OPEN RANGE

FFB: KICK A TIN CAN by Dianne Doubtfire

2011-07-01T00:57:00.002+01:00

The opening line to this 1964 novel rings so true to me.

'Wilfred Kittering's desk was in the back row, which made it easy for him to read Lolita during Religious Instruction.' In my case it was 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'.

Wilfred is a fifteen year old living with his widowed mother who runs a sweetshop in London's East End.
Every weekend, before he died, father and son would go for walks in the countryside. It is something that Wilfred misses. Until the day he decides to catch the Green Line bus and venture out on his own.
He walks along the river where he meets public schoolboy Andrew Rose-Pearson. They form a friendship and end up falling in the water. He accompanies Andrew home where he meets his mother, Carol, who is thirty four and very attentive to Wilfred who returns home wearing some of Carol's husband's clothes.
Back in the East End Wilfred begins a new relationship with a girl his own age, Jill Dennison. A doomed relationship when he returns the clothes to Carol.

Dianne Doubtfire pushes boundaries in this novel. Growing pains are there and Carol latches on to the fact that Wilfred yearns to become a writer. She indulges him by giving him a place to write and buys him a typewriter.
Carol is a well drawn picture of the deperate housewife. No husband and a son who only comes home in the holidays. Wilfred alleviates her boredom and fills her loneliness. On the other hand Wilfred comes of age too quickly for his own good and finds it difficult to understand when Carol finds someone her own age.

A brilliant novel - though a subject that is rather taboo in this new Victorian era.

FELIXSTOWE MOTORCYCLE SHOW - 26th June 2011 - Images

2011-06-26T16:06:00.004+01:00

Just a fistful of photos that we took today.
We think that between us we took about 300 photos altogether.

The event was jam packed with stalls for Royal Enfield, Harley Davidson, Triumph, Aprilla and Victory motorcycles. Great support for the Air Ambulance and other emergency services.

SIEGE AT MA-KOUIE by Derrick Wright

2011-06-23T23:30:00.004+01:00

First published 1959 by Robert Hale Ltd
Corgi edition published 1961

The orders were simple - the road past the fort at Ma-Kouie must be denied to the enemy artillery for five days. Time is essential for planes to bring in reinforcements urgently needed at Dien Bien Phu otherwise all Laos falls to the Viet-Minh.
The problem is that by the time these orders arrive at Captain Renoir's HQ he has just eighteen men left alive. But these men of the French Foreign Legion are a tough bunch and prepared to carry out their orders. After all there is very little choice though the mission is totally suicidal.
The plan is simple.
First destroy the bridge over the Ma-Kouie River.
Second hold the fort for twenty four hours after the enemy arrive.
Third pull back to a grassy knoll where Renoir will place mortar positions.
The fort is placed under the command of Sergeant Steve Brent, a tough uncompromising 'Limey'. With him is the American Corporal Bud Galland who loves hard as he fights; Johnny Hellwig, a young German deserter who becomes a man. Others are memorable like Me'n Fou with a fly tattooed on the end of his nose and Mohaffy the Irish American with a grudge against the sergeant. Then there is the big built Marie with a hatred for the Viet-Nimh who killed her husband and son - a woman determined to go down fighting. And Ly-Lin, a prostitute hopelessly devoted to Bud Galland who stands by his side through thick and thin.

Derrick Wright has written a character driven book about men and war that still stands up today. The reader gets involved with the story and as the numbers begin to dwindle you feel the loss. The battle scenes are well described - in such a way that you can see it happen as though it was a movie.
This was one of those books that went around my class at school and I still have it.

COASTERS SCOOTER CLUB and FELIXSTOWE MOTORCYCLE SHOW

2011-06-20T19:41:00.004+01:00

What a weekend coming up.
Saturday sees the scooters coming down to the beach followed, on Sunday, by the motorbikes. A touch of deja vu here but Brighton it is not.
Friday and Saturday the 24th and 25th June sees the Coasters Scooter Club celebrate it's 50th Anniversary at Trimley social club. Money raised goes to the Air Ambulance.
Formed back in 1961 as the Felixstowe and District Scooter Club they can be found holding court every Wednesday at The Steam Boat Tavern in Ipswich, Suffolk.
Live bands and DJs will supply entertainment and there will be a ride out to Felixstowe on the Saturday morning.

Then on Sunday 26th June Hamilton Road in Felixstowe plays host to the second Motorcycle Show. There will be a ride in from Stonham Barns near Stowmarket to raise money for St.Elizabeth Hospice.

Both events will have stalls and autojumble.

FFB: THE DOLLY DOLLY SPY by Adam Diment

2011-06-17T12:00:00.002+01:00

In 1967 Adam Diment was about to rewrite spy fiction.
There had been many contenders for Ian Fleming's and James Bond's throne. 'Boysie' Oakes in John Gardner's 'The Liquidator' (Gardner would take over the Bond franchise) and Doctor Jason Love in 'Passport To Oblivion' (filmed as 'Where The Spies Are'). Add to the list John Sanders with Nicholas Pym, the 'James Bond' of Oliver Cromwell's Secret Service.

So, enter Philip McAlpine. Tall, good looking and a love of fast cars, fast living, pot, sex and all manner of things mod. Truly a sixties child.
Suddenly his creator, Adam Diment, was the 'big thing'. Both he and his creation were hailed as the true successors to Fleming and Bond.

'The Dolly Dolly Spy' is told in the first person and appears to be a slow starter. McAlpine is coerced into working for British Intelligence department 6(NC/NAC) by the head Rupert Quine who is nothing like M. Quine is camp and prone to calling people 'luv' but this is just window dressing for a man who has a nasty, sadistic streak and can resort to blackmail with a smile on his face.
Recruited McAlpine is sent to work for the International Charter Inc a company that British Intelligence are interested in. On the surface the company runs package holidays for tourists to the Mediterranean island of Dathos. Underneath there is gunrunning and other clandestine activities going on. As a perk for this McAlpine is well paid and has the privelege of having his girlfriend, Veronica, live with him.
But the easy living comes to an end when he has to start earning his money and has to kidnap a former member of the Waffen SS. The only trouble is that the Americans want him too and McAlpine is not a subscriber to any 'special relationships'.

What makes 'The Dolly Dolly Spy' stand out from the crowd is Adam Diment's delivery. His hero says exactly what he thinks and that goes all the way to make McAlpine real - like you were reading an autobiography.
There were three more books 'The Great Spy Race', 'The Bang Bang Birds' and 'Think,Inc' the latter in 1971 after a gap of three years. But that was the end as Adam Diment just disappeared from the scene.

There was talk of a movie with David Hemmings but it came to nothing. Though, I do wonder if the McAlpine novels insired Austin Powers though that character does not compare.

If you liked Bond, then you will like McAlpine.

BLONDIE:PANIC OF GIRLS

2011-06-13T00:20:00.002+01:00

This is something of a first - being able to review a CD before it's commercial release.
It has been eight years since the release of 'The Curse Of Blondie' and still Blondie moves on with a kind of re-invention. The Blondie style is always there flipping through trends and styles and mixing it all up.
The opening track 'D-Day' is all that. Not the usual toe-tapping, pop arty single type opener but something dark and brooding that creeps up on you.
And anyone could mistake 'What I Heard' as the next in line as the sure fire hit single.
'Mother' was the actual single release. On the surface it is about a club the Debbie Harry frequented called Mother. Dig a little deeper into the lyrics and it turns into what you want it to be.
As I have said all the Blondie styles are there including a touch of Reggae - 'Girlie Girlie' for example.
Although this is a CD of new material there are some tracks that have been around for a while as part of Blondie's live gigs.
All in all I enjoyed the 'Panic Of Girls' CD - but then I am biased as I like Blondie and Debbie Harry (er - singing solo - I mean).
Blondie's 'Panic Of Girls' is released on the 4th July next.

FFB: JOURNEY INTO SPACE by Charles Chilton

2011-06-10T00:52:00.003+01:00

As 'Riders Of The Range' finished so Jet Morgan and his crew took a 'Journey Into Space'. The series ran from 1953 to 1956. Series 1 had various titles 'Journey To The Moon' and 'Operation Luna'. Series 2 'The Red Planet'. Series 3 'The World In Peril'.
Although the first episode pulled in a large listening audience the earthbound storyline saw the number of listeners dwindle. However once the spaceship 'Luna' took off the figures rose with it.
The cast consisted of Andrew Faulds as Jet Morgan; Alfie Bass as Lemmy (though David Kossof played the role in the early episodes); Guy Kingsley Poynter as Doc and Don Sharp as Mitch.

In 1954 Charles Chilton, writing his first novel, brought the first 'Journey Into Space' series to the reading public.
In a change to the radio show Charles Chilton began the book as Jet Morgan and his crew are preparing to return to earth from the moon. Something is wrong as both oxygen and fuel are running out and there doesn't seem to be any logical explanation.
Fortunately Doc, one of the crew, has been keeping a journal and the revelations has heads spinning.
Set in 1965, the year Charles Chilton thought that man might land on the moon, it is very close to the real thing.
Suspense increases as radio contact with Earth is lost and the radio operator, Lenny, hears strange music that none of the others can hear. Yet there is nothing wrong with the equipment.
All the ingredients of the sci-fi series are there including a fleet of UFOs and alien beings.
Although the first book was published in hardback in 1954 it was not until 1958 that Pan issued this title in paperback.
Although I never missed an episode it was great to relive the series through the written word.

THE NIGHT OF THE TRIFFIDS by Simon Clark

2011-06-04T14:00:00.002+01:00

Usually I avoid books that tell of someone else's creation's life before, during or after the events of a novel.
I did not know that this book, published in 2001, even existed.
However, the first few lines of the prologue grabbed my attention as did the first page of the story proper. Always a good place to start.

The story is set 25 years after the events of John Wyndham's original novel 'The Day Of The Triffids'. Young David Masen (son of Bill and Josella)wakes up to darkness on the triffid free Isle Of Wight. Outside he can hear people going about their normal business. It is not long before David realises that he is not blind and that a trail of space debris has hidden the sun.
Masen is a pilot and takes off in an old Gloster Javelin to try and discover what lies behind the cloud. With nothing to guide him he is forced to land on a floating island populated by a 16 year old girl and a forest of triffids. Not only that but the girl, Christina, is immune to triffid stings.
It is not long before the pair are rescued by a passing ship with a biological team of Americans aboard who find a fascination with Masen's ability to fly. Their interest is heightened when it is discovered that the Javelin was powered by triffid oil that has been refined by Bill Masen and Croker's efforts.
The Captain of the ship is ordered to sail straight back to Manhatten and not the Isle Of Wight. It seems that Manhatten's dictator wants to grab both the refinery process and cash in on Christina's immunity.
Manhatten is a surprising place and it is not long before David Masen realises that there is something dark lying behind the bright lights. Indeed, the man in charge of the Manhatten complex is an old enemy - Torrence.
And David has struck up a friendship with his daughter, Kerris - and to Masen's surprise she is, also, part of the resistence.
If that wasn't enough - the triffids have mutated as well.

On it's own 'The Night Of The Triffids' stands well on it's own two feet. The storyline contains some expansions on John Wyndham's themes not just from the original novel but from some of his short stories as well - especially the baby farms. And there were times when I quite forgot that the book wasn't written by Wyndham - but like it says in the song 'there's always something there to remind me.'

THE WOMAN BEFORE ME by Ruth Dugdall

2011-05-31T23:16:00.003+01:00

This debut novel by Ruth Dugdall is not always an easy read.
For the most part the narrative comes from Rose Wilks, a woman serving an eight year term for the manslaughter of a baby.
The remaining narrative comes from Cate Austin the probation officer assigned to compile a report for the parole board who are to consider Wilks for release.
The opening chapter and the three that follow are quite important as it raises questions in Wilks' guilt or innocence. Means and opportunity for the crime are there - but motive?
As Rose Wilks continues her narrative while some things become clear so other suspicions begin to dawn.
Is Rose envious of her partner's ex? After all Emma has all the good looks; married to a successful man and with a healthy son. A son that Rose was found guilty of killing.
Emma and Rose meet in hospital where they both give birth to boys. Unfortunately, Rose's boy dies but not before she realises that both could pass as brothers and have the same father.
There is no doubt that Rose was in Emma's house with Emma's boy shortly before the fire that killed him. But......
On the other hand there is divorced mother, Cate Austin, who has suffered bad depression and has returned to work. She has been assigned to the women's section of Bishop's Hill Prison and her first case is to write up a report on Rose Wilks for the parole board. Or, in the words of her boss Paul Chatham 'It's a parole report on a nonce.' (A nonce being a child abuser/killer).
The problem here is that Cate is a mother and a professional. All Cate wants is for Rose to accept 'responsibility for her actions'. Rose refuses to do that on the grounds that she would do nothing to hurt a child. And there is a moment when Cate has some empathy towards Rose that is short lived. When asked if her report will influence the parole board, Cate says that it will be their decision.
There is so much in this book that it is difficult to say much without throwing in a load of spoilers.
And this is a debut novel.
The 'stars' of this book Rose Wilks, Emma Hatcher and Cate Austin are well drawn.

Ruth Dugdall's next novel 'The Sacrificial Man' is due out 25th June 2011.

'MACHO MAN' RANDY SAVAGE - R.I.P. 20th May 2011

2011-05-20T19:26:00.002+01:00

'Macho Man' Randy Savage died today at 10:00 am today in Tampa, Florida in a car crash following a heart attack. He was 58 years of age.
The former WWF (as it was then) superstar was known for his colourful outfits, sun glasses and that gravelly voice that uttered that catchphrase "Ooh! Yeeah!". And that diving elbow finisher that took out the likes of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.
During his career he would hold seven World Championship titles and would be regarded as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time.
This year for the first time since the mid 1990s Randy Savage was chosen as one of the Legends on the computer game 'WWE All Stars'
But it is the man that we fans remember.

FFB: QUATERMASS by Nigel Kneale

2011-05-19T22:59:00.004+01:00

This is the fourth and final instalment in the saga of Professor Bernard Quatermass.
It was written at the same time as the 1979 ITV serial of the same name. The difference between the two is that the novel contains more scenes than the serial.

Quatermass has retired to Scotland where he is guardian to his granddaughter. But there is a generation chasm existing between them and she runs away. Coming to London to appear on a TV programme and search for his granddaughter, Quatermass finds a world gone mad. Anarchy rules and a war rages between two factions - the Badder-Mindhoffs and the Blue Brigade.
Arriving at the TV studios he is witnesses the destruction of a joint Russian and American space project. A beam from outer space spears through the spaceship on its trajectory towards earth.
The target is ancient sites around the world. Places where the strange hippy like cult of the Planet People gather. They believe that the time has come to be lifted up to the Planet.
Meeting scientist Joe Kapp, Quatermass is taken to a research establishment close to an old henge known as Ringstone Round. Believing his granddaughter to have joined the Planet People he goes in search of her and witnesses the destruction of the those that are gathered at Ringstone Round.
There is a survivor who is slowly crystalising. Quatermass tries to get her to London for treatment but becomes separated and rescued by a gang of old age pensioners.
Meanwhile, the Badders and Blues are throwing down their weapons. Joining the Planet People they march to the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium where the inevitable happens.
Quatermass sees a way of halting the madness and sending a message to the Planet. The only way to do this is to use the old people to build a bomb. Why? Because 'the Planet' seems to ignore the elderly.

The story is neatly woven together with some well drawn characters. Bernard Quatermass is world weary and distracted by his need to locate his granddaughter. Then there is Kickalong, a Planet People leader, who is a bully and will use any means possible to ensure his tribe reach their destination.

On the whole maybe a fitting epitaph for Bernard Quatermass.

HOT FOR CERTAINTIES by Robin Douglas-Home

2011-05-15T12:57:00.003+01:00

Robin Douglas-Home, a leading socialite (or celebrity) of his time was the nephew of a former British Prime Minister. Amongst the women he was 'seen with' were Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister. In between he married the fashion model Sandra Paul.
Robin Douglas-Home was an accomplished jazz pianist and writer. He had written a biography of Frank Sinatra before he ventured into the fictional world of 'Hot For Certainties'.
This first novel centres around public schoolboy, David Melrose.
For the most part our hero is an observer to the world around him. With grandparents trapped in their own world and unaccepting that things have changed since the second world war. Public school life trapped in another kind of time warp that will eventually clash with the real world. The divorce of David's parents leaves him strangely cold as though the result was something that was inevitable. While his mother remains an interfering 'I know what's best for you' person David's father marries a younger free spirit who finds it natural to bare herself in his presence.
Eventually, David finds his own way as he embarks on his coming of age journey with a relationship with his grandparents maid, Jean, with whom he shares a passionate night. Looking forward to the next holiday and enlarging his relationship with Jean, David's well meaning mother sends him off on a holiday with his best friend aboard the family yacht. Here he meets the frigid (soon to be man-eating) Polly.
Because of this Jean gets engaged to another boy and dumps our hero. Then David meets Laura the sister of the school 'pin-up' and from there things come to a head through a series of misinterpretations. Observer now becomes challenger and David questions the world around him.

This novel holds the interest because there is the insight of the main character who can add a often humourous slant even in the gravest moments.

'Hot For Certainties' was first published in 1964 by Longman's and by Pan Books in 1966.

Robin Douglas-Home died at the age of 36 in 1968. He had suffered from clinical depression for years.

SCARECROW by Matthew Reilly

2011-05-04T15:47:00.004+01:00

I thought that this Australian writer was new yet Matthew Reilly's 2003 novel 'Scarecrow' could almost rank as a forgotten book.
His first novel, 'Contest', was written when he was just 19 and he went on to self-publish that one in 1996ish. Subsequently, Pan MacMillan picked this one up for publication along with the first two Shane Schofield novels 'Ice Station' and 'Area 7'. Again these were published in the late 1990s. Fortunately, Pan MacMillan re-released these books in 2010.

'Scarecrow' is the codename for Shane Schofield who now has a bounty on his head. But then so have 14 others and they have all got to die by 12 noon on the 26th October. The bounty is put up by a cabal known as Majestic-12; twelve of the richest and influential men in the arms business who want to make more money by creating an artificial cold war - except that one of their number has a much better idea with a total world war.
It would be easy to say that this reads like a Bond villain up against a new kind of 007. Not really the case though which is a good thing and there are a number of levels to this yet the author does not get the reader too confused. This book is fast...so fast that I really wanted time out for a breather...but not for long as short cliff hanging passages make the reader want to continue. I mean how can you take a break and make a cup of coffee when a sinking supertanker is hurtling towards the bottom where a mini-sub containing the hero is trapped. This is the stuff of Saturday morning cinema serials....what happens next and does the hero escape? Well, of course he does as this occurs long before the end.
All of which makes this book fun for our hero is believable and has a depth to him that makes you want him to succeed - or rather how he gets there.
To add to the mix there this chase and pursuit element. The Scarecrow is on the run from the bounty hunters while, at the same time, he is chasing the bad guys and a bunch of clone missiles.
In an interview at the end of the book Matthew Reilly says that he wanted to write a faster book. Well, I've read some fast paced books but 'Scarecrow' is a lot faster. Therefore, I guess that he has acheived his goal.
The next Scarecrow novel is 'Scarecrow And The Army Of Theives' which should (according to Amazon) hit the UK shelves in the early part of 2012. Long enough for me to recover, then.

FORGOTTEN BOOKS

2011-04-28T22:14:00.002+01:00

As you can see there is a pile of books out there - some with remembered titles while others lie forgotten.

Derrick Wright's 'Siege At Ma-Kouie' was originally published by Robert Hale in 1957.
The French Foreign Legion take on the Viet-Minh army just prior to the battle of Dien Bein Phu.

'Who Was Then The Gentleman?' is a novel of the Peasants Revolt of 1381. Charles E. Israel brings Wat Tyler to life in a story that contrasts the poverty and injustice of the time with the luxury and indifference of the court of Richard the Second.

Long before the movie trilogy Robert Heinlein told the story of Johnny Rico and the 'Starship Troopers'.

Back in 1960 the Daily Mail said that Constantine Fitz Gibbons novel, 'When The Kissing Had To Stop', relegated Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World to the nursery. With a portrayal of pitched battles between armed police and gangsters; race riots and a Ban The Bomb movement that sweeps a meglomaniac into power - and allows the Russians to occupy Britain. A novel that seemed, at the time, to trigger a number of cold war political thrillers on a similar theme - one by a certain Douglas Hurd.

Next week we will kick off with the only novel written by a British Jazz pianist and biographer of Frank Sinatra.

MUSIC - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

2011-04-28T11:52:00.002+01:00

OPEN RANGE will, also, take a look at the music of the past - some of which may have become forgotten.
Like the syncopated sounds of The Temperence Seven who were driven crazy in the sixties or the eighties Italian queen of Europop, Spagna, who urged every boy and girl to call her.
We will take a look at new heavy metal all girl group Hysterica and Scandinavian symphonic rock star Issa.
There is a lot of good stuff out there and we hope to entertain you with some of it.

RIDING BACK

2011-04-28T01:49:00.002+01:00

OPEN RANGE is coming back.
Yes, with more of the same and some other stuff as well.
As the title of this blog suggests the range is wide open. So for a while we'll be throwing out hints at what is to come and the direction we plan to go in.

The last piece we did attracted 60 - yep, SIXTY - spammers with nothing better to do with their time. They don't get published anyway.
Hopefully, they have got whatever it is out of their system and we can get with the business of what we do best.

OF 'OUTLAWS' AND 'ONE PER CENTERS'

2010-02-22T10:23:00.004Z

Back in the early 1920s when motorcycles became the new must have it was not uncommon for small clubs to be formed. In 1924 the American Motorcycle Association was formed (AMA for short)and were quick to announce that any club or organisation that did not sign up were branded 'outlaws'.
The whole point of owning a motorcycle was and still is to have that ability to ride free and not tied down by too many over-bearing rules and regulations. In fact, back then, many bikes were owned by young people who wanted to do just that. Show off their skills and go on 'runs' together. Though to do so without the sanction of the AMA had them branded as 'Outlaws'.
From the 1930s through to America's entrance into the Second World War the AMA organised events that included parades, stunts, organised races and hill climbs. These were quite a success and well policed that many towns invited them back - amongst them was a town called Hollister, California.
At the end of the war servicemen came home and while many were able to settle back into civilian life there were those who had become disenchanted - just couldn't settle. War had given them comradeship and, what we know today, a post war syndrome.
Many drifted into the world of motorcycle clubs.
The same thing would happen when the Vietnam Vets came home.
On 4th July 1947 Hollister, California would become the stage for the next chapter to begin. The AMA came to town and several 'outlaw' gangs rode in as well. Most modern accounts call them 'Hells Angels' but they did not exist at the time for they would form in the 1950s.
Hollister became a 'wild west' town with motorcyclists ('biker' as a term did not exist then, either) drag racing along main street or riding into a bar and burning rubber.
The AMA were quick to distance themselves from the events in Hollister by stating that 99% of motorcyclists were law abiding and what happened in that Californian town was by 'outlaw' motorcyclists - in other words by anyone who was not a member of the AMA. 'Outlaws' now being the odd one per cent.
Hollister, though, was the catalyst.
The report of the incident in 'Life' magazine and a short story by Frank Rooney in Harper's magazine called 'Cyclists' Raid' inspired the 1953 Stanley Kramer movie 'The Wild One' and made Marlon Brando a star. And the image of the leather clad motorcyclist sitting astride a Triumph Thunderbird has become iconic - and the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club would pave the way for other 'outlaw' and 'one per center' clubs to form.
1948 saw a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club form at Fontana, California and, later, Sonny Barger's Oakland chapter came into being. Whenever anyone thinks 'Hells Angels' then it is the 'one per center' Oakland Chapter that comes to mind.
The first definitive book about the Angels was written by Hunter S. Thompson. Many have followed in the wake of this but have lacked distinction.
Over the years Hells Angels Motorcycle Clubs have crossed continents. The first club outside of the US was Auckland, New Zealand in 1961. In the UK two chapters opened in London in 1969 - they would merge five years later.

Call them what you will - outlaws, one percenters, Hells Angels or bikers - the history is a lot longer than people imagine. It began long before 'The Wild One'.
It began the moment that one biker bonded with his machine. When he looked down the road and thought of the freedom he had. The drifter had a new horse to ride - and one life that he intended to live to the full.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

2010-02-06T16:27:00.000Z

A HARD DAY’S NIGHT

A Short Story

I woke up absolutely ravenous.
Nor was I in a good mood.
For starters my boyfriend – no, my ex-boyfriend had dumped me the day before to move in with the tarty blonde who had moved into the flat above mine. I mean he was all over her from the moment she arrived with all her belongings stacked in the back of her hired van.
There he was up and down stairs doing all the carrying and humping all the heavy stuff while she cooed and waggled her body while telling him what a strong boy he was. The compliments just flowed out of her mouth and he lapped it all up. Of course, I just smiled. I mean Alex and I were meant to spend the rest of our lives together – right?
Wrong.
It took less than a week for Blondie to hook him and grab him for her own. Though it may have been the other way round judging from the love bite on her neck.
I went and did what any normal girl would have done under the circumstances – I went and did some comfort shopping. Clothes took top priority and then I spotted some nice black silk sheets that included a duvet cover and a pair of scarlet pillowcases.
As soon as I got home I changed the bedding just to get rid of the final traces of Alex. I mean it had been a bit tortuous sleeping in a bed with only his smell next to me.
Stupid idea that turned out to be.
I spent the night slipping and sliding all over the bed and grabbing at the duvet before it skidded to the floor. Meanwhile, the pillows developed a life of their own by crashing across the bedside table clearing it. The bedside lamp, the digital clock/radio, a glass of red wine and the book that I was halfway through were scattered across the floor. Of course, as luck would have it, the book had fallen into a pool of red wine causing a pattern to be splattered over the cream lampshade. It looked like a scene out of a slasher movie.
So, I was not in a good mood when I lurched out of bed to pull back the heavy, red velvet curtains, lean my hands on the window sill and look down on the street below. And, yes, I knew I was being watched. I mean every time, without fail, Binocular Man was standing there with his magnified eyes glued to my naked body. He lived in the flat opposite me and looked like a complete nerd. I had seen him in the street and, at first, I thought the binoculars were a permanent feature. Turned out he wore glasses with these thick lenses that looked like the base of a bottle and magnified his blue eyes. They were his best feature as they dominated his face with two big blue pools.
Okay, so I encouraged him by doing a few poses but, hey, a girl is entitled to a little attention. I’m not ashamed of my body.
Maybe, one day I might just get up close and personal with the guy. Though, if the truth be told, if I did he’d probably run a mile.
Anyway, to cut to the chase.
Like I said I was that hungry that I could have ate the proverbial horse. So I got dressed.
All the clothes were new and smelled it. A black vest with a Goth design, close-fitting blue jeans that looked as though a denim design had been painted onto my legs. Long black leather thigh length boots with heels that added an extra couple of inches to my height. I completed the outfit with a nice shiny biker’s leather jacket.
I looked real cool, even if I say so myself.
I left the flat and made sure that the lock was secured before I skipped off down the stairs. I was half way down when I tripped and fell. My self-confidence was severely bruised at this point.
I picked myself up and limped over to sit on the stairs to examine the damage. The heel of my left boot had been completely ripped off. A hundred quid down the drain and I had hardly worn them five minutes. Good job I had kept the receipt. And if the snooty cow who sold them to me refused a refund then she was going to get it in the neck.
Having changed my footwear I, finally, made it out the door. I stood there for a moment and did a quick twirl for the benefit of Binocular Man. Let’s face it I knew that he followed my every move and I love playing to the crowd.
Just to annoy him I crossed the road and out of his line of sight then headed into town. It was time to find a replacement for Alex and I knew just the place to go hunting.
‘The Basement’ was just that. A jazz club below a nightclub, the only difference being that it was open almost 24/7. Most times they had live music while at others there was always something playing on the ancient Wurlitzer jukebox – a relic from the Sixties when ‘The Basement’ had been a coffee bar for the bikers. Daft, I know but I like a touch of nostalgia now and again.
For the time of day the place was quite packed and it was just by luck that I found an empty stool at the bar. Well, someone else was about to park their backside on it but I moved fast.
The poor girl just stood there all shocked and surprised and stammered out an apology that she hadn’t noticed me sitting there. I just gave her an indulgent smile before ordering a glass of red wine.
I sat there leaning with one elbow on the bar while I toyed with my glass with my free hand. All the time I was watching what was going on around me through the mirror opposite. The place seemed to be filled with total nerds. Nothing grabbed my interest.
I spent an hour of wasted time when I decided that it was time to go on to someplace else.
I swivelled on my seat, then gaped. Oh!....my.....God! This was a real dreamboat. All corded muscles that stretched his T-shirt tight across his body. Close cut blond hair and gorgeous chiselled features – and he was grinning at me.
He was so fit that my nipples were trying to burst out the front of my vest. Oh God, I could smell him – he was so yummy and I had to have him.
A wave was thrown in my direction. I smiled, invitingly, and waved back. He nodded and winked then swept right by me into the arms of the guy who was sitting behind me.
What an idiot I had been. In frustration I hammered my head on the bar and, probably, knocked any remaining sense out of it. How could life be so cruel?
Regaining my composure I began to climb off the stool. It was at this point that the dreamboat decided to turn around and catch me off balance with his elbow. My mouth met the edge of bar and I heard a sharp crack. Blood spurted and I saw a tooth skid across the counter. Ignoring the blood, I scooped up the tooth and kept it in a tight grip. There was no way that I was going to lose that tooth.
Dreamboat was fussing around me and apologising but I wasn’t interested. I shoved him away and slammed him into his mate who fell off his stool and sent the whole line of drinkers along the bar down like dominos. There are times, I have to admit, when I forget my own strength but right then I was in a shear state of panic. I had to get to A & E fast and find a dental surgeon.
Sucking at my own blood I ran up the steps and straight into Binocular Man. The collision sent him flying, his bottle lensed glasses landing in his lap. He looked up at me and I realised just how good looking he was without glasses or binoculars. Any other time and I would have been all over him.
“Are you all right?” he asked, climbing to his feet and dusting himself down. “Oh, you’re bleeding.”
“Stating the bloody obvious,” I bubbled through the blood. “Just not been my day. I’m hungry and I need to get my teeth fixed.”
“Right,” he said, decisively. “I’ll get you a cab and – and if you want you can come back to my place for a feed.”
I could have given him a mouthful right there and then. But, then again, someone offering to feed me doesn’t come along everyday.
“Why wait?” I asked, grabbing his arm and dragging him up the alley alongside ‘The Basement’.
I went straight for the jugular.
He screamed.
I screamed - as the exposed nerve of my missing incisor crashed against the skin of his neck sending an electric shock right into the depths of the gum.
Idiotic as it may sound but who has ever heard of a one fanged vampire?
For reasons that I did not understand at the time, Ian, for that was the name of Binocular Man, grabbed a cab and got me to A&E where I found a dental surgeon to fix my tooth. You see we have people all over the place for such emergencies. The downside was that I couldn’t use it for a while and then, when it was mended, I would have to be careful. On the plus side the doctor did explain to Ian how to feed me during the interim.
So here we are months later and Ian and I are still together – for life.
I miss his binoculars and his bottle lensed glasses but the gift of life has given him perfect eyesight. At least he keeps me satisfied. We discovered that we had a lot in common and when we go out at night we share everything – what more could a girl want?

BAYONETTA

2010-02-03T12:02:00.003Z

Most action play games are very samey but 'Bayonetta' is something else.
The director is Hideki Kamiya who created 'Devil May Cry', a very successful series.
Players of 'Devil May Cry 4' may recognise some of the characters that turn up in 'Bayonetta'. But it appears more in style than intent.
Bayonetta, who bears a striking resemblence to the American Senator, Sarah Palin, is voiced by Hellena Taylor.
The character of Bayonetta wakes up 500 years into the future with no memories. As the game progresses some memories begin to surface and she begins to realise that she is one half of the balance between light and darkness.
The action takes place in a city in Europe called Vigrid. Bayonetta is armed with four guns called Parsley, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme - collectively known as Scarborough Fair. (Kamiya likes English Folk Music).
Where this game differs from it's ilk is that it is a totally fresh concept. In part it is a movie that involves the player in making all the right decisions and solving problems.
Add to that that Bayonetta moves through three realms - that of light, darkness and inferno as though drifting through parallel worlds. To be honest I have never played a game like this.
For those that like to get on with the gameplay then the prologue and subsequent cut scenes may seem overlong - but this is a movie type game so stick with it.
If you like 'Devil May Cry' then you'll like 'Bayonetta'. The difference is that you have to think and use everything in your arsenal to get through each level.
Just to add a spoiler - the end isn't and even when the credits roll there are new challenges to face - now you wouldn't want to finish a game and not collect all the unlockables.
However, I do have one misgiving. This game is so different to others that there is the fear that it could disappear into obscurity.
'Bayonetta' is available for both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

JE T'AIME MOI NON PLUS - 1976

2010-01-24T13:35:00.003Z

Je T'aime began life as an orgasmic piece of heavy breathing set to music by Serge Gainsbourg with Brigitte Bardot in 1968. Only Bardot didn't want the recording to be released, so Gainsbourg did it all over again the following year with British actress Jane Birkin. The BBC banned the record from both radio and tv which ensured that the record would make No 1 in the charts.
In 1976 Serge Gainsbourg wrote, directed and composed the music for a film version using the same title.
Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus stars Jane Birkin as Johnny, a truck stop waitress who's boss Boris is a bit of a slacker leaving Johnny to run the place single handed. Not a hard chore as hardly anyone stops by.
Except that is for Krassy (Joe Dallesandro) and his co-worker, Padovan (Hugues Quester). They are refuse collectors who Boris immediately tags as gays.
Despite that it doesn't stop Krassy from fancying Johnny who he sees for the first time from behind. With her short hair and boyish figure he takes Johnny to be a bloke. Krassy, on the other hand, is fit and Johnny fancies him despite all he warnings.
Obviously Padovan, who carries a plastic bag around like a kid with a security blanket,gets a fit of the jealousies. He does try to get it together with the local gay 'peasant' - a brief appearance by Gerard Depardieu - but it's a no go which doesn't help.
Meanwhile back at the truckstop Krassy and Johnny are getting it together except that Krassy can't because Johnny's a girl. So she tells him 'I'm a boy' which is a bit daft as from this point on Krassy becomes a pain in the backside.
Maybe there is a point here but it was lost on me. OK opposites attract etc and outside of the sex scenes there is an intensity to the relationship but not enough to hold it together.
As the relationship grows so Padovan finally flips and finds a use for his 'security blanket'. This leaves Johnny naked and vulnerable while Krassy and Padovan walk off hand in hand into the sunset.
So was it worth the rental?
On a curiosity value, I suppose so, after all I only picked it up because of the original song. The film score was a bit Deep South, America and didn't seem to fit. And the use of the orchestral part of 'Je T'Aime' countered the original - maybe, it was meant to. The storyline was padded out with too many long shots and scenic panning that made the 84 minute run time feel like a couple of hours.
Maybe, it is a cult movie or belongs to the Art House crowd who can see something that I couldn't. But the movie is not bad but, then, it's not good either.

PETER AVERILLO

2009-12-13T20:36:00.003Z

More often than not teenagers get a bad press but 2009 has been a little differant.
Tom Daly, a 15 year old boy, has become the World Diving Champion.
Mike Parham became, at 17, the youngest person to sail around the world. A two year journey that he had begun at the age of 15.
On the opposite side, Linda Dekker a 13 year old from Holland was put into care to prevent her from sailing around the world.
For every success there seems to be someone who is held back because of their age.
I never set out to be a writer.
Just wasn't at the top of my to do list.
Sure, I wrote things like poetry and song lyrics but, then, so do other people my age.
And, of course, there was school. That was writing, writing and more writing. So, who in their right mind would want to carry on writing when they had left school?
So why do it?
And why a western?
If you asked either Tom Daly or Mike Parham why they do what they do I guess the answer is because it is there. The challenge is out there.
When you live with a grandfather who has shelves of western dvds and books the seeds get sown.
When you read a book that is so today with unwestern like subjects like child abuse and lesbianism, more seeds get sown.
Then discover that the same writer wrote about domestic violence questions begin to form.
Though these are not subjects that you will find in my story 'Darke Justice' which will be just one of the twenty one stories in the anthology 'A FISTFUL OF LEGENDS' to be published on 31st January 2010.
I began the story when I was 15 and I will be 17 when the anthology comes out. As long as it took Mike Parham to circumnavigate the world.
But I had a lot of help along the way. First, there was my granddad. When I put my story to him he read it through and told me that I needed to finish it. Like I had written the thing and he said 'finish it'. He took me out of my 'school' head. I mean at school you write out your project and end of story.
He told me to read it through as though I was reading it in a book. Then ask myself what the writer could have done to make the story better. That's what I did. Not once, not twice. I lost count. What I did see was my ideas take shape. Then he asked someone else to look at it.
It was the belief in me by other people that made me believe in myself.
Even doing two episodes of 'The Story With No Name' was daunting. 500 words easy peasy it was like doing a school project. Until I stepped back and listened to everything that I had been taught. Then it was not that easy. Even more so since I didn't tell anyone about the first piece until the very last minute.I closed my eyes and hid under the bedclothes after I put it on line. Then I got a phone call from granddad and he was so positive.
The good thing is that there are new projects to encourage young people to write. The BBC are piloting a scheme to help young people between 17 and 22 to write publishable stories.
I just hope that any young people who read my story will be encouraged to write.

A FISTFUL OF LEGENDS

2009-12-12T22:35:00.004Z

Express Westerns has announced the publication of the anthology of 21 new short stories 'A FISTFUL OF LEGENDS' will be available to purchase from the 31st January 2010.
Copies can be purchased from www.lulu.com and on line retailers like Amazon.
'A FISTFUL OF LEGENDS' boasts a line up of both established authors and those who are new to the genre.
Well respected western writer, James Reasoner, has written an introduction to this collection that includes:
DEAD MAN TALKING by Derek Rutherford
BILLY by Lance Howard
LONIGAN MUST DIE! by Ben Bridges
THE MAN WHO SHOT GARFIELD DELANEY by I.J.Parnham
HALF A PIG by Matthew P. Mayo
BLOODHOUND by C.Courtney Joyner
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE by Gillian F. Taylor
BIG ENOUGH by Chuck Tyrell
ONE DAY IN LIBERTY by Jack Giles
SHADOWS ON THE HORIZON by Bobby Nash
ON THE RUN by Alfred Wallon
THE GIMP by Jack Martin
VISITORS by Ross Morton
THE NIGHTHAWK by Michael D. George
THE PRIDE OF THE CROCKETTS by Evan Lewis
DARKE JUSTICE by Peter Avarillo
ANGELO AND THE STRONGBOX by Cody Wells
CRIB GIRLS by Kit Churchill
MAN OF IRON by Chuck Tyrell
CASH LARAMIE AND THE MASKED DEVIL by Edward A. Grainger
DEAD MAN WALKING by Lee Walker

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Story With No Name

2009-11-25T00:22:00.003Z

This was one tough ask.
I remembered what Nik Morton and Charlie Whipple said about focusing on your character. I just hope that I've done you guys proud.

What follows is Part 17 of the Story With No Name from Peter Averillo.
To catch up the first sixteen parts are now all in one place at The Culbin Trail. The link is http://ijparnham.blogspot.com
Loads of writers have taken part in producing this story and include I.J.Parnham, Jack Giles, Chuck Tyrell, Jack Martin, Evan Lewis, James J. Griffin, Joseph A. West, Robert S. Napier, Richard Prosch and Paul Dellinger.
I have really enjoyed taking part.
So........

THE STORY WITH NO NAME Part 17

The town of Bannon was quiet under the heat of the midday sun when Walt Arnside rode along the main street.
He was stiff and tired from the journey that had been punctuated with nights of fitful sleep.
All he wanted was to fill his aching belly and find a soft bed where he hoped to sleep without being plagued by the nightmares of his desert experience.
He had howled as the blood flowed back into his right hand causing painful spasms. Pain that was replaced by anger as he fought the knots that bound his left hand to the stake. Anger that was not spent when, with a rasping roar, he sent the Texas Ranger badge flying through the air to plop, in a spray of sand, close to Silas Bartlett’s feet.
And then more pain as blood rushed through his starved ankles into his feet. Rolling, cursing as each spasm surged up his legs.
Only when his body settled did he try to stand and staggered over to the remains of Silas Bartlett where he plucked the lance free. He paid no attention as the corpse crumpled to the ground. Instead he concentrated on plunging the tip into the sand to clean it. But even then his imagination played with his anger as each time the tip hit the sand so it was stabbing into the body of Zack Roden. Into the body of Silas Bartlett. And into that of a man named Bourbon.
Until exhaustion and tears of frustration drove him to his knees.
Slowly, sanity came back to him and with it an absolute priority. Using the lance as a support he pulled himself back to his feet, then hacked at the cactus. Holding the mashed flesh above his mouth squeezing precious drops of water onto his tongue. Groaning as the water moisted his tongue, mouth and throat.
It was nearly dusk by the time he felt strong enough to crawl to where Deuce Harmon’s body still lay stiff in death. Painfully, stretching taut burned skin he had stripped the clothes from the corpse and dressed himself before laying back in the sand waiting for his strength to return.
He stared long and hard at the mass of tracks that pointed south west and knew that he was in no fit state to go off in pursuit. He had to be stronger and better equipped before he could even think of going on the vengeance trail.
The galleon, even if it existed, was no longer the goal. He wished that he had never heard of the damned boat. Wished that he had not stopped that train nor heeded Silas Bartlett’s call. For from that point on he had been shot at, gutshot and left for dead and, been staked out to die in the desert. He had put his life on the line for people that he had looked upon as friends and each had turned out to be an enemy. Nor could he be certain where Lola stood in all this.
Where to go? Matlock would not be safe and he had no wish to head back to Lola’s cabin. Bannon seemed to beckon as the safest haven where he could work out what to do next.
Slowly, he climbed to his feet and crested a dune. He stopped dead, his mouth gaping as he saw Harmon’s horse tethered to a cactus. Looking cautiously around him he approached the animal.
“What the hell?” he croaked, sure that the animal had run off after Sawtell had emptied the saddle. Then allowed himself to grin. “Thanks, Sawtell. I do have a fighting chance – now.”
After leaving his horse in the livery, Walt strode across the hardpan to the cafe opposite. He felt a tad rich after he had discovered just over fifteen dollars in notes and loose change in Harmon’s denims. At least he could pay for his immediate needs.

L7

2009-11-10T11:36:00.004Z

L7 is an American all girl alternative metal band that was formed back in 1985 by singer/guitarist Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner. In the beginning they had a male drummer but he was replaced by Dee Plakas. Various bass players joined and left the group but Janis Tanaka was in the final line-up when the group disbanded in 2000. Janis went on to be the bassist for Pink.

It is L7's heavy riff orientated sound that makes them stand out from the crowd.

Their music has formed part of the soundtracks of such movies as 'Natural Born Killers', 'Pet Sematary 2', 'Foxfire' and 'Tank Girl'. Their single 'Pretend We're Dead' features on the video game 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' and 'Rock Band 2'.

As a group they made an appearance in the Bridget Fonda film 'Point Of No Return' and as Camellips in 'Serial Mom'.

Their debut album, simply titled 'L7', came out in 1988 and was labelled as part of the emerging grunge scene.

They made only 6 albums:

L7 - 1988

Smell The Magic - 1990

Bricks Are Heavy - 1992

Hungry For Stink - 1994

The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum - 1997

Slap Happy - 1999

also

Live: Omaha to Osaka - live performances released in 1998

The Slash Years - a compilation disc of music from 1992 -1997 issued in 2000.

My first encounter with L7 came with 'Pretend We're Dead' and I got hooked on their driving sound. Both this song and 'Wargasm' can be found on You Tube.

Not to everybody's taste and some lyrics should be labelled 'Parental Guidence'.

Although the group disbanded Donita Sparks and Dee Plakas have formed a group called Donita Sparks and The Stellar Moment.

THE WORLD OF FRIDAY'S FORGOTTEN BOOKS

2009-11-05T20:29:00.004Z

I have been reading some of the back pieces where people write about books that they think should not be forgotten.

At first glance, to someone like me, it looks like a pile of old books that have no place in the modern world.

But I've been taught that I shouldn't dismiss something or criticise is until I know something about what I'm talking about.

Well, as some of the books are either not available or cost more than a year's pocket money to buy I had to find another solution.

I got lucky and went into a shop called 'The Works' and picked up a book called 'The Big Book Of Pulps' for a price that hardly made a dent in said pocket money.

Here I found short stories by authors like Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner, Raymond Chandler, Frank Gruber and Norbert Davis. Those short stories were a good influence that I have now read 'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler; a Perry Mason novel and a Saint book.

There are a lot of old books in granddad's bookcase and he's always adding to them.

So what I got from all this is an appreciation of Friday's Forgotten Books.

OK so some styles show how dated they are but there are good stories out there that are told in such a way that at the end there is a kind of satisfaction. Many of these books don't take up a lot of space nor are they padded out to justify their existence.

While I think that e-books and e-readers are a part of the future the value of Friday's Forgotten Books is that many of them will not see their way onto electronic books. Enthuse about these e-books is fine but I, also, think that in a world where paperbacks no longer existed many of these books would disappear. That writers like Orrie Hitt, a writer that James Reasoner highlights, would just be names on someone's blog.

Full line up of Friday's Forgotten books can be found on the Pattinase blog at http://pattinase.blogspot.com

CALEB THORN - 1 THE FIRST SHOT by L.J.Coburn

2009-11-03T18:47:00.002Z

This Caleb Thorn book is written against the background of the American Civil War.

The book opens with the graphic whipping of a slave for looking at his owner, Rachel Lowell, in a lustful way. Then she changes her mind and claims that the slave touched her. Rachel takes over from the overseer and whips the man to death.
Meanwhile, fifty miles away and among Washington society Caleb Thorn is celebrating his 21st birthday by having a duel with a young lieutenant Janson who he kills.
This has repercussions that occur later in the story.
Caleb Thorn is not made in the heroic mold. He's a strutting bully who killed his father and has an weird relationship with his mother, Jolene. Although he is engaged to marry Rachel Lowell, he has eyes for his future mother-in-law.
He really couldn't care less about the looming war and has no interest in fighting.
With the battle of Bull Run about to happen Washington society descends on a hill overlooking the battlefield as though the coming fight is some sort of spectator sport where the Union forces are expected to score a home run against the Confederates.
Things do not go according to plan and the home team are forced back. Artillery fire begins to land amongst the spectators who panic and run from the field. Civilians and soldiers cram onto a small bridge that is blown apart. Amongst the csualties are Caleb Thorn's mother, sister and fiancee - though in Rachel's case she learns that it is pointless threatening a slave with a whipping when she's drowning.
All Caleb Thorn wants is revenge against the Rebs because they killed his mother.
So Lieutenant Caleb Thorn arrives in an Army camp only to find that the Commanding Officer is
Lieutenant-Colonel Janson the father of the man he killed in the duel.
Janson has no intention of taking revenge but suggests that Thorn take charge of a bunch of convicts and go on a suicide mission. Unfortunately Thorn makes the wrong decision by choosing to reject the offer. Janson goads Thorn into striking him and Thorn winds up in the stockade with the other convicts.
Inevitabably they all set out on the mission and, as this is book 1, they pull it off and survive.

On this book alone Caleb Thorn just comes across as a weak little bully boy who has been spoilt to the point that he expects to get his own way. Though I say that by the end of the book Thorn and his band do bond.
The adult content was boring as all it seemed to do was highlight that Thorn is God's gift to women. LOL.
What is good is that there is a lot of history tucked away that tells of the descent into war that culminates in the Battle Of Bull Run.
There was enough in the second half of the book to make sure that I continue to Book 2: The Raiders.

SMACKDOWN vs RAW 2010 - Review

2009-11-01T16:59:00.003Z

After all the hype the game was released by THQ on October 23rd.
"It's your world now" the hype proclaimed.
It was all about creation. From creating your own wrestler, designing outfits, entrances, moves and to enhance the character by refining their superstar abilities. All very much like creating a character in a book.
Added to this a player can share their creations online within the WWE Community.
Drawback to this is that the character that has been carefully built comes with some missing bits - like entrance music and superstar abilities.
But having built a character no one wants their creation tampered with which is not an unreasonable thought. But not to have the superstar abilities is an oversight that no one can rectify.
Also, the game comes with glitches that should have been ironed out before THQ released the game.
Play with too many created wrestlers and the game freezes.
Some moves result with the wrestler wandering around with a broken arm.
Some hairstyles disappear and reappear during play.
It seems to have a problem with two shades of orange - entrance freezes or just doesn't load.
Simple solution is to not have an entrance; don't use orange; use a different hairstyle and remove moves that leaves the wrestler with a broken arm.
But why?
So how about the game play itself?
Well, in a few words 2010 is just a rehash of 2009. So, nothing new there except that on the 'Road To Wrestlemania' storylines there has been an added story for created wrestlers and one for female wrestlers.
In the past THQ have been far more innovative and creative in producing their Smackdown vs Raw games. The career mode has taken different paths but this time around they have chosen to repeat themselves.
On the plus side it has to be said that on the creative side they have almost surpassed themselves. Truly is the creator player's world now. At long last they have brought in a tool that puts the Highlight Reel to some use by allowing the player to create their own entrance movie.
This should have been brought into play long before now.
Downside is that uploading the character into the community does not come with entrance movie and there is no point in downloading it seperately as the two cannot be married up.
On balance the plusses and minuses equal each other - but I don't rate it as highly as gamer mags and sites do.
Just play and enjoy - it's what I do.

THE DARK RIDERS by Howard Hopkins

2009-10-28T12:09:00.003Z

Milius Clint is an evil man who is on the revenge trail. He wants to destroy Chris Durrin's life for the way that Chris had left Milius Clint disfigured and left him as the man he had become.

Clint and his gang sweep onto the 7HL ranch and destroy everything in their path including Chris's adoptive father. But that is not enough for Clint as he takes Chris's Comanche girlfriend's life before turning his attention to the other girl in Chris's life - a saloon dove named Matilija.

As all hell breaks loose in the saloon it becomes clear that bullets cannot harm Milius Clint or his gang.

For Milius Clint, long believed to be dead, has returned as a vampire.

Milius Clint is not your usual vampire. While his gang feeds on blood Clint feeds on fear that, in turn, feeds the hunger of the evil inside him.

Howard Hopkins, better known as Black Horse Western writer Lance Howard, maintains the western theme in this book. Just that the outlaws are not just bad guys but evil vampires as well.

In a sub-plot, there is a tale about cattle rustling and a friend who's past is linked to Chris Durrin's past.

This was an excellent read and the heroes really good as they have no idea how to deal with vampires. This, to my mind, is what sets 'The Dark Riders' apart from most vampire stories where the influence of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' sets the scenes.

And I liked Judith Huey's cover art which was just right for this book.

Yeah, I could read this book again.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY reminder.

Part 13 of the Short Story With No Name can be found on Broken Trails (http://brokentrails.blogspot.com) along with all the details for the other parts.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY: The Story With No Name

2009-10-21T08:33:00.002+01:00

The Story With No Name continues with Part 12 coming from Black Horse Western writer Chuck Tyrell and can be found at http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog

Parts 1 - 10 can be read as a whole on The Culbin Trail (http://ijparnham.blogspot.com
Part 11 is right here on this blog.

HARPER'S ISLAND

2009-10-18T23:15:00.002+01:00

One by one.............
This is what you call real watchable television.
The premise is take the slasher horror movie and mix all the elements of mystery, thriller and a dash of romance and keep the audience guessing who the killer is.
Spread the mix over 13 episodes and the audience is in a quandry because you not only want to spot the killer but you do wonder about who is next.
HARPER'S ISLAND begins with a party of people arriving from Seattle to attend the wedding of Henry Dunn to Trish Wellington. Among the guests is Abby Mills who is returning home. Abby is full of trepidation as the island was the scene of her mother's murder by the serial killer John Wakefield. A killer that was killed by Abby's father, Sheriff Charlie Mills.
The arrival of the party sees the re-union of Harper's Island resident and fisherman Jimmy with his ex Abby and old friend Henry. From the start there is no doubt that there is a strong bond between the three of them.
Right at the start, though, of the episode it is clear that something is afoot for one guest doesn't make up the numbers. He's tied up beneath the boat awaiting decapitation by the propellors.
With the passing of each episode so members of the wedding party and some of the residents come to meet the reaper. While the body count rises so does the number of possible suspects rise.
Trish Wellington's father doesn't want his daughter to marry Henry and pays an ex-boyfriend to try and get her away. Ex-boyfriend becomes a victim as does future father in law. The Sheriff, too, comes under suspicion when it is revealed that he never found John Wakefield's body.
Even Henry has his moment when Abby finds him covered in blood and his brother, J.D., dying after being stabbed. "It's all about you, Abby," are his dying word. Cue Abby as suspect.
Enter John Wakefield. This is The Grim Reaper and he just shows no emotion as he rips his way through the remainder of the wedding party.
But, Wakefield is not alone. He has come for his child. And the mother of his child was Abby's mother. Abby is now the key suspect again because by now it has been worked out that Wakefield is not acting alone.
Tonight was the denouement where everything comes together and the other killer's identity is revealed. The storyline was outlined in Episode 1 which made everything in the final two episodes make sense.
Something that should have been corny was really good and that was the romantic intervals between Cal and Chloe and that has to be down to the actors Adam Campbell and Cameron Richardson. You had to be hard hearted to watch them die without being sad that they had become Wakefield's victims.
Elaine Cassidy takes the lead as Abby Mills. With Christopher Gorham and Katie Cassidy as the prospective groom and bride, Henry and Trish. Nor would I want to meet Callum Keith Rennie up a dark alley not after his acting skills at bringing John Wakefield to life.
If you missed it I can only hope that it comes out on DVD.

THANKS

2009-10-18T20:31:00.002+01:00

I would like to thank the kids for keeping this blog going. You've done a good job and there have been one or two surprises.
Good job, kids.

GOD'S LITTLE ACRE by Erskine Caldwell

2009-10-16T16:24:00.002+01:00

This book is set in a time of the Depression in America.
Ty Ty Walden believes that there is gold on his farm and for the past 15 years has been digging for it. The only thing that grows on his farm is holes.
He has one acre put aside for God with the promise that any profit that piece of land makes will go to God. As long as it is not the fortune in gold that he expects to make. So he keeps shifting the location of that acre.
At first he tries to be all 'scientific' in discovering the whereabouts of the gold. That is until he hears tell that there is a diviner down in the swamps. An albino who can point out where his fortune lay. So Ty Ty along with his sons, Buck and Shaw, head off to the swamps to hunt down and kidnap the albino, Dave Dawson.
While they are doing that Ty Ty sends his daughter, Darling Jill, off to fetch his son-in-law, Will Thompson, to give them a hand.
Helped by the overweight Pluto Swint, who is running for sheriff,
Darling Jill heads over to the mill town where the Thompsons live.
Now poor old Pluto has a thing for Darling Jill and will do anything to be near her but she prefers to be her own woman while, at the same time, shows that she likes a good time. Nor is she fussy.
Out of work Will Thompson turns up drunk and finishes up in bed with Darling Jill. Something that annoys her sister, Rosamund, who is Will's wife.
Will is reluctant to go back to Ty Ty Walden because he would rather go back to work. He wants to re-open the cotton mill, turn on the power and keep the looms going which would put the whole town back to work.
He gives in under pressure. But when they get home Darling Jill walks off with the albino, Dave Dawson. And Ty Ty gets a bit suggestive in his talk of Buck's wife Griselda.
While most of the book to this point is light and humourous at times from this point onwards it is a downhill ride to tragedy. Things heat up when Will Thompson comes to the decision that it is time to stop talking and do what he says. It is at the same time that it is discovered that Griselda doesn't always go shopping either and Ty Ty's lewd remarks have a consequence that leaves him in one of the holes he has dug for himself very much alone.
I was surprised to discover that this book was written in 1933 and that the publisher and author were taken to court for publishing a book with pornographic content. They also tried to have the book banned.
By today's standards it is sort of tame but I think that for the time it was pretty much way out there. The innuendo is very much to the point and as for sexual bits there is enough in the description to let the imagination do the rest.
I enjoyed the book. The style was easy to read and the characters of Ty Ty Walden and Darling Jill with her rebellious, mischievious antics really stood out. And I felt a bit sorry for Pluto Swint who had no one else to blame but himself.

The Way West: TEENAGE RAMPAGE

2009-10-15T12:40:00.002+01:00

Teenage angst and juvenile delinquency does not seem to fit in with the Old West scene. It's not a subject that writers write about.

Yet in Oklahoma in 1895 a couple of teens caused a lot of problems for the law.

Anna Emmaline McDoulet and Jennie Stevens were just 17 and 16 years of age when they went on a teenage rampage and caused the law a lot of problems.

Despite her age Jennie Stevens had already been married twice. Neither marriage had last long but, then, Jennie was not ready to settle down.

Anna McDoulet was a restless figure with a romantic interest in the outlaws of the old west and the Doolin-Dalton gang or Wild Bunch in particular. Whether this came from the books by Ned Buntline or not I'm not sure. More probably by their very reputation.

They met some members of the Wild Bunch at a country dance and were soon involved with the gang. They sold licquor to the Pawnee Indians, indulged in horsetheft and were spies for the gang.

Both girls kept their eyes and ears open and kept the gang informed about the whereabouts of the law who were hunting them down.

Jennie was captured once and managed to escape by stealing the deputy's horse.

After two years of creating havoc the pair, who were known as Cattle Annie and Little Britches, were captured by the lawman Bill Tilghman. Both were sentenced to Reform School after which they faded from history. No one knows what happened to them after that though it is suspected that Anna McDoulet may have died in 1978.

The story of Cattle Annie and Little Britches has been turned into a novel by Robert Ward (1977). And a 1980 film with Amanda Plummer as Cattle Annie and Diane Lane as Little Britches. Also Burt Lancaster stars as Bill Doolin and Rod Steiger as Bill Tilghman.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY; The Story With No Name Part 11

2009-10-14T03:10:00.003+01:00

Each Wednesday a different writer has taken up the challenge to write 500 words or so segment of this Western short story.
The authors have been I.J.Parnham; Jack Giles; Chuck Tyrell; Evan Lewis; Jack Martin; Jim Griffin; Joseph A West; Bob Napier; Richard Prosch and Paul Dellinger.
All 10 parts can now be read at The Culbin Trail (http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/)
Part 11 is written by Peter Averillo.
Who is next?
Anyone who wants to write Part 12. Just leave a comment and claim your place.

The Story With No Name - Part 11

Silas Bartlett stood there stunned with his mouth gaping wide open.
“What the hell?” he managed to squeeze out, the words strangling in his throat.
The gun in Lola’s hand swung in his direction. A coldness seemed to seep into her honey brown eyes.
“Sit down, Silas,” Lola nodded towards the rickety chair close by his side.
She waited for him to obey before speaking again.
“I don’t trust you, Silas,” she continued. “Never did. But you got one thing right – this is about Walt and me.”
“Don’t include me in,” Walt groaned laying back on the bed.
Lola just smiled: “Like I said this is about you and me.”
“There is no me and you,” Walt spat out. “You made that plain some time back.”
“So I made a mistake,” Lola shrugged. “And you’ve never made any?”
“Plenty,” Walt mumbled.
“Well so did I,” Lola insisted. “The biggest was believing that Zack was the solution to all my problems. He keeps me safe and secure just like I wanted but that’s as far as it goes. We’re just partners in a business. He can’t give me what I really want.”
“And the gold solves all your problems,” Silas snapped as he attempted to rise but sat down again as Lola glared at him.
“No, Silas, this not about the gold,” she snapped.
“If it’s not about the gold - ,” Walt began before choosing to shut his mouth and wait for Lola to say her piece.
“I saved your life, Walt,” Lola reminded him. “I brought you here for a reason. To talk to you. To explain some things to you.”
“Don’t listen to her, Walt,” Silas implored. “She’s in this for herself. Her and Zack Roden, they want my treasure for themselves.”
Lola laughed: “You can believe that if you want to Silas but all the gold I want is lying on that bed.”
“Lola, it’s too late for all that,” Walt groaned, trying to rise up but forced back by the pain in his belly. “’Sides, the way I figure it you’re trying to drive a wedge between me and Silas there. Lull me into thinking that I’d best go with you for the gold.”
“Walt, believe me when I say the gold means nothing to me,” Lola pleaded. “If you don’t believe me all you’ve got to do is burn that damned map.”
The moment that Lola turned her attention to Walt, Silas saw an opportunity to jump her and take the gun away from her. But when she mentioned the idea of burning the map it knocked him back leaving him sitting in stunned silence.
“You serious?” Walt asked, his eyes narrow and watchful.
“Yes,” Lola nodded.
“You can’t,” Silas screamed.
“Certainly not, old chap,” the soft, silky tone of voice had three heads turning towards the open door.
So engrossed in their own problems they had not heard Zack Roden make his entrance nor did they know how long he had been standing there.
“Well, well chaps and chapess,” Zack continued. “It has been a long time since the four of us were last together. Quite the reunion don’t you think?” when no one responded he carried on. “Quite an impressive speach, Lola. Most convincing. Now be a good girl and give Walter the gun. Man looks positively naked without it.” Then, as though it was an afterthought. “Oh, and Walter I don’t think it would be prudent to burn that map. Do you?”

READING HABITS of a 16 year old

2009-10-13T13:53:00.002+01:00

I've been memed by Joanne Walpole.

1. Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack.
Well, yes I do snack but it could be anything from sandwiches to crisps.

2. How do you keep your place while reading a book? Book mark? Dog ear?
Bookmark.

3. Laying the book flat open?
Being brought up to respect books - never. It's just as easy to bookmark the page.

4. Fiction, non-fiction or both?
Fiction, faction or non-fiction.

5. Hard copy or audio book?
I prefer real books.

6. Are you a person who reads to the end of chapters or are you able to put a book down at any point?
End of chapters. Ilike good endings that make me want to pick the book up again.

7. If you come across a word that is unfamiliar do you look it up straight away?
I go with the flow. Meanings usually come through. If not I look it up later on the computer.

8. What are you currently reading?
The Dark Riders by Howard Hopkins (review coming up when I've finished it).

9. What was the last book you purchased?
Billy by G F Newman - the man who wrote the Judge John Deed tv series.

10. Is there a favourite time or place to read?
Anytime. In my room.

11. Do you prefer series books or stand alone?
Either. It has to be a good series though.

12. Is there a specific book or writer that you recommend?
I suppose I do do that. I like a lot of the Black Horse Western writers. Good books that I read I do review. That's like a recommendation.

13. Are you the type of person who reads one book at a time or can you read more than one?
Er - at school you don't have a choice. At home it's one at a time.

14. How do you organise your books: by genre, title, author?
In the bookcase. Totally haphazard. Though all books by one author are together. I'm a totally disorganised teenager.

THE VERONICAS - Hook Me Up

2009-10-13T13:19:00.004+01:00

The Veronicas are a duo from Australia.

Jessica and Lisa Origliasso are from Albany Creek, Brisbane, New South Wales.

They have been in show business since they were five years old. They have appeared in the Aussie series 'Cybergirl' and Disney TV's 'The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody'.

As songwriters they have written songs for the likes of the Russian girl band Tatu.

2004 saw the launch of their first album 'The Secret Life Of.....' which failed to reach the UK shops. Though both album and singles tracks did very well Down Under.

'Hook Me Up' was originally released in 2008.

And one track 'Untouched' was used on the video game 'FIFA 09'.

Now the 'Hook Me Up' album has been released in the UK and The Veronicas made a publicity appearance on a recent edition of 'National Lottery Live' with a video clip of their latest singles release.

That clip gave me a reason to listen to more. It turns out that the CD is quite interesting music wise.

It is easy to say that The Veronicas compare to the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Girls Aloud and Tatu. But each track on this CD is different. It is just not the same old, same old that you get on most CDs. Each track is individual and covers different styles. That is what makes this so refreshing. One of the few albums that I can replay and hear something new each time.

THE POWER OF ONE

2009-10-12T00:19:00.004+01:00

The Power Of One is a 1992 movie based on the 1989 novel by Bryce Courtenay.
The story is set in South Africa at the time of aparthaid.
It is about a boy known by his initials as PK and is played by Guy Witcher at 7 years of age; Simon Fenton at 12 years of age and Stephen Dorff as the 18 year old PK.

PK is English and grows up on a farm in South Africa. After a cattle plague wipes out the farm and the death of his mother PK is sent to an Afrikaaner boarding school.
With the rise of Adolph Hitler PK becomes the victim of bullying led by an older boy Jaapie Botha (Robbie Bulloch). One night he is woken up by a master to be told, curtly, 'You're mother is dead.' PK starts to wet his bed.
After the funeral his nanny calls on a witchdoctor
who shows PK how to face his fears. And faces them he does when he tackles the bully, Jaapie, and embaresses him.
He is taken out of the boarding school by his grandfather and placed in the care of a German pianist and botanist with a love of cacti. With the declaration of war Doc is interned and PK goes with him. Apart from the guards Doc and PK are the only white people in the camp. PK witnesses first hand the treatment of the blacks by their guards.
Doc suggests that a man named Geel Piet (Morgan Freeman) trains PK how to box.
The Kommandant announces a visit by the Commissioner and asks Doc to arrange a concert. How to do it is a concern but PK solves the problem by bringing the tribes together to form a choir. The words though are derogatory to their captors and sung in Zulu the Afrikaaners have no idea that they are being called cowards. One of the guards does though after he has beaten it out of Geel Piet.
After the war PK is sent to an English Boarding school. It is during an inter-school boxing match that PK meets Maria Marais (Fay Masterson), the daughter of one of the architects of modern aparthaid. Together they begin to run a school teaching English to some of the people of the nearby shanty town. This does not go unobserved as Jaapie Botha is now a police sergeant (and now played by Daniel Craig) and he is looking for revenge.
With PK on the run the police invade the shanty town looking for him. Inevitably, there is a showdown between PK and Botha.

I had seen the director, John G Avildson's films of Rocky and The Karate Kid but those films did not prepare me for this one. This is not like them at all. The violence in this movie is shocking from the bullying scenes to the beating of Geel Piet to the massacre in the township. There is no glorifying the violence here but a statement that said that this sort of thing happened.
It is also a brilliant film in the way that it portrays PK's life into his teens.
I now want to read Bryce Courtenay's book and it's sequel

COMING UP

2009-10-10T12:45:00.002+01:00

In an action packed week we will cover such things as the latest Australian music sensations and a couple of movies that you might enjoy.
Chantel will be going on a teenage rampage in the wild west.
Yes, folks, the kids are still in charge for another week.
Let us know what you think.

THE WILD WESTERN VIDEO GAME

2009-10-09T18:41:00.005+01:00

The western has made a return to the video game market.

They have been around since the 1980s with the coming of the Commodore 64 and on the early Sega and Nintendo systems and, later, with Playstation and the Game Cube.

When the Playstation 2 came out the graphics that had been developed on the earlier games was enhanced. Rockstar, the creators of 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Midnight Club' games brought out 'Red Dead Revolver'. It had a good storyline and a soundtrack that sounded as though it had come straight from the pen of Ennio Morricone.

Although rated with a max of 7.5 out of 10 in games magazines this game has sold 1.5 million copies since the 2004 release.

Following on with this was Playstation 2 released another series 'Gunfighter: The Legend Of Jesse James' which had a sequel 'Gunfighter 2: The Revenge Of Jesse James'

The first western video game to go out on all consoles was

'Gun'.

With a gap in the market Xbox 360 came out with the 'Call Of Juarez'. This, in turn, has a sequel (though this is really a prequel) 'Call Of Juarez: Blood Bound'.

Sometime between now and April 2010 the second Rockstar game 'Red Dead Redemption' will appear on a console near you.

Mr Dobbs at The Tainted Archive has a video of the trailer for this game. It certainly looks good but like all trailers for video games it is made up of the cut scene graphics rather than the gameplay.

The main focus of the western video games has roots in the spaghetti western. The hero, very often, is Clint Eastwood inspired. Unlike the early Lucky Luke games from way back.

Even the packaging has that good movie poster feel about them.

The western video game does have an audience amongst the young. But these are RPG (role playing games) whereas most young people have a liking for sports related games or splatter games.

It is interesting to discover that it is the 55 and above age group that buys RPGs like the games listed above - and they have the nerve to criticise us youngsters.

The Way West: SALLY SKULL

2009-10-08T10:51:00.003+01:00

Billy The Kid, or so the legend has it, killed a man for every year of his life.
In her lifetime it is reckoned that Sally Skulls bodycount was higher. Not a woman to mess with by all accounts.
Sally Skull or Scull was born Sarah Jane Newman in Pennsylvania about 1817.
She came west with her maternal grandfather. Sally Skull showed her prowess with a gun at an early age when the homestead was attacked by Indians.
By the 1830s she was down Texas way where she married Jesse Robinson, one of the heroes of The Battle Of San Jacinto, in 1838. By 1843 they were divorced and in that same year Sally married a gunsmith George Scull.
In her lifetime Sally, who never dropped the name Scull, was married five times.
This lady was feminine but she preferred to wear trousers - though I think that from what I've read she liked to wear the trousers.
She could rope and brand equal to any cow hand and ran her own freighting business. During the Civil War she drove freight up the famed Cotton Road to deliver needed supplies by the Confederate troops.
Sally, despite dressing and riding like a man was all female with a love of dancing. At the same time she liked a game of poker and could cuss with the best of them.
I have a visual picture of Sally who wore a brace of six guns, carried a rifle and wore a sunbonnet. Not the stereotype outfit that is usually imagined.
Sometimes she would get into disputes over land or cattle or horse deals with the result that she resorted to the only means of bringing an end to the arguement. With her guns and, usually, in self-defence.
In 1868 she disappeared. Some said that her fifth husband killed her and buried her body in the desert down Mexico way. Others say that she was seen around later than that.
Or maybe she moved to El Paso where in 1870 a lady known as Alice Stillwell Henderson was said to show some of the traits that Sally Skull had had. Also, it is said, that this lady had written a journal about the life of Sally Skull.
Who knows what happened to Sally Skull.
A lady with steel blue eyes who defied the conventions of her time. A cattlewoman, horsebreeder and freighter who was more feminist than the times could tolerate.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Part 10

2009-10-07T14:42:00.002+01:00

This is the short story that began life 10 weeks ago. It has no name but the story is taken up by a different writer each week.
Part 10 can be found at Laurie Powers Wild West (http://lauriepowerswildwest.blogspot.com)
You will find links there to the previous 9 episodes.
Not read them yet? Shame on you.

SOME UPDATES

2009-10-05T22:49:00.002+01:00

The Raging Moon
The movie of the book by Peter Marshall reviewed on this blog is now on DVD. It stars Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman.

Interest In Open Range
It was good to hear that some articles from Open Range have been used in conjunction with talks with various Historical Associations in America.

Metallica: S & M
We have now seen the DVD of this concert with The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Metallica. We enjoyed the session especially the way that the orchestra, band and audience interacted. Has to be seen and heard.

Silent Tuesday
For obvious reasons we will not be posting anything on Tuesday 6th October.
But we'll be back Wednesday and for the rest of the week.

THE FRIGHTENED CITY

2009-10-04T20:37:00.001+01:00

THE FRIGHTENED CITY (1961)
Directed by John Lemont.

Cast:
Herbet Lom as Waldo Zhurnikov
John Gregson as Detective Inspector Sayers
Sean Connery as Paddy Damion
Alfred Marks as Harry Foulcher
Yvonne Romain as Anya

The box says that this film is an example of British noir.
Most reviews of this film gives it the thumbs down - but they must have watched a different film to us.
Basic storyline is that accountant Waldo Zhurnikov has gang boss Harry Foulcher as a client. Waldo shows an interest in the current spate of gang warfare and suggests that Harry call a truce and unite the gangs. But he needs an enforcer who will use violence as a last resort.
Enter former cat-burglar Paddy Damion who has a nice line in patter when it comes to promoting the insurence rackets (in other words protection).
When Waldo decides to expand the gangland areas of influence into the construction business one of the gangsters, Alf Peters, pulls out. Because Paddy Damion is very friendly with Alf he is coerced into arranging a meeting where Harry Foulcher kills Alf.
Paddy Damion is caught by Detective Inspector Sayers who has spent part of the film following the gangsters around attempting to catch them red-handed. But Paddy escapes for the final showdown.

No matter what other people say we were rivetted to this film. And watch Sean Connery and he has some great one liners. "I'm a white Russian." Anya, the love interest, tells him. "Not to worry. I'm colour blind."
One movie away and he was already doing the James Bond thing. So one good reason to see this dvd.
The theme tune was by Norrie Paramour who gets to play the part of the pianist in the movie.
The Shadows had a hit with the theme tune - The Frightened City

METALLICA: S & M

2009-10-04T00:59:00.002+01:00

Dad once said if you want to find a root of Heavy Metal listen to Stravinsky's 'Rite Of Spring'. Me listen to classical music? I took his advice and did wonder.
So take a Heavy Metal group like Metallica and fuse that with Michael Kamen conducting The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and you get a bit closer to what my dad was thinking.
This is a two disc set which has 21 tracks. The opener is the 'Ectasy Of Gold' and followed by a massive instrumental track ' The Call Of The Ktulu' - just 9.24 minutes of shear mindblowing fusion of symphony orchestra and heavy metal. Does it work? Of course it does. It shouldn't but it does. The opener to 'Master Of Puppets' sounds like a film soundtrack then the guitars hit in and takes the music to another level.
There are two new tracks on this double CD. 'No Leaf Clover' and 'Human'.
Even if you don't like heavy metal I'd give this one a try.
On the downside I have to give this CD back to Dad.
Does anyone think he'd notice if it was missing?
Yeah, I think he would.

TREMORS 4: THE LEGEND BEGINS

2009-10-02T16:34:00.005+01:00

Okay before I start - due to the death of Ray's mum yesterday we kids are taking over this blog for the next week or so. We'll try to keep things going with bits on Metallica, a killer who makes Billy The Kid look cool and other stuff.

TREMORS 4: THE LEGEND BEGINS

This 2004 movie went straight to video but also was premierred that year on the Sci-Fi Channel.

The movie stars Michael Gross as Hiram Gummer (the great-grandfather of Burt Gummer of the original Tremors movie).

The action takes place in the Nevada town of Rejection in 1889.

The sole source of income comes from the nearby silver mine where the workers begin to disappear spreading panic in the town and everyone panics and leaves apart from an Indian, a Chinese family, the saloon owner and Juan, one of the mine workers.

Enter Hiram Gummer from Philadelphia the mine owner who wants to know why work has stopped. With a bunch of miners he enters the mine only for everyone to disappear when they are attacked by flying 'dirt dragons'.

Juan manages to kill one when he throws a pick axe at it. Hiram thinks that the only way he can get rid of the monsters is to telegraph out for a hired gun. Enter Black Hand Kelly. Immediately, Kelly and Hiram clash and with Juan in tow they set out to tackle the Graboid 'Dirt Dragons'.

When this fails Hiram hands over the mine to the surviving townspeople and heads back to Philadelphia. While waiting in Carson City for a train he overhears the telegraph operator laughing off the claims from Rejection that they are being attacked by giant worms.

Armed to the teeth with weaponry Hiram returns to Rejection where the magnificent six take on and defeat the 'dirt dragons'.

And the town becomes known as Perfection.

Very often sequels and prequels do not come up to scratch. In this case this is a prequel that matches the original and it's a pity that this one didn't make it into cinemas. The actors look as though they are enjoying themselves. None of the humour is forced.

None of the hour and half run time is wasted.

CHARLEY'S CHOICE by Fern J Hill

2009-09-30T22:15:00.003+01:00

After blogging about Charley (or Charlie) Parkhurst we came across this novelisation of the famed stagecoach driver's life.
Fern J. Hill takes the reader right into the story and her style is so engaging that when I opened the book I was hooked. So, this is one book that did not make it on to my 'too be read' pile.
The facts of Charlotte Parkhurst's life is, as explained in my previous blog, very scant but Fern J. Hill by telling the story in the first person makes for a believeable person.
The reader is taken through Charley's childhood in an orphanage and her subsequent escape to Massachusetts where she is employed by Ebenezer Birch. That Charley is female are discovered by Ebenezer's wife, Tilly, and later by another driver with whom she has an affair that results in the birth of her daughter in Georgia. When young Mattie dies, Charley drowns her sorrow in drink but Charley returns to the trade of her choice. Despite her drink problem she is sober when she drives. In 1851 she heads for California and this is where Charley Parkhurst's reputation is made.
What makes this novel stand out is the way that Fern J. Hill has combined fact and fiction in a way that the reader is left with the impression that there is no dividing line.
Fern J. Hill has her own website that is full of facts about the life of Charley Parkhurst.
There is, also, a You Tube trailer.
This book is available through both Amazon.com and co.uk or via The Book Depository.
Certainly recommended read.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - The Story With No Name

2009-09-30T11:41:00.002+01:00

The next instalment of this exciting western story can now be read at www.meridianbridge.com
This story is gathering pace and comes with twists and turns that leaves the reader wanting more.
All the links to the previous episodes can be found at Meridian Bridge.

THE SUMMER OF '69

2009-09-29T01:25:00.003+01:00

On a Tuesday on Dark Bits (http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com) Howard runs a series called Terror Tuesday. The point of this is to promote the horror novel that, like the western, is disappearing from the shelves.
Last week was about ghost stories and invited readers of his blog to mention their encounters - so here we go:

The Summer Of '69

The first week of July '69 my fiancee, Sandra, and I went to Minehead in Somerset for a week before joining up with her mum and dad for the second week.
We spent our time roaming through Somerset and Devon or just lazing on the beach.
One of our roams took us to Dunster Castle but what intrigued me was the tower on the opposite hill.
It was quite a hot day and the sky was cloudless so we ambled through the town passing by the old Yarn Market. Eventually, we found a track that took us onto some open farmland. Unfortunately, there was no way into the woods of Conyger Hill as it was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
This was no deterent to someone who wanted to know more.
So we ducked through the strands and followed a narrow path up to the tower.
The tower is a folly built by the Luttrell family to resemble the ruins of a castle.
Anyway Sandra posed for a photo within the ruins of the sun-dappled walls of the tower. By then she was feeling a bit chilly and wished that she had brought a cardigan with her. I had to admit that it had, suddenly, grown a hell of a lot cooler and a breeze had begun to build up.
I looked up and noticed that the tops of the trees were bending. The sky, too, had clouded up. Very dark - very grey.
With it came an atmosphere - a tangible evil.
And a sound - a sound of drumming mixed with rattling metal.
It was scary and we were both running downhill as fast as our legs would carry us.
Sandra kept going - but I stopped. Don't ask why - but I did and turned around.
Coming through the trees were what seemed like hundreds of dark vague shapes. It was as though an army was coming after us.
And then we were through the fence into the blinding sunlight of a hot July day.
We stood in the middle of the field and looked back at the hill and said out loud: "What the hell was that?"

We had encountered the leper mercenary army.
Back during the English Civil War the Roundheads had laid seige to Dunster. Conyger Hill would have been a good strategic point for Captain Blake's artillery. But Cromwell had an uneasy feeling when climbing the hill and decided against it. I guess I know why.
But here we are forty years on and both Sandra and I still recall that day.
Neither of us have a clue about who this army is. Certainly, pre-dates the building of the folly which was built in 1775 and the English Civil War.
Back in '69 there were references to a leper army or mercenaries but they were vague. Since then nothing that explains anything more.
Of one thing I am certain - we are not the only people to experience this.

JACK THE RIPPER: The Singing Girl

2009-09-26T12:01:00.003+01:00

When I commented on The Tainted Archive's review of Patricia Cornwell's Jack The Ripper book I pointed out that no one seemed to concentrate on the final murder and the singing girl.
Books have mentioned her and skipped by it - even Superintendant Barlow in the 'Softly, Softly' special dismissed it.
As a fifteen year old kid I was concious that the final murder just did not fit in with the pattern.
So this is what I am going to concentrate on the - the importance of a singing girl.
Mary Kelly was the final victim of Jack The Ripper.
And the proof is - what?

Mary Kelly, unlike all the other victims was killed in her own home.
The lock to the front door was broken as was a pane of glass in the window - but this wasn't made by the Ripper doing a bit of breaking and entering. This had all happened sometime before and reported to the landlord.
At 9pm the night that Mary Kelly was killed several witnesses mentioned that they had heard a female singing indicating that Mary Kelly was not alone that night.

Back to the other victims. All were found in the street and all mutilated either by a butcher (Leather Apron) or a Royal Phycisian (Dr.William Gull). In Mary Kelly's case - her body was found on her bed in her room.

So - two women in one room where only one body was butchered. Not just butchered but mutilated beyond recognition. Ergo one mutilated body found in Mary Kelly's room must be that of Mary Kelly. Not exactly positive ID.

Whatever the theorists come up with for the murder of these prostitutes it has to be assumed that the killer knew what his victims looked like. So why remove Mary Kelly's face? He would have wanted her to be positively identified. On the other hand if he encountered the second female he would have known that it was not Mary Kelly.

Mad and illogical as it sounds - the only reason for the final victim having her face mutilated is to make people believe that the corpse was indeed that of Mary Kelly. And I am fully aware of what this implies and the weight of evidence concerning this one part of the Ripper crimes seems to draw a logical conclusion.
Though having a logical conclusion - doesn't explain the why - except that Anne Stride and the rest new Mary Kelly. They had been arrested, at various times, for prostitution and had used 'Mary Kelly' as an alias. Not really a good excuse for bumping them off - unless, of course, Mary Kelly did not like the reputation this was giving her.
What is obvious is that the Ripper killings ended with Mary Kelly's death.
For fifty odd years I have read everything and watched every documentary on the subject and I am still convinced - or deluded - that it was Mary Kelly who killed the singing girl. With that comes the possibility that Mary Kelly was The Ripper.
Far fetched - maybe.
I am reminded of that moment in the Sherlock Holmes 'Silver Blaze' concerning the curious incident of the dog in the night time. It did nothing. Exactly.
Substitute the curious incident of the singing girl in the night time - and some things make sense.
Or not - as the case may be.

THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD on DVD

2009-09-23T23:55:00.002+01:00

The Good The Bad The Weird is a 2008 Korean western directed by Kim Ji-woon.

It stars:

Jung Woo-sung as Park Do-won (The Good)

Lee Byung-hun as Park Chang-yi (The Bad)

Sung Kang-ho as Yoon Tae-goo (The Weird)

This is totally western in make-up though it is set against the Manchurian wilderness in the 1930s. The Japanese are looking to go to war against China and have a treasure map in their possession.

Chang-yi and his wild bunch are hired to get the treasure map. They stop a train with the intention of taking the map from the Japanese. Also on the train is Tae-goo who gets to the map first. Trapped on the train with the bandits closing in on him help arrives in the shape of Do-won, a bounty hunter, who is looking for Chang-yi.

What follows is gripping stuff as alliances are formed and disolved as the three main characters take on the Japanese Army and Chinese bandits all anxious to get their hands on the map and the treasure.

The good thing is that this is a visual film so the Korean language does not become a barrier. The English subtitles are unobtrusive - but it is not necessary when following the action.

The opening credits is something to savour with an eagle swooping down on it's prey that lies between railroad tracks. This coincides with the arrival of a train and just a few yards from where Chang-yi is standing between the tracks watching the train approach. The camera work is something that I found made this and many of the set pieces very awesome.

The ending is a bit tame - they should have used the alternative ending which can be found on this disc as it is more in keeping with the tone of the main movie.

Disc 2 has a 'Making Of...' documentry; an interview with cast and director and some more alternative endings.

All in all worth taking time out to see.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Part 8

2009-09-22T20:26:00.002+01:00

The writer Robert S. Napier has written part 8 of this exciting western yarn. This can be found at http://capnbob.blogspot.com - The Cap'n's Blog.

Parts 1-6 can now be read at The Culbin Trail (http://ijparnham.blogspot.com)
Part 7 from western writer Joseph A. West is on The Tainted Archive (http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com)

Who will write Part 9?

THE SARACEN'S HEAD, SNOW HILL, LONDON

2009-09-18T17:08:00.003+01:00

The day that Sarah Ann Matthe was born in the 1700s she would have been unaware of the destiny that awaited her.

She would marry Butler William Mountain and help him to run 'The Saracen's Head' - the coaching station immortalised by Charles Dickens in 'Nicholas Nickleby'.

Sarah Mountain was described as a real beauty and totally devoted to her husband. She was never without a cameo broach pinned close to her heart. Not just any cameo but that of her husband.

But Sarah Mountain had another side to her - a determination to succeed in business. While her husband was happy to attend to the business of the tavern and hotel side of things Sarah built up a feed and grain business while, at the same time, going into the stagecoach business. Against male opposition she won the right to run the Louth Mail using her own coaches. She, also, built coaches to order and struck deals with the new owners that gave her a slice of their profits.

Not only did she have beauty but she had brains as well.

When her husband died in 1833 she retired from the business and brought a house just up the road from 'The Swan With Two Necks' in Whetstone nr Barnet, Hertfordshire. A house that someone tried to burgle only when he tried to climb a gate to get away she shot him in the leg and sat on him until the law arrived.

The Saracen's Head was taken over by Sarah's son Peter until 1868 when it was demolished to make way for the Holborn Viaduct.

Sarah Mountain died in 1835.

But in her lifetime she made her mark both as a formidable business woman and a loving wife and mother.

LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES

2009-09-17T16:34:00.003+01:00

Geneology is a mystery. For several years I have had a problem with one branch of the family tree.
Yesterday I broke through the barrier - thanks to the fact that the London Metropolitan Archives went on line. This can be found at www.ancestry.co.uk and, probably, .com as well.
Not only did I break down one barrier but added to stuff that I already knew.
That said tracing the family history adds another tool to a writer's armoury - it teaches, me anyway, how to research.
In it's own way geneology can play a part in research for any kind of novel.
Take a look at the Census for 1880 in the US and you discover Morgan Earp in Tombstone stating his occupation as that of 'farmer'. Check it out at www.familysearch.org
OK so the Census for the US was taken every 10 years but it helps to know who was where at the time.
It is a useful tool.

NO: 1 IN THE ALBUM CHARTS

2009-09-14T00:36:00.002+01:00

Like just about everyone else I expected one of The Beatles re-mastered CDs to be at the top of the album charts. In fact the whole set to dominate the chart full stop.
But it appears that nostalgia of a different kind made it to No.1.
The Forces Sweatheart - Vera Lynn stands as the top of the chart.
While The Beatles may have been there for our teenage years it was the voice of Vera Lynn who invokes memories of the war years and many a Beatles fans' childhood. I, for one, grew up knowing the words to 'We'll Meet Again' and 'When The Lights Go On Again' and 'White Cliffs Of Dover'.
And seeing that it is the 70th Anniversary of the declaration of the start of World War 2 maybe the most fitting No.1.

MISFIT LIL NEWS

2009-09-10T11:17:00.003+01:00

Randy at Not The Baseball Pitcher has written an excellent review of Chap O'Keefe's 'Misfit Lil Cheats The Hangrope'. Here's the link http://randall120.wordpress.com/

While I'm writing Randy has a very good blog here and anyone interested in the Western genre might like to take a look at his back catalogue of Western movies and books.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY: Short Story Challenge

2009-09-09T15:32:00.003+01:00

SHORT STORY CHALLENGE

Part 6 of this exciting tale can be found at http://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com
This episode of the story comes from respected American western writer Jim Griffin.

For Part One - http://ijparnham.blogspot.com
For Part Two - is on this blog
For Part Three - http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog
For Part Four - http://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com
For Part Five - http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com

To write Part Seven just claim a place by commenting on the latest instalment. No blog? No problem.

DARK BITS: Guest Blog

In conjunction with the future publication of an anthology of new stories of the Old West - or Where Legends Ride 2 - the authors are making guest appearances on Dark Bits (http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com). Topics range from their stories to their interest in the West.
Last Wednesday saw Jack Martin open the proceedings. This week sees the turn of Jack Giles who reveals a link to the British Western writer Oliver Strange.

BIKER BITS

2009-09-06T23:03:00.003+01:00

THE BIKERS BOOZER

Down in the list of 'Other Interesting Places' is a link to The Bikers Boozer. Just to let any passing bikers know that they have moved to Facebook.

THE ACE CAFE
11th - 13th September 2009
It is that time of year when The Ace Cafe celebrates the Reunion. Bikers from across the world will descend one The Ace Cafe in London. Old Rockers from the sixties, members of the 59 Club who used to hang out here back in the Sixties get to enjoy a reflection of the good ole days. Rock 'n' Roll and a good day out for all the family.
And if that's not enough - then there's the Brighton Run on Sunday. E.T.A in Brighton is about 10:30 am.
Guess where I'll be next weekend.

DORO

2009-09-05T12:25:00.005+01:00

I often wander down to our local pub on a Saturday night to listen to live Heavy Metal music.

About a year ago the landlady and I were talking music that we liked. At the time she mentioned that I might like Doro Pesch who she had seen at the Wacken Festival in Germany.

Within days I got a message from British Heavy Metal group 'Girlschool' with the same suggestion.

So this Heavy Metal Cowboy rode off to You Tube to discover a live performance by this leatherclad blonde bombshell that blew my mind.

Doro Pesch was born 1964 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Originally, with Snakebite she went on to front the German Heavy Metal band 'Warlock'. While the 1980s scene was male dominated Doro made her voice heard and is regarded by many to be the Queen of Heavy Metal.

And she does have a sensational voice that contrasts with the gentleness of 'Black Rose' to the likes of 'Rock Angel' and 'Down And Out'.

Although she writes her own material she has covered Iron Maiden's 'Wrathchild' and Judas Priest's 'Breaking The Law'.

2009 has seen the release of a new album - 'Fear No Evil' - which has 13 tracks and CD-ROM video of 'Helzblut'.

70 YEARS AGO TODAY

2009-09-03T10:56:00.003+01:00

It had been a good summer. Sunday 3rd September 1939 was just as warm. Life should have been going on as normal but there were tensions in Europe.
At 11 am the Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, spoke to the nation on the BBC Radio.

"I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany."

During the course of the day France, India, Australia and New Zealand also declared war on Germany.

Hardly had any time passed from that declaration of war when Oberleutant Fritz-Julius Lemp in command of the U-Boat U30 sank the SS Athenia in the mistaken belief that the passenger ship was an armed merchant vessel.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Short Story Challenge

2009-09-02T12:51:00.002+01:00

The short story begun by Ian Parnham at http://ijparnham.blogspot.com (The Culbin Trail)
now continues with Jack Martin's instalment at The Tainted Archive (http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com).

Part Two appeared on this blog.
Part Three appeared at http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog
Part Four a http://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com

If you fancy joining in and adding a 500 word continuation to the story then leave a comment at The Tainted Archive.

The Way West - CHARLIE PARKHURST

2009-09-01T16:24:00.003+01:00

One of the main means of transportation back in the days of the wild west was the stagecoach. People, baggage and mail were carried by such companies as Wells Fargo, Butterfield and the California Stagecoach Company.

There were well known drivers such as Foss and Monk but even they fade into the background against Charlie Parkhurst.

Charlie was born somewhere in the mid-1810s up in New Hampshire and spent some time in an orphanage.

Down in Massachusetts Charlie discovered an affinity with horses and stagecoach owner, Ebenezer Balch, taught Charlie how to handle teams of four and six. So, when Balch went west Charlie tagged along.

During the gold stampede in California Charlie arrived looking for work. Despite the competition with down on their luck miners seeking work Charlie Parkhurst was taken on. Charlie had a reputation for being one of the safest drivers along the trail from Santa Cruz to San Juan and a reputation that made Charlie's name. An accident while shoeing a horse cost the sight of one eye but sporting a black eye patch Charlie carried on.

One day as Charlie rounded a bend there was a masked robber waiting. Never wanting to be caught out again Charlie learned how to use a .44. The next time someone tried to rob the stage he was shot dead by Charlie. Reports say that Charlie killed at least two people.

The most common ailment for a stage driver was rheumatism of the hands and Charlie was forced to retire. Charlie retired to Watsonville, California where Charlie tried a bit of lumbering, cattle ranching and raising chickens.

Charlie Parkhurst died there in 1879 from cancer of the tongue.

So why is Charlie Parkhurst a legend?

Because Charlie Parkhurst was born Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst.

A woman who, in 1868, became the first woman to have the vote - whether she used it or not will never be known.

When she died the press of the time was unkind and branded her a 'crossdresser' and other things.

She was 5'6" tall, slim and wiry with grey eyes. She would drink, smoke and swear. Her voice is described as a touch high pitched.

It is said that no one knew that she was a woman until she was laid out after she died. Somehow, that is hard to believe. A man who has been on the trail for a few days would have a few bristles on his chin - a need to shave. And there were signs that she had had a least one child.

I have no doubt that Charlie Parkhurst led a secret life. Not much choice considering the times that she lived in. Charlie, it is obvious, loved horses and the job that she did. Just that she had to wear men's clothes to do it.

SANDRA SEAMANS GOES WEST

2009-08-30T12:25:00.002+01:00

At BEAT TO A PULP this week Sandra Seamans takes on the role of western writer with an excellent story called 'Midnight Showdown'. Absolutely brilliant.
More people should make the crossover and write a western.

SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME

2009-08-29T11:22:00.005+01:00

Shaun Hutson is a fan - even appeared on stage with them.

I'm a fan. I think that I've done my best writing with the music of Iron Maiden playing in the background.

Whether it's their albums or one of the many compilations their sound has been going since the band was formed in Leytonstone in London's East End back in 1975.

The band went through several changes of personnel until in 1978 it found a useful lead singer Paul Di'Anno. The band started to record their music and had low chart success. They reached number 35 with a song titled 'Women In Uniform'. This one has never been released on an album. The label in purple and silver showed the early artwork that would become synonymous with Iron Maiden album covers.

However this single did appear on a CD with 'Invasion', 'Phantom Of The Opera', 'Twilight Zone' and 'Wrathchild'. Very rare and costs the earth and I wouldn't part with it.

Iron Maiden draw the lyrics for their songs from many sources. 'Lord Of The Flies' from the novel by William Golding and a 13 minute long effective telling of Coleridge's 'Rime Of The Ancient Mariner'. Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. As well as 'The Prisoner' and 'Back To The Village' inspired by the tv series - the former has Patrick MacGoohan's "I'm not a number. I'm a free man." speach on it.

On one tour of America they were denounced by Christians as Satanic and made a public display of burning their albums. Obviously, they had not listened to the lyrics of such songs as 'The Number Of The Beast' or 'Fear Of The Dark'.

In 1981 Paul Di'Anno was replaced by Bruce Dickinson and, to my mind, it is his voice that has brought distinction to the group as a whole. When he left to persue a solo career he was replaced by Blaze Bayley but the two albums that he appeared on were not as good as the previous ones.

Having said that there were many other factors involved.

But when Bruce Dickinson returned to the group it seemed as though the good times were back.

The last three albums 'Brave New World' which includes a song called 'Blood Brothers' is one of the best that they have recorded. 'Dance Of Death' and the sensational 'Matter Of Life And Death' that brings the slaughter of the First World War battle of 'Paschendele' to life.

The album SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME covers the best tracks from the Iron Maiden albums from 1980 to 1989.

Unfortunately, this does not include their only number one 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' which was written for the soundtrack of 'Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child'. Still it can be heard on the album 'No Prayer For The Dying'.

Included in this compilation is the western inspired 'Run For The Hills'.

The album opens with Churchill's rousing speach followed by the story of the Battle of Britain pilots in 'Aces High'. This album includes many of the well known tracks like 'The Trooper', 'Children Of The Damned', 'Powerslave', and 'Can I Play With Madness'. In many ways a perfect intro to the music of Iron Maiden.

Iron Maiden have made a movie 'Flight 666' and the live album of songs has just been released.

For the best video I can recommend 'Rock In Rio' where Bruce Dickinson shows his acting ability in 'Fear Of The Dark'.

Just another word about Bruce Dickinson. He's a full airline captain and he ferried out 200 UK citizens from Lebanon back in 2006 during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict. A man of many talents with an interesting bio worth reading.

And the origin of the name. Well according to Steve Harris, the founder, the bass player and composer he was watching an adaptation of Alexander Dumas' 'The Man In The Iron Mask' at the time.

WHERE LEGENDS RIDE 2 - The Line Up Announced

2009-08-27T22:42:00.003+01:00

The full line up of the western writers who's story appear in this new western anthology can be found at Nik Morton's blog Writealot (http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com)
It is a very impressive list of writers and includes the likes of Lance Howard, Ross Morton, Chuck Tyrell, I.J.Parnham and not forgetting my granddad, Jack Giles.
Also, there is a story by me. Chantel Foster.
You know, you pick up a book and read it and think this is easy. I could do that.
Writing, even a short story, is not easy. It involves hard work.
When I first wrote my story and showed it to my granddad he said that it was good. I felt pretty pleased with myself. Then I asked what I should do with it. He said finish it. Finish it? Yes, he said, there's a good story there but it's just a sketch. I went off in a huff.
A few days later and we were having a coffee at The Ace Cafe. We were talking bikes. About how I would like to ride a Harley. He explained that I would have to work my way up to one. Start with a 125 cc. He warned me that I might fail my driving test. Just don't give up on anything that you want in life.
We were talking bikes but my granddad was telling me something else.
So I grabbed my aunt's computer and wrote my story out again. What I typed was what I had written in my notebook. All the time, without really seeing it, I was expanding the story. I would show it to granddad and he would nod and say that the story was getting better.
Then one day he said that he thought that it was good but that he was not the best person to judge. Would I mind if he showed the story to someone else? Like yes, granddad.
The story was sent to Nik Morton who was both encouraging and critical. I cannot begin to thank the editors, Nik Morton and Charlie Whipple, enough for all their help and encouragement.
Also would like to say thank you to people like Lance Howard, I.J.Parnham, Jo Walpole and James Reasoner (I know he's not a Black Horse Western writer). If I had not read their books would I have been inspired to write? Or even attempt a western? I don't think so.
The end result can be read in the yet to be titled anthology.
Writing is not easy but if anyone wants to write then the effort has to be put in.

Like the man said never give up on anything you want in life.

JOHN DAVIS CHANDLER

2009-08-27T13:03:00.002+01:00

It's one of those actors where you know the face and ask the question who the hell is he.
He only had onestarring role and that was way back in 1961 when he played the title role in a movie called 'Mad Dog McColl'.
But it was his role in this movie and 'The Young Savages' that would mark the type of character that he would play in the future.
Remember the creepy Johnny Hammond in 'Ride The High Country'? That was John Davis Chandler born 1937 in Hinton, West Virginia.
He was, also, one of the bounty hunters in 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'.
He made three movies with Sam Peckinpah - the other two being 'Major Dundee' and 'Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid'.
One of his best moments has to be from the Lee Van Cleef movie, 'Barquero' where John Davis Chandler shows a lighter side with some marvellous interplay with Forrest Tucker.
Chandler has turned up on the small screen playing Kid Curry in 'The High Chaparral'. He appeared in some of the series from 'The Virginian' to 'The Rifleman'.
Not all his appearances were of the western variety. There have been roles stretching back from 'Star Trek: Deep Space 9' to 'Route 66' including a recently shown episode of 'Murder, She Wrote'.
John Davis Chandler may not have been a big star but to put him down as one of the supporting actors is a mistake. When on screen he makes his presence felt.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY: Short Story Challenge - part 4

2009-08-26T01:15:00.003+01:00

The short story begun by Black Horse Western writer I.J.Parnham continues with the fourth instalment from Dave Lewis at http://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com/

Part 1 can be found at The Culbin Trail - http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/
Part 2 is right here on this blog
Part 3 is at http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog

Who's up for part 5? Claim your spot at Davy Crocketts Almanack

Friday's Forgotten Movie: BOY'S DON'T CRY

2009-08-21T08:32:00.003+01:00

How can a 1999 film with a BAFTA and Oscar winning performance be considered forgotten?

Well, I guess, maybe it's because it is one those movies that hardly gets a mention.

This independant, low budget movie that was directed by Kimberley Pierce who co-wrote the script with Andy Bienen did provide an award winning performance from Hilary Swank as well as nominations for best supporting actress for her co-star, Chloe Lavigny.

The film is based on the true story of Brandon Teena who was raped and murdered in 1993.

The problem was that Brandon was born with female organs but felt that he should have been born a man. He gets involved in a bar fight over a girl he has beeen seeing and because his cousin doesn't want to be involved he evicts Brandon from the trailer that he shares.

He turns up in Falls City, Nebraska where he becomes friends with two ex-cons, John Lotter and Tom Nissen, and their circle of friends which includes Lana Tisdel. It is not long before Brandon feels that he is a part of a 'family'. A close relationship develops between Brandon and Lana.

However the past catches up with Brandon and he is arrested and placed in the women's section of the Falls City Prison from where Lana bails him out. Curious as to why Brandon was in a women's prison he explains that he is a hermaphrodite awaiting a sex change. Lana accepts him for who he is and tells him that she loves him for who he is and not for what he is.

Nor is it long before Lotter and Nissen discover Brandon's true identity.

Hilary Swank does such a good job with this role that it becomes easy to forget that she is female. In fact both leads do such a good job that the viewer is drawn into the intensity of the tragic story. And Kimberley Pierce brings out strong performances from all the players.

Although this film was nominated as Best Motion Picture 'Boy's Don't Cry' picked up nothing but in my considered opinion it should have.

Maybe, I should have chosen the 1999 Oscar winning movie because I can't remember what it was.

TEMPTATION WAITS

2009-08-19T22:14:00.003+01:00

Strange thing is that blokes seldon admit to reading poetry let alone write it. Yet years ago I, evidently, did. I could only recall one but one of my daughter's was having a clear out and discovered a book full. Some of the poems are only half completed while others are full of angst. Though taking into the situation at the time I can understand them. They were written about 1999/2000.
Not great poetry.
However, this one really struck me - I don't know what the inspiration for it was. Well, maybe a rough idea.

TEMPTATION WAITS

Temptation waits
On runaways fates
Welcome to sin city
Where there's no pity
A world of users
Losers and abusers
Of wheelers
And dealers
And whores
In their scores
Perverts and perversions
In so many versions
You can tell
Life is hell
For you kids
On the skids
Life's tough
Sleeping rough
None survive
Or leave alive
At this city gates
Temptation waits.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Short Story Challenge 3

2009-08-19T12:02:00.005+01:00

Part 3 of the short story challenge is now at Charlie's Tokyo West blog at http://tokyowest.typepad.com/charlies_blog/ In the event this link doesn't work then a link is on the side panel.
Charlie is better known as Black Horse Western writer Chuck Tyrell who's new book 'Guns Of Ponderosa' will be published in February 2010.

This short story was started by Black Horse Western writer I.J.Parnham at The Culbin Trail at http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/

Part two appeared on this blog.

Next week's episode will come from Dave Lewis better known as western writer Evan Lewis. You will find this next Wednesday at Davy Crockett's Almanack (http://davycrockettsalmanack.blogspot.com)

The Way West: YUMA, ARIZONA

2009-08-17T10:58:00.003+01:00

Yuma, Arizona was there long before the Southern Pacific Railroad routed the 3:10 there.

Nor would the railroad had gone there had it not been for an Army Surveyor called Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple. Whipple had been born in 1817 in Greenwich, Massachusets and had assisted in the boundary locations with Mexico from El Paso through to the Pacific Coast. The War Department, therefore, thought that A.W.Whipple would be the ideal choice to survey and find a transcontinental railroad route from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California.

The story of the Whipple Expedition is fascinating and too lengthy to go into here - but there is an account of this on the web.

Whipple was killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, 1863.

Yuma's real history though dates back to about 1540 when the Spanish explorere Hernando de Alarcon was the first European to set eyes on this territory. In 1697 Father Eusebio Francisco Kino established a mission on the banks of the Colorado River but this did not last a year. Yet it is he that pioneered the desert route that became known as El Carmino del Diablo.

It was not until 1774 that a new mission was built by Father Francisco Garces from where he led an expedition under Juan Bautista de Anza to California. The mission was destroyed by the Apaches in 1781.

The territory lay dormant for a while until re-discovered by Kit Carson but it was not populated until the late 1840s. It was at this time that Whipple arrived only to find that it was only populated by Indians.

The California gold rush found the crossing of the Colorado to have it's own means of making a profit. L.J.F. Jaeger opened up a ferry for those seeking their fortune and within a year an estimated sixty thousand hopefuls crossed over at $2 a head.

Steamboats brought passengers and materials to the crossing and in 1870 the Southern Pacific Railroad bridged the river.

Arizona, at the time a part of New Mexico (Arizona did not become a state until 1863) became a territorial US possesion in 1854 and Fort Yuma was built on the opposite bank to the town. It remained an Army post until 1883.

Nearby placer findings in 1858 brought further prosperity to the growing town.

On the Ist July, 1876 the territorial prison open it's gates to admit the first seven prisoners. Yuma's Territorial Prison would, in it's lifetime, house 3069 prisoners - 29 of whom were women. Construction of the prison was ongoing and built by the prisoners themselves.

This would serve as a harsh reminder of frontier justice. The prison was sited on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River. Adobe walls 18 feet high and eight feet thick at the base surrounded stone buildings, solid rock dungeons and a sun baked yard. Outside, a Gatling gun on a tower stood guard over the single entrance. Beyond - well anyone attempting to escape had not only the desert to content with but Indians who were paid a bounty of $50 for every prisoner that they brought back.

Between 1854 and 1858 Yuma was known as Colorado City when it changed the name to Arizona City.

Yuma as a city and a county did not come into being until 1873 and was named for the original indigenous tribes.

SMACKDOWN vs RAW 2010

2009-08-14T15:58:00.002+01:00

This is the event of the year amongst both gaming and wrestling enthusiasts - the scheduled autumn (fall) release of THQ's Smackdown vs Raw.

THQ's vice-president stated that the company's goal was to offer 'players extensive creative freedom and make WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 the most authentic, entertaining and compelling simulation of live WWE programming to date."

The WWE wrestler, John Morrison, has said that one of the main themes for this game would be around customisation.

More info will be released by THQ at the WWE pay-per-view 'Summerslam' on the 23rd August.

The first gameplay footage was seen by viewers of 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' during an interview with the wrestler, Triple H.

The official Smackdown vs Raw site should be open by the time that 'Summerslam' is screened.

Already the net has sites showing proposed rosters and gameplay but I take this as speculation and nothing more.

Meanwhile Asda is advertising the game at prices that range from £37 for the XBox 360 version of the game down to £24 for the PS2.

Friday's Forgotten Book: THE RAGING MOON by Peter Marshall

2009-08-14T01:28:00.003+01:00

The Raging Moon was first published in 1964 - 189 pages.

You need a strong stomach for this book as it takes the reader through a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
The book comes in three parts and tells the story of two people. Bruce Pritchard tells his story in the first person while Annette Perel's comes in third person. The reason for this becomes apparent as the story unfolds.
Bruce Pritchard is a young working class lad full of angst and rebelliousness - but don't be misled as this is not a stereotype figure. He lives a normal life with his family and older brother who is about to get married. Make no mistake Bruce enjoys life to the full.
Annette Perel, on the other hand, comes from a middle class 'sensible' background. Her mother is always doing something for the Church and Annette's father is a respected doctor. She is going steady with Jeremy and everyone is waiting for him to propose and for Annette to settle down.
Then tragedy strikes.
Jeremy proposes to Annette.
Bruce is best man at his brother's wedding.
Within hours of each other they are in hospital and both are diagnosed with polio.
Paralysed they are confined to wheelchairs and this is where the second short part of the book deals with how each character copes with their situation.
The third section sees Bruce in a bitter state of mind now transferred to a home run by the church. Visitors come and go leading to a lady commenting "Isn't it nice when people come to visit us. It makes us feel as though we're not entirely forgotten." Like prison visitors is Bruce's opinion.
His anger builds a wall - a prison within a prison. He even clashes with another new arrival Annette Perel. Except that they are kindred spirts and it is not long before she takes his wall apart and they are locked in a relationship.
This third section of the book made it controversial at the time. Disabled people in wheelchairs falling in love and having sex - disgusting was the reaction as though disability means that people aren't human anymore. Well each to their own.
However Peter Marshall deals with these issues sensitively. The author was involved with the working of a care home and writes about his subject with understanding and authority. A brilliant book which contains many issues that still exist forty years on.

The BULLDOG BASH Controversy

2009-08-13T14:28:00.004+01:00

For twenty three years the Bulldog Bash has been held just outside Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire at the racecourse at Long Marston.
It is one of the biggest motorcycle events to be held in this country and attracts visitors from across the world.
This year saw 'Motorhead' headline the music acts.
The Bulldog Bash celebrates both music and motorcycles from the bog standard to the customised. It caters for families as well as the bike enthusiasts. In simple terms it makes for a good day out or all weekend depending what you go for.
I go to a few bike meets and I'll talk to anyone. Most times I turn up in my leather or my denim with it's badges but that doesn't make me a Hell's Angel.
In fact even the name Hell's Angel is a collective term like a pride of lions.
Bikers come in various, how can I put it - kinds, I suppose. There are Outlaws, One Per Centers, Old School Rockers - and, of course, Hell's Angels. But it is easier for the press and police to just lump the whole lot together under one name.
There are sixteen chapters of Hell's Angels in the UK. The first of these dates back to about 1973 five years after The Beatles brought a couple of American angels to Britain.
The profile of Britain's Hell's Angels is so low that, unlike America and Canada, there is no special police force to investigate their activities.

So why is the Chief Constable of Warwickshire, Keith Bristow, getting so steamed up about the Bulldog Bash?
He wants to stop the Bash from becoming an annual event. He doesn't want a motorcycle/musical event to be staged on his turf by the criminal fraternity who's one aim is raise funds for their criminal activities. On the other hand he would be quite happy if the event was carried out by 'responsible' people - as long as they weren't Hell's Angels.
Despite losing the appeal to have the 10 year licence granted to the organisers because he had no evidence to back up his claims, Keith Bristow is determined to plough on and search for any legal opportunity, whether criminal or civil, to put an end to the Bulldog Bash.
He complains that the organisers won't show him the books to show where the money goes - but then, the organisers are a registered limited company who, by law, and do file their company accounts. Second, most people know that funds go to charities that support our armed forces.
What most people don't know is that Hell's Angels arranged days out for disabled children and Christmas Toy runs for children in hospital and countless other charitable works throughout the year.
See you at the Bulldog Bash 2010 - then.
So they have a bad rep but that goes with the territory. Just read Hunter S. Thompson's 'Hells Angels' or Julian Sher and William Mardsen's 'Angels Of Death' and you wouldn't want to meet one in a dark alley. But up close and beneath those leathers, badges and tattoos are some of the nicest blokes you could meet.
There has been publicity like the shooting of Gerry Tobin on the M40 after the 2007 Bulldog Bash and the battle at Birmingham Airport earlier this year between Outlaws and Angels. On the other hand there have been a lot more bad things that happened in the world that have dwarfed these isolated instances.
But don't take my word for it - a spokesman for the Hell's Angels of England and Wales had this point to make: "If we are organised criminals why do we ride around quite openly displaying patches saying who we are.
We get together to ride our bikes, visit our brothers here and overseas and party. Just because some of our members have crossed the line doesn't make every member a criminal nor a club a criminal organisation."
And Angels come from all walks of life.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Short Story Challenge - Part 2

2009-08-12T01:00:00.005+01:00

This is the second part of a short story started by Ian Parnham at The Culbin Trail (http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/). If you missed it last week then you can catch the first part there.
The idea is that each writer writes a 500 word (or thereabouts) section of a short story until it reaches the end.
Today's piece comes from Jack Giles

Part 2.

“What’s the hold up?” this curt question came from the portly conductor, Henry Cox, as he eased himself down the steps from the front of the first carriage. This as heads began to appear through the carriage windows behind him. He paused long enough to slip a fob from the pocket of a vest that was stretched, tightly, across his paunch and examined the watch face before glancing in Jerome’s direction.
“Better be good,” Henry snapped, shoving the watch back,as he turned to glare at Merrill who had halted with one foot on the footplate while gripping on to the brass handrail to maintain his balance. “We have a schedule to keep.”
Henry pounded towards them with a hiss of serge upon serge as his thick thighs collided with each other but neither man paid him much attention for they were watching the old man rise from the ground.
“Well, I guess, that’s my fault,” the old man told the trio of gaping men as he approached them brushing dust from his clothes with his hands. “Sorry if I’ve disrupted your schedule but you see I – yes, I needed to stop the train.” As he spoke his eyes wandered along the line of carriages until he spotted a red and white one at the end. Suddenly, he swung up an arm to point downline. “Hey, isn’t that Silas Bartlett’s private carriage?”
“It certainly is,” the conductor responded, pompously, finding it easier to answer the question rather than follow the oldster’s rambling drawl.
“Thought it was,” the old man nodded. “Good. I wasn’t sure if I’d stopped the right train.”
“And what if we hadn’t’ve stopped?” Merrill bellowed dropping to the ground. “God, by rights you should be dead.”
“But, don’t you see, you did stop,” the old man said, sagely.
“But if we hadn’t?” Merrill persisted.
All three stood there mesmerised as the old man reached inside his jacket and pulled out a stick of dynamite. As a man they took a few quick paces backwards.
“I’d’ve had to use this,” the old man mentioned. “Last resort – but the train would’ve stopped.”
“Just who the hell are you?” the conductor demanded, his eyes watchful as the old man slid the dynamite, carefully, back into his pocket.
“Didn’t I say?” the old man looked confused. “Walt Arnside.”
“You can’t be,” the Jerome gasped. “I knew Arnside and he’s dead.”
“Heard that rumour myself,” Walt nodded. “All the time I was in Yuma I had people telling me I was dead. But as you can see I’m very much alive.”
“Whoa! Whoa!” the conductor called out. “All this may be interesting but I don’t hear you saying why you stopped the train.”
“I didn’t, did I,” Walt nodded, scratching at the hairs at the side of his neck and glancing downline before facing the conductor. “Well, I’d’ve thought that was a mite obvious. I mean why would anyone try to stop a train, huh?” he glanced at each man expecting an answer and when none came stated the obvious. “To get on board.”

Next week's instalment will come from Black Horse Western writer Chuck Tyrell

SNIPPETS

2009-08-09T23:40:00.003+01:00

BEAT TO A PULP
This week's offering at the on line magazine Beat To A Pulp is a must read story 'I Celebrate Myself' by Nik Morton aka Black Horse Western writer Ross Morton.

BLACK HORSE WESTERNS
The August release of Linford Large Print Westerns (now available from Amazon and The Book Depoisitory) includes Lance Howard's 'Blood Creek'; Ross Morton's 'Last Chance Saloon'; Matthew P. Mayo's 'Wrong Town' and Jack Giles' 'Lawmen'.
All four writers belong to the Yahoo Group at Black Horse Westerns Express (www.blackhorsewesterns.org).

DARK BITS
There is a piece by Lance Howard at Dark Bits (http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com) that is worth reading. In it the author explains his thinking behind his short story 'Billy' that will be included in the latest anthology from the team that brought out 'Where Legends Ride'.
This is an anthology of short stories written by Black Horse Western writers and readers.

Friday's Forgotten Book: THE TRAP by John Burke

2009-08-07T11:27:00.003+01:00

The Trap by John Burke is a Pan Books original published in paperback in 1966. Although this book is a film tie-in novel the reader has a novel that not only brings the film to life but gives a lot more in the 152 pages.
It is 1849 British Columbia and fur trapper Jean La Bete is looking for a wife and hoping to make a profit with his furs. He arrives in town as a ship docks bringing in 'mail order brides' and, as luck would have it, there is one spare as the purchaser has died. A dockside auction is held but La Bete is outbid and would have to wait another year before another batch would be brought in.
The same ship also brings in a piano for trader McKenzie's spoilt daughter - but as events unfold it becomes clear that it is La Bete's money that has paid for it.
Mrs McKenzie has illusions of grandeur and her home is decked out as though it is one of the fine houses that she has seen in San Francisco. Their servant, Eve, was saved fro m an Indian massacre where she had seen her mother tortured and raped. From that moment on Eve has been mute.
When La Bete comes for his gold Mrs McKenzie sees a way out of a predicament. "Last night," she says. "you wanted a wife. For a thousand dollars I can give you one today."
And so Eve is sold to Jean La Bete.
From here on in there are only two characters in this book and they are La Bete and Eve. And it is also here that the book departs from the movie for John Burke gives more depth to the characters.
Not only are they faced with survival in a hostile territory where wolves, bears and cougars are ever present predators but with their own personal problems. At first La Bete's attempts to assert his rights over his 'wife' are rebuffed. Nor is it long before the reader is involved with a story about dependence and communication.
Eve cannot communicate her own feelings and La Bete has difficulty in understanding her.
La Bete teaches her how to trap and what to look for and how to fish. In once instance sends her home while he inspects a bear trap. Here he is attacked by a cougar and falls into his own trap. Attracted by the smell of blood the wolves come and harrass La Bete as he tries to drag himself and the trap towards the safety of his cabin. His survival now depends on Eve who helps to free him from the trap and she has no alternative but to amputate his leg.
What is so good is that it the reader who is aware that this is a pivotal moment in the book while both principles are not sure how to relate to this revalation.
John Burke has such a descriptive flair in this book - "At first impact it was nearly stopped by a wall of water and then, rising to the crest, (the canoe) leapt forward like a salmon and smacked down on the raging surface beyond." - and gives great depth to the characters of La Bete and Eve that the reader cares about what happens to them.
I have found this book listed on Amazon.

QUICK BITES

2009-08-06T08:39:00.003+01:00

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - Short Story Challenge Update
The challenge set by Black Horse Western writer I.J.Parnham (The Culbin Trail at http://ijparnham.blogspot.com) has been taken up. Fellow Black Horse Western writers Jack Giles and Chuck Tyrell will be adding the next two instalments. The first of these will appear here.

SECOND HAND BOOKSHOPS
Interesting piece at The Tainted Archive on second hand bookshops at http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com which encourages readers to review their local second hand bookshops.
Apart from the usual charity shops I seem to live in that part of the south-east that has seen the second hand bookshops disappear.

SUCCESS FOR BLACK HORSE WESTERN WRITER
Black Horse Western writer Terry James, author of 'Long Shadows' which is currently at No. 6 in the Amazon top ten westerns, has received news that a new western 'Echoes Of A Dead Man' has been accepted for publication. It will be out in 2010.

ENNIO MORRICONE INTERPRETATIONS
A couple of interesting pieces to be found on You Tube.
Metallica gives 'The Ectasy Of Gold' form The Good, The Bad and The Ugly the heavy metal treatment.

Look out for Muse with 'Knights Of Cydonia' complete with the 'Man With The Harmonica' intro that they played live at the 2008 V Festival.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY - The New Challenge

2009-08-05T13:02:00.002+01:00

Black Horse Western writer I.J.Parnham has written the first 500 words of a story at The Culbin Trail (http://ijparnham.blogspot.com).
The objective is simple - to create a story with each writer contributing 500 words - the contributing author being either the first person to comment on the piece or offer to continue the story.
It is a great idea and thanks Ian for starting the ball rolling.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES - Season One

2009-08-03T23:17:00.003+01:00

Out on DVD.

This series continues from where TERMINATOR: JUDGEMENT DAY left off.
Sarah Connor is still suffering from nightmares where she sees her son John killed by a Terminator.
In the real world of 1999 John Connor is getting friendly with a fellow college student Cameron Phillips while his mother has settled into a steady relationship.
This idyllic time is about to be shattered when FBI agent James Ellison gets close to bringing Sarah Connor in; while at school John Connor gets a new teacher who is on a mission.
The Terminators are back in the shape of a T-888 known as Cromartie. With the help of Cameron, John Connor manages to escape.
Agent Ellison, who has been convinced the Sarah Connor is a delusional psychopath now finds himself confronted by twenty two witnesses that saw a man with a robotic leg.
Cameron, Sarah and John are now on the run and seek sanctuary in a bank vault where the components for a time vortex have been stored. Once activated the trio are transported to 2007 - but not before it is revealed that Cameron is a Terminator sent back to protect John Connor.
But there is no safety in 2007 for this war has an underground army of resistance fighters from the future as well as Terminators with hidden agendas. Amongst the resistence is Kyle Reese's brother Derek.
The first series of 9 episodes chronicles the various attempts to adjust to the new world that they find themselves in as well as make an attempt to put an end to Skynet before it becomes a reality.
This series had a good storyline that concluded, frustratingly, with a cliff hanger of an ending.
Lena Headey takes over the role of Sarah Connor from Linda Hamilton and is very impressive in the role. John Connor is played by Thomas Dekker.
The stand out character has to be Summer Glau's Terminator, Cameron Phillips. By the end of the first disc (three episodes) all doubts that a female Terminator could replace Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-100 were dismissed.
I am looking forward to Series 2 which is out (in the UK) on the 16th November while Terminator Salvation comes out the following week on the 23rd.
Despite the success of this series American TV did not pick up on Series 3. Though I do understand that various groups have petitioned the networks to continue with the series.

MISFIT LIL CHEATS THE HANGROPE by Chap O'Keefe

2009-08-02T11:40:00.003+01:00

Misfit Lil Cheats The Hangrope - BHE - 2009
Available from Lulu.com

Lil Goodnight, best known as Misfit Lil, is a mite confused for two reasons. It seemed as though an era had passed but there was a wagon train travelling the wrong season well south of the usual route.
The trailsman, Luke Reiner, figures he knows best and won't take advice or sass from the irrepressible Misfit Lil who knows they are running into trouble.
And when a blizzard hits our intrepid heroine is there to get the children to safety.
In view of the problems with Reiner, the leader of the train Winton Petrie agrees to hire Misfit Lil's friend, Jackson Farraday, to take charge. This decision leads to fisticuffs between Farraday and Reiner.
Into the mix are Prudence Hannigan, a pastor's daughter, and Petrie's daughter Honesty who is being courted by Reiner but shows a preference for Farraday.
And the question crops as to why Luke Reiner is anxious to get to a derelict town of Buzzard City? When Farraday tries to find out he is ambushed and left unconcious but when he returns to the wagon train he finds himself accused of the murder of Honesty Petrie.
Misfit Lil has no choice but to waste no time in finding out the truth.
This is a well constructed and written novel from Misfit Lil's creator Chap O'Keefe who builds the tension and keeps the reader guessing to the end.
This is a first edition paperback novel and a must buy for fans of Misfit Lil.
The current price is £10.84 UK and $15 US but for the money you get a quality paperback - all in all I look at this book as value for money.
A sample of this book can be read at www.blackhorsewesterns.com - Black Horse Extra.

SIR BOBBY ROBSON - R.I.P

2009-07-31T18:11:00.002+01:00

Sir Bobby Robson died today aged 76.

As Bobby Robson he turned out for Fulham at the age of 17 and earned 20 caps representing the England team.

Football was his life and a firm supporter of Newcastle United for whom he was the manager for a brief period.

As a manager he took Ipswich Town to the top with F.A. Cup and UEFA Cup victories.

The most successful English manager since Sir Alf Ramsay, he took England to the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup.

European football had the benefit of his managerial skills and, through, him a young Brazillian player, Ronaldo, showed his value with Barcelona.

Just five days ago he was in Newcastle for a charity match for his Cancer charity.

Sir Bobby Robson is a footballing legend who will be sadly missed.

TU£SDAY - dvd

2009-07-30T22:16:00.003+01:00

TU£SDAY - 2008
Written and directed by Sacha Bennett
Run time: 79 mins

Tuesday the 23rd July and a gang of bank robbers known as The Cowboys prepare to rob the Japan Ocean Trust.
Unknown to them two cashiers have the same idea. So has an elderly man who's life is disintegrating.
The film covers the police investigation as they try to discover which of them stole a very valuable emerald. Thus the story is told in flashback.
Stars Philip Glennister and John Simm (Life On Mars) are reunited playing members of The Cowboys - Earp and Silver. This time Philip Glennister gets to sport a red kerchief and western style Colt - but not the boots.
The script is good but the photography is not so hot as it did nothing more than produce confusion for all the wrong reasons.
Scriptwise - it runs with humour and very character driven and the end comes as a surprise.
Despite the drawbacks I quite enjoyed this caper.

RAY'S ROUND-UP

2009-07-30T12:27:00.003+01:00

BLACK HORSE EXTRA
The new edition of Black Horse Extra is now online at www.blackhorsewesterns.com
There are features by writer Greg Mitchell on writing; a few lines from Owen G Irons and a history on writing western screenplays and books by Steve Hayes. Together with a round up of western news.

MISFIT LIL CHEATS THE HANGROPE by Chap O'Keefe
Good to see that this instalment in Misfit Lil's saga is available in paperback via Lulu and, soon, all the usual outlets.
This is a cracking book and a full review will appear shortly.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Yesterday in my Wild Bunch Wednesday post I gave a taster for a character called Jed Midwinter. So to answer a comment the creation process came about this way:
First off the was Black Horse Western writer Matthew P. Mayo's excellent 'Winter's War' that in turn led to Shakespeare's 'A Winter's Tale' through to 'In The Bleak Midwinter'. In turn this gave me a character's surname and a working title of 'Midwinter's Tale'. Jed just seemed to fit naturally with the surname. All I needed was a story and a character to put the name to.

WILD BUNCH WEDNESDAY 4: The Finale

2009-07-29T00:37:00.003+01:00

So the Wild Bunch ride into the final week of the series devised by Joanne Walpole (aka Terry James) where five writers have showcased their work and promoted the Black Horse Western brand.

Those involved are:

Lance Howard at Dark Bits - http://howardhopkins.blogspot.com/

Terry James at http://joannewalpole.blogspot.com/

I.J.Parnham at the Culbin Trail - http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/

Jack Martin at The Tainted Archive - http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com/

Interesting enough is that while I have been participating in this all the Jack Giles western novels have become available on Amazon uk. Since last week both the sole copies of 'Leatherface' and 'Coalmine' have been sold and are 'currently unavailable'.

August sees the publication of the Linford large print edition of 'Lawmen'.

To continue - after the publication of 'Coalmine' Jack Giles took on the persona of Ryker Frost for two novels. 'A Fortune For War' (1988) and 'The Battle Of Sun Valley' (1989). Both books were set against the background of the American Civil War.

Of the two I prefer the first for the hero is an Englishman who has done time in a penal colony in Australia. All he wants to do is go home and is walking and hitching lifts across America trying to reach a port where he hopes to work his passage back to England. He meets up with a lady who's roots lie in the stews of London's Whitechapel but who has reached the top of her profession in America. They get involved in a plot where some Confederates are stealing from the silver mines. And the hero doesn't know how to use a gun and when he does he has to ask if anyone knows how to reload it.

Jack Giles returned in 1994 with 'The Fourth Horseman'.

It is Friday the 13th and during a thunderstorm a dark presence fills the doorway of the Bates Hotel. He takes Room 13 and signs the register as 'Death'. Government Agent Willard Dull takes a look at the register and figures that the new arrival has an appointment there.

By midnight two men are dead.

The first is an old timer called Hepburn Lance a member of an outlaw gang.

EXCERPT:

The man in black reached the top of the stairs where he stopped to stand motionless while he listened. From beyond the door marked with a brass number 3 he could hear movement and the creak of bed springs followed by a derogatory laugh that came from a female throat.

"What's up with you, Hep?" the woman's voice was coarse and spiteful. "You lost it or somethin'?"

"It's been a long time, hon," a male voice whined.

"Too old more like." the woman rasped.

"Makes him ready for the grave, lady," the man in black muttered as he lifted his right leg high and thrust it at the door.

It splintered under the force adminstered to it, and slammed free from one hinge as it crashed into the wall. Death stood in the gaping doorway his shadow cast onto the bed where a woman was sitting up and a man was halfway out.

The woman screamed, her hands scrabbling at the bedclothes as she attempted to cover her nakedness, while Lance pulled them away in an attempt to do the same.

"What the hell is this?" Lance yelled, his eyes darting to where his gun was encased in a holster hanging from the brass bedhead - out of reach.

"Judgement Day," Death announced as he drew the right-hand Colt from beneath his overcoat and fired two shots.

Both bullets took Lance in the centre of his scrawny chest, the force of which flung him backwards into a dresser. The corpse bounced forwards to land back on the bed from where it slid down to the floor. Clawed hands dragged the covers with him which had the screaming woman chasing after them.

"I wouldn't bother, lady," Death snorted. "I can see you have nothing to hide."

Death is a man who has a way with grave humour.

And so I come to the end of the Jack Giles books.

Until.............

"The name's Jed Midwinter.

Folks say that I don't have an ounce of humanity in me. Maybe that's true but then most folks that I've met haven't lived long enough to find out any different."

GREEN STREET 2: STAND YOUR GROUND

2009-07-27T23:00:00.005+01:00

This sequel to the original 'GREEN STREET' went straight to DVD - and after watching it I can understand why.

Ross McCall reprises his role as Dave from the original movie but the sequel does not have any more of the original characters.

Basic plot three West Ham supporters are sent to the same prison as a bunch of Millwall supporters. The latter, or so we are told, are there for killing the two West Ham Elite members from the original film. Problem - the leader has obviously changed his name (by Deed Poll?) to Big Mac. No, not the one from 'Casualty' though he does send theWest Ham lads there several times.

The movie is big on bloody punch ups; there's also a drugs war going on between Big Mac and a bunch of Russians and, of course, they are only to willing to back up the West Ham lads. And not forgetting the prison officers are amongst the bad guys with just the one standing against them.

Another big problem is that the penal system seems a bit American or un-British and the characters reduced to stereotypes.

By the time we get to the showdown - a football match between Millwall supporters and West Ham supporters ,where the winners get to go home, I found myself not caring who won or lost.

For an £8,000,000 budget I thought that I would get a movie that had been researched, a touch accurate and with characters that would interest me and gain my sympathy.

There are some good moments - rare as they are - but this should have been so much better.

Anyone wanting to catch this movie on DVD should wait until the price drops really low - like £3 in HMV - money that won't be missed. Mine was given to me as a pressie.

Ray

TRANSFORMERS: WESTERNS IN DISGUISE

2009-07-27T22:07:00.003+01:00

There are those who say that they have never read or watched a western in their life.
Except that they have through various guises.
The western may not be the original concept after all fiction does not begin or end with the format. Long before the wild west began to form there were works that ranged from Homer through to the Mort d'Arthur. The Welsh myths as well as those of the Greeks, the Romans and the Norse heroes.
Somehow along the line grew a new myth and all that had gone before was condensed into the style that we know today.
Here are a couple of western style scenarios:
1. A drifter comes into town. Now the sheriff runs a peaceful town and tells the drifter to move on. The drifter does not like to be told where he can and can't go, so the sheriff shoves him into the jail. Just to make the message clear the sheriff has his deputies beat the drifter up. Only the drifter fights back and escapes. There is a persuit and, eventually, the drifter returns to town and the final showdown takes place.
2. A town is massacred by a bunch of Indians. A green cavalry troop is sent in but they are ambushed and take heavy casualties. Reinforced, the cavalry troop head for a fort only to find that the soldiers there have been massacred and that a trap has been set for them. Again the few survivors escape and the hero is promoted. A larger contingent of troops go on the attack and defeat the Indians and capture the chief.
Do you want to know more?
The first example is easy. David Morrell's 'First Blood' filmed as 'Rambo'.
The second - substitute aliens or 'bugs' for the Indians and it is 'Starship Troopers' based on the novel by Robert Heinlein.
It doesn't matter whether it is the 'Die Hard' John McLain 'yippy yi yoing' through the storyline or Stanley Goodspeed and John Mason banding together to stop some bandidos from using stolen weapons 'The Rock' like many of their type follow the basics of a good western.
From Conan to Thor the premise of the good guy and the bad and the trail to the final showdown come down to one thing - they are westerns in disguise.

CATCHING UP

2009-07-27T14:05:00.003+01:00

BEAT TO A PULP
This week at Beat To A Pulp sees Keith Rawson give us the lowdown on the benefits of 'Marmalade'. I liked the gradually build up to an ending that would be a genealogist's nightmare.

THE PRISONER
The Tainted Archive has a trailer for a new American tv series 'The Prisoner'. This might well be a remake of a cult British tv series but as I've not seen it I will watch this with different eyes.
Mind you this could could have consequences as Ray has this habit of saying 'Be seeing you.' and now I know where it comes from.

TORCHWOOD
Randy at Not The Baseball Pitcher has done a review of this tv series. I loved 'Children Of Earth' because it was different to the previous series and I got to see how fit John Barrowman is. Question hanging in the air is will Torchwood come back or was that the end?

DR. WHO
Filming of the new series of Dr. Who has begun here in Wales. Can't say that I like the new look.
He's wears a shabby brown jacket, a small reddish bow tie and dark grey trousers and looks like a nerdy professor. Clothes so I'm told maketh the man - no way. I would've thought with his floppy dark hair he would've been a little more imaginative. Leather jacket, heavy metal T-shirt and jeans. Mind you character comes into it so maybe I'll forget the fashion issue in time.

UNEXPECTED EXTRA
My aunt Rebecca wandered on to the set of a film called 'Dagenham Girls' and was talking to some of the people there. The next thing she knew was that she was being shunted into place. She didn't protest too loudly but I hope she doesn't end up on the cutting room floor.

Chantel

LET'S RIDE!

2009-07-25T15:23:00.000+01:00

Ray: OK, so we're riding into new territory.
Chantel: Sounds good. Why Open Range.
Ray: It's Open because that's the way we are. Range because we can write about anything.
Chantel: Just that what we post we sign.
Ray: That's it.
Chantel: Or we can do posts like this one.
Ray: OK - let's ride.
Chantel: Cue Spiderbait.
Ray: Preferred 'The Ramrods' version of Ghost Rider.
Chantel: There you go. You're so 1965. Get real! This is 2009.
Ray: Is this a dig?
Chantel: Look things move on, I mean look at you the other day going on about those e-readers. You have to face it they are going to happen. If it means that people read books it has to be a good thing. Right?
I mean these things aren't much different to MP3s or iPods.
Once upon a time there were those 45s and LPs and you thought that they had gone to their vinyl resting place. Sure there are CDs and downloaded music today but that didn't kill off the CD and a lot of singers today are recording on to vinyl.
Same thing will happen with books. They won't go away. Just the choice gets widened.
Ray: OK, I can live with that.
Chantel: Good. Let's Ride!