In August 1861, a couple of weeks after the Union’s disastrous defeat at Bull Run, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase traveled from Washington to New York in search of money. Bull Run had destroyed hopes of a swift end to the fighting, and the war was already costing more than $1 million per day. (The […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/25/blues-grays-greenbacks-ways-and-means-bonds-of-war/
“I have always had two ideas: that one day I would have to write about my father’s story, and that if I ever did so I would never be able to write another thing again.” This sentence appears near the beginning of Zachary Lazar’s 2009 memoir Evening’s Empire: The Story of My Father’s Murder, and […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/25/the-documentarian-apartment-on-calle-uruguay-lazar/
Early on the morning of May 6, 1682, the Royal Navy warship Gloucester careered into a large sandbank off the port of Yarmouth. It bounced along the ridge, the rudder sheared off, a neighboring plank broke, and water poured into the hold. As men rushed on deck the ship was suddenly swept into deep water […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/25/shifting-sands-samuel-pepys-gloucester-shipwreck/
In 1721 an ancestor of mine in South Carolina, Elias Ball, bought a Muslim woman named Fatima on the wharf in the port city of Charleston and brought her twenty-five miles inland to his rice plantation on the Cooper River. The Ball family had enslaved West Africans and Native Americans for two decades by then, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/05/25/tell-your-story-omar-opera-giddens-abels/
Is the third time the charm? Charles’s first coronation was at Gordonstoun school in November 1965, when he played Macbeth. There is a photograph in the Royal Collections of him in a get-up nearly as strange as those he is wearing at Westminster Abbey almost sixty years later, sporting a bad fake beard and what […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/05/07/golden-coats-sacred-spoons-coronation/
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
My husband will be sixty this week. We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate and we’ll have the kids over for dinner & cake on his actual birthday. In April I read/listened to 15 books. A slight decrease from the month before, but I am sitting at 83/200 for Goodreads & 54 for the Audiobook Challenge. Do you ever have a week where you feel like you got nothing done and had zero time? That was my week in a nutshell. The Royals have only fourteen days of school left…time flies! As always, Stay Caffeinated.
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A special thanks to Libro.fm, Berkley Publishing & Tantor Audio, Raven Street
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/05/sunday-post-574-mr-caffeinated-turns-60.html
Old San Antone: Dawn of the Legend follows the life of a Texas Ranger in the Old West who tracks down the outlaws and gunfighters of the time. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration comes from my late brother, Duane “Mr. Bear” Campos who was a true man of “The Code”. And what code is that, you might ask? “The Code of Honor” of a man, that’s been nearly all but forgotten in this modern era, except to a few men who still live by its set of unwritten rules. Rules that are ingrained in “The Code”, where a man keeps his word. Where loyalty, trust, and friendship are bonds that cannot be broken. Where a man finishes what he sets out to do, even if it costs him his life. And where courage and valor are not just words written in poetry books; but are the morals and foundations by which a man lives by, and when need be, dies by. This novel “Old San Antone: Dawn of the Legend”, and all of its sequels, are a tribute to my brother, my Bru, my best friend, Duane “Mr. Bear” Campos. He is my inspiration. He is the heart and soul of the 2-Bru Krew.
As a work of historical fiction, what kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the time period with accuracy so as not to give readers “horse opera”?
Thank you for your kind words about the historical authenticity of my novel. I have been a dedicated devotee to history all my life, with a particular interest to the Victorian Era and the Old West. So, I can honestly say that there is a lifetime of painstaking research that went into making sure “Old San Antone: Dawn of the Legend” is completely 100% historically-accurate in every way, down to each last minute detail, from the description, setting, timeframe, attire, cuisine and weaponry, to even the colorfully unorthodox language, frontier phrases, Southern slang, Yiddish jargon, and Cockney vernacular that was used during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era of the Wild West. The end result is a novel that is so authentic that every page transports the reader back to 1867 in Texas, where they can experience life during that challenging time first-hand for themselves.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The most crucial themes to my novel are the ideals of Honor, Brotherhood, Justice, and Humanity. For while some people might read “Old San Antone: Dawn of the Legend”, and never see past the surface that it is anything more than an action-packed “shoot-‘em-up” filled with gritty violence like some sort of a Sam Peckinpah film, the truth of the matter is, it is quintessentially a tale that focuses on these important principles of Honor, Brotherhood, Justice, and Humanity. For the main characters, the protagonists Hondo Stone and Kid Carter are each in their own way, icons of these values, imbued with the morals of their beliefs, even if they are more akin to being valiant “anti-heroes”, than virtuous “heroes”. For like it says in the novel, “There might not have been any shining armor, but there were knights back in those days… Even if they were black knights. And two of those knights were Hondo Stone and Kid Carter.”
Question: What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book in the series is titled “Gunfighter’s Requiem”, and it is currently available on Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback formats. It picks up right where Old San Antone: Dawn of the Legend left off and continues the exciting tale of Captain Hondo Stone, Texas Ranger, and his brother-in-arms, the gunfighting gambler, Kid Carter. My latest novel has just been published on Amazon as well in both Kindle and Paperback. It is titled “Lone Star Justice”, and it is the 3rd book in the series, that is packed with action, drama, good humor, and some moments of endearing romance as well. All three novels are definitely worth a read, and all three books are available for free with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. Thank you so much for your time and interest in my novels, and I’d truly like to thank the great staff of Literary Titan for this opportunity of being interviewed and all of your fantastic services on your amazing website.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Amazon
Go back to a time when a man kept his word, when a badge meant honor, and when courage was all that it took to fight tyranny… After the Civil War, Texas was filled with lawless despair as outlaws and gunmen preyed on the misfortunes of others. There was NO law in Old San Antone until Texas Ranger Captain Hondo Stone came to town like a storm of justice… This is his story…
Do you want to know what the Wild West was really like? Then look no further than “Old San Antone”! Unlike most of the conventional “horse opera” tales of the wild west, where cliché tropes and stereotypical western balderdash are piled-up like haystacks to feed a famished herd of mindless cattle, “Old San Antone” brings a fresh new perspective to the old west, telling it the way it really was, in this fascinating era of our nation’s most colorful and exciting history. This book pulls no punches as it shows society in a stark reality that reveals all the good and bad with equal blunt honesty, gritty realism, action-packed excitement, intense suspenseful drama, and even moments of endearing romance and jovial good-natured humor. In essence, it is an exposé to life and society in the Wild West era of post-Civil War America. Teeming with meticulous details of historical-accuracy and filled with unique intriguing characters and a powerful storyline, Old San Antone is certain to entertain and delight, and leave you captivated. But more than all that, it will also enlighten you to the true definition of what Honor, Courage, Valor, and Friendship really are, as you get to know two heroic men who will stay within your heart and mind, forever.
It’s a western novel unlike any other that will make you believe in heroes once again as it transports you back in time to the Wild West era of the lawless Texas frontier, where life was cheap, and death could be bought for the right price. Money and the balance of power was held in place by how quick and deadly a man was with a gun. Gold bought lead, and in turn, lead forcefully took gold as professional gunfighters enforced the tyrannical wills of corrupt cattle barons in the conquest of entire towns.
Treachery and danger lurk around every corner in Old San Antone, which is rife with political corruption and seething with violence. Only a bold Texas Ranger Captain named “Hondo Stone” dares to stand up against insurmountable odds as he comes to Old San Antone to bring a despicable murderer to justice. He must leap into the lion’s den and take on an entire organized-crime cattle faction that is backed by corrupt lawmen, crooked politicians, bloodthirsty hired gunslingers, and an entire town full of subjugated citizens who are too intimidated by the miscreant criminal syndicate to risk lending a hand to help the Ranger.
Outnumbered and surrounded by enemies, with death awaiting him at every turn, Captain Hondo Stone stands alone, armed only with his six-guns, his relentless courage, and his unwavering “Code of Honor”, to see to it that justice is served against the tyranny of oppression. Into this volatile powder keg of lethal peril enters a devil-may-care professional gunfighting gambler named “Kid Carter” who raises the stakes to a new level of explosive derring-do, adding a wildcard to this most deadly game.
In the Old West, there truly was once a place where Lawmen, Gunfighters, and Outlaws all met, and that place was called, “Old San Antone”. What you have to ask yourself is do you have what it takes to saddle-up and ride there? Because if you want to see the truth of what really made the old west wild, then all you have to do is read, “Old San Antone: Dawn Of The Legend”.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/06/nearly-all-but-forgotten/
Run! Katie! follows a psychic with the ability to receive messages from the dead who helps a mother in the afterlife protect her daughter, who is being hunted. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the story came when I read a news story about a mother that went missing. The father, who was the primary suspect, had recently been cleared by the police, but not by many people in the town. I wanted to create a mystery that not only dealt with a mother’s sudden unexplained disappearance, but had the mother reaching out from beyond to protect her daughter from impending danger. I wasn’t sure how this would look, but while writing the story, the idea of a psychic being involved popped into my head. I did some research and the character of Peter was created. Luckily for me, once the character was created, it wasn’t long before that character took over and wrote himself!
What were some of the trials that you felt were important to highlight the characters’ development?
The trials faced by the characters in Run! Katie! are trials that many people have experienced in their life. Feelings of loneliness, loss, betrayal, anger and guilt are emotions most everyone has had to deal with. Sometimes a situation occurs that results in the unexpected loss of a loved one, which turns a person’s life upside down. This happens to the main characters in the story. Although the situations faced in the book involve extreme circumstances, the emotions and reactions of the characters are familiar to most everyone. I believe this helps make the characters relatable and easy to empathize with.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
Reading! Reading! Reading! I became a reader early on. I can still remember falling in love with the book “Fredrick” by Leo Lionni when I was around five years old. One of my earliest memories is my mom reading that book to me, and me immediately knowing that I wanted to be a storyteller, just like Fredrick! This desire only grew stronger the more books I read and I read a lot of books! The other experience that affected my writing a novel was retirement. Once I retired and began traveling the country in our motorhome, I no longer had the excuse of not having enough time to write my novel! So, with much encouragement from my husband, family members, and a dear friend, my lifelong dream became a reality!
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently writing a follow up to Run! Katie! with Peter and Patty as main characters, as well as working on an unrelated mystery that I started writing years ago! My goal is to have at least one finished and off to my publisher this summer.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Peter finds satisfaction in bringing peace and closure to the family. However, as the messages become more urgent and take on an ominous tone, Peter realizes Sharon is doing more than comforting her loved ones. She’s warning them! Peter and Sharon’s family soon find themselves in a race against time to save Katie from the same fate that befell her mother twelve years earlier. Can they save her in time?
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/07/sudden-unexplained-disappearance/
“Five Million Epics” unravels the story of humanity’s decline through the interconnected lives of characters across generations, sparking a conversation on empathy, unity, and the importance of learning from our past. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Before the 1980s, you will be seen arguing with your friends, relatives or even strangers against fanaticism, fascism and feudalism. They were the worst philosophies for a democratic well-wisher. By the end of the 1990s, you started to master the art of keeping away from criticising other religions, terming it as their right to believe in their own faith and worshipping the deities they possess. By doing that, you were slowly in the process of thinking only about your own religion, political party and philosophy. All the rest were the ‘other’ for you. This book deals with the creation of the ‘other’ people. It is a political discourse in the name of fiction. Sometimes reality is more engaging and fictional than fiction.
What were some sources that informed this books development?
I have a vast collection of books, all bought from my savings. I didn’t possess anything else, not even a cent of land or habitat, other than the books I owned. Being a journalist for more than 25 years, I got the opportunity to witness all the events of our time in great detail. My books and social engagements might have helped. It is the reader who has to assess what the book does carry.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
We were told in textbooks that we are a developing society. Usually, that term comes from assessing the buildings we built and the technological advances we have reached. But, when you determine humankind from an extraterritorial point of view, we understand that he is more of a deteriorated creature than he was fifty years ago. All the open conversations humans performed had fallen in the journey.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
A writer can’t ask an individual to dedicate his time to reading his book; You can’t even ask your spouse or best friend to do that. That will be an emotional attack. If someone happens to come through the book, let him share his point, that too only if he wants.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/05/07/the-creation-of-the-other-people/