See Y'all Dreckly

Whenever I complete a section of dialogue in my writing, I then read it aloud. If it doesn't feel right on the tongue, I revise it. For example, if the character is a Texan living in an isolated area where language is not changing rapidly, I try to use language I associate with my grandparents' generation. So, rather than have a character say, "I'll see y'all later," I will have him say, "I'll see y'all dreckly."

In Texas, "dreckly" tends to mean "in a little while." From what I can tell, this usage made it to the American South via Cornwall, in the British Isles. The word is derived from "directly," and according to etymonline.com, the term dates back to about the 16th century. In Waylon County, I believe I only use "dreckly" one time, but I'll have to give that a gander dreckly to make sure I'm not telling y'all a windy.

You can learn more about the Waylon County book launch on October 7th by following the Sleeping Panther Press link below:

http://www.sleepingpantherpress.com

Waylon County Book Launch

Waylon County, my first book of short stories, will be released on Saturday, October 7 at the Funkytown Creative Arts Lounge on North Main near the Fort Worth Stockyards. The book launch is from 4 pm to 6 pm, and I will give a short reading at 4:30. Most likely I will read "The Professional Congratulator," a previously unreleased story about a peculiar character with an equally peculiar occupation.

Texas, as we all know, is not a monolithic culture; and, to illustrate that point, the characters in Waylon County come from all walks of life. "A Frontier's Passing," for example, is about an astronomer who works at the McDonald Observatory, and "Vasquez Rocks" is about an aspiring actor working as a wrangler at the Hollywood Animal Star Ranch. In "The Queen of Waylon County," the best hairdresser in town fantasizes about her granddaughter becoming county fair royalty. And, of course, there is the story of the professional congratulator, the Lone Star State's number one spreader of joy.      

Panther City Review 2017

The Panther City Review is hot off the press, and there is plenty of literary talent represented in this second issue. Writers in the 2017 edition have been published in Borderlands, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Sydney Morning Herald, Texas Observer, Texas Review, and many other publications. I have not finished reading this year's Panther City Review, but I have really enjoyed what I have read so far.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Panther City Review 2017, which includes my story entitled "The Librero," here is the link:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/panther-city-review-2017-various-authors/1127058682?ean=9780998066134

A Waylon County Town: Krasna Lipa

When I was choosing a name for the Czech town in Waylon County, I thought about the environment. At first I wanted to name the town after the oaks, but Texas already has a town named Dubina, which means "oak grove." Before the hurricane of 1909, more than 600 families lived in Dubina, which is home to one of the area's famous Painted Churches. The hurricane essentially decimated the little Fayette County town, and today Dubina has a mere 44 inhabitants.

So, with the "dub" name already taken, I opted to name my little town Krasna Lipa, which means "beautiful linden tree." I chose the name because the linden, or lime tree as it is often called, is considered a symbol of the Slavic people. Although Krasna Lipa's history is not discussed in Waylon County, I plan to include an origin story in a future tale.

Here is information about the hamlet of Dubina:

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrd43

http://www.klru.org/paintedchurches/dubina.html 

    

Panther City Review Launch: September 23

I am looking forward to the Panther City Review 2017 launch on Saturday at the Funkytown Creative Arts Lounge in Fort Worth. The creative arts lounge is a fantastic space, and I can't wait to speak with the authors and read their stories. Tomorrow I will be reading from "The Librero," a story about a book-dealing descendant of one of Cabeza de Vaca's crew members. One thing I like about the story is that it almost reads like a survey of Waylon County.

Speaking of Waylon County, I received a proof copy of my book in the mail today. When I opened the package, I just stood there holding the book in disbelief. Finally I decided that it was real. Bookmarks and postcards of this very real book will be available at the Panther City Review event on September 23.

If you happen to be in the general vicinity, the Panther City Review launch will be held at 1549 North Main Street in Fort Worth from 4 pm to 6 pm.

http://www.panthercityreview.com/

Here is a 2016 interview about the Panther City Review with Rachel Pilcher in Fort Worth, Texas magazine.      

http://www.fwtx.com/articles/fwtxmagculture-fwliving/fwliving-culture/panther-city-review

A Waylon County Town

Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels and a band of German colonists started out for the land they would settle on Good Friday in 1845. The town they founded was called New Braunfels, in honor of the prince's ancestral home. For Waylon County, I chose to name the main German town after Limburg, which is about 17 miles away from Braunfels on the Lahn River. This makes the name seem plausible in historical and geographical terms, and it also opens the door for some bad-smelling cheese jokes. Cheese jokes aside, the people of Limburg, Texas, are proud of their heritage, and much of the town's culture revolves around the old traditions.

Here is Robert Earl Keen's "No Kinda Dancer," a song about a dance hall in the Texas Hill Country. I think the song is about Cat Springs, but the story could just as easily be set in Limburg.

  

Traditional Songs

In my writing I often allude to traditional songs, for the seeds of culture and sentiment are found within them. Songs such as "Streets of Laredo" and "The Old Chisholm Trail" frequently surface in my stories. In a soon-to-be released poem, I reference "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie." Folklorist and musicologist John Lomax included "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" in Cowboy Songs and Other Ballads, a seminal work in the American folk tradition, and the song has been recorded by numerous artists including The Sons of the Pioneers, Johnny Cash, and Tex Ritter. In literature, Larry McMurtry references the song in the title of his 1968 collection of essays, In a Narrow Grave. To me, the song, though simple on the surface, is filled with ambiguity. The inflection in the final verse, as sung by Cowboy Jim Garling, says it all.

Panther City Review 2017

The 2017 Panther City Review, which features emerging writers in North Texas, will be released next Saturday at the Funkytown Creative Arts Lounge on N. Main in Fort Worth. A photograph by my wife, Martina, will grace the cover. I was thrilled to see that her piece was chosen from all of the submissions. This will be her first cover credit.

One of my short stories and a poem were selected for the review. My story, "The Librero," is about a bookman descended from one of the Spaniards who arrived in Texas with Cabeza de Vaca. My poem, if it were a landscape, would be a stark, lonesome prairie. I have not seen this year's Panther City Review yet, but I am looking forward to reading the stories and poems. To my knowledge, there should be work by Rob Bosquez, Robin Goodpaster, Ann Graham, Melisa Hightower, Mark Nobles, and the PCR's publisher, Rachel Pilcher of Sleeping Panther Press.

For specific information about the launch, please follow the link.

http://www.panthercityreview.com

Locations in Waylon County

In my fiction set in Texas I like to create credible names for places. An example would be the Roemer Escarpment. Although Texas does not have a Roemer Escarpment, it could and perhaps should. Ferdinand von Roemer was a German geologist who visited Texas between 1845 and 1847 and is perhaps better known for his general work entitled Texas than for his work as a geologist. Texas is a fascinating account of his time in the German settlements of Galveston, Houston, New Braunfels, and Fredericksburg, and his discussion of the Llano Basin, where he had contact with the Comanche, is also quite interesting. Although Texas does not have a place named after the Father of Texas Geology, Roemer has more than that in Waylon County. He has his own geological feature.

https://ftp.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fro55

Much of the action in Waylon County happens in the town of Warnell. This little town is named after Henry Warnell, who either died in the Alamo or escaped from the Alamo and died of his wounds in Port Lavaca a few weeks later. In nineteenth century documents, his physical description is so vivid that I can almost see him in front of me. Warnell was about five foot four, red headed, freckled, and weighing about 118 lbs. He was a constant talker, "an incessant tobacco chewer," and a good jockey and hunter. What I like about Henry Warnell is that there is no conclusive evidence supporting his escape from the Alamo and that his entire legend is based on a possibly fraudulent land claim by his only heir. So much for civic pride.

https://medium.com/save-texas-history/alamo-legend-the-death-of-henry-warnell-e119e52164e9

Here is a German map of Texas from Roemer's time:

Houston Blues: Jonathan Terrell

Jonathan Terrell is a Texas singer-songwriter who was born in a trailer in East Texas to parents who had just left Europe after decamping from a cult called Children of God. While in Europe, his parents were part of the church's music ministry, but things got extremely weird. Clearly, Jonathan Terrell is a documentary in the making. He could also be a novel, and he would fit nicely into my new book of short stories, Waylon County, were his life to be fiction.

I heard Jonathan Terrell open for the Band of Heathens in Fort Worth on Friday, and I really enjoyed his set. There is grit and honesty in his sound. "Houston Blues," which was released a couple of years ago, could not have been more poignant or timely. A new song he wrote with David Ramirez, who was recently featured in Texas Monthly, was another highlight of the set.

Here is Jonathan Terrell's "Houston Blues." The steel guitar is reminiscent of Marty Rifkin's work on Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad" album, which I have been known to listen to twice in a row.