultaneous titles (BLAZE! by Stephen Mertz; BLAZE! THE DEADLY GUNS by Robert J. Randisi; and BLAZE! BITTER VALLEY by some character named Dundee). The initial releases were only in eBook form – now, as of today, all three are also available in print editions. As I've stated here and in several other places, I'm mighty proud to be part of this. With the series slated to proceed on a schedule of releasing a new title (by a variety of authors) every two months, I'm betting it will be around for a long run and provide a lot of entertainment to a lot of readers.

Available today, THE LAWYER: STAY OF EXECUTION is the first in a new hardboiled Western series based on characters created David Cranmer (aka Edward A. Grainger). The Lawyer first appeared in a powerful short story by Cranmer/Grainger featured in Thomas Pluck's charity anthology PROTECTORS (to benefit Protect.org) – which is also included as an addendum to this new release.

Once an ambitious, successful attorney with a wife and two children, J.D. Miller came home from court one day to find his entire family butchered, their barely recognizable remains left in charred ruins … Rising out of the ashes like a phoenix, The Lawyer was born. Now he roams the West on a revenge trail to hunt down and deliver his own harsh justice on the savages who wiped out his loved ones … Initially available in eBook form, print edition to follow soon.

Finally, also launched today, HANNIBAL FOR HIRE is my second volume of previously published Joe Hannibal novels (And Flesh And Blood So Cheap; The Fight In The Dog; and The Day After Yesterday) --- a "boxed set" collection if you will, available at an incredibly generous meant to introduce/re-introduce readers to Hannibal. Joe's appearances over 30-plus years have been widespread and somewhat sketchy, receiving nice critical attention but never really connecting with a wide readership.

Volume III (HANNIBAL AT RISK) will be available shortly … and a brand new Hannibal novel will be coming out by spring.

In closing, I feel I should acknowledge (without seeming boastful, I hope) that my sales in the Western genre over the past couple months have really escalated … at least based on my personal expectations measured against past performance. Late last fall, I revised, re-packaged, re-priced, and re-launched several existing titles (along with some new ones) under my own Bil-Em-Ri Media. The response has been very gratifying.

I'm proud (and again not meaning to be boastful) to say that as of this writing I have six books on Amazon's Top 100, most of them in the top 50.

I want to convey that I am very, very grateful to the readers responsible for this. I hope you enjoyed the reading experience. For those of you who did, I promise to do my darnedest to keep putting out more work that you'll like … I hope you spread the word, and I hope there are a lot more of you out there.

Available Now: BLAZE! A New Adult Western Series

 Today marks the kick-off to an exciting new Adult Western series created by Stephen Mertz and published by James Reasoner's Rough Edges Press. The launch features three --- count 'em, THREE! --- brand new titles by three well-known authors in the action-adventure/western genre. Going forward, there will be a new title every two months by other top name writers. These initial titles are appearing first as eBooks, but print copies will also soon be available. Same for forthcoming titles.

I'm honored to have been invited to participate in this exciting venture and honored even more to be part of this opening salvo and to be in the company I'm in.

Ready for some gun-blazing, hard-ridin' (in more ways than one) action straight out of the wildest corners of the Old West? Then don't delay. Then don't delay ... Start following the adventures of J.D. and Kate Blaze right from the get-go!

 

 

J.D. and Kate Blaze are two of the deadliest gunfighters the Old West has ever seen. They also happen to be husband and wife, as passionate in their love for each other as they are in their quest for justice on the violent frontier!

BLAZE! is the first novel in a thrill-packed, all-new Adult Western series created by bestselling action/adventure author Stephen Mertz. J.D. and Kate find themselves facing a deadly ambush by Apaches, then they're hired to track down a gang of ruthless outlaws led by the beautiful, savage bandit queen Rosa Diablo. It's gun-swift excitement all the way in this gritty tale from Stephen Mertz.

Husband and wife gunfighters Kate and J.D. Blaze are hired to track down a gang of rustlers, but what they don't know is that they're going to find themselves in the middle of a three-cornered war, playing each side against the others. If they're lucky they'll collect three payoffs instead of one...but will those payoffs be in gold—or hot lead?! 

Legendary Western author Robert J. Randisi, creator of The Gunsmith, joins the Blaze! team with this fast-action novel of treachery, revenge, passion, and blistering gunplay. From the finest hotels in Denver to a savage showdown in a ghost town, The Deadly Guns is adventure all the way!

J.D. and Kate Blaze, the Old West's only pair of husband-and-wife gunfighters, just want to enjoy their vacation in a beautiful Colorado valley, calling it the honeymoon they never had. But a runaway buggy draws them into a deadly vendetta that threatens the life of one of J.D.'s old friends. Belle Braeden, once a San Francisco soiled dove, is now the wife of one of Colorado's richest ranchers, a fact that the man's spoiled children don't appreciate. When murder strikes, Kate and J.D. have to track down a killer and fight for their own lives against a gang of deadly bushwhackers! 

Wayne D. Dundee, one of today's bestselling and most acclaimed Western authors, spins a lightning-fast, action-packed yarn in BITTER VALLEY, the third book in the all-new BLAZE! series. Trouble always seems to follow J.D. and Kate Blaze, and they answer with hot lead!