Jan Sikes

September 17, 2017March 3, 2026

Hidden Gems

I returned from a trip into the heart of the Texas Hill Country with two new must-return-to destinations. The first is historic Salado, Texas and the Stagecoach Inn. Talk about history! Set on the south bank of Salado Creek, fed by both fresh and mineral water, Native Americans often camped while hunting bison and other …

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September 13, 2017March 4, 2026

Stories From the Road #1

I'm beginning a new series of posts I've entitled, "Stories From the Road." Each week I will post a new story from Rick Sikes, a Texas musician who traveled the roads of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and out to California for well over twenty years. With hours to pass in a van full of …

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September 8, 2017March 3, 2026

CD Review – Sam Baker

CD REVIEW SAM BAKER – LAND OF DOUBT Independent Release Central Texas music artist, Sam Baker has released his fifth album, Land of Doubt, produced by Neilson Hubbard. What you’ll hear on Land of Doubt is stunning, beautifully arranged strains of chords and melodies with lyrics deeper than the roots of an old oak tree. …

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September 4, 2017

Infographic: 28 Boring Words and What to Use Instead

We all get stuck using the same words over and over again when we write. So, here's an infographic designed to help you think of other ways to say the same ol' thing! Thanks for sharing, Nicholas Rossis!

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September 2, 2017March 3, 2026

Pressed Between the Pages

This poem has been rolling around in my head for months. So, I stopped long enough to give birth. I hope you enjoy it.

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August 24, 2017

Special Anniversary Days!

August has always been a BIG month for me. Well, at least it has been since 1985. Rick Sikes, aka Luke Stone, left Leavenworth prison on August 15, 1985, and arrived on a Greyhound bus in Brownwood, Texas on August 17th. So, of course, it was a big day for Luke and Darlina after being …

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August 24, 2017March 3, 2026

Special Anniversary Days!

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July 30, 2017March 3, 2026

Congratulations, Jamie Richards!!

Jamie Richards, one of the most consistent and best singer/songwriters in the business, celebrated another #! hit this past week!!! "When You Love Somebody" is not only a chart-topper, but a song with a beautiful message! Lyrics: "When you love somebody, when you know you've found the one. You can can't remember life without her. …

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July 24, 2017March 3, 2026

Hate The Sin

Back in another lifetime, I was a songwriter. It was a time I treasure with all my heart, along with the recordings that we managed to preserve our music with. We had an outdoor spa building behind our house. One night I was in the hot tub by myself and …

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July 7, 2017

Family – Broken pieces

We all have issues within the makeup of our families that don't always play out the way we'd like. This seems especially true with adult children and spouses. But, in the story I'm writing, my character, at the age of twenty-six, discovers the man who raised him and whom he believed to be his father, …

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