My newest book A MAN OF LEGEND is now available everywhere. This is Book 3 of the Lone Star Legends series and brings it to a gripping conclusion.
Quite a bit of research was necessary, some because I wasn’t sure about the early 1900s as I’d never set a book during that time period. It was really an interesting time with thousands of inventions and improvements in just about every part of life. Automobiles were just beginning to be driven and phones used.
One thing I wanted to add that I had questions about were screen doors and windows. In the 1880s, when diseases caused by mosquitoes and flies began to reach the public, folks started paying attention and installing screens. Then by the 1890s, companies began to mass produce and make them rust-poof and they really took off.
Since my story is set in 1908, I put them on the doors and windows at ranch headquarters of the Lone Star. I mention them quite a bit since Stoker Legend refused to have very much to do with innovations. Up in years at 83, he preferred the old ways.
A lot of people, including Charles Goodnight, slept on screen-in porches. A lot of folks did.
When I was growing up, we didn’t have air-conditioning and always slept with the windows up and doors open in the summer. I can still smell the fragrant night air coming in. I loved that smell. That was some good sleeping. It’s too bad those days are gone now, replaced by manufactured air.
Do you have any favorite memories of a screened porch or open windows? And sometimes we could overhear things we weren’t supposed to. I’m giving away three more copies of A MAN OF LEGEND so leave a comment.
About the book
Crockett Legend has always loved Paisley Mahone, but a family feud sure can ruin a romance. When her father turned against the powerful Legend clan, she took her family’s side and broke Crockett’s heart into pieces. Now her father’s dead and Paisley and her last remaining brother are convinced the Legends are to blame.
If only he can find a way to prove their innocence…
A chance meeting throws the couple together, and when their train is held up by outlaws, Crockett and Paisley have to team up to save a young boy from dying. A tenuous truce is born. Together they may have a chance of bringing the truth to light…if they can get to the bottom of who’s been trying to turn the two powerful families against each other. With so many secrets to unbury, it isn’t long before Paisley finds herself in the crosshairs, but Crockett vows there’ll be hell to pay if anyone hurts the woman he loves…or stands in the way of a Legend in the making.
Here’s my book trailer:
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
I loved hearing the crickets and frogs at night during the summer.
Charlene, that was the best sound. Sure could put you to sleep. Thanks for coming.
I love the snap of an old-fashioned screen door. My grandma’s kitchen screen door had that squeak and snap.
Denise, I totally agree. Such a wonderful memory. Thank you for dropping by to share.
My grandparents summer cabin had a screen in porch. Us grandkids would always lay out there and listen.
Good morning, Anxious 58. Love your memory. And what sounds you could hear! I used to love doing that. Have a good day.
My grandmother had a screened in porch and we could hear things on occasion.
What fun, Debra! Those screened in porches bring back such wonderful memories. Thanks for joining us.
We didn’t have an air conditioner when I was a child and we spent most of the spring and summer sleeping on the screened porch.
Rhonda, that truly was the best place to sleep. We’ve lost that and all we have are memories. I’m glad you came by to share.
The smell of fresh air after a rainstorm
Oh man, Julie! There was nothing better than smelling that rain-scented air. What a great memory. Thanks for sharing.
I grew up on a farm and open windows were the norm. I sleep much better with the nightly sounds and that smell of fresh air! There’s just nothing like it.
Susan P, I’m happy to see you. Love your memories of those wonderful days. I think we did sleep much better back then. I like the A/C and think it was a great invention but I don’t use mine much. I still prefer the fresh air. Have a good day.
Good morning, Linda! We never had a screened porch to sleep at night, and since we didn’t have air conditioning, either, open windows were how we kept cool. Sometimes, the mornings were humid and a little sticky, though. That’s where central air has a definite advantage.
We do have a screened porch at our lake cabin, but my granddarlings are too scared to sleep out there. What a difference between generations, eh? LOL.
Congrats on A MAN OF LEGEND. I am LOVING Casanova, the parrot!!
Pam, I agree about the sticky mornings. I guess we do have a trade-off. I confess that I don’t use my A/C much. Only on hot days and maybe that’s a good thing considering the high cost of electricity. How funny that your grands are scared to sleep on the screened porch at your cabin! I don’t think us kids back then were afraid of much. We were tough!
Thank you so much for liking A Man of Legend. Yes, Casanova is too funny. I had to stop a lot when I was writing those scenes and just giggle. He really became a true character. So expressive. Grandpa Stoker didn’t share the love though and that was funny too. It’s really amazing how adding just a simple thing can provide just what a story needed. Love you, lady.
yes our old farmhouse was built to have windows across rooms to allow for the breeze to blow through – to this day it seems the wind blows all the time there (it sits on a slight hill)!
Teresa F, what great memories. Those old timers really knew how to place houses to the best advantage. They must’ve sat on the sites and studied the wind before they ever drove a nail. Thanks for coming, dear lady.
Before we had air conditioners, in the summer when it was too hot to sleep upstairs my siblings and I would sleep on the living room floor with a fan going and the windows opened.
Our one beach house we went to had a screened in porch, it was great for eating while we were there. Don’t think we ever slept in it though with all the other houses around.
Lynsay, kids love anything different so I’m sure you loved sleeping on the living room floor under the fan. Screened in porches were great for a lot of different things. I’m sorry we lost that. Almost every house one back then, either on the front or the back. Thanks for coming to share your memory. Great to see you.
I remember those days with no air conditioning also. With the windows open you could hear the night singing bugs, watch the lightening bugs fly by the window, look out at a full moon, and feel a warm fresh breeze as it also fluttered the window curtains.
Connie Lee, thanks for stopping by to share your memory. We’ve lost so much over the years. Now, we rarely know when it’s a full moon. And where did all the lightning bugs go?? And horned toads? Never see them anymore.
We were the same as you and we didn’t have air condition when growing up. Heck the first 10 years of my life we didn’t have an inside bathroom. So we grew up with the windows and doors opened. Right now if it is cool outside I will open up my bedroom window and let the cool night air in.
Quilt Lady, I’m so happy to see you. I’m glad you still like sleeping with an open window at times. My windows here have been painted shut and won’t open. I hate that! You sure must’ve jumped for joy when you got an inside bathroom! That’s something I can’t do without. I don’t miss those outhouses. Enjoy your day.
I dearly remember open windows or sitting on a covered porch prior to air conditioning. The breeze felt so cooling and the smell of fresh air was refreshing. Now anything heard from an open window does not come to mind. However, people talking on a party line which was quite common in the country in the 40’s and 50’s. You could pick up lots of gossip.
Judy, yes those party lines sure provided lots of information. I remember my daddy getting so mad one time when he wanted to use the phone but the people on our party line wouldn’t get off. Thanks for sharing your memories of screened windows and porches.
I never slept on a porch but I do remember the open windows and mosquito bites
JCP, those both leave a lasting memory. Just think what it would’ve been like though if the windows hadn’t had screens. Thanks for coming.
Sleeping with the windows open is the summer was necessary since we didn’t have AC and needed ventilation. It felt so refreshing, soothing. No noise where we lived, just the lovely air and breeze.
Ruth, your comment made me long to go back to those days. A person sure slept good with the nice, fragrant breeze. I’m glad you came by.
I miss those days since leaving windows open is something I still do and love. I don’t use AC at all. We have swamp coolers which are effective. I wish that I had a porch. When we went on vacation to a fishing camp the windows stayed open all day and night. The air was so clean and we were beside a lake. I will always remember those summers.
Laini, I would love to have your electric bill. Wow! I didn’t know anyone went without A/C anymore. But I love swamp coolers. Those were great inventions and put out such cool air. Since you had to wet the pads down, the breeze was so fragrant. I could literally make do with one of those now but these apartments wouldn’t go for it. Ha! Maybe I need to come and visit you.
I love a screen porch. Mine is off my kitchen. Weather permitting, the first thing I do in the morning is open up the kitchen door. I have a picnic table (handmade by my dad) to eat or work on and a swing to sit in and read.
Linda, how wonderful to have a screen porch!! I can imagine you use it a lot. Quite a few people did put their screened porches on the back of the house and that worked good. You really know how to live the good life, Linda!
I open all the doors and windows during the hot summer every night. The night air is soft and is what I require for sleep. I gives my mind and body a dream and carries me away to another time and place.
That sounds so lovely, Miss Sharon. Keep doing whatever helps you sleep…and dream. Let handsome cowboys and beautiful damsels have adventures in your head. 🙂 Thank you for coming.
I have had the windows open for a while now… love the sound of the birds singing… unfortunately you also hear the loud conversations others have in their backyard, kids screaming, and sirens as they go by…
Miss Colleen, that’s wonderful. But yes, it does have a irritating downsides. I’m sure you hear everything. 🙂
Linda, growing up in Oklahoma in the 60’s-70’s, we had an older house with an attic fan in it. I LOVED THAT THING. It sounded like a freight train coming through but it was soothing in a good way when you got used to it. In that house, we only had 2 air conditioner window units. One was in the kitchen and one was in the living room, and we used them SPARINGLY and only for a little while at a time. At night it was the attic fan, and then after the house cooled down my parents turned it off and we had box fans to keep us cool. And open windows. Living in the city now, I don’t ever leave my windows open or my doors unlocked. :(((( I miss those old days! (My granddad had a “sleeping porch” he’d go take a nap on every day. In later years it was closed in and made part of the house but it once was just a porch.)
What wonderful memories, Cheryl. How you must miss those days of simple living. We used to have box fans then we graduated to a swamp cooler. That thing could sure cool a house. I never had to have much cool air and preferred just opening windows. But like you pointed out, it’s pretty dangerous now.
Hi Linda – Don’t enter me in the giveaway as I already have my copy of A Man of Legend. I just wanted to say hello. Growing up without air conditioning we always had the windows open in good weather and the best thing was the smell of the lilacs coming in. Enjoy the rest of your week and take care. Sally
Hi Sally, I hope you’re enjoying the book. Thank you for coming over to say hello. We are old friends even if we’ve never met. Oh my goodness, I can almost smell those lilacs through your open windows! How wonderful and soothing. Have a good day.
My Mom loves having the windows open, she says they had them open all the time when she was a child. I enjoy letting the fresh air in too, but unfortunately we live near a hog confinement and a lot of times the air isn’t so fresh. It is lovely then when the breeze is from the right direction and you can let the outside in, with screens of course!
Megan, thank for coming by and sharing your memories. It is so nice when you can let the fresh air in but not when it carries the unwelcome smells of animals. The place I lived in before coming here had screened doors but on certain days when the wind was just right, it carried the smell of nearby cattle feed lots right into my house. Horrible. I’m sure hogs smell about the same.
I feel like I can still hear the old fashioned screen door on the kitchen I grew up in banging shut. It didn’t seem to matter what type of spring closure my dad put on it it would still bang. Of course we kids always let it bang instead of closing it carefully no matter how much my mother yelled at us. And there would be a clump of cotton that had been dipped in some chemical stuck to the screen to help keep the flies and other bugs away….not the most successful pest control 🙂
Alice, yes those screen doors always banged. I sort of love the sound though. I never knew about the clump of cotton however. I guess my parents never tried that. Ha! They kept the fly swatter handy though. One in every room.
Linda, I never really gave much thought to when screens came into use. It must have made such a wonderful difference in people’s lives. Three years ago, we were camping and mosquitoes got in. We woke up about 2 am and spent the next 30 minutes or so killing them so we could get back to sleep and not worry about being eaten alive.
We lived in the country growing up. Outside our bedroom window there was a lilac bush and a mock orange bush. I loved the fragrance in the Spring and Summer when they were in bloom. The rest of the year, the fresh air was so nice.
Thanks for bringing back good memories from my youth. I would love to have those bushes outside our windows now. Take good care of yourself and enjoy the rest of April.
Such wonderful memories, Pat. I can almost smell those lilac and orange bushes now. They put off the best fragrances. Love you, lady!
Miss Linda- it’s funny you posted this today. I just returned from my family’s in Texas, as you well know. The old farmhouse my brother lives in is where granny & papa Lucas lived. I remember when I was growing up sleeping on the screened in porch, the breeze singing through the screen was so relaxing. I sure miss my granny, she passed when I was a freshman in college, over 30 years ago, but I can still recall those special times with her, like it was yesterday.
Thanks for giving me a trip down memory lane. Love you.
Miss Tonya, we still miss our loved ones no matter how many years pass. What beautiful memories of sleeping on her screened porch. I’m sure your granny is watching over you and never far away. I love you dearly.
I enjoy screened in porches and open windows when is raining out, it’s very peaceful to me!
Teresa W, I just love the smell of rain and can’t think of anything I love better than listening to it. It is so peaceful and makes everything seem right. Thanks for coming.
August 1979 south of Kansas City, it was over 100 degrees every day for a month, really hot for KC. Only the rich had a/c. We pulled a mattress out on the screened deck porch and put a fan with an extension cord. Our family of 4 all slept together on that mattress, including my newborn son. It still was so hot we had trouble sleeping. I sponged the kids down to cool them. Was really glad when the heat wave finally passed!
Sherry, those heat waves could be killers. You did what you could to stay cool. Everyone did back then. It’s very unusual for that area to suffer such hot temperatures for days on end. I’m sure you rejoiced when things returned to normal. Thanks for coming.
nothing special
Bn100, I’m glad you stopped by.
Welcome today. I lived the first nine years of my life in Pasadena, CA and I can remember myself and my three brothers sharing a one bedroom. Course we were all four born one year apart. Anyway while we were supposed to be napping, mom would have the two windows open with screens so we could get fresh air while she hung out clothes or worked in the garden. Then we moved to the farm in Apple Valley, CA. All the doors and windows had screens to help with the breezes and to keep critters out. We lived in the Mohave desert. We wanted to sleep outside but once we saw the snakes and scorpions and tarantulas and other creepy crawlies and, it became unappetizing real fast. Those were all great memories. Mom had a way of helping making great memories.
Lori, what wonderful times you had. Thank you for sharing them. Special times live inside us and pop up when we least expect. I’m so happy to see you.
I can still remember the sound a screen door makes when it closes. Lots of memories, sister!
Jan, our back kitchen door was the only one I remember making a sound. I know our front door had one but it seemed quiet. I remember the fresh air coming in our bedroom windows was so nice. We never needed much air back then. Guess we were tough! 🙂
I love your post, Linda! Yes, we grew up with open windows and doors in the summer and no air conditioning. When I was in high school, my bedroom had a grape arbor growing over one window and the sweet scent of the grapes would drift in at night. Such wonderful memories!
Shanna, those grape arbors really put off nice fragrances and the breeze brought all that lovely smell into the house. Glad I could spark those memories for you. Love you, Filly sister.
I grew up in a small, rural community more years ago than I would like to share, but many houses had screened porches. And all the entrances had an actual screened door rather than a storm door like we have now. I am enjoying the Spring weather now with several windows open in my current home. I have several of your books which I really enjoyed!
Catherine, I’m glad you’re enjoying the Spring weather through your open windows. So many people are replacing or have replaced those screen doors with storm doors and I suppose the new ones make a home more attractive. Thank goodness you can still open the windows!
Thank you for liking my books. If you get a chance to read A Man of Legend, I think you’ll enjoy the talking parrot in it. Thanks for coming by.
I did not leave open windows without screens because we an over abundance of bats and would end up with them in the house. I enjoy the smell of the night air and will occasionally leave windows open now however.