Oh, I had another blog all started for today, and  of course I’ll get to it someday. But the idea of sunflowers literally burst into my head yesterday when I bought ten stems of them for the wall vases my hubby got me a while back with the dictum, never leave them empty.

The glorious sunflower is my favorite way of filling them. They smile so bright and fill me with much joy. And along our main highway here in Southern California, roadside stands sell them by the armful. I can’t think of any plant that symbolizes Americana more than the sunflower.

This time of year, the Great Plains are said to be blazing with sunflowers (as well as their cousin, the goldenrod) to the delight of pollinating insects. The great state of Kansas, whose state flower is the sunflower, records eleven species including the annual Prairie Sunflower, and the sunflower is a common alternative crop on the Plains. So what are they and where did they come from? Evidence indicates the plant was cultivated in present-day Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Some archaeologists suggest that sunflower may have been domesticated before corn! Lewis and Clark recorded their use by the Plains Indians. But the story of the Helianthus Annuus takes this beautiful flower from the Americas all the way to Russia and back again.

For centuries, sunflowers were cultivated in the Americas as a valuable food source. The Incas developed the tall, single-stemmed sunflowers after years of selective breeding of plants from smaller native wildflowers. European explorers brought back to Spanish botanists the first seeds, and by 1580, the sunflower beautified plenty of Spanish villages. From Spain the sunflower spread to Italy, Egypt, Asia, and England, where in 1716, a  patent was granted for squeezing oil from sunflower seed. In Russia the sunflower was first grown commercially as an important oilseed crop.

Peter the Great is given much credit for the sunflower oil industry. Originally intended as an ornamental plant, by 1769 oil production had begun, reaching commercial scale by 1830. The Russian Orthodox Church, which prohibited the use of food oils during Lent, had not forbidden sunflower oil, and it immediately gained popularity as a food oil.

Here in the Americas, the native tribes had further developed the plant seeds in black, white, red, and black/white and used many ritually. The sunflower was an important food crop for the tribes who ate the delicious, calcium-rich seeds, and tribes extracted yellow dye from the petals.  The oil was also used for ceremonial body painting and as hygiene for hair and skin. Some traditions indicate the oil was used in breadmaking, crushed sunflower seeds was made into flour and mush, or mixed with other vegetables such as beans, squash and corn.   From the stalks came a delicate fiber that even today is said to be one of the lightest fibers developed. Not surprising, parts of the plant were discovered to have medicinal value in treating snakebite and as a healing ointment for the body.

The blooming of the plant also influenced the hunting calendar and in some societies had significance as a religious symbol.  

By the late 19^th century, the sunflower seed found its way back to the U.S. after its “sabbatical” in Russia. In 1880,  American seed companies advertised the “Mammoth Russian” sunflower seeds in their catalogues. Actually, this particular seed name was still offered a hundred years later. In the U.S., however, the first commercial use of the sunflower crop was silage feed for poultry. Not until 1926 did the first processing into oil occur, thanks to the participation of the Missouri Sunflower Growers’ Association.

In the 1940’s sunflower acreage spread into Minnesota and North Dakota, likely due to demand. The basic plant breeding is said to have come from Mennonite immigrants from Russia. Acreage boomed in the late 70’s due to high European demand for sunflower oil.

Although clearly grown for practical reasons in its past, the sunflower definitely shows its romantic side. The tall stalks and bright yellow faces stretch towards and follow the sun, a unique behavior  known scientifically as phototropism. Big word aside, the lovely growth pattern became a theme of loyalty and constancy in many ancient myths, viewed as a symbol of loyalty and constancy. Because the flower’s face and petals remind us of the yellow rays of sunshine, the sunflower is often associated with warmth and delight as well as longevity, cheer and comfort.

As European explorers shared the sunflower to new areas, the rest of the world began to appreciate its beauty. Artists, particularly the Impressionists, doted on the flower as a subject for their work. One must live on Mars not to recognize Van Gogh’s. And as for me and my house, sunflowers are regular visitors.

Any sunflower stories or recipes out there? Any Kansans? What flowers have significance in your life? Are you a gardener?  Talk about your green thumbs or favorite flowers today. 

Click to order

Looks like everyone had fun today talking about your favorite series.  Seems this is a subject near and dear to our hearts.

And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for……

Melissa D.

and

Kathy Steffen

have won their own autographed copy of Texas Wedding For Their Baby’s Sake.

Congratulations! Now if you’ll send Kathryn your mailing address at kathryn@kathrynalbright.com she’ll get your book to you pronto.

Thanks for having me here, Fillies.  I appreciate the chance to talk a little about my new release — Texas Wedding for their Baby’s Sake.  It is a continuation of The Rebel and the Lady, but also a book that can stand alone if you haven’t read the first one.  Here’s a short blurb:

Caroline Benét enjoyed one night in her fiancé’s arms before he left to fight in the Texas territory. The day news reaches her of the Alamo slaughter is the day she learns she is carrying his child.

He may have survived, but Brandon Dumont can’t return to the life he once knew or the woman he once loved—not as a cripple and a man battling his own personal demons.

When Caroline shows up in Texas, Brandon is determined to send her packing.But Caroline wants more than Brandon’s name for their baby—she wants his heart. Look like it will take a love as big as Texas to win him back.

Yes, I love writing the tortured, conflicted hero and Brandon, with his idealistic worldview ripped from him by the ugliness of battle, had a lot of hurdles to overcome. A person cannot be “cured” of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but there is hope that he/she can learn to live with it, depending on its severity.  A good, strong woman who won’t give up, can certainly help.  And Caroline needed Brandon as much as he needed her.  My heart just ached for these two as they struggled to find their place in the vast Texas territory.

This is my first attempt at writing a series book and I approached the task with some trepidation.  But I found out that I absolutely loved writing this way! After a few false starts, the story unfolded before me. The best thing about this type of storyline is that I already knew my characters, knew what made them tick, what their fears, hopes and dreams were. And I cared about each and every one of them—strongly—and wanted them to have their dreams.   

I think the first book I ever read that might have been considered a “series” was Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women—then on to Little Men and Jo’s Boys.  Over the years I’ve read many of Nora Robert’s series book and more recently, Stacey Kaynes’ Wild series.  Do any of you have a favorite series you would recommend? Western romance or otherwise?

Two lucky commenters will win an autographed copy of my new release, Texas Wedding for their Baby’s Sake!

www.kathrynalbright.com

Hi, all. Thanks for your great comments!  I wish we had enough prizes to give each and every one of you.  But here are the names that came out of the hat:

Connie Lorenz,  Laney 4, and Marelou.

Connie, could you contact Pam at pacrooks@radiks.net and give her your mailing address?

Laney and Marelou, you can contact me at elizlane123@msn.com.  I’ll be going out of town for a few days, leaving Wednesday morning, so unless your fast, there may be a short delay. 

If we don’t hear from you, I’ll choose an alternate winner on Monday.

It’s not even October yet, and the cowboys are already gathering under the mistletoe.  Mary’s COWBOY CHRISTMAS made its debut in September. 

In October, another COWBOY CHRISTMAS, the Harlequin Christmas anthology, will be on the shelves.  Pick it up, and you’ll see stories by our own fillies, Pam Crooks and Elizabeth Lane, as well as wonderful Western author Carol Finch.  The book’s already received a great four-heart review from Romantic Times and been featured in the September issue.  Other reviewers have been equally enthusiastic.

Today we’ve come together to tell you a little about our stories:

Pam Crooks

           It’s always a privilege to be invited to participate in an anthology.  The benefits are enormous for the author–bigger print runs, increased name recognition and joint promotion.  There’s the fun of getting to know my fellow authors, too, and when I found out my sister Filly, Elizabeth Lane, would be with me, I was especially delighted.  It’s been an honor to call Carol Finch a new friend.  With 91 books under her belt, written under 4 pseudonyms, I’m in awe of her career.

            In addition, readers love having three separate stories between the covers.  It gives them more bang for their buck, and when the stories center around Christmas, the book is a festive, fun–and romantic!–way to get in the mood for the Blessed Holiday Season.

            My contribution to COWBOY CHRISTMAS is a novella entitled “The Cattleman’s Christmas Bride.”.  It’s the sequel to my May release, THE CATTLEMAN’S UNSUITABLE WIFE.  In that book, Mikolas Vasco and Allethaire Gibson play major roles and endure a good share of suffering.  They needed their own story together to find the happiness they deserved.

            Though I didn’t quite plan it that way, somewhere along the way the original storyline became complex enough to carry into three separate books.  It’s my first trilogy, and in the book I’m writing now, I’ll solve the mystery thread of the stolen library money which has brought six people so much heartache–and eternal love, too. 

            This is Jack Hollister’s story–a hunky, scar-faced lawman-turned-cowboy–who I introduced in “The Cattleman’s Christmas Bride.”

            Here’s a quick blurb:

After Allethaire Gibson was kidnapped several years earlier in the wilds of Montana Territory, she tries hard to put her life back together in civilized Minnesota.  She almost succeeds—until she’s framed for a crime she didn’t commit.  With her reputation in shreds, she flees back to Montana to seek her father’s help in proving her innocence.

Mick Vasco never expects to see Allethaire again, but when he finds her in the middle of a train-robbery-in-progress, he has no choice but to kidnap her—again.  

Together they race against time to find crucial answers.  But during the blessed season of Christmas, they find wondrous gifts of forgiveness and love instead.

Carol Finch

I’m so delighted to be doing this Christmas Special with Elizabeth and Pam! They are terrific writers and wonderful women that I’m honored to call new friends.

            In “A Husband for Christmas,” Victoria Thurston backs herself into a corner when she fibs to her overprotective parents and assures them she’s safe in West Texas because she married the city marshal. She doesn’t need the wealthy gentleman her family earmarked for her. Her lie returns to haunt her when the Thurstons send out the royal decree that she and Marshal Logan Daniels will be home for Christmas because her older sister—the Golden Child—with her perfect husband and perfect son will be home, too.

            Victoria hires Logan as her holiday husband—and he turns out to be everything she wants in a man. Now, if only he’ll fall in love with her, she’ll have the only Christmas gift that matters.

            Logan has admired the spirited bakery owner from afar and he accepts her offer. Why not? He’s an orphan and he’s curious to see what it’s like to celebrate holidays with family.  He’s disgruntled to see the Thurstons fuss over Victoria’s sister and don’t appreciate Victoria for the successful, independent-minded and personable businesswoman she is. He boasts about her accomplishments every chance he gets—and means every word he says. Suddenly, charading as Victoria’s holiday husband isn’t enough to satisfy him. He wants his Yuletide bride for real… forever.

    Watch for : KANSAS LAWMAN’S PROPOSAL IN JAN. ‘10

Elizabeth Lane

            Working with these two amazing writers has been a wonderful and rewarding experience.  Carol and Pam are the best, and we hope you’ll share our excitement at seeing our book in print.  My story, “The Homecoming” is second in the book.  Here’s a brief summary of what happens.

Rancher Clay McAllister is a man who shoulders responsibility—a man who’d rush into a whorehouse to save his reckless young brother from a brawl; a man who’d serve three years in jail for a death that wasn’t his fault.  On a cold December day, Clay comes home from prison to pick up the pieces of his life.  His Texas ranch is in ruins.  His beautiful wife Elise believes the worst.  His young son Toby barely remembers him.   And Christmas is just a few days off.

            “The Homecoming” is a story about three good people who need to forgive each other in order to forgive themselves.  It isn’t a pretty tale—but then, it wasn’t meant to be.  Clay, Elise and Buck are trapped in a cycle of blame and remorse that can only be broken by one act—the act of total forgiveness and love.  Only then will they be able to heal and move on with their lives.

            Having just read COWBOY CHRISTMAS from cover to cover, I was delighted with the differences in our stories and the way they complement each other.  It’s our hope that COWBOY CHRISTMAS will thrill you, make you laugh and perhaps shed a tear—and that its pages will fill your heart with warm Christmas spirit.

            We’ve saved the best part for last.  COWBOY CHRISTMAS isn’t on the shelves yet, but each of us would love to give away a copy signed by all three authors—a real collector’s item!  All readers who post today will be put into a drawing. 

Let us know if you read trilogies.  Are you willing to wait for the three books to come out?  Or do you prefer to get everything in the story wrapped up in one book?  

You’ll be pleased to know that Miss Kathryn Albright has set a course for the Junction and will arrive on Tuesday.

She’s rearing to give us a peek inside her newest book. Ah sure don’t want to miss that.

It looks like a humdinger. And what a handsome cowboy on that cover! Whoo-ee! I’d like to chase him around the barn a few times. Hee-hee!

Join us on Tuesday and get a chance for one of two autographed copies of the book.

Time’s a wastin’ now so get a move on!

Yee-Haw! Ain’t life grand?

Winner of Linda Fords’s DAKOTA CHILD is…….

Patricia Barraclough

Congratulations, Miz Patricia!

Drop Linda an email at linda@lindaford.org and send her your mailing information and she’ll get the book on the next Pony Express.

There’s nothing quite like a man in uniform. And in my opinion, there is no uniform quite like that of the Canadian Mountie. Their official motto is Maintiens le droit… Uphold the right but most of us believe the unofficial one—the Mountie always gets his man.

It all began with the Whoop-Up Trail that ran north from Fort Benton, Montana, to near Lethbridge, Alberta, along which goods and people travelled back and forth.  Among the travelers were buffalo hunters, wolfers, gold hunters, natives and even early settlers.

Through a Royal Charter signed in 1670 the Hudson Bay Company had an exclusive trading monopoly over the area of western Canada that drained into the Hudson Bay. That included all of present day Alberta except for a small section south of the Milk River that drained into the Missouri River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. The Hudson Bay Company (HBC) banned trade in alcohol and had the power to enforce the ban. But the Northwest Trading Company encroached upon the HBC territory and had no conscience against trading furs for a little fire water. Then in 1870, the HBC surrendered most of its lands to the British Crown, and the lands subsequently transferred to the Dominion of Canada. The land was wild and lawless.

By 1873, alcohol had become the principal trade commodity. This perhaps led to an event known as the Cypress Hills Massacre.

A party of wolf hunters was returning through the Cypress Hills to Fort Benton when their horses were stolen. The wolf hunters accused the Assiniboine Indians of stealing them (though it was never proven). Whiskey flowed freely that night and early in the morning the wolfers attacked the Assiniboine camp, leaving thirty dead and many wounded.

Order had to be restored to the area to make it safe for aboriginal people and settlers so Canadian prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, called for the formation of a military-style police force known as the North-West Mounted Police (later renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—RCMP for short). Their primary responsibility was to protect the aboriginal people from the atrocities of the white man. Eventually they became everything from judge to jury to teacher to referee.

July 1874 saw the first detachment of red-coated young men set off on an epic journey across what would become Western Canada. There were 275 policemen, 339 horses, 142 oxen, 114 Red River carts, 73 wagons and two cannons weighing a ton each. They crossed mile after mile with no roads, no bridges and few supplies. After traveling 14 days they reached the Roche Percee on the Souris River. Their supplies were depleted, the horses exhausted and many men sick. The NWMP Commissioner, George French, divided the group in two. The sickest and weakest were sent along the easier 800 mile route to Edmonton, Alberta. The rest took the shorter but more difficult 550 mile route toward the foothills of the Rockies where they established a base at Fort Macleod. It all sounds romantic but the accommodations were primitive and trying. I’ve visited a number of restored sites and am awed at the conditions they endured.

The Mounties, also known as the Red Coats, wore the red uniforms both to emphasize the British nature of the force and to differentiate it from the blue American military uniforms. On the march they wore pillbox hats which did little to protect them from the sun. 

Thankfully they exchanged the pill box for a Stetson. Today they only wear the red for special occasions like marching in a parade. I have a picture of them marching down one of our streets.

American Whiskey Traders from Fort Benton, Montana, had established a fortified trading post near what is now Lethbridge Alberta some years earlier. The post, called Fort Whoop-up, traded with the people of the First Nations for hides in exchange for guns and bad whisky. The fort was well armed and even had a cannon. However, when the traders heard the Mounties were coming, they abandoned the fort thus allowing the Mounties to take the fort without a shot fired.

In the months that followed, the whiskey trade was smashed and lawlessness sharply declined. By 1875, the police had erected additional posts at Fort Saskatchewan, Fort Calgary and Fort Walsh. Law and order was firmly established.

The Mountie is a colorful and interesting character who makes a noble hero in many books and films.

For sheer pageantry nothing compares to the musical ride that is still performed across the country.  (Photos of musical ride taken from the official RCMP site–www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/mr-ce/photos-eng.htm)

Just in case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you are :-) I do intend to write about the heroic Northwest Mounted Police sometime in the future. In the meantime, my book, Dakota Child, has a different kind of hero—Big Billy Black. Be sure to check out this September release.

I’ll be giving a copy away this weekend, and I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about Linda and her books, visit her website:  www.lindaford.org

In honor of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and all those who fight every day for our freedoms. Never take them for granted.

From the day I started researching my first manuscript set in Texas, I’ve been fascinated by the history of Texas. Much has been said about the Republic of Texas – but did you know it only existed for ten years?

The Republic of Texas was a sovereign nation that existed from 1836 to 1846. The first Congress of the Republic of Texas convened in October 1836 at what is now West Columbia. Stephen F. Austin, referred to as the “Father of Texas,” served as Secretary of State for the new Republic for only two months before his death on December 27, 1836.

In 1836, five sites served as temporary capitals of Texas: Washington-on-the-Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco and Columbia before President Sam Houston moved the capital to Houston in 1837. In 1839, the capital was moved again, this time by President Mirabeau B. Lamar, to the new town of Austin, where it remains today. And during the time of the Republic, Texas had embassies.

Technically they were Legations, not embassies, since Texas was a Republic, not a recognized country. There were Legations of the Republic of Texas in London, Paris and Washington D.C., serving to improve diplomatic ties–and to beg for loans.

The Legation in France was housed at 1 Place Vendome 75001, rue de la Paix, Paris, where the famous Vendome Column, was erected in 1810, torn down in 1871, and rebuilt, with Napolean again depicted as Caesar, three years later. There’s a plaque there, showing its location.

The London Legation building was at 3 St. James Street, near Buckingham Palace. The building now houses Berry Brothers Wine Merchants, with a plaque recognizing its former tenants.

And I didn’t find an address for the Legation in Washington D.C., but I’ll keep looking–because it’ll drive me nuts not knowing!

The Legations weren’t needed for long. On February 28, 1845, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that would authorize the annexation of the Republic of Texas. On October 13, 1845 a large majority of voters in the Republic approved it. and Texas bypassed the territorial phase and became a U.S. state on December 29, 1845.

A lot happened in those ten years – enough for more books than I could write in a lifetime. But I’m going to try.

Hello Darlings,

Our dear friend, Miz Linda Ford, will arrive at the Junction this weekend. The Fillies are more excited than a kid at Christmas!

Miz Linda will fill us in on those handsome devils– the Canadian Mounties. Ah do love a man in uniform and those Mounties durn sure know how to fill out those jackets and pants! My heart’s beating faster than a runaway herd of wild horses just thinking about it.

Ah don’t think we’ll have to twist Miz Linda’s arm getting her to talk about her newest book either. It’s a dandy!

Make your way to the Junction and help us give Miz Linda a rousing welcome. And oh, did I mention she’s giving away a book? Yep, she durn sure is!