Been over a year since I last posted. No excuses. None. I plan on getting things going again beginning with this post. Gonna spit out this and that revolving around both my writing and musical activities. Sort of just updating what's happening with me and around me as things pop into my head. I'll plan to keep posts short and sweet. Once upon a time blogs were 'the thing' but it seems that Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram platforms have eclipsed this format and those social media formats slap updates out short, sharp and to the point.
I begin with mentioning that I lost my website domain due to my credit card going out of date. I update my payment, but somehow that fell through the cracks. Didn't know it was gone until a fellow author told me when he pulled it up that all he saw was some random Vietnamese writing. I was told after three months that the domain may be available again. I typed in rickybushbooks and it looked like I was back in business because my website re-appeared. Then I saw that the URL read-http://rickybushbookscom.coffeecup.com Made no sense, but I haven't researched into the why and what. So since it is my website I leave things be for now.
On the book writing end of things I'm 55,000 words into my latest novel. This one has been pretty much similar to rolling a big rock up a hill. It'll roll back down and I'll roll it up again. There is a light at the end of the gopher tunnel. My first three books were published my Barking Rain Press and the last one by Fahrenheit Press. They've both done well by me. The latter focuses on crime stories.
I've mentioned playing harmonica with Rob Moorman and Company. He's kept us darned busy with booking around the town of Brenham which has several more great venues available than when I started playing with him eight years ago. We are a lot better now and Rob's made me a better harp player. We draw well enough that venues re-book us. I'll mention more in future posts. I don't think I mentioned that I bought a 68 Custom Princeton Reverb amp for gigs that need a bit more volume. I'll discuss it at some point.
I did mention before that I'm more or less done with reviewing recordings. I loved writing those, but it just takes too much time to do it right. I will let readers know about new blues that I've purchased, which is quite a few since I last mentioned such.
I'll wrap up by saying that I took my daughter and her best friend to see ZZ Top courtesy of a fantastic brother-n-law's third row tickets at the Cynthia Mitchell Pavilion. Cheap Trick and Bad Company opened and the show was stupendous. Tonight I'm taking my wife to listen to David Lee Holt at the 4 Star Concert venue here. He's Joe Ely's guitar player and slings strings with Tommy Shannon's Blues Band. Back in the day, he joined Shannon, Chris Layton, Malford Milligan and David Grissom in forming the critically acclaimed Storyville. Speedy Sparks, of Doug Sahm's band, will join him on bass. Should be a helluva show.--'Nuff for Now.
Showing posts with label Barking Rain Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barking Rain Press. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Thursday, April 27, 2017
The Oaxacan Kid Goes Live
The Oaxacan Kid hit the Amazon market this past Friday (4/21/17) in e-book format and the paperback version should pop up very soon. Go grab one or the other or both or borrow it from someone who does. I just want it in the hands of readers and I do believe that anyone reading this blog post will find it an enjoyable tale. Leave some feed back here or on Amazon and let me know whether it sucked or rocked or fell somewhere in between.
I have no idea if my crime fighting bluesmen series ran its course or not. It was not an easy decision to leave the adventures of Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden (my two blues harp blowing protagonists in River Bottom Blues, The Devil's Blues and Howling Mountain Blues) behind and move forward with a stand alone story. Those two characters have been a part of my life for some time now and I'm quite sure that they will re-emerge somewhere down the line. One of the reasons for the move was to attempt to attract an agent this time around and the word seems to be that it's very difficult to get an agent to bite on the fourth book in a series.
Querying the stand alone to agents proved as frustrating as my first attempt with my first book, so I decided just to go back to small press mode. I felt quite sure that my publisher, Barking Rain Press, would agree to a deal, but as I said in the last post, I felt a need to shake things up by submitting to pubs which aimed at the crime fiction market. I researched several such pubs and sent The Oaxacan Kid out on it's mission. Chris McVeigh, chief wrangler of Fahrenheit Press, jumped on the tale first and with enthusiasm, so I wasted no time hopping on board his train. He wasted no time getting my book on the market, so here we go. Sad thing is that two of the pubs I submitted to, and thought highly about, went belly-up. That's another reason I'm beholding to Mr. McVeigh for having faith in my work and making an offer. I been left hanging before when a press folded.
So...I am certainly excited to have a book back out there for my readers to enjoy. Mitty and Pete aren't riding along, but I do think that what Foster Cane gets himself is quite an adventure. Go ahead. Get it. 'Nuff said.
I have no idea if my crime fighting bluesmen series ran its course or not. It was not an easy decision to leave the adventures of Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden (my two blues harp blowing protagonists in River Bottom Blues, The Devil's Blues and Howling Mountain Blues) behind and move forward with a stand alone story. Those two characters have been a part of my life for some time now and I'm quite sure that they will re-emerge somewhere down the line. One of the reasons for the move was to attempt to attract an agent this time around and the word seems to be that it's very difficult to get an agent to bite on the fourth book in a series.
Querying the stand alone to agents proved as frustrating as my first attempt with my first book, so I decided just to go back to small press mode. I felt quite sure that my publisher, Barking Rain Press, would agree to a deal, but as I said in the last post, I felt a need to shake things up by submitting to pubs which aimed at the crime fiction market. I researched several such pubs and sent The Oaxacan Kid out on it's mission. Chris McVeigh, chief wrangler of Fahrenheit Press, jumped on the tale first and with enthusiasm, so I wasted no time hopping on board his train. He wasted no time getting my book on the market, so here we go. Sad thing is that two of the pubs I submitted to, and thought highly about, went belly-up. That's another reason I'm beholding to Mr. McVeigh for having faith in my work and making an offer. I been left hanging before when a press folded.
So...I am certainly excited to have a book back out there for my readers to enjoy. Mitty and Pete aren't riding along, but I do think that what Foster Cane gets himself is quite an adventure. Go ahead. Get it. 'Nuff said.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Howling Mountain Blues
Here's the cover reveal for the latest adventures of my crime fighting bluesmen, Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden. This time blues and trouble find them in Belize. Barking Rain Press cover design artist, Stephanie Flint, did a great job interpreting the book.
Head over to my publisher's website for a synopsis of what's in store for them:
http://www.barkingrainpress.org/dd-product/howling-mountain-blues/
Barking Rain Press also offers a FREE four chapter preview here: http://www.barkingrainpress.org/howling-mountain-blues-free-preview/
Monday, February 11, 2013
THE DEVIL'S BLUES is LIVE
Those crime fighting bluesmen, Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden are officially back in action in The Devil's Blues which popped up on Amazon this weekend. The book is the second in my series featuring these two blues harp musicians. Once again, they lay their Marine Bands down long enough to rid the world of a bit more of the evil that finds a way to cross their paths. This time out they are trying to clear the name of a good friend accused of blowing up the congregation of his church and end up in the sights of a wicked paramilitary group aimed at bringing Christianity to its knees.
The Devil's Blues is available in paperback at Amazon and will roll out on Barnes and Noble and a dozen other sites over the next couple of months. It'll also be offered in all the possible eBook formats. The publisher, Barking Rain Press, has eBooks available now, and they also offer a FREE PDF preview of the first four chapters.
Once I receive a stash of books, then I'll sell signed copies from here. There will be a "buy now" button in the sidebar, similar to what exists for the predecessor, River Bottom Blues. I dang sure appreciate those of you who ordered that one and will dang sure appreciate being able to fulfill orders for the new adventure. Anyone who still needs a signed copy of River Bottom Blues, it is certainly still available and provides a significant amount of background on the protagonists, but The Devil's Blues stands alone as a story quite well. If Mitty and Pete are your kind of guys, then help me get the word out.
I'll supply updates as the book reaches more retailers. In the meantime, I'll get another round of CD reviews up and rolling here on the blog. Thanks so much for tuning in...and stay tuned. 'Nuff for now.
Friday, January 18, 2013
THE DEVIL'S BLUES PLAYLIST
Just finished up the review of the galley proofs of The Devil's Blues in order to catch the last bits and pieces of any stray typos remaining. Thankfully, there were very few. This also means that publication of the second round of adventures of those crime fighting bluesmen, Mitty and Pete, is soon to follow.
My Barking Rain Press editor, Ti Locke, came up with the idea to include a playlist of youtube vids of all the music that Mitty and Pete play or mention in the book. She tracked down these versions and they'll be clickable in the eBook format. Cool idea. Here's the playlist that can be checked out now. The numbers indicate the chapters in which the songs appear.
Ricky Bush has provided this chapter-by-chapter playlist to go along with reading The Devil's Blues. Just click on each song title to hear the song at YouTube.
Chapter
Title
Artist
2
She Moves Me
Muddy Waters
4
Early in the Morning ('bout the Break of Day)
Sonny Boy Williamson II
10
Bring it on Home
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Precious Lord Take My Hand
Thomas Dorsey with Mahalia Jackson
A Change is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke with Otis Redding
I Shall be Released
Bob Dylan
15
Off the Wall
Little Walter
Fields of Gold
Eva Cassidy
Born Under a Bad Sign
Albert King
Baby Please Don't Go
Big Joe Williams
21
Death Letter Blues
Eddie "Son" House
23
The Creeper
James Cotton
Roller Coaster
Little Walter
25
Walter's Boogie
Big Walter Horton
26
Santa’s Messin’ With The Kid
Eddie C. Campbell
Blue Christmas
Elvis Presley
Who's Been Talking
Howlin' Wolf
She Moves Me
Muddy Waters
29
Laundromat Blues
Albert King
31
The Creeper Returns
Little Sonny
38
Spirit in the Sky
Norman Greenbaum
Sympathy for the Devil
Rolling Stones
39
Rollin' & Tumblin'
Muddy Waters
40
Crosscut Saw Blues
Tommy McClennan
My Barking Rain Press editor, Ti Locke, came up with the idea to include a playlist of youtube vids of all the music that Mitty and Pete play or mention in the book. She tracked down these versions and they'll be clickable in the eBook format. Cool idea. Here's the playlist that can be checked out now. The numbers indicate the chapters in which the songs appear.
Playlist
Ricky Bush has provided this chapter-by-chapter playlist to go along with reading The Devil's Blues. Just click on each song title to hear the song at YouTube.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Devil's Blues Cover
My publisher revealed the cover for The Devil's Blues, so I'll reveal it here.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
River Bottom Blues Half Price Sale
The one year anniversary of my publisher, Barking Rain Press, is cause for celebration. They are doing so by offering all their eBooks at 50% off, which means the eBook version of River Bottom Blues can be had for $2.99. Visit their site http://www.barkingrainpress.org and type in the code BRP1YEAR at checkout for the bargain price.
I've been really pleased with the growth and progress Barking Rain Press has made over the past year under the leadership of publisher, Sheri Gormley. They've acquired the works of excellent authors, added staff members, and significantly increased their profile on the publishing scene since I signed with them. Once my capable editor, Ti Locke and I finish the final round of edits and put the shine on The Devil's Blues, it just may make a release date prior to Thanksgiving. I just got a gander at the marvelous cover work supplied by staff artist Stephanie Flint. Can wait to show it off. Of course, I'll shout it out here.
In the meantime, be sure to get the first in the Mitty Andersen/Pete Bolden series by taking advantage of the 1/2 price eBook deal. Of course, a signed trade paperback can still be ordered by clicking the "Buy Now" button in the sidebar of the blog here. By the way, Amazon and B&N are offering the $2.99 deal also. 'Nuff blatant self promotion for now.
P.S.---Just found out from my publisher that the print version is 50% off also.
I've been really pleased with the growth and progress Barking Rain Press has made over the past year under the leadership of publisher, Sheri Gormley. They've acquired the works of excellent authors, added staff members, and significantly increased their profile on the publishing scene since I signed with them. Once my capable editor, Ti Locke and I finish the final round of edits and put the shine on The Devil's Blues, it just may make a release date prior to Thanksgiving. I just got a gander at the marvelous cover work supplied by staff artist Stephanie Flint. Can wait to show it off. Of course, I'll shout it out here.
In the meantime, be sure to get the first in the Mitty Andersen/Pete Bolden series by taking advantage of the 1/2 price eBook deal. Of course, a signed trade paperback can still be ordered by clicking the "Buy Now" button in the sidebar of the blog here. By the way, Amazon and B&N are offering the $2.99 deal also. 'Nuff blatant self promotion for now.
P.S.---Just found out from my publisher that the print version is 50% off also.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Devil's Blues
Just a quick, but important, announcement regarding the further adventures of the blues slinging, crime fighting duo of Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden. The Devil's Blues has officially replaced Soldiers of Satan as the title of my new thriller, due out from Barking Rain Press in the Fall of 2012. Stay tuned.
By the way, I'm getting some nice feedback from those in the blues community who have read River Bottom Blues. Their comments mean the world to me. So maybe I got it right. Grab a copy and let me know.
By the way, I'm getting some nice feedback from those in the blues community who have read River Bottom Blues. Their comments mean the world to me. So maybe I got it right. Grab a copy and let me know.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Yo-Yo Blues
Yeah, that's it. I'm going to subtitle my crime novel, River Bottom Blues, with Yo-Yo Blues. It just fits what's been going on with this book. I could have posted the info that I'm going to reveal here today a couple of weeks ago, but I'm getting a little gun shy touting the novel. Now, I'm tempted to say that I've just signed my third book contract within a little more than a year. Those that haven't read the blog, or could care less about my novel ideas, would think that I'm quite prolific. At some point, though, I'd have to explain that the contract is indeed for the same River Bottom Blues for which I signed two previous contracts.
In my last post on this subject, I lamented that my second publisher for the book quit publishing in October, after my first publisher folded up shop in March. Somewhere along the way, I mentioned just how enthusiastic both publishing houses were with my crime novel and its blues element and how pleased I was that they were excited about my tale. So, originally the book was set for an October 2011 release by the first press and I went about shouting out into cyberspace, handing out business cards, and telling friends and family to look for it then. Then, the publisher's partners quit partnering so well and they all parted ways. Then, my second publisher promised an April 2012 release and I blasted that news around, until their demise forced me to say: "nevermind".
Okay, to cut to the chase, River Bottom Blues has been acquired by Barking Rain Press and being run by one of the partners associated with the first publisher and who has plans to get things done right. My previous editor is also on board, so extensive edits aren't needed and it could hit the market by Christmas. They are as excited about getting my book on the market as they were the first time, so I'm looking forward to the relationship there. 'Nuff for now.
In my last post on this subject, I lamented that my second publisher for the book quit publishing in October, after my first publisher folded up shop in March. Somewhere along the way, I mentioned just how enthusiastic both publishing houses were with my crime novel and its blues element and how pleased I was that they were excited about my tale. So, originally the book was set for an October 2011 release by the first press and I went about shouting out into cyberspace, handing out business cards, and telling friends and family to look for it then. Then, the publisher's partners quit partnering so well and they all parted ways. Then, my second publisher promised an April 2012 release and I blasted that news around, until their demise forced me to say: "nevermind".
Okay, to cut to the chase, River Bottom Blues has been acquired by Barking Rain Press and being run by one of the partners associated with the first publisher and who has plans to get things done right. My previous editor is also on board, so extensive edits aren't needed and it could hit the market by Christmas. They are as excited about getting my book on the market as they were the first time, so I'm looking forward to the relationship there. 'Nuff for now.
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