From Boomtown to Bust

I’m currently working on a continuity with three other authors about a boomtown in Kansas following the American Civil War. The westward expansion following the war created many boomtowns. Often there was a natural resource like lumber or gold nearby that instigated the growth. Boomtowns are special places with their own unique set of problems. Recently in America, we’ve seen an example of a boomtown in Williston, North Dakota.

Between 2010 and 2013 the town’s population exploded from around 14k to more than 20k people. That’s a big increase in population! The rapid expansion led to social, cultural and infrastructure difficulties. The current problems with Williston mirror the problems of the past.  As towns struggle with the influx of people, there are often shortages of doctors, healthcare facilities, housing and recreational activities.

boomtown

Then there’s the social issues. Some people profit from the influx of people – while others notice a deteriorating quality of life. A shortage of supplies can often lead to unrest and even violence.

While writing my story, I have to keep all the social aspects in mind. At best, a boomtown can expect a plateau when the resources are exhausted. Other owns experience a bust. Even 150 years after the gold mining boom, we are still struggling with the basic social difficulties of a rapidly expanding population.

I live in a little town on the edge of a larger city. In the seven years I’ve lived in my town, the population has almost doubled. Many people are resentful of the ‘newcomers’ while others are happy to see their businesses grow. Raising three children, I’ve watched schools grow overcrowded while waiting for another school to be built.

Have you ever lived in a boomtown? What was your experience?

Visit my New & Improved website!! SherriShackelford.com

Look for The Engagement Bargain in stores and online!

The Engagement Bargain Amazon, Barnes and Noble

New Release – The Engagement Bargain

I’m super excited about my February release. I always love having a book release in February because it’s the month of love, and people are in the mood for a little romance. I really enjoyed writing The Engagement Bargain and had a fascinating time exploring the suffragist movement. It’s shocking to realize that women have had the vote for less than 100 years!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a paperback copy (I’m giving away FOUR!)

Click here to read a chapter preview:

The Engagement Bargain Chapter Preview

41/2 Stars, Susan Mobley, Romantic Times Magazine
Accompanying his sister Jo to a suffragist’s rally, Caleb McCoy finds himself captivated by Anna Bishop, Jo’s friend and a speaker at the rally. When Anna is shot, it’s veterinarian Caleb who tends her wound. The discovery that the shooting was not accidental, but a personal attempt on Anna’s life, has her traveling with Caleb and Jo to Cimarron Springs to recuperate. It’s a visit that gives Anna a different perspective on her life, what she wants her future to be and who she wants to share it with. With sparkling dialogue and a perfectly matched hero and heroine, along with an intriguing mystery, this Prairie Courtship story makes a highly entertaining read.
Reviewed by: Susan Mobley
The Engagement Bargain
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Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management

For my fifth book for the Harlequin Love Inspired line, my intrepid heroine procures a copy of a household management book originally published in England. The inspiration for my heroine’s book is Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management – which is still available today. Mrs. Beeton was only twenty-one years old when she began a series of installments for The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine. Her installments were later combined into a book.

Mrs. Beeton2

While not well known in America, Mrs. Beeton is an iconic figure  in England. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mentioned Mrs. Beeton in one his novels. Downton Abbey has used the book for reference. The actual book has only 23 pages or so dedicated to household management. The other 900 pages feature recipes–all of which Mrs. Beeton tested. Many of which she disliked!

Mrs. Beeton

Mrs. Beeton’s life was as fascinating as her book. She bore four sons, only two of whom lived into adulthood. Her husband was a publisher, and gave his wife her start. She died of a fever after the birth of her fourth son at the age of 28. There is speculation that her husband had given her syphilis, leading to the deaths of their first two infants. Though editors never denied her young age, they were perfectly content to let the public believe Mrs. Beeton was beloved mob-capped grandmotherly type.

Before the book was published, recipes were written in conversational tone, which meant the ingredient list was peppered throughout the directions. Mrs. Beeton separated out the ingredients, a practice that is still used in cookbooks today. Almost all of the recipes were taken from previous publications, which touched off a controversy- even though Mrs. Beeton never claimed the recipes were original.

Mrs. Beeton1

Mrs. Beeton’s husband never received the success his wife had achieved. He sold off the rights to her book to avoid bankruptcy, and died twelve years after his wife. The iconic phrase, “First, catch your hare” has been attributed to the book, though the phrase had been around long before.

The book I’ve created for my heroine is inspired by Mrs. Beeton’s book, and I plan to feature the ‘author’ as the heroine in a subsequent book. (Think, “Christmas in Connecticut.”) This week I’m writing the scene where my lovely heroine must…you guessed it….must first catch her hare!

Nominated for an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Cattleman Meets His Match:

Comment for a chance to win a copy!

The Cattleman Meets His Match

Cowboy John Elder needs a replacement crew of cattle hands to drive his longhorns to Kansas—he just never figured they’d be wearing petticoats. Traveling with Moira O’Mara and the orphan girls in her care is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yet despite Moira’s declaration of independence, the feisty beauty evokes John’s every masculine instinct to protect, defend…marry?

Moira is grateful for John’s help when he rescues her—and she can’t deny that his calm, in-control manner proves comforting. But she is determined not to let anything get in the way of her plans to search for her long-lost brother at journey’s end. However, can John show her a new future—one perfect for them to share?

 

 

Coming in February!!

Rock-solid and reliable, confirmed bachelor Caleb McCoy thought nothing could rattle him, until he discovers he needs to pose as Anna Bishop’s intended groom. After saving her life, his honorable code bid Caleb watch over the innocent beauty. And a pretend engagement is the only way to protect her from further harm.

The Engagement BargainRaised by a single mother and suffragist, Anna doesn’t think much of marriage, and she certainly doesn’t plan to try it herself. But playing Caleb’s blushing bride-to-be makes her rethink her independent ways, because their make-believe romance is becoming far too real.

Non-Traditional Christmas Traditions with Sherri Shackelford

I’m working on a Holiday book for next year, which got me to thinking about Christmas traditions. So many of our traditions are passed down from generation to generation. When I was growing up, we were always allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas Eve with family – one year with my father’s family, and the following year with my mother’s. Christmas Day was reserved for the immediate family. My mother’s family lived in Minnesota, and they were fond of a particular drink called a Tom & Jerry. The drink consists of a batter which is mixed with hot water and rum or brandy.

Christmas1897-300

You can find recipes for the batter on the internet (it’s a mixture of eggs, spices and powdered sugar), but I’ve been lucky – a local store in my hometown carries the mix around the holidays. (Although you have to order early, it goes fast!) There are special glass and bowl sets for the batter and the drink. I have to admit I like the drink better without the booze! The ritual of mixing the batter with hot water while the smell of nutmeg and cloves fills the air, instantly brings back memories of Christmas.

Tom & Jerry

I’m from the Midwest, so I associate Christmas with cold and snow. For a few years we lived in California. While I enjoyed our Christmases in California, I missed the changing of the seasons and the added communion of being forced indoors by the weather.

When I became a parent, I developed a bit of resentment for the holidays. Usually, the women in the family are the keepers of traditions. (Not always, of course!) And as the keeper of the traditions, we have the added pressure of making everything FESTIVE!

For the holiday book I’m writing, my heroine has no Christmas traditions. Raised by her father, they treated Christmas as a ‘day off’. No chores, no cooking, and no church. The day following Christmas, they traveled into town and bought each other a gift. (This ‘tradition’ started when the heroine’s father forgot Christmas, and had to make up an excuse on the fly.)

Naturally, when my heroine enters into a marriage-of-convenience with a ready-made family, her family traditions are a bit of a shock to my hero.

Which brings me to my questions – Did your family have any holiday traditions that were non-traditional? 

One commentor will win a $5 gift card from Amazon.

Here’s a sneak peak at the cover/blurb for my February book – this is definitely NOT a holiday book! The heroine is an independent suffragist, and I had a lot of fun writing her 🙂 This book kicks off the Prairie Courtship series. Here’s a hint – If you’ve read The Marshal’s Ready-Made Family, you’ll be happy to know that this is her brother, Caleb’s, story.


The Engagement BargainMake-believe betrothal
;

Rock-solid and reliable, confirmed bachelor Caleb McCoy thought nothing could rattle him; until he discovers he needs to pose as Anna Bishop’s intended groom. After saving her life, his honorable code bid Caleb watch over the innocent beauty. And a pretend engagement is the only way to protect her from further harm. 

Raised by a single mother and suffragist, Anna doesn’t think much of marriage;and she certainly doesn’t plan to try it herself. But playing Caleb’s blushing bride-to-be makes her rethink her independent ways, because their make-believe romance is becoming far too real.

Campfires and Cattle Drives

While writing my latest release, The Cattleman Meets His Match, I had a wonderful time envisioning how the plains must have looked all those years ago. While many things have changed, many thiPrairie Dogngs remain the same. Years ago I had a chance to visit Old Baldy near Lynch, Nebraska, the hill near where Louis and Clark trapped their first prairie dog.  There’s something humbling about realizing how much our past and futures are connected by the landscape.

Old Baldy

 

Human nature has remained much the same over the years as well. The Greek tragedies still speak to us because people still feel the same emotions: hate, love, jealousy, rage. Everything. Some things never change.

That’s why writing something as simple as a group of people sitting around a campfire was intriguing. There’s something mesmerizing about fire and flames, stars in the sky, and crickets in the background. I had my characters tell scary stories around the campfire. I heard a lonesome harmonica in the distance…

campfire

I suppose people have always sung around the campfire as well. Songs have been vehicles to pass down stories through histories. Would my characters have sung Billy Boy?

Oh where have you been, Billy Boy,
Billy Boy?
Oh where have you been, charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife,
She’s the joy of my life,
She’s a young thing
And cannot leave her mother

Billy Boy

Would they sing about Buffalo Gals:

As I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street,
A pretty gal I chance to meet
Under the silvery moon.
Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight?
Come out tonight, Come out tonight?
Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight,
And dance by the light of the moon.

Or perhaps The Turkey in the Straw:

As I was a-gwine down the road,
With a tired team and a heavy load,
I crack’d my whip and the leader sprung,
I says day-day to the wagon tongue.
Turkey in the straw, turkey in the hay,
Roll ’em up and twist ’em up a high tuckahaw
And twist ’em up a tune called Turkey in the Straw

Have you ever sat around the campfire and spun a yarn or hummed a ballad? What’s your favorite song?

One commentor will receive a copy of The Cattleman Meets His Match – Digital or Paperback.

The Cattleman Meets His MatchGALAHAD IN A STETSON

Cowboy John Elder needs a replacement crew of cattle hands to drive his longhorns to Kansas—he just never figured they’d be wearing petticoats. Traveling with Moira O’Mara and the orphan girls in her care is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yet despite Moira’s declaration of independence, the feisty beauty evokes John’s every masculine instinct to protect, defend…marry?

Moira is grateful for John’s help when he rescues her—and she can’t deny that his calm, in-control manner proves comforting. But she is determined not to let anything get in the way of her plans to search for her long-lost brother at journey’s end. However, can John show her a new future—one perfect for them to share?

 

 

 

 

Old Timey Children's Games with Sherri Shackelford

I enjoy researching old customs to add authenticity to my stories. In my book, The Cattleman Meets His Match, I had a lot of fun recalling games from my own childhood. The book features four young orphan girls. Children have always been children, even in the harsh western plains. Games like hide-and-go-seek and kick-the-can have been around for ages. Clapping games have always been popular (especially with girls).

(found this video on YouTube – it’s not me!)

While researching these games, I came upon many examples from history. Is anyone old enough to remember, Pease Porridge Hot?

Pease porridge hot,
pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;
Some like it hot,
some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, nine days old

Many of the versions I came across either sounded too English or they were a little bit, well, suggestive:

Miss Lucy had a steamboat,
The steamboat had a bell,
Miss Lucy went to heaven
and the steamboat went to–
hello operator, give me number nine

You get the idea! Besides the modern reference, I wanted to avoid any rhymes with suggestive lyrics. For The Cattleman Meets His Match, I went back to my own childhood, and the songs I sang with my friends:

Three sailors went to sea, sea, sea
To see what they could see, see, see
But all that they could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea. 

While I don’t know the exact origin of that song, there’s no reason to believe my 1880’s girls wouldn’t have known it-maybe they even made up the words themselves.

I reference Cat’s Cradle in The Engagement Bargain. This game is played with a string loop and two players who perform increasingly intricate trade-offs from player to player. A painting of two women playing a version of Cat’s Cradle dates back to 1795. While the game was often referred to as ‘Scratch Cradle’, I used the more modern reference for today’s readers.

Cat's Cradle

The girls from The Cattleman Meets His Match also used rhymes to decide who would be next on watch. (Remember deciding who was ‘it’?) In my neighborhood, everyone stuck their foot into the center, toes touching, the songs were sung, and the last one remaining was ‘it’. I’ve had other people tell me that everyone put in a fist. Either way, that was how democracy worked in our neighborhood.

My mother and your mother
Were hanging up clothes.
My mother socked your mother
Right in the nose. 
What color was the blood?
R-E-D spells ‘Red’ and 
You are not it!
 
you're it

The girls from The Cattleman Meets His Match also enjoy telling scary stories around the campfire. I can picture Pa Ingalls doing the same. Human nature hasn’t changed a whole lot in the past several hundred years, although I fear how children play together has changed. The games we played as children were passed down from generation to generation. While my kids enjoy riding bicycles, with so many other activities vying for their time, they don’t play as much as we used to.

What about you? What games and/or rhymes do you remember from your childhood?

 

cattleman review The Cattleman Meets His Match

 

 

 

A Visit to Cripple Creek

Way back in the nineteen hundreds, I visited Cripple Creek, CO,  with my family. The town sure has changed in the last thirty years. The place I visited on that long-ago family vacation was a ghost town with only a few hundred people and one or two restaurants catering to the lost traveler. In 1991, gambling was legalized. The historic buildings are now home to casinos and a revived tourist trade.

historic cripple creek

 

I wasn’t there *quite* this long ago!

 

At 9,494 feet above sea level, Cripple Creek wasn’t much more than a place to graze cattle until 1890. That’s when Robert Miller ‘Bob’ Womach kicked off the last great Colorado gold rush. In less than three years, the town doubled in size form 5,000 to 10,000. Poor Bob died penniless, but he sprouted a town.

cripple creek

Most of those early buildings were hastily-constructed wood structures. Which worked out great until 1896 when a fire destroyed half the town. Four days later, another fire destroyed the other half. Following the devastating fires, all the new buildings along the center of town were made out of brick–by order of the mayor. When you walk along Bennett Street, you’ll note that almost every building was constructed in 1896.

cripple creek1Check out the historic mining building perched on the edge of the hill.

cripple creek2

 

They are building a new mountain on the mountain.

The Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mining Company still conducts business near town. A form of extraction where large scale open pit mining exists now. The ground is dug up and pulverized into an enormous pile, and cyanide is used to leach the extraction of near-surface ore material. You can take tours of both the old and new mining operations. Miles of tunnels are dug into the mountain. The entrances are blocked and grated, and are currently serving as a home to bats. 

I took these pictures form the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. It’s a great ride on a real-live stinky steam train. If you’re ever in Colorado Springs, I highly recommend the gorgeous drive up the mountain and a visit to the beautiful town. Don’t forget to grab a bite at The Creek Bar & Restaurant. The burgers are wonderful. And stop by The Old Homestead Museum. A former parlor house filled with incredible antiques.

cripple creek4

 

Have you ever visited a ghost town? Or a former ghost town?!

I’ll give away one copy of The Cattleman Meets His Match to one person who leaves a comment!

The Cattleman Meets His MatchGALAHAD IN A STETSON

Cowboy John Elder needs a replacement crew of cattle hands to drive his longhorns to Kansas—he just never figured they’d be wearing petticoats. Traveling with Moira O’Mara and the orphan girls in her care is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Yet despite Moira’s declaration of independence, the feisty beauty evokes John’s every masculine instinct to protect, defend…marry?

Moira is grateful for John’s help when he rescues her—and she can’t deny that his calm, in-control manner proves comforting. But she is determined not to let anything get in the way of her plans to search for her long-lost brother at journey’s end. However, can John show her a new future—one perfect for them to share?

Sticking With History

When writing historical novels, there’s always a balance between historically accurate and what many readers assume is historically accurate. History is not, in most cases, written in stone. For instance, the cowboy of song and story was much different in reality than in legend. Most cowboys were scruffy, illiterate, and often plagued with STD’s. Not to mention alcoholism was rampant. Not exactly John Wayne.

Native Americans once numbered somewhere near 100 million. Sometime after Columbus (surprise!) a massive plague wiped out 90% of the population, leaving 1 million Native Americans along with their rich, extensive culture still roaming the Americas. Their numbers were further decimated by smallpox, STD’s (thanks, cowboys) and genocide during the frontier period in America.

wild west town

The Wild West may not be nearly as wild as books and legend suggest. Rumor has it that Wild Bill was fired from Buffalo Bill’s show because his voice sounded too feminine. His nickname referred to his nose and he was originally dubbed ‘Duck Bill’. (Wild Bill sounds much more manly.) Billy the Kid claimed he killed 20 people, though historians put the number at closer to 4.

The Shootout in the OK Corral actually took place in a back alley and lasted about 30 seconds. I guess Shootout at the Back Alley didn’t play well with theater audiences. Historians once estimated the actual number of bank robberies in the old west at about a dozen. Homicide rates in the old west were lower than they are today – from 1870-1885 Dodge City had about .6 murders a year. Gun control was rigidly enforced Tombstone. Laws prohibited the carrying of firearms.

There you have it – the wild west wasn’t nearly as wild as we’d like to think. Although, when I write Westerns, my cowboys are handsome and honorable, banks are robbed early and often, and outlaws are super bad. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Cattleman Meets His Match, 4 1/2 stars from Romantic Times Magazine. Susan Mobley says, The characters are delightful and play well off one another.

The Cattleman Meets His Match

Here’s a fun youtube video on five common historical misconceptions:

 

cattleman review