Tag: About the Author

Once More, Unto the Breech…

Posted on by brian1902

To round out a very busy and productive month, remember that this Sunday, October 30th, will be one more walking tour of downtown Nashville, offered by Echoes of Nashville. It’s about a mile of walking, so wear comfortable shoes. The book will be for sale as usual if anyone wants a signed copy. You can get tickets at the Echoes of Nashville website here.

(One important note – the tour starts at Legislative Plaza at 3 PM, not at Bridgestone Arena, where most of their tours begin. Consult the oracle Google if there are questions. I’ll be standing near the steps that lead up to the big bronze naked fella.)

This will round out our October blitz, which has been a blast so far, so thanks for everyone who’ve come out to hear me speak or purchased the book. There will be other opportunities to hear the talk or meet and greet in the future, but this was a marathon.

Next time I hope to begin putting some new stories on the blog, so stay tuned.

 

 

This is Crazy…

Posted on by brian1902

…But good crazy. I’ve been busy as all get out recently.

Three more dates to tell folks about: Tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 22) at 10 AM is another downtown walking tour from Echoes of Nashville. The tour starts at Legislative Plaza (not the Bridgestone Arena as is usual – important to note), and lasts about an hour. Tickets are available here. There will be one more tour this month on Sunday, October 30th at 3 PM – the day before (dun,dun,dun) Halloween. So come on out and get your creepy on.

And tomorrow is Hauntings at the Hermitage at Andrew Jackson’s former home. The event lasts from 4 PM to 10 PM. From 4-7 the atmosphere is “kid friendly,” and I’ll be telling spooky ghost stories from Andrew Jackson’s time. From 7-10, we’ll be talking about more grownup themes, so I’ll be telling some stories from the book. You can buy it from me there as well. For more info, check out the Hermitage website here.

I’ve been too busy to add more stories recently, but that will change soon. Some good research going on and some interesting things to talk about. As soon as everything mellows out a bit I’ll be back to tell some interesting tales about Nashville’s dark side.

Later!

 

 

 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday…

Posted on by brian1902

And Saturday, Saturday, Saturday…Big weekend this time around, so drop in to talk if you get the chance.

Today (Saturday the 15th), from 3-6 PM,  I’ll be selling and signing books at the Nashville City Cemetery tour. They’re featuring stories of seasonal creepiness based on folks who came to an untimely end. Should be a lively tour, and I’ll be there in case you want some additional atmosphere to take home and read at leisure. Check out their awesome flyer below, or at this link:

mayhemcrypt3

If you can’t make it today, I’ll be at the Southern Festival of Books tomorrow (Sunday the 16th), Legislative Plaza, Room 12 from 3-4 PM. Myself and James D. Squires, author of West End, will be co-panelists talking about Back Rooms and Back Alleys: Tales from Old Nashville, followed by a book signing. They’re forecasting a lovely day, so come out and hear stories of Nashville’s past from a couple of folks who helped move the rock (so to speak). Get more information here.

Hope to see you there!

 

Speaking Tonight

Posted on by brian1902

If you want a chance to meet me, hear some cool stories, and/or purchase the book and have it signed, you can come out to hear me speak for the Tennessee Historical Society at Fort Negley this evening (October 12)  at 5:30 P.M. I’ll be offering a brief overview of what went into writing the book, as well as a few tidbits that didn’t quite make the final cut for publication.

If you can’t make it, but have some time on your lunch hour tomorrow, (October 13) why not catch the talk at the Tennessee State Museum’s Lunch & Learn. No food is provided, but you can catch a bite and bring it with you, or brown bag it, and get the rare privilege of eating in a museum during the talk. The program starts at 12:15 PM. (For the visually clued like me: note that the picture that Google provides on the map above is not the Tennessee State Museum – it’s the World War I Memorial. TSM is just down Deaderick Street from there).

Hope to see you at one of them!

One Mean Mamma Jamma

Posted on by brian1902

Check this dude out:

hanks-mugshot

Meet Orlando Camilla Hanks (not the most prepossessing name for a Wild West outlaw). He went by “Deaf Charley” due to his habit of cocking his head to one side to favor his good ear. He was a brief but very valuable associate of the consortium of outlaws headed up (sort of) by Butch Cassidy and “Kid” Curry who congregated around the Hole-in-the-Wall country in Wyoming (better known as the “Wild Bunch.”) Fittingly, his only known photo is this mugshot, lovingly taken as he entered the Deer Lodge penitentiary in Montana in 1894.

I love this photo…I’ve always said that he looks like someone who would enjoy playing with something until it breaks. The prison haircut does nothing to dissuade that impression.

Those of you who know your history understand what the connection is between this fella and Nashville. Those who don’t are in for a treat: check out my new article in the October issue of the Nashville Retrospect to learn about Hanks and the merry chase he led around this quiet Southern city some one-hundred-and-fifteen years ago.

He had some post-mortem coolness that he really didn’t deserve. He showed up in the 1979 western Butch and Sundance: The Early Years (Days), played by the uber-awesome Brian flippin’ Dennehy.

Supporting cast or not, he even ended up with his own action figure!

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Imagine this face staring up at you from underneath the tree. Happy Holidays!

 

And if anyone is looking for the perfect Christmas gift for me this year (hint, hint).

 

 

Talk to you soon. Big things getting ready to happen ’round here.

Speaking on Tuesday…Come One, Come All!

Posted on by brian1902

For those of you interested in the book, here’s a chance to get a little preview.

I’ll be speaking at Fort Negley in Nashville on Tuesday, September 27 at the meeting of the Sons of Union Veterans. There will be a business meeting beginning at 6 PM, followed by my presentation at 7 sharp…or as sharp as my notoriously wonky PowerPoint presentations ever go.

The subject will be some of the little-known nastiness that took place at the end of the Civil War in the winter of 1865, when a mixture of bored troops, criminal elements, whiskey, women, and resentful citizens came together in a lethal mix that unleashed one of the city’s worst crime waves before the twentieth century.

The program is free and open to the public, so come on out, say hello, and get a big welcome from the friendly folk of postwar Nashville!

bad-dudes

Bad Boys, Bad Boys…Whatcha gonna do?

Upcoming Event

Posted on by brian1902

BTW, if you like the story about Jesse Bryan that I posted, you ought to come out to see the Nashville City Cemetery’s annual tour on October 15, from 3:00 to 7:00 PM, with the last tour leaving at 6.

Interpreters will be posted throughout the cemetery, portraying a selection of those interred there, and the theme this year revolves around some of the more tragic figures in the cemetery, as well as some of the…naughtier ones, shall we say? Should be a lively lineup.

And one of those on the roster is Mr. Bryan, who I’ve already blogged about, so you can hear the rest of his story – or at least his version of it 🙂  As an added bonus, you can come see me there as well – I’ll be on hand to sign my book and meet and greet, so come on out and see me after you enjoy the tour!

spooky-pic
Trust me, it really looks this spooky.

Now We’re Rolling…

Posted on by brian1902

I’m back after an unexpectedly long hiatus. My apologies. However, we’re just getting started.

The book at the heart of this whole brouhaha is coming soon (see the snazzy cover below). Street date is October 3rd, and I’m in the process of getting ready for a whole bunch of appearances and talks and signings in the upcoming weeks, so I hope to get to meet and talk to a bunch of you soon. So watch this space. More to come very soon.

Adobe Photoshop PDF

This time I promise 😉

P.S. – If you want to pre-order, you can do it here.

 

 

 

Blatant Self-Promotion

Posted on by brian1902

As the title says…why have a blog if you can’t exploit it? As Pappy McDan’l says: “We’re mass communicatin’!”

Anyway, this has little to do with the subject at hand, but if you’re looking for a cool thing to do in a couple of weeks, why not come out and attend my workshop that teaches you how to cut and write with a quill pen? I can’t teach you how to write the same way as Lucretia Borgia, Thomas Jefferson, or Harry Potter, but I can teach you how to make the same tools they used Click here to see the literature:Pen in Hand Flyer2

No experience necessary, and a modest fee is charged. The workshop is at Rock Castle in Hendersonville on April 23, 2016 from 10 AM to Noon (or whenever you get bored). Click on this link to find out more or to register.(And if you’ve never been to Rock Castle you should check it out. It’s a fantastic site.)

And if you have questions about this blog, the book, or anything else, feel free to say hi.