Reading

Little House on the Prairie Tidbits

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Many people are excited that Netflix will be filming a new Little House on the Prairie TV series. I’ll be curious to see it myself. While I’ve not seen the entirety of the original series, I do love the time period, so I think it will be interesting to watch! I need to finish the original series too! 

Thinking about her led me into today’s blog topic—Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the Little House on the Prairie books with her daughter, Rose Wilder’s, encouragement and help. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have read those books.

How old were you when you first learned of them? I remember I was in third grade, and a girl on the bus had On the Banks of Plum Creek. She kept telling me I should read it. I really didn’t want to. I didn’t want to stop reading Nancy Drew! After she kept pestering me, I finally did read it… And…promptly asked the school librarian to start me off at book one. 

When I was eleven, my family and I went to Missouri to visit an uncle. We stopped along the way at Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home where she worked on those books. As a child, I didn’t appreciate it the way I would have now. All I can remember is the very little bit of the house they let us go through seemed so tiny! There was a shawl on a chair in a room with a single bed, and I thought to myself, how uncomfortable that would be to sit in and write! I guess, though, if that’s all one knew, they wouldn’t think twice about it? 

 

Those books, and I think the old TV and the new one, will remain in the hearts of readers and viewers for the rest of their lives. There’s something that just feels so good about being in a simpler time, around people who are kind to each other, problems that are solved, and family and friends there for you. A lot of us don’t get that now, and books are our only way to experience that. Maybe that’s why I love to write heartwarming stories myself. 

Now, let me get to some of those facts about Laura and her books that I discovered. I think they are pretty interesting. You might or might not already know them! 

 

  • Laura’s first book, Pioneer Girl was a memoir geared toward adults and was rejected by publishers. It was vastly different from the stories we all know and loved, and it was her daughter, Rose, who helped edit the books and make them more enjoyable for children. 
  • In 2014, Pioneer Girl finally was published.
  • There have been over 73 million copies of the Little House books sold, in over 100 countries, and they’ve been translated into 27 languages! 
  • As an adult, Laura was 4 feet and 11 inches. And that was not considered short for a woman back then! Currently, the average height for a woman is 5 feet and 4 inches.
  • Since the books were first published in the 1930s, they have remained continuously in print. 
  • There was another illustrator Helen Sewell, who came before Garth Williams, the illustrator of the books we are all familiar with. 
  • Though there are still living descendants of Laura, there are no direct descendants. Her daughter Rose only bore one child, who died as an infant. Laura’s sisters also didn’t have children. Her brother never made it past infancy. 

 

Aren’t those some interesting facts? It amazes me just how many languages this series is in.

Did you read the Little House books? Did you have a favorite character or book? The Long Winter was my favorite of all the books.  

If you answer one of those questions below, you can be entered to win an ebook copy of A Journey for Leah. 

 

Falsely accused of being a loose woman, she has nowhere else to go. His heart belongs to another, and he has no desire to become entangled.

A victim of misplaced affections, Leah Dearing dreams of starting over in Oregon where she can own land and put her past behind her. But as a single woman, she is refused a place in the wagon train, no matter that she’s more than capable of doing all she needs. Desperate to build a new life for herself, she is willing to do anything—including a marriage in name only.

Stanley Keith has no intention of heading out West with a bride until he overhears Leah’s plight. He knows the way will be difficult and many don’t make it. To top it off, he’s got a woman waiting for him when he gets there. Yet, something about her determination sparks in him, and before he’s realized it he offers to let her join him on his journey in exchange for her cooking and companionship.

However, the trail is long and dangerous, and the challenges they face might be more than either realized. Especially when one of them starts to fall in love…and the reminder of another waiting for them at the end of the trail becomes impossible to ignore.

 

5 Reasons I Love Western Historical Romance Novels

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Photo of horses in pasture. Green and pink bars and flowers. Text, "5 Reasons I Love Western Historical Romance. Petticoats & Pistols."

It’s a chilly morning here, and I’m sipping coffee, thinking about how nice it would be to snuggle up and read all day. I get on kicks where I devour a certain genre, then taper off to the next one. Currently, I’m between genres, but I’m sure it won’t last.

5 Reasons I Love Western Historical Romance Novels

I remember when I first started reading western historical romance novels. I’m pretty sure a Jodi Thomas novel got me hooked roughly twenty years ago. I don’t remember the title, but I do remember reading through her backlist and buying every new book of hers that came out. I particularly enjoyed her wife lottery series.

Side note: Jodi Thomas has been a guest at the P&P junction many times over the years. “How Deep Do Your Roots Go?” is a fun read by her!

Why do I love western historical romance novels? I’ve got five reasons.

  1. Rugged lifestyle of the American west. I’m a sucker for rural settings, tough living conditions, and a no-rules atmosphere to survive in.
  2. Strong, protective cowboys. Sure, strong, protective cowboys aren’t unique to historical romances, but there’s something special about a tough guy protecting the woman in his orbit. Bonus points for strong heroines and a cowboy reluctantly getting in touch with his feelings. *swoon*
  3. Danger! Outlaws, wild animals, and the weather all play factors in western historical novels, and I can’t get enough of the danger. There’s something delicious knowing the characters can’t call 9-1-1 for help. They’re on their own, and we know it.
  4. Trains, wagons, and horses. The transportation options were limited. Going anywhere took more time in those days. I love the slower pace and the forced proximity of characters due to the time period. If the heroine is mad, she can’t hop in her car or on a plane and leave. There will be an argument or a silent stand-off. Bring it on!
  5. Circumstances all but impossible in modern times. Mail-order brides? Yep. An orphan baby a couple can just keep without stacks of paperwork? Uh-huh. Hiding away in a mountain cabin for the winter? You betcha. I love all of these scenarios.

It’s fun to get lost in a world so unlike our own. And now that I’ve taken this trip down memory lane, I’m off to pick up a western historical romance novel!

Do you love western historical romance novels? Why or why not?

Have the best day, and share your favorite western historical romance novels in the comments!

 

Reading Olympics

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I love the Olympics. The amazing athletes, the human interest stories, and the spirit of sportsmanship and patriotism. Every two years, my daughter and I get together to watch either the summer or winter games. She geeks out about it as much as I do, which makes it that much more fun. We love wathcing the big events like gymnastics, swimming, and track & field. But we also enjoy watching the niche events like equestrian, archery, and badminton. We even watched a few rounds of shooting, though I tried to imagine the competitors wearing cowboy boots and hats for a more western experience.

Now that the Olympics are over, I thought it might be fun to turn that sporting spirit in a more bookish direction. So, I’d like to invite you to participate in the . . .

If you were participating in the Reading Olympics, which event(s) would you be most likely to medal in?
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  • Weightlifting – Reading the heaviest tomes
  • Sprinting – Epically fast reading
  • Wrestling – Taking down the TBR pile
  • Gymnastics – Reading in twisty, convoluted positions
  • Equestrian – Reading books about horses
  • Shot Put – Longest toss of a disappointing book across a room
  • Synchronized Diving – Diving into a good book with a reading partner
  • Archery – Pinpointing the exact right book for a friend
  • Relay Racing – Reading series straight through without dropping the baton to pick up a different book
  • Marathon – Reading an author’s entire backlist in a single year
  • Rowing – Participating member in a book club who keeps conversations on track while never rocking the boat
  • Triathlon – Reading multiple books at the same time.
  • Sailing – Skimming the surface to sail through as many books as possible.
  • Boxing – Needing the largest number of boxes to pack up your personal book collection

My best two events would be Wrestling and Equestrian.

How about you?

Introducing Our Fillies Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before!

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Howdy, everyone! Cathy McDavid here with an exciting announcement.

Lately, there have been a few changes in the corral here at Petticoats & Pistols. To celebrate our newest members and reacquaint you with familiar faces, we’ve put together a short video featuring all of the fillies. Take a peek at some of their awesome books and learn a little bit about them. Just click on the link below, and you’ll be taken to the video.

Click to view “Meet the P&P Fillies” Video

We hope you enjoy the video and will even share this post to help us spread the word. We really appreciate all our friends here at Petticoats and Pistols and love starting our days with you.

Periodicals in the 19th Century

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Early magazines in the 19th century had a tough go and it was due mainly to distribution difficulties. There was no easy way to get the periodicals into the hands of women. It often took weeks and months for mail to travel via stagecoach.  Another factor was the fact subscriptions were very expensive at $2 and $3 dollars a year, and few could afford that especially for non-essentials. In the larger cities, some magazines resorted to accepting pork, corn, cheese etc. in lieu of cash.

Nineteenth century women were often starved for something to engage their minds and relieve the tedium of their lives but before Godey’s Lady’s Book their choices were severely limited. Godey’s was the most widely circulated before the Civil War. The magazine was in circulation from 1830 to 1878. The magazine was owned by Louis Godey with Sarah Hale as the editor. Women loved reading articles they could relate to. While fashion plates were included in every issue, the magazine was geared toward the ordinary woman.

 

While Godey’s mostly appealed to women, Old Farmer’s Alamac was a staple in homes for men. They only sold for $.o4 a copy and was wildly popular. It began publishing in 1792 and still is today. Amazing. I enjoy reading it for for the interesting things it contains.

Ladies Home Journal began in 1883 and was in circulation for 131 years. Sadly, the July 2014 issue will be the last. It was the first magazine to attain one million subscribers and it was one of the first periodical to tackle some of the problems of the nineteen century such as suffrage, family planning, marriage advice, and child rearing.

Good Housekeeping came along in 1885. The thirty-two-page biweekly sold for $2.50 a year. It offered advice on home decorating, cooking and dressmaking but also carried puzzles and quizzes. It’s still in circulation today and publishes ten editions around the world. Their Seal of Approval has become a gold standard for quality in everything.

Cosmopolitan began in Rochester, New York in 1886 by Paul Schlicht who after sufffering financial difficulties due to the $4.oo a year subscription price sold the magazine to John Walker. To bolster interest in the periodical, Walker set out on a railroad tour of the New England states, giving the memoirs of either Ulysses S. Grant or General William T. Sherman to new subscribers. By 1896 the Cosmopolitan had secured its place as a leading periodical. The Hearst Corporation acquired the magazine in 1905.

Vogue was born in 1892, House Beautiful in 1896, National Geographic in 1888 and finally Scientific American in 1845.

There were others of course like the New England Kitchen Magazine in 1894 and the Delineator which included dress patterns in every issue, but the ones I’ve listed were the leading sellers. Although it was probably rare for any kind to find its way into a pioneer woman’s hands.

After the struggles of the first magazines, it seemed a periodical explosion took place.

I had no idea some of these went back so far. I’ll bet you didn’t either. If you had lived back then and had the money, which might you have subscribed to?

A Summer Full of Busyness

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A week ago, I was recovering from the four day affair that was my birthday, my daughter’s graduation, her graduation party, then Memorial Day. All week, my children have been home. The house has been loud. I’ve been trying to do “all the spring things” that I couldn’t do while I was preparing the house for my daughter’s graduation party. Oh well, we’ll be harvesting sweet corn in September. It probably won’t freeze…

At the last minute, one of our family members messaged me to let me know they couldn’t come. They had just gotten over being ill and weren’t feeling up to the drive. With that, we were looking at our respective calendars and trying to figure out when we are all free to get together. What we figured out is that summer is about 5 weeks too short.

Do you feel this way? Like every week and ever minute is planned? All of a sudden you look at things you wanted to do and realize the time is literally spoken for? Just about every weekend is taken from now until the weekend after I drop my daughter off at college and I even canceled a few things!

I know myself. If I don’t take some time to recharge, I’ll get sick. The older I get, the easier I hit burnout and I can’t go through that again. Burnout is a pit of despair coated with tar and deeper than the ocean.

One thing I’ve done this year is to give myself reading challenges. I read a book from my own library that I haven’t read yet (free entertainment when gas is so expensive). I already paid for it, I should enjoy it! Then, I read a book in Kindle Unlimited. I got a free 3 month subscription with the new Kindle I just got for Mother’s Day. I don’t normally splurge on KU, because I don’t have the time to enjoy it. I might decide to keep it this time. Then, I’ll read a book for endorsement or one that my friends have recommended. You can see my new TBR here.

Since I haven’t made enough time to read extensively in the past few years, this new “take time to read” plan is helping to keep me grounded. And, I can read in the car as we take my daughter off to college (and blame my tears on the book).

I’m currently writing the 4th book in the Belle Fourche Chronicles. Book 2 comes out this Friday. Grab your copy HERE.

For a chance to win an ebook copy of Valley of Promise, tell me about your reading plan for the summer. Happy reading!

Goodies and Giveaways

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I love fall. The cooler temperatures. The golden leaves. The pumpkin bread. The excuse to wear fuzzy sock and fleece pajama pants. I also love grabbing a cup of hot tea, wrapping up in a blanket, and snuggling up with a good book.

Readers often ask me which hero is my favorite of all the books I have written. The question is nearly impossible to answer. However, when push comes to shove, the hero who gets the slightest edge is Levi Grant from To Win Her Heart. Maybe it’s because he’s a big, burly blacksmith who loves to read. Or maybe it’s because he’s a reformed bad boy who has a thing for the local librarian. Or maybe it’s because he’s the kind of man who takes pity on scraggly mutts and social outcasts. Or maybe it’s because he challenged me as an author with the lisp he was determined to hide by never speaking a word with the “s” sound. I’ve never worked so hard on a character’s dialogue!

Why am I talking about Levi Grant? Well, his story is on sale this month. To Win Her Heart hasn’t been promo-priced for several years, so I’m excited to offer the e-book version to you for only $1.99 (or less). Amazon and Christianbook have it for only $1.59. WooHoo!

Amazon | Christianbook | Barnes & Noble

Not only is this a great time of year for cozying up by yourself with a great book, but it’s also a great time for gathering with friends and family. And if you enjoy meeting up with fellow book nerds with a chance to win new reads, I have a virtual gathering that might be just your cup of tea.

Whispers in Wyoming is a FB group hosted by a group of sweet western romance authors whose stories are set in Wyoming. Every year they host a giant Christmas Extravaganza where they bring in guest authors to post throughout the 3-day event. There are 45 authors participating this year, many of whom have been guests here at P&P. Each participating author will give away individual prizes to readers who comment on her posts. In addition, 4 grand prize winners will receive $100 Amazon gift cards. Just in time for Christmas! I will be participating on Saturday, December 4 between 1-4pm and will be giving away an audiobook copy of Under the Texas Mistletoe along with a few other goodies.

If you are interested in participating, you will need to join the Whispers in Wyoming Facebook group before December 2. Then pop in several times during the event and comment on the posts to be entered to win the individual prizes. There will be a link to the main giveaway contest on the site as well. I’d love to see you on the afternoon of the 4th!

What are some of your favorite fall activities?

What Should I Tackle Next?

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Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. Today’s post is a bit different than my usual post. Instead of sharing information I came across in my research I’m going to ask you to help me with a bit of research of the reader variety.

I have three older releases that I’ve received the rights back for and I’d like to reissue them as self-published editions. However, they all need to be gone through and updated and right now I’m working on a contracted book that has a firm deadline. That means I have limited time to focus on them and will need to do them as low-priority side projects. So I’d be interested in learning which of the books intrigues you the most. So please rank the following in the order in which they interest you – and there are no wrong answers.  I’ll select at least one person to receive their choice of any book from my backlist (and I still have several copies of the below out of print books I’ll throw in the mix as well)

Book 1 – this was first published in 2002 under the title Whatever It Takes. Here’s the original blurb:

Flirting With Perfection…

To adopt the little girl she’s come to love, widow Maddy Potter needs a fiancé, not another husband. Luckily, she’s found the ideal beau for her purpose:

Clayton Kinkaid agrees to court her, propose marriage, and then leave her at the altar as she requested. But when he arrives on her doorstep she knows their charade will never work. Clay is too handsome, too smooth… too potent. Who would believe such a charming, good-looking man wants to woo her?

Clay accepted Maddy’s proposal in order to repay a family debt of honor. He traveled to Missouri expecting to find a reserved widow, not a beautiful young woman—a woman who has the temerity to suggest he comb his hair differently, mess up his clothes a little, maybe even walk with a limp. She even has the audacity to instruct him on how to court her!  Clay knows he could be the perfect suitor. What he didn’t realize was that he’d soon long to be the perfect husband.

Book 2 – this was originally published in 2004 under the title A Will of Her Own. Here’s the 2004 blurb:

Will Trevaron’s grandfather demands that he leave America and return home to England to claim his title of Marquess. Will is expected to put himself on the marriage market but balks at the idea. He hits on the perfect solution: a marriage of convenience to Maggie Carter. A union with a “nobody from the colonies” would shock and horrify his stuffy family and rescue from poverty the woman who had once saved his life. Will didn’t count on getting three spirited children in the bargain though. And he didn’t expect to fall for his wife.

But as Maggie sets his household straight about what an independent lady from an ‘unsophisticated country’ would and would not accept, the new marquess begins to discover that his marchioness has a will of her own.

Book 3 – this one was originally published in 2010 under the title The Heart’s Song. The 2010 blurb reads:

Widower Graham Lockwood hasn’t stepped foot in church since he lost his family. So he can’t possibly say yes to his new neighbor’s request that he lead the hand bell choir. But widowed mother Reeny Landry is so hopeful—and her fatherless children so in need—that Graham agrees to help.

Suddenly, the man who closed himself off is coming out of his shell. And he finds himself acting the father figure to Reeny’s sweet, mute daughter and her loner son. But going from neighbor to husband is another matter altogether. Until a loving family teaches Graham to hear the heart’s song.

 

So there you have it, the three projects I’m itching to get to work on. Let me know which order you think I should tackle them in and why, and I’ll throw your name in the hat for the drawing!

 

Christmas Cowboys on Sale

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I don’t know about you, but I love a good Christmas novella. The holiday season is so busy, that quick reads are about all I have time to squeeze in around all the cooking, wrapping, and decorating.

I’m excited to share two collections of mine that are currently on sale.

The first is a collection of four novellas that follow a family heirloom that is handed down at Christmas time from mother to daughter across the years. It starts in 1820’s England then moves to 1890’s Texas then 1950’s Appalachia then finally to modern day Washington.

If you love sweet Christmas romance with a variety of settings and time periods, this is a great collection.

And even better, the e-book version is on sale for only $1.99!

In my story, “Gift of the Heart,” a widow and her young daughter move to Hope Springs, TX for a fresh start, but with no money to secure a home, Ruth must convince a wealthy resort owner to accept her heirloom brooch as collateral. Will the pin that brought love to three generations soften the heart of a wounded recluse and give Ruth a second chance at love?

This story is a western Christmas re-imagining of the Ruth and Boaz story from the Bible.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

(Sale runs through December 31, 2020.)

 

The second collection is western through and through. This is a two-in-one novella collection that contains my story from The Christmas Heirloom, “Gift of the Heart” along with a separate novella that carries on the legacy of my all-time best-selling Archer Brother series – “An Archer Family Christmas”.

It’s Christmas Eve, 1893, and the entire Archer family has gathered to celebrate the holiday. While the men are off chopping down the perfect Christmas tree, an unexpected request for help leaves Cassandra Archer directly in the path of a dangerous outlaw. Desperate to protect the woman he loves, Jim Archer races to the rescue, only to find that Cassie’s life is not the only one in peril. It will take a Christmas miracle—and the entire Archer clan— to keep a second Archer Christmas from ending in disaster.

This 2-in-1 collection is on sale for only $0.99!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

(Sale runs through December 31, 2020.)

 

Do you prefer Christmas novella or full-length Christmas stories?

Do you read Christmas stories only during the holiday season, or year round?

Reading Challenge for 2020

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I’ve been a book lover my entire life. Yet over the last decade or so, I’ve found that I am reading less and less. With a day job, writing full time, and family/church responsibilities, time is at a premium. Yet I don’t want to lose the pleasure of discovering new characters and adventures inside the covers of unexplored tomes. So I’ve started looking for new motivations to help me keep reading a priority. Last year, I attempted to keep a list of all the books I had read. I think I lost track somewhere around fall, but I did find satisfaction in seeing over 20 books on my list before I stopped keeping count. I know that’s small potatoes for many of you, but it was encouraging to me.

This year I’m going to try something with a little more accountability and hopefully a lot of fun. Inspired by many fun reading challenges circulating around social media, I decided to create one for my Facebook group – The Posse. I asked for their input in coming up with the categories, and nearly all the ones you see on my list are iterations of their suggestions. Here’s what we came up with . . .

We tried to create a list with a lot of flexibility to allow for personal taste and interest while still giving us the motivation to try something new or perhaps stretch our literary comfort zone just a bit.

You don’t have to be a Posse member to use this reading challenge, but if you want to participate with other readers and join in the discussion, we’d love to have you! We talk about all kinds of other things, too, including brainstorming ideas for my books. But at the beginning of every month, I’ll be posting the upcoming reading challenge category, and at the end of the month, I’ll create a post where everyone can talk about the book they read, how it fit the category, and what they thought about the story. It’s strictly for fun, so if you need to skip a month or two, that perfectly fine. Just join back in when you can. Personally, I’m hoping to use this as a motivation to read more as well as an accountability piece to keep me going even when life gets busy.

If you’d like to join the Posse and our Reading Challenge – Click Here.

  • Have you ever participated in a Reaching Challenge? Did you enjoy it?
  • Do you have any reading-related book goals for 2020?