Rikki Tikki Tavi

I spent part of my day off indulging in another childhood memory, watching the cartoon version of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" from the mid 1970's. At the time, I remember being scared for the little mongoose and the family he was protecting from a pair of scheming cobras, and that was the extent of my curiosity. But now, as I watch it again through wizened eyes, I'm interested in finding out how a non-fictitious mongoose tangles with a cobra -- I see he does so quite deftly.



Part 2 | Part 3

David Cranmers Of The World Lead The Way

A craze called "circuit bending" could be about to make a product designer from east London a small fortune. --BBC

BTAP #56 Twelve-Gauge Ticket To Hell By Thomas Faughnan

When I turned around the guy was less than six feet from me, pointing a twelve-gauge shotgun directly at my midsection. He was thirty-something, neatly barbered and well-dressed but a bit disheveled and a little unsteady on his feet. Probably needed a few drinks to screw up his courage. He didn't look particularly adept with the shotgun but from that range he wouldn't need to be. "Did you enjoy it?" he asked with a twisted smile.

Read more of Thomas Faughnan's story here.

Next Week: A golden era pulp fiction writer returns!

BEAT to a PULP Print Anthology Deadline

We are thrilled to have a line-up of stellar contributors for our upcoming anthology provisionally titled BEAT to a PULP: Round 1. Charles Ardai, James Reasoner, Paul S. Powers, Bill Crider, Sophie Littlefield, Patricia Abbott, Robert J. Randisi and more have gifted us with content. Of course we also have works from emerging talent, some of whom will be debuting in print for the first time alongside the luminous and legendary.

SUBMISSIONS ARE STILL OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 31ST. There are still a handful of slots left. We could use a good pirate yarn or an Indiana Jones style adventure. So polish those shorts up and send them in. And remember, even if your story doesn’t make the anthology, it also has a chance at the BTAP e-zine. Let us hear from you!

Cash Laramie And The Masked Devil Review

Over at Davy Crockett's Almanack, Evan Lewis has a review of "Cash Laramie and the Masked Devil."

Henry Berry Lowrie

I was at sea for nearly a month last November…on a ship…rocking…constantly. “Rocking” doesn’t really describe it well enough, so feel free to use (courtesy of thesaurus.com) teetering, wobbling, reeling, staggering, shaking, swaying, wavering, lurching, or weaving. Point being it sucked because it made reading and working on my great American novel damn near impossible. Which meant there was plenty of time for storytelling while enjoying a cigar and a drink. One of my colleagues happens to be of Native American descent (our third man disputed this to me later, claiming, “Hairiest Indian I’ve ever seen.” I may have doubted it myself—not for the same reason as the very un-pc comment—but I was in Lumberton, North Carolina a few years ago where I became acquainted with the Lumbee tribe). But I digress. This colleague had good tales to share. Sitting in a circle in a tiny cabin, heads low, turning shades of blue and green, we listened to stories you can't find in books. "All I tell you is oral tradition," he said taking a swig of his drink, adding, "Let the ghosts dance." I took a puff on my cheap Black and Mild cigar sat back and smiled within: this person is a character. He repeatedly used the term “American Indian” which I asked him about, "Hell, you're a native American Dave." He continued on, speaking of ceremonial customs, peace pipes, visions, etc., with spirited delivery and passion for his heritage but whenever he mentioned the name Henry Berry Lowrie, his voice rose up even more. And so did my curiosity. Being unfamiliar with the legend of Lowrie, I listened closely jotting down notes here and there.

When we finally returned to land and once again had access to the Internet (the seagulls have a nice bandwidth free zone out there), I typed in Lowrie and jumped back. The guy on the boat has a strong resemblance to the 19th century outlaw. And the tales? It's unfair, I know, to build up all this stuff I’ve heard and yet not deliver the stories, but many of the yarns spun that seasick evening are available online. Plus, I'm not sure what will become of my hand-scratched notes. Perhaps my fictional Cash Laramie will meet up with the Lumbee legend. Until then here's the Wikipedia article with said photo. And for those of you who like old newspaper articles, here's the October 7, 1871 NY Times with quite a fascinating look at his gang and their "misdeeds."

Additional links:

Legends of North Carolina

The Museum of the Native American Resource Center

Henry Berry Lowrie - Lumbee Regional Development Association, Inc

BTAP #55: Missed Flight by Steve Weddle

We open year two of BEAT to a PULP with a new image for the home page and a riveting, beautifully orchestrated story by Steve Weddle. For those not familiar with Steve, he blogs on the enormously popular DO SOME DAMAGE every Monday along with some other mugs that are well known to BTAP readers. If this is the first you'll be reading his work (it was for me), then I’m very proud we are the ones bringing you MISSED FLIGHT. Enjoy what superb writing is all about.

Next week: You'll be looking down the barrel of Thomas Faughnan’s "Twelve-Gauge Ticket To Hell"

Coming soon: Nik Morton has three letters for you, "HBT"