All the reader comments went into the cowboy hat – and the two lucky winners are …

Debbie

and

Jessica

Congratulations, ladies!  Please send your addresses to Valerie at: val@valeriehansen.com

She is going to mail you each an autographed set of Frontier Courtship and Wilderness Courtship!  Yee haw!

Thanks so much to Valerie for being our guest this weekend, and to all of you who stopped by, ya’ll come back now!

Hello again! I’m happy to be back and delighted to report I have NOT shot myself since the last time I visited. Of course, I hadn’t planned to do it the first time. In case you missed the story before, I dropped a .22 pistol that was loaded and it landed squarely on the hammer. Yes, it fired. And hit me in the shin. But outside of a scar and some lingering embarrassment, I’ve recovered nicely.

My newest western historical novel is WILDERNESS COURTSHIP, which will be in stores in mid-August. Good timing, huh? And, just so you won’t think the above-mentioned incident went for naught, I shot my heroine in that book. She recovered, too. I was just waiting for an editor to tell me I’d gotten the details wrong so I could photograph my lovely scar and prove I knew what I was talking about! Actually, I did offer to show it to an editor at a conference but she politely declined to peek. Of course she was eating breakfast at the time so. . ..

WILDERNESS COURTSHIP was almost as big a surprise to me as it was to my heroine, I’m sure. You see, she was the emotionally needy younger sister, Charity Beal, in FRONTIER COURTSHIP and I had never intended to give her her own story. Not in a million years. When I was asked to use her for another book I wondered how in the world I was EVER going to rehabilitate her enough that she’d be heroine material. But, never fear, I waited till she was a bit older and wiser and she came through with flying colors.

There are no pet mules in this current book but there are Indians and adventure and all the other elements that brought me so many wonderful fan letters after my first historical. I knew I loved the book but I had no idea it would be so well received, especially since it was one of the first 4 of that type from Steeple Hill’s new Love Inspired Historical line.

I wish I could tell you all when to expect my next westerns, for which I am already contracted, but the publisher wanted me to slip in a few contemporary books first so that’s what I’ve been working on. I can tell you that the next one will be set in San Francisco, just pre-Civil War (or as we say down here, the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression) That’s why I will probably never be asked to write about that war.

The story that follows that one will involve the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. And after that, your guess is as good as mine. I get tired just contemplating all that work but I wouldn’t trade my profession for anything, headaches, bullet wounds and all. As a matter of fact, I’m currently in the process of “shooting” a contemporary hero, too. Might as well get as much mileage out of that accident as possible, since I couldn’t figure out a way to deduct the ER visit from my taxes!

Till we meet again, keep your powder dry, your head down, and never, ever keep a live shell under the hammer of your antique, single-action pistol, even if all you have it loaded with is bird-shot.

Valerie is giving away TWO AUTOGRAPHED SETS of Frontier Courtship and Wilderness Courtship to two lucky lucky readers who leave comments this weekend!  Post here for your chance to win.

 ORDER WILDERNESS COURTSHIP FROM AMAZON

She yearned for a simple life. But God had other plans.

After surviving an unhappy marriage, Charity Beal avoids men. But compassion gets the better of her when she encounters Thorne Blackwell, a rugged shipping magnate in the midst of crisis. His brother has vanished, and hired guns are after his brother’s wife and son. To save them, Thorne faces a grueling journey through the wild Oregon Territory. In order to succeed, he needs Charity’s help.

Through roiling rivers and lush mountain passes, Charity’s kindness and faith awakens Thorne to a strength he never knew. But before he can heal her wounded heart and win her love, he has to save their party from the sharpshooter stalking their every step.

The delightful and entertaining Miss Valerie Hansen will be in Wildflower Junction bright and early Saturday morning for her second visit.

She’s going to be promoting her new book, Wilderness Courtship, her second in the Courtship series. The heroine is the sister to the one in “Frontier Courtship.” Ah don’t know how Miss Valerie made a heroine out of Charity Beal but she certainly did. Bet that took some doin’.

Be on hand tomorrow and help us roll out the welcome mat for Miss Valerie. Let’s all turn out and give her a time to remember. 

Inspired by Pam’s “shoe” theme, I started browsing the web and found some great sites on 19th century shoes. Being a visual writer, a picture can spawn an entire story so I thought I’d share some of the interesting sites, pictures and tid-bits I found. 

First up are antique 19th century embroidered shoes, which I adore! These are my kind of dress shoes! (Site: Angel Fire)

I happen to have a bit of a green fetish and just love these suede 5-strap button shoes.

Just as lovley are these white satin fan-tongue court shoes

Some shoe history from My Vintage Sole:

• The 19th Century Shoes were lace-up styles and became popular in the late 1800′s and continued into the early decades of the 20th century. The lace-up shoes or boots are higher than the button-up shoes. The reason could have been that laces could be drawn tighter, giving more support for the high top.
• An interesting point regarding Victorian Morality (Victorian Era 1837-1901) is that women’s ankles were to be covered to protect them from men’s prying eyes. Ironically though, the intricate tight lacings of the ankle boots had a titilating effect.
• The higher, front-laced 19th Century shoes/boots had sturdier soles and became even more popular when Queen Victoria started wearing them at her Scottish castle Balmoral. The two-toned lace up boots have been known as Balmorals since then.
• Glimpses of the foot exposed while walking inspired bootmakers to adorn their creations with silk fabrics and metallic thread embroidery. For revealing shapely ankles, buttons were preferred over laces.
• In the 1890′s, ornately decorated boots with flowers and birds were worn by opera-goers and became known as “opera boots.”
• During this time period walking boots could be functional as well as fashionable. Sensible, utilitarian boots were a cold-weather staple in the latter half of the 19th century. The typical walking boot was lined with flannel, had a half inch heel and cost about $5.50.
• The early 20th Century is often referred to as the Edwardian Era (1901-1910) after Queen Victoria’s successor, King Edward VII. The elite of this day also referred to this time as the Belle Epoque, or “Beautiful Age”.  
• In 1850 shoes become “crooked”, meaning they are designed so that there is a difference between the right and left foot.
• In the 1860′s the “Louis” heel (curved outline, flared at base) appear on shoes and are still commonly seen on shoes and boot to this day.
• In 1870 the high-button shoe or boot is in fashion. The most common high-button shoes that we associate with have the flap of leather that folds over the front and is fastened by buttons on the side.
• A button-hook (metal hook used to pull button through button hole) is an essential tool for everyone owning a pair of high button shoes.

 

This is a replica of the ladies high top shoes, with holes on each side for laces. They have a toe cap (you can see the stitching for the toe cap in picture). The heels date from about 1867, but this shoe also has metal eyelets which were not patented until the 1890′s. They have rubber heels which were patented in 1889. Genuine black kid, American made.

 

 

While I’m on my vintage clothes kick, here’s an outfit to go with those lovley satin shoes…a marvelous classic circa 1865 lady’s two piece golden russet colored silk faille dress.  

I do believe that whole “barefoot and pregnant” saying is quite fitting, as any pregnant woman can attest…shoes simply do not fit in those last few months of pregnancy. Here’s a fine and elusive post Civil War three piece lady’s maternity ensemble.

Personally, I have two favorite types of shoes: boots in winter and flip-flops in summer…when not barefoot. In THE GUNSLINGER’S UNTAMED BRIDE one of my favorite scenes is when Juniper talks Lily into taking off her boots to walk barefoot through the river with him

I have some replica boots with mock buttons up the side (zipper on the inside *g*) which tend to be my faves.  This summer I’ve been sporting green beaded dragonfly flip-flops. 

 

 

 

 

 How about you?  What is your favorite type of shoe?

 

 

 

**I also found a great page titled How to dress like a gentleman- A guide on the history of the gentlman’s shoe-dress like a true gent–a fun site if you’re interested! 

Thanks to everyone who came by and shared their guilty pleasures today.  I smiled all day long, and many times laughed right out loud.  You guys are so much fun that I wanted to share something — er someone special with you.

Enjoy…….

You know if you can’t find something defined on Wikipedia, it doesn’t exist. Guilty pleasures are real, however, and here’s the definition: “A guilty pleasure is known as something someone considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Fashion and food can be examples of guilty pleasures.”

At my last local RWA chapter meeting, our illustrious president, Cyndy Salzmann asked, by way of introductions, for each person to share their guilty pleasure.

Dee Ann W said: “Music is my guilty pleasure. It’s more of an obsession. I’ll hear a new song and I have to have it. Not necessarily the artists’ entire CD but that one song. Dee Ann has a passion for any song sung by the latest American Idol winner, David Cook. She downloads all songs sung by the sexy Idol. “My realization from writing this,” said Dee Ann, “is that music is not my guilty pleasure. David Cook is my guilty pleasure.”

Rest assured you’re not alone there, Dee Ann. I listen to David Cook as I drive.

One of my friends confessed to playing Fashion Solitaire online. I admit I checked it out, but I resisted the free hour. I don’t need any more addictions.

Tina Gayle responded: “When I was younger one of my guilty pleasures was wearing my sister’s clothes. I had to be real careful though, and make sure I put it back in the exact same place in the exact same way it was hung. Luckily, I left for school after she went to work and got home before she did. Oh, to have a sister who is the same size as me again.”

The confession that had everyone in stitches was a writer who will remain anonymous unless she reveals herself here, because I don’t have permission to post her identity. Said writer keeps a can of chocolate frosting hidden in the back of her refrigerator and eats a scoop while watching Cops. Watching Cops is part of that guilty pleasure, because she can feel superior in that her husband wears a shirt.

The rule: This frosting may only be eaten with an index finger. In case of discovery, the offending finger can then be poked into her mouth. “What are you doing?” “Nothing.”

You know who you are.

In the midst of hearing about hidden chocolate, doughnut binges, and feasting on Chinese for a week while husbands are gone, I kept thinking that I do a lot of that stuff but I just don’t feel guilty about it. In order for it to be a guilty pleasure, one must actually keep it a secret from someone and have remorse about the compulsion.

By the time my turn came around I finally came up with something. Most of you already know I’m a collector of the highest caliber. I stop at all garage sales and flea markets and antique malls I can find, and I can’t pass a Goodwill without stopping to browse.  Do I need anything? No! Do I buy things? Undeniably yes. My family and my husband cringe over these purchases. My family cringes because they’ve all helped us move a couple of times.  My husband cringes because he’s always building new storage and display. So, my guilty pleasure is that I buy things and then leave them in the trunk until no one is home, then wash them up or whatever they need, and put them away so it looks as though they’ve always been there. And no one’s the wiser. Well, until now.

After that day, I did come up with another guilty pleasure. Even when we both have to get up the next morning, my daughter Kristin and I often stay up until midnight or later engaged in Boom Blox competitions. When we play several nights in a row, our arms and shoulders get so sore we can hardly move them.

Boom Blox is a Wii game created by Stephen Spielberg. The fiend. Our favorites are the towers you have to slide blocks from and try not to topple them, and also the blocks of towers you do try to knock down systematically. You can play alone or as partners, but most often we compete against each other. And this from me, the person who won’t have games on her computer.

Here’s what Charlene Sands said about her guilty pleasure: “Everyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge Tim McGraw fan. I’ve never belonged to a fan club, ever, not even for Elvis, but I belong to his. I’ll pay outrageous prices on ebay for Very Good Seats to his concert. Thankfully, my good friend, Tanya is my enabler. She loves Tim too and we go together and have a blast! I see every movie he’s in, buy his records, visit his website, know the names of his band members and his children. I’m a die-hard fan.”

Tanya Hansen didn’t confess to the Tim addiction, but she did tell me that in winter she sits in front of the fire with a book instead of doing the things she should be doing, and in summer ditto with walks along the beach. Who can blame her there, eh?

Since I was having fun with the subject, I polled readers as well. All the responses were fun to hear. Cindy said this: “Nancy Drew PC Games are my guilty pleasure. These things are sooooo addictive. Me and my girls sit at the computer for hours playing these things until we finally (usually days/months later LOL) solve the mystery.”

Connie in Nebraska says: “I love old movies, especially musicals, and especially Elvis, and if I can watch them while playing with my beads, I am in heaven.”

Robyn told me: “My guilty pleasures are my ‘afternoon naps’. I am not napping as much as I did, but when my 2nd one was born, I was under doctor’s orders to nap every afternoon to help keep my blood pressure down. I never gave it up. We trained family and friends not to call or bother me in the 2-4pm range. Even if I didn’t nap, I’d sit quietly and read or watch TV. Just some ‘me’ down time. I still sneak in naps, but my afternoons are still my downtime.

So my questions for you today:

Do you have chocolate remorse?

Do you have a favorite Wii game?

How about a fascination with a celebrity?

What is your guilty pleasure?

Hello Darlings, we have Miss Valerie Hansen on her way to entertain us once again. She’ll arrive Saturday at the usual meetin’ place. You know where that is.

Miss Valerie is bent on telling us about the time she shot herself in the foot. She’ll talk about the dangers of handling a loaded pistol. That’s no joke. It really happened–shooting herself I mean. Ah wouldn’t joke about a thing like that.

She’ll also give us the run-down on her newest book WILDERNESS COURTSHIP. The story sounds right up my alley. Ah know you’ll like it too.

So, hurry by on Saturday for a treat you don’t dare miss!

I can’t take credit for these.  Barbara Vey, who’s a romance blogger/columnist for Publisher’s Weekly, graciously gave me permission to share the photos she took at RWA.

Here’s several of Nora Roberts. 

This one was taken at Registration, right before the conference began.  Love these strappy sandals!

Can you imagine being so famous that people even want to see your shoes?

Thank you, Nora, for being so patient and letting the rest of us ogle you! 

These were taken at the Rita Awards Ceremony. 

Love the rhinestone pair in the lower right hand corner!  sigh . . .

Black is definitely the color of the evening.

Thanks to Esri Rose for sharing the following pictures with us.  She had a bunch!

(I’m posting them with her permission.  Check out her site   http://elvesamongus.com/blog/  for the rest of her collection.  It’s amazing!  And thanks to Cheryl for mentioning it this morning.)

How’s this for gorgeous elegance?

 Or something more whimsical?

For those who don’t want heels?  These are beautiful!

Elegant, elegant!

Even before I attended the Romance Writers of America conference in San Francisco last week, I’d decided to do a blog on women’s high-fashion shoes.  I thought I’d start out giving a little history on nineteenth century styles, touch on design and fabrics and how the shoe has evolved during the century. 

I started researching.  Dabbled with a few ideas.  Found a picture or two.  And then I thought . . . nah.

Let’s go right for the bling!

And what better place to do that than where 2,200 women are gathered?  Twenty-two hundred women who WRITE, and every writer knows how solitary sitting in front of that computer can be, week after week.  Month after month.  Toiling over manuscripts and emails and blogs just like this one–all by our lonesome.

RWA’s national conference is one place where we authors come out en masse, strut our stuff, show our professionalism.  Our successes. 

Our shoes.

After much shopping and planning and travel, aspiring writers arrive to blend with industry professionals.  Published authors meet with their editors and agents.   Newbie authors rub elbows with nationally known bestselling authors.  During the conference, we learn.  We network.

And we party!

One such party is the esteemed Rita awards ceremony and reception.  Another is the gala event Harlequin throws for its authors, and every year, the party is incredible.  Cocktails, fine food, and music.  Everyone comes dressed for the occasion, and it’s something to see.

Including the shoes.  Here’s a few I’ll share with you!

Aren’t these yummy?

Stacey Kayne is wearing the black pair at the top.

Going clockwise, Gail Ranstrom, a Harlequin Historical author.

Rounding out the circle is Charlene Sands, Pam Crooks and Kate Bridges.

These tootsies belong to Nora Roberts.  

She’d been dancing shoeless, but I happened to catch her just as she was putting them back on again before she left.

Aren’t these pretty?  The ties are unusual!  Margaret Marbury, one of the Harlequin editors, wore them.  Except I didn’t know that’s who she was, and we had a giggle over it.  She’s gorgeous–tall, blond and willowy.

I just love this one!  Michelle Buonfiglio is a romance columnist for Lifetime Television’s myLifetime.com.

This strappy little number was worn by Michelle’s good friend, Amy Fosseen, who was happy to oblige me, too! 

Bet you weren’t expecting these, eh?

Scott Eagan, with Greyhaus Literary Agency, and his wife, Nikki, who writes as

Bronwyn Scott for Harlequin Historicals.

Scott’s kilt is an Irish Ancient Galway Tartan from where the Eagan family comes from.

Julianne McLean, currently writing for Avon and a former Harlequin author, posed on the dance floor for me.  Her shoes reminded me of the ones our Barbie dolls used to wear.  Red polish and all.

Walmart, $19.99.  (And yes, she told me I could tell you that!)

I could have snapped pictures of pedicured toes, nail polish that ranged from bright pink to bold black, and shoes with rhinestones and stiletto heels all night long.  Even now, I’m drooling over the memories of all those gorgeous shoes.

So how about you?  Are you a shoe hound?  Do you have a closet full, all kinds?  Or are you a one pair of Nikes kind of gal?  (Or guy.)

How much are you willing to spend for that perfect pair of shoes to accessorize the perfect dress?  Are you a bargain hunter?

Let’s talk shoes, girls!

I’ll let you in on a secret.  Remember my shoe in the top pic?  The one with the black polka-dot bow?  $9.99 on clearance.  Best ten bucks I’ve spent in a long time!  Hee!

Thank you all for stopping by and leaving comments today. I had fun chatting and I hope you did too. This site couldn’t make it without your continued support.

The winner of GIVE ME A TEXAN is……………

Amy S.

Yippee! If you’ll contact me at lindabroday@live.com and give me your address I’ll get the book sent right away. I’m wishing everyone a wonderful evening.