Open Range Based on Book by Real Cowboy

Darling Hubby and I had the pleasure of watching Open Range again this past weekend.

The movie Open Range is available free to Prime Video subscribers. You can even pick up the DVD of it for less than $5.00 if you're not a subscriber.

The movie, which we've seen maybe 3 times since it was released in 2003, was brought to mind when we watched an interview with Kevin Costner, the star of the modern western Yellowstone.

Yellowstone streams on Peacock Premium (with ads) and Peacock Premium Plus (no ads). If you have cable, you can watch on Paramount.

We like this classic western movie so much that we looked up the author and his book on which the movie is based, The Men of Open Range.

Lauran Paine, an author who wrote more than 1,000 books, was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He died in California in 2001, two years before the movie premiered.

Open Range wasn't the only book of his that was made into a movie. In 1957, The Quiet Gun, based on Mr. Paine's novel Law Man, was released.

Intrigued by the fact that only the Open Range book is listed on Amazon, a 2013 release by Dorchester with a scene from the movie on the cover and a title change to simply Open Range, I did a little research to learn more about Mr. Paine.

He was born Lawrence Kerfman Duby Jr. in 1916, but he changed his name to Lauran Bosworth Paine after he was grown. I'm guessing his parents' divorce in 1921 affected his feelings for his father. I assume he didn't want his father's name which is why he changed it to honor his unche.

In the 1930s, Lauran Paine was a real life cowboy who competed in rodeos and became a stuntman in Johnny Mack Brown's western movies.

Mr. Paine began writing in 1934 but didn't become successful until after World War II. By 1948, he was a full-time writer.

He wrote over 1,000 books, including hundreds of Westerns as well as romance, science fiction, and mystery novels.

He also wrote a number of non-fiction books on the Old West, military history, witchcraft, and other subjects.

In those days, publishers would only contract a limited number of books from an author. In order to make a living, most popular fiction authors took pseudonyms so they could publish enough books each year to make a living.

Mr. Paine had dozens of pseudonyms. Some of his pen names were: Mark Carrel, John Kilgore, Clay Allen, A. A. Andrews, Dennis Archer, John Armour, Carter Ashby, Harry Beck, Will Benton, Frank Bosworth, Concho Bradley, Claude Cassady, Clint Custer, James Glenn, Will Houston, Troy Howard, Cliff Ketchum, Clint O'Conner, Jim Slaughter and Buck Standish. 

He published many books with Robert Hale of London, and those were distributed only in the United Kingdom. In recent years, those books are making their way to the U.S. usually in large print editions.

If you'd like to see a list of some of Mr. Paine's books, please see the Wiki on Lauran Paine.

After reading about Lauran Paine, I gained a new appreciation for the movie Open Range which is rated as one of the best western movies ever made. How sad that Mr. Paine never had a chance to see the movie made from his book.

Takeaway Truth

If you haven't seen it before, it's got everything from beautiful cinematography to a wonderful cast made up of Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, and Annette Bening and a  compelling story about a cattle driver and his men who run afoul of the richest rancher in the area. 

Throw in a former gun hand who's in desperate need of redemption and the love he finds when he doesn't even expect acceptance. Then there's the gunfight to end all gunfights!

If you haven't seen Open Range, which Mr. Costner directed, before, do yourself a favor and watch it.

Image Notes: Ghost Town, by nightowl  from Pixabay

Texas Road Trip Playlist

In case you decide to take a Road Trip Vacation in or to Texas, you'll find lots to see in every big and small town.

Maybe you want to explore NASA Space Center in Houston or have a few cold ones on the River Walk in San Antonio. Or check out the observatory in the Davis Mountains near El Paso.

Texas is a big place. You can drive from dawn to dark and not reach the other side of the state.

A road trip calls for music so I thought I'd share my favorite Texas songs that are perfect for driving and singing. You can listen to these songs on YouTube. Then add the titles of the ones you like to your favorite music app.

TEXAS ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST

Miles and Miles of Texas by Asleep at the Wheel 

Amarillo by Morning by George Strait 

Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings 

Waltz Across Texas by Willie Nelson 

If You're Gonna Play in Texas by Alabama 

Galveston by Glen Campbell 

God Blessed Texas by Little Texas 

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind by George Strait 

All My Ex's Live in Texas by George Strait 

Red Neck Mother by Jerry Jeff Walker 

Texas When I Die by Tanya Tucker 

Girls from Texas by Pat Green featuring Lyle Lovett 

Blame It On Texas by Mark Chestnutt 

My Texas by Josh Abbott Band 

Dance Time in Texas by George Strait 

What I Like About Texas by Gary Nunn 

I Can't See Texas from Here by George Strait 

Take This Job and Shove It by Johnny Paycheck 

This is Where the Cowboy Rides Away by George Strait 

San Antonio Stroll by Tanya Tucker 

Bob Wills Is Still the King by Waylon Jennings 

If It Wasn't for Texas by George Strait 

Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Waylon and Willie 

You Never Even Called Me By My Name by Daavid Allan Coe 

Write This Down by George Strait 

The Yellow Rose of Texas by Michael Martin Murphey 

Drinks On Me by Dierks Bentley

Codigo by George Strait 

There's a Little Bit of Everything in Texas by Willie Nelson 

Texas Flood (Stevie Ray Vaughn's song) by Willie Nelson and Friends 

Killin' Time by Clint Black 

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain 

Save a Horse by Big & Rich 

Takeaway Truth

Well, I had fun listening to all these as I gathered the YouTube Links. I hope you enjoy them too.

Origin of the Expression: Dead as a Doornail

Did you ever wonder how the phrase, "Dead as a doornail" came about?

I did. Of course, I often wonder about words and phrases in our English language.

Remember when you read in Christmas Carol by Dickens: "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail."

(Double Doors, Image by  inkflo from Pixabay)

Dead as a doornail was a common expression from my grandfather. If he talked about someone who was killed in an accident, he'd often say, "Killed him dead as a doornail."

My brother used that expression a few months ago when I visited him, and I found myself wondering how that phrase came to mean really, really dead.

Origin of Dead as a Doornail

To my surprise, the phrase is quite old. A lot of people think it was a phrase created by Shakespeare, but that's not true. He merely popularized the expression by using it in Henry VI, Part 2 in which Jack Cade said: "Look on me well: I have eat no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail, I pray God I may never eat grass more."

The phrase was translated into English by William Langford from a French poem. After the phrase appeared in Shakespeare's play, it became hugely popular.

What Is a Doornail and Why Does It Signify Profound Death?

Like so many expressions, there's no way to know why it was first used in this manner. Most educated guesses suggest that doornails, or door nails if you prefer, were used to strengthen doors back in the Dark Ages and probably before.

Big, long, heavy nails would be hammered all the way through the thick boards that made up a door. Then on the other side of the door, the nail that went through the boards would be hammered to make the end flat.

Bending it that way was called clenching, and it meant the nail couldn't be pulled out in an effort to take the door down and gain entry. The bent nail was called dead because clenching made it completely unusable since it couldn't be removed without ruining the nail.

Nails were clenched in other things made of wood, but I guess the phrase "dead as a table nail" didn't sound quite as good.

Takeaway Truth

There are a few other theories about the origin of the phrase, but this one seems to make the most sense to me.

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Review: Lincoln Lawyer, Netflix Original Series

To be honest, I have seen little of interest on Netflix lately. A few weeks back, I saw the Netflix original series based on Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer books.

You may recall a movie of the same name in 2011 starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, the Los Angeles lawyer who uses his Lincoln for an office. This series is completely different.

First, let me say the series is good, but you'll enjoy it more if you don't compare it to the books on which it is based.

The Lincoln Lawyer books were a spin-off from the Bosch books in which Mickey Haller is Bosch's younger half-brother.

Since the books were almost 20 years old, the story line was updated for today's world.

 Major Differences From Book to Series

Haller is now a recovering prescription pill addict after a surfing accident. (In the books, the surfing accident/addiction happened to another character.

In the series, Haller is portrayed as idealistic, but I never thought of him that way. I'll have to read the books again, I think.

Some characters were changed from men to women such as Haller's driver who was a guy in the books. Now's the driver is a woman who struggles with addiction.

Jobs changed with the client on trial changed from a video game designer to a movie moguls.

Harry Bosch will never be mentioned because he has his own series and never the twain shall meet so that relationship will not be explored. Instead, Haller will interact with a "substitute" for Bosch.

The Bosch role is split up between two characters: LAPD Detective Griggs, a character created for the show, portrayed by Ugandan-American actor, Ntare Mwine, and Cisco, a character who does appear in the books as Haller's investigator, but in the series he does some of the things Bosch would do.

Lincoln Lawyer, Original Netflix Series

As I said above, go into this with an open mind and forget trying to tie it to the books, and you'll find the series well-written, well-acted, and entertaining.

Produced by David E. Kelley, Ted Humphrey, author Michael Connelly, and Ross Fineman, the series was originally planned for CBS. Netflix grabbed it when CBS canned it. The first of ten episodes debuted on Netflix on May 13. It was #1 on Netflix and has a popularity rating with viewers of about 93%.

The Cast

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller

Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson, deputy district attorney and Mickey’s first ex-wife and mother of his daughter, Haley

Krista Warner, cast because she's biracial and also speaks Spanish

Becki Newton as Lorna, Mickey's second ex-wife

Jazz Raycole as Izzy Letts, his driver

Angus Sampson as Cisco, Mickey's key investigator and Lorna’s fiancé

Christopher Gorham as Trevor Elliott, Mickey's client in this first season.

Jamie McShane as Detective Lee Lankford. (If you're a Bosch series fan, you'll recognize him as the disgraced cop in the Black Guardian incident.)

The cast is superb. They'll make you forget the way the books portrayed these characters. 

(No author wants to hear a comment like that. No offense, Mr. Connelly.) The series may make you want to read the books because books usually offer a richer experience.

The deft way in which a couple of the books were combined to make the series is remarkable. You'll like the characters as they struggle with their challenges, and you'll be guessing as to the guilt or innocence of Mickey's client.

Yes, this series has a compelling story, likable characters who are imperfect but who have a moral compass that is sometimes at odds with the realities of the world. 

If you're looking for something intelligent and well-written, definitely watch The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix.

Takeaway Truth

If you're not a Netflix subscriber, you'll want to ask your friends who are if they'd like to have a watch party. *g* Otherwise, you'll miss an excellent series.

Saturday Share: Chocolate Substitutions

Let's talk chocolate. Specifically, chocolate used in baking.

Consumers are often confused about the many different names for chocolate products.

Let's take away the confusion and give some substitutions for the most common chocolates called for in recipes.

Cocoa Vs. Cacao

Cacao is raw cacao beans that have been ground. It's the unprocessed version of cocoa. It's sometimes packaged as vegan chocolate. The taste of raw cacao can take some getting used to due to its bitter taste.

Cocoa is cacao beans that have been roasted. So product labeled cacao is the raw bean and a product labeled cocoa is the roasted and ground bean.

In marketing, the names cacao and cocoa are used to mean the same product because cacao is Spanish and cocoa is English. 

That's why you now see Hershey's Cocoa Powder labeled Hershey's Cacao Powder.

This rebranding happened a few years ago to make the product appeal internationallly. So, unless the product specifies the ingredients as cacao, the product is probably cocoa.

Chocolate Vs. Dutch Chocolate Vs. German Chocolate

Hershey's unsweetened Cocoa Powder is 100% pure cocoa meaning it has not been treated with alkali.

Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa has been treated with alkali which is a process called Dutched-processed so it can be called Dutch Chocolate.

If you see anything labeled, Dutch Chocolate, that means it's been treated with an alkali to reduce bitterness and/or make it appear darker.

German Chocolate has nothing to do with Germany. It was created by Sam German in the 1850s in the United States. It's most similar to semi-sweet chocolate, but it's sweeter due to the added sugar that enhances the sweetness of baked items using it.

Of all of the above, I always keep a can of Hershey's Cocoa/Cacao Powder in my pantry all the time because:

(1) it's 100% cocoa which means it's the natural kind of dark choclate good for your health, rather than Dutched chocolate that uses alkali

(2) I use a rounded teaspoon of the powder to add to a packet of instant cocoa mix

(3) nothing makes chocolate frosting better than Hershey's Cocoa Power

(4) it's easy to use the cocoa powder to "make" the other chocolate products used in cooking and baking.

Substitutions for Chocolate

If you never have unsweetened baking chocolate on hand, you need to print this post so you'll know how easy it is to use cocoa powder for those recipes.

Substitutions for 1 ounce Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

(1) 3 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa Powder + 1 tablespoon of butter. (You can also use 1 tablespoon or vegetable oil or 1 tablespoon shortening but those are not healthy ingredients.)  Melt the butter in a small bowl or glass measuring cup in the microwave. Stir in the cocoa powder until well blended.

If you like the taste of Dutch-processed cocoa powder, you can use it instead of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder.

(2) 1 ounce of Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate. This adds the sweetness already in this kind of chocolate. To make up for the sugar in the chocolate, reduce the amount of sugar by 1 tablespoon for each ounce of this chocolate used in your recipe.

(3) 3 tablespoons of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips for each 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate. This too adds extra sugar, so reduce the sugar in your recipe by 1 tablespoon of sugar for each ounce. 

The chocolate chips take longer to melt because they're made to hold their shape so microwave a little at a time so they'll melt but not break or crystalize.

Substitututions for Cocoa Powder

(1) 1 ounce baking chocolate square = 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Melt sweetened or unsweetened baking chocolate and add it to the wet ingredients. Squares of baking chocolate have more fat so you may need to reduce the fat in your recipe by 1 to 3 teaspoons less.

(2) 1 ounce of chocolate chips (unsweetened, semi-sweet, or sweet) = 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. In this case, if you use sweetened chips, you must reduce the amount of sugar in your recipe by 1 tablespoon or more since chips are usually sweeter than the baking squares. You may have to experiment to see how much sugar to remove from the recipe.

(3) 3 tablespoons of Dutch Chocolate plus 1/8 teaspoon of an acid like cream of tartar, lemon juice, or white vinegar = 3 tablespoons of regular cocoa powder.

(4) If all you have is Instant Cocoa mix or Nequik, use it in a 1:1 ratio but reduce the amount of sugar in your recipe. Instant mixes contain many ingredients with some of them undesirable, but if you want some kind of baked chocolate goodie then experiment. 

Takeaway Truth

Pure cocoa has many health benefits. Make something today like my recipe for Chocolate Cake in a Cup which takes less than 10 minutes to mix it up and bake it. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Trouble With Love: Free This Weekend

My June Giveaway to my Newsletter Subscribers is THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE.

My monthly giveaways and bargains are sent to my fabulous  Newsletter Subscribers first.

A day later, I announce it on SlingWords. A few hours after that, I promote it in public. So there is a benefit to being a subscriber to my free newsletter first. Plus, I am posting content that only subscribers receive.

So, dear Readers, pick up your free copy of THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, a hot romance that's perfect for the hot summer we're having. Free offer ends at 11:59pm PDT on Sunday, June 12.

Reviews

Southern Yankee: "I enjoyed this book for quite a few reasons. First, I loved the characters and how there were multiple relationships showcased. Susannah and her mother Rory both have issues when it comes to love and they may both be wrong. Then there is that little almost one night stand Susannah had with the man standing in the little town's police station, where she just happens to work. Hogan is a hot as can be 'consultant' or is he? There is heat, passion, forgiveness, trust issues, and lots of fun."

Jan Taylor: "Loved the way she does sexual tension, especially loved the orange bikini! Characters had real problems to resolve.

"Reeves is really good with secondary characters and subplots. I've already downloaded several more of her ebooks, as she hooked me on this one. Of course, I adore Texas settings. Oh, the cover is awesome."

Joyce J. Ruskuski: "A thoroughly delightful romance. The story of not one but three separate and equally lovely couples."

Takeaway Truth

If you enjoy This sizzling romance, please leave a review! Have a wonderful weekend.

12 Things to Know About Kindle Vella

Here are 12 Things to Know About Kindle Vella. 

This is for Readers and Authors!

I've noticed more authors are publishing serialized stories so they're gaining in popularity. 

Readers seem to be embracing the format too so here are a dozen things Readers and Authors should know.

1. Kindle Vella, at this time, is open only to U.S. based, English language authors.

That means that Vella serials are in English. (That's probably going to change when Amazon decides the program is successful.)

2. A Kindle Vella story must be new and not previously published. Readers don't want books re-packaged for Vella.

3. A Kindle Vella's first 3 episodes are always free. Readers can get a taste of the story absolutely free.

4. Authors and Readers should know that Amazon gives each Amazon account 500 free tokens so you can try a Kindle Vellla. 

(I don't know how long this free offer lasts so do it now.) To claim your free tokens, click any Vella story, like mine, Stone Angel. 

When it opens, look at the white bar that goes across the top, below the main Amazon Menu Bar. You'll should see this—without the arrows I inserted.

Click on the Key icon as shown in the image above and a small window opens for you to accept the 500 free tokens. The token number will change as you use and add tokens. 

Use your 500 to read Vella episodes, but, remember, the first 3 episodes are always free. When you've used up your free tokens, you purchase more from Amazon.

5. Tokens are sold in bundles: 200 tokens cost $1.00 which is about a penny a token. Usually you can read about 20,000 words for that. The largest bundle is 1700 tokens for $14.99. That's about $.0088 per token which is your best bargain. That's enough tokens to read about 170,000 words.

6. Amazon sets the number of tokens each episode costs, not the author.

7. Authors get royalties based on a complicated formula which assigns a value to the price paid for tokens. The larger bundles of tokens a Reader buys, the more value assigned to that by the algorithm which results in a larger royalty for the Author. (I think I have that correct.)

8. Kindle Vella is read on iPhones, Android devices, tablets, and computers of any type. To begin reading, download the Kindle app for your phone or go to Amazon / Kindle Vella—see #3 above—or go directly to Kindle Vella section of Amazon. 

TechRadar has some in-depth articles about Kindle Vella. I encourage you to check out their website which offers excellent tech news.

9. Episodes should be at least 600 words and no longer than 5,000 words. The length is perfect for over-scheduled people who love to read. It's a bite-sized chunk that can be read during a lunch hour, commuting time, waiting to pick up kids, or just before bedtime. 

10. Each Vella has a URL just as an ebook does, but each episode also has a URL so readers can find a specific episode they love. Authors need to be sure they give the URL for the Vella, not an episode URL.

11. Authors will be excited by the fact that Amazon pays bonuses, for now, to authors who try Vella. The bonus is based on readership, month to month growth of the Vella's audience, and a few factors unknown to me.

12. Authors, I've used images for my Vella that I made using BookBrush. 

You'll find a template for making a Vella "cover" which you'll find under Cover Creator / Ebook / scroll down the samples until you see the one for Kindle Vella.

Serialized fiction has been popular for many years on Wattpad and similar websites. Kindle is the latest startup for this format, and I believe you'll see more programs like this on other websites—especially if Vella succeeds in a big way which I think it will.

Takeaway Truth

Readers, if you haven't tried reading a Kindle Vella yet, you're missing some great stories. Download the Kindle app to your phone and get started with free episodes plus 500 tokens to spend.

P. S. I'm giving away a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate the release of my latest book, BLOG OPS, a guide for those who want to start a blog or improve the one they have. To enter, find the details in this post: Gift Card Giveaway Celebrates New Book. Good luck!

I'm sending my June Newsletter on Friday, June 10. I give away a free ebook romance each month. This time the free book sizzles with summer heat. 

Do you subscribe to my free newsletter? If not, click this: SIGN UP for JOAN'S FREE NEWSLETTER.

You'll be the first to know about new books, bargains, and giveaways. Plus, you'll receive a free ebook romance for subscribing.

Have a wonderful week!