Month: January 2010

My Hero’s Best Friend

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momlogolihThe hero in my current manuscript is a bad-to-the-bone gunslinger. This guy’s got a terrible past, and frankly, when I started the book I didn’t like him at all. I spend about six months with my characters while writing a book, so it’s a problem if I’m thinking, “I can’t stand this guy. He’s a total jerk.”

I had to fix my hero, but how?  The answer came in the middle of a movie on the Sci Fi Channel.  Maustralian-cattle-dogy husband picked it and I can’t remember anything about it, except that the hero had a dog. As hard and dangerous as the movie character was (I think he was battling giant snakes), the fact he loved his dog made him totally sympathetic.

Bingo!  I decided to give my hero a dog. I gave the dog a name, taught her some tricks and got busy reading about working cattle dogs.

Cattle dogs come in all breeds and sizes. One of the most well known breeds is the Australian Cattle Dog. These dogs are called heelers because they nip  at the heels of the animals they’re herding.

Welsh Corgis are another breed of heeler. Having had a Chihuahua-Corgi mix as a pet, I can testify to being playfully chased by a dog determined to herd me to the fridge for snack.

If you’ve ever seen a Corgi, you know that their legs are short. Cattle dogs are bred for speed and endurance, but the Corgi’s stature has a different advantage. BWelsh Corgiecause they’re so small, they’re less likely to get kicked by an irritated cow. I’m biased here, but I love Corgis.  They’re affectionate, playful and intelligent. 

Border Collies are another common herding dog. These dogs are different from “heelers.” Instead of chasing a stubborn cow, a Border Collie would get in front of the animal and give it what’s called “eye.”  In short, Border Collies staborder-colliere down the animals they’re herding.

These critters have another unique trait. While other breeds drive the cattle away from the handler, Border Collies circle the animals and drive them back to the handler. Because of this instinct, some people consider Border Collies the best of all herding dogs.

I didn’t give my hero a specific breed of working cattle dog. Instead I took the best traits of the various breeds and come up with a loyal, intelligent canine with strength, speed and an independent streak.  The dog in my story is a mutt and has  a little wolf in her. I made her female, and like any good heroine she’s knows her own mind.  Never mind that she has four legs!  The hero loves her, and somehow that makes him a better man.

Grand Canyon-The Hard Way-The Hance Trail 1884

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hance“Captain” John Hance was reputedly the Canyon’s first non-Native American resident.  He built a cabin east of Grandview Point at the trailhead of an ancient Native American trail he improved to allow access to his asbestos mining claim in the Canyon. He started giving tours of the canyon after his attempts at mining asbestos failed, largely due to the expense of removing the asbestos from the canyon. 

The trail, completed in 1884 and commonly called the Old Hance Trail by historians, was to become Grand Canyon’s first tourist trail, as Hance quickly realized there was money to be made guiding wide-eyed tourists into the depths of the Canyon.

 I love this. This is what makes America great. Hance abandoned mining for tourism in the mid-1880s. To me that’s just a man seeing a way to make money, supplying a product others want, a product that is born out of his life and his skill and his hard work.

 Hance delighted in telling canyon stories to visitors, favoring the whopper of a tale over mere facts. With a straight face, Hance told travelers how he had dug the canyon himself, piling the excavated earth down near Flagstaff (a dirt pile now known as the San Francisco Peaks). 

I exchanged emails with a man who works at Grand Canyon National Park and does re-enactments of John Hance’s tall tales. I asked him if any of those tales were written down and he directed me to one recording of a tale similar to one John Hance told. But Hance never told the same story, the same way, twice and he never wrote any of them down, so only oral history survives. Despite his many outrageous claims, Hance left a lasting legacy at the Grand Canyon,  passing away in 1919, the year the Grand Canyon became a National Park.  Hance was the first person buried in what would become the Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery.

The trail John Hance found still exists. It’s listed as unmaintained and in poor condition. A Falcon Guidebook, Hiking Grand Canyon National Park, calls it a vigorous rim-to-rim backpack of three or more days—the South Rim’s most difficult trail. One man, an Hance Rooseveltexperience back country hiker said that even having been over the trail before, the time he took the trail with it in mind to report on it, he got lost five different times-by lost I mean he realized he’d gotten off the trail and had to backtrack to find it. There are miles with no discernable trail. I also, just because research is maddening, found this account of the Hance Trail.

The New Hance descends into Red Canyon (a side canyon of the Grand) and arrives at Hance Rapids on the Colorado River. Although the New Hance is a secondary trail, it is well marked and easy to follow. Note that this is really HusbandTree smdifferent than the other report. So what is the truth? Ah, research! Such fun.

One picture I found showed people rock climbing down a stretch of rock face, so that seems pretty challenging to me but when you think back to those days, it was probably a wonder to even find a way down. No state roads department was in there clearing it and paving it.

So, has anyone been there? Have any of you gone down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Anyone spent the night at Phantom Ranch or taken the burro ride? If so, you have my deepest respect because this is a truly rugged place.

Tell me about it if you were down there.

 Mary Connealy

When Indians Became Cowboys

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horseheader1.jpeGood Morning!

The word cowboy is an inescapable part of Native America — at least on the Northern Plains.  There’s a book entitled the same as my title here — When Indians Became Cowboys by Peter Iverson.  In this book he documents what became a very natural transition from warrior to cattleman and horseman.  And just so you know some of the other information in this blog comes from the book, Legends of our Times — Native Cowboy Life by Morgan Baillargeon and Leslie Tepper.

thumbnail[7]It really started in the 1600’s when first horses, then sheep and cattle found their way onto the plains.  But we won’t go that far back.

Now let me say here that cattle ranching is usually a story told in one color — white (this is from the book, When Indians Became Cowboys  but it’s pretty true, isn’t it?).  I guess to really go back to what started the whole thing, we’d have to go back to 1887 and the allotment act (also known as the very horrific Dawes Act).  The Allotment Act pretended to be the “friend” of the Indian, when in actual fact, it ushered in the beginning of the end of centuries old Native American Culture, the culture that met the first white man on this, Turtle Island (America).  It is responsible all on its own of dividing families and  causing the loss of one’s own culture and also of  the massive stealing of Indian land — all in the name of “doing good,” or “doing what’s best for you.”  Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar.  Scary.

thumbnailCAY6CQ1UPut as simply as I can, the Dawes Act gave every Indian family a 160 acre piece of land.  But it gave it to individuals and families.  Sounds good doesn’t it?  What could go wrong?

  Well, checkerboarded inbetween Indian land was the same or similar parcel of land that was to be sold to white ranchers.  Thus, native society, which had always thrived around the tribe and friends being close, was  cut up by the intervention of land that was to be sold to whites  (of course the land was supposed to be the Indians’ by treaty, but hey, when it means profit, I guess ethics can be darned?).  Excuse my sardonic tone, if you please.  Anyway, families (extended families) were lost because of mere distance.  It was thought that the Indians would “learn” from the whites surrounding them.  Of course the wordage of the act put it differently — that the Indians were learn from their “betters.”  In truth, there were people who truly believed this was for the best, and they for the most were good people.   Now, it’s true that the Indians did learn, but it wasn’t always pretty, for much of what they learned was as an observer of actions on the part of others that were unconscionable to say the least.

Okay, I could go on and on siting example after example, and telling you about how the land that was affected by the Dawes Act was the land that was the Indian’s best.  But we won’t go there.  Not now.  Instead, let’s have a look at how and when Indians became cowboys.images[4]

In the late 1880’s reservation life had little to offer.  How was one to prove one was a man if he couldn’t go on raids, capture horses or hunt as he had always done?  Ah, you’re right.  Cattle ranching fit the bill.  Not only did it allow an outdoor lifestyle, which was essential — it was free and gave the young man a similar sort of environment to that which he had always loved.  Some men raised horses.  Some raised cattle.  Not only did this lifestyle fit the young man’s temperament, it allowed him to carry on his traditions much the same as he had always done — being able to give things away to relatives and friends, and to make a name for himself within the community.  It also allowed the family to draw close together again.

images[2]There were several Indian cowboys and ranchers toward the end of the 19th century.   There was Tom Three Persons, from Alberta Canada.  Not only was he a legendary and world rodeo champion, he was also a very prosperous rancher.  He was said to own at one time 500 head of cattle and just as many horses.  He was also a very handsome man. 

images[1]Jackson Sundown was Nez Perce and was probably the first Indian cowboy to become the world bucking champion.  The year was 1916.  An interesting part of his life was that he was born in and around 1860 and was with the Nez Perce in their wars in 1877 — he was a teenager.  Her was part of the tribe that was a victim in the massacre at the Battle of Big Hole.  He survived the massacre by hiding under buffalo robes in his tepee until the tepee was set afire.  He then escaped by clinging to the side of his horse — out of sight of the soldiers.  He sought refuge in Sitting Bull’s camp in Canada.  Interestingly Jackson was in his 40’s when he began competing in rodeo.  He was so good that other men refused to ride against him.

images[5]Who else would be better suited for this kind of lifestyle?  There were many stars of the rodeo, not to mention their success as ranchers.  There was Barney Old Coyote Sr. — a very handsome man.  There was Todd Buffalo and many, many more.  As a matter of fact, my introduction into Lakota life included the rodeo and one of its bright stars.  And today, most Northern and Southern Plains Indians carry on the tradition of ranching and rodeoing.  Just go to the reservation for a pow-wow.  The rodeo is as much of an attraction as the pow-wow itself.

images[1]51OBNqdgaSL._SL500_AA240_[1]I hope I’ve raised your interest here in Indian cowboys.  It was a life that they were well suited to — a life that gave the young man standing in his community, a free life-style and the opportunity to do as his ancestors had always done.

Ah, they were…they are handsome men.  Come on in and tell me what you think of this post.  Did you know this about Indians and about ranching and rodeoing?  Have you ever been to an Indian rodeo?  On the Navajo reservation I once had to sing (without knowing they were going to ask me) the National Anthem.  I loved every minute of that rodeo.  So come on in and let’s chat — oh, and if you don’t yet have a copy of Black Eagle, pick up a copy today.

We Have a Winner for Linore Rose Burkard’s Book

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Ann Stephens

you won a copy of

Linore Rose Burkard’s book. 

Your choice of either

Before the Season Ends

Or

The House on Grosvenor Square

Email me at mary@maryconnealy.com and I’ll get your contact information and send it on to Linore.

And thank you everyone who stops in at Petticoats & Pistols.

When The Mississippi Ran Backwards

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WG Logo 2015-04

Hi, Winnie Griggs here. I’ve always been intrigued by the snippets I heard here and there about the time the Mississippi ran backwards, but I never followed up to learn more.  The other day I heard another reference to it and decided it was time to do a bit of research.  I thought I’d relay a little of what I learned to you here.

Here in America, wNew Madrid 01hen the subject of earthquakes comes up, most of us immediately think of California.  But there is an earthquake-prone area in the Central Mississippi Valley known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone.  It’s also been called the Reelfoot Rift and the New Madrid Fault Line.  The fault runs from southern Illinois to Arkansas, cutting through sections of Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee in between.

In the early part of the nineteenth century, a series of earthquakes which occurred over a four month period, shook the area.  These started on December 16, 1811 and the first two, only six hours apart, had an epicenter in northeast Arkansas.  I was surprised to learn that these quakes have been billed as the most powerful in US history.

They had magnitudes of 8.1 and 7.0 respectively.  Because of the scarcity of settlements in the area at this time, there was little damage to man-made structures.  The natural environment, however, was violently affected, with the opening and closing of fissures on the earth’s surface, landslides and violent waves on waterways, most notably the Mississippi.

On January 23, 1812, a quake with a 7.8 magnitude struck, this time with an epicenter in southeastern Missouri, an area known as the ‘bootheel’.  Again there was landslides, land warping and rerouting of rivers and streams.New Madrid 03

Then, on February 7, 1812 an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck at New Madrid, Missouri.  The entire town was destroyed and this time there were numerous first person accounts of the damage.  Witnesses spoke of the ground breaking open, of the sinking and rising of large lands masses, of the ground rolling fluidly like the waves of the ocean.   Water poured into the sunken landmasses from ground fissures and entire hillsides were flattened while lowlands became ridges and bluffs.  In Arkansas, swampy places along the St Francis River suddenly spewed out sand and coal.  The level of the river itself rose by some twenty-four feet.  Below are a few eyewitness accounts:

“In more open country the surface of the earth could be seen to undulate in regularly advancing waves proceeding at about the pace of a trotting horse”

“…the earth was rocked about like a cradle & its surface rolling like waves a few feet high & in places causing fissures in the earth from which large volumes of warm water, sand & charcoal was blown up…”

“…at that instant all the shrubs and trees began to move from their roots, the ground rose and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake…”

Along the Mississippi River, banks caved in, islands disappeared, boats were overturned or washed New Madrid 04away.   The very course of the mighty river was permanently altered.  And for a time, it appeared that the Mississippi did indeed flow backwards.  What actually happened, according to scientists is the following:

A thrust fault created a sudden waterfall and two dams on the Mississippi River’s Kentucky Bend.  Additional falls may have also been created in other areas.  These geographical uplifts caused a severe disruption of the river, generating a major upstream wave and retrograde current as the river adjusted to these changes.

One eye-witness account put it this way:

“… we tied up eight miles north of New Madrid near the house of my cousin… In a moment, so great a wave come up the river that I never seen one like it at sea. It carried us back north, up-stream, for more than a mile. The water spread out upon the banks — covering three or four miles inland.  It was the current going backward. Then this wave stopped, and slowly the river went right again.”

The writer in me is fascinated by these accounts.  Can you picture these scenes, can you imagine the untold stories of loss and courage, tragedy and sacrifice that must have occurred during these events?   What part of this story speaks to you the most?

Weapons of the Regency

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lb_headshot_small1Linore Rose Burkard

Those who enjoy the excitement of a western romance, with all its shoot-em-out
pistols and gunsmoke, may not realize that regency romances might also feature a
fair amount of weaponry. While the rules of engagement (for fighting, that is, not matrimony)
were vastly different than those in operation during the years of the “Wild, Wild, West,”
duelling was a real part of regency society, and war was all around. Both required weapons.

It’s impossible to give a good overview of weapons and their uses in any sense of the word
in one short blog-post, but for a few  great pictures of vintage weapons, subscribe to my newsletter.
Regency weapons will be featured in an upcoming issue, including actual photos of weapons in the collection of Vonnie Hughes, a
regency romance writer. Subscribe HERE–it only takes a minute, and one new subscriber during the month
of November will win a free copy of one of my books! It could be YOU.

Beginning with the American Revolution, British and Hessian muskets and rifles were in abundance
not only in the army, but in British society. The guard and coachman on a carriage, stage coach
or the mail would carry a blunderbuss. Even some elements of the famous Red Coat–the
costume of the British soldier–became fashionable for civilians, such as the bicorne (or tricorne), before-the-season-ends-book-cover1
and Hessian boots. But most civilians did not cart around a heavy, awkward rifle or musket. Instead,
they favored pistols, which could fit in a coat pocket, or sit snugly inside a box made just for that
purpose, in a carriage or coach.  Travelers in particular would keep a pistol tucked inside
a pocket or luggage, and the ever present threat of highwaymen, particularly at night, made this
a practical, necessary precaution.

britishflintlockblunderbusspistolpewter11Then there was the pistol at home in its elegant wooden box, shiny and lovely to behold, kept
stashed away somewhere until it was needed, say, for a duel. Guns of the day often had finials, silver fittings
on English walnut with intricate lacy inlays of silver wire. Popular during the regency was a British Holster Pistol,
 carried by both soldiers and civilians, and made by John Richards of London. Later in the century,
cylinder engraving became an art which made many antique weapons collector’s objects from the start.

Duelling was not akin to the saloon brawl that escalated into gun shots in the West. Instead, it
was a more formal affair; but this is not to say that duels did not result from hot-headedness.
Any perceived insult against one’s self, one’s honour, one’s wife or sister could result in a duel being arranged.
The injured party would demand “satisfaction,” which in turn had to be answered–accepted by the
principal. Once the duel was agreed upon, both parties had to choose “seconds,” back up men who had
hessian_boots1to be present at the event. Their first job was to try and effect a reconciliation, which meant trying to make the
perpetrator apologize for his offence. Failing that, they ensured that the rules were followed; that there was no foulmaledress18041
play; and, in the event that the dueller got cold feet or passed out, the “second” would step
in as his substitute, though in practice, this rarely if ever happened. In the event of great injury or death, the second was also
a witness, and quite possibly the only means of procuring much-needed medical attention to a wounded man.

 Calling for a duel was not to be done lightly, as it could result in death. But once called, it
was a matter of honour, and few men would refuse the challenge without suffering a loss of
respect. If a man was killed as a result of a duel, his killer would be charged with murder. 

Lots of old guns can be seen HERE.

Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a copy of you choice of either Before the Season Ends or The
House in Grosvenor Square.

Linore Rose Burkard is the creator of “Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul.” Her characters take you back in time to experience life and love during the era of Regency England (circa 1811 – 1820). Fans of classic romances, such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility, will enjoy meeting Ariana Forsythe, a feisty heroine who finds her heart and beliefs tested by high-society London.

Ms. Burkard’s novels include Before the Seasons Ends and The House in Grosvenor Square (coming April, 2009). Her stories blend Christian faith and romance with well-researched details from the Regency period. Her books and monthly newsletter captivate readers with little-known facts, exciting stories, and historical insights. Experience a romantic age, where timeless lessons still apply to modern life. And, enjoy a romance that reminds you happy endings are possible for everyone.
Linore’s Website HERE

Hurdy-Gurdies and Dancing Halls

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I didn’t write the passage below, but thought it a great collection of info on Hurdy-Gurdies and Dancing Halls during the mining boom, a colorful part of western mining towns, one that started off for the most part as wholesome entertainment.

In the first years after the California gold rush of 1848, the first saloons and dance halls of the West were tents or primitive cabins with pounded dirt floors, but quick prosperity soon created a range of styles and degrees of elegance, so that by the late ‘7Os and early ‘8Os, establishments of luxury and opulence vied for the attention — and the money — of the miners.

Dance Hall Girls
The lure of money and gold soon brought the amenities of civilization, meaning more available women, drugs, gaming, and entertainment. The mining and trail towns of the West, such as Leadville, Cripple Creek, Deadwood, Tombstone, and Abilene, soon earned unsavory reputations as sinks of depravity, and while they probably could not compare to the contemporary urban scene, they were truly wild by 19th century standards. Large mobile populations, free of the restraints of family, anonymous, with no reputations to protect, created an environment of violent death, unbridled morals, and general rowdiness to match. Many of the dance hall girls as well as the men fell prey to death in the violent gunfights, venereal disease, and the widespread use of such narcotics as opium and laudanum.
“Fights in Leadville kept life from being monotonous,” a local historian wrote. “Misunderstandings ended in knifings, shootings, and free-for-alls. Men fought on the streets, in saloons, in dance halls, in hotels, at the theatres.”
By most accounts, the earliest dance hall girls were considered good girls, at least by Western standards. The very first women in the mining camps of California were German girls who were called hurdy-gurdy girls after the musical instruments of the same name, and the name also became attached to the dance hall. While a long way from virginal status, the first girls were so prized that they did not have to participate in prostitution. Because they were so few, women in the early dance halls were expected to follow a respectable code of behavior and men were expected to keep their distance. One old miner recalled seeing a sign in a hurdy-gurdy house: “A SKIRT IS A SKIRT AND MUST BE RESPECTED AS SUCH!” The owner of the Alhambra, a hall in Silverton, Colorado, posted the following set of rules:
Rule 1. No lady will leave the house during evening working hours without permission.
Rule 2. No lady will accompany a gentleman to his lodgings.
Rule 3. No kicking at the orchestra, especially from the stage.
Rule 4. Every lady will be required to dance on the floor after the show.
Rule 5. No fighting or quarrelling will be allowed.


As competition grew rapidly, the fine line between prostitution and the dance hall thinned, blurred, and finally disappeared.

Cover Love – Part 2 See Anything You Like?

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I hunted down the covers you mentioned and added a couple more of my own. The Jane Goodger book I bought purely for the cover, and it was the first book of hers I ever read. Now I enjoy her stories and might not have discovered her if not for the white cover. I had never seen a snow scene so striking, and because it was different it caught my eye.

And I located a couple with Nathan Kamp.

a-lady-like-sarah

when a stranger loves me

touched by lightthe anonymous bride

anything for love1009-9780373310609-bigw

holding out for a hero

jenna's cowboy

Spend Saturday With Linore Rose Burkard

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before-the-season-ends-book-cover1Ah do declare, the Fillies are starting 2010 off with a bang!

Miz Linore Rose Burkard will ride into the Junction on Saturday and spend the weekend chatting with all you pretty ladies. And men, too, if they want to hightail it over.

Miz Linore will chat about the weapons of the Regency. She’ll talk about pistols and what-not. Duels were very common back then when men fought at the drop of hat to keep their honor.

And Miz Linore will give us a sneak peek inside her new book. It looks like a humdinger. 

So hitch up your buggies and join us. You’ll have fun!

Cheryl St.John: Cover Love

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9780373295715Some of us probably got bookstore or amazon gift certificates for Christmas, didn’t we? How many new books have you purchased so far this year? I’m guessing you already had books on your wish list and that you were waiting for them to be released. But sometimes those books just leap off the shelf at us. When I saw the cover for Her Montana Man for the first time, I was ecstatic. I didn’t think my good cover fortune could get any better. And then I saw the cover for Her Colorado Man. I experienced a moment of pure cover elation. Cover love. Cover adoration. I love that cover.

getting_luckyWhen I fill out my cover suggestions for the art department and marketing team, I select two or three key scenes from the book and describe the characters’ clothing and the weather and the time of day. And then I hold my breath. Sometimes the resulting image is nothing like I imagined, and other times it’s even better. This romantic depiction is from a scene during the Denver exhibition when Wes and Mariah dance under the stars, away from public view. You can even see the decorative lanterns in the background.

So imagine this: You’re standing in the checkout line, and the books catch your eye. One book in particular holds your interest. You pick it up, turn it over, and open to the first page. You must have this book. Into your cart it goes.

the jewel of his heartWhat was it that caught your eye? Something about that cover made you reach for the book. Maybe something about the back cover lured you in. Maybe you didn’t even look at the price

I’ll bet you can remember more than one time that you’ve picked up a book for the cover alone. I know I have. On the other hand, I’ve passed by some terrific stories because the covers turned me off. I can think of one in particular. I got the book in my stack of entries to judge for the RITA awards. I even put it off until the last, only to discover it was an incredible story that hooked me from the get go and never let up. I liked the author’s voice and style so much that I hunted her backlist and read as many as I could get my hands on. So what was it I didn’t like about that cover, you ask? It was a cartoon cover. I have never purchased a book with a cartoon cover—well except the others by that same author.

a matter of classI think most of us have auto-buy authors – an author you buy simply because you know they’re going to deliver a story you will enjoy, no matter the subject or the cover. For me there are several of those: Sharon Sala, Anne Frasier, Janet Evanovich, Robyn Carr just to name a few.

I’ve purchased books based on reviews – sort of like movie reviews that tempt me. Not because the review was glowing, but because the synopsis told me the book was about a subject or character I knew I would like. I’ve bought books because someone recommended them to me. I have purchased a book because of an ad. That could have been because of the cover or the blurb. I’ve never bought one because of a quote on the front or because I saw the book trailer.

pieces of skyIf I had to say where most of my book buying was done over the past couple of years, I’d confess it wasn’t done in stores, but online. Convenience is the reason – and because –sadly — the chain stores carry less and less of the mid-list books. At least one huge chain store near me (Target) no longer carries Harlequin or Silhouette lines!

Online book shopping is a whole different beast. You pretty much need to know what you’re looking for, or at least I do. amazon has that clever suggestion feature that shows what they think you’d like based on your previous purchases. And you can subscribe to any number of newsletters by your favorite authors to be prepared for their new releases.

earlydawn_withstepbackBut there’s something about looking at those covers…something about picking up that book, seeing it in person…up close and personal, covers are enticing. For me — If it has a western or an Americana look, I’m a sucker. There was a day when many readers would buy any book with Fabio or John DeSalvo on the cover. I’m probably in the minority of romance readers who aren’t impressed by cover models. In fact, if I recognize the guy on the front, it’s a complete turnoff for me. He has become a model in my eyes, not the fantasy hero I want to meet for the first time and fall in love with.  I guess that’s it–a recognizable face spoils the fantasy.

I also prefer cover people with heads, thank you very much. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t like to stare and stare, trying to figure out where the story peoples’ faces are. I’m a bigger fan of bare backs with laces falling away than of legs and high heels, but that’s probably my historical preferences coming out. I will always buy a cowboy or a cowboy hat. And I don’t mind flowers.

stjohn.jpgAnd FYI: Desceptive cover, Catherine Anderson’s newest book Early Dawn is a western!

So what type of cover attracts you?

Have you ever bought a book just for the cover?

Do you buy books for the author’s name, no matter what the cover looks like?

What are your criteria for spending your cash on a new author’s book?

Have you ever bought a book because you’d met the author and liked him or her?

Picked up any beautiful books lately?