Archives for “Texas History”
I started to write a short story several months back that turned into a novella. I wrote the novella and realized I wasn’t done with the story…so I wrote two more. These were my “Kane” trilogy—Kane’s Redemption, Kane’s Promise and Kane’s Destiny. These stories really wouldn’t be classified as a “romance” story. There’s no sex, [...]
Alamo survivor? Could that be right? I thought everyone died at the Alamo. Isn’t that what made it famous? Well, all the fighting men who made their stand at the mission, did, in fact, die. But there were others present–women, children, slaves–who didn’t perish during that fateful battle in 1836. Susanna Dickinson was one such [...]
Quiz time!! Do you know your state song? I grew up in California my entire pre-adult life and never knew the state song. Now, if you live in New Jersey, you get a pass on this because NJ is the only state to not have an official state song, but everyone else is on the hook. [...]
I was born and raised in the great state of Texas. When I was about ten years old I met a friend’s cousin who was visiting from another state and asked her if knew any songs about her state. She gave me a weird look. The following conversation went something like this…You mean you don’t [...]
There are few archetypes in Western literature more appealing than the Texas Ranger. Men who wear the encircled star badge in romantic fiction are inevitably smart, courageous, physically fit and tough-as-nails. Taking into consideration that slow Texas drawl, wide brimmed cowboy hat and inherent southern charm…Well, it’s no wonder they’ve captured our imaginations from [...]
For those who have traveled through the Texas Panhandle, no doubt you thought there’s nothing but prairie with yucca and mesquite splattered along the way plus windmills, wind generators, oil wells, and millions of cattle. If you’re lucky you might see a longhorn or a buffalo or two. Of course, if you’re near Amarillo, where [...]
Being born and raised in Texas there are two things I can’t help doing and that’s eatin’ and braggin’, which combined into today’s topic … food and drink invented in Texas. Charles “Elmer” Doolin was a confectioner in San Antonio, Texas, during the Depression. But when he first tasted a local version of fried corn chips, [...]
As authors a really common question we get asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” Never has that answer come so easily as this series. The Trouble in Texas Series. Swept Away, Book #1 of the Trouble in Texas series releases in February. I got the idea for this series while researching Andersonville Prison [...]
Don’t Mess with Texas isn’t just a slogan made popular by the Department of Highways and Public Transportation to keep trash off the highways, but it’s a way of life in Texas. There are a few things you don’t mess with in Texas… our cattle, our man, our domain, our right to bear arms, [...]
As I was trying to decide what topic to blog about today, it suddenly hit me that I had access to some fabulous history right in my own backyard. In fact, it is the history of Abilene, Texas (the town I now call home) that inspired me to set my first several books in the 1880′s. [...]
In my last blog, I talked about the Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona, and its connection to Weatherford, in North Central Texas. One of my writer buddies who read the blog gave me some research on Texas Ranger Captain John Baylor, who headed up the last Indian battle on Texas soil with the help of [...]
I recently turned in my fifth manuscript, and in this latest story, my heroine’s father is a reformed outlaw. His colorful past made for some great dialogue and a couple crazy scenes. So when I was browsing the web and came across the account of an actual reformed outlaw named Texas Jack, I just had to learn [...]
Hello – Sylvia McDaniel here. I’ll be doing a giveaway today, but first I want to tell you about some interesting bits of history I discovered recently. While doing research for my series The Burnett Brides, I read a book called HELLS HALF ACRE by Richard F. Selcer. This book gives details about a half [...]
Quiz time! What was the leading industry in Texas at the turn of the 20th century? Oil? – No, that came later. Cattle? Cotton? The answer: Lumber. Lumber? Are you kidding? I live in Texas. There are no trees. Oh, we’ve got some scrubby little mesquite and an occasional oak, but nothing that this [...]
Nothing steals my breath more than a field covered with Texas Bluebonnets. It’s simply too gorgeous for words. Each spring folks load into cars and tour buses to see the bluebonnets just like the people in the northeastern states take tours to view the spectacular fall foliage But although I’ve lived in Texas most [...]
For Christmas I was given a book about Texas, the state I was born and raised in. Although I’ve ventured away for short durations to live elsewhere, those times were little more than an extended vacation because I’ve always returned to the town where I was born. It’s been said that if you ever wear [...]
A hearty welcome today to inspirational author DARLENE FRANKLIN!. Please leave a comment…Darlene has a signed hard copy of A Ranger’s Trail for one lucky person. Darlene, tell us a little bit about your latest release, fourth in your six-book series: When Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough and I first brainstormed about the Texas Trails series, [...]
I’m so excited. The re-release of my third single title western romance in Kindle format is almost as thrilling as it was when it first hit the bookstores in 2005. I tell you it’s been a while coming. REDEMPTION is set in 1869 in the East Texas fictional town of Redemption. It’s a small [...]
Not being from Texas, I was hesitant to tackle this topic. But I’ve always been a fan of those tough, rangy cattle with their amazing horns, stretching as long as seven feet from tip to tip. Longhorns are, and always will be, a symbol of the American West. Their ancestry dates back to cattle brought to [...]
As I was writing this blog a week or so ago, nature decided to deck the halls in all its glory. Snow descended on the West Texas Plains and temperatures drastically dropped as shoppers scurried from store to store. In the midst of it all everyone was putting up Christmas trees, pretty lights and [...]
During my research for a new project on the effects of the Civil War on the Panhandle of Texas, I discovered something I already knew, but hadn’t thought about in ages … it didn’t! The War Between the States never came to the Texas Panhandle, although the last battle of the Civil War was fought [...]
As a writer, nothing excites me more during the research phase of plotting a book than discovering actual history that allows my entire plot to fit together in a way more perfect than anything my imagination could have conjured. This is exactly what happened during the writing of my latest novel, To Win Her Heart. [...]
Before I get started with my post, I just wanted to share how excited I am to be the newest filly in the corral here at the Junction! I’ve been an active follower for several years, and I know how talented and fun this group of ladies is. I couldn’t be more pleased to find [...]
A couple of months ago fellow Filly, Linda Broday and I, along with two other writer friends who love to research went down to Fort Concho in San Angelo, Texas, for a visit. Little did we know about the ghosts of this retired military post. Like many others in the chain of forts in the [...]
