Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles-Part 1

The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope was the first novel series in English.

Trollope had not intended writing a series, but after writing The Warden and Barchester Towers, he found himself returning again and again to the English county of Barsetshire that he had created. And thus, the novel series was born.

The Chronicles is a set of six loosely related novels all set in the imaginary county of Barsetshire. The novels can easily be read as standalones. However, they share a core set of characters, along with the town of Barchester and its environs. Over the course of the six novels, the various subplots eventually find a resolution and bring the series to a close.

In April of last year, I was at a virtual writers conference and learned of the multi-author book series. Immediately, I thought of Trollope and Barchester.

I proposed the idea of a multi-author series to my fellow Underground Authors, and nine of us were able to work the project into our schedules.

We then had to come up with a unifying factor, something that would hold the series together. After much discussion, and taking a cue from Trollope, we created the town of Magnolia Bluff, set in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Each of our books would be set in Magnolia Bluff. We’d have our own key characters as major players in our individual story, but we’d also make use of each other’s characters as we saw fit. And while each story would be as individual as the author who wrote it, the town of Magnolia Bluff would be there to hold together our diverse imaginations.

In effect, this was a riff on the approach we took with our short story anthology Beyond the Sea. There, each author used the same picture as inspiration for his or her story. And we got a dozen very different tales.

We hadn’t planned on crime also being a unifying factor. That just happened. We came up with stories that all involved murder, and thus, the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles was born. (There’s a bit of a pun there, too, as the town’s newspaper is called the Chronicle.)

So how does a multi-author series work? Don’t things get messed up?

Well, they certainly could. But we derailed that problem by making sure we talked to each other so that we were all on the same page regarding geography and how we portrayed each other’s characters.

There has to be a spirit of community and cooperation, while at the same time maintaining our individual voices. Every step of the way we’ve hashed out issues and problems, coming to a consensus. It helps to have a project first attitude, as well.

Next week, I’ll talk about the first three books in the series; which are launching April, May, and June.

I have to say, if you like murder mysteries that have you scratching your head trying to solve the puzzle, and that keep you awake at night due to the suspense, as well as tickle your funny bone — then you were going to love these books.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

The Underground Authors

 “Many hands make light the work.”

—Unknown

We all know that it is easier for a group tackle a project than it is for us to tackle it by ourselves. With rare exceptions, of course.

The Publishing Business

That’s why publishers have an army of people putting out a book: purchase editors, copy editors, proofreaders, book designers, cover artists, marketing committees, formatters, printers, distributors, sales people, and, of course, the company executives.

Is it any wonder the big corporate publishers charge $10 or $15, or even more, for an ebook that probably cost them less than $5 to actually produce?

Independent Author-Publishers have learned, over the years, it’s best not to try and do everything. Mostly because if they did, they wouldn’t have much time left to write. 

One reason Brandon Sanderson and James Patterson are so prolific is because they have an army of people doing all of the non-writing stuff. Which leaves them all the time in the world to write. (Yes, I know, they do participate in marketing efforts.)

The Underground Authors

One afternoon back in June of 2020 I got an email from Caleb Pirtle III inviting me to join an author co-op he was organizing. The purpose of the group would be to promote each other’s books. And thus The Underground Authors were born.

In those early days, we supported each other by buying and reviewing books; and talking each other up on social media, our blogs, and to our mailing lists.

Beyond the Sea

Last year, we decided to put out a short story anthology to highlight our work in one place. And thus Beyond the Sea was born.

Twelve stories by twelve writers, all inspired by the picture that became the book’s cover.

It’s a phenomenal collection, if I do say so myself. Twelve imaginative, touching, thoughtful, and exciting stories — all created from looking at one picture.

Author and reviewer Lisette Brodey wrote:

I chose this book because I’m someone who always looks for stories in photographs and paintings. So, seeing this anthology, where each author was inspired by the same photograph, immediately grabbed my attention.

All of the stories, greatly ranging in genres, were well written. Of course, I have some favorites, but to mention them here, for me, would be to discount the other stories, which I don’t want to do.

What really stood out for me was the collective talent, the beauty of the imagination, and the endless possibilities of an abandoned / lone boat. And who knows, while you’re reading, you may end up writing your own story.

Pick up a copy on Amazon. And see for yourself. All profit goes to charity. Good stories for you and cash for Team Rubicon.

Who Are The Underground Authors?

There are 12 authors at present in the group. Below are the names, which you can click or tap, and go to their Amazon US pages.

Caleb Pirtle III

Linda Pirtle

Cindy Davis

James Callan

Breakfield & Burkey

Kelly Marshall

Richard Schwindt

Jinx Schwartz

Michael Clifton

Ronald E. Yates

N.E. Brown

CW Hawes

CJ Peterson left the group last year to focus her efforts on her own publishing company. We miss her enthusiasm and contributions, but wish her much success.

Working together. Sharing thoughts and advice. Getting help when needed. Just having someone to talk to. Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary venture.

The Underground Authors. I’m glad I’m a part.

Next week, I am going to talk about the newest project to come from the pens of The Underground Authors: The Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles. Stay tuned!

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

The Traditional Mystery

Riddles have been with us throughout our recorded history, and probably into our pre-history.

There’s something about the challenge of riddles and puzzles that draws us. Perhaps it’s like any other game: we want to be a winner.

In the world of literature, the traditional mystery, the mystery that began with Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, became popular with Sherlock Holmes, and entered its Golden Age in the 1930s, is at base a riddle — a puzzle that demands to be solved.

Some of the finest examples are those penned by Agatha Christie. But other excellent mystery writers were Patricia Wentworth, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, Phoebe Atwood Taylor, Rex Stout, S.S. Van Dine, Jacques Futrelle, Edmund Crispin, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Ellery Queen.

The traditional mystery is a game, as it were, between the author and his/her readers. The author must play fair by giving all of the clues to the reader so that he or she has the chance to figure out whodunit before the detective makes the great reveal at the end of the book.

This game aspect of the classic mystery story pushes it into the realm of fantasy. The classic mystery is, in fact, guilty of Raymond Chandler’s accusation that it isn’t real, or true to life. I’d argue that it was never intended to be true to life.

The traditional detective story is a literary game. It is not meant to be a slice of life. Its purpose is not to expose us to the mean streets and the sordid folk who populate them. The classic mystery is not about the people who really commit murder.

The classic detective novel is a game of Clue in book form. Nothing more, and nothing less. It’s a game, pure and simple. And as such, it is great fun.

Sad to say, the traditional mystery has been on the decline since the 1940s, when, first, the hardboiled novel and then the thriller pushed the classic detective story into the backwater of crime fiction.

And while the number of mystery aficionados continues to dwindle, I have to say that the older I get the more I prefer the mystery to any other genre.

There is something about its simplicity, its gentler pacing, its eccentric characters, and the formulaic settings that I like. After all, the world is too often mean, nasty, and brutish — why do I want my entertainment to also be that way? Isn’t the nightly news enough?

And isn’t life hectic enough? Why do I want my fiction to also proceed at a breakneck pace? Well, I don’t. Which is why I prefer the gentler and more natural pacing of the classic mystery novel.

For me, fiction is a ticket to another world. A world where I can vicariously experience triumph and victory through the exploits of the main character. I read to be entertained. I don’t want a rehash of the nightly news. I read to escape my world. I don’t want my books to put me back into what I’m trying to leave.

Fiction is for fun. And perhaps that is why I so very much enjoy the classic detective mystery: it is first and foremost entertainment. No different than a game of Scrabble, or Clue, or a crossword puzzle, or a riddle. It is a fantasy dressed up in a pseudo-reality. A world that we perhaps wish were our own.

The classic detective mystery is not meant to mimic real life. It’s meant to be a challengingly fun bit of diverting entertainment. And the best mysteries most assuredly are.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

Getting Around After The Apocalypse

 Should we ever find ourselves in a post-apocalyptic (PA) world, what will we rely on for our transportation and cartage needs? Will it be the horse as many, if not most, PA writers speculate? Probably not.

But if we won’t be using horses in a PA world, what will be our options? Fortunately we have three excellent ones.

For the past four weeks I’ve been talking about transportation in a PA world. And I’ve made a point that we won’t be using the horse — books, movies, and TV shows to the contrary.

Horses are skittish, high-maintenance animals. In addition, they are not only dangerous but have pretty much always been the speciality of the rich. The poor and middle class used their feet or dog carts. Or perhaps rented a horse and wagon.

Even in the 1800s, when the horse was everywhere, most folks did not own a horse. They were simply too expensive to maintain. So why would things be any different in PA world, where survival of the human is going to take precedence over everything else?

In fact, the most valuable use of the horse, should we find one, just might be to fill our stomachs.

Aside from our feet, what are our land transportation options? 

First off, we have man’s best friend: the dog. Dogs have been with us longer than horses. They are also far more manageable and versatile than horses. 

Dogs can guard our possessions, warn us that intruders or predators are about, haul our goods, and, while we can’t ride them, they can pull us about in a cart or sled. In addition, most of us know dogs. The same can’t be said for horses.

Dogs. Probably the most practical animal in a PA world.

But when it comes to transportation, what we are most familiar with are cars and trucks.

Just because the gasoline runs dry doesn’t mean we can’t use our cars or our trucks. We simply need to think outside the box. And the answers are already before us: steam-power and wood gas. Both of which are established technology. No need to reinvent the wheel.

1970s Dutcher steam car prototype-owned by Jay Leno

Converting an internal combustion engine to run on steam would take a considerable amount of machining, but it can be done. In fact, it has been done many times over by steam-power aficionados. The tech is out there, and has been since at least the 1970s. 

All the savvy prepper and survivalist has to do is find the info on the Internet and print out the instructions. Now, rather than later. Then, when the SHTF, team up with a machinist to rebuild engines and to make boilers and burners. Easy-peasy.

Steam cars. It’s really what we should be driving today.

Wood gasification is also established tech. Once again, no need to reinvent the wheel.

Wood gas can fuel our cars and trucks, be used to fuel our stoves and furnaces, provide us with lighting, as well as provide power for industry.  And in a PA world, bringing back industry will go a long way towards building back a new and better world.

Many countries survived on wood gas in World War II. Why wouldn’t survivors do the same in a PA world?

Once again, the savvy prepper and survivalist simply needs to print off the abundant material available on the Internet (now, rather than later), and life will be good when the SHTF.

So, the next time you read a book, or watch a movie, or TV show that makes abundant use of the horse after the apocalypse just chalk it up to the writer’s love for westerns — because that’s the only place where the horse was king. And most westerns are the stuff of fantasy.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

Wood Gas for the Win

 

For the past three weeks I’ve been talking about transportation in a post-apocalyptic (PA) world. Specifically, how unlikely it will be that the survivors will be using horses.

We’ve looked at the horse and found it wanting. A much more practical animal is the dog, and we might see the return of the dog cart and dog sled in a PA world.

Last week I looked at the steam automobile. The great advantage of steam cars is that anything that burns can be used for fuel to power the vehicle. Another significant advantage is that we know how to drive cars. We don’t know jack about horses.

Today, I want to look at wood gas. The advantage of using wood gas is that it doesn’t require any major modifications to the internal combustion engine. And like the steam car, a wide variety of “feeders” can be used to generate the gas; the one most used being wood.

So what is wood gasification? Basically, it is the process of cooking wood to produce a burnable gas. 

Here is a link to a detailed manual on wood gas: http://www.gengas.nu/byggbes/contents.shtml Be sure to print out this manual. It will make a great addition to your survival library.

A wood gas generator turns carbon containing material into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, with possibly some methane in the mix. This “producer gas” or “syngas” can then be used to power cars, trucks, buses, and tractors.

Wikipedia has an excellent introductory article on wood gas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas

This article at Make contains diagrams, and notes the pros and cons of using wood gas: https://makezine.com/2010/06/24/lost-knowledge-wood-gas-vehicles/

Here’s a how-to article on building a gasifier that outlines the problems a DIYer might encounter: https://www.instructables.com/A-Home-Built-Biomass-Gasifier-for-Producing-Wood-G/

The major problem as noted in the above article is the production of tar. Which probably would necessitate a tar scrubber in order to be able to use a wider range of less “fussy” biomass.

At the end of the day, even though the above DIYer encountered problems, the wood gasifier is established tech. These devices are currently in production in China and Russia. All one needs to do is to obtain one and essentially copy it to provide a wood gas culture here in the States and anywhere else where self-sufficiency is valued.

Like the steam-powered car, the “woodmobile” can be powered by any carbon containing material. In a post-apocalyptic world, such flexibility will be crucial to the survivors and will enable them to continue to use cars and trucks.

In addition, a wood gasifier can be used to fuel a cookstove or a furnace, or a gas-powered refrigerator, and even a gas lamp — and thus enable the PA survivors to enjoy a certain amount of pre-apocalyptic normalcy.

Europe survived on wood gas in World War II, and, as noted above, China and Russia still manufacture wood gasifiers for cars and industrial use.

In fact, wood gas is one way the world could free itself from petroleum. Because any carbon-based material, not just wood, can be used to produce gas. In fact, all manner of agricultural waste can be used to generate producer gas.

Here in the US, we have a tendency to make things complex and difficult. We spent millions developing a space pen. The Russians used a pencil.

The battery-powered electric car is another ridiculous example of making things complex. Instead of using established technology to solve the problems of fossil fuel use and pollution, we resort to solutions for which we don’t have the technology to make them feasible on a wide scale.

Battery technology is not sufficiently advanced for electric cars to be able to compete with the internal combustion engine. In addition, to the lengthy charge time, improper charging of the battery can shorten its lifespan. 

Further more, batteries are toxic — both to manufacture and dispose of. And the last thing we need is more toxic manufacturing and waste in our environment. Batteries also use non-renewable resources in their manufacture. How wise is that?

On the other hand, wood gas makes use of established technology and contributes no waste to the environment and provides a much cleaner exhaust than gasoline or diesel. In fact, using wood scrap, agricultural waste, and waste biomass material, a wood gasifier actually saves the environment from being polluted.

Now advocates of electric cars will say that an electric car doesn’t pollute. And that is true. But the production of electricity for the power grid to charge the car does generate pollution. And let’s be honest with ourselves: the day when wind and solar will be able to supply all our power needs is way off in the distant future. We are going to be relying on fossil fuel for a very long time. But we can significantly reduce our dependence — with currently available technology.

The manufacture of batteries is highly polluting. And uses non-renewable resources. And their disposal adds to our toxic waste problem. Which makes batteries, in my opinion, a non-starter for mass transportation.

Let’s face facts: electric cars are polluters. The pollution is just being hidden from us, the potential consumer.

The electric car is not the answer. Which is why they went out of fashion back around World War I. By contrast, the steam car didn’t make it only because no one mass-produced them. Which made the price tag something only the rich could afford.

Steam cars and gasoline cars powered by wood gasifiers are the real solution. They make use of established tech and could end our dependence on fossil fuel in a very short period of time.

In a post-apocalyptic world, there will be no re-charging stations, and no petroleum production or refining. But that doesn’t mean we have to do without cars and trucks, and try to recreate a horse culture, which would take hundreds of years to reproduce.

Wood gas is readily available and just might be what saves us and enables us to rebuild a better world.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer; as well as an armchair philosopher, political theorist, and social commentator. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.