Pulp Fiction Leads to Pink Pistol Magazine

 

Eleven bestselling, award-winning authors, all members of Petticoats & Pistols blog for western romance, combined their talents and efforts to create a sweet romance series that honors the influence Annie Oakley had over women during her reign as “Little Sure Shot.”

In the new series, a one-of-a-kind pink-handled pistol is gifted to Annie Oakley. The pistol comes with a legend, one promising that whoever possesses it will find true love. Annie passes the gun on to one of her students and sets the whimsical journey in motion that starts with In Her Sights by Karen Witemeyer. The pistol travels from woman to woman from 1893 to the modern day until the series concludes with USA Today Bestselling Author Jessie Gussman’s contemporary romance Pistol Perfect.

 I like to say the series is kind of like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. 

When we were talking about ways to promote the book, Pam Crooks and I started discussing creating something like the old pulp fiction novels that were popular in the 1920s-1940s.  How fun would it be to make our own magazine.

So we did. 

You can get the first two issues of Pink Pistol Magazine absolutely free! Each issue includes excerpts from the new series, author interviews, recipes, games, and more! 

Download 

Pink Pistol Magazine Volume 1 here

and

Pink Pistol Magazine Volume 2 here 

My contribution to the series is Love on Target, a sweet romance set in 1894.

 

Will romance hit its mark when true love is the target?

 Desperate for a fresh start, Rena Burke journeys from Texas to Oregon with only her father’s pistol and a plodding old mule for company. She takes a job working with explosives at a mine, spends her free time emulating her hero Annie Oakley, and secretly longs to be loved.

 Saddlemaker Josh Gatlin has one purpose in life and that is his daughter. Gabi is his joy and the sunshine in his days. Then he meets a trouser-wearing woman living life on her own terms. Rena is nothing like his perception of what he wants in a wife and mother for his child, but she might just prove to be everything he needs.

 When tragedy strikes, will the two of them be able to release past wounds and embrace the possibilities tomorrow may bring? 

Also, be sure to enter my giveaway for a Love on Target Prize pack!

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Penny Dreadfuls, the television of the 1800s, part 2

The term is one used for British 19^th-century publications printed on cheap wood pulp paper featuring serialized versions of lurid or adventure stories and sold for a penny. Other names (all pejorative) were penny horrible, penny awful, and penny blood. Publishers wanted sensational stories featuring detectives solving crimes, the exploits of the criminals, or about supernatural beings that would keep readers coming back to buy each new installment. The target audience was working class to lower class boys and young men. Note: these publications were the inspiration for the dime novels made popular in the United States in the mid-1800s. And then in a twist, American dime novels were rewritten for a British audience and featured such favorites as Buffalo Bill, Frank Reade, and Deadwood Dick.


Industrialization allowed for factories and shops to manufacture products or weave cloth or make shoes faster thus shortening the work day. With that extra hour or so, workers looked for entertainment. Literacy rates rose, workers had a bit extra to spend, and a new industry was born. As with all new industries, the demand for stories was immediate. Plus the increase in the number of railroad tracks allowed for broader distribution.

Some of the stories were reprints of Gothic thrillers released as novels, like The Monk or The Castle of Otronto. Among the most famous of these serial stories are: The String of Pearls: A Romance (which introduced Sweeney Todd, the Demon of Fleet Street), The Mysteries of London (based on an earlier published The Mysteries of Paris) and Varney the Vampire, a story about a lord who was also a vampire that contains many of the tropes that continue in current day vampire lore. Another popular hero was highwaymen. One series, Black Bess or The Knight of the Road, ran for 254 issues and highlighted the mostly fictional tales of a real-life highwayman named Dick Turpin. Other stories ripped off famous Charles Dickens’ novels and even boasted similar titles: Oliver Twiss, Nickelas Nicklebery, and Martin Guzzlewit.

both covers from Wikipedia

Leave a comment for a chance to win Chasing Adventure, book 8 of my “Entertainers of the West” series, featuring a heroine who wrote dime novels in the 1880s. Awarded on Saturday, September 28^th at 6PM PDT.

~**~**~~

Today is the last day for the 99 cent sale on Dulcina and Hazelanne in “The Widows of Wildcat Ridge” series, sweet historical romance set in 1884 Utah Territory.

Dulcina--Will bringing an old friend to town provide the help Dulcina needs or a new kind of trouble?

Hazelanne--How do a homebody and a wanderer manage to live together under the same roof?

Lockets and Lace Books for 2019 Start Today

A reminder about the ten new 

Lockets and Lace series books for 2019

being published in April.

A new book will be released each day, starting today. 

Look for the daily blog posts about each individual book in the series.

Also, please celebrate this book launch by 

joining us on Facebook tonight and tomorrow night,

April 1st and April 2nd. 

 Please CLICK HERE to attend.

Each author will tell a little about their book plus offer games and prizes.

The grand prize will be a Kindle Fire, or

(Sorry, USA address only)

 $10 Amazon gift card.
Look for the Rafflecopter entry on our launch event.

Is there gold in the Uinta Mountains? by Zina Abbott

Is there gold in the Uinta Mountains? This mountain range is separated from other known gold-producing areas in Utah, although Utah as a whole never produced much gold in relation to other regions.

Not much is known about the backside of the Uinta Mountains. To access the Eastern Uintas, backpackers need to begin in Whiterocks on tribal grounds—a place hikers seldom visit. Thousands of acres of wilderness remain mostly untouched. Ashley National Forest borders tribal grounds which strongly discouraged trespassing. Treasure hunters, explorers and lost gold enthusiasts have determined that east of Fort Duchesne, in Whiterocks’ Rock Creek is the place where millions of dollars of gold lies in abandoned mine shafts and caverns, left there by both the Aztec empire and Spanish explorers.

Chief Wakara "Walker"

Thomas Rhoades

There is quite a tale about Thomas Rhoades, founder of the town of Kamas on the western edge of the Unita Mountains, and of his dealings with Ute War Chief Walker (Wakara) who had been baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In July 1852, Wakara reportedly agreed to reveal the location of the gold as long as it was used exclusively for the benefit of the church. He allowed Brigham Young to choose one white man to travel to a sacred mine called "Carre Shin Ob," or "There dwells the Great Spirit," and bring back gold if he swore not to reveal the location. The Utes had no real interest in the gold, but still greatly resented the Spanish overlords who had mined the metal at the expense of their people. According to legend, at the time the region fell under Spanish rule, many Utes were taken as slaves to work in mines (both silver and gold) in the Uintas for their Spanish captors.

President Young chose Thomas Rhoades, a stalwart member of the church who spoke fluent Ute. When Thomas became ill in 1855, he sent his son, Caleb. They continued to make trips in and out of the region for years. They managed to evade gold-seekers following them, and no one ever found the location of the mine. Some suggest the location is near Bald Mountain and Hayden Peak in the Uinta Mountains.

 

Bald Mountain - Uinta Mountain Range

There is also Gold Hill in the Unita Mountains west of Road 150 and near Moffit Peak. Today, Road 150 is a two lane paved road that is closed in winter. The streets off that road that lead to Gold Hill and Moffit Peak are dirt roads. The nearest road to Gold Hill is a mile from the mine site. Visitors must hike in to see the mine. To see images of Moffit Peak and Gold Hill, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

In the northeast corner of the state, the Green River has produced placer gold below Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

 

Uinta Mountain Range, Duchesne in south, Flaming Gorge in north - Ctsy Perry Castaneda Maps

So, yes, indications point to there being gold in the Unita Mountains—not a lot, but enough to provide a setting for the series, The Widows of Wildcat Ridge.

A week from today, my newest book, Nissa, from The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series will be released. I am having a mini-celebration over on our Widows of Wildcat Ridge Readers Group. If you have not yet joined this group, now is the time—PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Nissa is still on preorder for only one more week. To read the book description and reserve your copy, please CLICK HERE.

To see the other books already published or available on preorder in The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series on Amazon, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Also, please enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to to be the one to win my pre-celebration prize of two of my autographed print books: Independence Day 1881 and Harvest Dance 1881 (USA readers only. Outside the USA I’ll send digital versions.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sources for article:

http://utahtreasure.blogspot.com/2011/05/lost-rhoades-mines-overview.html

http://utahstories.com/2013/08/buried-treasure-in-utah-how-to-find-it/

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/74154/LEGENDS-OF-UTAH-GOLD.html

http://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goldinutah.html

https://www.summitpost.org/moffit-peak-gold-hill/images/p-153507

https://www.summitpost.org/moffit-peak-gold-hill/153507

Civil War

Whenever there’s talk of the North and South, a lot of things come to mind, namely the Civil War.

From 1861 to 1865, Union soldiers fought against Confederate soldiers to uphold the Constitution.

The Confederates attacked Fort Sumter shortly after Abraham Lincoln was elected. 

Several southern slave states declared their secession from the US to form the Confederate states of America. Northern states, where slavery was legal, were known as the union.

The war lasted more than four years until the Union finally won when Robert E Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S Grant at the battle of Appomattox, but not before approximately three quarters of a million soldiers were killed in combat. The Confederacy finally collapsed and slavery was abolished, freeing approximately 4 million slaves.

Please enjoy the pictures of a reenactment of the Civil War provided by my good friend, Lisa Towns Myers. If you would like to see more of her pictures, please visit Lisa’s country photos at the link below.

Lisa's Country Photos

 

CLICK HERE to see Giveaways on Samantha's website

Man Power Multiplied

L-R: Cecelia, Gwendolyn & Bonnie Buckmeyer

In DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, book 5 of my Texas Romance family saga—and by the way, it's FREE today and tomorrow--one of the Bubckmeyer girls’suitors, Elijah Eversole is a blacksmith / millwright / inventor. He creates whatever his friends Moses and Jethro need for their goldmine (in book 4 SINS OF THE MOTHERS).

Mary Rachel Buckmeyer

He knew nothing of farming, but on his trip to Texas, so hoping to meet and determine if Mary Rachel’s younger sisters were cut from the same cloth since he thought she about hung the moon. Of course, his spoken motive was to build a steam engine for the father of the beautiful lady he held in such high esteem. Henry Buckmeyer wanted to upgrade his sawmill from water power to be steam powered.

During that visit, Elijah observes Levi and a gang of freedmen planting cotton by hand. Voila! He instantly got an idea for a mechanical, mule-drawn planter that would allow two men to do the work of ten. Got a patent onm it, too. Historically, the advancements in agricultural machinery proved phenomenal because one invention led to the need of another.

Thank Wikipedia for this image

For instance, the increase in acres planted meant farmers needed a faster way to harvest so as not to lose crops in the field. Thus the mechanical cutter that replaced the scythes of yesteryear eventually became today’s combine was imagined and built. Two men, a wagon driver with the second cutting ears of corn could harvest about an acre in one day.

Nowadays, it's nothing for the giant combines to cut two hundred acres in a day, provided they have grain carts pulled by tractors driven alongside to empty regularly. It can hold two to four hundred bushels of grain itself—two hundred bushels to the acre in the northern plains isn’t unheard of.


So in the 1850s, what would take a small army of men weeks to accomplish, can now be done in a few days with only three or four men with the right equipment. Advancement is built on need, and innovation advances rapidly where freedom to innovate is encouraged.

Hasn’t God blessed America? 

***FREE*** Don't forget to click over and claim your FREE DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART

Bio: Award winning, bestselling author Caryl McAdoo currently writes four series: the historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’; a contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; The Generations, her Biblical fiction, and a mid-grade Days of Dread Trilogy. The prolific hybrid novelist loves singing new songs the Lord gives her and painting. She counts four children and seventeen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings, believing all good things come from God. Praying her story gives God glory, she hopes each one will also minister His love, mercy, and grace to its readers. Caryl and Ron, her high school sweetheart-husband live in the woods of Red River County a few miles south of Clarksville in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

Bedwarmers

Have you ever crawled into bed between sheets that seemed to be frozen? Well, bedwarmers—also called warming pans—were nothing new in the mid-1800s. They’d been around for centuries in Europe and were common in households in cold winter areas. The metal pans with the long handles weren’t just for decoration, but served the family well, heating the bed so it wasn’t so painful to crawl in.

Brass and copper were popular, some plain and some decorative. Embers from the fire would be put into the pans and carried to the bed to be placed between the covers. The wealthy might have silver or even gold ones. As a young homemaker, I had a wall planter that looked like a bedwarmer, though I had no idea at the time what its purpose had been.

Here are instructions on its use:  A copper warming pan is indispensable to a household. Take care to have a big enough quantity of embers, above all some red cinders, when you want to heat a bed. Get it smouldering well before you use it, otherwise the fire will soon go out and the bed will not warm up. You must move the warming pan constantly to avoid scorching the sheets. A bed-wagon (moine), well-known and inexpensive, is a suitable alternative. Cora Millet-Robinet, Domestic Economy, 1853 (translated loosely from the French)   

Another type used was pottery or ceramic jars or bottles filled with boiling water.

And then there were the bed wagons which was an odd odd-looking contraption as you can see in this image. The wood strips and rods were tied together to form a frame that was both light and strong. A pan was loaded with embers then placed on a sheet-iron tray inside the frame. It worked well with little danger of burning the bed.

In the South, during the days before the Civil war, many plantation owners used young slaves to warm their beds. One such young girl named Jasmine was bought and carried to the Three Spring Plantation near Dalton, Georgia to warm the master’s bed, but she swears she’ll kill him dead afore he even touches her. You can read about her story in my novel THE BEDWARMER’S SON.

This poignant tale debuts this month on the 26^th, but is available now for pre-order. Enjoy this excerpt:  

    The old lady pointed her paring knife right at Jasmine’s nose. “You be careful, child. Don’t go getting uppity on me now. Mister William’s been heartsick ever since Miss Coreena and her sweet baby girl passed.”

    “Yes, ma’am. I understands. Why, can’t stand them folks what don’t know they’s place.”

    “Good.” Footfalls turned the old lady’s attention to the stairs, then quickly back, she reached across and grabbed Jasmine’s arm. “When he does go to messing with you, promise old Mammy you tell me all about it. Gots me a secret ta help ya out.”

    She nodded, but him messing with her weren’t going to happen. No matter how nice he be. She might just figure out a way to take off on that horse of his. Might not have to get wet in the creek after all when she run. She be dressed in these fancy clothes and have Old Tom’s note, them bounty hunters won’t mess none with her even if she did come across one.

And here’s a bit from its first review : The BED WARMER’S SON is one of Caryl McAdoo’s finest books. Mrs. McAdoo has done her research and produced a book spotlighting lies and truth [with] characters well developed and multi-dimensional. The story line kept me on the edge of my seat. The author’s word weaving skills warm the story with delicious southern vernacular and cultural traditions. [Including] the gospel message of mercy, grace, and hope, she in no way crossed the divide into preaching. THE BED WARMER’S SON is no exception, but is perhaps the best of her best.

  

GIVEAWAY: I'd like to bless one commenter with the gift of their choice of The Bedwarmer's Son in print or e'book.

BIO: Caryl McAdoo loves God, and currently writes four series: the historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’ a family saga; a contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; The Generations, her Biblical fiction, and the newest Days of Dread Trilogy for mid-grade readers. Known as the “Singing Pray-er”, she loves praising with new songs the Lord gives her and prays her story gives God glory! Besides glorifying Him, she hopes each title also ministers His love, mercy, and grace to its readers. The McAdoos live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State with two grandsons.

        In years following, the hot water bottles made of rubber were used to warm beds. This tickled me and I hope it makes you smile, too. :)

LINKS: The Bedwarmer’s Son   AuthorPage   Website    Newsletter   YouTube (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)

Facebook    Blog    GoodReads    Google+   LinkedIn        

Twitter    Pinterest    Puzzle    

Congratulations Paula B! 

Please contact me at

kathryn (at) kathrynalbright (dot) com 

and I will get a copy of my newest release, 

Western Spring Weddings to you! 

Thanks for participating!

A Family Saga over Three Generations and Six Decades!

The newest offering of the beloved Texas Romance family saga, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE, delivers it all. It is a stand alone, but as in any series, all the more enjoyable when the previous stories are read in order. This book seven in the series takes you on a journey from Texas to California, delivering romance fraught with obstacles. Readers who've enjoyed the series met the heroine as a nine years old back in 1832, but thirty-three years have passed, and life hasn't always been kind.

Jacket Copy:
Obedience is better than sacrifice…and trumps romance, no matter how sweet.
   Profound loneliness propels a childless widow west with the idea of choosing an orphan to share her life. On the way, a fellow traveler takes her by surprise. She never dreams, is unprepared, doesn’t need another man, but can’t get him out of her head…or heart. He’s so perfect—every bit the one she’d searched for as a young woman—except his mistrust of God has erected a wall she cannot breach.
    Marcus Ford blames God and struggles for peace after losing his wife and baby. Not once has he considered another woman could be the answer, but the widow is like none other he’s ever met. He falls hard, but plans are taking him east. Hope dashed sends two hearts into the pit. If only Ford could forgive God or the widow ease up on her adamant resolve.
   Will God’s mercy shine a beacon in the fog of despair and prove sufficient to heal their souls?
 
Excerpt:
    Stepping off the last stair, she approached.
    He inhaled deeply then shook his head. “Oh my.” He drew in another long breath, closing his eyes. “You smell better than you look. I mean, you look outstanding, but your fragrance is even better. Not that you didn’t smell good before… I mean…” He finally just shrugged. “Your appearance shames me. I should have brought my dress blues.”
    “I understand, but here.” She handed him her door key, grinning. “On my couch, you’ll some new threads…the least Henry Buckmeyer could do.”
    At first, he didn’t take it, then scooped it up like a kid in a candy store and took the stairs two at a time.
    “I’ll wait on the deck, just outside the dining room.”
    Waving with one hand, he didn’t look back.
    Might do the man a bit of good to have his pride pricked. She chuckled, so enjoying the highly pleasant distraction he afforded.
    Took him longer than expected, but the wait was well worth it. The ready-made suit fit perfect. She loved the shirt’s high collar and how it seemed to choke him.
    He grinned then extended his arm. “Thank you.”
    Such the gentleman! She slipped her hand under then over his offering. “You’re welcome.” She glanced down. He’d shined his boots. Per chance that accounted for the extra time.

Reviews:
I don't know how Caryl McAdoo does it, but each book in this Texas Romance series just gets better! "At Liberty to Love" is book 7, and its message is "Obedience is better than sacrifice…and trumps romance, no matter how sweet."  This book is a must read.  I highly recommend this author and whole series. –Joy Roberts, Tennessee reader

Sweet Tweet: (Help spread the word! Just copy and paste :)

AT LIBERTY TO LOVE #ChristianFiction Family Saga #HistoricalRomance http://www.amazon.com/dp/1533016798 @CarylMcAdoo

Bio: Caryl McAdoo, loving God, currently writes four series: the historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’; a contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; The Generations, her Biblical fiction, and the newest Days of Dread Trilogy for mid-grade and young adult readers. Oft called the Singing Pray-er, she loves praising with new songs the Lord gives her and prays her story gives God glory!
    In 2008, she and her high school sweetheart-husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-plus years—to the woods of Red River County. Caryl counts four children and sixteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings, believing all good things come from God. Besides glorifying Him, she hopes each title will also minister His love, mercy, and grace to its readers.
    Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State with two grandsons.

Links: 
All Books    At Liberty to Love    BookBub    Website   Newsletter Blog                      
Facebook    GoodReads    Google+    LinkedIn    Twitter    Pinterest    Puzzle

YouTube (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)