19th Century History

A Journey Through History and Charm

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There’s something timeless about a covered bridge. These historic wooden structures are scattered across the American landscape, each one a reminder of a simpler era when horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles rumbled over creaky floorboards, protected from the weather by the bridge’s iconic roof and walls.

Three weeks ago, after a nasty fall with a glass in my hand, I found myself unable to do much of anything around the house. After my husband handed me a drink (in a plastic cup, no less!) and insisted I sit down, I scanned the movies on YouTube. Much to my delight, I found two favorites, “Friendly Persuasion” and “The Bridges of Madison County.”

   

It wasn’t until the next day that I realized both featured covered bridges and it ignited a quest to find out more about this iconic structure.

Simply having a roof doesn’t necessarily make a structure a true covered bridge, though. Underneath every authentic covered bridge is its truss system, a network of beams, often in the shape of triangles, that distributes the weight of the bridge and the load it carries on its deck. The trusses, though rugged in appearance, require precision, and building one often took a whole village — quite literally.  Dozens, if not hundreds, of skilled workers from the community were involved: sawyers to prepare the rough-cut logs, timber framers to properly place the beams, and stonemasons to build the abutments, to name a few. Throughout the 19th century, covered bridges popped up wherever rivers and streams needed crossing — especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Each bridge showcased the craftsmanship of local builders and engineers, many of whom developed their own unique truss designs, like the Burr Arch or the Town Lattice.

Covered bridges first appeared in the United States in the early 1800s. The very first was built in 1805 over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known as the “Permanent Bridge”, it was designed by Timothy Palmer and set the stage for thousands more to come.

But why cover a bridge? The simple answer is durability. Wooden bridges exposed to rain, snow, and sun would quickly deteriorate. By adding a roof and siding, builders could protect the timber trusses, extending a bridge’s life from just 10-15 years to more than 70 or even 100 years.

Building a bridge was a major undertaking that required careful planning and a substantial community investment of time, labor, and materials. In the days before weatherproofed lumber, walls and a roof could extend a valuable bridge’s lifespan by shielding the truss system and keeping structural timbers dry.

With the increasing importance of locomotive transportation in the 19th century, iron was adopted for covered bridges to carry the heavy loadings of the railroad. At first metal was used for only part of the truss, in either vertical or diagonal members, and later for the whole truss. Cast iron and wrought iron were soon replaced by steel, and a principal form of the modern railroad bridge rapidly evolved.

At their peak in the 1800s, the United States had an estimated 12,000 covered bridges. Today, that number has dwindled to around 700-1,000, thanks to modernization, floods, fires, and neglect. But these survivors are now fiercely protected by local historical societies, states, and bridge enthusiasts.

Fun fact: Pennsylvania still holds the record for the most covered bridges in the country, with over 200 remaining!

In spite of their pure functionality, people came up with their own interpretations for covered bridges. Common beliefs emerged that a roof strengthened a bridge or protected the floor planks from rain and snow. Many came to think that covered bridges were built to shelter the people and animals traversing them, and some claimed the barn-like appearance calmed uneasy animals crossing over rushing water. Storytellers showcased covered bridges in tales ranging from the romantic to the mythical. These misunderstandings and cultural references encouraged the association of covered bridges with a “simpler time.”

They also served as gathering places and even inspired local lore — such as the tradition of couples sharing a covert kiss under the roof, inspiring the name “kissing bridges.”  It’s an old tradition from the horse-and-buggy days, when a boy would stop halfway across a covered bridge where it was quiet to give his girl a kiss.

 

 

While covered bridges once dotted nearly every state, today you’ll find the highest numbers mostly in the Northeast and Midwest — plus a few surprising spots out West.

Pennsylvania: ~210                            Vermont: ~100+
Ohio: ~125+                                            Indiana: ~90+
New Hampshire: ~50+                     Oregon: ~50+
New York: ~30+                                   Iowa: ~20+
Virginia: ~7                                           California: ~10
Georgia: ~15                                         West Virginia – 17

Covered bridges, like a piece of living history, connect us to a time when engineering was practical, beautiful, and built by hand. They’re reminders of our rural heritage and the communities that rallied to preserve them.

Roseman Bridge in Winterset, Iowa

So, the next time you spot a covered bridge sign on your travels, make a detour. Walk through it, snap a photo, and imagine the echo of horses’ hooves or wagon wheels rolling through the past.

 

An Upcoming Release…Just in Time for Christmas!

This anthology contains three standalone, yet inter-connected, books based in Harmony, Kansas. It’s nearing Christmas and the Circle of Friends Quilting group is planning the Annual Christmas Quilt Giveaway. Here, the quilts are stitched with love and where the quilter weaves dreams into reality, one thread at a time.

Noelle
A widow reluctant to love again…
A deputy determined to win her heart…
With Christmas looming, will the growing attraction between Noelle and the deputy reveal the gift of a second chance? Or could a stranger from the deputy’s past threaten the man who captured her heart?

Hope
He was the most stubborn and prideful man she’d ever met.
She was a busybody who stuck her nose in his business at every turn!
As Christmas approaches, will they look beyond each other’s faults and see a future blossom from a special, once-in-a-lifetime friendship?

Ivy
He was the town bully.
She was his target.
Had anything changed?
Was Ivy Sutton willing and able to forgive the boy who made her childhood unbearable?
Can Grady Walsh make up for the reckless actions of his youth?
Or will another steal her away before they have a chance to discover a kind of love that might heal the pain from the past?

 

Pre-Order Link

Margaret Borland: Rancher, Survivor, Trail Driver

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I’m constantly amazed at the larger-than-life men and women who settled the western states and Texas. Men and women who, despite great personal sacrifice, became a strong symbol of extraordinary strength and courage. The ghosts of those people hover around us to this day with a reminder to keep carrying the torch they lit for us long ago.

One such woman gave her all and scrawled her name across the land – Margaret Heffernan Borland. It’s fair to say that life dealt Margaret a poor hand, but she didn’t stand around crying and moaning. She anted-up and made things happen each time adversity came calling. I admire this woman’s tenacity and pure grit so much.

Margaret was five years old when she arrived on the first ship bringing Irish colonists to Texas in 1829. Her family settled on the wild prairies around San Patricio, but her father died in an Indian attack a few years after they put down roots. Then they found themselves in the crosshairs of the Texas Revolution. Margaret’s mother fled with her children to the fort at Goliad. When the Mexican army won the battle of Goliad, it’s said they escaped the massacre by speaking Spanish so fluently that the officers believed them to be native Mexicans. After the war, the Heffernan family returned to San Patricio where nineteen-year-old Margaret met and married Harrison Dunbar. Shortly after the birth of a daughter, Harrison was killed in a pistol duel on the streets of Victoria. Margaret found herself a widow and single parent at the age of twenty.

A year later, she married again, this time to Milton Hardy and they settled down to ranch on 2,912 acres of land. Margaret gave birth to a son and three daughters, one of whom died in infancy. Again, tragedy struck and her second husband along with her young son succumbed to cholera. She was left with one daughter.

In the four years that followed, she worked the ranch near Victoria and raised her children. Then she met Alexander Borland. He was one of the richest ranchers in South Texas. After a short courtship, she married him and bore this husband four children. In 1860, Alexander and Margaret Borland owned 8,000 head of cattle and they began to hear about trail drives from Texas to Missouri and beyond. They dreamed of together taking a herd to northern markets. But before they could realize their dream, Alexander died in a yellow fever epidemic. Despite Margaret’s best efforts, she was unable to halt the terrible toll yellow fever took on her family. Before it was over, in addition to her husband, she buried three of her daughters, a son, and an infant grandson. Only three children out of nine survived. I’m sure this rocked the very foundation of her soul. She’d given Texas almost everything she had.

After the devastating loss, she threw herself into running the ranch and managing the huge herd of livestock alone. Yet, tragedy again struck. A great blizzard swept down upon the plains during the winter of 1871-1872 and tens of thousands of Texas cattle froze to death, their carcasses dotting the landscape. The storm took a huge toll on Margaret’s herd. When early spring rolled around, Margaret weighed her options. In April 1873, she concluded that her only choice was to drive 2,500 head of the cattle that weathered the blizzard up the famed Chisholm Trail where she could get $23.80 per head compared to $8.00 in San Antonio. But no woman had ever driven a herd up the trail by herself.

Although Margaret was 49 years old, she never backed down from a challenge or doing what she felt in her gut she must. She gathered her three remaining children (aged sixteen, fourteen and eight,) a six-year-old granddaughter, her 25 year-old-nephew, and with a handful of hired drovers embarked on the long, grueling trip. It took them two months to reach Wichita, Kansas. Upon arriving, Margaret and the children took a room at a boardinghouse, The Planter House. Word quickly spread through town of the amazing feat she’d accomplished. The newspaper wrote articles about her saying she had “pluck and business tact far superior to many male trail drivers.” One article remarked that she had “become endeared to many in town on account of her lady-like character.”

Before Margaret was able to complete the sale of her cattle, she took ill. On July 5, 1873, the woman who’d spent her entire lifetime staring down the barrel of calamity and misfortune died in her room at The Planter House in Wichita. Speculation quickly spread that she died from “brain congestion” and “trail driving fever.” Whatever that was. It sounds like something quickly made up by men who envied her accomplishment. Cause of death was never determined but doctors today think she contracted meningitis. Here’s a map of the trail and you can see it went right across dangerous Indian Territory.

Compliments of artist Jose Cisneros

The nephew was saddled with the difficult task of getting her body home in addition to the children. She’s buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas.

The woman who’d once single-handedly managed over 10,000 head of cattle, and did it quite expertly, became a legend up and down the Chisholm Trail. She overcame such adversity and is revered to this day for her courage and strength to take what life handed her and make the best of it.

I always love when I find little gold nuggets like this that add depth and emotion to my books. History is full of these remarkable pioneers who did the impossible and etched their stories in the sands of time. They’re just waiting for us to stumble across the indelible marks they left.

I ran across Margaret’s story when I researched for  THE HEART OF A TEXAS COWBOY about cattle drives. CLICK HERE The story revolves around Houston Legend and his attempt to take two thousand head of longhorns up the Great Western Trail to Dodge City. I reference Margaret Borland in this book and her fame provides Houston’s new wife, Lara, ammunition in attempts to convince him to let her go along. He does but soon regrets it, when two days out, he discovers three shadowy riders trailing them. Soon, their very survival is left in question. This was one of my favorite stories to write but please note, this is not a sweet romance. There are a few love scenes.

I’m giving away an ebook copy only of my current book, Cade’s Quest to two commenters. Just tell me if Margaret Borland’s story touched you in any way. Would you have attempted what she did?

 

Ever Wonder What “Dollar Princesses” Were and Why They Were Called That?

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Me and my enquiring mind was at work again this week. I ran across an article the other day that caught my eye that you might find interesting as well. It happened around the turn of the century and centers around British royalty and American wealth.

The cash-strapped English noblemen found it very difficult to keep living in the luxury they’d been accustomed to. They struggled to maintain huge estates in the face of dwindling wealth that had always sustained them. They owned a lot of land and castles but had little capital. What were they to do? They looked across the pond to bright and shiny America and its new money.

It didn’t hurt that these rich Americans had beautiful unmarried daughters. Not at all.

Pixaby – Annie1loves1you

It didn’t take long for deals to be struck – titles in exchange for money. A publication called Titled Americans listed eligible British bachelors who would be interested in marrying their own dollar princesses. Between 1870 and 1914 a whopping 454 American heiresses had married into the aristocracy.

Among the list was Consuelo Vanderbilt whose father was railroad tycoon William Vanderbilt. He provided a dowry of 1.6 million dollars as well as an income of two million in stocks. (Roughly $96,000,000 today) That was a lot of money. Against her wishes, Consuelo married Charles Spencer-Churchill. It was not a happy union. He was in love with another and promptly told her so. Despite that, she had an unhappy marriage, she gained a place in British society as Duchess of Marlborough and became a voice for women’s rights. After living apart for several years, they divorced and she married the love of her life, a French aviator named Jacques Balsan.

Jennie Jerome was another whose father sought a good marriage for. She married Lord Randolph Churchill and became Lady Churchill. They had a rocky marriage to start with but made a go of it and stayed together until he died. One of their sons was Winston Churchill. I never knew he had an American mother! Jennie threw herself into the marriage and played in influential role in her husband’s political career in addition to diving into women’s social issues.

circa 1880: American heiress Jennie Jerome, daughter of Leonard Jerome and later Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

I’ll mention one other. Nancy Langhorne who married Viscount Waldorf Astor. Nancy became a distinctive presence among British society and after her husband was elevated to the House of Lords, she ran for his seat in the House of Commons and became the first woman to occupy that seat for quite a few years.

This practice was actually reverse marriages of convenience but for the men.

Some marriages worked and some didn’t. Also, some resented the arrangement and never tried to make it work. The Americans and the Brits have always kind of been linked together. History is crammed packed with nuggets like this. I never get bored of diving in and seeing what I can find.

How about you? Do you find history as dull and boring as a piece of limp cheese? Or do the stories come alive in your mind and you want to know more?

Next month, I’ll have the release of my new western romance – Cade’s Quest. I can’t wait. Oh and my sister, Jan Sikes, who is also a writer will share my post on August 19th. We’ll have giveaways! It’ll be fun!

Cade McIntyre sets out to find his lost siblings and bring them home—only to discover danger at every turn…and an unexpected chance at love. But will he find heartache or hope?

This is available for preorder now. CLICK HERE

So, get ready for a party next month. Much love.

Linda Broday

The Legend of Uncle Sam

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Happy Independence Day! I’m going to share the history behind the term “Uncle Sam” and how it came to be a nickname for the U.S.A.

Believe it or not, Uncle Sam was not a politician, a celebrity, or anything of that nature. He was a regular businessman and worker. As a young man, Samuel joined the Revolutionary Army where his duties included slaughtering and packaging meat for the army. Interestingly enough, it is this same vocation that would later on become his fame.

A descendant of one of the oldest families in Boston, Samuel Wilson and his brother were among the pioneer settlers of the community of Troy, New York. At the young age of 25 and 28, Samuel and his brother were eager and ambitious entrepreneurs. Together their formed several successful businesses, including a brick factory, and a slaughterhouse. Because of his warmth, friendliness, and kindness, the moniker “Uncle Sam” was popularly attributed to him.

During the War of 1812, Wilson associated himself with Elbert Anderson, a government contractor. Together they shipped large quantities of meat and other commodities from Troy to the American forces stationed in various places.

The soldiers from Troy knew that the goods so marked were handled by Samuel Wilson, their Uncle Sam, and jokingly spoke of the meat as “Uncle Sam’s beef.” This expression was quickly adopted by their fellow soldiers and was used by them to designate all property belonging to the United States Government as “Uncle Sam’s.”

The association of Uncle Sam as the United States increased in the 1860’s and 1870’s when a political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, picked it up. It was Nast who gave Sam his white beard and stars-and-stripes suit.

Of course, the most famous depictions of Uncle Sam came from the WW II era. This is when Uncle Sam became the character we know today with the top hat, blue jacket, and pointed finger. This image is thanks to James Montgomery Flagg.

In September of 1961, the United States Congress officially credited Samuel Wilson as the “the progenitor of America’s national symbol of Uncle Sam.”
Samuel Wilson died in 1854 at the age of 88. He is buried next to his wife in Troy, New York, the town that calls itself the Home of Uncle Sam.

 

Tell us about your July 4th festivities!

To stay up to date on our latest releases and have some fun, too, join our Facebook Reader Group HERE!

 

Dr. Grace Danforth, a Remarkable Woman

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Here where I live, it used to be rural only now, the town has grown up around it. That’s a long way around what I wanted to say. My power is supplied by an electric co-op company and each month they put out a short little magazine that often has very interesting articles. This month, there was one about a pioneering woman doctor.

Dr. Grace Danforth was born in Wisconsin in 1849, but she spent most of her life in Williamson County, Texas. Prior to becoming a doctor, she taught school for many years. She was the first woman accepted into the Dallas Medical Association, and she was the first woman to practice medicine in the county. She was also the founding member of the Texas Equal Rights Association that is still operating today in an effort to be accepted into what was considered to be a man’s field.

Grace quickly jumped onboard the women’s suffragist movement and fought tirelessly for voting rights, so she didn’t just twiddle her thumbs, she wanted to make a difference. And she did so much work for the advancement of women’s causes.

In 1889, this woman of such a vigorous and active mind was practicing medicine in Granger, Texas, although how much business she got, it’s hard to know. She did deliver a lot of babies and the women liked her. But overall, there was severe prejudice against her that she never really overcame despite that her brother was also a doctor in Granger.

She suffered from terrible cluster headaches and the only thing available for pain at the time was laudanum. However, she didn’t like taking it so mostly she endured it without anything even though her pain must’ve been severe.

As most historical romance readers know, laudanum was opium and alcohol, and it carried a huge risk of becoming addictive. Laudanum never failed to make patients feel better—if it didn’t kill them.

On the night of her 46th birthday, Grace got a bad migraine and desperate to get rid of it, she took a large dose of laudanum that proved fatal. She’s buried in the Granger cemetery but her name lives on. The Daily Times Herald published a nice article about her and said, “She was one of the most remarkable women in Texas history.”

I hope you enjoyed learning about her. Name another profession that was hard for women to break into?

I’m working on a new book that I can’t wait to tell you about. It’s Cade’s Quest and it’ll release August 11th. My sister Jan has also finished a new one and we’re going to release our books on the same day as a “Sisters Write” sort of thing! I know you’re going to love this story. I’ll have more in the coming months. It’s already available for preorder HERE.

Run For the Roses – The Kentucky Derby

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Whether you’re a veteran racing fan or oblivious to the sport, odds are you know about the Kentucky Derby. Held annually on the first Saturday in May, it is the oldest continuous sporting event in the United States. 

From the extravagant hats and elegant ensembles to the copious amounts of betting, the Derby definitely has a brand of its own. That’s exactly what the race’s founder, Meriwether Lewis Clark, intended when he started the Derby in 1872.

Clark, the grandson of famous explorer William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame), was first inspired to bring a horse derby to America after a visit to Europe. While there, he attended the Earl of Derby’s Epsom Derby in England. Clark then set out to replicate a similar racing scene in the states as the leader of the Louisville Jockey Club. Clark’s uncles, John and Henry Churchill, helped him secure the funding to establish the club and to build a racetrack on property the Churchills owned just south of Louisville. Around 1883, the track earned the informal name of Churchill Downs, though it was not officially named until 1928.

GARLAND OF ROSES
First established as part of the Derby celebration when they were presented to all the ladies attending a fashionable Louisville Derby party, the Garland of Roses was such a sensation, that the president of Churchill Downs, Col. Lewis Clark, adopted the rose as the race’s official flower. The rose garland, now synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, first appeared in the 1896 when winner Ben Brush received a floral arrangement of white and pink roses.
THE TWIN SPIRES
Throughout the world, the Twin Spires are a recognized landmark and have become visual symbols of Churchill Downs and its most famous race, the Kentucky Derby.

Constructed in 1895, the Twin Spires were the creation of a 24-year-old draftsman, Joseph Dominic Baldez, who was asked to draw the blueprints for Churchill Downs’ new grandstand. Originally the plans did not include the Twin Spires atop Churchill Downs’ roofline, but as the young Baldez continued work on his design, he felt the structure needed something to give it a striking appearance.
Described as towers in the original drawing, the hexagonal spires exemplify late 19th century architecture, in which symmetry and balance took precedence over function. Although Baldez designed many other structures in Louisville, the Twin Spires remain as an everlasting monument to his memory.

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME                       

In the world of sports, there is not a more moving moment than when the horses step onto the track for the Kentucky Derby post parade and the band strikes up “My Old Kentucky Home.”
Although there is no definitive history on the playing of the Stephen Foster ballad as a Derby Day tradition, it is believed to have originated in 1921 for the 47th running of the classic. The Louisville Courier-Journal in its May 8, 1921, edition reported, “To the strains of ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ Kentuckians gave vent their delight.  A report by the former Philadelphia Public Ledger provides evidence that 1930 may have been the first year the song was played as the horses were led to the post parade – “When the horses began to leave the paddock and the song ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ was coming from the radio, the cheering started.”

MINT JULEP

The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. Early Times Kentucky Whisky has been privileged and honored to be a part of that tradition. n 1938, Churchill Downs noticed that patrons were taking decorated water glasses home. Rather than fight the trend, the track embraced it. The following year, the julep came in the first collector cups.

 

THE FASHIONS

The Kentucky Derby is more than a horse race. It is a mood, an excitement and an atmosphere that create a culture around the track. The events and clothing tied to that culture can be traced back to 1875. Many of the seasonal festivities historically kicked off with black-tie charity balls and a Derby Day hasn’t passed at the track without a celebration of festive hats.

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For a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card, leave a comment on the question below.

If you were invited to attend the Kentucky Derby, what type of outfit and hat would you wear?

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Coming this month!

An outlaw looking for a fresh start.
A schoolteacher who might hold the key to the entire town’s salvation.
Ash “Shotgun” McCrae can never make up for all the wrong he’s done. After leaving a notorious outlaw gang, he thought he’d discovered the peaceful existence he’d been looking for when he found work laying tracks for the railroad in Rivers Bend. Yet, when trouble shows up in town, he fears he may never free himself from the burden of his past.

Schoolteacher Kate Cummings stands as the one bright light in contrast to the curious looks and behind-the-glove whispers blowing through the town. The arrival of Padraic “Patch” Rooney and his gang challenges the small-town serenity she holds dear. Still, her steadfast trust in Ash awakens the strength of courage within them all, giving rise to the collective defiance against the approaching danger.

In a deadly game of dangerous outlaws and secret schemes, Kate and Ash must decide whether they are willing to risk everything for their love, including their lives.

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The Curious and Useful Broom Corn Plant – and a giveaway

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Have you ever played that game: what is your state (or town) famous for? I met someone recently from a small town in Colorado. He told me that where he lived grew more broom corn than anywhere else in the country. Now, I can’t verify if what he claimed is 100% true, but our conversation was interesting, and I learned a lot about broom corn.

Full disclosure, I never really thought about how people made brooms in olden days. I figured they used some kind of thin, hard plant stalk. I had no idea brooms were actually constructed by using the top part of a plant. And as it turns out, broom corn isn’t really corn at all. It’s a type of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), a plant with long fibrous seed heads. Once the seeds are (easily) removed, the remaining strands can be bound together to make great bristles for brooms.

In case you’re interested, here’s a video of a man making a broom from the broom corn seed heads. It’s kind of cool. Though sweeping with one of these old-fashioned brooms looks like hard work. I now have a new respect for people in centuries past.

Short Video on How to Make a Broom with Broom Corn

Seems brooms aren’t the only thing you can use broom corn seed heads for. The stalks make great decorative items like festive spring or fall wreaths, dried flower arrangements, and fun Halloween ornaments. After watching the video, I’m wondering if I couldn’t craft a witch’s broom for the front door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, my research in to broom corn and its many uses inspired me. I thought it might be fun to have a giveaway. Who doesn’t want a genuine broom corn whisk broom? I decided to give away this little fellow along with a couple of my backlist books. I think it might look cute hanging on a laundry room wall or in the pantry.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is comment below on how you use a whisk broom. I’ll start. Sweep crumbs off the counter (ha, ha). I’ll randomly choose one winner from everyone who comments.

P.S. – don’t forget to check out the Petticoats & Pistols FB Readers Group page at:

Petticoats & Pistols FB Readers Group

 

 

What the Heck Are Wrist Cuffs?

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I had never heard the term wrist cuffs that cowboys wore until pretty recently. I’d seen pictures of them but didn’t know what they were called or why they wore them. Maybe you already did and are way ahead of me. That’s quite possible.

Definition: Wide soft leather bindings that cowboy wore on their wrists to protect them from barbed wire fencing, cattle kicking and causing injury and protecting shirt sleeves. They also protected against rope burns and branding irons. They are also called roping cuffs and sometimes gauntlets.

I’ve seen them on motorcycle riders quite a bit for protection on the road. These were very popular on cowboys until the turn of the century but you can still see them on some working cowboys today.

I admit, they’re pretty cool and make the wearer look tough.

When I started writing Creek, my sweet western romance, I wanted him to wear them but in his case it was partly to conceal an ink drawing on his wrist. My cover designer put them on him but they looked horrible so we took them off.

I have an eleven year old girl in my story. Willa July Calder was left orphaned when her mother dies but she was told to look for a man with a thunderbird drawing on his wrist. That would be her father. When she happens to see Creek’s, she’s convinced he’s her father and starts following him everywhere.

Thunderbirds were revered by Native Americans who believed the mythical birds carried magic and could protect the person.

I won’t give the plot away. The book is available for Preorder. This is Book 1 leading off a multi-author Gun For Hire series with two others of the books also available for preorder now. These are Sweet Western Romances and mine goes on sale March 15. Margaret’s will be available March 31 and Charlene’s April 15. There will be 10 altogether. Here’s the series link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTHVRM6K?tag=pettpist-20

Here are the rest of the series: Zane by Heather Blanton, Keith by Carra Copelin, Ash by our own Jo-Ann Roberts, Shad by Caroline Clemmons, Clint by Tracy Garrett, Landon by Cheryl Pierson, and Luke by another Filly Winnie Griggs.

We sure hope you’ll find these entertaining. Have you read a good western lately? If so, what is the title? Do you like westerns? Let’s talk. I don’t have any copies to give away yet but I will later on.

When Life Inspires Fiction

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It’s funny the way life tends to circle around sometimes.

When I was a little girl, one of the things my mom and grandma both enjoyed were magazines. I can remember Mom sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a magazine, taking a break between cleaning up from lunch, laundry, chasing after me and the grandkids, and before she began on dinner preparations. My grandma subscribed to a handful of magazines and often passed them on to my mom when she finished reading them.

I learned to appreciate those beautiful glossy pages and found my own enjoyment thumbing through them.

Although I don’t recall when the article came out, or even which magazine it was in, I do remember a feature about the Biltmore House of Asheville, North Carolina. I don’t know what it was about the place or the story, but she became enthralled with the Biltmore. More than once she mentioned wishing she could visit it someday.  Sadly, that didn’t happen in her lifetime.

But last year, Captain Cavedweller and I made a trip to Asheville in December and got to see the incredible Biltmore Estate. (I know they were hit hard by Hurricane Helene, which makes me even more grateful we were able to visit last year.)

The property is spectacular, and the day we visited the blue sky made a gorgeous backdrop.

When we walked through the impressive entry doors, the part of my heart where memories of my mama reside whispered, “We finally made it!” As we explored the house, I felt like she was right there with me, every bit as awed as I felt by the Biltmore.

Captain Cavedweller and I were thoroughly blown away by the estate where everything, from the gifts shops to even the food carts were top notch.

The house, though, is something beyond the description of mere words. One needs to step into a world most of us can’t begin to imagine to fully experience what it is like to visit this incredible historical wonder.

If you’ve never heard of the Biltmore, I encourage you to read more about it. Constructed in the late 1890s by George Vanderbilt, the Biltmore is a 250-room French chateau filled with priceless treasures. Stepping inside the doors is taking a step into a different time where hospitality, luxury, and beauty reigned.

I don’t know what it is about the house, but it has its own presence—a character that lingers with you.

By the time we returned home from our trip, the idea for a series inspired by the Biltmore was already growing in my thoughts.

I knew the house was too big and grand for the story I wanted to write, but bits and pieces of it found its way into my Hudson House series.

 

Another house that added to my inspiration is a mansion located in Portland, Oregon, called the Pittock Mansion. We’ve visited it a few times and I’m always so taken with the feel of the house that really gives off a warm, welcoming vibe, which is how I wanted Hudson House to feel.  My amazing cover designer (thank you Josephine from Covers & Cupcakes) was able to find an image of Pittock Mansion we could use as a starting point for Hudson House on the covers of the books.

Way back in January, I’d planned to write the four sweet romances in this generational series that begins in 1892 and ends with a modern-day story. It didn’t happen. Then I thought I’d get started writing them when CC and I went out of town for a week for Valentine’s Day. I got so entranced watching snowflakes fall in the woods from out hotel window, I didn’t write a single word. Before I knew it, it was June and I still hadn’t started on the series, although I did have my beautiful covers. Eventually, September was half-way gone and I realized if I didn’t get busy the books were never going to be more than words floating through my thoughts.

So, in five weeks of writing, I cranked out the four books that are the Hudson House series.  I hope you’ll enjoy them even half as much as I loved writing them. I hope, too, if you read them, you’ll find that Hudson House isn’t just a setting, but one of the characters in the books.

Hudson House

Four generations find romance and joy during the holidays at a home filled with wonder and love.

The first book in the series, A Christmas Dream, released last week, and A Christmas Spark debuts tomorrow!

He came to build the house of his dreams, but found a home for his heart.

After an extensive search for the ideal location to build a house he’s spent years designing, Brant Hudson knows he’s found the perfect site the moment he sets foot on the land near Silver Bluff, Oregon. However, frustrating delays leave him laboring alongside the very crew he hired to finish the house in time for Christmas. His work leads the woman who catches his eye to believe he’s a carpenter rather than the owner of the grand manor.

Holland Drake grew up on a farm, but she aspires to secure a position as a housemaid at Hudson House. While delivering lunch to her brother at the worksite, the door opens to a job when Holland encounters a strikingly handsome carpenter whose charm captivates her. Soon, Holland discovers the enchanting man is none other than the owner of the house and her new employer.

As the holiday season arrives amid a flurry of excitement and possibilities, Holland and Brant face choices that could change their lives forever. Will fear hold them back from stepping into the future together, or will their Christmas dreams of love come true?

A Christmas Dream is the first book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.

 

Will hope spark a holiday romance?

 After losing his brother and part of himself on a French battlefield during the Great War, Kase Hudson seeks refuge from the haunting memories at his childhood home. He finds solace in carving wooden Santa figurines in his workshop in the stables that he sends to gift shops to sell. Kase distances himself from his family’s unwanted sympathy until his sister, Sarah, arrives for the holidays with her vibrant friend. He never expected beautiful Dori to breathe warmth and joy into the house right along with his heart.

With no family of her own, photographer Dori Stanford eagerly accepts Sarah Hudson’s invitation to join her for Christmas at her family’s home in Oregon. The two friends travel from their college in California to Silver Bluff, excited to spend the holidays at Hudson House. Once they arrive, Dori makes it her mission to connect with Sarah’s sullen brother, Kase, and draws him into the wonder of the season.

Will her persistence and encouragement be the spark Kase needs to step out of the past and into his future—possibly one that includes Dori?

A Christmas Spark is the second book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card

and an eBook copy of A Christmas Dream, 

just share one happy or memorable vacation memory!

 

Top Hats and Interesting Facts

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Everyone knows I just love history and go down rabbit holes fairly frequently. I just love finding little-known things from the past and more often than not, I build a story around them. So I subscribed to Historyfacts.com and they email me every week with something historical.

Do you know how Abraham Lincoln used his top hat? This president was 6’ 4” and this top hat added nine or ten more inches which made him look like a giant. But this accessory was the rage in his day and the majority of men wore them. Even tall ones.

Back to the subject. How did Lincoln made good use of his hat? He stored papers in it. He kept all sorts of different, and sometimes important, documents on top his head inside his hat. And when he was in meetings with his generals, he’d often throw the papers at them to make a point.

Lincoln also kept correspondence in his hat. In 1850, he received a letter from politician Richard S. Thomas and stuffed it inside his hat, going about his business. Then he went out and bought a new hat, putting the old one aside. Weeks went on before he remembered the letter and finally had to apologize to Thomas for not replying sooner.

Maybe a lot of men had the problem of using their hat for a file cabinet! Any kind of document could be stored on top of the wearer’s head. So…the writer in me immediately conjured up a man getting a marriage license and putting it in his hat then forgetting about it. Or any correspondence that needed immediate attention. Or even food. So funny!!

Why haven’t I used this???? It’s a goldmine. The scenarios are endless.

But back to Lincoln. His hat once saved him from an assassination attempt when a gunman shot and the bullet went through the president’s top hat. Secret Service agents found his hat lying in an intersection and were able to discover the position where the gunman fired. I don’t know if they ever knew exactly the gunman’s identity or not. The article didn’t say.

Lincoln had to give many speeches and he stored them in…you guessed it. His top hat. So he’s at the podium, takes off his hat and gets his speech out. Then when he finishes, he stuffed it back in his hat and everyone had a good laugh. True story.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. I never knew this about our tallest president.

Wildwood Healer, a women’s fiction, will release October 8th and you can preorder now. To do so, CLICK HERE. 

 

 

Question: Have you ever run across something fascinating, maybe some historical fact or something you read in a book? Or how about this. Think of a funny scenario that should be in a book involving a top hat. I’m going to give away a copy of my Christian historical Love’s First Light, either ebook or print, to one commenter.