Arizona

Welcome Guest Author Lynne Lanning

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It is said that “A picture paints a thousand words,” and it does. But pictures can’t capture the reality of seeing things for yourself, and I’m wondering how many words that’s worth!

Hello, everyone! I’m Lynne Lanning, and I am bursting at the seams to share my recent journey with you. My husband and I recently returned from a 39-day trip to the Western US. 8000 miles by car, and I have no idea how far on a cruise to Alaska. For my husband, (a history buff), it was fun and informative, but for me, it was all those things plus research.

I have at least 100 stories going around in my head right now, after all the amazing sights we saw. I brought home loads of pictures to remind me of the grandeur, and also stacks of books, brochures, and maps that will aid me in future stories.

Standing in the place where our ancestors stood gave me chills. I stood in wagon ruts on the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe Trail. I witnessed intimidating, rugged terrain they once called home. I stood in awe at sights of the sun setting behind majestic mountains that they once gazed upon.

It didn’t take me long to appreciate their sacrifices. As soon as I stepped out of my air-conditioned car, I appreciated them, and by the time I huffed and puffed my way up a slight incline, I knew they were my heroes! Those people were tough, strong, and determined. Even in my younger days, I’m not sure I would have made it past the first mountain chain, through the first desert, or crossing the first river.

I could go on for days telling you about it, but there is nothing like seeing it for yourself. This nation has more of God’s amazing creation than you could explore in a lifetime, and I am honored that I was able to see as much as I did. From painted mountains to waterfalls, deep canyons to majestic mountains, wildlife to prairies filled with wildflowers…all breathtaking. I just hope I can do it justice in my writing.

One of the interesting places I visited was Mesa Verde National Park – the only US National Park dedicated to a culture of people instead of a natural wonder. I have researched this park and its native people who disappeared for unknown reasons, leaving behind unbelievable archaeological treasures.

I recently wrote a novel, Muriel Mesa Verde Bride, that takes place at Mesa Verde, which will be released on October 31st. It was exhilarating to imagine my characters walking right along with me on those paths. The story is filled with suspense and gets a bit darker than my normal stories, but has such a sweet romance that blossomed under a dark, dangerous cloud. If you like Historical Romantic Suspense, I hope you will pre-order your copy today. Muriel, Mesa Verde Bride, in the National Park Bride Series.

In case you aren’t familiar with me, let me share that I also write lighthearted Historical Romance filled with grins and giggles. My best one yet was just released on October 6th, 2025 – Loving An Untamed Wonder – Western Whirlwinds – Mischief, Mayhem & Mishaps.

Enjoy a good chuckle when this Pinkerton Agent’s ‘assignment’ arrives, in a power packed parcel of sweet innocence wrapped in red hair and full of spirit – along with mischief, mayhem and mishaps. His life was about to change forever, if she didn’t end up being the death of them.

For a chance to win an ebook of this sweet story guaranteed to make you smile … perhaps even laugh, tell me about the most wonderful place you have ever visited.

If you’re like me, you probably have more than one.
Thanks for visiting with me today!

Lynne Lanning has such an effortless way of evoking emotion from her readers. Her characters are so realistic that the reader can feel their pain during trials and their joy during triumphs.  Each story tells of true bonds of love and loyalty, mixed with tough times and decisions, with a twist of humor and sometimes devastation…the same is true in life. With a blend of her own family members and heritage along with lots of fiction, it’s hard to tell where reality stops and fantasy begins.

Find out more about Lynn online here.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 – AZ Style

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I’m sure some of us here remember the song that line is from or the TV show from the 1960s of the same name. Well, the longest remaining stretch of that famous (or perhaps infamous) route John Stienbeck once called the “Mother Road” can be found in my home state of Arizona. There are fascinating and entertaining stops along the way for those who like viewing impressive scenery while driving a piece of living history. One of my favorite places to visit is a former mining town located northwest of Lake Havasu in the Black Mountains called Oatman.

Beginning as a small mining camp in the early 1860s when two prospectors struck it rich by finding $2 million in gold. Over the years, Oatman’s population waxed and waned as gold petered out only to be rediscovered. The town was named after Olive Oatman who was abducted by Indians as a young girl and later adopted by the Mohaves. During her years in captivity, and prior to her eventual release at Fort Yuma in 1856, her face was tattooed in the tradition of the Mohave people. Her story became well known, being chronicled in newspapers and books. In addition to having the town named after her and gaining national recognition, Olive was also the inspiration for the character Eva on the television show Hell on Wheels.

The last “gold rush” in Oatman was around 1915 and ended a few years later. These days, Oatman is a popular stop on Route 66 for tourists and adventure seekers and boasts an authentic western atmosphere with its saloons, mining tours, wooden boardwalks, tourist shops, old-timey photographers, and staged shootouts. The  Oatman hotel on the main drag includes a second floor museum which includes the Clark Gable/Carole Lombard honeymoon suite where the couple stayed after their Kingman wedding in 1939. People pinning one-dollar bills on the hotel’s saloon walls is a tradition that has continued for decades.

However, one of Oatman’s biggest claims to fame is the wild burros that have free roaming rights in the town and surrounding desert. These cute little critters are direct descendants of the donkeys used by the original miners in the late 1800s to prospect and pull ore carts. Over the years, the donkeys have become used to tourists and very friendly, thanks to “burro chow” which used to be sold at local shops until the practice was discouraged by the Bureau of Land Management. So far, this reduction in treats hasn’t stopped the burros from coming to Oatman on a daily basis. And, really, they are a big tourist draw, contributing to the town’s economy.

So, if you find yourself traveling Route 66 and looking for a great place to stop for a great western-themed day trip, check out Oatman, Arizona. And when you do, give the burros a scratch between the ears for m

Christmas Stocking Sweethearts! Cathy McDavid

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I’m so excited to be part of Christmas Stocking Sweethearts  – my first participation in a collection with my fellow Petticoats and Pistols fillies. Little known fact, I wrote western historicals early in my writing career before switching to contemporaries. I’m thrilled to be returning to one of my favorite romance genres. And the story also happens to be set in one of my favorite time periods:  the early 1900s.

A widow struggling to save her home

A cowboy sworn to protect his family

A Christmas neither will ever forget…

 

 

Merry Ann Bright may be pint-sized, but she’s chock-full of gumption. For the last three years, she’s fended off a wealthy and greedy neighbor bent on acquiring her land by hook or by crook — emphasis on the crook. The last thing she needs is more trouble. But when she unexpectedly encounters a family in dire straits, how can she turn her back on them?

Thèo Cartier is a man on a mission. Once he’s seen his sister-in-law and young nephew safely home, he’ll return to Texas and help his aging father run the ranch. The lovely widow Merry is a distraction he can ill afford. Especially when her roots are firmly planted a thousand miles from his own.

Can Christmastime, the shared love of favorite carols, and a special heirloom stocking show two people convinced they have no future together that anything is possible…if they just open their hearts?

Click here to purchase MERRY’S CHRISTMAS COWBOY

Click here to view the entire series on Amazon

 

Yes, we know. It’s that time of year when we sometimes feel less kind than we should.

Re-write the sentence in red to something less naughty and more nice.  For example:

NAUGHTY:  “Grandma’s eggnog is too thick and chunky.”

NICE: “Isn’t it wonderful Grandma is still with us to make her eggnog?”

THEIR DECORATIONS ARE SO GAUDY.

 

You might win this piano ornament from me – plus a backlist holiday book!

 

All entries will be eligible for our oh-so-beautiful Grand Prize, too!

Winners announced Sunday, December 15!

(USA Winners only, please.)

In the event the piano ornament becomes unavailable, we will happily make a substitute.

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.

Leo the MGM Lion’s Incredible Story of Survival

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Two weeks ago, my husband and I spent a week in Payson, Arizona. Mostly, we went to rest and recreate and get out of the scorching heat of Phoenix. But we did spend a few afternoons doing a little sightseeing. I’ve lived in Arizona most of my life and visited Payson many times. But I learned some new things on this trip that surprised me, and I think might surprise you, too.

We thought the small and quaint Payson Museum would be just a little stop on our afternoon outing. Instead, we spent almost two hours there, soaking up the local history. On one wall hung a series of pictures that I almost missed and would have if my husband didn’t call me over. After reading this truly amazing story, I can’t believe someone hasn’t made it into a movie!

I tried to take the best pictures I could. I hope you can read the account in full and make out the old black and white pictures. But here’s what happened in a nutshell:

Jackie, a lion cub born in the wild, went on to become the second Leo the Lion, the trademark logo for MGM Films (he was the first lion to roar). He also appeared in numerous films. In 1927, MGM planned a publicity stunt and hired a pilot to fly Leo from California to New York. Leo and his 400 pound cage were loaded into a small plane. Over the Mogollom Rim, in the area outside Payson, Arizona around Hell’s Gate, the pilot experienced trouble and was forced to crash land the plane. By some miracle, both the pilot and Leo survived with only minor injuries.

 

 

Having no choice, the pilot left Leo in his cage with a supply of water and hiked for three days before reaching help. When rescuers at last reached Leo, he was in bad shape but revived with fresh water and a butchered calf that had been dragged to the site. Leo  was eventually retired to live out his life at the Philadelphia Zoo.

 

Now, I’ve been to Hell’s Gate, and there’s a reason for the name. It’s some pretty rugged country, and the steep slopes leading down to the creek are almost straight up and down. I can’t imagine crashing a small plane there among the tall pines and craggily boulders and then having to hike out for three days with no food or fresh water. Not an easy feat. Both the pilot and Leo surely had the will to survive – and an amazing story to tell later!

 

SPANISH CONQUISTADOR GOLD IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST (AND A GIVEAWAY!)–by Kristy McCaffrey

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At the end of the 15th century, gold had become rare in Europe and therefore coveted by many monarchies, especially the Spanish Crown. The conquistadors (Spanish and Portuguese colonists) began to spread into the New World, and while some were trained military warriors, many were artisans, lesser nobility, and farmers seeking new opportunities.

The Americas proved to be a gold motherlode. The indigenous peoples utilized it for its beauty and lustre, developing a strong spiritual association to the sun via the objects they created. Gold was mined and traded across the continent.

 

In the early 1500’s, Conquistador Hernán Cortés explored Mexico and ultimately conquered the Aztecs in the Spanish quest for wealth of any kind, which included emeralds and exotic hides, but mainly gold. The ensuing battles were brutal. Temples, palaces, and homes were looted for valuables, and locals were captured and tortured for information. Subjugated tribes were obliged to give yearly tribute in the form of gold, and the most lucrative mines were taken over by the Spanish.

The golden city of El Dorado was a myth with origins in the mountains near modern-day Colombia, originally referring to a king adorned in gold powder who leapt into a lake during his coronation. The story evolved into a “lost city,” and the Spanish Conquistadors were determined to find it. A subsequent myth was born of the Seven Cities of Cibola, an Aztec story revolving around the pueblos of today’s New Mexico and the southwestern United States.

 

 

From 1540 to 1542, Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led a large expedition from what is now Mexico to present-day Kansas, taking him through parts of the American southwest. A leg of this journey is said to have gone through Arizona Territory, exploring the Verde River near what would become the mining town of Jerome where the local Yavapai tribe mined copper. Antonio de Espejo and a troop of Conquistadors came through Jerome looking for El Cibola, and the locals instead showed them an area that would later become Cleopatra Hill, the site of a large copper mine. Legend says the Spanish found a vein of gold, mined it, and hid the spoils in a nearby area known as Sycamore Canyon. An elderly prospector known as Jerry the Miner spent nearly thirty years in the canyon looking for the treasure, and he claimed to have found a helmet and a breastplate left by one of the Conquistadors, but it’s unclear whether he ever found any gold.

In my new novel, The Nighthawk, treasure hunters and outlaws are searching for Spanish gold in the Arizona Territory. The Nighthawk is Book 10 in my Wings of the West series, but it can be read as a standalone.

 

 

Arizona Territory

September 1899

Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.

The Nighthawk is a fast-paced romantic adventure filled with humor, treasure hunting, a tenacious heroine, and a hero harboring a secret. It has light steam and a happily-for-now ending.

Read Chapter One and find vendor links at Kristy’s website.

 

Have you ever visited Arizona? What was your favorite location? If you’ve never been, what Arizona sites are on your bucket list? One commenter will win an eBook of THE CANARY, Wings of the West Book 9.

Join Sarah Ryan and paleontologist Jack Brenner in a quest for an elusive dinosaur fossil in the Painted Desert.

Kristy McCaffrey writes award-winning historical western romances with grit and emotion, along with contemporary adventure stories packed with smoldering romance and spine-tingling suspense. Her work is filled with compelling heroes, determined heroines, and her trademark mysticism. She lives in the desert north of Phoenix with her husband and rescue bulldog, Jeb. Learn more about her books at her website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Graphics courtesy of Deposit Photos. Book covers by Earthly Charms.

What Fishing Was Like in the Early 1900s

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Good morning, everyone. And I’m sorry to be late with this blog. I admit, my calendar failed me (which is better than saying I forgot).

You may remember from a previous blog post of mine, I’m working on a new historical story. That means, for me, I have to stop every few pages and research something to make sure I got it right. In this book, my heroine is fishing for trout in a creek. Seems simple enough, yes? But no. first research item – were there trout in the area where I’m setting my story during 1915. Turns out there were, so I’m good there. Second item, do I call what she’s using a fishing pole or a fishing rod? Well, who knew there’s a difference?

Turns out, she’d use a fishing pole — which is basically a long stick from which a string is tied and seems to have been around for at least four-thousand years. A fishing rod is more complicated and sophisticated. It has ringed guides along the pole and a reel to store the line. My heroine would definitely not have that. But from my research, reels did first start appearing in the 1600s.  In those day, it was mostly a loop of wire attached to the end of the pole. An improvement, nonetheless, and the string didn’t get so tangled.

I also learned that most fishing poles and fishing rods, at least until the 1900s, were home-made by people. There were even books published about how to make your own fishing poles, such as Iziak Walton’s “The Complete Angler (1676). I wonder if my local library has that. Tackle shops which sold manufactured fishing equipment have only been around for a hundred years or so, which is probably when innovations to fishing rods really took off and we got the modern tools anglers use today.

There are other ways of fishing besides with a pole or rod. Early man used spears, sometimes setting traps or bait and standing in the water waiting until a fish approached. A more primitive version of the pole was to simply toss a line into the water, anchor it with a heavy rock and wait for a fish to take the bait. Large nets were also used, sometimes requiring two or more people.

All this is probably more than you wanted to know about early fishing and more than I needed for my one scene in the book when my heroine is fishing. But I always enjoy learning something new. I didn’t bother researching hooks, figuring that was going a little too deep and readers probably would care. But now I’m thinking, maybe that would be interesting…

The Wild West…Not Just Cactus! And a Giveaway!

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Hi! LeAnne Bristow here. A few days ago, I was driving on the outskirts of Tucson and I saw a large sign that read. “Open Range. Watch for Cattle.” I was surrounded by housing developments and there was a school just down the street, but it wasn’t unusual for cattle to be seen grazing on the side of the road. It made me think about the culture shock I received when I moved to Arizona from Texas.
Growing up, I loved everything about the rolling hills of central Texas and never thought about leaving. Texas is the home of King Ranch, George Strait and longhorn cattle. I learned how to two-step before I could walk, and while I can never claim to be a cowgirl, I certainly know how to ride a horse. What’s not to love? And why would anyone ever want to leave? Then, I met my husband, an Arizona native, who was stationed at Ford Hood while he served in the US Army.
After Desert Storm, his enlistment was up, so he moved back to Arizona to find us a place to live while I finished that semester of college. I flew to Arizona to visit during spring break. I wanted to see exactly what I was getting myself into. After all, Arizona was nothing but cactus, rattlesnakes and dirt, right?

My first glimpse of Arizona from the window of the airplane didn’t give me much hope. I was sure my days of seeing green grass and trees were over. When he picked me up, we had to drive three hours to his family home. On the way, I saw more cottonfields than I’d ever seen in my life, and I finally understood what he meant when he said Texas was too flat. The next day we took the Coronado Trail through the White Mountains and my mind was blown.
I grew up in the hill country, but there were no rolling hills where we went. The White Mountains of Arizona were unlike anything I’d ever seen and I immediately fell in love. By the end of the day, I’d played in snow drifts higher than my head, caught my first glimpse of an elk, saw a bald eagle flying over an ice-covered lake and realized that Arizona was a lot more than I ever expected.
But that was just the beginning of things I needed to learn.

After I moved to Arizona, my husband and I spent a lot of time driving around back roads (if that’s what you want to call them).
The first time he stopped to open a closed gate, I had a fit. Didn’t he know he couldn’t go on private land like that? That’s when I learned that Arizona, like many places in the West, had more public land than it did private, so we were able to go through gates at will. Aside from giving us something to do on the weekends, my husband claimed these backroad adventures were necessary for deer scouting.
Scouting for deer was another foreign concept to me. Back home, when I wanted to see deer, I went to my family’s deer lease, climbed into the deer stand and waited. Not so in Arizona. Deer feeders are illegal. If you want to hunt deer, you have to get out and find them. It’s hard work. And they’re hard to find! No matter how remote the areas we traveled to was, it wasn’t unusual to come across cowboys searching for cattle that wandered too far from their home range, checking water tanks or checking the fences that were few and far between. Instead of being mad that we were in their area, they always tipped their hats and waved. Sometimes they had time to stop and chat with us, often letting us know where they saw a big buck or warning us when a mountain lion had been spotted in the area.


After thirty years of living in Arizona, I’m still amazed by the diversity of the western landscape. From the snow covered mountains, to the vast desert, there really is something for everyone. Even a small town Texas girl like me, who is now a proud desert rat.

What is your favorite thing about the west? I’d love to chat with you about it. But warning, I might use it in a book! I’ll be giving away a copy of the latest book in my Coronado series, Her Hometown Secret, to one lucky commenter!




 

Get to Know Cathy McDavid and Giveaway

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Earlier this month, I celebrated the release of my latest Harlequin Heartwarming book, HER SURPRISE COWBOY GROOM. To help promote the book, I answered a few questions about myself in some get to know you posts I thought might be fun to share here as well.

To enter the giveaway (a free print copy of HER COWBOY SWEETHEART, Starbucks card and cowboy coffee mug), all you have to do is post a comment below, telling a short fun fact about yourself ?

What is something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you?

I really have lived the cowboy lifestyle for most of my life, getting my first horse when I was a youngster and having them up until a few years ago. Nothing like walking out your back door to the barn and petting a velvety nose. Or some feathers and wiry hair. While my kids were growing up, we had not just horses and the usual cats and dogs, I also kept a flock of around twenty-five hens (including one resident rooster), adopted a couple of rescue goats and had a pet potbellied pig named Queenie. She lived on the back porch in her own house, built by my stepdad, and had her personal wading pool. Queenie was very smart and knew a half-dozen tricks. She enjoyed going on walks with me around the neighborhood with would follow along like a dog. And also like a dog, she loved belly rubs, flopping over onto her back and begging for them. Every night after dinner, she waited outside the kitchen door for leftover, which I delivered. Her only bad habit was knocking over the barrels of horse grain or chicken feed and gorging herself.

 

Can you tell us about your latest novel?

Her Surprise Cowboy Groom is book four and the last installment in my Wishing Well Springs series.

An instant family…Could change her plans!

Ambitious wedding dress designer Laurel Montgomery can’t afford to be distracted…especially not by easygoing cowboy Max Maxwell. Wrangling his three-year-old twin daughters, a rambunctious puppy and a fledgling business, Max has his hands full, too. But he also knows the value of going for ice cream and fishing with his girls. Can he show Laurel there are more important things than making it big—like love and family?

 

Purchase HER SURPRISE COWBOY GOOM

 

Why did you choose to write a story set on a ranch?

Cowboy and ranch stories are my favorites to write, mostly because I lived the life and think cowboy heroes are the best.  And since I lived on a small ranch for over twenty years, it’s a story setting I’m very familiar with and love. There’s something very appealing about the great outdoors. It can be adventurous and exciting and charming, too.

 

What kind of ranching is done in your story?

Wishing Well Springs was once a thriving horse ranch, the largest in the state. When the heroine’s grandparents went into dept and lost the business fifteen years ago, the ranch was sold off acre by acre. It was the heroine’s idea to turn the remaining house, barn, and few acres into a wedding venue. She and her business partner brother keep the cowboy and ranching spirit alive by giving carriage rides to excited brides the happy couples.

Have you been to a rodeo? What are they like and how did you incorporate it into your story?

I’ve been to plenty of rodeos, from the time I was just a kid, and love them. My characters are often rodeo competitors, current or retired. Like so many live sporting events, they are fast-paced and exciting with the crowds going wild. The dangerous events, like bull and bronc riding, are thrilling. The skill events, roping especially, amaze me.  I love that women are no longer restricted to just barrel racing and are competing in breakaway roping and team roping. Go girl power. I find writing rodeo scenes, when my characters are competing, to be incredibly challenging. While I’ve tried barrel racing and roping, I’ve never ridden a bull or wrestled a calf, so I’ve relied on interviewing rodeo competitors for my research.

Your story is about a wedding barn. Can you tell us more about them and how the characters created one?

I was inspired to set my series in a wedding barn ranch after attending a friend’s nuptials at a charming wedding barn and western town. While watching the couple exchange vows, I was mentally creating stories. Since I knew I wanted two to four books in the series, I had to come up with a reason for my characters to turn the family ranch into a rustic wedding venue. Desperation seemed like a good motive, so I gave them financial hardships. But why a wedding barn? That part was easy. I made the heroine of my book a wedding fashion designer and her brother an architect. Together, they formed the perfect team.

Well, that’s probably more than you want to know about me 🙂 Don’t forget to enter the giveaway by posting a comment. Prize will be sent via regular mail service, US only (sorry).

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.

Petticoats & Pistols