Before we get started, I want to make one change to the contest. Because I'm tardy in posting this, I'm going to extend the deadline to midnight, Pacific time, Saturday night.
So let's get started. Here's the first entry in the RIDING THE PULPhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif TRAIL CONTEST.
The title of the story is "To Steal a Ranch."
So with that title, go over to OutWest and see if you can find the item related to one of the words in that title.
Then send an email to: Powerspulpwriter@gmail.com and give me the name of the item, the item # and your name and address.
The prize this week is a copy of RIDING THE PULP TRAIL. I'll even sign it if you want. Note: the prize is NOT the item at the OutWest website (this week).
Good luck!
If you're interested in the story, "To Steal a Ranch" is one of the six stories in RTPT that was never published.
The story begins:
A BULLET to welcome him! A crazy kind of homecoming, thought Slim Troy as he rolled and twisted himself across the baking gravel. His lean body crashed through a clump of mesquite and flattened against a hollow in the ground as the Winchester crashed for the second time. A shovelful of red earth erupted on the slope behind and above him, but Slim knew that as long as he stayed put he was going to be mighty hard to get!
He had instinctively thrown himself from his saddle at the sound of the first screaming bullet, for he was armed only with a .45 which was no match at long range for a rifle. Slim's roan bronc, freed of its rider, was ambling eastward across the alkali flats, stirrups swinging emptily. Slim guessed that if he had stayed aboard, both he and the horse would have been cut down. That first .30-.30 slug had missed only by inches.
"What the blazes!" Slim Troy mumbled, spitting out a mouthful http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giff sand. "And right on my own spread, too!"
Anyhow, the ranch was half his. He wondered where his partner, Red Johnson, was, and he had a lot of other wonderments, too! Who was gunning for him? There was that cattle money he had on him--twelve hundred in cash; was that why he was being dry-gulched? It seemed likely. And yet, here he was, almost within sight of his ranch headquarters. If bandits had jumped him, why had they let him get all the way home?
The Gingerbread Cowboy Fifth Anniversary Blog Blow Out
OutWest Western Boutique and Cultural Center and www.scvoutwest.comcelebrate the Fifth Anniversary of OutWest’s best selling children’s book The Gingerbread Cowboy by local author Janet Squires!
OutWest is excited to offer our blog readers the opportunity to win a gift certificate worth $50.00 of “Buckaroo Bucks” to spend at OutWest in the store or online! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog or any others posted along the Fifth Anniversary Blog Post Trail. Author Janet Squires will chose one name at random from all those that leave a comment. The winner receives a ”Buckaroo Bucks” certificate that includes a 10% discount AND free shipping so be sure to leave your email contact information! Good Luck!
The Gingerbread Cowboy is a favorite of ours and we love sharing it with our customers. Haven’t had a chance to read it yet? Check out this new book trailer created by the incomparable Tina Nichols Coury and it debuted at Tales of the Rushmore Kidat http://t.co/QjlVITP - then come in and pick up a signed copy! Enjoy this article written by Assistant Features Editor, Michelle Sathe, for our local newspaper The Signal – http://www.the-signal.com/archives/27482/
Janet Squires and The Gingerbread Cowboy have been with OutWest at every one of our major events including The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Contest, and the 75th Anniversary of Republic Studios. Congratulations, Janet, on this wonderful award winning picture book’s Fifth Anniversary!
I've never been accused of being ahead of my time and I tend to be the least trendiest person in the room. I still haven't figured out why iPods are so popular and even how to use one.
So it's no surprise that I've only just now started to get interested in Steampunk, that wildly popular movement of fashion/literature/design/art and whatever else it can influence. Of course I've heard of it, and have seen photos of these mysterious and eccentric costumes. I have a good friend who has been into costume design and through her I've become interested in Victorian costume. But I didn't know anything about steampunk in general nor its origins.
So I've started to do some reading and came up with some good Web sites and also a great book that Bobbi Jean Bell at OutWest lent me. Here are some excerpts from them. Steampunk.comsays of the Steampunk literary genre:
To me, Steampunk has always been first and foremost a literary genre, or least a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy that includes social or technological aspects of the 19th century (the steam) usually with some deconstruction of, reimagining of, or rebellion against parts of it (the punk). Unfortunately, it is a poorly defined subgenre, with plenty of disagreement about what is and is not included. For example, steampunk stories may:
* Take place in the Victorian era but include advanced machines based on 19th century technology (e.g. The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling); * Include the supernatural as well (e.g. The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger); * Include the supernatural and forego the technology (e.g. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, one of the works that inspired the term ‘steampunk’); * Include the advanced machines, but take place later than the Victorian period, thereby assuming that the predomination by electricity and petroleum never happens (e.g. The Peshawar Lancers by S. M. Stirling); or * Take place in an another world altogether, but featuring Victorian-like technology (e.g. Mainspring by Jay Lake).
In the introduction to the anthology STEAMPUNK (Tachyon, 2008) Jeff Nevins writes: A proper history of steampunk must begin in the 19th century with dime novels, for it is there that steampunk's roots lie, and it is dime novels which the first generation of steampunk writers were reacting against.
....The term "Edisonsade" was coined by John Clute after the "Robinsonade," or stories about lone stravelers stranded on remote islands, in the vein of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. An Edisonade is a story in which a young American male invents a form of transportation and uses it to travel to uncivilized parts of the American frontier or the world, enrich himself, and punish the enemies of the Unites States, whether domestic (Native Americans) or foreign. The Edisonades appeared in dime novels as both serials and as complete novels.
The first Edisonade was "The Huge Hunter, or the Steam Man of the Prairies." "The Huge Hunter" was created by Edward S. Ellis, a New Jersey schoolteacher and principal, and appeared in Irwin P. Beadle's American Novels #45 (August 1868.)
This is just the beginning of a fascinating introduction into the history of Steampunk, followed by a collection of stories, excerpts, and essays on the phenomenon.
STEAMPUNK is available through OutWest (which, by the way, also has a great collection of western and steampunk-inspired clothing). Check out this coat, for example.
I think it's pretty cool when something I've been interested in for such a long time, in particular dime novels and pulp magazines, have had a direct influence on one of the hottest popular culture movements around. Makes me feel like a little less of a nerd.
If you're interested in going to PulpFest to hear Garyn's talk Saturday night, go to PulpFest 2011and go to the programming page.
TheBookmarkCard
Western Art Collage Cards from OutWest
My friend Bobbi Bell from OutWest recently introduced me to the most unique line of art collage cards by The Bookmark Card. Each beautifully designed card is printed on recycled linen paper with earth friendly inks, and includes space on the back side for a written message. However, these cards are not just greeting cards, but bookmarks as well, allowing them to be kept and used again as opposed to being thrown away.
The Bookmark Cards are designed by digital collage artist Shari Jenkins Schmit, and they are some of the most clever and distinctive cards I have ever seen! I immediately purchased several of them the first time I saw them. OutWest has a fabulous selection of The Bookmark Cards on their website, and I am featuring a few of my favorites below. The copy on the the first card (left), "If The Boot Fits...Buy It In Every Color" is perfect for me and anyone else who loves to shop. If you sometimes miss a birthday, check out the "Dang, I missed your Birthday! Hope it was a good one!" card (center). You may want to have a few of them on hand just in case. And for you dog lovers out there, how about the "Dogs are better than cowboys 'cause...they mean it when they kiss you" card! Hysterical! Some designs can even be personalized with your name, the name of your town or city, your favorite National Park, or your business name. OutWest can help you with that as well! You will definitely want to purchase several of these very clever Bookmark Cards!
Visit the OutWest website to see and purchase these Bookmark Cards and many others. _______________
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
C. Courtney Joyner to Talk About Breaking Into Print
There's a very exciting event coming up in March for Western writers: C. Courtney Joyner is going to give a talk at Out West Western Boutique and Cultural Centerabout breaking into print or e-book with your Western novel, short story, screenplay or poetry. This looks like a fantastic talk and you better believe I'll be there.
Here is the press release:
Western Fiction: Breaking into Print (Both "E" and Paper!) Presented by Author and Screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner Sunday, March 27 2:00 PM, No Admission, Reservations 661.255.7087
Do you have a western novel, story, screenplay or poetry just waiting to be published? No idea how to get started, where to go, or who to talk to? Get the "scoop" on getting published at this talk organized by OutWest and featuring author and screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner.
Mr. Joyner's talk will cover a number of topics, from his own experience of breaking into the world of western fiction and getting a novel contract. He will discuss series westerns (and the reality of getting these gigs), agents, editor relationships and the importance of networking via The Western Writers of America and other groups. He will also discuss the changes at Leisure Books, what "shelf place" means to paperback writers, Kindle and Nook, university presses, the new avenue of personal e-book publishing, blogging, and private Amazon contracts for authors.
Additional topics include writing contests and exploring over-seas publishers, such as Robert Hale (Black Horse Westerns). You will not walk out empty-handed as he will supply lists of websites, agent outlets and publisher contacts.
About the Presenter: C. Courtney Joyner is a screenwriter with more than 20 produced films to his credit. He has contributed chapters to a number of books on film history and his articles have appeared in Wildest Westerns, Fangoria and Famous Monsters of Filmland. Author of The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers, he was a participant in the 2010 Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival's Buckaroo Book Shop and at the "Making of the Shootist" ticketed event.
Mr. Joyner, a great friend of OutWest, will again be a featured author at the Buckaroo Book Shop during this year's Cowboy Festival, Saturday 4/30 and Sunday 5/1.
Posted by Laurie Powers at 6:38 PM ___________________________- February 4, 2011 Here's what our local radio station posted about First Thursday Art Walk and Gourmet Food Truck Evening
Farmer's Market Morphs Into An Old Town Social Written by Christopher Glotfeltly Friday, Feb. 4, 2011
The weekly Farmers Markets in Old Town Newhall looked a bit different Thursday evening. Notably, it was swarming with people. Booked alongside the First Thursday Art Walk and a row of gourmet food trucks, the City of Santa Clarita hopes this Farmers Market 2.0, so to speak, will catch on. “The vision we all anticipated is here,” said Bobbi Jean Bell, co-owner of OutWest Boutique and Cultural Center, located on Main Street. Several Main Street businesses participated in the Art Walk on Thursday night, featuring live music and the work of local artists inside their stores.
The impressionistic, oil-on-canvas landscapes of Patty O’Hearn and the vivid outdoor wildlife paintings of Lisa Barr lined the hallway of the Canyon Theatre Guild; Newhall Bicycle Co. displayed the cycling photography of Mel Carll; a program of folk, Spanish and soft rock tunes filled El Trocadero Mesquite Steakhouse.
"To get folks to come down and see us here – it’s just wonderful,” said Bell. t one point, Bell’s store was elbow-to-elbow with patrons marveling at its charming Western wares, from authentic cowboy garb to literature on outlaws and dude ranches.
Situated toward the front, local singer/songwriter John Bergstrom played soothing odes to the Old West, a few set in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“That song was about Tiburcio Vazquez, famous for Vazquez Rocks,” said Bergstrom. “He was a ladies man, which got him into trouble.”
Bergstrom marveled at the threshold to the store as people either darted by in fits of chatter or poured in through the door.
“This is neat because it brings out the people,” he said. “It hopefully will help revitalize the whole area.”
Pulchella Winery, the new kid on the block, was overwhelmed by the response. A thousand scents filled the room as patrons enjoyed portions from the nine food trucks along with Pulchella wine. Barbecue beef sandwiches, boats of sushi and garlic fries adorned the bar, high-tops and arm chairs.
According to Rolling Bistros, which provided the food trucks, Thursday’s farmers market drew 3,200 people.
The City of Santa Clarita’s Farmers Market and Art Walk takes place every first Thursday of the month. ____________________________________
January 30, 2011 Cactus Creek Daily blogger Fancy Smith wrote about an OutWest product on her recent story on Gourmet Foods. Check out Wild West Spices - item #2!
Hard to believe the weekend is here yet again… this weekend we are having the whole family in town + a BIG party for the Aquarius birthdays on both sides of the family. Basically we will eat, drink & be merry as if it’s our last feast before winter. All of this got me to thinking about FOOD & some of the gourmet goodies out there that lean toward the Rustic * Western side…
Here's a fun contest we partnered with blogger Fancy Smith of www.cactuscreekdaily.com The random winner is from Texas and the gift package is on it's way!
Good morning!!! In the spirit of Christmas and love and all things happy, we’re going to have a little GIVEAWAY sponsored by OutWest in Newhall, California.
It’s a fun picture book based on the traditional story of the Gingerbread man but set in a Western setting. All of the copies are signed and the author can even add something personal if you’re the BIG WINNER… your child’s name, date, etc.
ALSO INCLUDED for the winner… a Gingerbread Cookie ORNAMENT, a COWBOY cookie cutter & Bison Cookie Mix with a Bison cookie cutter.
In our house we have a tradition of staying home & making & decorating cookies on snow days… these are all the supplies you need for the snow days ahead!!
** HOW TO WIN ** Just leave a comment below telling us your FAVORITE HOLIDAY COOKIE. That’s all ~ easy peasy & you could be the BIG WINNER!!
That’s it… the GIVEAWAY starts now… One entry per person. Winners will be chosen by www.random.org and announced on THURSDAY {12.167.10} at NOON-ish over on Facebook.
Posted on Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 at 9:30 am under Love It!! and . Comment RSS 2.0 feed. Commenting closed, trackbacks open. _________________ The OutWest Scout, November 2010 Interview with Rob Wolfskill of The Tumbling Tumbleweeds
'BLAZE ACROSS THE WEST' CD RELEASE CELEBRATION AND PERFORMANCE! The Tumbling Tumbleweeds perform LIVE at OutWest on Saturday, November 13, 8:00 p.m. This is going to be a fun and memorable night! {>}Click here for more information!
Scout: Rob, I know you’ve been very busy receiving final shipment of The Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ latest CD and preparing for the upcoming CD Release Celebration at OutWest. Thanks for taking time to let us get to know the group a little better.
Rob: Thanks for asking. I thought this sounded like fun!
Scout: How did the group meet?
Rob: I met Cade and Chris doing theater in Los Angeles. I’d been wanting to put a cowboy harmony group together as a tribute to the Sons of the Pioneers for many years but finding the guys who had the range and diversity to perform these songs was tricky because I knew they had to be ‘entertainers’ as well as singers. I knew when I met Cade and Chris that they had what I was looking for. R.J. I met at a Starbucks in Monrovia. We were looking for a guitar player to add to the group and he was sitting there by himself playing along to my conversation with my friend. We started talking to him and he wound up making funny musical references to what my friend and I were talking about. That’s when I told my friend…THAT’S HIM!
Scout: What a great story! Sounds like you guys have been having fun since the beginning. How did you decide on the title for your new CD collection?
Rob: ‘Blaze Across The West’ is actually a lyric from one of our original songs, the first track on the album, ‘The Mighty Santa Fe.’ We’d been writing songs for a couple years although most folks associated us with the classics. Not many people knew we had written originals of our own so we wanted to be sure to get them on this album. The title had to be from one of our originals and ‘Blaze Across The West’ seemed to have the energy we wanted to portray throughout the album. Plus, the songs are mostly about traveling Westward from Oklahoma to California…’Blaze Across The West’ seemed to fit.
Scout:And energy it has! The album includes some great original material. Tell us a little about the creative process.
Rob: Our original songs are truly a collaborative effort between Cade, Chris, R.J. and myself. Usually, I come up with an idea for a song and write the lyrics and a basic idea for a melody, then I take my ideas to R.J. and we come up with chords and a skeleton for the song. At that point we’ll get together with Cade and Chris and the songs really start to take shape. Cade is a master at augmenting a melody and Chris is great with coming up with gimmicky bits to make the song more colorful. Sometimes the order of all this happens slightly differently but either way, we have a great time writing together! ‘Sleepin’ On a Mountain’ is unusual in that I had the idea for the song and came up with a basic melody but then R.J. took it and wrote completely new lyrics for it.
Scout: It’s said the group is a tribute to western harmonies of vintage groups such as the Sons of the Pioneers. Are there other musical interests and influences among the members?
Rob: Absolutely! I’m a film fanatic so movie music is a big influence for me. Chris has a degree in Music and Theater so he knows the American Musical genre really well. The first thing R.J. learned to play on the guitar was the Beatles White album and he’s big on classic rock and folk. Cade loves jazz. We’ve all been involved with vocal harmony groups while we were growing up, from choirs to barbershop, so that is our common denominator.
Scout: Makes for a fun and lively jam session. Your live act is so active and theatrical, from where does the energy originate?
Rob: I guess we all share the philosophy that when we step on stage we have a responsibility to ‘entertain’ with everything we’ve got. Something we’ve learned from being in the theater. For us that means bringing together as many elements as possible and since we’ve learned to move as well as sing, we wanted to be sure to add that to our show. The Sons of the Pioneers were actors too, like us, so bringing some schtick into the mix seemed like a no-brainer.
Scout: Well, I can assure you it makes it really fun for the audience. For those who don’t know you all personally, it may come as a surprise that the members of such a tight and polished group actually reside all over Southern California. Share with those who may be considering forming a musical group the challenges your group faces living so far apart and how you manage rehearsal and creative time together.
Rob: Well, since our sound is predominantly about our vocal harmonies, Cade, Chris and I rehearse together regularly. When we have what we need ‘together’ then we bring in the instrumentalists and add them to the songs. We usually record R.J.’s guitar tracks to rehearse to so we can really take our time getting the vocal arrangements where we want them. The digital age has been very useful for us!
Scout: Everyone’s favorite question. If you could have only five songs on your Ipod, what would they be?
Rob: Oh Geeeeeeesh! Ok, well this answer could be completely different tomorrow but today I’ll say ( in no particular order) 1. ‘Lucky One’ by Allison Kraus and Union Station 2. ‘Listen to the Music’ by the Doobie Brothers 3. ‘Dawson’ by Joyce Woodsen 4. Blue Prairie by Sons of the Pioneers 5. ‘O’Bambino’ by the New Christy Minstrels (Gotta have at least ONE Christmas song in there!)
Scout:Wonderful selections! And finally, Rob, as award winners and nominees, can you convey to our readers what groups like the Western Music Association (WMA) and the Academy of Western Artists (AWA) mean to you and the Western music genre in general?
Rob: The AWA and the WMA mean a lot to us! We felt totally alone doing Western music here in the metropolis of Los Angeles so finding the WMA and AWA was like finding a good stream of fresh water after trudging the desert for miles alone. They are also an important standard to strive and work toward and we are more grateful to have been recognized by each of them than we can even try to put into words! As for the genre of Western music, aside from the fact that it is just flat out “feel good music” it is also becoming increasingly more ‘important’ as Americans, and people everywhere, begin to search for an innocence within themselves that our modern day lifestyle of ‘instant gratification’ seems to constantly steer us away from. I think it reminds us of all the good things that being an American really is! I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud to be a Westerner! Aren’t you?!
Scout:Rob, this has been really fun and informative! Thanks for sharing so much with your OutWest fans and we just can’t wait to see and hear the whole group at the CD Release Celebration for ‘Blaze Across The West’ on November 13 at OutWest!
So let's get started. Here's the first entry in the RIDING THE PULPhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif TRAIL CONTEST.
