by Christine | Writer Wednesday, Writing
Yes, again, lol! Why? My dad’s pretty cool. Plus he’s got some new books out, Westerns, and one of them got as high as the 800s in the Kindle listings! He finally found the right guy to publish with (Wolfpack Publishing) and he’s doing a booming business (comparatively speaking).
Here’s a look at Wade’s War… at only $.99, don’t you want a copy? lol…
Dad’s Book!
Here’s dad’s AMAZON PAGE – if you could go over there and give it a “like”, I’d really appreciate it. Plus take a look – he’s got 8 pages of novels. No, seriously. EIGHT. Maybe more. I didn’t double check…
Here’s a couple more of his newest books…
DOUBLE CROSS TRAIL
On the Chisholm trail, pounding hooves on a rough, rocky, tortuous ride into the arrows and lances of Indians and gunfire of desperate rustlers. When the gun smoke clears and the blood dries, will anything remain?
FUGITIVE RUN
When a city detective takes on a little bounty hunting, he’s in for some trail-tough tracking and lots of gun smoke and flying lead.
Chet Cunningham is America’s premiere western writer, with almost two hundred to his credit, among his over 300 novels. If you love the west, you’ll love Chet and his hard hitting western action adventure novels.
He doesn’t know I’m promoing him – but he will! Thanks so much for stopping by.
by Christine | Life, Observations
This time, we left on Friday afternoon. After way too much traffic, we finally pulled in, got the key to the boat, and headed straight to Filippi’s. Here’s a photo of the cool wine glasses…
The glasses hold roughly 4 ounces.
After pizza and salad and wine, we headed to the boat and collapsed. No, we hung out on deck for a bit, and THEN collapsed, lol.
Where we collapsed. No, we didn’t leave it wide open all night.
The next morning, the hubs had work to do on the boat and I went to see my dad. We had a lovely time, sitting and talking and picking lemons and tomatoes and just in general enjoying each other’s company. He’s feeling MUCH better – had a lung x-ray on Friday to make sure the pneumonia is all gone. We talked, laughed, had lunch together, and I fixed his signature lines on his email. Then he seemed tired, so I went to Starcrafts to spend time with Teresa and her sis, Donna. Spent a couple hours there (and had to buy stuff, seriously that shop is FUN) and had some time with Teresa that kind of blew my mind. She’s a spirit medium, you see, and – well, I’ll keep it to myself. But if you ever need to see a spirit medium, I highly recommend her.
So, I finally get back to the boat, change clothes and head up top with a small glass of wine. I hear such a ruckus that Tom passes me my camera, and I spend the next – gee, almost an hour – taking photos. Here’s why…
This guy was cleaning fish. Then tossing the offal into the water.
The guys on this boat caught 13 yellowtail. BIG fish.
The seagulls caught on…
Seagulls fighting over a slab of mostly yellowtail tuna skin with a bit of flesh on it.
And then another player came into the game.
The seal takes charge.
The seal would grab the slab of fish and dive with it. The birds would mill around for a bit, and without warning the seal would come up and fling it a good ten feet away – the birds would swarm, grab it, tear it, and the seal would come up from underneath them and scare them away – which enabled him to bring it up and fling it again. Was he playing with the seagulls? It certainly looked that way!
Until a no-nonsense bird landed, and decided to take over at the source.
The boss flew in to make sure he was doing it right.
Needless to say, this bird got his food.
Taking it from the seal…
Then it became a free-for-all, with the birds and the seal playing catch (or was that hide n’ seek?) – fun stuff!
Playing hide n’ seek…
But the seal tended to win…
The seal won this round…until he flung this piece of fish to the birds.
…unless the pelican did.
Pelican for the win! The seal did NOT get this piece of fish back.
So I basked in the frolicking of nature (with a helping hand from man, flinging yellowtail into the water) and took over 400 photos. I was also lucky enough to get splashed by the seal! Or maybe it was another seal…there were two there, by the end of the evening. My guess is the seal had hidden some fish bits down toward the bottom, where the seabirds would not go.
All in all, it was a wonderful ending to an amazingly emotional day. Here’s another cool photo…
Dinosaur? Or…
Tom and I ate, and drank wine, and at the end of our day, we were greeted with this lovely creature. Luckily we had the camera with us, which is NOT normal…
The Great Blue Heron. They like to haunt the piers around Shelter Cove Marina – there are four or five of them who are there before full sunrise, and always after sunset.
So even though the drive back took us almost as long as the drive there, I feel refreshed. I needed this break, and thanks to our lovely friend and my lovely husband, I got it.
May you take a break in your daily routine when you really need it. And maybe when you don’t. Sending love and hugs out to the Universe! What an amazing planet we live on!
~oOo~
by Christine | Life, Publishing, Writing
In late June, Dad went off to the Western Writers of America Conference in Las Vegas with pneumonia, 9 books to pitch, and chock-full of determination. When I left him the Sunday prior to his trip, he looked tired and thin, and I worried.
Chet Cunningham, June 2011
So it was with some hesitation that I called him (after giving him time to recover from the trip) to see how the conference went.
The phone rings. Gooood evening, he says, sounding sprightly. Hey Daddy. How are you? I say. He sounds good. No, he sounds wonderful. I start to smile into the phone.
Heey, Chrissy, he says. I’m doing grrreat. Let me tell you about the conference. And he was off and running. He sounded great, better than he has in a very long time.
So, he says, my first day there, I ran into the gal that has been publishing all my big print books. Who’s that, I say. Oh, you know, he says, the big print folks. Oh shoot. Five Star. They’re a part of Five Star Publishing.
I had sent her a couple new books, he says, a few months back and hadn’t heard from her, but she said they might be on a bookcase somewhere, and to re-send. We got to talking and she told me they buy Frontier Fiction, and mysteries. I told her what I have, and she said to send them to her. That’s six books, right there, that they might like.
The closet where dad stores copies of his books. Yes, those are all his. Not all of them are digital – yet.
That’s great, daddy, I say. Your first day. Yep, he says, my first day. So I’ve been working on those, getting them ready to send to her.
And then I saw Kat Martin, he says. You know Kat, I’ve got some photos with her and your mother from previous conferences. Yes, I say. I remember Kat Martin. (She’s only written a ton of romances, lol.)
Well, he says, I was talking to her husband, Larry Jay Martin, also a long-time friend of mine. He’s a western writer, and he’s putting his up stuff on Amazon. We were talking and he asked if I had anything that hadn’t gone digital yet, and if I did to send it to him.
What did you end up sending? I ask. He laughs. Says, well, what I thought I would send him, I no longer have any computer files for. So I emailed him on Sunday night when I got home, said I didn’t have what I thought I had, but I have these other three that are digital, he says.
By now, I’m so excited for him I can barely stand it. What did he say? I ask. Well, he says, Monday morning I got an email back from him with a three book contract. And all I have to do is send him the digital files. So I did, and a day later I got a look at three possible covers for the books. I could get used to this, he says.
The jubilation in his voice was music to my ears.
Not only that, he says, but I ran into Dusty Richards, hadn’t seen him in a long time. Oh, and I talked to Cherry, he says. She is passing on my Jesse James novel, but is willing to shop around a partial of mine. Then I met another agent who also said he was intrigued by this partial idea, and he’d be happy to shop it as well.
Two agents shopping the same book? I ask. Oh no, he says. I’m sticking with Cherry, and if she doesn’t think she can do anything with it, then I’ll talk to this other guy.
It sounds like you had a wonderful time, I say. My cheeks are hurting because I’m smiling so big. And you sound healthy.
I’m doing pretty good, he says. I’m enthused, and working hard, and I made a lot of contacts at the conference so I’m really glad I went. Gotta go get back at it. You still working on that book?
Yes Daddy, still working, I say. After mutual assurances of love and missing the other, we hang up.
I wipe away a few happy tears. As much as I wanted him to stay home and recuperate, obviously going to a conference with pneumonia was the exact right thing for him. The energy and joy in his voice comes back to me, makes me smile.
I’m really glad I went, he said.
So am I, Daddy. So am I.
~oOo~
by Christine | Life, Observations
We did our tour of the yard, as we always do. It’s the first thing he says to me usually, after our hello hugs. “Let’s take a garden tour!” And we do. I picked lemons, because that lemon tree has the finest lemons on it anywhere. Meyer lemons, of course. The tree is only a few years younger than I am.
Dad likes to sit in this chair in his garden. But when I asked him to, he wouldn’t, lol. Tomatoes on the far left and far right. Pole beans and sunflowers behind them.
We usually take our time, go from one corner of the small yard to the other, talking about what was growing, what he’d gotten rid of, what he wished he’d planted.
But this time he wears out fast. Pneumonia, he says. On meds. I’m fine, he says. I eye him. He’s thinner than the last time I saw him. Worn. So we retreat to the cool of the house and sit on the couch he and my mother had picked out years ago now. I’ve never liked that couch but I suppose it will live on long after I am gone. Some pieces of furniture are like that.
We sit there, holding hands. The skin on the back of his hand is so soft, loose. His fingers are gnarled by arthritis, and yet he still manages to type on a keyboard. We talk. He mentions a short story he wrote, a companion piece to the one he wrote about his dad, my grandpa. Grandpa sold off the family farm and equipment and livestock for pennies, so he could take his family out of Nebraska, escape the dust bowl of the late 1930s. That was dad’s original short story, about the sale. The new short story is about the journey to Oregon.
You remember it, don’t you? Living on the farm in Nebraska? I stroke his hand. So soft.
Not really, he answers. Just bizarre things, like Dad pouring kerosene down a cow’s throat because she was bloated. The kerosene helped the cow vomit up the bloat. Oh, and one time the neighbors gathered to castrate some of the piglets. Lots of screaming that day. Piglets are noisy.
And Mom, he says. When the time came to thresh the wheat, all the farm families would pitch in and hire the thresher, and everyone would go to a farm and get ‘er done. When our turn came, Mom would be cooking all day and she’d lay out a lunch on a huge table outside under the trees. Chickens and ham and steak, beans and whatever we’d grown in the house garden. Everyone would sit around and eat. Then the next day, they’d go to another farm and thresh their wheat.
But I didn’t do too much, he said. I was too little.
And then he pulls out of the past. I’m going to the Western Writers Association conference on Tuesday, he says. In Las Vegas. Jo will go with me, make sure I’m taking my pills.
I frown at him, but I know he won’t back down.
Chet Cunningham’s office.
I’ve got nine projects to pitch, he says. Twelve or thirteen on the shelf that no one wants. But nine to pitch. I’ll sign up for as many pitch appointments as I can, he says.
Conferences can be really tiring, I say. Make sure you rest.
Oh, I’m on a panel, he says. But I won’t go to many workshops. Want to talk to people mostly.
We fall into a comfortable silence, our hands still holding on. I remember the last time I saw my mother, the day I put my head in her lap and cried because she looked so confused about life. A week later, she had died from an infection that got into her bloodstream.
Dad has pneumonia, and he’s going to a writer’s conference. It is so like him. I hold his hand gently, and engrave this memory, this time, this conversation with him, deep into my heart.
by Christine | Observations, Wine Friday
There are two full shopping days left before Father’s Day. Two days to decide what to buy that Dad in your life. What to feed him. Where to go. Oh, the pressure! But never fear, I am here to help you with your beverage choice for the Father’s Day grilling!
Not All Dads Drink Alcohol.
My much-loved Dad, Chet Cunningham, author of over 300 novels and many non-fiction titles.
Mine doesn’t. Never did. As he likes to say, he managed to live through both college and the Army (Korea), and came home without a taste for alcohol or cigarettes. He was, however, more attached to his Coca Cola than ever.
So, what to bring for the festivities to the dad that doesn’t drink? There are a wide variety of sodas out on the market that are both fun and very adult, and I’m not talking about the type you find in your typical grocery store.
You can go your normal soda (because there ARE a lot of options in a grocery store), or you can give him something a little different. For instance, have you heard of Drank? Or the Superliminal Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation Formula? How about the iChill? These sodas are the counter to all the Red Bull and Monster energy drinks. They are non-alcoholic “relaxation” drinks.
“Funktional Beverages created Purple Stuff, packed with herbs and amino acids that supposedly calm the mind and body, and aimed it squarely at the urban 18- to 35-year-old males who once pledged their loyalty to amped-up energy drinks.” That’s a quote from an article at the Washington Post – you can see the whole article here. Okay, so – 18-35? Most dads are older…
Blenheim Ginger Ale
Not Your Momma’s Ginger Ale.
I admit, the above relaxation drinks intrigue me…but not exactly right for my dad, you know? He’s chill enough! So I’m going to go with a standard – The Blenheim Ginger Ale. Why?
It’s Nuclear!
No, really. Even a bunch of early 20’s young men had a hard time drinking this. My 19 y/o likes it in a shot glass (and he’s the only one in the family who can finish a whole bottle with dinner). As a side benefit, the ginger in the ale clears your sinuses right up.
I went to their website, and apparently they have two (or maybe three) different strengths of ginger in their ale. I can guarantee you, if you bring a six pack to the party, you’ll have people buzzing about your cleverness! (At least, my son enjoyed a certain notoriety when he brought a six pack to the party. He also came home with three bottles, lol!) Pricing: $7.00 a six pack but I’ve only found them “in person” at BevMo , and they were selling them by the bottle I think for about $1.50 (not that I’ve looked anywhere else).
Not sure if this is right for your dad? Go with the excellent standbys – Henry Weinhardt’s creamy Root Beer or Orange Soda (both favorites with my family). And those you CAN pick up at the grocery store.
Is Dad a Beer Drinker?
If your dad is a beer drinker, please keep in mind what kind of beer he prefers. If he’s a Bud Lite or Coors Lite fan, then look for a new “lite” beer that he might like and stay away from the Beers Around the World. IF, however, he prefers a Guiness, then go visit your neighborhood Costco or Cost Plus World Market and pick up a box ‘o beers from
Create your own Six Pack at Cost Plus World Market!
far-flung places. Or at World Market, you can create your own six pack – and finally put that Bud Lite up against the Coors Lite. Can you say Blind Taste Test?!!
But – Where’s the Wine???
Ah, you wine lovers! I haven’t forgotten you. I’ve got a brilliant, easy-drinking wine that’s also easy on the pocket book. I’m foregoing the typical outline that I usually do (but heck yeah I’ll be rating ’em!)
First up? My new favorite, CDR – Cotes Du Rhone AOC, a dry red wine that is a
Cotes du Rhone, NV from Costco. See the wine stain on the label? Taste-tested! Christine approved, lol!
product of France. Alcohol content, 14% by Volume – and priced at $8.95 at Costco. This is an easy-sipping wine that is rapidly becoming my new favorite go-to. The color is a deep purple-red, the fruit is lush and the finish is silky. It will go with anything you decide to grill on the BBQ this Father’s Day.
My Rating: ~ Very, Very Drinkable ~
If your dad likes white wines, well this is the perfect time of year for a Sauvignon Blanc. One of my favorites is the Kenwood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, with a screwtop (no cork issues!). 13.5% Alcohol by Volume. My original posting on this wine is here, if you’d like to read it. Price was $8.99 on sale at Vons.
My Rating: ~ Very, Very Drinkable ~
So There You Have It!
Options for Father’s Day, to suit almost every taste. As for my dad? He prefers a Coca Cola. He’s had to cut WAY back on his soda intake, but I think for Father’s Day he’d be allowed one…
As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.
~ Until the next time, cheers – and may your Father’s Day be filled with Love! ~
~oOo~
Demon Soul and Demon Hunt are available for the Kindle and Kobo! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
My Rating System: Undrinkable; Barely Drinkable; Drinkable; Very Drinkable; and the ever-popular “Stay Away! This is MY wine, you Slut!”
