#Native American Cowboy Fiction

[its-suanneschafer-author]

BOOK REVIEW: #DreamWheels by #RichardWagamese. An extraordinary story, cowboys and Indians with a twist. Gorgeous prose. 

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The First Day of Eternity by Charles G. West

The Hunters #2

Solid story set in the Bitterroot Montana Territory sees Cody “Crazy Wolf” Hunter find out he was not an orphan after all, going to surreptitiously see how his relatives are doing, and then becoming their guardian though the youngest of the bunch. I have to admit that I did not read book one in the series and felt at times I needed more background to flesh out Cody and perhaps that book might have given more information about his family, too.

Cody’s father and older brothers have established the Triple H ranch with a large herd of cattle roaming their and government land. They are on good relations with settlers, farmers, and the citizens of the nearby town BUT a new bunch of cowboys is in competition with them – the Kincaid brothers – and they are ruthless killers with a team that works for them that knows more about guns and killing than herding cattle. A range war is brewing and Cody arrives just in time to assist and weight the Triple H’s chances against the encroachers in a very positive way.

Cody becomes the target as he plays cat and mouse with those out to kill him while also protecting his family. He does what he learned to do best while with his Indian family and works as a one-man weapon to downsize the number of the enemy.

There was a bit of romance, a lot of family, discussions by good and bad men, a lot of killing, and the beginning of getting to know one another by the Hunters. The bones were there to the story but I wanted more information about Cody, the Hunters, the reasons behind what was going on, memories of the time the Hunters were together before they get together again, their thinking while the situation was brewing, what the women were thinking, and more interaction between characters. I never really engaged with or identified with any of the characters and wish I had been able to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

BLURB

Raised by Crow Indians. Enlisted by the US Army. Legendary scout Cody Hunter returns to the mountains where he lost his family—and makes a shocking discovery that will change his life forever . . . THIS WOLF HUNTS ALONE His Crow name was Crazy Wolf. Orphaned after losing his family in an Indian attack, young Cody Hunter found a loving home among the Crow people—and learned the ancient ways of the Crow trackers. His well-honed skills earned him a place in the U.S. Army as a valued scout. But now, after fifteen years of living his life as Crazy Wolf, Cody is ready to face his painful past. He will return to the place that still gives him nightmares—and where the dreams of his father ended in bloodshed . . .   High in the mountains of Montana, Cody finds a stone memorial erected by the survivors of the families slaughtered there. The site of the attack triggers Cody’s darkest memories—and leads him to a stunning his father and two brothers did not die on that day. They may still be alive. And he will stop at nothing to find them again. To follow in their footsteps. To track them down on the treacherous journey west. A search this deadly may be the craziest thing Crazy Wolf has ever done. But he is a born Hunter—and he’s willing to die that way. . . .   Second in the explosive series by Spur Award-winning author Charles G. West!   “Rarely has an author painted the great American West in strokes so bold, vivid, and true.” —Ralph Compton

[mrmonster459]

The Bluebird

Location: Deadcrow, a small town in California

Time: 1854

I’ll never forget the day she walked into the saloon.

A Native American woman walked in, with a bow dropped over one shoulder and a quiver full of arrows propped over the other. She took a seat at the bar, and said “Whiskey, dry.”

The bartender laughed and said “Little lady, you sure you…”

“Yes, I am.” She said, and the bartender then poured her a drink.

I normally just tried to bus tables and ignore the patrons (the men in that saloon weren’t kind if they thought you were eavesdropping), but even I couldn’t help but stare at the woman ordering a drink in a place that would almost surely chew her up and spit her out.

“While I’ve got your attention, I’m looking for a man named Laurence Cole. I heard he frequents this saloon, is that true?” She asked.

“Yes, I do.” Laurence Cole said as got up from the table where he and his friends were playing poker. Laurence Cole was one of the leaders of the militia that essentially ran the town of Deadcrow, on behalf of the company who owned the rights to pretty much the entire gold mine our town’s economy thrived on; he was a man you didn’t wanna anger, unless your idea of a nice Sunday afternoon was being whipped in front of the entire town.

“What’s your name?” Laurence asked as he stood next to her.

“Sialea-lea.” She answered, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone who heard.

"What was that? See a leah leah?" One of Cole's cohorts asked.

After seeing the confusion on their faces, she said “But you can call me Bluebird, if that’s easier for you to pronounce.”

“Alright, Bluebird, can I help you?” Laurence asked.

She then drew a knife and stabbed him in the gut before kicking him backwards.

Three other men stood up from a table and began to draw their weapons. Bluebird quickly drew an arrow and shot one right in the neck. She then jumped over the bar to take cover. The two militiamen fired at the bar, hoping they’d land a lucky shot and kill her.

They did not.

After they used up all their shots, one of them said “She’s gotta be dead, right?”

Bluebird then emerged from the bar, with an arrow fully drawn. She fired at one of them, hitting him right in the chest. The other one rushed to reload, but she then put an arrow right in his eye.

Everyone else in the saloon was rushing to get out, including Cole, who was able to make it to his horse.

Bluebird ran outside and shouted “DAMN!” as she tried firing at him, but it was no use. He was already too far away for her to land a shot. After he rode off, she went back inside to finish her drink. I knew I should've been running away, but I couldn't help but talk to her. She was something our town had never had before; a glimmer of hope.

“You know he’s not leaving for good, right?” I asked. “He’s definitely coming back with more militiamen.”

“Good.” Bluebird replied as took another sip of her whiskey. "Saves me the trouble of having to track him down again."

She caught me glaring at her, and said “What’s your name?”

“Eleanor.” I answered.

“Well, Eleanor, I don’t much enjoy drinking alone; care to join me?” She asked.

I couldn’t say no, I had to know why she was on a warpath against the local militia. I took a seat beside her and said “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story.” She replied.

“We have time.” I said.

____

She spent over an hour telling me her full story. For the sake of time, I’ll give you the abridged version.

“I grew up in a Navajo village, back in New Mexico.” She began. “My dad was a war chief, who taught me archery and knife fighting from an early age. He wanted me to be tough enough to survive out in the desert.”

“One day, a group of militiamen came into our village. They wanted to buy the land our village sat on. They said it had copper, and that they could flip the land and sell it to a mining company.”

“We turned them down. The land was important to us, we had no interest in selling. The next day, I went out elk hunting, and came back to find that my entire village had been killed. The militia swallowed up and sold the land for pennies, and then they moved on to find the next opportunity.”

____

“Guess where they moved on to?” Bluebird asked before finishing her drink.

“I, I’m so sorry.” I said.

“Save your pity.” She said. “I didn’t come here for tears, I came here to get revenge. Laurence Cole is the reason my tribe is gone, and I am not leaving this town until he’s dead.”

I heard horses riding up to the saloon.

“Well, that sounds like your chance.” I said.

_____

There were eleven men standing outside the saloon, all armed. One of them was Laurence Cole; he had a bandage that was covering his stab wound, but other than that, he looked fine.

“BLUEBIRD, YOU’D BETTER COME OUT NOW!” He shouted. “Come out with your hands in the air, and we’ll just hang you and get it over with. But if we have to go in there and find you, we’ll do a whole lot worse.”

“Don’t listen to him.” I advised. “He’ll torture you no matter you do.”

Bluebird sat there and did nothing. “Kid, I’d advise you to either run, hide, or start loading a gun, because shit’s about to get bloody.”

I did both the second and third thing options. I grabbed a revolver off one of the fallen militiamen, and his box of ammo too. But then, I went to hide in the bar’s supply closet. I could still see everything through the slit, but the militiamen wouldn’t notice me unless they were looking (which they wouldn’t, not with an expert archer firing at them).

Moments later, two militiamen entered the saloon. They both received arrows to the face in rapid succession. Another two came in, both attempting to shoot Bluebird with repeating rifles, but Bluebird moved too quickly for them to hit.

She closed the distance, and stabbed one of them in the neck while kicking the other’s leg out. Before he could get up, she slashed his throat open.

The rest of them opened fire from the windows. Bluebird had no choice but to take cover, and the remaining militiamen began to storm the place. Worse, Bluebird was almost out of arrows, she only had one more left.

“WHERE IS SHE?” A militiamen asked before getting hit with an arrow in the side of the neck. But that was it; there were still five of them left, and Bluebird was out of arrows.

I then realized it was now or never; I summoned all the courage I had, opened the door, and unloaded at the militiamen. This was my first time firing a gun, so I only landed two of the six shots; but that didn’t matter, because Bluebird then rushed at the surviving men, isolated one of them, and sliced his neck open. She then took his rifle, and fired it at one of his comrades. Another militiamen turned his gun towards her, but she kicked the gun away before he fired; the shot ended up hitting the wall, and she then stabbed him in the chest.

There was one more of them, and he was too far away for her to grab but I had already loaded one another shot. I rushed closer to get to point blank, and moments before he was gonna fire at Bluebird, I nailed him right in the back of the head.

We both breathed an unfortunate sigh of relief, thinking we were safe. Then, a bullet sailed in from the window and hit Bluebird in the leg. Laurence Cole emerged, holding a smoking gun in his hand.

I aimed at him, but he was quicker on the draw. He fired a shot that hit the wall just six inches or so away from my head. “I missed on purpose, I won’t again. Drop the gun or my next shot will bore a hole in your forehead.”

I dropped my revolver and put my hands in the air.

“That’s better.” He said. “You, I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and call this a panic response. I’ll let you off after, I don’t know, three or four dozen lashes.”

“But you.” He said as he looked down at Bluebird, who was practically helpless down on the ground. “I am gonna make you regret even being born.”

The moment he turned, I dove down, grabbed the gun, fired a shot, and then ran towards the bar to take cover. Of course, I missed, but that was okay; I gave Bluebird just the opportunity she needed to crawl closer, and stab him in the thigh. After he fell over, she then stabbed him in the chest.

_____

We took her to the town doctor. Thankfully, the bullet just grazed her leg; if it had just landed an inch to the left, her leg would have had to be amputated. But all she needed was a few bandages.

“What do you think this town will do without the militia?” Bluebird asked me.

“Probably breathe a sigh of relief.” I said. “Only reason we tolerated those assholes was because the company would’ve fired all the miners if they staged any kind of revolt. Now that that's' been done for them, maybe they can run this place themselves; might even go on strike, demand they finally get good wages.”

“I hope they do.” Bluebird said. “Well, I have no reason to stay here anymore, so I’m headed off. I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do now that I got my revenge, but I’m getting out of Deadcrow, that's for sure. Wanna join, Eleanor?”

“You know, I think I do.”

[hadesoftheladies]

FEMALE MOVIE/TV RECS (PART 2 / HISTORICAL FICTION/NON-FICTION)

got inspired from a recommendation post so decided to make a list of movies and shows with female-centric stories/female protagonists. since i can't post all of the genres in one post, i'll split it into multiple posts and y'all can save or add to the list as you wish. (disclaimer: i have watched most of these, but i only know about the existence of others. not every movie/show on these lists will be my recommendation. my recommendations will be beneath the list with reasons. also some of these are way better than others in terms of storytelling/performance--which is why i'll list my faves separately):

Common Themes of Media in the List:

-Workplace/general sexist discrimination

-Husband being pieces of shit and whiners

-Strong emphasis on sisterhood

-Romance plays a large part (both hetero and homo)

-Female genius and triumph

-Scheming mothers (always scheming)

-Grief, loss, and growth

-Motherhood is difficult but we pull through TM

HAVEN'T WATCHED:

Mozart's Sister

Lessons in Chemistry

The Conductor

Lizzie

Radioactive

Cable Girls

The Great

The Queen's Gambit

Britannia

Harriet

Mary Queen of Scots

ONES I LOVEDDDD:

A League of Their Own (9/10) (a favorite!)

Hidden Figures (8/10)

The Woman King (8/10) (a favorite!)

Anne With An E (9/10) (a favorite!)

Dickinson (8.5/10)

The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel (9/10) (a favorite!)

Gentleman Jack (8/10)

The Gilded Age (7.5/10)

HONORABLE (NON-LISTED MENTIONS)

The English (an english woman teams up with a native american cowboy to take revenge on the men who hurt them)

The World to Come (two women isolated by the wilderness and their husbands fall in love)

The Pursuit of Love

Colette

PERSONAL NOTES:

The Buccaneers is pretty feminist and wholesome, although oftentimes childish and full of Netflix cliches (even though it's an Apple TV original). It tries very hard to be Dickinson and Little Women but is a far cry away from Dickinson's edge and fierceness and Little Women's maturity and realism. It's more interested in appealing to Bridgerton audiences and its worse for it. But it's still full of the nice stuff, like strong female friendships and sisterhoods. Ooh, and lesbians! It's adamantly female-centric.

As for Little Women, I prefer the 90s version with Winona Ryder, but Greta did more justice to the source material than Louisa May Alcott herself in the new version.

The Book Thief and The World to Come are also tragedies, so you know. Ammonite, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Summerland and The Favourite are lesbians and bisexuals in their full glory, although all of them have vastly different tones (The Favourite is a dark comedy, I believe).

Speaking of The Favourite, Mary & George is like that but it's men vying for the affections of the king. Don't get it twisted though, Mary, George's mom, is the protagonist and primary mover of the show. It starts and ends with her. Also, more lesbianism! (I don't get tired of pointing that out.)

Belle is one of the few autobiographical historical fictions of a black woman. My dad and I love it. It, however, does not surpass The Woman King. The Woman King is like . . . one of the best historical movies on African women I've ever watched! Or just in general! It gives so much agency to African people in the colonial age and tells the story with nuance and perspective--it is a decolonized view on the slave trade that places West African people at the center. It's pretty intense and gory, though. Like it's dark, but like the performances are insanely good, and so is the story. Real life Wakanda and all that!

[cupiidskiss]

I would like to know more about Boone and Isa 👀 What is their story? Are the connected? Are the somehow related to the gang? What are they like?

I would love to hear it!

OKOK they are rdo ocs and no way related to the gang, isa has met charles chatney briefly in a bar but thats besides the point.

isa is a 21 yr old mojave native who grew up in southern california w/ her tribe and they were forced into reservations. mojave natives are nomadic, so isa when she was 17 longed to continue that life and really couldn’t stand the mistreatment of reservation life so she left. isa meets her surrogate father, julius (my friends oc) when shes 19 after she gets into a bar fight in saint denis, years later hes murdered, she sorta goes off the deep end and feels purposeless in life, cuts her hair, its a whole thing. shes pretty stone faced, but julius brought out the good and goofiness i her, they have lots of tender moments that make my found family heart burst

boone on the other hand is a 40 yr scottish american lad, grew up middle class in the dustbowl regions of the united states. moved to the fictional rdr states when he was around 22 and got caught up in organized crime 10 years later (32). if i had to describe boone, hes a mafia cowboy hehe. hes a hitman/gun for hire for all the underground corruption that goes on in saint denis. hes…horrible. micah bell sorta guy in comparison. tall, looming, sadistic son of a bitch. he’d shoot his target in the legs so they couldnt run just so he could get a kick out of their reaction. he has no filter, womanizer (what would you call the masculine version of this? hes that too). idk hes..,something. he has a screw loose but its ok

isa and boone have interacted ONCE thats all. it was brief, no names exchanged. boone had been lounging about in the saint denis bar with some working women, as he does, isa was there too just for a drink. boone being the big talker he is sorta flirted with her, it was indirect, drunkenly and weird. isa insulted him and left, thats really it.

if u have any more questions i’d love to answer

links to oc stuff

oc pinterest board ; https://pin.it/7vcWEsqgs

isa’s playlist ; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05OjotvrDW2o5raF8pIKN9?si=EeqGjnaxQdCYjFRNVg0iDQ&pi=u--QI__NSLRdy

boone’s playlist ; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4gJbngAZvRAbetF3C6VRgA?si=BXCZM0mqRXyLElsjoCVdVA&pi=u-xqVLoaMySlSb

isa’s toyhouse ; https://toyhou.se/25994604.isa-mohan

boone’s toyhouse ; https://toyhou.se/27118656.boone-quinn

[daywalkers-fic]

Hellooo, I'm also writing a story in a setting inspired by late 1800s America but quite different and a bit escapist in some aspects.

I wanted to ask, how do you handle the issue of colonialism in such a story, even when the story itself doesn't strive to be historically realistic. I want to write some decent rep for some indigenous characters but what Im concerned with is..is it an alright to make my setting resemble an American environment of that time but with colonialism missing from that universe..or is it irresponsible and erasure? If I add an equivalent, how do I go about acknowledging it?

I'm sorry,.I'm aware you're not indigenous but I still wanted to ask for your general thoughts on the topic considering you're working with the same genre with a fresh inclusive perspective. Also if you know any indigenous writers/individuals who happen to be into westerns I would love to know!

ooo hi! it’s always really fun to hear about other people’s works-in-progress :’)

to start, I want to plug @writingwithcolor as a total gem of a resource !! it is run by a panel of bipoc writers. I really recommend taking the time to explore their blog: they have research guides, resource recommendations, break downs of sterotypes and tropes + very meaningful answers to many writers sending asks.

one of their moderators, Lesya, is of the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Wyandot (Huron) in Canada. they’ve acknowledged that since they are not from territories that have been historically associated with the “old west” (more southwestern and plains), they can’t give specifics. still, they speak as an Indigenous person and writer:

together with the other moderators, Lesya has written many posts that made me re-think a lot of things (quite literally helping reorient myself on the questions of what exactly am I trying to write, why in this setting/time period, and with whom in mind)

Is the Western genre dead?

Destroying imperialism to avoid discussing racism?

On addressing native issues in a cowboy story

Tragedy exploitation and characters of colour

Guide on Cowboys: Cowboys of Colour in the West

Alternate History and Historical Accuracy

(1800s western) non-racist White characters interacting with Black and Native people

Highlighting points from the last linked post (above) that I very much agree with + and adding some notes onto them:

consider the setting of the world, even if it is fictional, where is it inspired by?

Lesya: “the western front is a catchall and has a collection of tropes akin to Fantasy World 29, but if you want to have some grounding in history, pick a state whose history you feel you can work with and do research roughly in that geographic area (e.g what Nation or tribe you are discussing, what the state policies [of genocide] at the time were…)”

I was exited to take this as an opportunity for me to really learn more about Plains and Southwestern Indigenous history since I from the Great Lakes region of North America! I believe a foundational resource is: https://www.whose.land/en/ that gives you a starting point of whose traditional territory is the land you’re on, and/or what region and then subsequently, whose land is inspiring your story. “Indigenous” is not a monolith. Each geographical region has its own peoples, culture, history!

what is your comfort level with writing about colonialism? Is the goal historical accuracy or alternative history?

Lesya: “the 1800s was a period of pure, unadulterated racism”

Yeah 1800s is synonymous with racism. Racism was necessary to justify colonialism. It justified slavery. It justified genocide. Sciences developing “studies” and “proof” in biology and psychology at this time even helped reaffirm the idea that Black and Indigenous peoples were indeed subhuman. This was codified in laws and policies around the world. Meanwhile, industrialization and “development” was paid for with the blood and labour of marginalized peoples (the working class, migrants, and most especially, black and brown people).

Lesya: “If you’re looking for any sort of grounding in historical reality, you’re dealing with that climate. There is absolutely, positively, no way around it. There is no way to make modern anti-racism and modern levels of ignorance fit in anything grounded historically.”

that said, historical fantasy and fluffy escapism is ok, too! again, depends on your goals, capacities, intentions.

Lesya: “It’s okay if you’re not comfortable. But, you’re going to need to start looking at essentially creating a historical AU where the racism at the time was a lot less, which means colonialism at the time would be a lot less, which means ‘The Western Front’ is going to look a lot different.”

After all, the “wildness” of the “west” had in part been defined by the belief that all of this unsettled, traditional Indigenous territory was dangerous. These Lands and its inhabitants were “wild”—savage—and ought to be “tamed”.

Lesya: “If you’d rather write fluffy escapism, make Black and Native people equal for literally no reason other than you want the story to be safe for those groups to read. Pick a rough geographic area just to give your Indigenous peoples around this Western Front town a culture (or three, because the Western front is full of nomadic groups), and you’ll be fine. But it will be historical fantasy, and should really be treated as such”

finally, something I’d keep in mind is that anything you write will be biased because it came from you! After all, you are an individual with beliefs and experiences and ideas. They all impact how you carry yourself and see the world everyday, and these will impact how you interact with a fictional world too. This isn’t inherently “bad”—this should be something to keep in mind especially if you’re writing about a character with a different race, class, health, gender than you. For example, if you hold prejudice in your own life, it will probably be read in how you write certain characters, storylines, etc.

I apologize how long this took me to answer, I really had to sit down and think about this too. I hope you find this of use to you! and on the last part of the ask: I know of James Welch (Blackfoot and A'aninin), an author whose written many books set in 19th century America from the perspective of an Indigenous protagonist. Does anyone else have recommendations? In other revisionist-western/anti-western media, Los Colonos (2023) has been on my to-watch list for sometime!

[hannahsliteraryhaven]

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

by Dee Brown ★★★★☆

I feel as though the genocide of the Native Americans has been massively glossed over, in comparison to other mass genocides. Even this book was once banned in a US school because they didn't want to cause controversy! This gradual genocide began not too long after European settlers were originally welcomed and shown hospitality by the Native Americans when they first arrived on American soil.

I can't name a movie (other than the one made after this book, which I found only after I finished the book) that focuses exclusively on the experiences of the Native Americans. Every cowboy movie I've seen, the Native Americans are always a background nuisance; savages that will kill any white man they see. Brown gives you a much clearer picture of what happened, and why they behaved the way they did, often copying the atrocities committed against them by white soldiers, but that is, of course, wiped out in the white men's narrative. He shares how the whites created false narratives in order to gain support so that they could continue stealing land and sending the Native Americans to reservations.

This book is a good introduction to the main tribes and most notable chiefs during the period of 1860-1890, and what each tribe experienced. I found the book hard to read at times because there is a lot of information and names; quite a lot of names seemed thrown in and I felt like I was expected to know them from the get go, but over time, I got used to how Brown had laid out the chapters - each chapter is essentially a new tribe/massacre/fight and you have to accept that you might not remember all of the white army men's names and their positions, and that's okay because this is definitely a book to come back to, not least because of the many real photographs of the Chiefs and other notable Native Americans. It really helped to bring a face to the people you're reading about; a reminder that you're not reading fiction, but the lives of real people. I read this through my library but I'm tempted to buy my own copy in the future to look back on.

This book has encouraged me to learn even more about the true history of what these incredible people endured, and still endure. It blew me away when I learned that there are still Native American reservations and they experience horrendous poverty. What kind of a world do we live in? I hope for the day when the US government finally put their egos aside, accept their wrongdoings and give back to the Native Americans so that they can lead good lives in their own country. It took until 1978 for Native Americans just to be allowed to practice harmless ceremonies in public! I now see Mount Rushmore as nothing but a huge insult to Native Americans; calving 4 white men into their sacred mountains that they fought so hard to protect. I only recently learned that Native Americans were holding protests against it.

I hope that all of the Native American tribes still around today can continue to share their history, revel in their culture and be unapologetically proud of their heritage.

[thelensofyashunews]

That Mexican OT Shares 'Texas Technician' Mixtape, Twists His Fingers with Moneybagg Yo in New Video

Rolling his r's with reckless abandon as he lays down his rapidfire rhymes, That Mexican OT is Texas to the bone. Today, the Bay City native shares Texas Technician, his new mixtape, and a high-octane tribute to his home state's bountiful rap scene. Refining the all-encompassing sound that he developed for his breakout 2023 album Lonestar Luchador, the new Texas Technician hones in on a sound that has percolated in the Lone Star State for decades–slow moving, warped, haunting, speaker-knocking Texas rap. Along with A-listers from across the country, OT rolls out the purple carpet for fellow Texans, including Trill-era legends like Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, and Propain, and contemporaries like Trapboy Freddy, OTB Fastlane, and his Bay City running mates Drodi and Hogg Booma.

Texas Technician is home to the recent single "02.02.99," a haunting horrorcore heatrock which became one of OT's biggest hits. Released in early January, the song has generated over 34million streams across platforms. "02.02.99" peaked at #74 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending three weeks on the chart. He followed "02.02.99" with "Point 'Em Out," a collaboration with DaBaby that spawned a Pulp Fiction-referencing video. These highlights are joined by 14 new bangers, including the apocalyptic "Chicken Strips & Ass," his latest collab with "Johnny Dang" compadre Paul Wall, the high-rolling "Cowboy In an Escalade" ft. Trapboy Freddy, the screwed-up outlaw story "Crooked Officer" ft. Z-Ro, "Hola," a Fredo Bang-featuring slapper that somehow borrows from both Tejano music and East Coast club, and more. With production from regular collaborators like DJ Skelez and national names like Bankroll Got It, the new tape is an immersive world into OT's day-to-day, filled with dirty syrup, clean Escalades, and an endless parade of sold-out dates.

Another major highlight is "Twisting Fingers," OT's collaboration with Moneybagg Yo, which receives a brand new video today. Produced by Bankroll Got It, "Twisting Fingers" is a low-down, dirty, bass-heavy banger with stabs of horror movie strings, as OT and Bagg each promise to stay loyal to gang no matter how successful they become. Directed by OT's frequent shooter DGreen Filmz, the video is a flashback to the rapper's rambunctious school days. He talks smack on the bus to school, shoots dice in the restroom, and learns lessons in American sign language from Mr. Bagg, aka Moneybagg Yo.

"Point 'Em Out" and "02.02.99" continue OT's hot streak, which started last summer and made him one of the most exciting breakthrough rap stars of 2023. He started his legendary run with "Johnny Dang" ft. Drodi & Paul Wall, which spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, earned GOLD status from the RIAA, and appeared on Lonestar Luchador, his acclaimed album. Acclaimed by Pitchfork (7.5), last July's Lonestar Luchador made an immediate impact, reaching #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and peaking at #59 on the Billboard 200. Last fall, That Mexican OT completed the "Lonestar Luchador Tour," the Bay City native's first-ever headlining tour, selling out dozens of dates across the country. The rapper earned "Best Of 2023" notices from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Complex, and Pitchfork,

Recently profiled by the Los Angeles Times, SPIN Magazine, and his hometown Houston Chronicle, and featured on XXL's The Break, That Mexican OT is outta here. Stay tuned for much more from the Bay City, TX rhymer, including a brand new project, as he launches into the stratosphere.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Rivals, Cowboys, and Dinosaurs: a look at Michael Crichton's Dragon Teeth

The name "Michael Crichton" should be familiar with any dinosaur enthusiast. After all, he is the man behind the famous novel Jurassic Park which was adapted into the classic film.

But this was NOT the first time Mr. Crichton took a swing at paleontology. Dragon Teeth was a previously unpublished manuscript that was described by Crichton himself as the forerunner to his second outing with the great lizards.

A historical fiction, Dragon Teeth takes place during the infamous Bone Wars, another name any dinosaur enthusiast or paleontologist should be familiar with. It was sparked by a fierce rivalry between paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, who, from 1877 to 1892, competed to make the most discoveries, name the most species, and collect the most specimens out of the Wild West. Needless to say, it was a fascinating and dangerous period in paleontological history, particularly with the Indian Wars raging all around them, the almost lawless wilderness far from civilization, and the extreme lengths both men went to denying each other of specimens.

This is the backdrop our main character, William Johnson, finds himself in. Having agreed to a bet to go out west with Professor Marsh, he's later abandoned by the paranoid paleontologist before throwing his lot in with Cope. Our hero soon finds himself in the rough and tumble Wild West in the middle of the Indian Wars, where it turns out hunting for fossils is a lot more dangerous than it is on paper.

To begin with, this book is absolutely drenched in the setting and beliefs of the time. If you want a decent idea of what the Wild West was like at the time, this provides a pretty reasonable look. Especially with how it's woven into the narrative. One of the first big threats that Johnson and Cope have to wrestle with is the approach of Sitting Bull making his way north after having dealt with Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. And the area as a whole is pretty lawless, with bandits and outlaws being a danger towards the latter portions of the novel.

Paleontology enthusiasts are also going to get their money's worth here. As mentioned before, Marsh and Cope are two of the central characters here and I think they're portrayed fairly well. Marsh being a paranoid recluse who nevertheless prides himself on meticulous work and building a reputation for himself. Cope is the brash and aggressive of the two, often getting into fights, and while his enthusiasm is admirable, he often rushes in making his observations or even just throwing caution into the wind. Course one of the highlights of the whole book is the confrontation between Marsh and Cope, which might as well be a masterclass in who can get as many insults in at each other as possible.

Rivalry and recklessness are some of the driving themes here of the whole novel, specifically how destructive it can be. Johnson got roped into a trip to the dangerous Wild West all on a bet with a school rival. Cope was willing to go to extreme lengths to retrieve fossils all for the sake of his grudge against Marsh that he'll drive his men to work in the face of an impending Sioux attack. Hell, I don't think it's a secret that Custer's brazen attack is given a lot of emphasis here given what the characters are up to. And at the end of the day, the rivalry does ultimately cost both Cope and Marsh everything with them sinking their entire finances and reputations just to one-up the other

Naturally, these aren't the only themes in the novel. Specifically, the colonization of America against the Native Americans is given a lot of weight in this novel. They come across buffalo herds that Cope notes that in a few years may no longer exist. The whole world of the plains Indians is described as a Lost World not too dissimilar to that of the dinosaurs. And there is a recurring theme of religion and Manifest Destiny, that some people believe the settlers were destined to occupy everywhere in America. Cope's struggles with Mormonism is actually a recurring subplot as his admiration of the dinosaurs, the concept of deep time, and evolution clashes with conventional wisdom about God and predetermined creation.

As you can tell, I reeeeeaaaaallllyyy enjoyed this novel. I thought it was a fascinating take on one of paleontology's most turbulent periods that manages to weave the setting and values in with the characters and their arcs. I think anyone who's interested in dinosaurs, paleontology, or historical fiction will appreciate this one. Especially how in some ways, this does feel like a spiritual successor to Jurassic Park. After all, the Bone Wars gave us many of our most famous dinosaurs and helped stir up interest for future generations despite their troubled history.

[tanukifucker91]

Many video games borrow from popular genres of literature or cinema, they pay homage or they "celebrate" them through emulation on some level or through adapting certain aesthetics. Red Dead Redemption (2010) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) however only rarely borrow from the idyllic and romantic American wild west shows or pulp fiction, and when they do, they do so cynically. It borrows-or outright steals-rather from the spagetti western of the 60s, which akin to cowboy fables, tell stories of karmatic retribution on a backdrop of misery and violence. But what they borrow most of all is the story telling techniques, the music, a few character archetypes, especially among the support cast. Red Dead 1 and 2 are not fables, and while spaghetti westerns are ready to engage with matters of live and death, oppression and justice, the larger scope of the world and the state of America is a back drop or seen through glimpses where the viewer is encouraged to simply consider and then no more. Red Dead Redemption 1 and especially 2, go beyond this. They unravel the myth of the Americas. They lay it bare. The man who inherits a fortune but because of his poverty he cannot claim it, only to die. The plantation owner's son who is the head sheriff. The displaced natives who's blood is worth less than the oil on their land. Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 is the story of the foundation of the American police state, how the dehumanizing of criminals in turn transform the poor and the marginalized to second class citizens. In Red Dead 2, these themes are mirrored inside the dynamic of the gang itself; while painting itself as a idyllic found-family style community, it's a hierarchal structure where love and support is highly conditional and only given in exchange for loyalty. I always couldn't help but notice how Dutch only calls Arthur his son when he wants something from him.

And that is why Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 do ultimately not simply "borrow" or "pay homage", unlike the wast majority of video games. Red Dead inherits the western genre. It's not simply a celebration, it's a succession.

[kwebtv]

Character Actor

Anthony Caruso (April 7, 1916 – April 4, 2003) Film and television character actor in more than one hundred American films, usually playing villains and gangsters, including the first season of Walt Disney's Zorro as Captain Juan Ortega.

In some of his television roles, Caruso played sympathetic characters, like "Ash", on an early episode of CBS's Gunsmoke, and again in 1960 as “Gurney”, a murdering, yet ultimately sympathetic cowboy. He also played “Lone Wolf” in a 1961 episode entitled “Indian Ford”.

In 1954, Caruso played Tiburcio Vásquez in an episode of the western series Stories of the Century. He appeared in the first Brian Keith series, Crusader.  In 1957, he appeared in the fourth episode of the first season of the TV western Have Gun – Will Travel starring Richard Boone titled "The Winchester Quarantine".

In 1957, Caruso appeared in episode "The Child" on NBC's The Restless Gun.  In 1959, he was cast as George Bradley in the episode "Annie's Old Beau" on the NBC children's western series, Buckskin.

That same year, he portrayed Matt Cleary on CBS's Wanted: Dead or Alive episode "The Littlest Client", with Steve McQueen. Also 1959, he also guest-starred on the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Sugarfoot, in the episode "The Extra Hand", along with guest stars Karl Swenson and Jack Lambert as well as the series star, Will Hutchins. The same year he appeared in the 'Syndicate Sanctuary' episode of The Untouchables.

In 1960, Caruso played a Cherokee Indian, Chief White Bull, in the episode "The Long Trail" of the NBC western series, Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin.

Also in 1960, he returned to Gunsmoke playing a murderous cowboy named “Gurney” in S6E5’s “Shooting Stopover”. Again his character was a hard man, but through the character’s death, Caruso successfully made him sympathetic.

In 1961, he appeared twice on the ABC/Warner Brothers drama series, The Roaring 20s, including the role of Lucky Lombardi in "The Maestro". He was also cast with Will Hutchins in a second The Roaring 20s episode entitled, "Pie in the Sky." Early in 1961, he was cast as Velde in the episode "Willy's Millionaire" of the short-lived ABC adventure series, The Islanders, with Diane Brewster.

Caruso guest-starred in an episode of the ABC western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, based on a Robert Lewis Taylor novel of the same name. Caruso guest-starred three times on CBS's Perry Mason. In 1962, he played Keith Lombard in "The Case of the Playboy Pugilist." Also in 1962, Caruso played Cody Durham in "Cody's Code" on Gunsmoke. In 1965, he made two Perry Mason appearances, both times as the murder victim: first as title character Enrico Bacio in "The Case of the Sad Sicilian," then as Harvey Rettig in "The Case of the Runaway Racer."

In 1964, he guest-starred in the Bonanza episode "The Saga of Squaw Charlie" playing a Native American man shunned by almost everybody and with only two friends, Ben Cartwright and a little girl named Angela. In 1969 he starred alongside Ricardo Montalban in Desperate Mission, a fictionalized telling of the life of Joaquin Murrieta. From 1966 to 1970 he guest-starred three times on the long-running NBC western The Virginian, starring James Drury. In 1965 he guest-starred on ABC's The Addams Family as Don Xavier Molinas.

Some of his other roles were that of the alien gangster "Bela Oxmyx" in the classic Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action", Chief Blackfish on the NBC series Daniel Boone, and Louis Ciavelli (the "box man" or safecracker) in The Asphalt Jungle. Caruso played the comical character of the Native American "Red Cloud" on the 1965 Get Smart episode "Washington 4, Indians 3," and Chief Angry Bear in the episode "You Can't Scalp a Bald Indian" of Rango.

In 1970, Caruso made a guest appearance on the ABC crime drama The Silent Force in the episode "A Family Tradition." In 1974, he appeared in the final episode, entitled "The Fire Dancer," of the ABC police drama Nakia. Anthony Caruso also had a memorable, recurring roll as “El Lobo” on The High Chaparral.  (Wikipedia)

[autolenaphilia]

I think this last paragraph simplifies the aesthetic inspirations of both Tolkien and modern RPGs here. There is a lot of "cowboys vs indians" western genre influence in Tolkien, he himself freely admitted to influenced by stories of "red indians, probably James Fenimore Cooper's stories, which is one of the main roots of the western genre. And he also admitted to being influenced by the arch-colonialist adventure fantasy stories of H. Rider Haggard.

That is not to say that the western influence on modern fantasy comes from Tolkien, at least not entirely. And that's because dungeons and dragons, fantasy ttrpgs and video games have other literary influences as well. The influence of Tolkien is undeniable, you can see that in dnd and other games cribbing words and concepts like "orcs" and "halflings" directly from Tolkien.

But the other major literary influence, and arguably the bigger one, is the tradition of pulp fantasy "sword and sorcery" fiction. The stories of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and Michael Moorcock are huge influences on DnD and fantasy tabletop and video games. A lot of early published DnD adventure modules are sword and sorcery tales rather than tolkienian high fantasy. The entire idea of lawful vs chaotic alignments is an adaptation of Moorcock's central theme of order vs. chaos.

And i think a lot of the western influences come straight from that pulp fantasy tradition. The pulp adventure story formula was very similar regardless of whether the story was a western, a "Jungle adventure" story, hardboiled detective story, science fiction or fantasy. The famous Lester Dent pulp formula is applicable regardless of genre, which in the pulps was more aesthetic trappings than anything. The genres inevitably influenced each other. Robert E. Howard wrote westerns and actually transitioned into primarily a western writer by the time he died.

That's why your average DnD adventure module reads like a pulp western, it's following a related pulp genre. And that's why dnd-style orcs often feel like the stereotypical native american in western stories, they fulfill the same narrative purpose.

But I mostly agree with the OP, Tolkien's orcs I think are less representative of tribal natives, but of a degeneracy narrative. Merry old England threatened by the degenerating forces of urbanization and industrialization. Racism, anti-semitism and white supremacy are deeply inherent to this deeply reactionary narrative. But it's a different racist narrative from the colonialist narrative of bringing the benefits of industrial civilization to the primitives. I suspect the reason Tolkien loved stories of native americans was because he loved seeing them portrayed as the noble savage which rhymed with his reactionary primitivist anti-modern outlook.

I saw this mentioned as a bit of an aside on another post but since it was a little bit besides the point of that post decided to make my own post about it instead of derailing that one.

It IS very interesting how in Lord of The Rings orcs are the soldiers of a (compared to the rest of the world) highly industrialized and technologically advanced military force, yet pretty much every high fantasy media that has borrowed the concept of orcs since then has instead given them the "tribal savages" treatment, and i don't know how I failed to realize that difference until I saw someone else bring it up.

Like of course this is not saying that the depiction of orcs in LoTR is not problematic for a lot of different reasons (there have been years of discussions unpacking that) but it IS an interesting change and I think a pretty ideologically loaded one.

Thinking about it makes me remember this article I read a few years ago about how, regardless of genre trappings, a lot of high fantasy (especially in ttrpgs and videogames) actually has a lot more in common narratively and thematically with wild west ""cowboys vs indians"" films and shows than it has with its aesthetic inspirations. Like once you look at it with that lense in mind it becomes really conspicuous how much these works like giving the "tribal savages" treatment to any sapient creature that exists for the heroes to fight.

[eugene114]

Adam Beach

was born in Ashern, Manitoba, the son of Sally and Dennis Beach, and was raised on the Dog Creek First Nations Reserve, with his two brothers. A troubled childhood saw his mother killed by a drunk driver, and his alcoholic father drowned only weeks afterward. The three brothers went to live with their grandmother and then with their uncle and aunt in Winnipeg, where Adam joined drama classes and began acting in local theatre productions.

Since then he has appeared in over 60 films and television programs. His performance in the Academy Award-nominated Clint Eastwood-directed Flags of Our Fathers (2006) was phenomenal. He played Ira Hayes, a Pima Native American who was one of the six US Marines to raise the American flag on Iwo Jima and who found the resulting fame hard to handle, subsequently giving way to alcoholism. This alone would have been an emotional role for Adam to play; however, during filming, both his grandmother and best friend passed away. His role as Hayes is both realistic and heartbreaking, earning him two Best Supporting Actor Award Nominations. He stands out well above the rest of the cast.

Adam has been further nominated for three Awards for his role in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) including a Golden Globe. He has put in terrific performances in the comedy film Joe Dirt (2001) and the John Woo World War II war epic Windtalkers (2002) in which he co-starred with Nicolas Cage.

He headlined the cast in the Walt Disney production Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994), featured in John Singleton's Four Brothers (2005) and starred with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in the science fiction-western smash hit Cowboys & Aliens (2011). He had a starring recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Big Love (2006).

In 2016, he played Christopher Weiss / Slipknot in the supervillain film Suicide Squad (2016).

Adam hopes to be appointed leader of his Lake Manitoba First Nation.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Lee-Williams

[on his role in Arctic Air (2012)] I do a lot of inspirational talks for kids, to motivate them to change their lives and give them hope. And I found that this character shares a lot of those qualities. A lot of the communities I connect to get their inspiration from television and YouTube. I felt that this character could reach out to them and really connect. He's a character who's struggling with himself. He's trying to get back in touch with the person he once was.

[on First Nations people in Canada, and their treaty rights] I'm asking what is anybody doing right now to propel anything? All they are after is how we get that land that the Indians have by using our power to take away our rights. You can't propel a nation to move forward if all you are doing is taking something from them.

I feel I will always have that spirit bear with me, so I will always feel protected.

We're not going anywhere. We are never going to give up our sovereignty. We will always advance and we will always rise above any conflict.

[lonetrailwriter]

An Excerpt from "Riding the Cinematic Range"

In the expansive world of Western cinema, the canvas upon which a director paints is not merely a blank slate but a rich tapestry woven with threads of history. To embark on the journey of crafting an epic Western, the director must first pioneer the frontier of historical accuracy, meticulously recreating the bygone eras that define the Wild West.

The Essence of Pioneering: At the heart of the Western genre lies the spirit of pioneering—the relentless pursuit of new horizons, the clash of cultures, and the shaping of a nation. In this chapter, we delve into the essence of pioneering, understanding the historical forces that propelled individuals into the vast unknown. From the Oregon Trail to the gold rush fever, the director immerses themselves in the narratives that define the era, capturing the pioneering spirit that breathes life into the Western canvas.

The Cultural Cauldron: The Wild West wasn't a monolithic landscape but a melting pot of diverse cultures, each contributing to the vibrant mosaic of frontier life. The director explores the intricate cultural dynamics between settlers, Native Americans, and immigrants. Through meticulous research, they uncover the nuances of language, customs, and traditions, ensuring that the historical canvas reflects the kaleidoscope of identities that coexisted in the West.

Frontiers and Foes: As the director pioneers the historical canvas, they confront the challenges that defined the frontier. Outlaws, lawmen, and the struggles for survival become integral components of the narrative. The historical reality of gunfights, cattle drives, and the ever-present tension between order and chaos is woven into the fabric of the director's vision. By understanding the frontiers and foes of the Wild West, they authentically portray the conflicts that shaped the landscape.

Landscapes of Change: The historical canvas extends beyond human interactions to embrace the evolving landscapes that bore witness to transformation. From the expansion of the railroads to the encroachment upon indigenous territories, the director studies the geographical shifts that echo the societal changes of the time. The land itself becomes a character, reflecting the scars of progress and the relentless march of civilization into the untamed wilderness.

Characters in the Dust: In the dust of history, characters emerge—real and fictional—whose stories embody the pioneering spirit. The director delves into the lives of explorers, homesteaders, and those who defied the status quo. By studying the biographies of historical figures and drawing inspiration from their struggles and triumphs, the director populates their canvas with characters who resonate with authenticity and depth.

The Dialogue of Time: Language is a crucial brushstroke on the historical canvas, and the director meticulously crafts the dialogue to capture the cadence of the era. Slang, idioms, and the unique lexicon of the Wild West are harnessed to transport audiences into a time where every word is laden with the weight of history. The dialogue becomes a time machine, bridging the gap between the present and the past.

Authenticity in Details: Pioneering the frontier demands an unwavering commitment to authenticity in details. From costumes to props, every element on the historical canvas is a testament to the director's dedication. Through collaboration with costume designers, historians, and set decorators, the director ensures that even the smallest details, from the cut of a cowboy's vest to the design of a saloon door; transport the audience to an era long gone.

Challenges of Representation: As the director pioneers the historical canvas, they confront the challenges of representing a complex and often controversial period. The delicate balance between historical accuracy and cultural sensitivity becomes a tightrope walk. By acknowledging the nuances of the past and presenting it with a critical lens, the director navigates the potential pitfalls of misrepresentation, ensuring a thoughtful and respectful portrayal.

Research as a Creative Catalyst: In the realm of historical filmmaking, research is not merely a scholarly pursuit but a creative catalyst. The director immerses themselves in primary sources, archival materials, and accounts of the time, finding inspiration in the forgotten corners of history. By transforming research into a wellspring of creativity, the director breathes life into their historical canvas, infusing it with vitality and resonance.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

I feel like I’m being told to spread the word that White Dwarf is a thing that exists.  (I think you can still find it on Youtube and the occasional Walmart bin.  I’ve only ever been able to re-watch it on Youtube).   I am having a devil of a time trying to get people to watch it, though.  When we first got Netflix, I tried looking it up on there and on some of the other streaming services we technically have access to, but nada.  I was trying to get *one* person to watch it with me.  No success.   This is THE most obscure thing that I like.  Once upon a time, in the mid-1990s, FOX ran a science fiction movie that was supposed to be a pilot for a TV show that was rejected.  The pilot was made into a Weekend Special Prime Time movie.  It went up against the Full House finale or something so very few people watched it... I saw adverts for it and it seemed like my kind of thing.  And it was.  Very, VERY weird.  Ahead of its time, too.  Criticisms of it in TV Guide reviews panned it for the “mix of science fiction and western.”   Guess what actually became popular later, with various anime that came out a few years later among the geek-set (*nodding to my Trigun fandom, and the more popular Cowboy Bebop) as well as the smash hit, Firefly.   So, the plot of White Dwarf...  A young Earth doctor goes to the small planet, Rusta, to fill out a “frontier / third-world country” work requirement in order to qualify to open his own fancy-pants practice.  Rusta is a planet orbiting a white dwarf star and it is tidally-locked, which means that one side is in perpetual light and one side is in perpetual darkness.  Climate is regulated by machines that mysterious alien precursors left behind.  The machines are starting to break down.   Rusta’s population as a few different alien / native species, but is mostly made up of humans who have adopted the veneer of various past cultures.  The Light Side is mostly old American West.  People live a frontier-western lifestyle with wells and buckboards and that type of thing.  There is one magistrate / noble in the Light Side who tries to recreate Ancient Rome at his estate, but it’s mostly Old West there.  On the Dark Side, people live like Medieval Europe, with castles and are ruled by a king.  It is constantly stormy there and they hunt these native black panthers that reportedly taste delicious.    There has been an ongoing war between the Light Side and the Dark Side, which is why the young doctor is there - this is supposed to be his frontier adventure treading sword and arrow wounds and so forth.  The doctor he replaces gets ambushed and murdered by Darksiders on the way to the spaceport. One of the opening scenes is the murder of a frontier-family by Darksider bandits on a raid, which is why their twin girls, who were at school at the time, live at the hospital the young doctor stints at, as well as this boy with a shapeshifting disease who was abandoned there by his parents.   The planet is called Rusta because its ocean has a high iron content, which makes the water look rusty, like blood.  There’s a native parasitic worm that once it gets inside you will eat your brain and possibly your soul.  If you look up this series on Youtube, if you don’t find the movie, you will probably find the scene with the Tissue Gloves (gloves used by doctors to do cut-less surgery, used in a scene to extract a worm.  It’s the one clip people kept around because it’s WEIRD).   This...movie... pretty much tossed EVERYTHING at the wall to try to see what sticks.  It’s BONKERS.  It pretty much was a TV pilot for a series that was going to reveal all of these cool ideas / amazing world over the course of a series, but didn’t get the chance.  This is sad for me, because I would have watched the HELL out of it.   And now I feel like “I’m the only one who knows what this thing even is, aren’t I?”  Although...yeah, I did find it on Youtube a while back.    Hey! I found it!  Go watch it!   White Dwarf   I wanna become a tumblr cult-movie cult leader!  

Sometimes a cult classic is a movie I love and get like 4 people to watch. I’m the cult leader

[linneatanner]

Lynn Downey Dude or Die #DudeRanch #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #WesternWomen #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @WriterLynnD @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: LYNN DOWNEY I am pleased to host Lynn Downey the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between February 12th — March 4th, 2024. Lynn Downey is the author of the Historical Fiction, Dude or Die (H Double Bar Dude Ranch series), released by Pronghorn Press on October 15 2023 (328 pages) Below are highlights of Dude or Die, Lynn Downey'a  author bio, and her fascinating guest post about the American dude ranch where you find the touch of a cowboy and the thrill of the West. Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-dude-or-die-by-lynn-downey.html HIGHLIGHTS: DUDE OR DIE   Dude or Die (H Double Bar Dude Ranch series) by Lynn Downey Blurb: It's 1954, and San Francisco writer Phoebe Kelley is enjoying the success of her first novel, Lady in the Desert. When Phoebe’s sister-in-law asks her to return to Tribulation, Arizona to help run the H Double Bar Dude Ranch, she doesn’t hesitate. There’s competition from a new dude ranch this year, so the H Double Bar puts on a rodeo featuring a trick rider with a mysterious past. When accidents begin to happen around the ranch, Phoebe jumps in to figure out why, and confronts an unexpected foe. And a man from her own past forces her to confront feelings long buried. Dude or Die is the second book in the award-winning H Double Bar Dude Ranch series. Buy Link: This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5BVwp AUTHOR BIO: LYNN DOWNEY   Lynn Downey is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, historian of the West, and native Californian. She was the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco for 25 years. Her adventures as ambassador for company history took her around the world, where she spoke to television audiences, magazine editors, and university students, appeared in numerous documentaries, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She wrote many books and articles about the history of the company and the jeans, and her biography, Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World, won the Foreword Reviews silver INDIE award. Lynn got interested in dude ranches during her time at Levi’s. Her debut historical novel, Dudes Rush In, is set on an Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s; Arizona because she’s a desert rat at heart, and the 1950s because the clothes were fabulous. Dudes Rush In won a Will Rogers Medallion Award, and placed first in Arizona Historical Fiction at the New Mexico-Arizona book awards. The next book in this series, Dude or Die, was released in 2023. And just for fun, Lynn wrote a screenplay based on Dudes Rush In, which is currently making the rounds of reviewers and competitions. She pens short stories, as well. “The Wind and the Widow” took Honorable Mention in the History Through Fiction story contest, and “Incident at the Circle H” was a Finalist for the Longhorn Prize from Saddlebag Dispatches. The story “Goldie Hawn at the Good Karma Café,” won second place in The LAURA Short Fiction contest from Women Writing the West, and is based on her experiences in a San Francisco religious cult in the 1970s. (That will be another book one of these days.)   Lynn’s latest nonfiction book is American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West, a cultural history of the dude ranch. It was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, True West, Cowgirl, and The Denver Post, and was a Finalist for the Next Generation INDIE Award in Nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews said the book is “…deeply engaging and balances accessible writing style with solid research.” When she’s not writing, Lynn works as a consulting archivist and historian for museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and businesses. She is the past president of Women Writing the West, a member of the Western Writers of America, and is on numerous boards devoted to archives and historic preservation. Lynn lives in Sonoma, California, where she sometimes makes wine from the Pinot Noir grapes in her back yard vineyard. Author Links: Website: https://www.lynndowney.com Tumblereads blog: https://tumblereadsblog.com/blog-sg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterLynnD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynndowney/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-downey-b82460249/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynn.downey.historian/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/westernhistorygal.bsky.social Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WesternHistoryGal/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lynn-Downey/author/B001IXQ2N2 GUEST POST: DEBORAH SWIFT   My two historical novels, Dudes Rush In, and the new sequel, Dude or Die, are both set on a fictional Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s. Even my most recent work of history is about this topic, American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West.  I love the concept of the dude ranch: a place where you can go and live the cowboy life for a few days. This vacation destination began in the 1880s, and today you can do everything from helping the ranchers herd cattle, to getting a spa treatment in a room with views of cactus-studded mountains. Working as the company historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco sparked my interest in dude ranching, because the company made clothing specifically for men and women to wear on ranches: the jeans and jackets, of course, but also gabardine riding pants, wildly patterned western shirts, and shiny satin rodeo shirts with embroidery on the yoke. Most people who visited dude ranches – especially early in their history – came from the eastern states or even countries across the oceans. So, everything from riding a horse with a western saddle, to wearing clothing they never wore at home, meant a dude ranch vacation made memories guests couldn’t get anywhere else. Dude ranches are an endless source of stories, including tales of the famous and infamous, who have also enjoyed going to ranches over the years. These include presidents and presidential family members (which seems appropriate for February, the month Americans celebrate President’s Day). Theodore Roosevelt is at the top of this list. In 1883 he was a rising political star, as well as an author and a well-known outdoorsman. In that year he decided to head West to shoot a buffalo, and a friend recommended going to Medora, North Dakota, a tiny town on the Little Missouri River, where he would find abundant game. He was so taken with the area that he bought a place called the Chimney Butte Ranch, known locally as the Maltese Cross for the design of its cattle brand. He went back home to New York and managed the ranch from afar. Also in the area were the Eaton brothers of Pittsburgh, who the year before had started up the very first dude ranch on their own cattle spread. Although they would move to Wyoming in 1903, they took in a lot of guests at their place near Medora. In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt’s world collapsed: his mother and wife died on the same day. To deal with his grief, Roosevelt went West, where he hoped to heal. He arrived at his ranch in June and met the Eaton brothers, and also spent time with other ranchers in the area. The locals liked him, but they branded him a “dude” for the way he dressed. In the 1880s, a “dude” was a man who was a little too fancy to be considered really masculine. Within just a couple of decades, as the dude ranch industry grew, the word would come to mean someone who came West from somewhere else, to spend time on a dude ranch. Anyway, Roosevelt apparently loved wearing buckskins, and Howard Eaton – the driving force behind the first dude ranch – knew that was not very practical. He once said of Roosevelt, “Buckskin shirts were all right as long as they didn’t get wet, but when they got wet they’d shrink up. I never did like that buckskin hunting shirt he had but he wouldn’t have anything else.” The future president kept his ranch until about 1887, and then he sold off his cattle interests. His Maltese Cross cabin is now part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. But the Roosevelt dude ranch story doesn’t end there. His oldest daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, inherited his love of the West, especially the Rocky Mountain region. In August of 1969 she arrived in Cody, Wyoming for her fourth dude ranch vacation. She was 85 years old, and stayed at the Sunlight Ranch, run by Faye and Don Snyder about 45 miles from Cody. Faye Snyder said Alice was a real character, which is not a surprise. She was famous for some version of this line, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.” One day during Alice’s time at the ranch, the Snyders’ daughter Sally answered the office phone. She then ran to her mother saying, “Mom, the president wants to talk to Mrs. Longworth, where is she?” They tracked Alice down, and she took the call on the phone in the staff dining room. Faye Snyder heard her say, “Oh, hi Dick! How are you? What do you want?” And who was Dick? President Richard Nixon. Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub Bluesky Handles: @cathiedunn     Read the full article