The Bullet Stops Here by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Quite a Johnstone misstep. Johnstone editors needed to reign in this writer and have some re-reading of original W.W. Johnstone books. This was more bad pulp novel than typical Johnstone quality fare. ‘Melichus’?

Hard to write there is a plot involved. This is basically a long, MatthewReilly-esque chase book. Except with nearly non-stop fighting, explosions, bloody body parts and plenty of death. Of the 275 Johnstone books I’ve read, this may be the bloodiest I’ve read. There’s really no need to have the repetitive pieces of skull references.

A major complaint I have of this volume is the prevalence of Valley-girl-isms so prominent in today’s vernacular. Not to be heard back then. A lot of this written in the dialogue of Luke Jensen. Luke sounded more a decedent of Reese Witherspoon than Smoke Jensen.
There are a few times when the Luke dialogue swings from Valley-girl to a diatribe more likely heard from a Harvard graduate.

Something odd I noted throughout the book is the excessive use of actions using the letter ‘s’. ‘Stumbled’, ‘scrambled’, ‘swarmed’, ‘scurried’, more ‘stumbled’, ‘stutter-stepped’, etc.

One thing this book does do is move. There is very little of the excesses I find in more recent Johnstone books. Thing, is the character development doesn’t exist, as it does in most all Johnstone books, and I found I really didn’t care whatever happened to whoever.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 2 out of ten points.
Of all the Johnstone books I’ve read, this is one of, maybe, 5 I’ve given such a low rating.

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From last night’s live broadcast.
Made up as I drew, reacting to comments in the chat area.

Kuretake brush pen on sketch paper from Miller Pad and Paper.
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I penciled, inked and digitally colored this piece and others for some products back in 2014.

From last night’s live broadcast.
Made up as I drew. No pencils. Inked on paper.

Kuretake brush pen on sketch paper from Miller Pad and Paper.
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Gave a talk at the Reddick Public Library, in Reddick, Florida, July 12th, 2015, about Florida heroes in history. Great crowd for a small library. Wrapped up with a drawing based on suggestions from the audience members. Friend Natalie Lyons put this together and Linda Ellwood for coming by. One attending is an 88 year old native who pointed out some wonderful historical places and secrets to look at in Reddick.

From last night’s live broadcast.
Made up as I drew, reacting to comments in the chat area.

Among chat subjects, newcomer, James Gilbert brought up wolverines.
Melissa Busby brought up football.
I brought up ice cream, of course!
Thus, a football playing wolverine catching ice cream.

Kuretake brush pen on sketch paper from Miller Pad and Paper.
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16″ x 20″ watercolor painting I finished 6 years ago. It’s part of a collection of some 60 paintings I’ve done for my Swampy’s Florida collection.
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#fLORIDA #mOUNTdORA #Art #Painting #watercolor #Watercolour

Heat of Night by Harry Whittington
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Whittington goes for the melodramatic in this Florida-based fiction. It’s a simple, over-written story that is plopped along Florida’s gulf coast, near Tampa, where Whittington lived. The standard backdrop of a ‘Blow’ tucked into the background to aid the atmosphere. Big developer and Spanish-speaking family added to the most stereotypical story written of Florida in one way or other. I’ve read dozens of these from the late 1800s to present.

In this case, Whittington seems to have been churning a tale out to churn a book out. Despite WHittington’s typical great skill of writing, this book is a step down.

About the Florida part: Far weaker than other Whittington books. He makes up the name of the area as ‘Dead Bay’. He does well capture the fishing village feel. The storm was unneeded and not-well depicted.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.

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I did this bit of artwork for my friends that make up the band, ‘Jane’s Gang’.
A mascot of the lot was a dog named Jane, thus the name. Years go by and Jane died, but the name lives on.

Don’t remember what I inked this with back then.
The colours are via PhotoShop.

Made up as I drew 2 years ago.