Rod Beemer's Blog
July 13, 2017
Author to give presentation Saturday, July 15, 2017, at Westerner’s meeting
From the Kansas Corral of Westerners:
Hello Corral Friends and Guests,
We will have our July Westerner’s meeting on Saturday, July 15th at Abilene, KS. We will eat lunch at the Hitching Post Restaurant, 100 SE 5th Street just south of the Eisenhower Center. We will have lunch in the meeting room at 11:30.
After lunch, Rod Beemer from Minneapolis will do a presentation on his book: Notorious Kansas Bank Heists: Gunslingers to Gangsters.
Our wrangler for this meeting is Erick Wickman so please RSVP to him by either e-mail or phone call: *protected email* | phone: 785.263.7211
Sincerely,
Tom DayKansas Corral Sheriff
The post Author to give presentation Saturday, July 15, 2017, at Westerner’s meeting appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
May 12, 2017
Save 15% when you order SOME MEN JUST NEED KILLING direct from the author
Beemer Books is now offering 15% savings on the paperback edition of Some Men Just Need Killing by Rod Beemer for a limited time. That’s $2.00 off the list price of $12.99 with free shipping and handling. It’s the best new book price deal around – even if you have Amazon Prime.
Furthermore, by ordering direct from the author, you have the option of having your copies signed and personalized. There is never any additional charge and Beemer Books is the only place online you can get autographed books by Rod Beemer.
You save money, get a great read, and help the author by buying direct. So, don’t hesitate and order your copies today.
(Not interested at this time? Then please share this post with someone who may be. Thanks.)
This is a limited time offer from Beemer Books and may be terminated without prior notice. The paperback edition of Some Men Just Need Killing by Rod Beemer is offered at the price of $10.99 USD with free shipping and handling in the Continental United States. Any relevant taxes may apply.
The post Save 15% when you order SOME MEN JUST NEED KILLING direct from the author appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
May 10, 2017
Fort Wallace to commemorate rich history of Northwest Kansas
By ANGIE HAFLICH • MAY 9, 2017 • High Plains Public Radio
The history of northwest Kansas is rich with significance and in July, it will be on full display, as the Fort Wallace Memorial Association hosts a four-day event highlighting the history of the Plains Indian Wars and settlement of the region – an event that is expected to draw as many as 500 historians.
The Indian Wars took place in Wallace County in 1867, when Native Americans fought to keep their way of life during western expansion, a time that Jayne Humphrey Pearce, president of the Wallace Memorial Association, described to the Wichita Eagle as “pivotal not just to the state of Kansas but the nation.”
From July 6 to 9, the Fort Wallace Memorial Association will highlight the region’s historical significance by hosting an 1867 Western History Exposition and symposium that will feature speakers, guided bus tours and history performances, as the well as the grand opening of Fort Wallace Museum’s new exhibit and the unveiling of Jerry Thomas’ life-size bronze statue of scout William Comstock, one of George Armstrong Custer’s favorite scouts.
“1867 was a pivotal year for Fort Wallace because it was the year the fort was coined the ‘fightin’est fort in the west’ amid major battles between natives and soldiers,” said museum designer Valarie Smith. “The fossil of the plesiosaur was also discovered that year.”
A cast of the 40-foot fossil, on display at the Fort Wallace Museum, is a relic of the Western Interior Seaway, which over 87 million years ago, split North America in half. After the sea dried up, fossils of plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, huge turtles, sharks and other prehistoric creatures were left behind.
Smith designed the new addition to the Fort Wallace Museum, which features six facades from Fort Wallace, 10 facades of a lifelike indoor old town and a stagecoach.
A video about Fort Wallace, produced by Smith, can be viewed here.
1867 Exposition, July 6 to 9 at Fort Wallace Museum, 2655 Highway 40, Wallace, KS
Schedule of events:
*July 6 — Guided bus tour of the Western Vistas Historic Byway with stops in Oakley, Russell Springs, Historic Scott Lake, and the El Quartelejo Museum/Jerry Thomas Gallery in Scott City.
*July 7 — Symposium scholars include: John Monnett (The Year 1867), Chris Gabel (Railroads), Rod Beemer (Army Scouts), Mike Everhart (Kansas fossils), Leo Oliva (Fort Wallace Battle), and Mike Baughn (Indian Wars) Sponsor/Volunteer Dinner that evening.
*July 8 — Re-enactor’s Encampment: From the American Indian, to trappers and buffalo hunters, to soldiers and settlers, the transformation of the West will take place before your eyes.
Unveiling of a major new piece of western artwork by Jerry Thomas.
The grand opening of Fort Wallace Museum’s new addition will be at 9 a.m. MST.
Michael Martin Murphey in concert – a great American artist who is also a champion of western history and lifestyle.
*July 9 — Memorial service at the Fort Wallace Cemetery.
Car caravan tour of Land & Sky Scenic Byway: Kidder Massacre site, Arikaree Breaks.
Authentic crafts, meals on site, historical experiences.
The post Fort Wallace to commemorate rich history of Northwest Kansas appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
March 29, 2017
Get author’s books – autographed copies direct online
Gone is the clunky PDF order sheet. Back again is the option to order Rod Beemer’s books online direct from author. This should prove to be a welcome feature for those who desire to have their books signed but are unable to attend a presentation or book signing by the author.
In addition to the signature, a personalized message may be included. Simply add the text during the checkout process.
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Beemer Books accepts these major credit cards both online and onsite at events.
What is new this time around concerning credit card processing is that the author now has the ability to accept credit card payments on location such as at a program. Orders may also be made over the phone. The latter is advised for large quantity orders since bulk pricing and shipping arrangements can be made. Plus, phone orders may appeal to anyone who simply prefers to make purchases that way.
Unsigned books are also available.
The post Get author’s books – autographed copies direct online appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
March 22, 2017
Does the author tweet?
The question has been posed a few times recently, so perhaps a dedicated post to answer is in order. Yes, Rod Beemer has been on Twitter for five years now this month. He may not tweet his every waking move, but all of the important announcements, book news, blog entries, and so forth show up there. His handle is: @rodbeemer
You are certainly invited and encouraged to follow along if you are a Twitter user and like to stay up to date that way.
The post Does the author tweet? appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
Chisholm Trail Author Symposium and Exhibit Opening
ABILENE, Kan. – Spend the day immersed in Chisholm Trail history at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. An author symposium begins at high noon on Saturday, April 1 in the Library building auditorium. The symposium concludes with the opening of the Chisholm Trail and the Cowtown that Raised a President exhibit opening.
A number of well-known authors and Chisholm Trail historians were selected to kick off the series of Chisholm Trail events set for this year marking the 150th anniversary. The event is held in partnership with the Dickinson County Heritage Center & Trails, Rails & Tales: Spirit of the Chisholm Trail.
SCHEDULE:
12 p.m. – Margaret & Gary Kraisinger: The Cattle Trails Before the Chisholm Trail
Award-winning authors, Gary & Margaret, have published three books and various articles on Texas cattle trails. The couple researches, lectures, and writes about the Texas cattle trail industry that lasted only about 50 years from 1846 to 1897. They have mapped all four south to north cattle trail systems. Their latest book addresses the Chisholm Trail.
1 p.m. – Roy Bird: Ike and the Chisholm Trail
Bird has been writing books for more than three decades focusing on the Civil War, the American West, and his beloved native Kansas.
2 p.m. – Rod Beemer: Mother Nature’s Impact on the Trail
Beemer is a writer, researcher, and speaker who has authored and co-authored 12 nonfiction books, an e-book novel, numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Originally from Abilene, Kansas, Beemer has conducted an extensive amount of research in the field of Mother Nature’s impact on the pioneers of the 19th Century.
3 p.m. – Jim Hoy: Outlaws and Legends of the Trail
An English professor and Director of the Center for Great Plains Studies at Emporia University, Hoy has lived the majority of his life in the Flint Hills. His published works and interests focus on Western American literature and Great Plains folklore.
4 p.m. – James Sherow: The Markets of the Chisholm Trail
Sherow is a history professor at Kansas State University and author of several books, chapters, and articles. His research and teaching interests are Kansas history, North American Indian history, and the history of the American West.
5 p.m. – Reception with light refreshments and unveiling of the new temporary exhibit Chisholm Trail and the Cowtown that Raised a President. The exhibit will be on display through May 2018.
Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum
Media Contact:
Samantha Kenner
Communications Director
785.263.6700 | 877.RING.IKE
www.eisenhower.archives.gov
The post Chisholm Trail Author Symposium and Exhibit Opening appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
Author to give Kansas bank robbery presentation Friday, March 24
After Hours at the Library — Enjoy a night of light bites, delicious drinks and live music. Special guest, Rod Beemer, author of Kansas Notable Book Award Notorious Kansas Bank Heists will present a program beginning at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $10 and MUST be purchased in advance.
Friday (March 24, 2017) at 6:15 PM – 8:00 PM
Cimarron City Library
120 N Main · PO Box 645, Cimarron, Kansas 67835
(620) 855-3808
*protected email*
The post Author to give Kansas bank robbery presentation Friday, March 24 appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
Author’s website gets a rebuild, coincides with paperback release
My mind did a double take upon calculating that it has been twenty years since Beemer Books first tiptoed onto the web with the debut author site for Rod Beemer. That was back in 1997, in another century, and the digital landscape has certainly changed over the ensuing decades.
Dad’s first site was a respectable effort at the time, considering what little I knew about creating one. I still know very little. That’s primarily due to the phenomenal growth of the knowledge base needed for the technologies that deliver our online experiences today. It’s simply too much for any one person to have a complete handle on. But a little bit of knowledge here and there permits me to fake my way along. I do my best to perpetuate the illusion.
It wasn’t even rodbeemer.com in the beginning. The url was a username tacked onto the end of the name of our service provider. It was a simple site – an author bio, some contact info, and promotional material for the first of his “Old Iron” (collectible tractors) books. The web was a more static affair then, not the dynamic ocean of interactivity that presently floods the copper wires, fiber optics, and wireless radiation which connect us all.
So, now it’s 2017 and this current iteration of the author site also matches up with a first – the release of the initial print edition of the author’s first novel, Some Men Just Need Killing. The ebook edition was released in the middle of December last year. The story of the journey the book took to get into printed words on bound paper is rather interesting in itself. I believe the author will be offering a little how-it-was-made Story Behind the Story article sometime soon that will provide a few details regarding the inspiration behind Doc’s struggle and some tie-in facts related to the westward expansion over the prairies and plains of that era. Stay tuned.
Your assistance is welcomed.
The site has been built yet again from the “ground up” to implement desired cosmetic and functional changes – to be continually honed and refined. Don’t hesitate to let me know of any problems you encounter. Feedback and suggestions are invaluable aids to imrovements and solutions.
Probably the biggest news is that the blog is back. And, I was able to salvage most of the posts to repopulate the archive. However, I was not able to recover any of the author and visitor comments made to the posts over the years. Some things just disappear. So, together, we’ll simply start making new ones. Also, in addition to being constructed on a mobile-friendly platform, the site is geared to be integrated with social media. Both features should help facilitate a better user experience and accessibility.
Therefore, I wish to extend an invitation. Your help would be greatly appreciated in spreading the word about the books, the presentations, and the site. Use the share buttons, post comments, tell friends and fellow readers, follow on social media, open the samples on Amazon, recommend the books if you’ve read them, buy the books if you haven’t. Write a review. Attend a presentation. Generate some buzz. We’re going do our part on this end by providing new content on a regular basis here on the site. Check in often.
Thanks for your interest and participation. Pleasant reading.
The post Author’s website gets a rebuild, coincides with paperback release appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
SOME MEN JUST NEED KILLING released! Novel now available.
It’s been just a year ago that my latest nonfiction book, Notorious Kansas Bank Heists, was released.
The past year has allowed me time to put the finishing touches on my novel, Some Men Just Need Killing, which is now available as both a paperback and an ebook from Amazon.
It’s been a long journey with many patches of rough trail and several detours before the historical western novel – the first of a three-book series – finally reached completion.
I invite you to join Rebel cavalry officer and physician Doc Kelley on his journey west in search of peace, love, and renewal.
Some Men Just Need Killing
by Rod Beemer
THE CIVIL WAR WAS OVER.
HIS BATTLE HAS JUST BEGUN.
After Appomattox, wounded Rebel cavalry officer and physician Benjamin “Doc” Kelley abandons the family plantation in Georgia and flees west, determined to outrun the horrifying nightmares of the Civil War and to heal the heartbreak of a Southern belle’s suspicion that he has become a coward and the resulting dissolution of their engagement.
Invigorated by a passionate commitment to saving lives with his medical knowledge, galvanized in his desire to leave killing and death behind, Ben stows a promise made to his dying father into several freight wagons and embarks on a bold quest for renewal and peace.
Optimism for a prosperous future is soon overwhelmed by the perils of survival as he and his team are confronted with new deadly battles to wage and personal struggles to face on the unforgiving prairies of the Great Plains that will severely test his resolute pledge to never again kill another human.
No longer is the fight about flag or country. Now it’s strictly about life – his own and those of loved ones. Can he remain steadfast in his conviction? Or, will his instinct to live and to protect prevail?
He has mere seconds to decide.
The post SOME MEN JUST NEED KILLING released! Novel now available. appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
January 29, 2017
Author’s website gets a rebuild, coincides with paperback release
My mind did a double take upon calculating that it has been twenty years since Beemer Books first tiptoed onto the web with the debut author site for Rod Beemer. That was back in 1997, in another century, and the digital landscape has certainly changed over the ensuing decades.
Dad’s first site was a respectable effort at the time, considering what little I knew about creating one. I still know very little. That’s primarily due to the phenomenal growth of the knowledge base needed for the technologies that deliver our online experiences today. It’s simply too much for any one person to have a complete handle on. But a little bit of knowledge here and there permits me to fake my way along. I do my best to perpetuate the illusion.
It wasn’t even rodbeemer.com in the beginning. The url was a username tacked onto the end of the name of our service provider. It was a simple site – an author bio, some contact info, and promotional material for the first of his “Old Iron” (collectible tractors) books. The web was a more static affair then, not the dynamic ocean of interactivity that presently floods the copper wires, fiber optics, and wireless radiation which connect us all.
So, now it’s 2017 and this iteration of the author site also matches up with a first – the release of the initial print edition of Dad’s first novel, Some Men Just Need Killing. The ebook edition was released in the middle of December last year. The story of the journey the book took to get into printed words on bound paper is rather interesting in itself. I believe the author will be offering a little how-it-was-made Story Behind the Story article sometime soon that will provide some details regarding the inspiration behind Doc’s struggle and some tie-in facts related to the westward expansion over the prairies and plains of that era. Stay tuned.
Your assistance is welcomed.
The site has been built yet again from the “ground up” to implement desired cosmetic and functional changes – to be continually honed and refined. Don’t hesitate to let me know of any problems you encounter. Feedback and suggestions are invaluable aids to imrovements and solutions.
Probably the biggest news is that the blog is back. And, I was able to salvage most of the posts to repopulate the archive. However, I was not able to recover any of the author and visitor comments made to the posts over the years. Some things just disappear. So, together, we’ll simply start making new ones. Also, in addition to being constructed on a mobile-friendly platform, the site is geared to be integrated with social media. Both features should help facilitate a better user experience and accessibility.
Therefore, I wish to extend an invitation. It would be greatly appreciated if you would help spread the word about the site and Dad’s work. Use the share buttons, post comments, tell friends and fellow readers, open the samples on Amazon, recommend the books if you’ve read them, buy the books if you haven’t, generate some buzz. We’re gonna do our part on this end by providing new and up-to-date content on a regular basis. Check in often.
Thanks for your interest and participation. Pleasant reading.
The post Author’s website gets a rebuild, coincides with paperback release appeared first on Rod Beemer | Author · Speaker · Historian.
