Linda Broday

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/

Linda Broday Has a Winner!

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Thanks to everyone who came to my post about my new cover on Tuesday. I’m always so grateful.

Winner of my $10 Amazon gift card is……..

BARBARA RAYMOND

Congratulations, Barbara! I’ll email you and please check Spam if you don’t see it.

 

Cover Reveal and a Giveaway!

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Every once in a while a story comes along that slams into you like a bulldozer  and demands that you write it. That was Wildwood Healer and Miss Sicily Rossi. She’s known in Silsbee, Texas as a healer. A few call her the Witchy Woman but she’s far from being a witch. Miss Sicily collects plants, roots, herbs, and things from the woods and makes her remedies. She’s the only kind of doctor these people have for their many ailments.

Come on this journey with me to 1930.

This is in the middle of the Depression and food is very scarce. Starving people worries Miss Sicily. But how to help so many people is beyond her meager resources. It makes her heart sore and weary.

Then a young wife keeps appearing at her door after beatings she suffers at the hands of her raging husband. That’s something Miss Sicily can’t ignore and she has to try to save her.

Throw in a fourteen-year-old orphan boy who’s eager to learn what Miss Sicily can teach him about plants their power to heal.

At times, this book reminded me of the book Fried Green Tomatoes that was made into a movie back in 1991. I loved that story of the Whistle Stop Café and those women who ran it. Wildwood Healer is sort of like that but quite different. It’s set in the deep Piney Woods of east Texas. They don’t barbeque the bad guy and serve him in the café. I still laugh when I think of that sheriff and detectives eating it and raving about how tender the meat was. Maybe I’m weird for laughing.

Anyway, this book has a lot of humorous scenes to lighten the darkness. Albert is an 80-year-old who thinks every young woman is after him and wants to marry him. And the preacher in town who has a wicked sense of humor. Then a man who once asked Miss Sicily to marry him returns after forty years. This book doesn’t lack for side stories.

When everything comes to a head, who will live and who will die?

Miss Sicily has her work cut out for her and it takes all her expertise and skill to save the town. It’s a quirky, fun story where everyone gets what they need.

I just love this cover that was again designed by Dee Burks who made Love’s First Light. It’s up for preorder HERE. It releases October 8th.

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Here’s the opening passage:

The Piney Woods surrounding Sicily Rossi’s small dwelling whispered stories to her as she milked her cow and fed the chickens. She was luckier than most; she knew that. Everyone seemed to be starving these days unless they had a garden. Before she went inside, she studied the dark shadows of the forest that spoke of secrets and mysteries—some as old as time. She was a part of this land and knew she always would be. Here she was born and here she’d die. There was comfort in that.

Christmas wasn’t far off but it made no difference to her. It would call for nothing special.

The sun was just making an appearance when a soft whine outside drew her attention. Sicily often had sick folks appear at her home asking for her help, but they always knocked. 

Curious, she opened the door to see the cutest, ragged dog tied to her porch railing.

 A sign hung from the pooch’s neck that said: Will yu please feed Gypsy? Got no food.

 Of course, she’d feed her, no question about that. She never turned away anyone or anything in need.

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I have a free copy available for ones who want to read and review the book. Click HERE for the link and put it on your ereader.

And Click HERE for the Preorder Link. Again, it releases October 8th.

 

What do you look for in a cover? What grabs you? Or is a cover really not that important to you? Lots to ponder. The book isn’t out yet but I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.

 

Communication, a New Book, and a Giveaway!

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During Hurricane Beryl recently, a lot of people in Houston had no way of calling unless they could somehow keep their cell phones charged. My brother in Houston has had a time. But communication seems to have been a problem for decades.

Though it’s hard to believe now in this fast-paced world, the telegraph was once very modern technology. Samuel Morse began tinkering with the idea of communication through electric wires in 1832. But it wasn’t until 1844 that the first telegraph was successfully sent over a distance from Washington to Baltimore.

After a series of missteps and fighting others who sought to steal his ideas, Samuel’s telegraph company became the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1856. From there the telegraph grew by leaps and bounds.  In 1860 Congress passed the Pacific Telegraph Act to begin building an intercontinental telegraph system linking the East coast with the West.

Telegraph poles began springing up across the nation. In treeless areas they had to ship in poles. The cost and labor to construct such an elaborate system was enormous. Finally, workers completed the task in 1861. People on both coasts could communicate and that was a happy day.

But problems plagued them. Weather, pesky outlaws who didn’t want to be captured cut the lines. Curious Native Americans, pioneers who sometimes used the poles as firewood, and the fact that the buffalo used the poles as backscratchers caused inconsistent availability of the line.

Still….it was better than nothing.

WHAT DID IT COST TO SEND A TELEGRAPH?

Initially…$1.00 per word  Later…..$7.00 for 10 words  Then ….$3.00 for 10 words after Congress regulated

Not everyone could afford it, seeing as how $1 in 1861 equals over $25.00 today. Typical wages at that time were around $1 a day. Out in the smaller towns, it was probably less than that.

In my new book, Love’s First Light, Rachel Malloy needs to telegraph the stage lines in Clarendon, Texas over stolen money she found only there are no telegraphs where she lives so she and rancher Heath Lassiter has to send a note with the traveling preacher. That took forever. But back in the 1800s all they had was time. Nothing got done in a hurry.

A bit about Love’s First Light….

Rachel Malloy is burying the last of her family who died of a fever when a sandstorm blows up and knocks her off her feet. She strikes her head on a rock and is found by a neighboring rancher who takes her to his place where his sister nurses her back to health. He feels God is answering his prayers for a wife and later gets a rare sighting of a white dove in Hawk’s Canyon. The bird seems to be God’s sign that she’s the one.

Only she refuses to marry him. She’s done some horrible things and can’t marry anyone. Rachel has been angry at God for a while but a lot more now. How could He take all of her family and leave her by herself? Was she not good enough?

Answers come as the story unfolds and there’s a fight at the end. Who will be left standing when the dust clears?

I’m giving away two copies of Love’s First Light. Just tell me if you’ve ever had trouble with your phone during or after a storm.

I was in a devastating tornado in 1979 that destroyed much of the city and had the worst time letting people know I was alive.

Remember the Milkman?

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I wonder how many consumers order groceries through an App and either have them delivered or drove to pick them up. I haven’t seen any statistics but I know a lot of busy people do this. It’s become very common. Before the 21st Century though, markets had some limited home delivery but the milkman was a staple.

The milkman emerged in the 1700s and continued into the mid-1900s as advancements in technology made it impossible for that system to continue. With the advent of cars families didn’t need to have groceries and milk brought to them.

The first milk was delivered to homes in horse-drawn wagons with the milk in large metal barrels. The milkman would ladle fresh milk into bottles, jugs, or whatever container was left outside. But, this wasn’t very sanitary. The milk was often contaminated by insects or debris that fell into it. Slowly things changed and glass containers were a definite improvement.

Compliments of Free Photos @FoxPhotos

The milkman really came into his own in the 19th Century. He’d drive up to a home in his horse-drawn wagon and deliver milk in glass bottles and either leave the milk on the doorstep or hand directly to the house’s occupant. Then ice boxes became a thing. Often it was arranged for the milkman to let himself into the home and place the milk into an “ice box.” Those were made of wood and lined with zinc or tin with large blocks of ice place in a compartment at the bottom. Can you imagine a delivery man coming into your home when you weren’t there? That would make me feel weird yet it was common place.

Image by Pixabay and photographer Ruslan Sikunov 11647343

You’ve all probably heard people say that one child or another was the product of a milkman. I do wonder about the statistics on that. My grandmother always accused my mom of having “relations” with the milkman because she never believed my father could bear children. You see, my dad contracted rheumatic fever as a child and doctors had told her he was impotent. Surprise, surprise. He and Mama had five. And no milkman.

Anyway, all that led up to modern refrigeration and the milkman died out. But delivery service didn’t. Grocery deliveries are common place as well as pickup.

I just wanted to give you a little history on that. I’ve wanted to write a book featuring a milkman. I can think of all kinds of funny situations. Maybe another time.

Are you old enough to remember a milkman? If not, I’m guessing you heard your family talk about that.

Right now, I have LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT coming out July 1st. It’s a story of a woman who’s lost everything including her home and is forced to rely on a stranger for survival. Slowly she begins to set her world upright again. It’s a long way up from the bottom and impossible without faith.

If you like an ARC in exchange for a review, CLICK HERE. But only if you plan to review. Otherwise, the book releases July 1st. I’ll have several to give away next month on my blog.

Here’s the blurb:

After suffering a devastating accident, Rachel Malloy wakens with a stranger. He bears no resemblance to her perception of God, nor does he have a halo so she must not be dead. Regardless, after taking her entire family and leaving her, she and God are not exactly on speaking terms.

Rancher Heath Lassiter has prayed fervently and long for a wife. Is she the one? The appearance of a rare white dove shortly afterward seems to be a sign.

Despite Heath’s unwavering faith and kindness, Rachel refuses to marry him. Dark secrets haunt, secrets that blacken her name, making marriage to anyone impossible. Though disappointed, Heath rebuilds her burned-out home. There, her world again shifts with the discovery of a newborn near her family’s graves and a white dove perching nearby.
Love grows as Heath becomes a constant in her life. Yet Rachel lives in fear of losing this baby. When the infant becomes very ill, she desperately promises God she’ll return to her forsaken faith if He’ll heal the child. But first light brings uncertainty. Will the dove return as a symbol of divine mercy, or will Rachel’s fragile faith be shattered once more?

A New Cover Reveal and Pearly Whites

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I’m so excited to share a brand new cover! This book has a long history with the idea to write it coming over ten years ago. I wrote it back in 2012 and it sat in my computer untouched because I got the contract with Sourcebooks which set me off in a whirlwind of writing my westerns. So when they stopped publishing genre fiction, I remembered this story and got it out. It’s gone through five titles before I settled on LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT.

This is my first Christian Western Romance so I’m crossing my fingers that readers will like it.

It’s just up for preorder! Click HERE for the link.

Here’s a Blurb:

Rachel Malloy awakens with a stranger after suffering a devastating accident. He bears no resemblance to her perception of God, nor does he have a halo so she must not be dead. Regardless, after taking her entire family and leaving her, she and God are not exactly on speaking terms.

Rancher Heath Lassiter has prayed fervently and long for a wife. Is she the one? The appearance of a rare white dove shortly afterward seems to be a sign.

Despite Heath’s unwavering faith and kindness, Rachel refuses to marry him. Dark secrets haunt, secrets that blacken her name, making marriage to anyone impossible. Though disappointed, Heath rebuilds her burned-out house. There, her world again shifts with the discovery of a newborn near her family’s graves and a white dove perching nearby.  

Love grows as Heath becomes a constant in her life. Yet Rachel lives in fear of losing this baby. When the infant becomes very ill, she desperately promises God she’ll return to her forsaken faith if He’ll heal the child. But first light brings uncertainty. Will the dove return as a symbol of divine mercy, or will Rachel’s fragile faith be shattered once more?

Again… to PREORDER Click HERE!!

Now, I want to talk about early toothbrushes. Writers rarely mention things like outhouses, taking care of business, or brushing teeth.  Readers just want a story.

But in my book The Cowboy Who Came Calling, Glory Day, my heroine, is so envious of the rich girls who have toothbrushes and tooth powder. So Luke McClain who’s taken a liking for Glory buys her one. Incidentally, this book won the National Readers Choice Award.

 

So about toothbrushes…people found a way to care for their teeth as far back as far back as Ancient Egypt. They made a powder out of ox hooves and egg shells. The Romans one-upped them by fraying the ends of thin sticks.

Photo compliments of Delta Dental of NJ.

Then the Chinese got into the act and drilled holes in a bamboo handle and attached short hog hair bristles secured with wire.

Compliments of The British Museum

So fast-forward to 1938 when DuPont came out with nylon fibers and I’m sure people were really thankful they didn’t have to use the hog hair bristles anymore! I sure would’ve breathed a sigh of relief! But curiously, it wasn’t until soldiers came home from WWII that everyone took personal hygiene seriously. Evidently the military taught them a lot more than just putting bullets in a gun and firing. They became dedicated teeth-brushers. Wow! That’s something I did not know.

Okay, let’s chat. What do you think about my cover? About these ancient toothbrushes? Whatever you want to say. I’ll give away a copy (either print or ebook) of The Cowboy Who Came calling to a lucky commenter. Word of warning…this isn’t an inspirational. It has love scenes.

Linda Broday Has a Winner!

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Thanks to everyone who joined my pillow talk yesterday. That was fun and I had a blast.

Now for the drawing.

The random winner of the gift card is………

LORI COLE

Yippee! Congratulations, Lori. I’ll contact you so be watching for my email.

What’s A Little Pillow Talk?

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Hi everyone, are you a picky pillow person? Ha, say that fast three times! Do you have a Mr. Pillow? I’m kinda picky and like the flatter kind, but not filled with feathers. Nope. And not one that makes a noise in my ear when I move. Good heavens! Some sell for enormous sums. I bought mine at Walmart about ten years ago and it’s beginning to go really flat but I hesitate buying a new one.

Remember how all the pillows were overstuffed and we got cricks in our necks sleeping on them until we mashed them down? Glad they aren’t that way anymore.

But choosing one now days is quite a chore. They come in every type from soft to very firm. The value of the global pillow market in sales is 17.6 billion.

I think pillows have been a problem since the beginning of time. Cowboys use their saddles and that can’t be very comfortable but it beats a rock. Did you know the first pillows were in fact curved stone bolsters that elevated your head? Those were used in Mesopotamia about 7,000 BC. Five thousand years later, the Egyptians improved on that with a flat rectangular base with a straight shaft and curved neckpiece. It was supposed to mimic the rising sun. But oh my poor aching neck! The Pharoah Tutankhamun had no fewer than 8 of these in his tomb. These pillows were thought to dispel demons and they believed they could banish evil from the dark night in both life and death. No thank you! You’d have a crick deluxe that you’d never get out. I wonder if they had chiropractors?

Compliments of the Glencairn’s Egyptian Museum
Courtesy of the British Museum

Actually, the Romans were the first to stuff a sack with reeds and straw. The wealthy used feathers. Now you’re talking.

So we’ve come a long way. The first International Pillow Fight Day was held in 2008 and is celebrated every year since on the first Saturday in April. We just missed it! 

I’m giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to a commenter who tells me what kind of pillow they use.

Anne Bronte: A Writer Ahead of Her Time

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Early women writers had to fight for their place in the literary world and that’s how it was for Anne Brontë who published under a male pseudonym.

No one can dispute that Anne Brontë (1820-1849) was a writer ahead of her time, even though she wasn’t as well-known as her sisters – Charlotte and Emily. She was born the last of seven children of Patrick and Maria Brontë. Her mother, Maria, died of tuberculosis when Anne was only one year old. Their first two children also died at age eleven with the same disease. Patrick encouraged his children’s imaginations and urged them to stretch their minds so it was no surprise that they all became poets, writers, and Branwell, his only son, a painter. Creativity ran high in all the children due to the early exposure to a multitude of literature pieces.

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne all attended Miss Wooler’s school in Roe Head, England then worked as governesses once they graduated. But all of them wrote poetry as a regular escape from work.

Anne Bronte sketched by her sister Charlotte in pencil. Permission granted by Wikipedia.

After much struggle of finding a publisher, Anne released her first book, Agnes Grey in 1847, the same year Charlotte’s Jane Eyre and Emily’s Wuthering Heights made an appearance. But they were all published under male pseudonyms until 1850 after the deaths of Anne and Emily. Finally, Charlotte revealed their true identities.

Anne’s second book The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published a year before her death and the subject matter of it as well as her first book made people uncomfortable. She shined a light on martial abuse, alcoholism, opium addiction, infidelity, class inequality, and the right of a woman to choose her own life. No one spoke of these things, they simply endured them. Her sisters Charlotte and Emily glossed over these subjects and tended to romanticize such issues of the day.

Anne died at twenty-nine years of age with two published books to her name and a body of poetry. Charlotte lived to age thirty-nine, the longest of all seven children. They all died of tuberculosis and it’s sad that their father outlived them all.

Of the sisters, Anne wanted to write the truth no matter how painful or that no one wanted to hear it. She felt she owed it to herself to expose the problems of the times and be truthful. That simply wasn’t done in her day. Literary scholars proclaimed her far ahead of her time and celebrate her books.

Here is what she wrote just days before her death: I have no horror of death: if I thought it inevitable I think I could quietly resign myself to the prospect … But I wish it would please God to spare me not only for Papa’s and Charlotte’s sakes, but because I long to do some good in the world before I leave it. I have many schemes in my head for future practise—humble and limited indeed—but still I should not like them all to come to nothing, and myself to have lived to so little purpose. But God’s will be done.

If you had lived back then, do you think you’d have read her books? I think I would’ve been curious. I loved Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by her sisters.