I am just standing around — Minding my own business

And suddenly

My face. My name.

My bookcover.

I’m a speaker at Husker Harvest Days.

http://www.huskerharvestdays.com/

 Uh…what is (are?) Husker Harvest Days?

 Well, there’s actual corn. They actually harvest it. With combines and tractors and there’s irrigation equipment and ATVs. It’s a demonstration of what’s coolest and newest and best in farm equipment.

A trade show. For farmers and ranchers.

Estimated attendance? Oh……..

I love writing. Duh, I’m a writer. I have been told that, in writing, I appear to be quite amusing and confident and even (on a good and lucky day) skilled at expressing myself with the written work. 

But ummmmmmmmmm Public speaking?

Not so much.

My daughter was on the Speech Team in High School. She had a T-shirt that said:

We do for fun……….

What most people fear more than death.

This comes from a survey done listing people’s top ten fears.

1. Public Speaking

2. Death

I completely get this. I HATE public speaking. I am no good at it. And here’s the real reason I hate public speaking…because it drives me crazy before and after I speak…for YEARS.

Not DURING so much…or at least the DURING is over quickly. Before and after I am HAUNTED.

Twenty-seven years from now…sitting in a nursing home…I’ll have a sleepless night…and I’ll lay there and think, “Why did I make that stupid lame joke at Husker Harvest Days in 2008? Why? Why? Why?

So anyway, I’m speaking at Husker Harvest Days next week. I know this because it appeared in Nebraska Farmer Magazine.

http://magissues.farmprogress.com/HHD/HH09Sep08/hhd016.pdf

(If you go to this link, you’ll see that YEP, there I am. There’s my book cover. YIKES) It also says what I’m gonna talk about. That’s good because I had no idea. I looked at what I’m supposed to talk about. Okay, I can talk about that stuff. I made notes.

I knew I was invited to go. I knew I had a booth. I even knew I’d have a turn ‘presenting’ something. I visualized about one hundred people all doing this ‘presenting’ at the same time…kinda Home Shopping Network Rural Nebraska style. Honestly I didn’t visualize it at all because if I start visualizing I kick off the pre-public speaking instant replay-worst case scenario-obsessive compulsive-insomnia-madness. So, because I have raised denial to an artform, I hadn’t given it much thought and had no idea what to expect, I’ve never been to Husker Harvest Days before.

Then The Nebraska Farmer Magazine comes out with my book cover and me…along with FIVE OTHERS…only five. What about one hundred? Where’d they all go? I mean sure, I only made that number up in my head, but still………..

Five of us giving daily presentations. I get the 1 – 2 p.m. hour.

An HOUR? I can’t talk for an hour?

I am so DOOMED.

I believe it is fair to say I have a God given gift for the written word.

Getting up in front of a crowd to speak.

Not so much.

So, anybody here like to give speeches?

Anybody ever embarrass themselves in front of a crowd?

I’m trying to be light-hearted about this, but honestly I’m just sick to my stomach. I am terrified. A little weepy. I may possibly be having a heart attack. But probably not. I’ve lived quite a while and I’m not all that lucky. So no reason to hope I’ll get lucky now and end up in an ICU until Husker Harvest Days are over

Consider for a moment your average sit-com.

About ten times a season they run a script of the main character being humiliated in front of a room full of people. There’s a reason for this.

EVERYBODY RELATES. EVERYBODY FEELS THE PAIN.

It’s my turn. Next week. At Husker Harvest Days.

If I survive, you may hear how it went.

Or not, I’m working on the other end of denial, forgetting it after it happens.

          FYI, that picture right there on the left? A Corn Husker. A weird leather and metal device strapped on the hand of a person who is husking corn. There’s a contest, fastest corn husker. There is also a display of combines. Prices run around $200,000. The newer, flashier Corn Husker.

click to purchase

CHARLENE SANDS 

Did you know that a horse can scream?

Did you know that horses were here before the 1500’s?

Did you know that wild horses are endangered?

Last week I spoke with my cousin, who owns a 12 horse stable in Las Vegas.  She boards horses, she owns horses, but she also adores horses.  She’s got the sweetest, most beautiful horses I’ve ever seen.  And while talking to her, she spoke about her newest endeavor, a line of clothes aimed at horse lovers around the world.  I asked her why she’s doing this and her passion came through on the telephone clearly and earnestly.  She lost her beloved horse last year and upon his death, she decided to give something back to the horse community.  A healthy portion of the proceeds from the new clothing line will be donated to the Return To Freedom foundation.

Return to Freedom:

The cornerstone of all Return to Freedom’s efforts rests in the management and philosophy of The American Wild Horse Sanctuary. The American Wild Horse Sanctuary provides a safe haven for wild horses, herds and burros who might otherwise be separated, slaughtered, abused, or left to roam without food or water. Here these animals can live out their lives in freedom. Simultaneously it creates an opportunity for people to directly experience part of America’s living heritage-the wild horse in its natural habitat.

Currently home to over 200 wild horses and burros, the American Wild Horse Sanctuary offers a number of unique conservation and preservation programs that include preserving natural herd groups, using non-hormonal birth control methods, and habitat preservation Preserving Natural Herd Groups

Horses are herd animals and thrive within their family groups. When separated from their herds, wild horses have been known to panic and sometimes even run themselves to death.  It’s their way of screaming.

This is sanctuary’s stipulation: When we take one horse-we take the entire family. AWHS may be the only sanctuary in the country with this mandate.

.

In April 2007, there was a federal court ruling that closed the doors on horse slaughter in the United States. Despite efforts by equine welfare organizations to take over care of the slaughter bound horses, most of them were re-routed to plants in Canada or Mexico. Amazingly, 28 horses that were inside the slaughter plant were given over to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who worked to place all of them in permanent homes. These horses might be the only horses in history to make the terrifying journey into a horse slaughter plant and live to tell their story.

Return to Freedom offered to take in any wild or untamed horses, offering them a safe haven at their 300 acre sanctuary in California. The wild horse sanctuary promotes the use of Non-Hormonal Birth Control Methods to help manage the wild horse population while at the same time rescue horses who have been abused or are ready for the slaughter house.

One Miracle Rescue:

On Wednesday, April 18th, the sanctuary welcomed the “miracle horses” Ginger, Flicka & Scout to their new home. Each of these 3 mares ended up in an auction feedlot and were picked up by a  buyer in Utah. They traveled to Wyoming and then on to a slaughter plant in Illinois. These mares, all healthy and aged 3, 5 and 15, were a breath away from a grisly ending to their life on this earth. They were literally inside the plant when the judge handed down the decision.

Having survived the trauma of their journey to the slaughter plant and back, the mares are settling into their new surroundings. The two youngest are curious and eager when the staff approaches their paddock. Scout, a 15 year old paint mare, who was literally on the floor of the horse slaughter facility when a U.S. Federal Court ruling saved her life, is a little more cautious.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of everyone working to end horse slaughter in the United States, Scout and the other two mares are facing a happy ending at Return to Freedom.

Their mantra:

“There is no use trying,” said Alice, one can’t believe impossible things.”

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice”, said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for a half hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

- Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland

The Cerbat Stallion:

The Mustangs from the Cerbat Mountain area of northwestern Arizona are some of the purest Spanish descendants in the United States. With less than 70 living in the wild, and very few in domestic breeding programs, he is a rare find. The handsome stallion named Ambrasador Amante (translated as Fiery Lover) had wandered off his range and managed to break into a neighboring ranch taking several mares back into the hills with him. The owner of the mares went through quite an ordeal to gather them back up. Since his capture, this stallion has been held in a government (BLM) corral for three years looking back at freedom and the high snow covered peaks that were once his home. Now the Cerbat stallion is a new resident at the sanctuary and plays a significant role in the conservancy’s Preservation Program.

Horses at Risk:

The US Government is considering the mass murder of thousands of wild horses. On June 30th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at their Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting announced a proposal that involves the phasing out of long-term holding facilities where they house some 22,000 wild horses that they removed from the range. Though they can only find adoptive homes for some 2000-3000 wild horses each year, the BLM has continued for decades to remove horses by the tens of thousands. Faced with budget cuts and more horses than they can afford to care for, their “solution” to years of mis-management is to simply kill them. With additional round ups scheduled this year, up to 30,000 wild horses could face the bullet.

They Were Here Before:

Did you know that our wild horses are actually a re-introduced native wildlife species? Traditionally, horses were thought of as an exotic species that arrived on this continent for the first time with the Spanish in the 1500s. However, advances in molecular biology prove that the modern horse, Equus Caballus, actually evolved on this continent and migrated across the Bering Land Bridge. Though the horse disappeared on this continent between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago, when the Spanish brought horses back to North America they were simply returning home.

Return to Freedom have living history tours, clinics, youth programs, retreats and so much more than I can begin to name on this blog.  I urge you to take a peek at this fantastic organization, by clicking HERE.

How You Can Help:

While this isn’t a call for donations though they certainly welcome them, we can do something easy to aid this cause.  When you shop at Ralphs, register your card number at www.ralphs.com/ccprogram.htm and choose Return to Freedom with the number 90094 and a portion of your purchases will be donated to the Return to Freedom cause.   It’s that simple.  You can find details on their site for more ways to help!

Funny, but when I started writing this blog, it was informational only, until I perused their site for hours, learning more and more about what Return to Freedom does and how important it is.  Now, I find I’m as passionate as my cousin about helping to save these majestic animals.   Killing off herds isn’t the answer – the animals aren’t starving, they survive quite well on their own.  I’ve seen pictures of the wild mustangs in Red Rock Canyon where many roamed free.  My cousin got some amazing shots of those mustangs before they’d been taken out of the canyon. As a result, without the horses grazing the land keeping the brush down, the entire area caught fire recently.    

I love horses, and had grown up wanting to own one on my own.  That wasn’t in the cards for me, but I’ve always held great admiration and fascination for them.  These wild mustangs are as American as the cowboy.  In my story, Five-Star Cowboy, Trent secures wild horses to roam free on his property and when I wrote that book, I hadn’t a clue that he would do that.  I guess my love of horses came through, even before I learned about their plight.

Do you own horses?  How many of you have ridden a horse?  Do you find them as stunningly beautiful as I do?   I’d love to hear your horse stories. 

 Click to purchase. 

Good Day!

Isn’t this the best site?  So much talent from my fellow fillies and so much terrific information.  I’m always amazed at the learned quality of the posts.  Aren’t you?

After quite a break from the Native Style survival stories, I hope you’re ready to continue.  Just to recap, so far we’ve discussed the quest for food.  What kinds of food you might find in different regions of the country, how to find it and the necessary means of transportation to find food.  One more comment I’d like to make before we head into shelters and how easy they are to make:  I think TV has given people the wrong idea of survival.  On TV you see people competing one with the other to “win.”  It’s a tooth-and-claw type of survival.  Now this kind of “survival” to the Native American is pure folly.  None survive well alone.  It is a team activity.  Or one might say a family or a tribe activity.  And survival doesn’t mean bare minimum.  Optimum survival means food aplenty, a good warm place to put up one’s feet, the warmth of companionship, soft clothes that look good and feel good (or lack of clothes depending upon your environment), and happiness.  That’s real survival.  Not this struggle that one commonly sees on TV nowadays.

So, that said, let’s have a look at shelters.  The most important things if one were to suddenly find himself lost from civilization — or in the event of some catastrophe, are food, clothing and shelter.  Without these, man cannot live.  Therefore, they are the barest minimum.  And shelters — nice, wonderful, homey shelters aren’t that hard to build and set up.  Do you remember your camping days and how cozy and warm were your tents?

Well, suppose you didn’t have time to grab your tent.  What then?  Well, here are some suggestions straight from Native America.  The first important thing is…?  Location, location, location.  A good Real Estate maxim. 

Now, it’s a good idea to find a dry and protected spot, one that is close to a supply of water and fuel (wood or something else to burn).  And if one is being hunted by another or other’s or if one is simply alone, another feature you might consider would be to find a place that is secluded, one that is hard for the casual eye to see.  Such things as a hollowed-out tree, a cave, a rock that allows only a casual view.  As Charles A Eastman put it in his book, INDIAN SCOUT CRAFT AND LORE:

“…The first essentials are water and fuel; next comes sanitation and drainage, protection from the elements and from ready discovery by possible fores; finally, beauty of situation.

If you are in the woods, the shelter you will probably want to construct is a lean-to.  Here’s yet another section from Charles A. Eastman’s book, INDIAN SCOUT CRAFT AND LORE. 

“…Find two trees the right distance apart and connect them by poles laid upon the forks of each at a height of about eight feet.  This forms the support of your lean-to.  Against this horizontal bar place small poles close together, driving their ends in the ground, and forming an angle with about the slant of an ordinary roof.  You can close in both sides, or not, as you choose.  If you leave one open, build your fire opposite the entrance, thus making a cheerful and airy ‘open-face camp.’  Thatch from the ground up with overlapping rows of flat and thick evergreen boughs, and spread several layers of the same for a springy and fragrant bed.”

Note that this requires very few tools save perhaps a hatchet or a strong knive to make the poles.

The coziness of the tepee was often commented upon by travelers in the old west.  The structures were clean, warm, hospitable, with plenty of room for family and possessions.  But more of that in another post.  For now, let’s look at another kind of shelter, the dome-shapped ‘wickiup.’  Again from Charles A. Eastman, INDIAN SCOUT CRAFT AND LORE:

“…The dome-shaped wigwam or ‘wickiup’ is made in a few minutes almost anywhere by sticking into the ground in a circle a sufficient number of limber poles, such as willow wands, to make it the size you need.  Each pair of opposites is bent forward until they meet, and the ends interlocked and tied firmly.  Use any convenient material for the covering; an extra blanket will do.” 

Again, you would cover it with whatever was available in the area you are in.

Okay you knew I was going to slip this photo in here somwhere, didn’t you?  How could I resist?  Are you, like me, sighing?…  Well, continuing on, let’s touch on the traditional tepee.  If you ever have the chance to go to a pow-wow in Indian Country, you might be able to catch the tepee raising race at the rodeo.  Amazingly, these people set up tepees in a matter of a few minutes — quite spectacular to see.  But here are the basics.  Again, from Charles A. Eastman, INDIAN SCOUT CRAFT AND LORE:

“The skeleton of the conical teepee is made by tying three poles together near the top, and, when raised, separating them to form a tripod.  Against this place in a circle as many poles as you think necessary to support your outer covering of cloth or thatch, usually twelve to fifteen.  If of canvas, the covering is tied to a pole and then raised and wrapped about the framework and secured with wooden pins to within about three feet of the ground.  This space is left for the entrance and covered by a movable door, which may be merely a small blanket.  If you have nothing better, a quantity of dry grass will make you a warm bed.”

Finally, although we may have covered this already when we were discussing fires, small fires are best.  Again, from Charles A. Eastman, “It is best in camping to build small fires.  This rule is observed by all Indians.  Smoke may be seen at a great distance, especially on a clear day, and may be scented by the ordinary Indian (or other person) a long way off, if the wind is right.  Only in cold weather or for special purposes does the Indian indulge in a huge fire, and in no case does he ever leave it without seeing that it is entirely extinguished.”

Well, that’s it for today’s Native American lesson.  What about you?  Do you have a favorite camping story?  Campfire tales?  Cozy-warm tents that you remember?  For me, I remember camping in Vermont.  We had forgotten how important it was to set up camp so that one was protected from water.  We awoke to find water all over the floor of our tent, once the rain had really settled in.

That was that.  There we were in the middle of the night, digging trenches around our tent.  Do you have a story?  If so, I’d love to hear from you today.  So come on in and let’s chat.

The names of those who subscribed to Elaine’s newsletter went into the cowboy hat.  And the winner of the T-shirt is….

Gail Hurt

Congratulations, Gail!  Elaine has your email address, so she’ll be contacting you to pick a color and size and to get your address.

Thanks to all who joined us in WIldflower Junction over the weekend, and special thanks to Elaine.  I think she may have broken our guest record for number of visitors!

Ya’ll come back tomorrow — the fun never stops rolling at Petticoats and Pistols!

My random number generator picked WENDY as the winner of Dolly Parton’s new CD.  Yee-haw!

Wendy, email me at pacrooks@radiks.net with your snail mail addy, okay?  I’ll get it out to you asap.

Thank you, ladies, for sharing how you’d spend your millions.  Lots of good causes out there, and I suspect there will never be enough money to give them all the support they’ll need!

Don’t forget to enter our Sizzlin’ Summer Contest, too.  Only a few weeks left before we draw our winner. . . .

I’ll close with a few more tidbits about Dolly:

**When she was a little girl, she stepped on a piece of sharp metal and nearly cut her toes off.  She credits her mother from keeping her from being crippled.  With no doctor available, her mother poured kerosene into the wound and stuffed it with cornmeal, then sewed her up with her everyday quilt needle and thread.  It took a whole group of men to hold her down while she screamed and writhed from the ordeal, but she healed just fine–and can still wear those 5 inch heels!

**While filming “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, Dolly had been struggling with weight gained from personal and medical issues.  One scene required Burt Reynolds to carry her across the screen, which (in the normal course of shooting a scene) required several retakes.  Afterward, poor Burt had to be hospitalized with a double hernia.

**Her next film was “Rhinestone” with Sly Stallone.  It was a financial disaster, but it was while working with Sly–who was and is incredibly body-conscious–she was finally able to buckle down and control her weight.  She threw out all her diet books and now eats what she wants, but only takes a few bites and leaves the rest.

**Her association with Sly during the movie made her fodder for the tabloids.  She learned that there was one person who was feeding the trades lies for money–a distant aunt who’d moved away from the Smokies when Dolly was very young, but who’d gotten into a snit because Dolly didn’t invite her to a big Hollywood party with the rest of the family to meet Sly and the rest of her Hollywood bigwigs.

Ah, the life of a real-live Barbie doll! 

It’s good to be back home after an twelve-day trip that included the RWA Conference. It was particularly great to meet – in person – the other fillies at the conference.It’s always hard to get back on track, at least for me. Particularly when, on the second day of my return, my hot water heater broke, flooding the house. I’m in the midst of major repairs, including a new ceiling for my office, new carpets and painting.

I truly, truly hate hot water heaters. They obviously don’t like me, either. This is my third flood in two houses, and I’m beginning to think the pioneers had the right idea of heating water over a stove.

But as usual, I digress. I did not intend to whine, especially after having two glorious week driving up the California coast and feasting in San Francisco. It was just such a sudden jerk back into reality.

But back to the topic of this blog. One of the real pleasures of this blog was to drive me back to my western library. I’m finding books I collected throughout the last thirty years. Most came from western museums. Some are histories, some are diaries, some are pamphlets. I am fascinated by all of them, and I lose so many hours of time reveling in them. I’m like a kid in my own toy store.

My latest find is a sixty-page soft-cover book titled “Women of the West,” by Rick Steber. It’s a collection of one page tales of women of the west. One of them is the story of Gladys Berkley who traveled to the Virginia Valley to teach school. “When she saw the lonely place that was to be her home, she cried.”

But the pay was a fortune: $125 a month, and she was determined to stick it out for a year.

Her duties were not limited to teaching twenty ranch children. She was also responsible for janitorial duties as well as helping the first and second graders saddle and bridle their horses. “I was a city girl. I had never saddled or bridled a horse in my life. I learned.”

She also had to start a fire daily and pump a bucket of water to be used by the students. The one room school was also the mail stop. Ranchers sent mail to school with their children, and the letters were placed on the widow ledge in the hall, and during the day, anyone riding past the school going to nearby towns would stop and pick up the mail.

But her first impression of the “lonely place” changed, and she married a local rancher while teaching generations of rancher’s sons and daughters.

Those few paragraphs have the power to fire the writer’s mind. What prompted her to set out on her own? Who did she marry, and how did the courtship go? Did they have children?

And before long a story begins to grow in my head.

People often ask where I get my ideas. They usually come from some tidbit in a newspaper or pamphlet or magazine.  A seed of an idea that sometimes takes years to germinate, but lies there somewhere, tickling on occasion before making it known that its time has come.

So where do you get your ideas?    Do youlet them ferment for years before bringing them to the page? 

Yes, there’s a buffalo herd near me.

And took some pictures.
I just love the way buffalo look and I’ve driven by them a zillion times and stare like crazy because I find them fascinating. But I never pull over and just take a real look.

I’m especially interested in them because I’ve got a book coming out in October called Buffalo Gal. In fact it might be the other way around. I think my fascination with those buffalo is what inspired the book. I just think they’re the coolest, weirdest creatures. The longer you look at them the stranger they look. The way their heads are so huge and their back ends are so slender, completely at odds with their heads.

It’s like God was just having a good old time when he created them.

Anyway, today I did it. Pulled over. This herd is just outside Winnebago, Nebraska on the Winnebago Indian Reservation.

Look how close this guy is to the fence. I could have gotten really close to them. Instead I just used the zoom lens.

This fence looked pretty sturdy and there’s an inner electric fence,

you can kind of make out the two thin strands of it.

I’m sure the whole time the buffalo was smashing through it he’d be going,

“Ouch, ouch, yowee, yikes, that smarts.”

Then he’d be through and CHARGE!

I just kept flashing on a headline in the Omaha World Herald.

Woman gored to death by buffalo
Mary Connealy, while photographing a buffalo walked right up to it and it killed her. Duh! ***
***

Yes, the World Herald would put DUH in the headline.
You know they would.
How could they resist?
If the buffalo hadn’t taken me out, 

EVERY PERSON who read that story would think….
“Good riddence, get someone that stupid out of the gene pool.”

I WOULD THINK THAT, TOO! I ADMIT IT!!!

They might hunt down everyone related to me, too, just to strengthen the species.

 ***(Disclaimer…the above headline is fake. I am alive. The World Herald has never…to my knowledge mocked a person killed regardless of the stupidity of the actions of said dead person)

      

Click on a title to buy my books

Howdy!  This just in.  Just received the new blurb for my next book, BLACK EAGLE, from my publisher.  The book, which is due out in May of 2009, is in production with my publisher.  So since this is just in, I  thought I might take a break this week from the survivalists lessons to do some unashamed promotion.  Please bear with me.  So without further ado, here’s a little of what’s going on in my writing life.  First I thought we’d take a look at the book that I have out on the stands right now, THE LAST WARRIOR  — and then have a look at the blurb for the book due out next year, BLACK EAGLE.

Many centuries ago, a village killed the children of the Thunder God.  For their crime, the Creature bannished them to live a half existence in the land of mists, neither dead nor alive.”

In 1892, that warrior is Black Lion

There was only one way for Black Lion to melt the Thunder God’s anger; listen for a sacred white-man’s song — and sing it perfectly with the one who introduced him to it. He joins Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and travels to London, where he encounters the daughter of two opera singers — the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. However, Suzette Joselyn is already engaged to another man…

But the two are destined to meet again when Suzette shows up in America, pregnant and abandoned by her fiance. Reunited with Black Lion she finds it impossible to turn down his offer of marriage to save her child from life as a bastard. But she doesn’t realize that her brave new husband is consumed with a mission that may force him to choose between his people and the woman he loves…

Praise for Karen Kay’s books:

“Enchanting…will capture your attention quickly and never let go!” — Huntress Reviews

“A tour de force Native American romance.” — Romantic Times

“Mesmerizing…(Karen Kay’s stories) sooth the soul, mend the heart, make us sing. Savor every word.” — The Old Book Barn Gazette

“You won’t forget this book, and you won’t forget this love.” — Ivy Quill Reviews

“Karen Kay has a beautiful way of thrusting the world wide open to your senses.” — The Literary Times

“Karen Kay goes ‘beyond the typical Indian romance.’ It’s depth is immensely gratifying.” — Romance Times

“Her words so deeply touch the heart…Unbelieveably beautiful.” — Fresh Fiction

And now here’s the blurb for the next book:

Black Eagle

A Warriors of the Iroquois Novel

Karen Kay

Author of The Last Warrior

“Karen Kay’s passion for Native American lore shines through.”—Publishers Weekly

After Marisa Rathburn overhears her uncle’s plot to destroy a Dutch town for his own gain, she threatens to expose him—forcing her to run for her life. Braving the war outside rather than the more dangerous one at home, she accepts an invitation north to visit a friend.

Mesmerized by her beauty, a Mohawk warrior named Black Eagle volunteers to act as her eyes through the wild forests of New England—only he soon senses an unexpected danger, and that Marisa may not be all that she appears.

Caught in the crossfire of war, and with a deadly assassin hot on their trails, Marisa and Black Eagle discover that trusting each other is the only way to outrun the enemy—and that love may be the only way to survive.

Praise for the novels of Karen Kay

“Captures the heart and soul of the American Indian.”—The Best Reviews

“A beautiful way of thrusting the world wide open to your senses.”—The Literary TimesPraise for THE LAST WARRIOR

“Kay creates an ideal finish to her fascinating series!”—Romantic Times

“The Last Warrior is a not to be missed story in the tales of the tribes living in the land of the mists. Karen Kay has penned another winner.”—Cata Romance

“Karen Kay has gifted us with a beautiful conclusion to an enchanting series. Every Karen Kay novel leaves me wanting more and The Last Warrior is no exception. Take this journey of the heart. You’ll be glad you did.”—Fresh Fiction

Praise for RED HAWK’S WOMAN

“I would love to be Red Hawk’s Woman…This is a great rainy weather book. Grab a cup of chocolate and cuddle up.”—Fallen Angel Reviews

“[Karen Kay] hooks readers with a paranormal element but also delivers a solid Native American romance that’s everything fans of the genre want.”—Romantic Times (4 Stars)

“Karen Kay has created a gripping story that reaches through time…Red Hawk’s Woman is Native American writing that will leave you wanting more.”—Cata Romance

“Red Hawk’s Woman is a tenderly told tale of adventure, of honor, of forgiveness. It’s also a story of love, survival, and peace. This heartfelt story is the latest gift from Karen Kay, who never disappoints her readers. It’s a treasure not to be missed.”—The Best Reviews

Praise for THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF

“Kay blends legend and fact into a beautiful love story. Delving into Native American customs and mores with sensitivity, compassion and a true understanding of the people, she enhances a magical, passionate plot with historical detail and just a touch of magic.”—Romantic Times (4 Stars)

More praise for Karen Kay

 “An exciting historical romance.”—Midwest Book Review

“Kay blends legend and fact into a beautiful love story…She enhances a magical, passionate plot with historical detail and just a touch of magic.”—Romantic Times

“Enchanting…will capture your attention quickly and never let go!”—Huntress Reviews

 “Karen Kay writes with such strong passion that it hooks her readers.”—BookBrowser

“Her words so deeply touch the heart…Unbelievably beautiful.”—Fresh Fiction

“You won’t forget this book, and you won’t forget this love.”—Ivy Quill Reviews

“A treasure not to be missed.”—The Best Reviews

Don’t forget that I’ll be  blogging  two weeks from now —  Tuesday, as well, when I hope to continue Native American Survival Lessons.  And lest we forget, contrary to popular TV shows, Native American Survival is a group activity.  None survives alone.  Even the lowest life forms depend on other life for their existence.  To make it seem different is to make it all the more difficult for you to survive, and to survive well and flourish.  Well, that’s it for now.  Thank you for bearing with me.

I’d love to hear what you think of the new back blurb for BLACK EAGLE.  I didn’t write it, but I think it’s good.  What do you think?

So come on in and let’s chat, about this or other things, as well. 

All the reader comments went into the cowboy hat - and the two lucky winners are …

Debbie

and

Jessica

Congratulations, ladies!  Please send your addresses to Valerie at: val@valeriehansen.com

She is going to mail you each an autographed set of Frontier Courtship and Wilderness Courtship!  Yee haw!

Thanks so much to Valerie for being our guest this weekend, and to all of you who stopped by, ya’ll come back now!

Inspired by Pam’s “shoe” theme, I started browsing the web and found some great sites on 19th century shoes. Being a visual writer, a picture can spawn an entire story so I thought I’d share some of the interesting sites, pictures and tid-bits I found. 

First up are antique 19th century embroidered shoes, which I adore! These are my kind of dress shoes! (Site: Angel Fire)

I happen to have a bit of a green fetish and just love these suede 5-strap button shoes.

Just as lovley are these white satin fan-tongue court shoes

Some shoe history from My Vintage Sole:

• The 19th Century Shoes were lace-up styles and became popular in the late 1800’s and continued into the early decades of the 20th century. The lace-up shoes or boots are higher than the button-up shoes. The reason could have been that laces could be drawn tighter, giving more support for the high top.
• An interesting point regarding Victorian Morality (Victorian Era 1837-1901) is that women’s ankles were to be covered to protect them from men’s prying eyes. Ironically though, the intricate tight lacings of the ankle boots had a titilating effect.
• The higher, front-laced 19th Century shoes/boots had sturdier soles and became even more popular when Queen Victoria started wearing them at her Scottish castle Balmoral. The two-toned lace up boots have been known as Balmorals since then.
• Glimpses of the foot exposed while walking inspired bootmakers to adorn their creations with silk fabrics and metallic thread embroidery. For revealing shapely ankles, buttons were preferred over laces.
• In the 1890’s, ornately decorated boots with flowers and birds were worn by opera-goers and became known as “opera boots.”
• During this time period walking boots could be functional as well as fashionable. Sensible, utilitarian boots were a cold-weather staple in the latter half of the 19th century. The typical walking boot was lined with flannel, had a half inch heel and cost about $5.50.
• The early 20th Century is often referred to as the Edwardian Era (1901-1910) after Queen Victoria’s successor, King Edward VII. The elite of this day also referred to this time as the Belle Epoque, or “Beautiful Age”.  
• In 1850 shoes become “crooked”, meaning they are designed so that there is a difference between the right and left foot.
• In the 1860’s the “Louis” heel (curved outline, flared at base) appear on shoes and are still commonly seen on shoes and boot to this day.
• In 1870 the high-button shoe or boot is in fashion. The most common high-button shoes that we associate with have the flap of leather that folds over the front and is fastened by buttons on the side.
• A button-hook (metal hook used to pull button through button hole) is an essential tool for everyone owning a pair of high button shoes.

 

This is a replica of the ladies high top shoes, with holes on each side for laces. They have a toe cap (you can see the stitching for the toe cap in picture). The heels date from about 1867, but this shoe also has metal eyelets which were not patented until the 1890’s. They have rubber heels which were patented in 1889. Genuine black kid, American made.

 

 

While I’m on my vintage clothes kick, here’s an outfit to go with those lovley satin shoes…a marvelous classic circa 1865 lady’s two piece golden russet colored silk faille dress.  

I do believe that whole “barefoot and pregnant” saying is quite fitting, as any pregnant woman can attest…shoes simply do not fit in those last few months of pregnancy. Here’s a fine and elusive post Civil War three piece lady’s maternity ensemble.

Personally, I have two favorite types of shoes: boots in winter and flip-flops in summer…when not barefoot. In THE GUNSLINGER’S UNTAMED BRIDE one of my favorite scenes is when Juniper talks Lily into taking off her boots to walk barefoot through the river with him

I have some replica boots with mock buttons up the side (zipper on the inside *g*) which tend to be my faves.  This summer I’ve been sporting green beaded dragonfly flip-flops. 

 

 

 

 How about you?  What is your favorite type of shoe?

 

 

**I also found a great page titled How to dress like a gentleman- A guide on the history of the gentlman’s shoe-dress like a true gent–a fun site if you’re interested!