Dime novels

For some time now, I've had a fascination with the Dime novel. These were books published cheaply and in very poor quality, mostly, during the 1870's - 1910 or so. These books weren't terribly well-written for the most part, but they were escapism, pure and simple. Yesterday, while perusing the used book store here in town, I came across a book called EIGHT DIME NOVELS edited by E.F. Blieiler. I, of course, bought it on the spot. The introduction has an interesting list of books published in the time and, thanks to the internet, I've managed to download a few more dime novels. One novel in particular, JACK WRIGHT AND HIS ELECTRIC STAGE, sounds like pure escapism....and it'll be my next book to read (after I finish Hemingway's ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES). I found that book at Project Gutenberg, an awesome resource for long out-of-print public domain novels. Check them out at www.projectgutenberg.org

I found an old Manly Wade Wellman book, THE DEVIL'S ASTEROID, there as well. Collecting Wellman's books is a bit of a pasttime for me, anyway, and I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 of his books now. He was a great writer, and I recommend starting with his Silver John stories if you're interested in reading some great southern horror. WHO FEARS THE DEVIL? is the book you need to look for. It shouldn't be too hard to find out there.

Anyway, figured I'd post something that might peak your interests. See, I can write a gentle blog entry when the mood strikes me.

Have a good day, gentle readers.
Roger

Tami (Tamara) Keller and Stan Feist R.I.P.

Today provided a double whammy to the heart. I found out that Tami (Tamara) Keller, one of my high school crushes, died today at the age of 46. And, to top that off, Stan Feist, a teacher from High School, also passed away. Both people will be sorely lamented. I saw Tami not too long ago, and her beauty hadn't faded one bit. She was still lovely. Cause of death is still unknown. Forty-six is too young to be dying.

Stan was a good man and I was happy for him when I discovered he died with friends and family nearby. Everyone should have that.

I will take a moment tonight to remember both Tamara and Stan. They have passed on, but my memory of them remains.

R.I.P.

Higher Edjamacation

Lord, I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. Anyway, I want to discuss the concept of people with PhD's being smarter than dumb ol' redneck hicks. While those letters (PhD) seem important, trust me when I tell you they are, all too often, a load a steaming fecal matter. I learned a long time ago that just because someone has a degree in this or that, it doesn't necessarily make them smart. It just means they had the money to make them look a little smarter by putting PhD behind their names. It's a vanity thing, I reckon. As far as I'm concerned, I think PhD stands for "piled higher and deeper". Having one doesn't make you one bit smarter, prettier or skinnier than you would be without it. It doesn't make your blemishes or bad breath go away, nor any other body odor.

Where am I going with all this? Heck, I don't know. I know that my blog was recently re-scrutinized for its content. While I suppose I am sticking my neck out there for the world to cut at with a blog, it's also a medicinal thing for me. I write this blog because I have friends in far off places that I miss and want to keep up with. They can come here and read what I'm doing and/or thinking. Unfortunately, so can everyone else in the world. Sometimes that's good; sometimes it's bad. All I can say to people reading this blog with a critical eye is this: You have the right to read it. You also have the right not to. If you don't like what you read here, if you find it offensive in any way....GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! You have that right. I also have the right to think and believe whatever I wish. Heartland Security hasn't taken that way...yet. There's something called Freedom of Speech and I'm a big advocate of it. What I do in my free time (which is minimal these days) is my own business. Remember that.

Sermon over.

Back to being a rat bastard.

Another week closer to.....

Once again, you can thank my buddy Wayne Allen Sallee for the picture that graces this entry. He finds some of the coolest pictures.

Anyway, not much new to report, I guess. I had a fun evening with a lovely young lady last Thursday. She's leaving town tomorrow and we wanted to get together and hang out before she left. It was one of the best nights out I've had in eons. She's a sweetheart and I'll miss her dearly, but Portland is beckoning her considerable talents. I wish her well.

Boy, was I tired Friday morning.

But, it was a good kind of tired. A happy kind of tired, if that makes sense. Still, I slept like a rock last night.

Now, on to fictive things. MURDER AT PK'S is in the final proofing phase and being readied to publish. The same will probably happen for the short-short story collection, LIL' FELLERS, in the near future. I've also been editing an old, old, old novel for publication as well. It's entitled PURGATORY and was written in 1987. I'm about half way through that now, too. Another poetry collection (I've been writing a lot of it for some reason lately) will come out by year's end, too. It's entitled GAS STATION ROSE. I hope to start filming THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER in late October/early November. And, if that's not being busy enough, Jim Foerster and I are going to start working on an avant garde spoken word album this fall, too. No set title for that yet, but I've been writing some experimental pieces for it. Think William S. Burrough's SPARE ASS ANNIE written by a redneck and you're in the territory of where that'll take you. Actually, what inspired the notion of a spoken word cd was William Shatner's HAS BEEN cd. I get a lot of laughs from people when I say it's one of my favorite cds from last year, but it's the truth. I highly recommend checking it out. It's all about old age and death and Shatner really does have an amazing sense of humor.

Anyway, hope everyone is fine. Sorry I haven't been posting more regularly....but I've been busy.

Take care, friends.
Roger

47

Well, Yesterday was my 47th birthday. I never thought I'd get this old, to be honest. My father died at the ripe old age of 50 and I'm a bit scared about that myself. But, I'm trying to put the past behind me. It's a tough thing for me to do. I'm old and set in my ways, and I did love my wife very, very much. I had the displeasure of being near her for a couple of hours yesterday and it made me realize just how much I didn't know the woman. It's strange. She has laid in my arms and told me she loved me. Now, it's like I'm talking to a complete stranger. Of course, I know that I'm better off without her. She brought nothing but lies and deceit into my home, and treated me like a second-class human being in that home. But, I did love the woman. There will always be a part of me that loves her, but I am trying to seal that part of my heart away and move on. She doesn't care. All I can do is remember the good times and hope a good woman presents herself to me soon. I will try to work on that in the coming months.

I have the final proof of MURDER AT PK'S circulating right at the moment. I found a few logical errors (minor ones, really....you can't write a book over the course of a year without those!), and am fixing them. Brad Moore is doing the cover.Hopefully, the book will be out there sometime in September. We'll see.

Hey, if you're on myspace, check me out (www.myspace.com/rogerdaletrexler). Some of my friends are pretty cool.

later,
Roger

Big shoulders

It's true....I have big shoulders and, a lot of the time, people want me to carry the weight for them. That's fine, I guess. That's what life is about. But, once in a while, it would be nice if someone would carry some of the burden for me. Man, it seems like everyone wants me to do this or that for them, but they don't want to return the favor. In a lot of ways, that's the reason I'm divorced. My wife wanted me to carry the burden for her, but she didn't want to return the favor. Got into a bit of a fight earlier with her. Part of me feels bad about what was said; the other part knows that what I said was true and from the heart. Basically, she wanted me to do something for her tomorrow morning and gave me notice at 9 p.m. Arrrgghhhhh! And she has the audacity to call me an idiot. Of course, I guess I must be. I agreed. It involved our children and I didn't want to let them down. She knows that about me and, boy, does she abuse it.

I guess what I'm saying here is this: it's fine to ask someone to carry the weight from time to time as long as you're willing to reciprocate the favor. Anything else is just being a turdball of a human being. And, just because someone is willing to help you in a pinch doesn't give you the right to abuse it.

Words of wisdom from your friendly author.

More later, Roger

Another new story

I should have another new short (very short) story going up online today. It's an online contest I've participated in three times before. You write a 250 word story based on the picture provided. It's always interesting and a challenge to see if you can write something coherent in 250 words. This time, I played on my own search for the perfect woman. She's out there, I know. Check out the story at www.clarityofnight.blogspot.com

The story is called "Chameleon".

I hope you enjoy it.

Roger