Setting as Character--Council Bluffs, Iowa

When I’m preparing the background for a new story, I dig into possible geographic locations. I’m always looking for something different—a place that I don’t know much about and want to share with readers. My mini-version of a history lesson.

For my work-in-progress, a wagon train story titled JANA, I looked at the well-known places where pioneers gathered before setting out for their destinations in the far west. I’d already written about St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri, so this time I settled on Council Bluffs, Iowa. The first named Council Bluff (on the west bank of the Missouri River in what would become Nebraska) was the site of a meeting between Lewis and Clark and Otoe tribe in August 1804. This location was known for years by many tribes of the plains Indians and became a reservation in the 1830s. A mission was established to minister to the tribes.

1868 bird's eye view of part of Council Bluffs

In 1844, the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy party (ten families) crossed the Missouri at the location on their way to California. They were the first white party to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In 1846, a large group of Mormons traveled to the site that briefly was known as Miller’s Hollow, named for Henry Miller who was the construction foreman for the Kanesville Tabernacle. By 1848, the settlement was named Kanesville and became the primary place to gather before the Mormon exodus to Utah. By 1852, the name finalized on Council Bluffs and the town was an official spot on the Emigrant Trail, as well as outfitting  travelers for the Pikes Peak Gold Rush.

Model built by Bill Whittaker on Wikipedia-Bertrand sank in 1864

The key to my choice as a starting location was the existence of a steamboat trade. In the years before the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad (complete 1869), steamboats were essential for ferrying people, animals, goods, and railroad cars (until Council Bluffs was connected to T.R. in 1872 with the completion of a river-spanning bridge) across the Missouri River to Omaha in the land known first as the Missouri Territory and then as Nebraska when it gained statehood in 1867. President Lincoln proclaimed Council Bluffs the east terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, and a gold spike marking Mile 0 is located at the corner of 21st Street and 9th Avenue. The home of Grenville Dodge, the renowned surveyor for the railroad, is a historic site.

This city was a true crossroads for people of various ethic and religious groups. Reading about its development gives the city an appearance of transition and short-term visits. Council Bluffs was referred to as 'the end of the east" because for a long time, people couldn't go farther west. I absorbed that sense of a town on the edge of civilization for my setting and had great fun naming some of the businesses. 

Blurb: 

Jana Lukyan is intent on traveling with Marco, her 16-year-old brother, to her aunt and uncle’s CA ranch. But her brother’s reckless behavior adds two saloon robbers to her party, with the pair threatening to expose Marco’s involvement. bounty hunter Rik Sanderson turns in the robbers at the nearest fort and is forced into pledging to oversee Jana and Marco’s safe delivery. Will the journey’s challenges pull them apart or force the makeshift family to cleave to one another for survival?

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Cowboys & Their Horses

 

Part of the allure of cowboys is their relationship with horses. Something can be said about a man with the ability to control an animal 5-6 times his weight. In the 1800s, their lives and livelihood depended on a good horse (or several) that could be relied on to either carry them hundreds of miles on a cattle drive or a few miles into town to transact business dealings. Cowboy ranchers needed horses to move a herd of cattle among the various grazing spots on their land holdings or to ride the perimeter of their fence lines, making repairs as they went. At roundup time, cutting horses (specially trained horses to work close in with cattle) were used in the branding process.  Horses trained to a harness were also needed to drive a wagon, a buckboard, or a buggy into town to haul back supplies or to run errands.

In the mid 1800s, a team of oxen cost between $40-$150, a team of mules cost $200-$400, but a good horse could cost between $100-$300. This was at a time when San Francisco carpenters earned $4/day (1861), Army privates earned $16/month (1869), police officer Wyatt Earp earned $60/month in Wichita, Kansas (1875), California farm laborer earned $41/month (1880) or silver miners in Tombstone earned $4/day (1881). Cowboys were provided with room and board and earned between $30-$45/month (often much less during the winter). So you can appreciate how valuable the horse was to a working cowboy or rancher.

I watched a recent show titled American Horses that provided tidbits I’d never known about different breeds. A specific breed, Pryor Mountain Mustangs, has been tied through DNA to Spanish horses from the colonial period. An endangered breed that live in Montana and Wyoming, they are identified by zebra stripes on the backs of the legs, stripes on shoulders and withers, and a solid body. Other breeds discussed were the Morgan, Appaloosa, and Quarter horses. I recommend the one hour show for anyone who is interested in horses.

In my novella set in 1868, Lone Star Angel, Luc Tarrant owns a struggling ranch in west Texas where he runs cattle and breaks wild mustangs to the saddle. In mid-December, Carnelian Wendell springs a surprise visit on her sister, the housekeeper, and upsets more than his predictable routine.

Excerpt:

“Whoa, Star, just a little breeze. Nothing more.” Carni Wendell pulled the reins to the left, wondering if she should have paid the stable master to drive her out to the Bar-T Ranch. This time she promised herself she wouldn’t be a burden as a visiting relation, so she’d hired the horse and cart for the month.

In the distance, dark clouds chased the afternoon sun from the base of a craggy mountain. A chilly wind blew across the west Texas hard-packed prairie, twisting a dirt devil and tossing stray tumbleweeds across the path. Star stopped and nickered as an apparition appeared on the horizon.

A dark horse with a rider cantered in her direction and stopped not ten feet away, scraping up a dust cloud.

“Take a wrong turn, lady?”

The broad-shouldered man’s voice was deep and full of suspicion.

“Easy, Star.” With effort, she pulled the prancing horse back to an uneasy stand and turned her attention to the stranger. His hat shaded his eyes, but couldn’t hide a strong jaw covered with beard stubble and a tight mouth pulled down at the edges.

A loose tendril of hair tickled her forehead. With a gloved hand, she tucked it under the knitted scarf wrapped over her ears and neck to fight off the chilly air. “I’m looking for the Bar-T Ranch. Would you know if I’m on the right lane? Can’t really call this uneven, pot-holed path a road.” She paused, expecting the silent stranger to answer.

Leather creaked at his shift in position. He rested a forearm across the pommel and stared.

“The stable master in Wayside Gap told me to turn south at the double fencepost. Not that I’m too good with directions, but those were the only double posts I saw.”

“Thought I recognized Einhardt’s mare.”

What? The man commented on ownership of a horse, not about the boundaries for a cattle ranch? She waited for his confirmation she was headed in the right direction. “So, I did take the correct turn?”

“Could be.” The man stood in the stirrups to peer over her shoulder. “What’s your business here?”

Carni’s gaze was pulled to the muscles straining the thighs of his muddy denims. The man obviously worked hard for a living. How dare a ranch hand question her? Rudeness was not to be tolerated. Grasping the reins with one hand, she reached under the cart seat to collect the velvet reticule lying at her feet. “I’m tired and I’m cold. As wonderful as our conversation has been, I need to get to the Bar-T ranch. I’ll pay you four bits to direct me to the ranch house.”

She dug out the coins and held them suspended over the side of the cart, staring with a narrowed gaze at the man’s shadowed face. When he sat as still as a statute with only his eyes tracking her movements, her temper simmered. However, discussing her personal business with a ranch hand was unthinkable. She shook her hand and raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Okay, six bits.” Another coin was added to her hand.

The wind teased her skirts, flipping back the hem to reveal several inches of a red petticoat.

His gaze flicked to the exposed lingerie and the right side of his mouth quirked for just a second.

She saw his reaction and steamed even more. He’d taken advantage of the wind’s mischief instead of averting his gaze like a gentleman would. “A dollar for the directions. Take it now, I won’t be offering more.” Money well spent to remove herself from the belligerent company of this quiet man.

Several moments passed before he clucked out of the side of his mouth and urged the horse forward until abreast of the cart. “Whoa, Hades.” He held a cupped hand under her outstretched one, looked up from under the brim of his black hat and winked.

Heat flashed through her at his bold gesture. With a quick movement, she released her hand and let the clinking coins drop into his gloved hand. “Your boss will be hearing about your surly attitude.”

He shrugged and wheeled the horse, guiding it to the middle of the path. “Follow me.” Without a look over his shoulder, he trotted up the small rise and disappeared over the top.

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Insights about The Oregon Trail

 

For the current story I’m writing titled Cadi, I’ve been researching travel on the Oregon Trail. Not only have I read The Prairie Traveler, a manual that helped travelers prepare for the trek (and became a bestselling book), I’ve also read firsthand accounts of people who made the journey. The thing I found most interesting was the differences in the type of personal observations.

Madonna of the Prairie by
William H.D. Koerner--an idealized portrait

Men related details about the terrain, weather, geographic locations, and miles covered each day. They discussed if any special precautions were undertaken at river or creek crossings. Women counted gravestones, worried about the health of their children, and often fretted about ever reaching the destination. They weren’t wrong to do so because few families ended the journey without suffering a loss of some type. From the women’s journals emerged a common complaint: none of them initiated the trek. All would have been happy to remain in their east-of-the-Mississippi-River homes and work a bit harder to get ahead.

Oregon trail reality courtesy of Center of the West museum
Notice the mismatched mule & ox team in right wagon

But because of the times they lived in, they had to accede to the wishes of their husbands who were the recognized heads of the households. They had to leave behind their friends and families (and often the majority of their cherished household furnishings) and embark on a promised four-month trip that often expanded to six months due to unforeseen circumstances. For these women, they drove ox or mule teams or trudged across prairie grass for most of the sunlit hours, always looking forward to the time after the evening meal when they might have a few minutes to talk with other women. The trip was only make bearable by reestablishing what they knew--gathering with other women to share the stories of where they’d lived, what their lives had been like, and to speculate on what life would be like in their new homes. They clung to the familiar in a world they didn’t understand.

The McCully Train-Iowa to Oregon 1852 by Sanford R. Wilbur & Sally H. Wilbur

The Prairie Traveler by Captain Randolph A. Marcy

Westering Women and the Frontier Experience 1800-1915 by Sandra L. Myres

Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel

After her father betrayed her trust by gambling away their Kentucky horse breeding business, Cadi Gruffyn salvaged the pregnant prize mare gifted for her 21st birthday. The loss of the horse farm displaces her aunt and uncle, so Cadi joins them on a wagon train to northern California where her brother established a ranch in the Diablo Valley. When her uncle dies, several men approach Cadi, insisting she needs a husband to help her finish out the trip. She refuses, afraid they only want to claim her valuable mare.

Carpenter Trynt Pembroke just wants a fresh start. A week before his wedding, he was betrayed by his fiancée who ran off with his brother. He’s looking to get as far away as he can and start a new business. As much as he doesn’t want the complication of a woman in his life, he keeps coming to the rescue of strong and determined Cadi, a woman who shares his cultural heritage. Can he convince her they are stronger together than on their own?

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Visit the April Facebook Launch Celebration on April 27th to learn more about the story and read about other titles. Prizes are offered by multiple authors. Click to join event

Using Food to Enrich Your Story

Most historical readers know that the America of the 1800s was a true melting pot of cultures. Before restrictions were placed on the number of immigrants from any particular country, people from many European countries headed to America because of the new opportunities and open land. I like to use that fact to depict characters who would still be holding onto the traditions from their native country.

Food is a great way to show details about another culture and give depth to a character. Contemporary readers are aware of all types of different cuisines available in their hometown, some having a wider variety than others. Even the most traditional mid-western town probably has at least one Chinese takeout and a pizza place. I like to include in my stories a possible way in which those restaurants might have been developed.

In Dulcina, book 5 in The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series, I focused on the Hispanic heritages of my hero and heroine. Growing up as neighbors on adjacent ranches in New Mexico Territory, Dulcina and Gabriel shared a common background and a love for the same food. Big family meals are important part of their culture. When Dulcina comes up with a plan to offer food as a way to keep her saloon open, she falls back on what she knows--the tamales she helped make while a child.

In Dance Toward the Light, book 3 of Entertainers of the West series, the hero, Valerik, is of Russian descent who stays in his brother’s house while Nicolai’s on his honeymoon. With this story, I introduced the reader to solyanka (a soup with vegetables, tinned beef, and pickled cucumbers) and rye peasant bread.

With each story, I research recipes, and when a food scene is included, then I make sure to use a dish typical of that ethnic group. Or I use a dish that could have been made with the ingredients available in that geographic location. A widow living in an apartment over her seamstress shop in the Colorado mountains is more likely to make gingerbread or molasses cake as a holiday treat than any recipe requiring chocolate or other expensive or hard-to-obtain ingredients. (The Ring That Binds)

What foods served by your family while you were growing up or served by you to your own family can be attributed to your heritage? One person who leaves a comment will be given the choice of an ecopy of one of my backlist titles.

Quiltmaking as a Necessity

Not every quilt made by our foremothers was a piece of beauty. Some were utilitarian and so necessary to ward off the cold in log cabins or sod houses or clapboard houses with no insulation in the walls. Often, they were constructed of the scraps left from when dresses or shirts were cut from whole cloth or the salvageable parts of ripped or worn clothing. Many quilts were of uneven fabric weights and the corners of the squares didn’t exactly match, but on a cold night, any cover was welcomed.

Some women (apologies to anyone whose male ancestor was a quilter) enjoyed a higher standard of living and purchased yard goods for the express purpose of designing and sewing a quilt. Those are the items that have most often been passed down within families or which have survived more than a hundred years and are curated in a museum. Women used quilts as an outlet for their creativity—inventing patterns around sights or events important to their lives. Patterns are named Rocky Road to California, Flying Geese, Tumbling Blocks, Mariner’s Compass, and Pinwheel.

In my latest release, Freedom’s Path, I included a plot thread of how quilts were used on The Underground Railroad. Although a federal law existed that forbade people from aiding an escaped slave, many people disagreed with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1852. Not much could be done if a slave was apprehended because the bounty hunters wanted their fee, as did the crooked judges. But abolitionist women set out quilts either on a fence or hung them on a clothesline to be a signal to escaping slaves as to which path was the safest and/or if the way was clear for them to proceed farther along the route. After reading Hidden in Plain View about these efforts, I couldn’t wait to include this fact in a story.

Abolitionist Sidonie Demers must keep her efforts secret in her work as a mail at the Deerbourne Inn. Corporal Colin Crawford searches for abolitionist activity while posing as a salesman. What will happen when their secret identities are revealed?

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Dime Novels--Television of the 1800s, part 1

In my latest novel, Chasing Adventure, book 8 of the Entertainers of the West series, the heroine, Thora Alviss, is a published author with The Oceanside Library, a New York City-based publisher of dime novels. She writes female-centric stories and learns of an opportunity that sends her west to interview a famous U.S. marshal so she can create more believable heroes. Trouble is, said U.S. Marshal Harte Renwyck wants nothing to do with his previous life after a tragedy related to his last arrest. The two butt heads and their interactions were so much fun to write.

Several earlier books in the Entertainers series had mentioned dime novels in passing. For this novel, I did in-depth research and was fascinated with what I read. The earliest rendition of this printed entertainment was called story papers with the first edition titled The Young Gentleman’s Magazine in England published in 1777.  The stories were printed on eight pages of cheap paper, with sizes varying from tabloid style to regular newspaper format. The writing wasn’t expected to be great, because the issues sold for a penny, thus coining the term “penny dreadful.” The first story papers started in American in the 1850s and had series that ran on a weekly basis for fifty years. Lots of companies printed the stories in England under such titles as Boys of England, The Boys’ Herald, Boys’ Best Story Paper, The Modern Boy, and Boys’ Champion. Fewer titles were aimed at females--Peg’s Papers, The Schoolgirl, Schoolgirls’ Weekly. The Boys’ and Girls’ Penny Magazine (1832) was the first story paper to gain popularity.

In America, most historians agree the first acknowledged dime novel was published by Beadle & Adams Company and titled Maleaska, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter written by Ann S. Stephens. The date of the publication is July 9, 1860, but the story first appeared in three parts in Ladies’ Companion magazine during January through March, 1839. Thus started the habit of reprinting already published material, because at that time, the copyright laws didn’t protect the author. Beadle’s Dime Novels were 6.5 by 4.25 inches (a little shorter and a little wider than current regular-sized novels) and 100 pages each. The first issues were printed with a plain salmon-colored cover. Issue 29 featured a wood-block cut illustration. This series ran for 321 issues and is credited with establishing the standards for the genre: outlandish plots, lurid action, and the melodramatic title and subtitle to entice the readers.

The vast majority of the early stories were set on the frontier (a geographic line that kept moving west) and included encounters with vagabond travelers, scary wildlife, and Indians. As the American West became settled, these stories evolved into westerns. Due to an increase in literacy around the Civil War, the volumes became very popular among young, working class people. Following a story line or character from week to week was similar to the scripted television shows we currently watch. The first dime novel detective, Old Sleuth, appeared in 1872 in the Fireside Companion. Some characters became so popular that issues were published with only stories featuring that character. By the 1880s, with other publishers like George Munro and Robert DeWitt starting publication, stories set in cities appeared, as well as medieval-set romances and soap opera-ish titles.

Publishers were eager to find stories of all types. The publication that had a set format needed to fill 50 or 100 pages every week, 52 weeks a year. Original stories were sought and many women found a place for their creations. When a character grew popular, publishers gathered 4-5 stories featuring the main character and printed a separate issue under a new title. A practice that became confusing to reads but proved popular with those who collected the issues.

Next part: In depth with Penny Dreadfuls

Look for Chasing Adventure here (don’t buy until October 2 to ensure you received the correct copy. A glitch occurred with the pre-order copy) An e-copy will be gifted to one lucky person chosen from those who comment on this blog post by Sunday, September 30.

Silent Harmony book two of the Lockets and Lace Collection

The sisters of SILENT HARMONY, book 2 in the Lockets and Lace Collection, won my heart as I wrote. I always have wonderful heroes because I write with my beloved husband and he makes sure they are manly. We both attended the DFW Writers Workshop every Wednesday night for fifteen years, barely missing a handful of read-and-critique meetings. There, we learned our craft from published mentors we came to love like John McCord and Jack Ballas and Don Whittington.

The baby sister, Melody became my heroine, though the eldest Lucinda, a widow and single parent of the four-year-old deaf Harmony, proved herself strong and kept her little family afloat in the days following the Civil War. Poor neglected, and no-reason-to-be-important-or-loved, middle sister Servilia, kept a sharp tongue and wielded it on a regular basis. Sibling rivalry proved common in the manless household, no matter how hard Lucy tried.

They all loved Ezekiel though----the new preacher-teacher come to town to establish a school for the deaf just outside of DeKalb, Texas, at his mother's old home place. Handsome, he was. And eligible, too, but the first day, he set his cap for the Parker sister who'd smitten him, and the other two had no chance.

Here's an excerpt from an early chapter.

“Uhhhn!” The baby stuck her hand out toward the bowl.

Her mother cocked her head, lifted one brow, and shot the little girl what Melody called 'the look.' A warning, but of love and disdain mixed with a tinge of mirth.

The four-year-old rocked her head side to side, lifted her chin a smidgen, and crossed her arms over her chest with a mischievous grin. Oh, how she loved that sparkle in Harmony's sky blue eyes.

The baby moved one hand enough to pat over her heart.

“That's better.” Her mother spooned on honey, stirred it in, then poured a little cream over the porridge. “And now you may have your breakfast.” Lucy slid the steaming bowl of oatmeal across the table then glanced toward Melody. “So, you really think sending her to that school might be worth the money?”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely. Of course I do.”

“Well, I don't see how in the world you could ever justify it.” The sourpuss at the far end of the table always had to put her two negative cents in. 

And that's Servilia for you. But I so enjoyed her correspondence with Zeke's cousin in Pennsylvania, Rupert. What great fun it was! 

 

   My jacket copy--did you know authors write the jacket copy? I try hard to write what the story is about, not what happens in it. All the while praying my story gives God glory! That's all important to me.
    "God uses all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
    Orphaned by the Civil War, three sisters struggle to keep the family farm solvent. Eldest, Lucinda must mother her deaf daughter, Harmony and mediate between her dueling siblings, Servilia and Melody. The sisters’ fragile truce is shattered by the arrival of the handsome Ezekiel Sheffield, coming to establish a school for the deaf. Miracles, mayhem, and marriage ensue, but nothing ever comes easy."

     How'd I do? Did I whet your appetite?

I believe my strongest writing skill lies in my characters and developing them to be real people to me . . . and therefore, real to my readers, too. I love these sisters. I do. And I hope you'll find them real and worthy of your love, too. I'm always blessed when reviews come in! Running seventy-percent five-star reviews and another twenty-percent four-star . . . leaves me humbled.

I'm blessed that the Lord led me to be a  part of this collection, with eight other sweet authors who wrote their historical romances with a locket from a Bavarian jeweler in St. Joseph, Missouri, Wilhelm and his wife Bridget. That's who connects our stories, and we all have an important piece of lace as well.
I pray you'll enjoy SILENT HARMONY and that you'll help it rise to #1 if only for today by getting yourself a copy and maybe one for a friend. That'd be excellent!

GIVEAWAY: Thank you and be blessed! I'll offer an ARC copy to a commenter here who tells me a story of YOUR siblings!

BIO: Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and a quick scroll through her novels’ rankings by Christian readers attests to the Father’s faithfulness. She loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs He gives her—look her up on YouTube to hear a few. Her high school sweetheart husband won her heart fifty-one years ago, and now they share four children and seventeen grandsugars. Ron and Caryl live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

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How Much Social Commentary Should Historical Romances Include?

Most people pick up a fiction book to be entertained and escape into another world for a few hours. They want to think of the problems wrestled with by others. Even if the reader isn’t looking to specifically learn anything new, the author can use the vehicle of the novel to provide information that leads the reader to further reflection on a topic. Of course, the details have to be subtle, or the author risks the reader setting aside the book due to a lecturing tone. Novels written about events in the current times cannot escape containing bits of social commentary, because the author sets obstacles familiar to contemporary readers before his or her characters and guides them through the problem-solving process.  

Historical authors may have the same goal but have to research what situations were ongoing in the time period being written about. Culture clashes have existed since the first peoples moved out from their secular group to explore what was beyond that next hill or across the nearby stream and encountered those from another area. In the settling of the American West, one of the biggest clashes came over grazing rights and, by default, water rights. Although the grazing lands were public, because sheep eat the grass down almost to dirt level, insufficient forage was left behind after a herd moved through an area. This issue put the cattle ranchers and sheep herders on opposing sides, and often violence resulted. Over the fifty-year period starting in 1870, 120 armed engagements occurred resulting in the deaths of 54 men and between 50,000 and 100,000 sheep.

Even within the cattle industry, different views about who had rights to the public grazing lands existed. The conflict between free grazers and a powerful rancher was depicted in the 2004 movie, Open Range, starring Kevin Costner, Annette Benning, and Robert Duvall.

I used this well-known animosity between cattlemen and sheepherders for building a recent story set in 1887 Aspen. Similarly, other writers have used the theme of Romeo and Juliet or the feud of the Hatfield and McCoys as the spine of their stories. Another goal in my story planning was to relay that those with opposing habits might also possess unique skills that could prove helpful if a person looked past the prejudice.

As with many of my stories, I also included a comedic layer to counter-balance the serious elements. In this case, dogs served that role, and I contrasted the highly trained shepherding dogs owned by the heroine with the rambunctious dogs owned by the hero.

Is learning about social attitudes of past times one of the reasons you read historical romances? (an electronic copy of my Christmas set novella goes to a random pick of one of the people leaving a comment)

BLURB for Silent Signals:

After losing half his herd in the Great Blizzard of 1886, rancher Konrad Werner needs to safeguard his cattle. Tomboy Anora Huxley trains the Australian Shepherds and Kelpies that run the family’s sheep herd. Although cattlemen and shepherds are at odds, the pair discovers common interests. A threat is overheard, and Konrad rides out to Anora’s ranch to protect her. The tense situation reveals their true feelings. Will Anora be swayed by family loyalty, or will she listen to her heart that responds to Konrad’s silent signals?

~~~~~

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Blog Tour Tuesday--Baling Wire Promises by Linda Carroll-Bradd

Healer Fantine Pomeroy and five children, aged five to eleven years, are the only survivors of an orphanage fire. She vows to transport them safely to another orphanage, and then she can return to her music studies. But she soon discovers the task may be more than she can handle.

Bounty hunter Pete Andrews is beaten after delivering his last bounty. Unsure if robbery or retaliation is the motive, he sets out to lay low and make a visit to his brother in Morgan’s Crossing. Unable to leave them on their own, he promises to get the woman and children safely to the next town. When he suspects his old life has followed him and threatens the group who has become dear, he vows to protect them. But will that be enough?

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Excerpt:

As she got closer to the orphanage, she heard panicked screams from the second floor. The awful cries stayed her feet but only for a moment. Spitting sounds came from the roof as the roaring flames consumed the dry cedar shingles. Fantine ran around the side of the building, looking to see if the sisters had gathered near one of the windows and lowered an escape rope made from tied bedsheets. Nothing. No one.

Biting back a cry, she charged up the front steps and reached for the doorknob but the radiant heat kept her from grabbing it. “Sisters, where are you?” She turned toward the town that lay at least a furlong away. No time remained for her to run in that direction. “Help! Fire! The orphanage is on fire!” Through the front window, she saw the staircase was fully engulfed and sobbed at the devastation she witnessed. The fire must have started on the first floor and climbed.

A form sprawled at the edge of the classroom, a book and candlestick lying nearby. Flames ate at the blonde woman’s clothing.

Oh, Sister Philippa. Fantine pressed a hand over her mouth at the horrifying sight.

On the kitchen side of the house, an upstairs window slammed upward. “Fantine! We’re trapped.”

Trapped? What was the sister saying? Fantine scrambled over the porch railing and jumped into the flower beds before running along the wall. “I’m here.”

Coughing, Sister Catherine leaned over the ledge and tossed down a metal box. “Take the records.” With jerky moves, she wrestled a ribbon from around her neck. “And the key.”

Fantine caught the scratched box and set it on the ground, then reached up and snagged the loop of ribbon. Remembering the flaming staircase, she searched her mind for another escape. No outside stairs had ever been built. A big mistake. Her heart lodged in her throat. “No, you must find a way.”

“We’ve tried. Staircase is gone.” Sister Catherine pressed the crook of her arm to her face.

“I saw, but you could tie the sheets together.” Tears burned her eyes. Everything was happening so fast. She couldn’t think straight. She paced, craning her neck to keep Sister Catherine in sight. Smoke surrounded the sister’s head and crept along the wall toward the roof. “Or dangle the children from the window, so I can catch them.” Fantine stopped and held out her arms like a cradle.

“Smoke is too thick. Many already dead.” She glanced toward the room and pulled the neckline of her nightgown over her mouth. “Go to Virginia City…to Sister Lourdes.”

“No, Sister.” Fantine stood, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hang from the window ledge and drop. Please, save yourself.”

“Promise…take children…to other orphanage.” She bent over in a fit of coughing.

Don’t give up. “All right, I promise to deliver them to safety.” She stretched her arms high, waiting for the sister to reappear, but her vigil was in vain. Long minutes passed.

Finally, the horrible truth sank in. Fantine dropped to the ground, arms wrapped around her middle, and rocked back and forth. Stunned, she could only whisper, “Can’t be happening, can’t be.” They were all gone. The four caring and devoted sisters who’d run the orphanage, and thirteen sweet, lovable children who would never grow to adulthood. “No, no, no.” Tightness gripped her chest and she could barely breathe. Fantine leaned forward and pounded her fists on the ground. Sorrow threatened to flatten her, and she keened, loud and long. When her throat was raw, she staggered to her feet and grabbed the box. The other children, I must see to them. I promised.

Quilting - What is the fascination?

I am super excited about a series that authors from Sweet Americana Sweethearts are putting out in January, 2017.  The premise of the series is Grandma Mary’s Wedding Quilts.  All of her grandchildren, with stories of their own, will receive a quilt with a different block for a wedding gift.  All sweet romances based in mid to late 1800s.

Now I can’t be the only woman around who is totally clueless about quilts!  Come on!  

I have never understood the hubbub about quilting, though many people I know find this pastime fascinating.  I know at first, pioneer women sewed together any scraps of material they could find to help keep their families warm.  (I made a Halloween costume for my son, years ago, and it didn’t last the whole night!  If in one of my previous lives I was a Pioneer woman – my family would have froze!  LOL)

Only in later years, when fabrics were being manufactured in America and were more affordable, did the more artistic type of quilting become more widespread.
In the 100 years between 1750 and 1850 thousands of quilts were pieced and patched, and many of them are preserved. Many of these quilts were so elaborate that years were spent making and quilting them. It is no wonder they are cherished as precious heirlooms and occupy honored places in homes and museums.

I asked a friend of mine who is HUGE into quilting – “Why?”  Below is her answer.

“I love the geometric designs and the way colors work together. I also love to touch the fabric, and actually get an adrenaline rush when I walk in a quilt shop and see all the wonderful fabrics, threads, and samples on the wall. Quilting allows me to stay busy, and never get bored. There's the piecing, the actual quilting, and then binding, which is usually done by hand. There are projects that people do completely by hand, such as applique, redwork, embroidery, hand quilting, etc. I think a lot of people don't like to just sit, and having handwork helps to keep them busy, and their minds occupied. The act of being able to give someone a quilt that you have spent many hours completing just for them, also makes quilters happy. You are giving a little part of yourself when you give someone a quilt that you have made.”

I guess that explains it!

My book, Chase’s Story, is number nine in the series and will be released January 18.  We follow Chase to the Arizona Territory outside the little town of Hackberry and since  things are still pretty secretive - keep watching for more to come!