Karen Witemeyer

For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

Texas Jack!

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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 more.

Nathaniel “Texas Jack” Reed derived his moniker from the time he spent in the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1880’s and early 90’s. However, he pulled jobs all over the southwest, including a bank holdup in Riverside, Texas in 1888, a train heist in Arizona following that, and even the capture of a gold bullion shipment out in California.

He was born in Arkansas during the Civil War, and lost his father to the Union cause. Orphaned early on, Reed lived with various relatives until he decided to set out on his own. As a young man, he traveled the west, taking whatever job he could find. He finally settled in Oklahoma Territory where he found work as a ranch hand. During the summer of 1885, the foreman he worked for recruited him to help rob a train up in Colorado. Reed assisted in subduing the passengers, and ended up with $6,000 in his pocket for his trouble. Having made more money in that single day’s work than he could make in years as a wrangler, Reed hungered for more easy money. During the next several years, Reed collected a gang and robbed everything from stagecoaches to banks to trains. When the Texas Rangers tried to chase him down following a bank robbery in Brownsville in 1891, the journalists reporting the events dubbed the unknown leader of the outlaw gang Texas Jack. Liking the name, Reed decided to keep it, and a legend (at least in his own mind) was born.

His life of crime came to an end, however, during a botched train job in 1894. Texas Jack heard of a train supposedly carried a gold shipment from Dallas, Texas and schemed to take it down. He would throw Blackstone Switch as the train approached Wybark, OK sending it onto a sidetrack where his gang could dynamite the express car and steal the strong boxes. Texas Jack manned the switch. So when he threw it early and gave the conductor ample time to stop the train short of the side track, he had only himself to blame. Unwilling to abandon the shipment, Texas Jack and his gang ran toward the train, hollering, and firing their guns. Only to find that the railroad had outsmarted them, moving the gold to another train and replacing it with a contingent of armed guards. In an effort to salvage something from the debacle, Texas Jack stormed the passenger car and collected a small bag of loot. During his getaway, he took a bullet to the leg and was forced to go into hiding.

That bullet served as a wake-up call, and the mind Texas Jack had used to plan robberies, he now turned to scheming his way out of trouble. He contacted “hanging judge” Isaac Parker and arranged for a safe surrender. When Judge Parker pressed him for the name of the leader of his outlaw band, Texas Jack immediately gave him a name – Jim Dyer (from all accounts an ordinary, law-abiding citizen). Texas Jack even testified against his “boss” and received a reduced sentence. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison but was paroled after serving one year.

After his release, Texas Jack fully reformed and took up the Lord’s work. He became an itinerant evangelist, preaching the gospel and warning folks of the evils found in a life of crime. Unable to completely abandon his glory days, however, Texas Jack toured with a number of Wild West shows, touted himself as the last survivor of the “47 most notorious outlaws” of the Indian Territory, and even wrote his memoirs, The Life of Texas Jack: Eight Years as a Criminal-41 Years Trusting in God. He never reached the dime novel fame of outlaws like Billy the Kid who went out in a blaze of gunfighting glory, but unlike his outlaw compatriots, he lived a full life, dying at his home in Tulsa, OK at the age of 87.

Texas Jack turned his life around because of a bullet, not the love of a good woman, but I still can’t resist the romance of his tale. Outlaw turned preacher. Pretty fabulous.

What about you? Know any good stories of men who made dramatic changes for the better?

Rodeo – The Cowboy Olympics

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As my family and I were making the long journey home from Anaheim, CA back to Abilene, TX last week following the RWA conference, we passed a billboard in Pecos, TX claiming to be the home of the world’s first rodeo. I smiled to myself as we passed, and didn’t think much more about it until it came time for me to put together a blog post. With all the wonderful Olympic events over the last fortnight, I wanted to keep with the spirit of competition, and what more classic western competition is there than the rodeo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, when I started digging into the history of rodeos, I quickly realized I had stumbled into dangerous territory. Pecos, TX isn’t the only town claiming to have hosted the first rodeo.

Now, I’m sure most of you know that rodeos evolved from friendly competitions cowboys would engage in at the end of long trail drives. They were a way to have fun, blow off steam, and blow up egos. Who was the best steer roper, bronco buster, or all-around drover? Well, let’s just have us a little friendly competition (along with some wagering, of course) to see who that might be. Each outfit would send their best men to represent the brand for bragging rights.

But who hosted the first organized rodeo?

Author Clifford P. Westermeier in his book Man, Beast, Dust: The Story of Rodeo cites a report in the Field and Farm Journal of Denver that claimed an Englishman named Emilnie Gardenshire and his horse, Montana Blizzard, competed in the first rodeo on July 4, 1869 at Deer Trail, CO and was named Champion Bronc Buster of the Plains and was awarded a new set of clothes in honor of his achievement. However, the most heated argument seems to be between the folks of Pecos, TX and those of Prescott, AZ.

So we’re gonna have us a little showdown.

Pecos, TX

July 4, 1883 – Recorded interviews (in 1928) from eyewitnesses who remembered attending the event. Men hanging out at Red Newell’s saloon decided to have a steer roping and bronco busting competition. Ranchers put up $40 in prize money making it the first organized rodeo with prize money. The rodeo did not recur on an annual basis, however, until 1929. Willard Porter, former rodeo director at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City agrees Pecos was chronologically first.

VS.

Prescott, AZ

July 4, 1888 – The first rodeo competition to charge admission and therefore make rodeo a spectator sport. It was organized by local merchants, area ranches were invited to compete, contests were documented, and prizes were given to the winners. It continued on an annual basis, though the location moved around slightly year to year. In 1985, the US Patent Office approved Prescott’s application to use the term “World’s Oldest Rodeo.”

 

The bullets really started to fly in 1985, when Pecos and Prescott shot it out with the makers of the game Trivial Pursuit. When the game listed Prescott as the place where rodeo was formalized, Pecos threatened to sue. Prescott threatened to sue if it was changed. When the dust settled, Prescott still had Trivial Pursuit’s vote as the oldest rodeo, although the people of Pecos hold fast to their claim.

Wherever rodeo originated, I’m just glad we have it, aren’t you? The world needs a place for hunky cowboys to strut their stuff.

So what is your favorite rodeo event? Would you vote for Pecos, TX or Prescott, AZ as being the first? Do you think rodeo events should be in the Olympics?

Men to make your heart flutter…

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Today I am at the RWA national conference in Anaheim, CA. And after 4 days of tromping around Disneyland with my family, I’m beat. So I thought I would take a break from serious blogging this week, and instead share some of my favorite cowboys with you. Some of these you have seen before from me. Some are new additions. But one thing’s for sure, they are all sigh-worthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These first two cowboys are personally responsible for inspiring my love for western men in the first place. On the left is Pernell Roberts, better known as the eldest Cartwright brother, Adam, on Bonanza. And on the right we have hunky Robert Fuller who played Cooper on Wagon Train. I would hitch my wagon to his train any day.

Watching re-runs of these great westerns started my love affair with cowboys.

Then there is the great Sam Elliott. Has any man ever personified the west better? I think I’d even give him the nod over John Wayne. Just the sound of his rasping voice conjures images of rugged landscapes and hardened men on horseback. I want to go out and buy a Dodge Ram truck every time I hear his voice-over on their commercials.

I have to admit, I’ve always had a bit of a crush on Hugh Jackman. And when he donned a dusty hat and a pair of boots for Australia, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect combination.

A blogger recently asked me to pick a celebrity who best captured the look of my latest hero, Travis Archer, from Short-Straw Bride. I don’t usually work from a photograph when I write my characters, so I had to go searching for a man to match his description. And then I found him in the world of country music. Luke Bryan. He’s got that sable hair and the rugged good looks that jumped up and said – Travis – to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So who would you add? Who are your favorite cowboys?

I’ll be in and out today, but will try to post when I can. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend full of hunky cowboys, at least in books if not in real life. *Wink*

Cowboy Cookin’

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I’ve been watching episodes of Masterchef this summer, and one particular cook caught my eye and set my cowboy-loving heart to fluttering. Mike Hill from Powder Springs, Georgia. From day one of the auditions, I could tell this was a cowboy with class and with true cowboy heart. He competed in memory of his sister and always comported himself with honor. And man, but he looked good in that stetson and plaid work shirt.

Well, Mike got me thinking about cowboy cooks from the days when there were no fancy Masterchef kitchens. Or any kitchens for that matter. Not when they were out on the trail. Nope, all they had were a few cast iron pans, firewood, and a rigged up wagon to carry the supplies.

The invention of the chuckwagon is attributed to Charles Goodnight, a Texas rancher who introduced the concept in 1866, in time for his first cattle drive with fellow rancher, Oliver Loving along what would later become the famous Goodnight-Loving Trail. Goodnight modified a Studebaker wagon, a durable army-surplus wagon, to suit the needs of his cowboys driving cattle from Texas to sell in New Mexico.

He added a “chuck box” to the back of the wagon with drawers and shelves for storage space. The compartments held a variety of tin cans and wooden containers holding staples such as spices, tableware, utensils, medicines, and food enough to feed an average trail crew of ten or more men at least thirty days. A fold-down tailgate doubled as a door and a cooking surface when opened. A water barrel was also attached to the wagon and canvas was hung underneath to carry firewood.

Below the chuckbox on many wagons, would hang a wooden storage compartment known as the pan boot. It contained the heavy pots, skillets and dutch ovens, used in open range cooking. Upon reaching the campsite, the range cook would dig a trench for his fire and erect a pot rack (two tall iron stakes connected by an iron crossbar) or tri-pod, hung with several pot hooks.

Chuckwagon food typically included easy-to-preserve items like beans and salted meats, coffee, and sourdough biscuits. Food would also be hunted and gathered along the trail. On cattle drives  it was common for the “cookie” who ran the wagon to be second in authority only to the trailboss. The cookie would often act as cook, barber, dentist, and banker.

Now, with Chuck being a nickname for Charles, I thought that the chuckwagon terminology came from Goodnight’s name. However, it simply comes from the slang term for food – “chuck.” Too bad. I would have liked it the other way.

They still have chuckwagon cook-offs today, pitting rangy cowboy cooks against one another using nothing but the utensils and supplies that would have been available to their 19th century counterparts. Have any of you ever seen one of these cook-offs? I’ve watched some on the Food Network. Lots of chilis, stews, corn bread, biscuits, and cobblers. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

What kind of food do you like to eat when you’re “out on the trail”? Whether camping, having a picnic, or whipping something up on the grill – what is your favorite outdoor food?

 

The Archers & The Alamo

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Today, I thought I’d have a little fun and introduce you to the Archer clan–the men who reside at the heart of my story in Short-Straw Bride.

Now the first thing you need to know is that their mother, Susanna, was a fierce Texas patriot. She took great pride in her Texas heritage. Born the year the Alamo fell, she was named in honor of Susanna Dickinson, one of only two survivors of that bloody siege. The original Susanna’s husband, Captain Almaron Dickinson died in battle along with 182 other Texian soldiers.

Taking to heart the charge, Remember the Alamo, Susanna named each of her four sons for heroic men associated with fort.

 

Her oldest son, Travis, was named for Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis, the highest ranking officer, and therefore, commander at the Alamo when Santa Anna and the Mexican army attacked. In his famous letter, he begs for reinforcements, but stoutly proclaims that he will never surrender or retreat, and ends with the foreshadowing words, “Victory or Death.”

 

Next came Crockett, named (of course) for the famous frontiersman, David “Davy” Crockett.  Crockett left his home and political career in Tennessee in order to fight with the volunteers in the Texas Revolution. He arrived at the Alamo two weeks before Santa Anna initiated his siege. A former American slave who worked as cook for one of Santa Anna’s officers later claimed that Crockett’s body was found in the barracks surrounded by no less than 16 Mexican corpses with his knife buried in one of the fallen soldiers.

 

Susanna’s third son was given the name Bowie (pronounced Boo-ee). However, the poor boy refused to answer to anything but Jim. His namesake, James Bowie served as the commander of the volunteers at the Alamo while Travis commanded the regular troops. He is well known for the large knife he carried, and Jim Archer got his start in carpentry by whittling a replica of this long-bladed weapon. Having grown up in Spanish Louisiana, Bowie was fluent in both written and spoken Spanish which allowed him to gather key information during the Texas Revolution. Unfortunately, Bowie has been ill and confined to bed during the time of the Alamo attack. Crockett attested, however, that every day at noon during the siege, Bowie would crawl from his bed in order to address and encourage his volunteers.

 

The youngest of the Archer brothers was Neill. Lieutenant Colonel James C. Neill had been stationed at the Alamo Mission from December 21, 1835. On February 11, 1836, Neill transitioned leadership of the garrison over to William Travis in order that he might tend his family who had been overcome with a grave illness. He was heading back to the Alamo with medical supplies on the day the fort fell. His family’s sickness saved his life. Perhaps that is why Susanna chose that name for her last son, wanting to instill life and hope into her boys when she, herself was dying as a complication of childbirth.

 

Once the Archer boys were grown, Travis continued his mother’s tradition, at least as far as naming his horse. His chestnut gelding, Bexar, was named after San Antonio de Bexar, the name of the settlement that was home to the Alamo at the time of the revolution. Today we know it better as San Antonio, but the county it resides in is still known as Bexar.

 

So do you have any interesting names in your family tree?

My maiden name is Gaskin, and growing up I always thought it was cool to be named after part of a horse. (Rear leg, between the stifle and the hock according to the dictionary.) Of course, being called “Gas Can” wasn’t nearly as fun.

Cattle Ranch or Castle?

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On Tuesday, my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. He planned an elaborate mystery trip for me, not telling me anything about where we were going. Not even when we were on the plane. We were married in California and spent our honeymoon night at the legendary Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. Our only regret at the time was that we arrived after dark and left early the next morning so we didn’t get the chance to fully enjoy this one-of-a-kind inn. So where did we go after 20 years? Yep, back to the Madonna Inn for a leisurely 3 night stay. (I may have to do a separate post someday just on the Madonna Inn. Every room is unique, decorated with it’s own theme, rock showers, a two-story waterfall at the pool, and a steak house that is completely done in pink.)

One of the days we were there, we drove up to San Simeon to tour Hearst Castle. I’m sure many of you have heard of William Randolph Hearst, the multi-millionaire media mogul who hit his peak in the 1920s and 30s. But what you may not know is that the land where Hearst Castle is situated was originally a family cattle ranch where young William grew up with his parents.

In 1865, George Hearst bought 40,000 acres of California ranchland with the wealth he’d accumulated from his mining endeavors. By the time William inherited the land from his mother Phoebe in 1919, the ranch had grown to encompass over 250,000 acres. The hill where Hearst eventually built his palatial mansion started as a favorite family camping spot. When he inherited the land, however, he decided he was getting too old to camp out and went in search of an architect to help him “build a little something”.

The architect he hired was Julia Morgan, one of the first female architects in California. Hearst chose her for his project for several reasons, one being the fact that she’d studied in Paris. Since he was a collector of European art, he wanted his home to reflect European influences. But even more valuable to Hearst, was the fact that Miss Morgan had studied concrete construction. After the devastation of the great San Francisco earthquake in 1906, Hearst wanted to ensure his home withstood whatever the California landscape threw at him.

As Wes and I toured the grounds and the inner rooms of this castle which Hearst always referred to as simply The Ranch, we were awed by the antique furniture and amazing architecture. The grand assembly rooms were panelled with 15th century tapestries and wood carvings from old European churches that still had the wooden built-in seats attached. Nothing like being so practical as to bring in antique wall panelling that could double as additional seating.

Hearst also collected ceilings. Can you imagine? What a thing to collect. But each of the 165 rooms of the castle has a different ceiling. Some are elabroate wood carvings. Other are painted masterpieces. All are awe-inspiring. This blue one from one of the upstairs bedrooms was my favorite.

Some of my other favorite rooms included, of course, the library and Mr. Hearst’s study. He had the house wired for telegraph, telephone, and teletype so he could run his empire from this remote estate. Even before the Internet, he had a fully functioning, global, home office.

Here I am in one little nook of this huge library with wall-to-wall books.
How does your home office compare?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this castle is central California’s biggest tourist attraction, but if you are looking out your window on the way up the mountain, you can still see the hacienda where the cattle ranchers continue on the family legacy. Yes, Hearst castle may sit atop the hills of San Simeon, but the Hearst family still runs their cattle ranch there. A true rancher’s legacy never dies.

Winners of Short-Straw Bride!!!

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So many wonderful comments today. I think I’ll be humming musical tunes for the next month. Love it!

I threw all the names into a hat and came up with these two:

Kristen

and

Ashley Moore

Congratulations, ladies!!!

Please send an email to kwitemeyer@hotmail.com with your mailing address so I can get your book in the mail.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone!

The Inspiration Behind Short-Straw Bride . . . and Give Away!!!

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As a diehard romantic, I have to admit that I adore the sappy old Hollywood musicals like Singing in the Rain, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and Meet Me in Saint Louis. Last summer, I decided to introduce my 13 year-old daughter to the joy of musicals, and now I’m often treated to the sound of Oklahoma lyrics being belted through the kitchen as I try to put dinner together. Of course, I have to join in.

My all-time favorite musical is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I adore the western setting, the rough and tumble men, and the marriage of convenience story. In fact, it’s this very musical that served as the inspiration for Short-Straw Bride.

My story has four brothers instead of seven, and the men don’t sing and dance while they do their chores. However the spark came when I thought about this movie and then asked, what if? What if instead of having the heroine agree to a marriage of convenience at the beginning of the story, the brothers drew straws to see who would marry her when a good deed of hers goes awry? And what if instead of all the brothers being named in alphabetical order after Bible characters, my four brothers were named for heroes from the Alamo?

From there, the Archer clan was born—Travis, Crockett, Bowie (who only answers to Jim), and Neill. And when Meredith infiltrates their isolated ranch, they are never the same.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the scene where the Archers catch her trespassing:

“I knew I had to warn you,” the woman said. “After your kindness to me, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

Travis drew back. “What kindness? I’ve never even seen you before.” Yet the familiarity that continued to stir at the edge of his consciousness made him question the accuracy of that statement.

“But you have.” The crazy woman actually took a step closer to him, completely ignoring the rifle he pointed at her chest. “I was a trespasser then, too, only a much younger one.”

She reached for something in her skirts and he cocked his weapon. “Don’t move, lady. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know.”

Instead of shrinking away from him, her eyes held his, filled to the brim with . . . trust?

“You helped me before. Remember? You freed me from that trap and splinted my leg. Now I’m back to return the kindness you extended to me twelve years ago.”

She reached for her skirts again, and heaven help him, all he did was lower his rifle barrel so he could watch her better. He remembered that girl and those abominable traps. How brave she’d been. How trusting. But this couldn’t be her, could it? Surely time hadn’t passed so quickly. She’d been just a child. This woman couldn’t be the same person.

Travis fought his reaction to her and regained his stance. “This is some kind of trick, isn’t it? Some way for you to worm into my good graces so your fiancé can step in and steal my land.”

Her eyes narrowed. “This is no trick, and that man will never be my fiancé.” She tugged on her skirts again. “I can prove who I am, Travis, if you’ll just give me the chance.” She lowered her gaze to somewhere near the ground. “Look at my leg.”

He might be a recluse, but even he knew what she asked wasn’t proper. But apparently Neill was too young to have any qualms.

“Ah, that little scar ain’t nothin’. Jim’s is better.”

A quiet growl rumbled out of Jim, but Crockett actually laughed. Travis turned a glare on the man to his left. Crockett swallowed his mirth.

Fed up with this girl’s shenanigans, Travis finally glanced down at her ankle, at the small amount of skin exposed above the top of her shoe and below her hem. Sure enough, a thin, linear scar marred the pale flesh there.

In a flash, he was seventeen again, tending her wound, and carrying the little girl in his arms all the way to her home. He’d thought of her often—wondering what became of her. Travis brought his gaze up to examine her face again. Her hair was a little darker now, but a few golden streaks remained, evidence of the toe-headed girl he’d met so long ago. Her vivid blue eyes still cut through him as much today as they had back then when they’d been full of tears. The curves she sported now were definitely new, but the determination and bravery he remembered clung to her bearing like a grass burr to a pant leg.

That scrawny little kid had grown into a right handsome woman.

Travis lowered his weapon. “Good to see you again, Meredith.”

 

So do you have a favorite musical? Or is there a book you’d like to see turned into a musical?

I’ll be giving away two copies of Short-Straw Bride today, so be sure to leave a comment.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

My First Book Trailer… Short-Straw Bride

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Roll out the red carpet!

Strap on the high heels and rhinestones.

It’s time for a theatrical debut!

OK, maybe that’s going a bit overboard, but my heart was pitter-pattering with opening night jitters when my publisher sent me the link to my first book trailer. Would I like it? Would it capture the essence of my book? Would it generate reader interest?

I’m thrilled to report that it surpassed all my expectations! I’ll let you watch it, then I’ll give you the behind-the-scenes scoop.

 

 The man at the beginning is the cover model from when the design team shot the cover. However, the live action section in the middle of the video was shot much later. So did they bring the cover model back? Nope. Four random men on staff at Bethany House snuck off when no one was watching and filmed it themselves. How cool is that! They arranged to have the same costume from the photo shoot and one of them dressed up as my hero, Travis Archer, and took on the straws. They even found the original straws from the shoot, too. Such attention to detail. Love it! Then the three other men, wearing plaid shirts, of course, played the roles of the other Archer brothers, and each took their turns drawing straws. My project manager swore me to secrecy about their identities. They are too shy for the Hollywood spotlight, so I can’t reveal their names, but how ’bout those acting skills! I’ve never seen a better betrayal of arms. Ha!

I am so blessed to have a publisher who is willing to go the extra mile for its authors.

And did you notice the final scene where Travis pulls a little something from up his sleeve? Hmm…something tells me there is more to this story than meets the eye.

Short-Straw Bride releases later this month. You can pre-order by clicking on the cover to the right.

So what do you think about book trailers? Are they fun? Boring? Do they whet your appetite for a book or leave you unmoved? This is a new experience for me, so I’d love to get your feedback.

A Texas Bonanaza

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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 California native would call a tree. So how in the world did the lumber industry out-perform cattle and cotton, two Texas staples?

A virgin stand of longleaf pine in the East Texas Piney Woods region, 1908.

Well, as anyone who has ever driven across this great state can tell you, Texas is a big place. Yes we have desert regions and prairie and grassland and hill country, but over in the southeast is a lovely section called the Piney Woods. And as the railroad worked it’s way west in the 1870’s and 1880’s, lumber men from Pennsylvania like Henry Lutcher and G. Bedell Moore saw the virgin forests of east Texas as a gold mine. Local boys like John Henry Kirby got in on the action, too, buying up and consolidating individual sawmills into complete lumber manufacturing plants. By merging 14 sawmills into the Kirby Lumber Company in 1901, Kirby gained fame as the “Prince of the Pines” for becoming the biggest lumber manufacturer in the state. Sales skyrocketed after the implementation of an analytical scale, which provided precise weight measurements.

Not only did the railroad boom make travel to the Texas woods easier, it was also one of the biggest  sources of demand for timber. Railroads needed lumber to construct rail cars, stations, fences, and cross ties in addition to the massive amounts of wood they burned for fuel. Each year railroads needed some 73 million ties for the construction of new rail lines and the maintenance of old ones, estimated by the magazine Scientific American in 1890. From the 1870s to 1900, railroads used as much as a fourth of national timber production.

This combination of supply and demand fueled a “bonanza era” for the Texas lumber industry that lasted 50 years, from 1880 until the Great Depression. During this time, Texas became the third largest lumber-producing state in the nation.

Northern investors swooped in to buy up land, sometimes even taking advantage of “use and possession laws” to seize property from families who had owned it for generations. Corruption abounded as logging companies controlled their workers, paying them only in vouchers for the company store despite the incredibly hazardous working conditions. These “cut and get out” operations left acres of land decimated.

This is the climate in which my next book, Short-Straw Bride, is set. Travis Archer and his brothers own a prime piece of forested land that also happens to be the key to connecting investor Roy Mitchell’s holdings to the railroad. Mitchell wants the ranch and is willing to get it any way he can. But the woman he’s been courting (to get his hands on her inheritance, which just happens to be more piney woods land) overhears him plotting to take the Archers out. Meredith Hayes has secretly carried a torch for Travis since he rescued her when she was a girl of ten. When she hears the threat, she knows she has to warn Travis. Unfortunately, her good deed goes awry and she ends up with more trouble than she bargained for. She ends up a short-straw bride.

Short-Straw Bride releases June 1st. If you’d like to read the first two chapters, click here.

Petticoats & Pistols