Arizona

Hello November from Guest LeAnne Bristow

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A big, warm welcome today to our guest LeAnne Bristow!

Hello and Happy November! November is my favorite month because it hosts two of my favorite things, Thanksgiving and Fall. Yes, I know that fall technically started at the end of September, and since my birthday is in October, that should be my favorite month. But I live in southeastern Arizona and it really doesn’t feel like fall into November. Sometimes not until mid-November.

If I get an overwhelming urge to see fall colors before then, we pack up the truck, hook onto the camp trailer and make the 4 hour drive to the “Alps of Arizona.” Alpine is a small town nestled in the White Mountains and is one of my favorite places in the world. At an elevation of over 8000, it provides an escape from the heat during the summer, a haven for hunters in the fall and spring and a place for desert rats to experience snowboarding and skiing in the winter.

Photo by Chris English

The series I write for Harlequin Heartwarming is inspired by Alpine. Coronado is a fictional town, but in it, you will see why I love Alpine and the White Mountains so much. The latest book in the series takes place in the fall. While I was hoping that the book release would be closer to Thanksgiving, I was still pretty excited to write anything fall related.

When Randon Farr returns to Coronado, in Her Hometown Soldier’s Return, all he wants to do is fix up his family cabin, sell it and get far away from the town that looked down on him and the woman he let down. Millie Gibson has loved her brother’s best friend since she was eight years old. When he joined the military, he promised he would come back for her. Now he’s back, but he’s too broken to keep that promise.

The nurturing instinct that makes Millie a great nurse won’t let her abandon Randon, whether he wants her to or not. She promises to help him learn to deal with his PTSD symptoms, even if it means enabling him to leave Coronado for good.

In true western hospitality, Randon is never left alone for too long, whether it’s Millie, or the Ladie’s Auxiliary who insists on making sure his refrigerator is always full, men from the local church who want to help him with the repairs on his cabin, or some troubled boys from the nearby trailer park who see Randon as their mentor.

There are so many things I loved in this story, but getting to add my favorite sights, sounds and smells of fall made this book extra special.

I would love to share this story with you.

AMAZON

I’m giving away a copy of Her Hometown Soldier’s Return to one lucky commenter.

To be entered, tell me your favorite things about fall!

LeAnne Bristow writes sweet and inspirational romance set in small towns. When she isn’t arguing with characters in her head, she enjoys hunting, camping and fishing with her family. Her day job is a reading specialist, but her most important job is teaching her grandkids how to catch lizards and love the Arizona desert as much as she does.

My Visit to Western Author Zane Grey’s Cabin

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Back in August, my husband and I spent a week in Payson, Arizona. The trip was basically a get-out-of-the heat excursion for us as it was sweltering that time of year in the Phoenix area. While there, we decided to do a little sightseeing. Last month, I told you about our visit to the Payson Museum where we learned about the small plane crash in Hell’s Gate with the MGM lion aboard.

 

This month, I’m going to share with you a more writing related post – our stop at the Zane Grey cabin. For those who might not know, (Pearl) Zane Grey wrote more than ninety books, some published posthumously. He began his career as a dentist and, besides his love of hunting and the great outdoors, he was also an avid fisherman.  His wife Dolly managed his career, typed his manuscripts from his handwritten pages, and accepted his wandering ways, which included not only traveling most of the year but his various romantic dalliances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides his famous westerns, Zane Grey also wrote hunting books, children’s books, and baseball books. His most famous western, Riders of the Purple Sage, has been made into more different movie versions than any other book ever. Here’s the part I like: most of his western books contain a strong romantic element. Way to go, Zane!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cabin in Payson is actually a replica as the original one sadly burned down in the tragic Dude Fire of June 1990 when six firefighters lost their lives.  And, actually, that was considered the second cabin. The very first one was built in 1918 when Zane Grey came to the rim country and fell in love with the area. Most years, from then until 1929, Zane came to the cabin in the fall for the hunting season. He didn’t return after that because of a license dispute (the season dates had changed), and the cabin was left abandoned until 1963 when the Goettl family purchased and restored it. After Mr. Goettl died, the family turned the cabin into a private museum. After this cabin was destroyed in the 1990 fire, a replica was built in the town of Payson. It was meticulously constructed to duplicate the original in every detail, helped along by photos and consulting advice from Zane Grey’s son.

 

What I found most fascinating about the cabin was it’s design — basically one large room with “nooks” for sleeping, writing (he sat at a chair with a writing desk and composed by hand), eating, and relaxing. I particularly like the player piano in the corner, and some of my P&P fillies pals will understand why ? The kitchen is small and cramped and built off the main cabin so that heat from cooking didn’t make the cabin sweltering in hot weather.

I wish I’d been fortunate enough to see the original cabin, but I have to say, visiting the replica was quite fun and really informative. I felt so inspired afterward, I bought a book about Zane Grey in the giftshop and saved the most recent movie version of Riders of the Purple Sage to my watchlist.

Tombstone’s Infamous “The Bird Cage”

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I recently started a historical novella (you’ll probably be hearing more about that sometime in the near future). It’s been a while since I’ve written in a time period not modern day, and I’ve forgotten that there’s a lot of research involved. I can’t get through a single scene, sometimes not a single page, without having to stop and fact-check or look up a name, place, thing.

I decided to put a fictional saloon/restaurant establishment in my story and call it the Yellow Songbird, loosely basing it on a real life place called the Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone, Arizona. Well, of course, this required I get online and Google the theater. I’ve visited Tombstone in the past, but that was over twenty years ago, and my memory isn’t reliable. Needless to say, I learned a lot of interesting tidbits about this colorful landmark, and I thought it would be fun to share my findings with you.

To start with, there are 120 bullet holes in the walls, give or take. Real bullet holes. From when people shot at each other. I don’t want to imagine how many patrons died there or who did the shooting. Then again, maybe I do. Could be good fodder for a future story.

The Bird Cage originally opened in December of 1881 – a combination theater, saloon, gambling hall and brothel. It’s reputed to have hosted the longest poker game ever played (lasting over eight years) where participants had to buy in for $1000 – Diamond Jim Brady, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp were among those who sat at the famous table. Some of eclectic acts to have performed there are Mademoiselle De Granville, the woman with the iron jaw who specialized in picking up heavy objects with her teeth, the Irish comic duo of Burns and Trayers, and opera singer Carrie Delmar. One magician claimed he could catch bullets with his teeth. Perhaps he’s responsible for some of those 120 bullet holes in the walls!

Known as a rough and tumble place, it has a less than pristine history. Wyatt Earp, the deputy marshal during the Bird Cage’s 13 years of operation, was said to have engaged in a torrid affair with one of the establishment’s soiled doves. Supposedly, 26 miners and cowboys died in bar fights and shootouts. A woman even had her heart carved out of her chest — by another woman who was jealous of her. Yikes! For those who believe in spirts, the Bird Cage has a number of confirmed ghosts, and some of them are not very friendly.

When the mines closed, and the economy in Tombstone tanked, people left to find work elsewhere. Like a lot of the town’s businesses, the Bird Cage closed its doors and shuttered its windows. Eventually, the Bird Cage was reopened intermittently to celebrate Helldorado, an annual celebration marking Tombstone’s founding. Then, in 1934, it was leased as a coffee shop. Eventually, the Bird Cage became a museum and very popular local attraction visited by thousands of tourists every year.

I don’t think I’ll make my fictional Yellow Songbird saloon/restaurant quite as colorful as Tombstone’s the Bird Cage. Or as dangerous. But I like the idea of an opera singer, and I suppose there’ll have to be one or two bar fights. Just none that end quite so horrifically ?

Re-released book–Deep Trouble

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Adventure in the Grand Canyon in the Old West

I regained my rights to this book so I’m casting it upon the waters…….or something. No paperback copy. The price just seems wild. They didn’t used to cost that much, did they? Anyway, I feel guilty charging that much so ebook only, at least for now.

My heroine thinks the Seven Cities of Gold are in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Shannon inherited a map from her father…nicknamed Delusional Dysart.

But she never called him that.

My hero thinks she’s insane. Gabe can’t talk her out of going. So he decides someone’s gotta keep her alive and it looks like it’s him.

Also there are people trying to steal her map.

More crazy people who believe in cities of gold.

What could possibly go wrong?

Deep Trouble

Gabe Lasley and Shannon Dysart are an unlikely pair. He’s an aimless wanderer who wants nothing other than to be left alone. She’s a fearless female determined to find a city of gold. When they are forced together the mayhem begins. As they set out to find the treasure, trouble is hot on their trail. Will the dream of gold color every decision Shannon makes? Will Gabe fail yet another helpless female in his life?

On sale right now, it released yesterday, ebook only: $3.99

Grab a copy because I think it’s pretty funny.

Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? Let’s talk beautiful places in nature. Where’s the prettiest place you’ve ever been?

 

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Celebrating My New Release – with Cathy McDavid

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Cathy McDavid – 2

It’s my book birthday! Well, technically it was a couple of days ago, but I’m celebrating the release of Mountain Storm Survival all week. I’m particularly excited about the release of this book as some of it is based on my real life experiences. No, I never accidentally stumbled upon an illegal mining operation or was chased down by bad men intent on eliminating all witnesses. And I was never swept away by a raging river of water during a flash flood. But I did go on dozens of trail rides through the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix and used many of my fond and thrilling memories to describe the action, landscape, and rugged challenges my characters faced.

Purchase Mountain Storm Survival

Here’s the back cover blurb from the book:

“A brutal storm. Relentless pursuers. And more than their lives are on the line…

Helping with youth wrangler camp is how Kate Spencer is atoning for her past. But now she and ranch manager Rand Walkins are trapped in the Superstition Mountains with two girls as illegal miners hunt them down. Rand has every reason not to trust Kate, much less forgive her. But working together is the only way they’ll escape from the danger that threatens them all…”

I hope you’ll take a moment to check out Mountain Storm Survival. Second chance stories are some of my favorites, and this is definitely one. Rand and Kate not only get a second chance at love, but they have both worked hard to turn their lives around and move beyond the terrible events of their pasts. Now, they just have to survive the worst the mountains and villains can throw at them to see how far their newfound love can take them.

 

To make this a real celebration, I’m giving away a digital or print (U.S. mailing only) copy of Wildfire Threat. The winner will be randomly drawn from those who comment below.

Thanks for letting me share my new release with you.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

The Longest Running US Mail Delivery

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Surprisingly, the American pony express operated only a very short period of time — for eighteen months from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. Yet, thanks to the popularity of books, movies and TV shows, most people have heard of it and believe it was in existence for many years.

But what’s really surprising is that another equine mail route has been continuously operating for almost a hundred years, if not longer. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum’s earliest photo of these equines delivering mail is from 1938, but the route was already firmly established by then. Who are these equines and where is the mail route, you ask? Let me introduce you to the mules who, five days a week, carry letters and packages, including those from Amazon, down nine miles of steep trails in the Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch and the community of Havasupai people living at the bottom.

Each mule can carry up to two hundred pounds. It takes three hours for the string of mules to walk down and five hours to walk back up — while being led by a single wrangler. On the return trip, the mules are untethered. Smart and well-trained, they walked single file, nose to tail. There are usually two mule trains each delivery day, allowing the wrangler and mules a chance to rest overnight.

Why mules, you ask? For one, motor vehicles, which would damage the environment and the Grand Canyon’s natural beauty, aren’t allowed. For two, mules are extremely surefooted, strong, and hardy, making them well-suited for this type of hard work. While they can be stubborn, they also learn quickly and rarely forget.

One of the last stops before reaching the canyon bottom is Peach Springs, AZ,  whose claim to fame is the only post office in the country with a walk-in freezer. This is to keep frozen food as cold as possible before the final leg of the journey. You see, not just mail is delivered. The ranch and Havasupai people depend on the mules to also bring needed supplies, such as medicines and tools and equipment and even small appliances.

Like any postal employees, the mule wranglers and packers get an early start.  They begin their day at 2:45 a.m. in order to beat the heat, oppressive for half the year. Inventory is weighed and sorted, the mules are fed and groomed, and then their panniers are packed. As soon as it’s light enough, they start down the trail.

Without these regular deliveries, the Havasupai people would be cut off and unable to get the supplies they need to survive. The Phantom Ranch wouldn’t be able to host tourists. So, these delivery mules aren’t just a cool piece of living history, they’re providing a vital service to a remote community.

Riders of the Purple Sage – 5 Movie Versions

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We went out to dinner with friends a couple weekends ago and had a lovely time. One topic of discussion that came up was the famous western author Zane Grey and how many times his book, Riders of the Purple Sage was made into a movie. I insisted it was five, while one of our companions was certain it was four. Well, I was correct. But the real takeaway from this story is that a classic western book has been into a movie five times. That’s pretty impressive.

The first was in 1918 and starred William Farnum and Mary Mersch. Yes, it was a silent movie.

 

The second was in 1925 and starred Tom Mix (a very popular cowboy actor who appeared in 291 films) and Mabel Ballin. This was also a silent movie.

The third, the first movie with sound, was in 1931 and starred George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill.

The fourth was in 1941 and starred George Montgomery (married to Dinah Shore and once engaged to Hedy Lamar) and Mary Howard (a founding member of Recording for the Blind.

The fifth and last was in 1996 and starred Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. This was a TV movie and not a theatrical release.

Other interesting tidbits about this book. In 1952, Dell released a comic book version. It was also adapted into an opera by compose Craig Bohmler — our dinner companion knew and offered up this fact. Three separate western bands have gone by the name Riders of the Purple Sage. Lastly, the author breaks a huge rule by telling the story from an anonymous third-person, omniscient point-of-view.

I’ve watched the 1931, 1941 and 1996 movies, though years ago. I’m thinking now I need to search online and find out if there’s a way I can watch the first two. Would be interesting comparing them to the others.

Heather Blanton Finds An Angel on the Loose

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In my new book releasing today, Penelope, Book 6 in the Love Train series, my heroine has to pretend to be a nun. This is, of course, a substantial obstacle to the hero who fights falling in love with her. He has to wonder, though, what kind of a nun can’t keep her veil on and doesn’t know her Bible? But when called upon to help an abused Indian girl, Penelope rises to the task with plenty of heart.

The way this story went put me in mind of a young Catholic girl who, while she didn’t don a habit, impacted the West forever with her faith.

In 1850, at about the age of five, Nellie Cashman immigrated to Boston from Ireland with her sister and widowed mother. The three spent almost fifteen years together there, but then relocated west to San Francisco around 1872. Nellie and her mother, both of whom apparently had an adventurous streak, decided to move on to the bustling, untamed mining town of Pioche, NV. They only stayed a few years, but Nellie was deeply involved with

the Catholic church there, helping with fundraisers and bazaars.

When her aging mother decided Pioche was a little too wild for a senior citizen, she and Nellie returned to San Francisco. Nellie, however, didn’t stay. She left her mother with her married sister and headed north alone to British Columbia to another rough-and-rowdy mining town. She opened a boarding house in the Cassiar District and tried her hand at mining.Now, most girls in this situation, hanging around with such an unsavory crowd, might get into mischief, forget their morals. Herein lies the quirky thing about Nellie: she loved to help people, sometimes through hell and high water…and avalanches.

In the winter of 1874-75, Nellie took a trip to Victoria where she helped establish the Sisters of St. Ann Hospital. Over the coming decades, she would continue to be a stalwart supporter of this hospital and several others. She is most famous, though, for what she did upon leaving Victoria.

Traveling back to Cassiar, she heard a blizzard had stranded dozens of the folks from the district. They were trapped, hungry, and experiencing a scurvy epidemic, to boot. Nellie immediately hired men and sleds, acquired medicine and supplies and started out for Cassiar. It took the group 77 days in unimaginable conditions to reach the miners. Nellie then worked tirelessly to nurse the folks back to health.

Her feat was so astounding, so fearless, the story was picked up by the newspapers. With good cause, she came to be known to the miners as their “Angel of the Cassiar.”

Nellie was a legitimate legend.

She was also a restless girl, constantly on the move from one raunchy mining town to the next. After the death of her sister, she continued to feed her wanderlust, but with five nephews and nieces in tow. To keep food on the table, she bought and sold restaurants, and even owned and worked her own claims.

She spent several years in Tombstone, AZ where she rubbed shoulders with larger-than-life figures like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Nellie’s faith, however, was as ingrained on her heart as cactus on the dessert. Even in wild-and-wooly Tombstone, she worked to build the city’s first hospital and Roman Catholic church.

Nellie worked tirelessly to make the world a better place and still managed to raise five upstanding citizens while keep her mines working. When she passed away in 1925, she did so in the Sisters of St. Anne hospital that she had funded for nearly fifty years.

Today Heather is giving away 5 copies of Penelope! For a chance to win one, tell Heather what ways you think we can make an impact in our local communities or neighborhoods.

Buy PENELOPE on Amazon!

Guest Post by Sally Britton!

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Howdy Petticoats and Pistols Readers!

I am absolutely thrilled to have an opportunity to chat with ya’ll – as well as share my first ever Historical Western Romance. You see, I spend most of my time writing sweet love stories set in the English Regency. That’s the Jane-Austen-era for those unfamiliar. But the truth is that my first love in the world of romance is Inspirational Historical Westerns. In fact, it was Karen Witemeyer’s “Archer Brother” series that brought me back to that love only a few years ago.

As a girl from Texas, descended from ranchers and farmers alike, when I started writing I knew that I’d have to tell a story set under a big blue western sky. I grew up on Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, and Janette Oke. When I began my writing journey, I was fortunate enough to move to Arizona for five lovely years. Years spent reading about the local history, visiting historic Tombstone, and falling in love with the clear night sky.

This is where my novel takes place, near present-day Fort Huachuca, and not far from Tombstone. I found this area gorgeous, as it’s surrounded by tree-covered mountains. When most people think about Arizona, picture a desert with saguaro cacti as the only sign of life.

But Arizona is incredibly diverse in its plant and animal life. Living there made me love it.

Courtesy of the Empire Ranch Foundation

The setting for my book is loosely based on the historic Empire Ranch, which was founded by an Englishman and Canadian in the 1870’s. I was fortunate enough to tour and explore as it’s still a working ranch! And the Englishman involved in getting it started left a wonderful legacy of letters home to England, full of his Arizona adventures. This collection of letters inspired me to do something a little different with my hero.

Courtesy of the Empire Ranch Foundation

Evan Rounsevell is an Englishman who attended the Buffalo Bill shows put on for Queen Victoria’s court, and became so fascinated with the American West that he dreamed of running off to be a cowboy. When the opportunity to make a dash across the Pacific comes, Evan jumps aboard a ship with the goal of walking the path of Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill. Except Arizona isn’t the lawless place it used to be, and Evan runs out of money and into trouble.

Thankfully, he meets my heroine, Daniella Bolton. With great reluctance, she gets him a position on her dad’s ranch, and Evan’s dreams become reality. A reality that is difficult, dirty, and full of its own troubles. But Evan finds himself falling in love with the Arizona sunsets and the woman who took a chance on an English stranger.

In my book, Silver Dollar Duke, the ranch is named after the founder, who is the father of the heroine. It’s the KB Ranch. I really enjoyed bringing the characters and ranch to life.

What do you expect from a book set in this part of the country?

Writing a Historical Western Romance challenged me, since I’m more used to stories involving our fictional friends across the pond, but it was a labor of great love.

I’d love to know what you think of the novel, of Arizona, and of a Regency author trying something new. Please drop some comments! I’d love to chat with you lovely readers.

Thank you for spending time with me today!

P.S. Oh – and I’m putting together a giveaway! The lovely hosts here at Petticoats & Pistols have offered to run it for me. I’ll be giving away TWO signed copies of my book, Silver Dollar Duke, And a grand prize gift box with some Western-themed goodies to ONE lucky winner. Socks. Pens. Candy. Yes. I know I had you at candy. That’s the grand prize. To clarify: Three prizes. One big winner. Two winners of signed paperback copies of my book!

Silver Dollar Duke is available NOW in paperback and will release on March 1st, 2021, as an ebook on Amazon.

The Case of the Bungling Robbers

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Some people just aren’t cut out for a life of crime.

An example of this is the case of two cowboys named Grant Wheeler and Joe George. In 1895, they decided to try their hand at robbing the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The real loot was carried by rail, so why waste time robbing stages?

After carefully working out a plan, George and Wheeler purchased a box of dynamite and boarded the train.  Five miles out of Willcox, Arizona, the desperadoes got the engineer to stop the train with the help of a .45 revolver.  Piece of cake.

One of the outlaws uncoupled the express car from the rest of the train and ordered the engineer to pull forward.  Wheeler and George then broke into the express car.  The safe had eighty-four thousand dollars in cash and their hands were itching to get hold of it.

They must have been ecstatic to discover that the Wells Fargo agent guarding the loot had escaped. In addition to the unguarded safe, they also found bags of silver pesos used as ballast on the floor.  Oh, heavenly days!

Working quickly, they placed sticks of dynamite around the safe and ducked outside to escape the blast.  Unfortunately, the safe remained intact.

They decided to try again with extra dynamite but got the same results.  The stubborn safe refused to give up its treasure.

If at First…

Not willing to give up, the bungling robbers decided to try yet a third time.  This time, they used too much dynamite and blew the entire express car to smithereens.  Pieces of lumber and thousands of silver pesos filled the air. Acting like shrapnel, some of the coins were embedded in telegraph poles.  It’s a miracle the two men survived.

When the smoke cleared, they found that the safe door had been blown off, but only a few dollars had escaped the blast. The real booty was the Mexican pesos, but the silver coins were scattered all over the countryside.

Meanwhile, the train has rolled into town and sounded the alarm. The sheriff tried putting together a posse with no luck. Folks were too busy racing out to the scene of the crime to hunt for silver pesos.

…Try, Try, Again!

After licking their wounds, Wheeler and George decided to give train robbery another shot.  No sense letting their harrowing experience go to waste.

A week later, they showed up to rob the same train and felt confident they knew what they were doing.  This time they would make careful use of the dynamite.

The fourth times a charm—or is it?

Wheeler and George ordered the crew to separate the express car from the engine and passenger cars.

Everything went according to plan.  You can almost imagine the two giving each other a high-five as they entered the express car. They were, however, in for a rude awakening.  For the hapless duo soon discovered that the crew had reversed the order of the rail cars.  Instead of the express car, Wheeler and George were left with the mail car. They had been duped!

Disgusted, they rode off empty-handed—again!

Coming in September

He stopped her wedding once by mistake;

Dare he stop it a second time–for real?

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