“Yes, but I have an idea. You’ll probably think I lost my dam— That I’ve come up with better ideas, but it’s the only thing I could think of.”
James could hear the priest shift in his seat.
“What, James?”
“I’m not a good man, Father, and my hands are stained with so much blood. You of all people know that, but I can use my strength in a good way by protecting that girl until she gets her wish.”
“Penance can take many forms. In all the chaos and change that Oriceran has brought to our world, we should not doubt that our Lord has a plan for Earth and each of us. I believe this girl is part of his plan for you, James. Part of your penance for your sins.”
James swallowed. “I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. Go with God, James.” Father McCartney slid the grate closed.
James turned to leave, but the grate slid back open.
“James?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s the girl’s wish?” the priest asked.
James chuckled. “God only knows.”
FINIS
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Written April 4, 2018
First, let me say THANK YOU for not only reading this story, but going all the way through to the back here, as well!
I often write these author notes thinking, “Well, everyone knows me, so I’ll just keep writing as if they have read the hundred and some-odd other author notes…”
I’m going to assume you don’t know much about me, and this book is your first Michael Anderle story.
Two and a half years ago, I was just a guy who loved to read. So much that I read over fifty books a year for years and years and… Let’s just say I’m pretty old and leave it there, okay?
Like so many readers, I wanted to write as well and Amazon offered me the chance to be an indie author where I could publish my stories myself.
So I did.
Due to amazing fans, I was allowed the chance to write—and write more and more. Now, I’ve got over thirty of my own books, plus four under a pen name (Michael Todd) and over a hundred collaboration books.
I am learning all the time. One of the things that I heard in late 2016 was about what happens when your series ends and you have to start another one from scratch.
It seems dangerous! I was going to be finishing my Kurtherian Gambit series in just a year, and what was I going to do then? Would fans read anything else by me? Would I go to the dusty Author Corral up in the sky?
I was a little worried, I’ll admit.
The second issue I was having at this time revolved around character burn-out and “bright shiny ideas…” As an author, I usually don’t lack ideas.
This is true for most authors.
The difference between me and a lot of authors is that I am much older, and I know as a reader I don’t WANT my author to start placing a bunch of other stories and series and stuff when he is writing the main story I found him/her writing.
I had at least ten (10) books to go on the Kurtherian Gambit—and I wasn’t going to stop that to create something new—but I didn’t want to have nothing waiting for me when I finished TKG and was allowed a bit of time to go play with something else.
So, I called up Martha Carr and asked her if she wanted to do a series together (The Leira Chronicles).
I said “series,” she heard “Universe,” and the Oriceran Universe was born. (There are WHOLE other stories we can talk about related to how the Universe grew with other amazing authors such as SM Boyce, Sarah Noffke, Abby Lynn Knorr, and Flint Maxwell – check out their stories as well!)
However, my first call to Martha was almost a year ago.
The first book in the Universe came out July 31st, 2017 and I had months and months and books and books to go before I was able to play in this new Universe.
Now you have read the first book in my new series. The first chapter was written about a year ago, but it took a lot of time to get the rest of these stories going.
When I first started writing, I wasn’t sure how well I would do with a male protagonist. It took me some time to mature as an author to create the kind of male protagonists I would want to read. It started with John Grimes in Queen Bitch (and the whole series), and that character would influence James Brownstone.
He’s a kick-ass guy who isn’t afraid to care about others.
The difference is that with James Brownstone, I wanted to have a guy who has a few problems.
John Grimes is damned good-looking. Brownstone has a face only a half-blind dog could love… Or females who can see his inner core, not his external looks.
He isn’t a well-heeled university catch. He isn’t a billionaire or a SEAL or anything like that, for the romance types. He’s a bounty hunter, and he has a few secrets. He doesn’t mistreat women, but he doesn’t understand them, nor will he pander to them or their crazy notions (the lush witch, as an example, or Shay’s demands that he come out of the closet.)
A lot of critics will talk about having a character who needs to grow; to slowly gain their powers. However, I suggest that growing in ass-kicking skill is not the only way to engage a character arc.
I suggest you might have a good guy, who likes life simple. Then, throw in two females, one a multi-racial teenager whose mom comes from another world, and an adult female ex-killer trying to go straight who has a few hangups of her own.
Life just keeps getting more and more complicated for James Brownstone, having neither mother nor father in his life, who is trying his best to be a good father figure for a young girl.
A role life NEVER set him up to know anything about.
Jessie Rae’s
When I create stories, I start with the characters…for the most part. I want at least two (my preference is three) characters where I know just enough about them that I can see where the character conflict occurs.
Hopefully, with a lot of opportunity for fun.
For Brownstone, I did something VERY straightforward and very male in my neck of the woods (I’m Texan by birth)—the man loves his barbeque.
He eats barbeque…and sleeps it, and breathes in the nectar of the smoke every chance he gets. If he isn’t kicking ass, he is thinking about barbeque, or eating it.
The problem isn’t that I don’t know anything about barbeque; far from it. Rather, I know enough that I absolutely know that I don’t know enough!
So, what’s an author to do? GET HELP!
Here in Vegas, where we are domiciling for now, the only barbeque places I knew were in Casinos. That wasn’t the type of knowledge I wanted. I wanted someone who would know barbeque like James did. Someone he could chat with, and get down and discuss the fine nuances of different styles.
I happened to get on Yelp one morning when I was overwhelmed by a NEED to eat some barbeque. After looking at the different reviews, I chose to check out Jessie Rae’s across the 15 from Mandalay Bay.
Now, I live on the Strip not that far from Mandalay Bay, so It was easy enough for me to head south and then jump across the freeway to find the place.
It’s small. In fact, we couldn’t hold an event there for more than thirty people, I’d bet ya. They have their barbeque pits out back, not inside running on gas like many of the chain locations.
I was working at the restaurant—working out the beats for this book—and I worked up the courage to ask the guy (young guy) who seemed to be the owner if he would consider helping me by becoming a consultant on this book.
Fortunately Mike LOVES books, and thought being included in one in whatever form or fashion I contrived would be fantastic!
It was a LOT of weeks between that first meeting and now when we are about to publish the book I spoke to him about so long ago.
I have gone back to Jessie Rae’s quite a few times (the food is damned good, and the #GodSauce is fantastic…but I digress), and I saw Mike maybe every other trip. He was doing the delivery driving one time, taking orders another, back in the k
itchen on a third trip, and so on. I’ve met his mom working there, and I think I saw/met his wife, but I’m not positive (she is the “Jessie Rae” the place is named after.)
Personally, I LOVE to put real people into my stories, and places that fans, if they want to, can visit. Now, I learned a lot from things I did in The Kurtherian Gambit and I’m amping up the coolness factor (for me, anyway) by inviting Mike to provide his own form of Author Notes.
Because, who doesn’t want to know about barbeque?
So, I’ll end by saying THANK YOU so freaking much for reading Brownstone. I hope you join us for the second book, Rejected by Heaven, which is coming out in just two (2) weeks. Continue turning the pages here to see what Mike has to say about his story…and barbeque.
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
BBQ Notes - Mike Ross
Written April 5, 2018
Michael Anderle here. I know you will find this difficult to believe, but Mike Ross of Jessie Rae’s BBQ thinks of himself more as a man of meat and less a man of the pen.
(Or typewriter, word processor…you get the idea.)
So I sent him a few questions, and here are his answers to three of them. (I’ll get that recipe out of him by the next book…I hope. Getting recipes for anything out of cooks can be such a challenge. I’m not asking for a personal recipe they USE in the restaurant, just one that he thinks is good.)
Check in at the back of the next Brownstone book, Rejected by Heaven, to see if I’m successful!
QUESTIONS:
Michael: what are your thoughts about your (Jessie Rae’s) involvement in The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone series?
Mike R: I am humbled to be a part of something that will honestly go down in history. Being a part of a book/novel/series is something one dreams about if you love books and reading. And I (well, Jessie Rae’s BBQ) has been lucky enough to be chosen to live that dream.
Michael: I know from talking with your mom—I was there for lunch and she was minding the store—that she encouraged a love of books, and you took that up from a pretty early age. However, starting a business is hard, tough, and takes a lot of hours. How do you get your fix in now?
Mike R: “Books on tape” is one of the greatest inventions. While I’m a very busy guy, I STILL love books, and I just don’t get enough…bathroom time like I did in the past (Ha-ha).
Being able to just press Play and pop the headphones on while smoking our meats or driving to our next catering event has been awesome!
Between my wife and me we have three Audible accounts, so we can always have the latest book that month!
Michael: Why did you name it after your wife, and is her name Jessie Rae?
Mike R: My wife’s full name is “Jessica Rae,” “Jessie Rae” for short. She is the backbone of the business, and why I’m involved in BBQ in the first place.
She supported my "silly barbeque hobby" from day one.
She bought me my first smoker, and was also my partner in the creation of our award-winning barbeque sauce.
So after our first competition, where we placed well in some meat categories and won second place for Best BBQ Sauce in Nevada, I got the nerve to smoke for some friends and family and they loved it.
A short time after this, a friend of the family loaned us some startup money and we found the little dive we are in now, (it has doubled in size since we got it), and from there business just took off!
Two years later, we are still going strong. We're in a book, for crying out loud! I would have to say we've made it!
Michael again… Okay, that’s all I could get out of Mike Ross for this book. However, I’m going to SACRIFICE myself by taking my body back to Jessie Rae’s and eating barbeque just so I can corner Mike about the recipe for the next book.
If I fail on the first attempt, I shall go BACK for another lunch and do it all again.
Never let it be said that I’m not willing to eat the extra mile for my fans!
Recipes From The Fans
Written April 5, 2018
So, I’ve got to pin down Mike Ross next time I eat at Jessie Rae’s for a recipe (I know, it’s my sacrifice.)
HOWEVER, in my moment of need, the FANS CAME THROUGH!
Fortunately, just enough of you did the job. So, I’m adding every recipe that didn’t link somewhere (I can’t add those) that I found before I finished this document and sent it to Stephen Campbell (Zen Master Walking™).
THANK YOU ALL!
Michael Anderle
Morgan Walczak (Permission Granted!)
My family uses this on pork butts, but whatever we have left we freeze for later.
Ready? (Ma said its ok to share this family secret!)
4 cups Dr Pepper
4 cups ketchup
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 oz black pepper
6 oz onion powder
4 oz garlic powder
4 oz cayenne pepper
4 cups honey
2 cups Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup corn starch for thickness
Enjoy. (It is yummy as hell!)
Mix it all except cornstarch and simmer for thirty minutes. Add cornstarch mixed with a little water and cook until thickened.
Mary Gustafson (BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs – Slow Cooked!)
My mom used to make this when short ribs were cheap and a good solution when feeding six hungry teenagers. It is the whole recipe, not just the sauce. Hope it fits here (it does!)
Feeds 6 to 8
5Pounds country style pork ribs
3Tbl BBQ rub – Pick your favorite (optional)
1cup Catsup
1cup Cider vinegar
3Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2Tbl Brown Sugar
2Cloves garlic - minced
¼tsp hot pepper sauce
Water as needed – (½ cup generally.)
Rub the ribs with the rub. Grill over hot coals for 4-5 minutes per side. (Or broil them for a few minutes per side.)
Place ribs in a large slow cooker, roaster or covered roasting pan. Combine other ingredients (except water) and pour over the ribs.
Cook at about 275 degrees for 4-5 hours. Add a little water if needed. Rotate the ribs every couple of hours to ensure that they cook evenly.
You can serve this a couple of different ways.
First, merely place the ribs on a platter. Pour the sauce into a separator and let the grease rise to the top. Pour off the grease and serve the sauce with the ribs.
Alternately, let the ribs cool a bit and then pick out the meat, discarding the fat and bones. You may want to pull the meat apart with a couple of forks. Again separate the sauce and pour over the meat. Serve with buns.
You can also make this ahead, cool it overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it to serve on buns.
It keeps well and reheats well, especially if it’s been covered in sauce.
This is great to do when country style pork ribs are on sale. You can use either the bone in or boneless. I prefer the flavor of the bone in.
Karl Fitchey (BEER!)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely diced red onion
½ cup dark beer*
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion, beer, and salt, stir, cover, and cook gently for fifteen minutes, watching carefully and stirring every few minutes so the onion doesn’t stick to the pan. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer away for thirty minutes, stirring every
so often.
2. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce directly in the pot until smooth. (Alternatively, carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and puree until smooth. Be careful when blending hot liquids.)
3. Transfer to a jar, let cool completely, and store in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop.
The BBQ sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.
*Use VERY DARK beer - (I use Mississippi Mud.)
Carol Lynn Lewis Blankenship (A Father’s Love)
One of my fav memories of my Step-father (who I don't consider step) was of him making homemade BBQ Sauce.
He would get in the kitchen and pull out a Bottle of Ketchup (that evil stuff I don't like but is a staple in his BBQ sauce, which I love)
1 onion chopped up fine,
1 clove of garlic minced,
1/2 cup of Brown sugar,
about 1/4th cup of Mustard,
Little Salt and pepper.
He would sauté the onions in oil and drain. Pour in the ketchup (he always de-glazed the pan with the Ketchup, added the mustard salt and pepper and then simmer. The flavor is sweet and tangy. He would add more mustard occasionally.
I used to cry every time he tried to make it as his Alzheimer's got worse.
Mom always tried to make it his way but never got the hang of it (but then again this is the same woman who made HOCKEY pucks for Biscuits! As a kid we literately went outside and used them like pucks one time.)
Feared By Hell: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 1) Page 19