Quite by chance, while surfing the television channels last evening, I caught the start of the movie One-Eyed Jacks. I had never seen this 1961 film starring and directed by Marlon Brando until last night, but I feel a personal connection with the film. The movie received mixed reviews even though it was nominated for an Oscar for best cinematography. When the movie was released, I was stationed with the Army in France. The Army and Air Force Motion Picture Service brought movies to Europe for the service men and women, but I do not recall this being one. Charles Neider was the author of the novel, The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones, on which the movie script, One-Eyed Jacks, was based. Neider is named in the movie’s credits as one of the screenwriters.
I met Charlie in January 1977 when he was in Antarctica on a grant from the National Science Foundation to write a book about the frozen continent. That book, Beyond Cape Horn—Travels in the Antarctic, was published by Sierra Club Books in 1980. Charlie mentions me in the book when he describes our travels together from McMurdo Station to Palmer Station on board the USCGC Burton Island. I parted company with Charles when I departed Palmer Station onboard the RV Hero for my first journey across the Drake Passage. We never met again.
Robert Murphy onboard Burton Island. Photo by Charles Neider.
Neider was born in Russia in 1915 and died at Princeton, New Jersey, in 2001. He was a noted Mark Twain scholar as well as being the author of several books on Antarctica.
Charles Neider onboard Burton Island. Photo by Robert Murphy
RV Hero and USCGC Burton Island in Arthur Harbor, Palmer Station, Antarctica, 1977.
The event is divided into two sessions in order to accommodate the sixty local authors who will be featured. The first session is from 10 to 11:30 AM. The second session is from 1 to 2:30 PM. I will be in the morning session. This website provides more information about which authors will participate in which session: 
On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Tonya Todd, the Henderson Writers Group’s Education Chair, gave a special presentation to members of Anthem Authors about the benefits of attending the annual Las Vegas Writers’ Conference. As the current President of Anthem Authors, it was my pleasure to host her at a luncheon and to introduce her to our writers’ group in Sun City Anthem, Henderson, Nevada.
For the fourth consecutive year I will be holding a book signing for my trilogy The Iron Horse Chronicles at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2019, between noon and 4:00 PM. The location within the casino is near the Benny Binion equestrian statue. The date is the middle Saturday during the annual National Finals Rodeo. South Point Casino plays a major role each year in this biggest of rodeos providing housing, dining, and entertainment for the cowboys and their families, and by hosting many major rodeo events in its arena. Learn more here: 
While they are here, we will celebrate a late Thanksgiving, an early Christmas, an early birthday party for Stacy, and a get-well party for Beth (who is recovering from recent successful surgery). The tree is up, the presents are wrapped, and the wine rack is full. A special comment on the tree decorations: one blue ball in the center of the tree was hand-made by Barbara’s mother, while all the other balls were hand-made by my mother fifty years ago.
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