Affair in Trinidad

 

 

I watched this 1952 black and white movie staring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford during my workout sessions on the M5 over a few days or a week. It was directed by Vincent Sherman and features Alexander Scourby as Max Fabian, Howard Wendell as Anderson, Steve Geray as Wittol, Torin Thatcher as Marplon the inspector, Juanita Moore as Dominique, and Valerie Bettis as Veronica.

Rita plays a nightclub dancer/singer who's married to Steve Emory's (Ford) brother. Except she isn't married anymore as brother Emory has turned up with pennies on his eyes. Meanwhile, Ford is on his way from the States in response to a letter his brother wrote him on the say day he allegedly committed suicide.

Ford begins his own investigation. He learns things weren't great between Rita and his brother. at one point, the gentleman in the picture above tells him something like, "When a man is married to a goddess, he must expect other men to worship her." Although he isn't getting the answers he wants, he does get to stay in his brother's house with Rita and Dominique.

That's Dominique, the domestic in the background. She's the wise woman of color, as some might be inclined to describe her. 

 Marplon The Inspector is decidedly short on answers and information for Ford/Emory, but the inspector has more going on that Ford knows.

Ford sticks around in search of his own answers and things heat up between him and Rita.

 

They have a bit of a whirlwind romance over three days or so until Max Fabian shows up to revive all of Ford's suspicions about his brother's wife.

He's loaded with cash and has the hots for the lady. He's also got some Nazi scientists in his bedroom. SPOILER ALERT. Rita and her deceased husband had been trying to get the goods on Fabian. The decedent got caught and made a hasty exit from the spy game in a permanent way thanks to Fabian. Rita ends up telling off Ford to continue her cozy up to Fabian.

While Ford stomps off mad that he's been booted from the fancy party and banished from Rita's heart, she finds an opportunity to search upstairs.

She discovers plans, blueprints, or otherwise incomprehensible drawings, but leaves a fancy chiffon hanky Fabian had just given her at the scientist's desk.

Nevertheless, she strikes gold when she overhears the bad guys and sees the low-budget map with yarn and everything showing how the missile bases in the Caribbean will be able to threaten the entire United States.

A girl may not kiss and tell, but the chiffon hanky tells. It tells Fabian that Rita's a spy. He hastens his plans to depart from the island with his evil henchmen, adding Rita to the flight list, but noting that her ticket will include takeoff but not the landing. 

Dominique talks Ford into going back to rescue Rita, convincing him that she didn't even want to go to Fabian's and really only wanted to be with Ford.

Ford shows up just in time to save the damsel from her distress and get the drop on Fabian and most of his henches--emphasis on most. That guy in the background sneaks up while Fabian keeps Ford in place. The hench gives Ford the old ka-bong on the head, which causes Ford to involuntarily ka-pull the trigger. The ka-bang puts a slug into Fabian, who tells the others to leave without him and to take care of Ford--"take care of" in the sense of without-the possibility-of-future-complications way.

As they're taking Ford out, the cavalry shows up in the form of the inspector and his constables. In the quick exchange of pleasantries in hot lead, Ford takes his captor's gun and goes back inside the mansion.

Not wishing to be rude, he remembers to bring a gift this time, delivering a series of heartfelt presents to Fabian, who receives them at the top of the stairs in the manner in which they were intended. Fabian is overwhelmed at Ford's generosity and pitches over the railing.

After that, it's all over but the cruise back to the States with Ford and Rita closing it out with a last lip lock before the credits roll.

--I thought the show started with a lot of potential. It had a noir feel at first and Ford and Rita came across as intriguing characters--Ford being especially good wearing his frustrated-man-desperate-for-answers persona. Rita's role could've been better written, in my opinion. The film tries to recapture the magic of Gilda,which starred Ford and Hayworth, but never rises to that level of intensity. What started as a noir dish morphed into a predictable conclusion to a matinee serial. I give it 3.5 out of 5 slugs - which is probably the same number Ford gave Fabian.

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My adventure book for boys sails onward with the twins and their only friend in the strange new surroundings all in constant peril. The pieces are falling into place for the race to the finish. A certain exhilaration comes with writing the characters into dangerous circumstances without any knowledge about how they're going to extricate themselves and presenting them with difficulties to solve without having planned the resolution. Letting the circumstances and the characters drive the story becomes an adventure in itself.

Cursed Ruins - beginning

 It's a tragic tale of youthful exuberance and avarice tainted by overconfidence unburdened with the requisite competence. It was the beginning of the quest for the Mysterious Cauldron within the Cursed Ruins. Our two young heroes were to find the cauldron and fill a flask from its contents. A substantial reward awaited them at the completion of the task. They won't be collecting that reward any time soon. Les Freres Corses may have learned something from the adventure. We'll see what happens next time.

Charo Lefevre or Le Favor, or something similar to that--I never got to see the spelling--teamed up with Gratell the budding wizard. Outfitted with swords, a shield, rope, and other supplies, along with 3 magic spells, the adventures passed from the village through the dark forest to the cursed ruins without incident. In order to avoid being swallowed by the treacherous mud and quicksand-like dangers of the pale green marsh, they used their rope to lasso and draw down the ladder/bridge and crossed safely into the mist-obscured ruins. They passed through room 2 into room 3 where a potion and goblin waited for them. Gratell took the potion while Charo engaged the goblin. 

Charo and goblin traded blows against one another's shields and baptized their blades in blood as well. Meanwhile, Gratell, not keen on assisting Charo in his tete-a-tete with the goblin, dashed into room 5 (below room 2) to loot the chest that was visible from the doorway. Instead of opening the treasure, the wizard found himself attacked by another goblin. In his surprise, he lopped off the goblin's head at the first pass. Charo found holes in his goblin's guard, wounding him again while Gratell discovered nothing but old rags and a dead rodent in the chest. 

Crestfallen at the results of his treasure dash, Gratell doubled down by running to room 3, passing through it into room 6 (below room 4). During this time, Charo continued his scrimmage with the first goblin. He wounded the little fiend, causing minor wounds without ever being able to dispatch his antagonist.

Gratell soon realized that he had made a grave error in racing away from his comrade to grasp at treasure and magic items. The guardian of room 6 leaped from a dark corner to engage Gratell while his cohort from room 3 rushed the wizard from behind. Set upon by two formidable opponents, one of whom wielded two deadly blades, Gratell revealed the color of his blood to both antagonists. He did manage to knock down the double-weaponed foe and put him hors de combat, but he couldn't squeeze by the enemy with the the shield who blocked the doorway. He lost more blood before finally dashing past to run back to room 2 toward his comrade in room 3.

Unfortunately for Gratell, although Charo was besting his enemy, when the goblin fled from the warrior to room 5, Charo followed, bent on ascertaining the depth of the goblin's chest with the measure of his blade. The goblin continued to forestall the deathblow, and Gratell's remaining opponent soon caught him and delivered a serious wound to the already weakened wizard that left him unconscious on the sod of the Cursed Ruins.

Charo continued his attacks on the wounded goblin, only to have Gratell's enemy charge into him with shield and sword. Although he defended himself as best he could, avoiding death by turning the fatal cuts with his own shield, cuts and gashes opened where the foe penetrated his defenses.

With the wizard down and unable to fight, cast a spell, or quaff his potion, and Charo suffering from multiple wounds and caught between two foes, Les Freres Corses hit the reset button. We closed it down and reviewed the imprudent choices they had made. Charo's player pointed out that Gratell had left Charo engaged with an enemy to race madly from room to room, bringing more monsters into the fight. Gratell's player suggested with some vehemence that Charo should've come to help Gratell rather than attempting to chase down and execute a goblin who was trying to escape. I agreed with both of them. It was a win-win--they were both right--or a lose-lose; they had both made poor decisions. Never leave your wing man, and always march to the sound of the guns or clash of swords, as the case may be.

Did they learn something? I think so. Will they implement those lessons when they next play? I'm skeptical. A couple years ago while playing Hero Quest, these same choices led to the same results. There's still hope. Some lessons must be learned multiple times before they're remembered and a change of behavior results. I should know. I'm always getting the same lessons.

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Book Reviews: Lord Byron's The Corsair and Frederic Brown's The Fabulous Clipjoint.

 The Corsair is a tale in verse about the pirate Conrad. While it has many memorable lines, the tale is predictable and the lengthy poem goes on too long. Reading it was like one of those conversations with a friend that begins with energy and laughter but ends in weary fatigue because it continued well beyond its best-by date. That concludes what I have to say on that topic.

The Fabulous Clipjoint was recommended as a great example of pulp fiction. A young man's father is murdered after a night out drinking. The wife, young man's step mom, is a heavy drinker and a something of a scold. Her daughter also resembles bad medicine in a pretty bottle. Young man finds his uncle, a carnival worker, and they set out to catch the murderer. I picked the killer early and was not deceived. However, the whole motive and method weren't revealed until the end.

Clipjoint reads like a noir without the personality and conventions that make noir detective stories so fun to read. This pulp novel is like fried chicken and mashed potatoes without anything to go with them. It's tasty and filling but needs another side and a dessert. All the components are impressive: a murder mystery, young man with some competence but lacking experience with a mentor to guide him, a few suspects, some mob connections, the wife with a motive and her potentially poisonous daughter, an attractive woman to strike the young man's fancy, a bank robbery, a police detective with malleable scruples, seedy bars, and a string of clues that direct and misdirect. Nevertheless, there remains a lacuna I cannot place. It earned the four stars I gave it, but I had hoped to be able to give it 5.

 

 

Omnibus Resurrection

 

Steve A. Douglas

 His Omnibus Bill defeated, Henry Clay left Washington, but the "steam engine in britches" Stephen A. Douglas would attempt to collect the pieces of the failed bill. He concluded that combining the various provisions into one bill had united the opponents of the various measures instead of securing friends on the specific issues. He declared he would get California statehood passed as well as the bill for New Mexico. He would depend on constant off-record negotiations and, something which Clay had lacked, presidential support.

Douglas introduced the California bill on August 1, but soon realized he would have to deal with the Texas issue first. August 5, he and James Pierce (who's incompetence had pierced the heart of the Omnibus bill) presented a bill giving Texas the shape it has today. Texas received more land that it would've under the Omnibus, but it it would receive $10 million from the Federal Government in 5% stock -- which was more than enough to pay off the debt it had banked on paying with the taxes and duties it could raise as an independent republic. President Fillmore provided the stick to the bill's carrot by warning Texas that New Mexico constituted federal territory where Texas had no legitimate claims--warning the Texas militia that armed force would be deployed against any efforts to enforce Texas law in the territory.

The Texas matter pitted the Unionists against the radical southerners who were pushing for secession. One of the latter, David Yulee, declared that the right of expansion, or the Liberty of Growth was indispensable to the slaveholding south. He followed by calling for a new Constitutional Convention to renegotiate the compact of Union to give the southern states control of one legislative body. 

The Texans, realizing that there was no better deal coming for them, joined with the union senators for passage of the bill. In a few days, Douglas had achieved a significant result which had eluded Clay over several months. Three days later, he pushed the California issue.

The admission of California would make the slave states a minority. Sam Houston threw in vote for California Statehood. "If we are men, let us meet the difficulties which have come upon us like men." Several southern senators joined as well, and Douglas had scored a second victory.

The New Mexico bill soon followed and passed as well. Douglas had three victories, and left Washington on business to avoid voting on the Fugitive Slave Bill, which provided draconian powers for the recapture of escaped slaves and was aimed at destroying the underground railroad. The bill ultimately passed with an unrecorded vote.

Douglas had succeeded on all points--provided the House passed the bills as well.

The above is summarized from Chapters 24-25 of Fergus Bordewich's America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas and the Compromise that Preserved the Union.

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I've already mentioned my next story to be published, "Love under a Purple Sky," in Raconteur Press' Space Cowboys 6: Fission Chips. My copies of Cursed Canyon arrived this week as well. It's chocked full of rip-roarin' tales of rootin' tootin' cowboys and their encounters with the strange, eerie, and weird. You'll want to read my story, "Letters in the Mail," to catch up on the exploits of Rufus and Glen, along with the other accounts of the fantastic and unfamiliar.

Raphael Sohnn

 

 Interview with Raphael Sohnn

Author of

The Captains of Legend

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. 

The Captains of Legend, my debut novel. A story set in a fictional kingdom around five to seven hundred years ago in what eventually became India. It’s a tale of love, war and intrigue that revolves around two lifelong friends who eventually fall in love. The Princess Meena, heiress to her father’s kingdom and Holasiyan, the young warrior destined to be the protector of the Monarch and leader of his fighting men.  

 

Where did you get the idea for this book or series? 

It was something I’d been contemplating writing for about two decades, having started the original draft in my early/mid-twenties. The book as it is now in no way resembles those very first few scribblings. Yet the similarities are clearly in the setting, both regionally and historically. I had wanted, from very early on, to tell a tale of the warriors of India from many centuries ago. 

 

Do you write in more than one genre? 

I have completed a manuscript for one story set in the future that needs some more work. This manuscript for that very reason has very little in common with my first book, The Captains of Legend, or the following two, as yet unpublished at time of writing, that exist in an almost identical universe – historic India – each of those being unconnected to each other or my debut work. It does however deal with the same sort of themes; valour, and the difficulty in trying to walk the right path or fight the good fight when it’s only the protagonist’s instincts and at times little else that keep them on that journey.  

 

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention. 

Though I could be wrong, I do not believe anything else has been written telling the stories of the warriors guarding the kingdoms in which they reside in the way that I have, for they and their homes are purely fictional. They are undoubtedly set however, in what we now know as India, and hence borrow from the traditions and rituals of their times. 

 

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing? 

Quite possibly, I do have a background in martial arts. Not for one moment to suggest that I am any sort of warrior. 

 

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you? 

I love the stories of the foundational heroes and superheroes of the 19^th and 20th centuries. I am also a massive fan of comic book iconography. 

 

           Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why? 

Not sure that it’s fair to regard it as underrated, but Gideon’s Spies by Gordon Thomas is an excellent read. 

 

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why? 

Well, all of them, of course. But only The Captains of Legend has been published, at time of writing. Look out for the second book very soon, because if you like the first, you’ll adore the second. (This interview was submitted in 2022, so Raphael may have more books out by now. Check out his website below).

 

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most? 

The end of my twenty-year involvement in the family business. Being as I was, at a crossroads in my life, I took the opportunity to complete that which I had begun as a much younger man. 

 

What question do you wish you would get asked more often? 

During which period in history would you have liked to live? The answers vary from The Wild West to 19^th century England, amongst others. 

 

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?  

Not so much a catchphrase or quote, but a poem. If by Rudyard Kipling. To read it is to understand why, and after having then done so is to realize that it is a work of absolute genius.

 

Website:    RaphaelSohnn.com

FaceBook: TheRaphaelSohnn

Instagram: RaphaelSohnn

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Thanks to Raphael for participating. Check out his website and social media. If you're not familiar Kipling's "If" - bow your head in shame and vow to improve yourself by finding and reading that poem now. 

In my writing, I'm having a wonderful time. Saturday morning I signed a contract for my story, "Love under a Purple Sky" to be published in Space Cowboys 6: Fission Chips, which will be available next month. I also just received my copies of this:

The first time my name's been on the cover of an anthology containing one of my stories--or any anthology for that matter. I just finished reading Cursed Canyons, another anthology featuring one of my tales, and found the entire compilation to be of an exceedingly excellent quality. My author copies should be arriving tomorrow. There remains one more story yet out for consideration but it will be another month before contracts go out for it, so I still have some possible good news to anticipate.

My adventure book for boys is nearing the halfway mark. If a boy likes action and adventure, he will love this book. The title remains to be determined. Girls who like adventure will enjoy the book too.

Mordor on my Mind

 

Before we get to our adventure in Sauron's old 'hood:

Cursed Canyon is here - click on the picture to check it out.

This is the second Wyrd Western anthology from Raconteur Press and I'm pleased to say I have stories in both - in addition to stories in the Road Trippin' and the Pin Up Noir 2 anthologies. Go here to check out these anthologies and my other books. Note that the Road Trippin' anthology features a story about my dad's motorcycle trip back in the 50s. He read it last night and called to let me know he liked it. Now I have a question about Russian motorcycles sold in the U.S. during the 50s.

 If you're thinking the landscape above looks like Mordor, you're not far off. We took a little trip to Craters of the Moon because we had a hankerin' for hiking among wreck and ruin of Mordor after Sauron's fall. It was October, after all. 

The Two Watchers at the gate would not take cash but insisted on seizing the credit card temporarily before allowing us to pass. Like good hobbits, we started with second breakfast, or as we called it: Lunch. Wanting to conserve the lembas, we consumed our sandwiches, water, chips, and grapes at a handy picnic table in the sun, but we were still a little cool. Some of us were cooler than others. Nary an orc disturbed us.

Like Frodo and Sam with their guide climbing the stairs of Cirith Ungol, we mounted to the summit of a big cinder mountain for a view of the volcanic devastation.

Our next stop was to see a couple volcanic vents, also known as black holes in the ground. After we saw the first one, we opted to pass on the second. Then we hiked to the caves in search of Shelob's Lair. Although there was a narrow blacktop trail to the caves, the caves themselves have little to no improvement. At Indian Tunnel we took the stairs down a few steps to the boulders and climbed down into the pit. Although we saw orc sign in the form of pigeon feathers, we didn't see any orcs. 

You may notice that the dead Eye of Sauron seemed to be upon us, and we headed right for it. The tunnel proved to be orc free, although we did meet a pair of discount travelers. We hurried through in our effort to find Shelob, stopping only to chat and take photos. We didn't find her. Unfortunately, the other caves, which must have included the lair of that spawn of Ungoliant were closed because the bats were sleeping or maybe it was an orc and troll rehabilitation conference.

We made our retreat, stopping at the Devil's Orchard for a quick stroll. It was the equivalent of a visit to the Shire after Saruman had evicted the hobbits and redecorated in a motif of lava cinders and corpsified Ents.

Ennio Morricone's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack carried us home as on wings of eagles, but there weren't any welcoming ceremonies or crowning of new kings.

The Compromise compromised

 "Few things are certain in this life, however shrewdly a man may plan." -- Raphael Sabatini -- The Black Swan

Fun Fact:

Back to 1850 and the Great American Compromise. The matter of Texas in Clay's Omnibus bill was tentatively resolved by the Dawson Proviso, an amendment stipulating that New Mexico would not be allowed to exercise any authority east of the Rio Grande until the boundary commission had drawn a line that satisfied both Congress and the Texas Legislature. In other words, Texas had veto power over the boundary issue. Naturally, this brought Texas in to support the Omnibus. However, Stephen Douglas and others saw that Texas, having a de facto border established at the Rio Grande by the proviso, would never agree to anything less. 

James A. Pearce of Maryland moved to strike the entire Texas and New Mexico section of the Omnibus and reinsert it without the Dawson Proviso, as an unreasonable capitulation to Texas. Henry Clay saw all his hard work would be undone by Pearce. Clay and his friends tried to dissuade him from the maneuver, but Peace carried on. David Yulee seized the occasion for a maneuver of his own, asking if Pearce would consent to allow them to vote separately on the deletion and reinsertion provisions. When Pearce agreed, they voted for the deletion, but before the reinsertion vote, Yulee made a motion to delete everything still in it that related to Texas. His motion passed. With Texas unsatisfied, the Omnibus was critically wounded and leaking blood in shark infested waters. The predators moved to strike the portions relating to New Mexico, and then to California--each passing and leaving the Omnibus a hollow shell, with Utah remaining as the lone passenger. That issue was voted on and passed a few days later with little opposition. 

Defeated, Clay left Washington. Would anyone step up to fill the gap?

The above is summarized from Chapter 23 of Fergus Bordewich's America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas and the Compromise that Preserved the Union.

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 Check out my new book page with also includes magazines and anthologies featuring my short stories. Two more will be added soon.

Cassie Greutman

 Interview with Cassie Greutman

Author of the Penchant for Trouble Series

 

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

 Right now I’m working on several things, but the story I can talk about the most is book four in the Penchant for Trouble series. The main character Trish has gone through a lot and learned so much in the last three books, and it really starts to come to a head in book four! So I’m not giving away too many spoilers, I’ll just say book one is about a fae girl being raised in the human foster care system who is blackmailed by the Faerie Council to help capture an escaped fae fugitive. And things only get more crazy from there!

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

My parents were foster parents even before I was born, so I had many foster siblings over the years. When I got old enough to notice how foster parents are portrayed in movies, books, and TV, I was annoyed. Most foster parents are amazing people trying to help kids. So I decided to write a story where the foster parents are the good guys! But I also love the fantasy genre, and wanted to blend the two things. So that’s how Penchant for Trouble was born!

Do you write in more than one genre?

I mostly write YA urban fantasy with strong themes about the importance of family, whether that’s blood related or not, but I also have a portal series started, which will crossover with the Penchant for Trouble world. It’s called the Arnath Chronicles. I dabble in epic fantasy a bit, with a dragon story coming out soon in an anthology called Dracos.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

Being a foster sister growing up has given me unique perspectives into relationships. If you like stories with great characters, then you should give my books a try!

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

As well as the foster family aspect, I’ve also been in EMS for fifteen years. The emotion that goes with the trauma of some of those runs has made me empathetic to others pain, and has also helped me flesh out my characters.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

Hmmm… I’m extremely into horses. I love everything about them. I like to rescue when I have the time and funds. They are my happy place when I’m not writing.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are amazing books that I don’t often hear mentioned. I love them, they are magical and humorous, and one of the few series that I continue to read over and over.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

I would definitely start with Regen. It’s the first book in Penchant for Trouble. I love the monsters, I love how Trish is learning it’s okay to love and be loved by her foster family even though she has abandonment issues.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

I attended a couple small writing conferences as a teen, and I’m not sure that I would have had the confidence to continue writing without them. For anyone who wants to write, finding even a small local conference can be so encouraging.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

How many books are you going to have in your series? If people are asking that, they have probably read through what’s there and want more!

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
It’s so true, for every aspect of life. Just keep on keeping on, and eventually you’ll get there, even if it isn’t in the time frame you would like.

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Thanks to Cassie for participating.

Road Trippin' is available now in ebook and paperback. Anthology of both fiction and nonfiction travel stories. My nonfiction story about someone's motorcycle trip back in the 50s is the second story in the book. Enjoy it while you can.

I nearly scratched out a new observation about The Lord of the Rings but decided to save that for my newsletter--which you can sign up for at the top of the page.