Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Petticoats & Pistols » Native American http://petticoatsandpistols.com Romancing The West Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 WHITE EAGLE’S TOUCH — The Story Behind the Story http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 08:10:54 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32576 Howdy! WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH -- one of my best selling books -- is currently being released newly in ebook format.  And since it's one of my favorites, I thought I'd tell you a little of the background that went in to the making of that book. I love this cover by the way.  WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH starts with my love of a rather spoiled, head-strong heroine -- one who is really quite soft-hearted, but for reasons explained in the book, she harbors opinions that are far from flattering.  In the story, the heroine, Katrina, is blond-haired, stubborn, almost out of funds and demanding her inheritance in order that she might marry into royalty.  She has also grown up without ever knowing her parents -- who perished out West -- or her uncle, who holds the purse-strings to her inheritance. In other words, she has some reason to be spoiled, because she's grown up without love -- with a succession of nannies. There are problems -- mainly that her uncle will not release her funds until she comes West and parades her fiance for his approval.  I must admit that it really is a lot to ask of a young woman who has known only the comforts of New York City -- still it was rather fun to play with her outrage. Of coure her uncle doesn't show up at the scheduled rendevous -- he sends his friend -- who is almost like a son to him -- White Eagle -- to bring her to him. Of course the story goes on from there -- spoiled, rich-girl meets handsome, yet determined young Indian warrior. Now, the truth of the matter is that the character of Katrina was patterned after my daughter, Trina, who is definitely not blond.  Not that Trina is spoiled, but at the writing of this story, Trina was a teenager -- about nineteen, I believe -- and she definitely had her likes and dislikes.  Off to the side here is a picture of Trina with her daughter and my granddaughter, Lila.  But patterning the heroine after my daughter really gave me a deeper understanding of my character, Katrina's, personality -- it also helped me to love this character, even when she is at her wit's end. In writing this book, I often had pictures of clothing and what the heroine might have looked like at that time.  Off to the left here is a picture of that period's clothing.  I love this clothing, I must admit and sometimes wish we could go back to an age where women looked so very feminine.  Now this picture to the left really -- in my mind -- has the look of my heroine at this time.  A little bored, a little spoiled, always well dressed and trying to do the right thing -- although in the West, my heroine's efforts are sometimes clumsy and humorous -- as she tries to "fit in." As for the hero, another one of my loves -- I've always loved the hero, who brooks no argument, yet who is kind and generous -- and who is waiting patiently for the heroine to come to her senses. There is one scene in this book that I particularly like.  It was a scene where the hero, along with his friend concoct a scheme to send Katrina's fiance packing.  At the writing of this book, I had just the previous year, married my husband, Paul.  When I married Paul, however, I also discovered that he was extremely close to his brother, Bob -- this picture to the right isof Bob and Paul -- Paul is the one sitting down.  But his particular scene was about these two fellows and what they would do if they were there to rid themselves of this very unwanted person, and send him packing for home. Interestingly, that "friend" of White Eagle is Night Thunder who has a book of his own -- next in this series. To end I thought I'd show you a picture of the original cover for WHITE EAGLE'S TOUCH.  The reason I have to show you is that this cover is also one of my most favorite covers. Well, that's all for today.  I'm on the road and so might not be able to respond to every post, but I will be picking one blogger out to send a free book to. So come on in and leave a comment.    ]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/05/22/white-eagles-touch-the-story-behind-the-story/feed/ 24 The Story Behind the Writing of PROUD WOLF’S WOMAN http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=32037 Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening! Thanks for joining me here today.  Let me say upfront that I will be giving away a free book today -- I'm experimenting with giving away ebooks -- so far I haven't figured it out, so I might still be giving away mass market books -- but I will be giving away another book to some blogger today -- so come on in and please leave a comment in order to enter the contest. I thought I'd tell you a bit about the writing of the book, PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN today.  This book has only recently been issued as an ebook -- and this cover is probably my favorite cover of all of these ebooks.  I love them all (the covers), but this one particularly touches my heart. PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN was a book that was written at a time in my life when things weren't going too well.  I've already blogged about the writing of GRAY HAWK'S LADY and how that book was written as I met and fell deeply in love with my husband, Paul.  Unfortunately PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN's story isn't quite so bright, I fear.  At this time in my life, I'd recently gone through a divorce and had returned to California where I hopped straight into a relationship that was anything but a good one.  However, I didn't realize that at the time, and so stayed in the relationship prehaps beyond what I should have. Believe it or not it was the writing of this book that opened my eyes to what my heart and mind were refusing to see.  (This is the book that I had written before I met and married my husband, Paul, whom I love so very much.) Off to the left here is a picture that was taken just a little bit later than this time period in my life -- I'm the one sitting down on the far right in the white jacket.  Anyway, back to my story.  I was in the middle of writing PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN and it wasn't going very well due to many different elements in my life that just weren't right.  But it was a scene near the beginning of the book that opened my eyes to what was going on around me.  I know that sounds funny, but I guess sometimes we don't always really realize things until it hits us square in the face.  In this very telling and important scene the heroine, Julia, is talking with her husband, Ken, in flashback, I believe.  In this scene Ken is saying some horrible things to Julia.  Really horrible -- and all those words came directly out of the mouth of this man who was in my life at that time.  Actually I had to go back and revise that scene because what was really said was doubly worse than what was written.  I edited it because I thought that it would probably seem unreal to others that someone could say such horrible things to another human being. Over to the right is another picture that was taken about that time (I don't have many pictures that were taken at this period in my life).  And this picture was taken almost a year later.  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the writing of that scene and the fact that my hero in the book, Neeheeowee, a friend of Julia's, was going to save her and bring love to her.  Not her husband, Ken -- a terrible man -- but rather Julia's friend from the past, Neeheeowee.  It was this realization and a few other incidents that happened around that time that decided me.  This relationship broke up very, very shortly after the writing of that scene.  Off to the left here is a picture taken about 2 years after the incidents that I am describing above -- this was taken at an RWA convention in Florida way back when -- and I'm here with friend, Catherine Snodgrass. Now you may wonder -- if this time period produced such a terrible example of mankind -- who did I pattern the hero after?  Here I was fresh out of a divorce, and having jumped into a soul-destroying relationship.  Well, similar to the heroine in the story, I had a friend at this time who was never unkind to me, who liked me and never judged me, and who always took my side in most everything.  Although never romanctically involved, the hero in the story took on many of the different characteristics of my friend.  Also at this time period in my life, my friend needed a friend, and I became that to him. In the story of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, both the hero, Neeheeowee (Proud Wolf -- translated literally "Wolf on the Hill") and the heroine, Julia, bring a better life to each other through happenstance, through love and through commitment to their friendship, which in the story, itself, becomes a deep, lasting love.  When I first saw this ebook cover of PROUD WOLF'S WOMAN, I was so struck by how this cover brought this story to life.  For me this cover says more than mere words what is felt between these two courageous people in this story.  It's sometimes said that truth is stranger than fiction -- and for me this was really true in the writing of this book.  I was certain no one would ever believe the terrible words that were thrown at Julia in the story -- and although I wrote them word-for-word originally, I went back after I'd finished writing the book, and edited them so that another might actually believe that a man might say such things. This was a major book for me -- a book that completely helped to open my eyes.  It was also a book that aided me in envisioning a true love -- if only because in this book, both the hero and heroine discover a love that had always been there, but had gone unnoticed because of their different cultures. Well, that's all for today.  I really hope that you've enjoyed the blog today, sad though it is.  But perhaps it's not so sad, since it was the writing of this book that opened my heart to the fact that there could be so much more to life and to love.  Please don't forget that I do have about 7 new to ebooks on sale at the moment -- and here is the link to go and see all these beautiful and wonderful new covers that Samhain Publishing has done.  They are works of art.  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.html Please do come on in an leave a comment.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/24/the-story-behind-the-writing-of-proud-wolfs-woman/feed/ 59 Old but New–Pueblo Storytellers http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:01:00 +0000 Elizabeth Lane http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31834 In the late 1950’s, Helen Cordero was 45 years old, and the mother of six children.  She and her cousin’s wife, Juanita, had been doing bead and leather work to sell to the tourists who came to Cochiti Pueblo, south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Both women were skilled artisans, but the leather and beads were so costly that there was little profit to be gained from selling their handiwork. “Why don’t you make pottery?” their grandmother suggested.  “You don’t have to buy anything.  Mother Earth gives it all to you.” Juanita was already an accomplished potter.  But Helen had to learn, and it was a struggle.  After six months of practice, her pots still didn’t look right.  That was when Juanita suggested she try making figures. “It was like a flower blooming,” Helen was to say later.  Small frogs, birds, animals and eventually little people came to life.  The first time she showed them at a festival a collector bought them all and ordered more, including a 250-piece Nativity set. In 1964, Helen was asked to make a larger figure with children.  Some potters were making mother and child figures, but Helen wanted something different.  She thought of her grandfather, one of the great Pueblo storytellers and preservers of tradition.  She remembered his voice and made her first storyteller figure a portrait of him, with his five grandchildren.  One of those grandchildren is Helen. Helen Cordero, honored as a Santa Fe Living Treasure, passed away in 1994.  Today more than three hundred potters in thirteen pueblos have created storytellers—men, women, animals, birds and mythical figures.   I saw my first storyteller at Acoma Pueblo in the early 1990’s.  I loved it so much that I bought it from the potter, a wonderful artist named Peggy Garcia.  My little storyteller is a woman with five children, beautifully fashioned and painted.  I gave it to my mother, whose 45 years of teaching elementary school made her a true storyteller.  Now that she’s gone I have it back.  It sits on my shelf, carefully anchored, as I write this.  I wish I had a photo to show you.  Here’s a similar example of Peggy’s work. (For the information about Helen Cordero, I credit an article by Pamela Michaelis.) Who are the storytellers in your family?  Maybe you’re one of them.]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/16/old-but-new-pueblo-storytellers/feed/ 14 Jason! Jason! Jason! http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:39:22 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31651 Howdy! Well, I thought we might do something just a little different today.  Dreamy cover model Jason Baca is with us today -- he won't be here to answer questions personally, but he has said that he will be giving away a signed zed card to the winning commenter today.  I'll be doing a drawing later tonight. I'm one of those lucky people who has Jason on my mailing list -- and Jason has kindly consented to answer some questions that I put to him a few weeks ago.  Here's the interview, but first a bio:
Jason Aaron Baca was born and raised in Los Gatos California, were he played baseball for Los Gatos High. While playing ball at the college level, Jason changed careers and began modeling after being discovered by an on location photographer for I Know What You Did Last Summer where he'd been doubling for Freddie Prinze Jr..
 
With a goal of becoming a versatile and sought after model, Jason began doing fashion, glamour, fine art, and even Playgirl modeling shoots. He has also acted, appearing in such movies as "The Demon Within," but he has consistently placed his modeling career first. Jason has appeared on over 85 romance novels and has been featured in several Men's Exercise Magazines. 
 
So here we go with the interview:
 
KK -- Hi Jason!  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be involved in the book cover industry.
 
Jason - Sure well I basically stumbled upon the romance novels. I used to go to Barnes & Noble all the time and would always just walk past the romance novels and not pay any attention. Then one day I walked in there and saw a cover of a guy that looked very similar to me only I looked slightly better. I thought "hey I can do this" And that is where it all began for me.
 KK -- Wow!  That's great!  Jason, what do you like best about being a cover model?  And least?
Jason - What I like best is the fact that seeing me on one of these covers and knowing that my body, my face is what's going to initially get that readers attention is what thrills me. To be the guy that is on the cover is an amazing feeling. I can say I have a part that I like least. I enjoy what I do and don't take it for granted.
 
KK -- Wow, Jason, that's terrific!  Now, what's it like to do these sexy covers with gorgeous models?
 
Jason - Most of the time its just me modeling solo. When there is a female in the shoot with me we usually don't know each other on the day of the shoot. There is nothing erotic about it. I look at them , they look at me and we both tell each other, lets make this work! We both have a job to do. All of the female models I've encountered have been very kind.
 KK -- This is nice to know.  I believe that you do have some American Indian blood flowing through your veins.  What tribe are you?  And can you tell us a little about that?
 
Jason - You know Karen I wish I could! I would have to dig deep to find that family tree that has the Indian blood in it. It would have to be like 6-7 generations ago. I know that I tan extremely easy and get dark fast so that is one clear sign.
 
KK -- Now here's a question that might be a little difficult:  It's a well known fact that Hollywood men and or women usually have multiple marriages and that jealousy runs high in this field.  Since you are one good-looking fellow, tell me do you think this is a plus or a minus as far as being able to establish and keep a wonderful marriage?   In other words, do you find all those women who adore you are a detriment to your own happy ever after?
 
Jason - Its not difficult for me to keep a wonderful marriage when I have a supportive wife. If she was the jealous type then of course there would be chaos constantly since I am always posing with female models. But she is a very confident lady so she doesn't worry about all this. She knows this is me and this is who I am. This is who she married..  A model that happens to be a romance novel model.
 
KK -- Can you tell us what you're looking for in a  marriage partner?
 
Jason - Well the one I found. She is there for me when I need emotional help as I am for her. She lets me tell her all the things I want or plan to achieve in life and responds to them in a positive way. The sky is the limit when it comes to our goal setting. She is a traveler like me and can pack our bags and be on a flight to Hawaii in an hour.
 
KK -- Here's my next tough question:  It's my opinion that women have been seduced into the work force by those amongst us with hardly pleasant intentions toward us, thereby leaving the traditional roles of motherhood, wife and being the rock-steady force within the family to others.  Personally I feel this is a high price to pay simply because others wish to either destroy the family unit or to tax the 50% of the populations that prior to women going into the workforce, they could not tax -- see Aaron Russo's interview with Alex Jones on this subject.  Long lead up to "What do you think about women being in the work force?"
 
Jason - Really good points you make on this topic. I think today its a 50/50 thing between husband and wife. If they choose to have a child it doesn't mean the wife will be the one doing the childcare 100% of the time. It wouldn't be fair to her. See I don't have any children so I can't answer it straight. But this is how I look at things from a far.
 
 And our final question:   I hear you have a lot of photos that weren't used from past shoots. If an independent author would like to use one of your stock photos for their cover is there a place where they can be found online?
 
 
  9) If a publisher would like to book you for a cover, where would they go to do so?
 
Jason - They'd go straight through my management and book with them. Here is the page they'd go to  -
Wow!  Well, that's all of the interview for today.   I hope you have all enjoyed this interview, and I hope you'll come in an leave a comment for Jason (and for me, too, if you would be so kind).  Don't forget, I have six different new to ebooks available at Samhain Publishing: 
 
 Jason has said that he will give away a signed zed card for the winning commentor today!  So come on in and leave a comment!
]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/04/10/jason-jason-jason/feed/ 41 Legends and Uses of the Plants and Flowers of the Prairie http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/03/29/legends-and-uses-of-the-plants-and-flowers-of-the-prairie/ http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/03/29/legends-and-uses-of-the-plants-and-flowers-of-the-prairie/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:00:59 +0000 Karen Kay http://petticoatsandpistols.com/?p=31314 Good Morning! Spring, plants, fresh grass, the smell of good earth and food gathering, and the reminder that the earth refreshes itself every year.  I once did a series on preparedness and different plants that one could eat, use for medicine and that sort of thing -- in truth, one can never be prepared enough in my consideration.  That said, let me take the time to say that there is much to be considered when talking about herbs, plants, food and medicine.  If ever the "powers that be" try to starve a section of the population -- pull up that series again.  Much of what I'm going to blog about today comes from the book by Fances Densmore, HOW INDIANS USE WILD PLANTS FOR FOOD, MEDICINE, & CRAFTS.  But let me start by quoting this section, because I found it fascinating:  From page 323 (the book starts on page 285):   "In the old days the Indians had few diseases, and so there was not a demand for a large variety of medicines.  A medicine man usually treated one special disease and treated it successfully.  He did this in accordance with his dream.  A medicine man would not try to dream of all herbs and treat all diseases, for then he could not expect to succeed in all nor to fulfill property the dream of any one herb or animal.    He would depend on too many and fail in all.  That is one reason why our medicine men lost their power when so many diseases cam among us with the advent of the white man."    This was said by a Sioux and is quoted in the book. And one more quote from the book:  "It is a teaching of the Midewiwin that every tree, bush, and plant has a use." This is the legend of Winabojo and the Birch Tree.  Winabojo was a human being who was mysterious and had many powers.  As the legend goes, Winabojo was taken by the Thunderbird to his nest, where Winabojo became a play object of the Thunderbird's children.  However, the Thunderbirds didn't realize their power and Winabojo became afraid that they would kill him with their play.  In order to escape them, he hid inside a fallen birch tree.  It saved his life because the Thunderbirds could not get to him so long as he hid beneath the "king-child," so called because the birch tree is their own child.  Winabojo stayed there until the Thunderbirds drifted away and Winabojo said, "As long as the world stands this tree will be a protection and benefit to the human race.  If they want to possess anything, they must wrap it in birch bark and it will not decay.  The bark of this tree will be useful in many ways, and when people want to take the bark from the tree, they must offer tobacco to express their gratitude."  -- From the book, HOW INDIANS USE WILD PLANTS FOR FOOD, MEDICINE & CRAFTS.  Now here's the interesting part:  Did you know that it is the birch tree that will stand off lightning during a storm?  If you stand beneath a birch tree during a storm, you will not be struck by lightning.  And did you know that the little "pictures" on the bark of the tree are pictures of the little thunderbirds?  Some localities contain more distinct pictures of these children -- but the next time you see a birch tree, look for these pictures right there on the bark of the tree. Over to the left here is Indian hemp or dogbane.  In the old days dogbane was used to ward off evil spells or "bad medicine."  It was also used as a remedy for headaches. Interestingly, although the Bible talks about witches, many people don't believe that they existed.  But the American Indian knew that they did, and had many remedies to counter-act the spells cast by those of evil intentions. Wild fruits and berries abounded on the Plains.  There were wild strawberries, the wild cherry, red currant, chokecherry, blackberry, raspberry, Juneberries -- "Take some Juneberries with you," is a saying with the Chippewa Indians.  There were wild grapes and blueberries, wild plum trees.  Most fruits and berries were either eaten raw or dried and often were eaten with fat and/or pounded dried buffalo and stored in bags -- this is what we know as pemmican. And did you know that the common milkweed was used as a vegetable.  The flowers were stewed after being cut up -- it's even reported that sometimes a man might eat this "preserve" before a feast, that he might be able to eat more.  We live in a land full of food, if we could only know it -- and one must really, really know it well because there are also plants and fruits in nature that are poisonous and one must be able to distinguish between the two.  But for the American Indian, who was trained from birth to know what was edible and what wasn't, the world was full of mystery, food, and adventure.  Is it any wonder, then, that the American Indian would venture out into the world with nothing on him but the clothes on his back and his weapons.  When one knows what to look for in Nature, Nature does provide.   Did you know that my books are filled with little bits of the American Indian culture and wisdom as told to me by elders of the tribe, and also from books?  At present I have six ebooks at Samhain that are sold for almost a song at this link:  http://store.samhainpublishing.com/karen-kay-pa-1676.ht Be sure to order your copy of one today!]]> http://petticoatsandpistols.com/2012/03/29/legends-and-uses-of-the-plants-and-flowers-of-the-prairie/feed/ 17