As an author of historical western romance, I’ve written a lot about criminals and bad men. Even jails on occasion but lots of lawmen. The fact is, I like writing about them.
If you think handcuffs originated in the 18th Century, think again. The earliest metal handcuffs were used during the Bronze and Iron ages with new improvements as the centuries have passed. Maybe you already knew this but I did not. It never occurred to me that metal ones existed before the 18th Century. I assumed they used rope or leather bindings, not metal.
Inventor John J. Tower patented a pair of cuffs in 1865 that were widely used in America. They were ratcheted and therefore adjustable to the size of the criminals’ wrists which was a remarkable adaptation. They allowed a lawman to carry only one pair of cuffs whereas he used to have to carry multiples in various sizes.
The picture below is of Tower’s design and is the courtesy of The Science Museum.
Here is a set of Old West handcuffs that were widely used. Again, courtesy of The Science Museum.
As I said above, I’ve written about a lot of outlaws and criminals. One of my favorite stories was Saving the Mail Order Bride. It was 2nd book in my Outlaw Mail Order Bride series. Outlaw Jack Bowdre finds himself handcuffed to a lawman on a stagecoach on the way to jail when the stage overturns and kills the lawman. There’s one passenger on board, a woman named Nora, who panics and tosses the key to the handcuffs out the window. Jack would like to have wrung Nora’s neck. He’s never able to find the key. This story has so much humor and I just loved writing it. This is not a sweet romance though since it has love scenes.
What makes a book truly memorable? If you’d like to get your name in the drawing for one copy of Saving the Mail Order Bride, let me know in the comments. I’m also giving away one copy of Summer’s Heart which is my latest sweet romance.
Summer’s Heart, Book 2 The McIntyres, came out in January.
Texas, 1882. A suffocating blizzard locks Summer McIntyre inside a small town just as her world blows apart. A strange woman emerges from the storm carrying a baby and a damning accusation—Sheriff Dan Bodine fathered her child. The man Summer meant to marry suddenly seems like a stranger.
While the town is paralyzed under snow and suspicion, Summer receives even more staggering news: her missing little brother is alive, but being held by a deranged woman somewhere in the frozen wilderness. Summer and Dan want nothing more than to ride out and save him, but the storm has sealed every trail and turned the hills into a death trap.
With time running out and trust shattered, Summer must decide whether Dan is the ally she needs—or the heartbreak she can’t outrun.
