CC2 (part 1) - Counting Coup

cover art by Davis Creative

Counting Coup?  

What the heck is that?

As you see from the cover above, it is a Native American Indian kind of thing. Here is a definition, according to the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains: Counting Coup

And below is an excellent explanation in this Montana History Minute as the prerequisite of a Chief and ranking within a tribe:

( reference:  https://youtu.be/gdOOlMZpdu4 )

And that gives an insight to the theme of Book 2 of The Commander and Chief series called ...

Counting Coup

Here is a teaser as to what it's all about.

Art by Davis Creative

Dr. Nova Orlovic, known as "the Chief" - she's half-Cheyenne - is on the warpath again. After her team uncovered the inconvenient truth as to how her second husband had died, President Lincoln Todd circles his wagons in major damage control. And it's payback, big time, for the Chief when she's indicted for the murder of her first husband eleven years ago.

Then a tyrant, eager to rebuild his weapons of mass destruction, gives Nova an offer she can't refuse. In exchange for her expertise in nuclear physics, he tempts her with new revelations about both her husbands' deaths, perhaps clearing her name. But by "counting coup" with her enemies on both sides of the ocean, will the Chief lose the Commander, her latest love, as well as unwittingly unleash the dogs of war? 

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The coup stick, Star of David, British and American flags in the image above have meaning in this latest story.

If this has piqued your interest, please feel free to read the book.

Counting Coup, now available:

* Paperback:  CreateSpace

* eBook:   Kindle
                  Nook


And please check out the First Book of the series,

His Tribe of One, now available:

* Paperback:  CreateSpace

* eBook:   Kindle
                  Nook


Latest news at: smithsk.com/cc.htm

Your readership is much appreciated. 

S. K. Smith

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For other posts in His Tribe of One, Book One of the series:

CC (part 1) - The Commander and the Chief: His Tribe of One (2014)

CC (part 2) - Universe in a Glass of Wine  (2014)

CC (part 3) - Happy Bill of Rights Day  (2014)

CC (part 4) - Stories and the Brain (2015)

CC (part 5) - Audie Murphy  (2014)

CC (part 6) - Pavle Orlovic (2015)

CC (part 7) - Buzz Aldrin  (2015) 

 CC (part 8) - Little America (2016)    

CC (part 9) - Buffalo Bill's Wild West (2016)

CC (part 10) - Little Big Man (2016) 

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Photos: art work by Davis Creative

CC (part 7) - Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin/wikipedia.com

Apollo 11 was a watershed mission. It was unique. It would never be repeated to have another first human being walk on an extraterrestrial world.
[For more info:  Apollo 11 Mission Overview ]

In 1969, an estimated 530 viewers watched Neil Armstrong take his first step on the moon:

(reference: https://youtu.be/RMINSD7MmT4 )

And he said these words: "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind"

What about the second man? 

Buzz Aldrin is the man in the spacesuit in the photo at the top of the page. And Neil Armstrong took his picture. His words were most poetic recorded in the clip below:

(reference: https://youtu.be/rtQ051t2dfw )

"Magnificent Desolation"

And that became of title of one of his books: Magnificent  Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon

And speaking of books ....

In the first book of The Commander and the Chief series, His Tribe of One, Chief Nova Orlovic remembers the second man on the moon as well as the first. The following excerpt takes place in the Middle-Eastern desert with Nova, Colonel Jack Sheffield, and Commander Reginald Barrett during their search for Admiral Quinn:

Mid-morning, Jack stopped on the crest of a bluff and surveyed the landscape. “I need to do a recalibration.” He turned on his smart tablet, then connected a cable into the KNOSE.

“Magnificent desolation.” Nova scanned the wilderness—edifices of stone, rising like fortresses, floating on an ocean of pale yellow sand.

“I’ve heard that before. Somewhere.” Reggie skimmed the desert-scape from his backseat window.

Nova turned around. “Buzz Aldrin.”

“Buzz who?” Reggie squinted at her.

“How quickly we forget.” Nova shook her head. “Buzz Aldrin was the second man on the moon…after Neil Armstrong, of course.”

“Right-o.” Jack chimed in. “Admiral Quinn was an astronaut. So you know this ancient history.”

“Doesn’t seem that long ago, though it happened before I was born.” Nova panned the moonscape-like desert. “Yet this place reminds me of the Badlands in the Dakotas, only with sand and stuff.”

Jack said, “So these Badlands look like the moon?”

“In many ways, they do.” Nova returned a fond look. “Actually Jack, parts of Wyoming have been likened to Antarctica.”

from Part 5: The Badlands, Chapter 1: The Backside of the Desert.
[for more info on the book:  smithsk.com/cc.htm ]

To Infinity and beyond ....

Though Neil Armstrong had shunned the limelight and passed away in 2012,  Buzz Aldrin has been more active in popular culture as well as promoting his vision of space.

And he inspired Disney's Toy Story character, Buzz Lightyear. In the clip below, one Buzz coaches another Buzz for a coming shuttle mission to the International Space Station.  [reference: Buzz Aldrin FAQ ]

(reference: https://youtu.be/R5TDbrsq5jI )

To echo the Buzz Lightyear catch phrase, to infinity and beyond,  Buzz Aldrin has a plan to colonise Mars by 2040

To the 21st century ...

In step with the times, Buzz Aldrin is active on social media, such as twitter @TheRealBuzz and Facebook Buzz Aldrin as well as his own website: buzzaldrin.com.

And Buzz created quite a buzz with this cameo on The Big Bang Theory :

(reference: https://youtu.be/OhUjmRsWbzY )

Astronauts are heroes. 

And a very elite subset of them have walked on the moon. 

To find out more about a fictional astronaut hero, Admiral Connor Quinn, please read the book and its coming sequels.

His Tribe of One, now available:

* Paperback:  CreateSpace

* eBook:   Kindle
                  Nook

Your readership is much appreciated.

S. K. Smith

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For other posts in this series:
CC (part 1) - The Commander and the Chief: His Tribe of One (2014)

CC (part 2) - Universe in a Glass of Wine  (2014)

CC (part 3) - Happy Bill of Rights Day  (2014)

CC (part 4) - Stories and the Brain (2015)

CC (part 5) - Audie Murphy  (2014)

CC (part 6) - Pavle Orlovic (2015)

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photo from: Buzz Aldrin/wikipedia.com

Culture 101 (part 10) - Summertime! x 3

Summer field in Belgium

Three faces of Summer

1. The scientific face

Yes, summer solstice officially begins June 21, 2013 in the northern hemisphere.  [reference:  First Day of Summer 2013 Solstice Dates Times Photos]

And for my science loving friends, the reasons for the seasons are well explained in the video clip below:




Now, wasn't that intellectual?

2.  The Romantic and Poetic face:

Solomon knew something about romance and the change of seasons when he penned this -

¹¹ See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
¹² Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

from Song of Solomon 2 (NIV)

3.  The artsy and cultural face

In 1935, what the History Channel calls the first great American opera, Porgy and Bess, premiered on Broadway.  [reference: Porgy and Bess, the first great American opera, premieres on Broadway — History.com This Day in History — 10/10/1935]

One of the memorable numbers from the opera is Summertime, as sung below in  this clip:




Lyrics are here: PORGY AND BESS SUMMERTIME LYRICS


The Mind, Body, and Soul -

Enjoy these three facets of summer!

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Previous posts in the Culture 101 series:

Culture 101 (part 1) - Reagan's Challenge (2012)

Culture 101 (part 2) - Easter Eucatastrophe (2012)

Culture 101 (part 3) - Paul Revere's Ride (2012)

Culture 101 (part 4) - Gold Diggers and the Great Depression (2012)

Culture 101 (part 5) - Blue Bloods and 9/11 (2012)

Culture 101 (part 6) - Gilligan's Island and Breast Cancer Awareness (2012)

Culture 101 (part 7) - Band of Brothers  (2013)

Culture 101 (part 8) - Snow White (2013)

Culture 101 (part 9) - Father Knows Best (2013)

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Photo from:  Wikipedia - Field Hamois Belgium

BTTT (part 2) - Winged Coronet

Do you like historical fiction set during World War Two?  If so, the Winged Coronet by Joe Freitus weaves an engaging yarn during the tensions ramping up to D-Day.

During a storm, Sister Anne Marie, a nursing Daughter of Charity, mysteriously appears and bicycles toward the communities on the French side of the English Channel.  Her official documents indicate her mission is to serve the medical needs of the various seaside denizens, so symbolized by her winged coronet in her pannier.  But her mission almost fails from the start with a nearly fatal roadside accident.

Herr Major Henri Reichert steps in to help the Sisters of Charity after the occupying German forces confiscated or destroyed their previous clinic and housing quarters.  This former German army officer and World War One veteran has opened up his chateaux apartments to Mother Mary Rachael and her latest charge, Sister Anne Marie, who arrives unexpectedly as a casualty.  Herr Major, a man of surprising resources, revives the injured sister as he sees to it she is on the mend so she can work in the local clinic.
 

Meanwhile, the Gestapo watches the resentful civilians for evidence of the French Resistance, including new comer Sister Anne Marie, whom they suspect is on more than just a mission of mercy.  Their suspicion puts the nun in peril, especially when skirmishes with the Allies intensify and radio broadcasts from London babble with coded messages.

So the Winged Coronet unfolds a cloak-and-dagger mystery with a taboo romance between a French nun and former German officer.  The flavor of the English, French, and German accents in the writing makes the characters more distinct and real, while maintaining the balance of a smooth read without distraction.  Simply put, I recommend Winged Coronet as a story that both men and women would enjoy.

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More info:  WINGED CORONET by Joe Freitus



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Other post in this series:

BTTT (part 1) - The Colter Church Conspiracy  (2012)

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Photo from SynergEbooks:  Winged Coronet