Thursday, March 14, 2024

Camels in the Old West

 


 In the 1800s, the arrival of red camels in Texas heralded a unique chapter in the state's history. This unconventional addition to the Texas landscape came as a result of an ambitious experiment undertaken by the United States Army in the mid-19th century. Seeking to improve transportation and communication across the arid and rugged terrain of the American Southwest, particularly in the deserts of Texas, the U.S. Army turned to an unexpected source: camels. These creatures, renowned for their endurance and adaptability to desert environments, were deemed ideal for traversing the harsh conditions of the region.


 

Led by Major George H. Crossman, the U. S. Army's Camel Corps imported dozens of camels from the Middle East, primarily from areas such as Egypt and Tunisia.  Among these camels were the distinctive reddish-brown dromedaries, known as red camels, which stood out against the backdrop of the Texan landscape.  The camels were put to use in various capacities, including carrying supplies, mail, and even serving as mounts for soldiers. Their ability to travel long distances without water and their remarkable stamina made them invaluable assets in an era when conventional means of transportation struggled to cope with the challenges posed by the Southwest's harsh environment.


 Despite their effectiveness, the experiment with the red camels in Texas was short-lived. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, resources were diverted and the Camel Corps was disbanded. Many of the camels were sold off or simply set loose into the wild, where they became legendary figures in Texan folklore.


 Though the era of the red camels in Texas may have been brief, their presence left an indelible mark on the state's history, serving as a reminder of the innovative spirit and adventurous nature of those who sought to tame the untamed frontier of the American Southwest.

Sandra


 


Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Battle of the Backstory


Telling Too Much

 Battling Backstory

Recently I read an award winning novel that was certainly interesting, but had one troubling flaw. At least to me.

The author shoved tons of backstory at me in the first chapter or two. Tons. The book began with the heroine going through routine chores in her prairie home. This gave the author plenty of space to tell us about how the heroine met her husband, where she was brought up, how her husband proposed to her, the trouble she had birthing her child, a miscarriage, and that her husband had mood swings that were getting progressively worse.

Nothing wrong with all of that information. We need to know about the characters to understand why they do what they do. However, backstory is best when it is revealed in thin slices -- like peeling an onion. If you tell me all this stuff about a character's past right when I first meet her or him, I'm not ready! I have just met this character! It's like meeting someone in a grocery store, exchanging a bit of small talk, and then the person launches into a sermon about her life up to this point. Do I want to hear this now? No!

Wait until I am emotionally invested in a character before you ladle on the backstory. Make me want to know . . . make me question . . . make me wait a little before you show me a glimpse of a scene in the character's past that will provide insight on why the character acted a certain way in a previous scene. Just because you have a wealth of information about the character, doesn't mean you have to tell your reader every tidbit of it. You might even know something about the character that you never have to reveal in the novel because it isn't necessary. It's important for you to know, but you don't have to share it with your readers because it doesn't add to the story.

Backstory can be boring if it is delivered too soon and glopped on like paint splatters. Readers will skip over it or glance through it because they are not emotionally engaged yet and are anticipating dialogue or action.

The main focus of a first chapter is not backstory. The main focus should be to answer this blazingly important question; Why is this day unlike any other?

Readers are looking for the answer to that question in the first chapter and you had better not delay it any later than the beginning of your second chapter, or you will lose a lot of your readers. If it appears that this day in the character's life is no different than the day before, then why are you writing about it and expecting me to read about it? I might as well read someone's diary.

So, go easy on the backstory. Let me get to know your main characters through their actions and dialogue before you give me snippets of information about how life formed them, shaped them, and led them to this moment in time.

National Women's History Month - A Look Back on Suffrage


Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines 

The Apotheosis of Suffrage
From the Library of Congress

March is National Women's History Month. In honor of the month, I'm taking a look back at what the papers were saying in the late 1800s.


From the Rocky Mountain News March 9, 1889, on Women's Suffrage



From that same publication of March 14, 1885



The Colorado Banner January 13, 1876


The Colorado Weekly Chieftain April 28, 1870




For anyone so inclined, you can sign up for my newsletter. It's free (for now): Thoughts and Tips on History

As Always,

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, 

Doris




Monday, March 11, 2024

Write what you know by Jan Scarbrough


My parents were married for fifty-three years. I wasn’t so lucky. I spent many years as a “single mother.” Of course, that experience found its way in many of my books.


Darby, in the Ghost Mountain Ranch series, is the widowed mother of two adult children, Slade and Kelsey. Her children both have a story in the romantic mystery series.


DARBY: What is the truth behind the death of Darby’s mother? When the past once again intrudes on the present, will Darby do what she’s always done—what her mother did—and run away? Grief and secrets had torn Darby and Hank apart once. Given a second chance at love, will the revelation of more shocking secrets from the past destroy their hopes for the future?


Audio Books: 

Audible

Apple AudioBook




Ghost Mountain Ranch Box Set


The same goes for Liz in the Dawsons of Montana. When a handsome stranger arrives at the ranch, Liz—divorced and widowed—fears her daughter-in-law is playing matchmaker. Her children, Brody, and Mercer, and her stepson Ben, are also featured in this contemporary western series.



LIZ: Jim’s widow is alone again with a ranch to run. Sometimes second chances come when least expected. Can Liz take a leap of faith with the new man in her life?


What do you think? Are books better if the author writes what she knows? Or can an author use her imagination to create a book?


I think it’s a bunch of both. Even when writing about a knight in 1282, I still put a bunch of myself in the story. I can’t write about things in which I don’t believe. And I’m always searching for Happily Ever After.






Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Pony Express: Faster than USPS these days

Imagine a time when 'instant messaging' meant a galloping horse and a fearless rider, racing against the clock, the elements, and often danger. This was the era of the Pony Express, an iconic chapter in American history that redefined communication in the vast, untamed landscape of the United States.

In the mid-19th century, California's gold rush lured thousands westward, creating an urgent need for fast, reliable communication across the continent. William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell conceived an audacious solution in 1860 and called it the Pony Express. This trailblazing (pun intended) mail service aimed to deliver messages between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, in just 10 days—a feat that seemed nearly impossible at the time.

The Pony Express was a marvel of logistics and grit. Young, lightweight riders, often in their teens, were recruited for their bravery and riding skills. The route spanned approximately 1,900 miles, traversing rugged terrain, including deserts, mountains, and plains. It was literally a race against time and nature.

Riders would race between stations situated about 10 miles apart, changing horses, and then hand over the mail pouch to a fresh rider at "home stations" every 75 to 100 miles. Riders covered an astounding 75 to 100 miles a day, galloping at full speed on a string of fresh horses. They faced numerous perils, including harsh weather, rough terrain, bandits, and conflicts with Native American tribes.

The riders of the Pony Express became legendary for their courage and endurance. One famous rider, Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam, once rode 380 miles in less than 40 hours, a record in the annals of the organization. Such feats were the hallmark of these riders, who became symbols of rugged individualism and bravery.

Despite its efficiency and the lore it created, the Pony Express was short-lived. The completion of the transcontinental telegraph line rendered it obsolete, as messages could now be transmitted almost instantaneously.

However, the legacy of the Pony Express is monumental. It was a crucial factor in keeping California in the Union by ensuring rapid communication during the critical early years of the Civil War. The Pony Express also demonstrated the feasibility of a transcontinental route and paved the way for the transcontinental railroad.

Though it lasted less than two years, the Pony Express left an indelible mark on American history. It reminds us of a time when communication was as daring an adventure as any, filled with the spirit of courage and the relentless pursuit of progress. In the annals of the American West, the Pony Express remains not just a mail service, but a testament to the human spirit's unyielding drive to connect and conquer the odds.

So, the next time you send a text or an email, spare a thought for the daring riders of the Pony Express, who once raced against time and terrain to deliver messages that kept a nation connected.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Interview with Racine Weston ~ Julie Lence

 


It’s always fun (and sometimes a relief) when the characters in the book you’re writing talk to you. I’ve had secondary characters blurt out their name, and main characters take me in directions I never imagined, but never has a character talked to me as much as Racine Weston. Racine is the heroine in No Luck At All. Originally, I had written the story more toward her hero’s POV. (That would be Creel Weston.) But the 2nd go-around, Racine took over the story and wouldn’t let go. Right from the beginning, she had so much heartache built up inside her and needed for me to not only help her find the strength to confide in Creel, but to help her find a path to peace.  

Here, Racine sits down with me on a pretty spring afternoon to answer some of my questions.       

Thank you for meeting with me, Racine. What can you tell me about Creel?  What did you think the 1st time you saw him?

Papa is a well-known doctor in Boston. He’s also a teacher. Every year he hosts a dinner party for his interns, and every year I beg off attending, but Papa insists I join the festivities. I don’t know why. Mama says my scars are hideous and scare off every man I meet. I can’t argue that, because she’s right, so I arrive at the party more than fashionably late and find a chair in the corner where I can keep to myself. It’s much easier this way. Papa’s interns don’t have to feign an interest in me, and I don’t have to pretend they overlook my appearance. But this year, Papa is guiding a man toward me. And not just any man. He’s tall, heavily muscled, and just about the handsomest man in all of Boston, maybe the entire world. He smiles at me when Papa makes introductions, and asks for a dance. Suddenly, my throat is dry… and my stomach is somersaulting in a most peculiar way.           

What was your 2nd thought?

That Papa should examine me, because I must have caught an illness. Never have I felt this way. Then again, never have I seen eyes that pretty on a man. Or thrilled to the sound of a deep voice. But as Creel waltzed us around Mama’s ballroom, his heated gaze bore into me, and I changed my mind about Papa examining me. Papa should examine Creel, for surely he was the one with poor eye sight and feeling ill.     

How did Creel convince you he wasn’t ill?  

He wrangled for the seat beside me at supper and engaged me in conversation on a variety of subjects. When someone thought to interrupt, he glowered at them, and then returned his attention to me. At the end of the evening, he asked Papa’s permission to call upon me tomorrow morning. Papa approved, and the next day, Creel whisked me away in a carriage for a picnic in the park. After that, when he wasn’t in class or studying or working his job at the docks, he was with me… Hideous me! We went everywhere together; the theater, restaurants, the park again. Always he held my hand and treated me like a lady. And then, he proposed. I felt as though I was walking on air, but our wedding night, he changed. And not for the better. Deep down I feared I had made a grave mistake, that I shouldn’t accompany him to his home in Colorado. But, with Mama loathing me and shooing me out the door faster than one can blink an eye, I wasn’t sure if I should trust my heart or trust what I know.           

What did you do?

I followed my heart and boarded the train with Creel, hoping he would forget his disdain with me and love me again. Some days he was sweet and kind. Other days he barely tolerated me. His was definitely a Jekyll-Hyde personality, but at the Denver hotel, he accused me of blackmailing him into marrying me and scheming my way back to Boston. Of course, he was wrong, but something inside hinted didn’t believe me, that was better for him and I to part ways in Denver than later when we were both beyond miserable.      

Did you tell him you loved him?

Or course. That’s why I offered to set him free, so he’d have a life of happiness. Not a life of misery. 

How did he react? 

In a manner I never would’ve likened to him. 

To find out exactly what Creel did, and if Racine finds the peace she longs for, grab a copy of their story and start reading today. Available only at Amazon.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0064R6NVI

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Holiday Dreams Trilogy Coming Soon

 


A few months ago, I asked my readers to choose one series they would like to see more stories about some of the secondary characters.

Overwhelmingly, the response was for historical stories in my fictional town of Holiday, Oregon. 

So, I've been busy working on a trilogy of sweet and wholesome western novellas called Holiday Dreams.


The books will release every Thursday beginning March 21!


Release Date: March 21


DREAMS OF LOVE

 Will dreams of love lead to an unexpected future?

Weathered from too many years of apprehending outlaws, Marshal Dillon Durant is resigned to a life of solitude. The small community of Holiday, Oregon, offers the opportunity for him to build lasting friendships while discovering a sense of belonging. Then he encounters an exasperatingly beautiful woman attempting to break into the local school, leaving him to contemplate the possibility of a new chapter in his life.

Desperate to escape the arranged marriage her father is attempting to foist upon her, Zara Wynn accepts a job as a schoolteacher in Holiday. Intent on a fresh start, she doesn’t want anyone to discover she’s a runaway bride. But concealing her past proves difficult, especially when the astute and handsome Marshal Durant captures her heart.

When her father and fiancé find her, will Zara be forced to abandon her dreams of love? Or will Dillon make them come true?





Release Date: March 28

 DREAMS WITH FAITH

 Can faith conquer their fears?

John Ryan is committed to his role as pastor in the quaint town of Holiday, Oregon. He values each member of his congregation, and aims to lead by example. However, his resolve is tested when a free-spirited woman arrives in town. John struggles with his growing attraction to her, determined to keep it from distracting him from his calling.

Following a devastating tragedy that leaves her isolated and shattered, Keeva Holt is eager for a new beginning. In need of consolation and clarity, she decides to seek refuge with her brother in Holiday. As she navigates through her grief and attempts to find direction for her future, Keeva’s vibrant spirit and exuberance challenge those around her, including the reserved Pastor Ryan. While logic tells her that John is beyond her reach, her heart urges her to pursue her dreams and embrace the possibilities of tomorrow.

Will John and Keeva learn to lean into their faith and let go of their fears?





Release Date: April 4

 DREAMS FOR COURAGE

 Will two lonely hearts find the courage to love?

A loner for most of his life, Rowan Reed wants nothing more than to be left alone. He buys a run-down farm near Holiday, Oregon, intending to turn it into a successful ranch through hard work and determination. When a nosy, albeit beautiful, woman shows up on his doorstep, the instant attraction he feels to her sets off nearly as many warning bells as her barrage of probing questions.

Private detective Rhetta Wallace always unearths the truth. Involved in a lengthy investigation into a man suspected of killing a politician's son, her pursuit leads her to the town of Holiday. Accompanied by her adopted son, Rhetta finds herself squaring off against the grumpy, growling rancher she believes is the suspect. Whether or not Rowan admits his true identity, Rhetta is sure of two things: his innocence of the crime, and the deep affection he awakens in her heart.

Will their dreams for courage help them release the past and embrace a future together?



  USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.
When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
Shanna is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, and Romance Writers of America.