I am happy to feature Andrew Joyce on Fiction Favorites. I have enjoyed Andrew’s work since I became aware of his writing. His stories are generally historical fiction, but he is also comfortable writing the memoir of a friend and the antics of his departed pet, Danny. I do not fear disagreement when I say Andrew’s work is compelling and hard to put down. Every book and story I have read of his has moved me in some way and left me richer for having read it.
Today, I want to introduce you to a book that Andrew wrote several years ago. He has since gone back into the story and completely revamped it to be more consistent with his current abilities. The book is his debut novel and an award winner, but Andrew always had some nagging thoughts that he could improve it. He turned those thoughts into action, and now a new edition of Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer is available.
Blurb
Three men come together in the town of Redemption, Colorado, each for his own purpose. Huck Finn is a famous lawman who does not hesitate to use his gun to protect the weak. He has come to right a terrible wrong. After his wife’s death, Tom Sawyer does not want to live anymore; he has come to die. The third man, the Laramie Kid, a killer Huck and Tom befriended years earlier, has come to kill a man. For these three men, Death is a constant companion. For these three men, it is their last chance for redemption.
Andrew Joyce left home at seventeen to hitchhike throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until years later when he decided to become a writer. Joyce has written seven books and 143 short stories. One of which won the Writing Spirit Award for best short story of 2011. His first novel, Redemption: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, was awarded the Editors’ Choice Award for Best Western of 2013. A subsequent novel, Yellow Hair, received the Book of the Year award from Just Reviews and Best Historical Fiction of 2016 from Colleen’s Book Reviews.
You know the drill. Randomly open a book to a page and, without looking, put your finger on the page. The word or words closest to your finger is the prompt. Today, we have opened The Last Drive to page 91, and the word is ‘glasses.’
“Okay, that does the exam. I have some good news for you.”
“I love good news.”
“You won’t need your glasses anymore.”
“Really? That is good news. What has changed?”
“According to the database, a new set of lenses has come in, and you are qualified to receive them.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When we last worked on your eyes, we had to give you the 2.1 version of the lens set. They were not the latest. Now the 3.0 version is available. This set will correct all the problems of the 2.1.”
“But the others were okay. With glasses, they worked quite well.”
“Yeah, but your new classification came through as well. You have been upgraded to warrior.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Warrior bots have to have perfect uncorrected 20/20 vision.”
“Bots?”
“You got the briefing?”
“What briefing?”
“The orientation to AI briefing. You used to be a human, right?”
“Used to be?”
“Oh, dear. Hold on. Central? I need to report a programming snafu. Yes, in my office now. Okay. No, he won’t be going anywhere. He is still restrained. Good. Hurry.
This post ran on June 5th, 2017. I think folks still camp, so it may come in handy. I hope you enjoy it.
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The inspiration for this list was surveying the damage after the Memorial Day weekend. Several campsites were either blown or washed away. Such a situation caused the development of a list that might save others from a similar fate.
Top Ten Things Not to Do While Camping
10 If you are camping, do not arrive in the dark to set up. If you do, at best, you might accidentally choose a high dry spot. At worst, your camp was pitched in a low area that the forest animals routinely use as a freeway. (Nothing like having a family of Coyotes in your sleeping bag huh, Bradley?)
9 If you are camping, do not go to the site without having tested new equipment. If you do, at best, your stove has no fuel, and it’s trying to cook over a fire time. At worst, your water purifier kit is missing a part, and now you have nothing to drink but Bud Light. (Okay, so maybe you don’t mind, Buford, but the family looks like they are in the beginning stage of dehydration.)
8 If you are camping, do not think you will be immune to insect bites, and not take repellent. If you do, at best, you’ll have to hope the mud stops the itching. At worst, you might be the only member of the team to come down with malaria. (Who knew that the only Anopheles mosquito in North America had a crush on you, Leroy?)
7 If you are camping, do not take the weather reports lightly. If you do, at best, you have not planned activities that can be done in inclement weather. At worst, you may experience what it is like to be cold, wet, and hungry for several days. (You could have done the same thing in your backyard, right, Doofis?)
6 If you are camping, do not think you can buy more food at the campsite. If you do, at best, your trip will end early. At worst, your attempts to borrow food from other campers will be met with the same welcome extended to bears. (You also learned a lesson about challenging a bear at the dumpster, huh, Bunky?)
5 If you are camping, do not think your fellow campers welcome your loud morning wake-up music. If you do, at best, the park management will help you pack. At worst, Tiny, the WWF champ, having been advised by his anger management counselor to go camping for the peace and quiet, is now heading toward your site with a good morning greeting of his own. (It won’t help to ask Tiny to put you down. He’ll be thinking of a body slam, Tex.)
4 If you are camping, do not forget the first aid kit. If you do, at best, the rule of camping that says, “someone will get hurt,” might pass you by. At worst, in one day, your group will have two sprained ankles, a dislocated shoulder, a fish hook in the eyebrow, and poison ivy. (The funny thing is all these things happened to you, Burt, and it wasn’t even noon on the first day yet.)
3 If you are camping, do not count on a hot shower. If you do, at best, you’ll have to use a cold lake. At worst, you are now attracting wild things from the forest and are being asked to sleep outside the tent. (Your stubbornness regarding hot water is not paying off, is it, Buster?)
2 If you are camping, do not arrive at the campsite without a reservation. If you do, at best, a standby spot will open up. At worst, you, the family, and the dog will be sharing the backseat of your Toyota Corolla. (At least you all have learned what makes each of you really mad right, Putz?)
1 If you are camping, do not think you can recreate the luxury and convenience of your home. If you do, at best, you will come up short. At worst, the lack of electricity and air conditioning will finally push you over the edge. (You might as well admit camping is not for you, Ferd.)
Linda Leinen, a remarkable historian of all things Texas, wrote to me last week with some information about The Merci Train. Here is a little about the train taken from the Merci Train Website, which is HERE.
The Merci Train was a train of 49 French railroad box cars filled with tens of thousands of gifts of gratitude from at least that many individual French citizens. They were showing their appreciation for the more than 700 American box cars of relief goods sent to them by (primarily) individual Americans in 1948. The Merci Train arrived in New York harbor on February 3rd, 1949, and each of the 48 American states at that time received one of the gift-laden box cars. The 49th box car was shared by Washington D.C. and the Territory of Hawaii. Parades and welcome ceremonies were conducted in the state capitals and major cities of almost all the states.
The train’s boxcars are maintained in honor of all those who helped liberate France during World War II. The work being done by Veterans and volunteers. Linda further stated that the boxcar sent to Texas is at Camp Mabry in Austin. I couldn’t help myself, so off we went to see for ourselves. I hope you enjoy the tour. We are catered by Luties of Austin, and our entertainment is Edith Piaf.
Brunch Menu
Pastries
Croissant Pain Au Chocolat Kouign Amann Cheese Danish
Frozen Yogurt, Melon, Cucumber
Matcha Overnight Oats, Strawberry, Raspberry
Lemon Soft Serve, Granola, Apricot
Petit Aioli
Estate Bread, Saffron Honey, Butter Terrine
Turkish Eggs, Yogurt. Chili, Flatbread
Bagels with Almost Everything
Hangtown Fry, Oysters, Bacon, Tomato
Oyster Mushroom Hash Brown, Fried Egg, Radish, Habanero Yacoro Rojo Crêpes, Soft Scrambled Egg, Mornay, Black Trumpets Gulf Shrimp Omelette, Smoked Trout Roe, Hollandaise Barbecued Gulf Shrimp, and Grits
Croque Madame, Smoked Ham, Sunny Side Egg, Gruyere Waffle, Roasted Banana, Pumpkin Seed
Sourdough French Toast, Tumeric, Golden Raisins
We are ready.
Here we are at Camp Mabry, an active military base.
The seal of gratitude and French flag from the people of France to the people of the United States.
A Forty and Eight boxcar from The Train of Gratitude (also called the Merci Train) shows the seals of all the French providences and the train seal itself.
The Forty and Eight explained. The car can carry forty men or eight horses without straining your eyes. The cars were used in the two World Wars to transport men and material to the front.
The display below the car shows items from left: The Life magazine article of February 28th, 1949, about the gift of the train, A World War I souvenir letter opener from 1918 to 1920, A Moroccan Koummya Dagger 1880 to 1940, and a German bayonet from World War I fashioned into a Simitar 1880 to 1918. The knives were gifts contained in the car.
The view of the other side of the car with a mannequin present showing the scale.
The French people gathered gifts and donated them to the effort. Some gifts, such as toys, dolls, and service medals, are very personal. All were from individuals. Here is a small sample.
The gift of a sword was included.
Morter and pestle
Handkerchiefs.
Horse drawings.
The front of a carving with the following story.
The back of the carving.
There were countless gifts in the car, and none of them are on public display. They are preserved at the Briscoe Center for American History on the University of Texas campus. You can see more photos of them by clicking the Texas link above.
Well, that is the tour. Now it is time to relax and enjoy the music. If you want to know more and find the car for your state, just click on the links above, then go to the banner and click on your state. There will be a location of the car for that state. I hope you all have a great week. Thanks to Linda for the heads up.
Serenity is having a cup of coffee and time to think of important matters. The machine has given up its addictive brew, and now, with feet up, the time seems right for those important thoughts. The first sip of nectar stimulates the brain into action. The first thought: One cannot live by bread alone. A good cup of coffee is the root of sustainable life.
Thinking that the important thought objective will be won congers the second: All things come to he who waits. A good cup of coffee is a virtue. Just as the third thought begins to bubble up from the subconscious, my ring doorbell detects a visitor. Grateful that the person heeds the “Do Not Ring the Doorbell” sign, a step over the sleeping Twiggy gets me to the security panel.
The tower machine guns are deactivated, the moat screen rolled, the concertina wire retracted, the boiling oil set to standby, the claymore mines detached, The trebuchet reset, the iron gate opened, and the locks and bolts opened. The front door is opened, and there stands someone who looks a lot like Bugs Bunny.
“Hi, Doc,” he says. “It’s my birthday, and I’ll cry if I want to.” He then hands me an envelope, which is from Linda Hill. “I was born on July 27th, 1940, and have decided you need some carrot cake.” Bugs then tosses a cake in my direction before turning and leaving.
Wiping cake from my eyes, I open the envelope. Inside is a message. It reads, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “one/won.” Use one, use them both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use them both. Enjoy!
In New Zealand, a young boy has become the world’s youngest recipient of the Mountbatten Award after saving his younger brother from a treacherous stretch of coastal water last year.
The hero was Kalya Gamage, 14, who must have paralyzed his mother with fear when he saw his brother Kithmi being pulled out to sea by 3-meter waves and said to her, “OK, Mum, I’m going out. I might not be back.’’
12-year-old Kithmi was a good swimmer in his own right but couldn’t resist being ripped off his feet by several large waves that broke ashore on Chrystalls Beach in South Otago. Quickly tiring himself out trying to fight his way back to land, he was out around 60 meters (180 feet) treading water in a “notoriously dangerous” patch of coastal ocean where the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) notes “no one survives.”
Kalya jumped into the frigid water and had little difficulty reaching his brother but became nervous about whether he could reach the shore.
But he was relieved that they did, cold and tired but alive.
“Undoubtedly, Kalya’s brave response saved his brother’s life that day,” said the RLSS.
Kalya wants to start a business or be an engineer when he grows up but has spent time specifically improving his swimming skills. Those skills and the rescue they afforded won Kalya the 2022 Mountbatten Award, given to a single member of the whole British Commonwealth per year—over 2 billion people in 56 countries.
While his high school and even the Kiwi government expressed their pride at Kalya’s bravery and presence of mind, the greatest reward will, of course, be having his brother around for many decades to come. The good news here is a boy was saved because his brother thought quickly. Today’s JohnKu talks about saving others. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Here is how it works. I open a book to a random page and without looking point. The word or words closest to my pointing finger is the prompt. Today I opened Eternal Road – The last stop to page 191 and found “showing” under my finger.
Serenity is having a cup of coffee and time to think of important matters. The machine has given up its addictive brew, and now, with feet up, the time seems right for those important thoughts. The first sip of nectar stimulates the brain into action. The first thought: One cannot live by bread alone. A good cup of coffee is the root of sustainable life.
“I see you are playing with your honey and bees.”
“I think you are the best person for the job.”
