Little Dog in the Sun

Watercolor by Jon Fuchs
From "Little Dog in the Sun"

A new project has reached its fruition. It is a "grown up/kid" book that I wrote about a year ago, titled Little Dog In The Sun.  It is the true story of how a little dog helped me get through some rough days when my co-author/best friend Maggie McHugh passed away unexpectedly.
I wrote the story a year ago & wasn't sure that anything would come of it. Shortly thereafter I met a talented artist from Evansville, Jon Fuchs. His art was very peaceful & poetic, the exact blend I was envisioning after I wrote the story. We talked about the project & eventually decided to collaborate. The story & illustrations are complete & the next step is sending the book to print. There are many to thank for helping with the project, but today I have to thank Julie Reynolds for completing the book design & Nicole Michael for editing!
 
We are asking for your help! We decided to create a Kickstarter project to raise the funds to print the book. If you aren't familiar with the program, read my notes below.

By Jon Fuchs
From "Little Dog in the Sun"

If you go to the Kickstarter site, you'll see more detail about the book. There are many levels of pledging for you to participate. We tried to create a donation level for all budgets & to reward our backers with a quality item.

Read more about the book & make a pledge here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/517215046/little-dog-in-the-sun?ref=nav_search


If you are able to share this link and/or blog with anyone - that would be a HUGE boost for us!  


 KICKSTARTER 101:

Kickstarter is an online fundraising outlet that artists & entrepreneurs use to raise money to fund their project. It is a very effective tool for getting your dream off the ground.

By Jon Fuchs
From "Little Dog in the Sun"

We chose to use Kickstarter to fund this book project. If the goal is not met in 30 days, the project does not get funded.
That means if you pledged money for the project and we do not raise our goal, you are not charged for your pledge. It provides protection for the donors.
For each donation you get something in return. See the Pledge list on the right side of the project page.
When the book is printed, it will retail for $10.
If you donate $10 to our project through the Kickstarter website, you will receive one of the first copies of the book, signed by Ava, Jon & Lanea, your name printed inside the book on the Kickstarter Backer list & it will be shipped to you free of charge(US only)
Just click on the big GREEN box on the right side of the page.
You do not have to be on Facebook to make a pledge. You can sign in via FB, but if not, you will have to create an account thru Kickstarter. It'll ask for your email address. They'll send you email notifications about this project. You can select the option to not receive other emails (which is what I do)
Then it will take you to the page where you select your pledge amount & pay via Amazon.

Anytime you can share the project with others, it increases the chances of our goal success. Your sharing the project link is just as important as making a pledge!

Thank you for your support of my writing projects. I am always delighted to hear from readers & grateful for my friends, family & new friends I've met over these past years. It's my hope that the story may help others who feel hopeless after the loss of someone special.

Peace & Love,
Lanea Stagg
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
blog:  www.rockblocks3.blogspot.com
radio:  www.blogtalkradio.com/RecipeRecords
Facebook: send friend request to RecipeRecords Cookbook
LIKE the new Facebook fan page:  Little Dog in the Sun
Twitter:  @RecipeRecords
Instagram:  RecipeRecords




Don't forget!   Jude Southerland Kessler will be on my radio show tomorrow at 3:00 pm CST - here's the link (you can listen anytime afterward at this same link)
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2014/09/16/jude-southerland-kessler-featured-speaker-at-beatles-at-the-ridge

This Friday & Saturday -   Beatles at the Ridge!  Liverpool Legends, artists & authors and good ole' fun! I'll be giving a cooking demo "Beatles Brunch" on Saturday morning 10:30-Noon - it's F R E E!
 Read more at:  www.beatlesattheridge.com   #beatlesattheridge



Music Nugget of the Day:

Ava - my 'little dog in the sun'
 

In Recipe Records the 60's Edition, Jackie Wilson was mentioned in a recipe called "Doggin' Around Casserole" (which is a rather strange hotdog recipe :)  Thought it would be perfect to share today! 

My daughter, Abby, introduced me to this song yesterday which mentions Jackie Wilson & it's super crazy cool. I'm certain my daughter has no idea who Jackie Wilson is:

"Jackie & Wilson" by Hozier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSWqxbswQAY

Jude Kessler Featured Author at Beatles At The Ridge

The fine folks in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas have once again organized a dazzling line up for the Beatles at the Ridge Festival next weekend (Sept. 19-20) & it's FREE; operating solely on donations & volunteers.

George Harrison preparing to
board plane in Walnut Ridge-1964

Fifty years ago, The Beatles landed at the Walnut Ridge airport & it caused quite a stir in this little town. An outstanding celebration has been planned for attendees & I highly suggest that you plan the weekend there! Liverpool Legends, the tribute band formed by Louise Harrison (George's sister,) will be performing (did I mention this is
F R E E ?)
Several noted authors will be speaking:  Jude Southerland Kessler, Chuck Gunderson, Kit O'Toole, Anthony Robustelli and myself. There are exquisite artists as well:  Enoch Doyle Jeter, Rande Kessler & Ken Orth.
Read more about the schedule of author/artist events here:
http://www.beatlesattheridge.com/events/beatles-symposium/

Carrie Mae Snapp

Check festival website for all info:
http://www.beatlesattheridge.com/festival-info/


Last year I interviewed fest organizer, Charles Snapp & his sister Carrie Mae (who touched George!)
You can read more about Beatles at the Ridge at my blogpost, published a year ago & it includes the link to Carrie Mae & Charles Snapp's radio interview: http://rockblocks3.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-beatles-at-walnut-ridge.html

Beatles Park in Walnut Ridge
AMAZING Sculpture by Danny West

Making her second appearance at the festival is Jude Southerland Kessler, author of The John Lennon Series. On Friday evening at 7:00 pm, Jude will lead the audience through the "eye of the hurricane," the mad days of Beatlemania leading up to the August & September 1964 tour.  It will be an exciting program not to be missed! Chuck Gunderson will also be presenting on Friday evening & he'll take the audience to each concert venue up until the day they landed in Walnut Ridge. You definitely don't want to miss it!

Jude will be a guest on my radio show this TUESDAY (9/16/14) at 3:00 p.m. CST - tune in live & call Jude with your questions!  If you can't listen live, you can always hear the archived show at the same link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2014/09/16/jude-southerland-kessler-featured-speaker-at-beatles-at-the-ridge

Jude Kessler has become a great friend & we enjoy our passion for writing & sharing our work with readers. I do not know anyone who works as tirelessly as Jude. This dynamo packs more into a day than most can do in a month & I'm not joking. I wanted to ask her a few questions so that you can get to know her better. Of course, I highly recommend the books in her John Lennon Series. The books have been a source of enjoyment for me & my family. I think what I love most about her books is she has the power to take you through John's life as if you were riding along in his pocket. It's magical. Enjoy this interview & please check out her incredible work!

Lanea:  Jude, why have you dedicated the past 30 years to telling John Lennon's story?

Jude:   Ah...the hardest question ever! But the most important one...Well, the answer has many facets.
a) It's all about John.
John (under his mother, Julia's, influence) dreamed up the idea of a band, and it was he who formed the Quarrymen that evolved into The Beatles. So to tell John's story is to tell the entire story of The Beatles. It's his band! He was the first member and for many years, the guiding force in the group. When you tell the story from John's perspective, you get the complete history...from Moment One to Moment End.
b) It's all about my favorite Beatle.
I've been a rabid Lennon fan since I was nine years old, and through the years, nothing about that has changed. BUT I work very hard to tell his story objectively...to give all the facts, even when they aren't pretty. Many people have complained to me that John is, at times, a jerk in the books. Well, the man who served as Head Boy for John's school, Quarry Bank described John as "a salt...and not salt of the earth, but salt in an open wound." That's the evaluation of someone who knew him quite well.I tell John's story like it was and portray John 100 per cent accurately. But that doesn't dismiss the fact that I'm still a fan.
c) It's all about children.
For the last 35 years or so, my husband and I have always had one child or another living with us who (for one reason or another) was either neglected, abused, or in a complicated relationship with his or her parents. John is the child who has lived with us the longest. His childhood and teen years weren't easy, and so many people who Shoulda Been There (the name of Vol. 1 in The John Lennon Series) for John, weren't. I think THAT aspect of his history is important to tell. In his songs, John tells us over and over again that his heart is broken...that he has never had love...that it's NOT loving in which he is most experienced.
That little boy and what happened to him as a result of his childhood deserves our attention. Even if you are not a Beatles' fan, the narrative of "the little child inside the man" will speak to your heart. John's biography is the biography of every child who needs and deserves to be loved.

Lanea:  Who has been the most interesting "character" in the life of John Lennon that you have met/interviewed?

Jude:   The most interesting character (without a doubt) is Bill Harry. Bill is really the unsung hero of The Beatles Story. Without Bill, so many key elements of the story would never have come together.
a) Bill introduced John to his soul mate, Stu Sutcliffe. Had John not met Stu in the wake of Julia's death, John might have drunk himself to death. He was on a path to self-destruction when Stu intervened and pulled John out of a dark and lonely place. Stu inspired John to focus on his college studies. Stu joined The Quarrymen (later Beatles) to make John happy and sacrificed his own wishes for John's. He listened to John and cared about him during a deep, deep depression. Without Bill's connecting these two, history would have been altered.
Stu, by the way, introduced John to the concept of a band as an artistic expression...he saw John's rock'n'roll as John's artistic medium, and he instilled in John the idea that the look of the band, the presentation of the band, and the work of the band was singular...expressive of one's soul. That made The Beatles so very different from ANY other band of that era. They saw themselves as artists.
Without Bill's bringing Stu and John together, The Beatles would have been just a great group of rockers.
b) Bill encouraged John's writing and published it in his MersyBeat publication. He valued John as a writer and promoted that side of him. Later, that blossoms into John's two books: In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works. Bill knew the deeper and more intellectual John and brought that out.
c) Bill listened to John and was his friend during the days of Beatlemania. In 1961-1963 (the era portrayed in Shivering Inside, Vol. 2 in The John Lennon Series), John was overwhelmed by the almost unbearable stress of the press, the crowds, and the daily work routine The Beatles endured as they rose to fame. Never able to rest or to have privacy, John sought consolation by meeting Bill and his wife Virginia late at night at The Blue Angel in Liverpool (when The Beatles were close enough to Liverpool to warrant that). Bill, Virginia, and John talked into the wee hours, and often John poured out his heart about the pressures he was facing. Without Bill as a "safety valve" during that time frame, I don't know how John would have survived.
d) Finally, contrary to popular myth and legend, Bill directed Brian Epstein to The Beatles. Of course, John was well aware of who Brian was because The Beatles went into NEMS looking for records (well, playing records and listening to them for FREE) constantly. But the legend is that Brian had no idea who The Beatles were until Raymond Jones walked into NEMS and requested "My Bonnie."
It's not that simple. Bill has pointed out (quite correctly) that he printed Brian's column and John's poems on the exact same page of MerseyBeat! So it would have been impossible for Brian not to have read John's work. He has also said for years that he had had several conversations with Brian about The Beatles. In late October of 1961, Brian even shared a sherry with Bill, asking Bill what he thought about Brian's going to the Cavern and offering management to the boys. No one has ever given Bill Harry the credit he deserves for sending Brian to see The Beatles on stage. Not even Brian himself.
On top of that, Bill Harry is a rare breed in this world. He is a kind, caring gentleman who knows his Beatles. He is a complete scholar and a respected author in The Beatles World. I give him the nod as my most interesting character...and a great man.

Lanea:  What is the most rewarding element of writing & publishing your books?

Jude:   The single most rewarding part of writing The John Lennon Series for the last 30 years has been getting letters and emails from my readers saying that the books touched their lives in some way. Just knowing that somehow my work helped someone is the real reward. And I think John would like to know that his life continues to help others and to make a difference.
Prime example? A couple of years ago, I got a hand-written letter from a reader in Japan. He was writing me not long after the devastating earthquake that they had experienced. He said, "Every night, over 30 of us gather to listen as I read Shoulda Been There aloud. It takes us away from the tragedy of our world and transports us back to a happier day and time. You are getting us through this earthquake...one night at a time... by candlelight."
Wow!
So many people have written to say that the books were read to sick parents in hospitals...and many teenagers have emailed me to say, "In your book, I finally met someone just like me."
That makes the years and years of research all worth it. And with inspiration like that, I go on!


My website is http://www.johnlennonseries.com
You can read sample chapters for each of the three books there. I would be honored to have you join me on this long journey with John through his life story, told as an historical narrative.



My Music Nugget of the Day:

My daughter introduced me to this song over a year ago & it dawned on me today that I hear a lot of Beatles influence in it... 
I hear John's life in the lyrics, George in ukulele, Ringo in the humor (in the video - see if you catch it ;) and Paul in the hook...

"Riptide" by Vance Joy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ_1HMAGb4k


Peace & Rock & Roll,
Lanea Stagg
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
blog:  www.rockblocks3.blogspot.com
radio:  www.blogtalkradio.com/reciperecords
twitter:  @RecipeRecords
Facebook: send friend request to RecipeRecords Cookbook
Instagram:  RecipeRecords

Have Some Fun Tonight!

There are so many books focusing on The Beatles nowadays & it's difficult to sift through the enormous stack. I found an exquisite set of books that has captured the charm, madness, electricity & mystique that The Beatles embodied during each of their concert tours in the United States.




Author Chuck Gunderson
 

Chuck Gunderson's Some Fun Tonight! is a comprehensive two-volume set that breaks down each tour by city. Every possible event that happened during the shows in each city has been delivered in what is perhaps the most beautiful set I've ever seen. Included in the book are stories about behind-the-scenes negotiations, info on the opening acts, the entourage, the promoters & (most importantly) the fans. 
The book contains an amazing collection of photos & concert memorabilia that Gunderson has collected for a number of years.  


Letter to Congressman Melvin Price (from Some Fun Tonight! with permission from author)

It was exactly 50 years ago today that The Beatles played two shows at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & I took great interest in the chapter about these shows.

Miss Indiana State Fair Cheryl Lee Garrett
(also printed with permission from author)

The stories are completely amusing & well documented, ranging from descriptions of the hotel/motel arrangements & incidents therein, to the great lengths which fans went to acquire tickets to the shows. One persistent female wrote her Congressman & told him she needed tickets badly & that "Since you're a Democrat, I know you will take an interest!"  The State Fairgrounds was the location of two shows that brought significant cash to the City of Indianapolis ($80k+ for 2 shows!) however, the show was so loud that the Dairymen were worried of losing cattle due to fright. Furthermore, during the early morning after the shows, Ringo was unable to sleep & he managed to talk a State Trooper into giving him a trip around Indy. The joy ride went so far as a visit to the Trooper's farmhouse, meeting many fans throughout the hours & giving the Trooper's daughter her first kiss!



From Some Fun Tonight! printed with permission of author

The information in this two- volume set is phenomenal and will leave you wanting more. It is absolutely the BEST Christmas gift you could give & I encourage you to check it out. Gunderson will also be in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas for the Beatles at the Ridge #beatlesattheridge Festival, Sept. 19-20. www.beatlesattheridge.com

More Information on Some Fun Tonight!  www.somefuntonight.com


Tune into the radio show this Friday at 3:00 pm CST. If you were at that show 50 years ago, in Indianapolis, I invite YOU to call in. Chuck would love hearing from you! Listen live at this link or you can listen to the archived show at same link, after its conclusion:   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2014/09/05/chuck-gunderson-is-having-some-fun-tonight


From Some Fun Tonight!
 



(printed with permission from author)

(From Some Fun Tonight!)
 

Thursday Night -- Don't Miss It! 

Kit & Jude
 

THE JOHN LENNON HOUR WITH JUDE SOUTHERLAND KESSLER:  This week's guest, Dr. Kit O'Toole, will take listeners to the land o' Beatles....where she will discuss 5 of the musical sounds created by The Beatles that changed the world. This will be fascinating!


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thejohnlennonhour/2014/09/05/beatles-sounds-that-changed-the-world-with-kit-otoole


My Music Nugget of the Day:
Guaranteed to make ya smile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4gGFk2P854


Peace & Love,
Lanea Stagg
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
blog:  www.rockblocks3.blogspot.com
radio:  www.blogtalkradio.com/reciperecords
Facebook: send friend request RecipeRecords Cookbook
Twitter: @RecipeRecords
Instagram: RecipeRecords