Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher MooreIn honor of Columbus Day, a quote from a Christopher. Not much I liked from this book, but this one sentence spoke to me. I’d be proud to have this sentence in any novel I wrote.p. 39. He put his big paw on my shoulder and rubbed, leaving a dusty circle of affection on my shirt.

In 2007 I read the entire L’Amour Sackett canon, all 19 books, as research for a writing project which got back-burnered in 2008. To give you an idea of how unorthodox this project is, I also read the entire Wodehouse Jeeves canon, all 19 books, for the same project. That’s 38 books I read for a single project which got as far as the middle of Draft 2 before being shelved. The moral lesson for wanabe writers is left as an exercise to the reader.That being said, as I read I collected quotable lines as fodder for a character in my project. Here they are. The Sackett Brand evidently was particularly good ground for gleaning said quotes.“See her, Sakim?” I said, half-turning. “That is why I dream.” “I see, I do indeed. But she is not to dream about, my friend, she is the dream!” –Barnabas Sackett in Sackett’s Land, Ch 12. . . then I was through the curtains and found myself facing a burley fellow with more confidence than is usually permitted a man. – Kin Sackett in The Warrior’s Path, Ch 13. . . judging by the size of his stomach, he was a very important man. –Echo Sackett in Ride the River, Ch 4“How many are there? Of the Sacketts, I mean?” “Nobody rightly knows, but even one Sackett is quite a few.” –Echo Sackett in Ride the River, Ch 19. . . who, judging by disposition, was sired out of a Missouri mule by a mountain lion with a sore tooth. –Tyrel Sackett in The Daybreakers, Ch7“Boys,” Pa used to say, “avoid conflict and trouble, for enough of it fetches to a man without his asking, but if you are attacked, smite them hip and thigh.” Pa was a great man for Bible speaking, but I never could see a mite of sense in striking them hip and thigh. When I had to smite them I did it on the chin or in the belly. –Tell Sackett in Sackett“You have been led upon evil ways, “I explained, “and the way of the transgressor is hard.” –Tell Sackett about to correct a wrongdoer in SackettDrusilla looked slim and pretty as a three-month-old fawn. –Tell Sackett in SackettIf he was killed I was going up to that town and read them from the Book. –Tell Sackett in SackettShe was medium tall, with a way about her that set a man to thinking thoughts best kept to himself. –Tell Sackett in Mojave CrossingShe was beautiful . . . taller than most girls . . . and shaped like music. –Nolan Sackett in Mustang ManHe’d fight anything at the drop of a hat; he’d even drop it himself. –Nolan Sackett in The Sackett BrandI’d tackle hell with a bucket of water. –Tell Sacket in The Sackett BrandShe was little but she was doing her share where it counted, judging by the way she shaped out her clothes. –Tell Sackett in The Sackett BrandOver half the country stood on end, and it was crags and boulders, brush and fallen trees. – Tell Sackett in The Sackett BrandShe was young, all right, maybe not more than 17 or 18, but there was a kind of wise look about her eyes that made me think that, girl-wise, she’d been up the creek and over the mountain. –Tell Sackett in The Sackett BrandThe men who hung out there were hard cases, men with the bark on. There were men who came into that place so rough they wore their clothes out from the inside first. – Tell Sackett in The Sackett BrandI wanted a horse whose color would fade into the country, not one that would stand out like a red nose at a teetotal picnic. –Tell Sackett in The Sackett BrandMany a time a man with whiskey in him is apt to talk too much, and suddenly realize he wished he was somewhere else. –Tell Sackett in The Sackett Brand It was rare to find two such beautiful girls in one area. Yet, on second thought, that wasn’t unusual in Texas, where beautiful girls just seemed to happen in the most unexpected places. –Milo Talon in The Man from the Broken Hills, p 144-145

From Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo:Thompson: I’ve never recorded anything piece by piece. I’ve always recorded as much as possible live. To try to get something at once. And to record as fast as possible. We usually only take a couple of takes on any particular track. Two takes, three takes.Zollo: Your tracks always have the energy of a live performance. Are you singing and playing guitar live as well?Thompson: Yes. Sometimes we’l fix the vocals later. But I’m actually out there doing it.Zollo: You do the guitar solos live?Thompson: Yes.Zollo: You said recording fast is part of the approach?Thompson: The approach is to have fun. In the recording process. And not make it a job or a chore. Or a perfect thing. We’ll leave perfection to God. So we try to keep that spark and really have a good time doing it. I think there are people who can spend a long time making records and do it bit by bit and make it sound exciting and spontaneous. And that’s a kind of gift. And I really don’t have that.