People often joke with me about selling my book’s film rights, and if they aren’t making a joke – I turn it into one. Film deals are few and far between for writers, unless your last name is Brown, Grisham or King.  But then I add, “I don’t really need to see the movie, because I’ve already watched it,” and I tap the side of my head. Because, as I’m writing, that’s what it feels like. The characters talking to each other in dialogue, the setting and I confess, I’ve even put a certain piece of music on while writing because it evokes the mood.

So, with imaginary characters and a made-up place, I always thought it was the best I could do.

But – I was wrong.

On a recent trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, I stopped at the Visitor’s Center in Jackson and asked the nice gentleman at the counter if he could recommend any ghost towns in the area. He pulled out his map, consulted with his wife and pointed to a place not far off the main road we’d be taking back to Seattle.

“Bannack” he whispered, nodding. “It’s like the folks just picked up and walked off. They keep it as natural as possible.”

So, on the final leg of our journey, we headed out of Wyoming, through Idaho and into Montana. Following the signs for the State park, we finally arrived at the ghost town around noon.

I stood on the main street, with the Meade Hotel to my right, and realized I was standing in my imaginary town of Willow Creek, Montana. It was all there, the mining, the creek, the rather grand brick hotel. I could almost see my heroine, the Widow Wainwright, sweeping into the hotel in her black crepe mourning clothes. The hero’s sawmill would be down at the edge of town, and peeking into the windows of Bannack, I could easily imagine the various characters in my book coming to life.

My husband and I both had cameras, and we happily clicked away. I knew I’d have the perfect shots for my “book trailer” so my interest was part historical time traveler and part mercenary opportunist. I don’t think it really matters to the town.

Bannack had the first brick courthouse in Montana, and served as the chambers for the First Territorial Legislature. The first Governor of Montana lived in a house that was little more than a shack, (forget about a mansion) and it’s clear that mining gold took precedence over architecture as the town grew. There’s the tale of the sheriff who was really the head of an outlaw gang, stories of “hurdy-gurdy” joints and soiled doves along with the respectable folks creating a Methodist church, building a Masonic Lodge and organizing school.

There are enough images and snippets of information in the guide book to fuel story ideas for many years to come.

I think what makes Bannack so intriguing though, is that it grew from just 400 people to over 3,000 in just a few months when gold was discovered in Grasshopper Creek. And like so many towns in the West, when the gold played out, the people of  town eventually moved away. But the town didn’t disappear.

The fact that the State of Montana was wise enough to preserve this jewel is noteworthy. There are other more popular “ghost towns” scattered around Montana, and I’ve visited a few. The number of buildings preserved in such wonderful condition makes Bannack a stand-out place for me.

Have you ever visited a ghost town? What was that experience like for you?

Deborah Schneider, RWA Librarian of the Year 2009

Promise Me – January 2010

www.debschneider.com

We have a winner.

The winner for the drawing of Colleen Coble’s Lonestar Secrets is:

MAUREEN

Maureen, please email me at: mary [at] maryconnealy.com and I’ll get your mailing address to Colleen so she can send you her book.

And thank you ALL for stopping in to Petticoats and Pistols.

Not long ago I went to my very first Gun & Knife Show. I’m a sport shooter–I only aim at things that don’t bleed–but I must admit, I was curious. 

Mostly I found what I expected, guns and knives of all shapes, kinds and makes. Surprisingly, though, there was also an amazing array of history there. I studied replica Colt revolvers, Navy revolvers, and dragoons. Derringers were in abundance, too.

What excited me the most were the originals! Colt, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Walker. Black powder percussion cartridge, Civil War era and the guns that “won the West.” All the pistols and revolvers I’ve researched for my western historical novels were right there in front of me. Pearl handles, hand-rubbed walnut grips, elaborate engravings. Totally amazing.

At shows like the one I attended, you will find everyone from the curious to the expert. There was the man who displayed an amazing collection of knives. He had Bowie knives from several different decades and parts of the country; also a Civil War-era personal knife that you might find in the kitchen of any household in 1850. Some had rough-hewn handles, others fancy silver scrollwork. There was even an abalone-inlaid beauty that could bring more than $10k in a collector’s auction. None of the collection was for sale, of course–he just brought it because he loves collecting and wanted to share his many treasures with others.

Besides weapons, there was all kinds of Americana, like old photographs and books, a Harper’s Weekly from 1889, even advertisement cards that prove using scantily clad women to sell your products is not an invention of 20^th century ad agencies.

My favorite item? Brass tokens the size of 50 cent pieces, stamped on one side with “Cat House Tokens – good for a bath, a screw and beans.”

I found battlefield souvenirs, from shell casings to buttons to the decorated leather holder for a cannon tamper, period clothing and gear, belts, spurs… I could go on and on, but it would be easier if you just saw it all for yourself.

So the next time there’s a gun and knife show in your area, go. You won’t be sorry.

Be sure to hook up with the Fillies on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Felicia_Filly

Hello Darlings,

Hope life is treatin’ you real good and you’re ready for the weekend.

Miss Deb Schneider will be our guest this Saturday.

We’re pleased as all get-out. The Fillies have been sprucing up the place and getting out the welcome mat.

A favorite subject of Miss Deb’s is ghost towns. She’ll entertain us with a look at one–Bannack, Montana that once was a jewel of the old West. Ah’m looking forward to learning about a place I’ve had a hankering to see. Ah’m sure you probably have too. If not, you soon will be I guarantee.

And we won’t have to twist Miss Deb’s arm to talk about her new book that’s coming in a few months. PROMISE ME looks like a humdinger.

So mark your calendar and shake a leg! You don’t want to miss it.

My husband and I arrived in Lexington, Kentucky late Sunday afternoon.  It’s a 540-mile journey from our house in northern Virginia, and we typically do it in 9-10 hours including stops for gas, food, dog walks, etc..  Not this time! Instead of zipping along in my little Camry or in a rental car (we’ve done that at Christmas with the kids because we needed space for gifts, etc.), we were in my husband’s beloved and well used 1994 Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck, a long-bed with a bit of extra cab space. 

This baby was loaded to the max.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it. My husband used the twin bed mattresses and box springs to make a box of sorts, and we filled it with a coffee table, three chairs, bags of bedding, a large toolbox and an assortment of household flotsam and jetsam. Talk about 10 lbs of flour in a 5 lb. sack!  This was absurd! 

And then it started to rain . . . Not a lot, but enough to require plastic sheeting. Add yellow rope, a dozen bungee cords in a rainbow of colors, and brown packing tape and you’ve got the picture.  I wanted to take a photograph, but I couldn’t find the camera because it somehow got packed in a mystery box. My theory is that my husband knows exactly where the camera is , but he doesn’t want this packing job on the internet.  I don’t blame him!  It was hilarious.

So how does all this relate to the pioneers traveling in their covered wagons?

We were in West Virginia on I-64 when I first thought of those stalwart men and women–and their oxen–lumbering up long, steep hills. Our little truck had to be near the maximum of its weight capacity.  We had to downshift on some of the grades between Covington, Virginia and Beckley, West Virginia, but we did just fine. Slow but sure.  If we’d had oxen, though, we’d have been dumping stuff like the pioneers did as they traveled west.

What would be the first thing to go?

Not the tool chest, even though it was extremely heavy.  A man has to be able to fix things.

Not the clothing.  It takes up space, but it’s light.

Books?  Ouch!  I have a lot more books than the pioneers, but I’m sure they traveled with a few precious family heirlooms. Maybe a Bible with the family lineage, or a much prized book of poetry. That’s not something anyone would want to part with.  

Pieces of furniture?  That’s what went first. Whatever is heavy, most dispensable and most easily replaced would end up on the side of the road.  This got me thinking about things we need vs. things we love.  A fifty lb. sack of flour would be a lot more precious than 50 lbs. of china to someone in need of bread, but the china would hold memories for generations.

My husband I didn’t have to throw anything out of the truck, but we had to deal with the strain of travel.  We were a few miles from home when we had to stop for the first time to retape the sheeting. Fifty miles later, we  bought three more bungee cords at a truck stop on I-81, the main thoroughfare through the Shenandoah Valley.

At sunset, we were in the Wal-Mart in Lexington, Virginia  buying more plastic sheeting because the wind had whipped holes in the first layer.

We made it, though. We’re safely in Lexington, Kentucky and its beautiful! I’m in Bluegrass Country! The truck is safely parked (make that hidden!) in my in-laws garage, waiting to be unloaded.  We might just leave it there until we find our new homestead.  The looking starts tomorrow and I can’t wait.

The modern day Conestoga has arrived at last! 

Hello, friends! It’s good to be back with such a great group who loves western fiction. The second book in my Lonestar series, Lonestar Secrets, is about a young veterinarian who returns to her hometown. Five years earlier she’d been told one of the twins she bore out of wedlock had died, but the day she arrives, she sees another little girl who looks like the daughter holding her hand. Even worse, the child seems to be the daughter of a man who betrayed her.

Don’t you just love high drama? J Lonestar Secrets was a fun story to write because of the great conflicts. But back to western stories. One thing that is common in stories of the west is my favorite thing in the world. It even tops chocolate if you can believe it. Coffee. And my hero Jack loves coffee. That makes him a real man in my estimation! I wasn’t always a coffee drinker. My parents always had a pot of Folger’s brewing when I was growing up so I thought it was for, well, older people. When I started writing, I met a fellow author friend (Kristin Billerbeck) who bought me my first iced mocha. We happened to be in Santa Fe so the western connection was even part of my first coffee experience. One sip and I was in heaven. I’ve been on a quest for the perfect cup of joe ever since.

My favorite coffee is from a coffee brewer in Phoenix called Echo Espresso (http://www.echoespresso.com/) so it’s another reason I believe the west has the best coffee. My favorite is called World Blend. It’s mellow like Kona coffee but still strong enough. I’ve been on a diet so I’ve learned to like it iced with just a tiny touch of sweetener in it, though my favorite way to drink it is lightened with International Flavors hazelnut creamer. How about you? Do you have a favorite coffee? What’s your favorite way to drink it?

Pull up a chair and cozy up to the fireplace while we raise our cups in mutual love of the brew we love! I might even whisper whodunit in my book!

Colleen

www.colleencoble.com

www.GirlsWriteOut.blogspot.com

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Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble.

To buy a copy of Lonstar Secrets book #2 in the LONESTAR series

click HERE

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Follow Petticoats and Pistols here: http://twitter.com/Felicia_Filly

Hello friend!

Han Kola! (Lakota)  Oki Napi! (Blackfeet)  Rockste!  Friends (Iroquois)  Pave-eseeva! — Good morning!  (Cheyenne)  Ka-hee hii-la!  (hello young lady) (Crow)

Now, please bear with me.  I’m not an expert on this subject, but in writing books about the above tribes, I have collected together a bit of their language.  How one pronounces some of these words is best learned by going amongst the various tribes and listening and paying attention when they are speaking their own language.

But I thought it might be fun to have a look at some catch phrases from the various tribes. 

While I won’t be able to say the same thing in all languages, here’s a few phrases:

Lakota:  Hello!  Women (Han)  Men (Hau — pronounced how)

                   How are you? I am fine.

                    Toniktuka hwo?  Ma tanyan yelo.

Crow:  It rained yesterday.

               Huuleesh xalaak.

Did you know that for the Crow and the Navajo, English is a second language?

Blackfeet:  I said it.  It is good.

                                                     Nitanistoo pa.  Soak piiwa.

Here’s another one:  Cheyenne:  Let’s talk Cheyenne!

                                                                   Ne-tat-tsehese-nestse-ma!

Iroquois:  When will you come again?

                       Catteges issewe?

Okay, now I’m going to teach you one that I use alot.  It’s phrase in English is simly “Good.”  Its use is to acknowledge something someone else has said or to simply say something is good. 

The sign language is:  This is from the online dictionary by William Tomkins (picture of the book cover below):  “GOOD (meaning: level with the heart). Hold the flat right hand, back up, in front of and close to left breast, pointing to left; move hand briskly well out to front and to right, keeping it in a horizontal plane.”  

As you do the above directions, one then says at the same time (depending on what tribe you are talking to):

Soka-pii (Blackfeet)

Oyendere (Iroquois)

E-peva e (Cheyenne)

It-che (Crow)

Waste’ (Lakota or Sioux)

I truly hope I have intrigued you.  One of the most fun things I’ve learned is a bit of sign language (this picture off to the side by the way is of myself and Patricia Running Crane Devereaux at Glacier Nat’l Park — right next to the Blackfeet rez).  If you are intrigued by language or sign language, here are some books you might think of purchasing:

I have both of these books and they are terrific — great for learning, great for obtaining a little bit of first hand history and great for research.  And of course, if you’re considering buying books at all, let’s not forget this one:

I will be on the road this day of posting, but do stop by and leave a message.  Other fillies will be checking in and will really enjoy talking to you.

Have a super and magical day!   Nitanistoo pa.  Soak piiwa.

The Fillies are delighted and honored to have Miss Colleen Coble coming back to visit on Wednesday.

Miss Colleen can’t think of anything she loves more than writing western romance. Those sexy heroes that we can’t get enough of sure make us sit up and take notice!

Ah have a confession to make. More often than not, these romance books get me all hot and bothered if you know what ah mean. Hee-hee! Ah do love reading those kissing scenes!

But back to Miss Colleen. The dear lady has the second book of her new Lonestar trilogy out. It’s called Lonestar Secrets. Ah know you’re dying to hear all about it.

Get off your behinds and head over to the Junction on Wednesday.

You’ll have a good time or my name’s not Felicia Filly!

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.”

A while back, at my local RWA chapter meeting, our icebreaker was to confess our guilty pleasures. The confessions were hilarious, and got me to thinking. Dee Ann 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 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.” I have David Cook CS too, but I never thought of him as my guilty pleasure.

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. I already play Mafia Wars on both My Space and Facebook. Hmmm, another one I share.

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.” Whew! I don’t have a sister, so I never picked up this habit.

A writer friend who will remain anonymous (unless she reveals herself here) admitted she 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.

Okay, I share that chocolate obsession and almost always have a can of frosting handy. I once ate a jar of hot fudge. But thankfully, I don’t watch Cops.

Gee, I do a lot of the same things other people do, 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.

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 actually need anything? Heavens 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 areas. So a real 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. Remorse yet? No.

And here’s another one: 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?

I polled readers to see what their passions were.

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.”

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.”

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? Do you sneak books home? How about a fascination with a celebrity?

What is your guilty pleasure?

I’ve blogged before about the various settlers in Texas: the Anglos, the Native tribes and the Tejanos, Texans of Mexican or Spanish descent. Today I want to share a scene from my book Her Abundant Joy, which will be released early in 2010. The Tejano Wedding from Her Abundant Joy, third book in my Texas Star of Destiny series, Three Generations, Three Historic Texas Events, 1821-1847.

  Excerpt

“The women led Sugar (the bride) out of the house toward the white canopy where the ceremony would be held. Mariel hung back toward the rear of the procession. The priest from a nearby mission church had come and would give his blessing to the couple in this unorthodox open-air ceremony. Since there were still few Anglo churches in Texas, the families felt fortunate to have a man of God present.

To Mariel’s surprise, the two fathers would actually be the ones performing the wedding. Mrs. Quinn had said that this sort of “family” wedding was common on the frontier. Often so far from any town or any church, a wedding consisted of a man and woman declaring that they were husband and wife and writing of their union in a family Bible.

Such a contrast to the formality of marriages and church records in Germany. …

Everyone waited under the canopy, leaving an aisle open for the bride’s procession. Leading it was Erin as flower girl and young Carlos Falconer as the page at her side. Then came the damas or bridesmaids and the chamblanes or other groomsmen all in their wedding finery. At the front of the canopy waited a beaming Emilio with Scully Falconer as padrino and Carson as best man—both in black suits–at his side. …

Finally Sugar on her father’s arm reached Emilio (the groom) who wore a more Spanish-looking suit of brown. The madrino put something in Emilio’s hand that clinked.

In the back of the gathering standing beside Mariel was the man called Ash with his wife Reva who were as close as family to the Quinns.

Ash leaned close to Mariel and murmured, “Emilio will give Sugar those thirteen gold reals later in the ceremony. The coins symbolize that he is trusting her with all his worldly goods.” Mariel nodded and smiled.

The priest began speaking in Latin, often making the sign of the cross and obviously praying for the couple. Then he stepped away, joining the wedding guests. The madrina placed one chain of flowers around both the bride’s and the groom’s necks.

Ash leaned over again. “This is el lazo, which symbolizes the love that has joined these two. They will wear it throughout the ceremony and then Sugar will wear it the rest of the day.”

…Mr. Quinn read out the marriage vows from a small black Book of Common Prayer and the bride and groom exchanged rings. Then Mr. Quinn said, “Emilio, you may kiss your bride.”

Spontaneous applause broke out. Mariel thought it very strange. No one had applauded at her wedding, least of all her. This seemed appropriate here. She joined in. Then after the formal kiss, she watched Emilio give Sugar the thirteen gold coins which Sugar placed in a box that she handed to her brother. Then the newly married couple turned to face the guests.

Mr. Quinn said, “These two have become one for life. Please greet Mr. and Mrs. Emilio Ramirez.” He repeated this in Spanish and there were shouts of joy and more applauding.

 Well, I hope that this gives you some idea of a Tejano wedding in 1846. I found the symbolism—el lazo, the 13 golden coins–especially touching. I have added an image of the traditional wedding cookies that would have been also served. What caught your interest?