On the Texas frontier, justice is a long ride. And love is the most dangerous gamble of all.
Jess’s Reckoning is now up for preorders! Won’t be long until release day on May 12th. I had so much fun with this story as Jess and Abigail find themselves trapped in an outlaw town where death awaits around every corner.
One of the more humorous parts is the fact that newspaperwoman Abigail Farnsworth wears a black wig over her blonde curls in an effort to escape notice. She has access to all sorts of fake wigs, mustaches, and beards through a woman she meets who once traveled across America with an acting troupe.
Research proved extremely helpful and I learned that wigs and artificial facial hair were very prevalent back in the 1800s. Of course, the judges and lawyers wore white wigs like their British counterparts but others wore a variety of colors for different reasons. Hair loss was a big thing back then. Maybe due to bad water, medicines made with opium and alcohol, and lead that was often in food and their homes. They were made of horsehair and other animal hair, sheep’s wool, vegetable fibers, and human hair. Egyptians wore wigs because they shaved their heads. In fact, they were probably the first people to wear them.
There were two different kinds of traveling performers – the medicine show and what was called tent repertoire theater. The medicine shows traveled by wagon out west selling elixirs and mostly fake medicines. They used an actor or two to entertain the crowd while the salesman made the pitch. Tent repertoire theaters were just that—performances in tents that could be pitched anywhere.
In my book the wigs and hair pieces were needed for disguises that helped them move around the outlaw town of Diablo Springs. Once you entered, you were not allowed to leave. Something Jess and Abigail learn too late.
While they’re kept there, they discover Jess’s little sister, the last of his missing siblings to be found. And that only complicates things more. Jess has his work cut out for him and after he’s beaten severely on the head with a hefty club, he’s left with double vision, headaches, and intermittent dizziness. You get the picture. Scary times.
Have you ever worn a wig or hairpiece? If not, would you want one? I have a nice wig that I bought following a botched haircut. I learned firsthand that they’re not all that much fun and I couldn’t wait for my hair to grow out so I could retire the wig. Every so often I get it out for a special occasion. And I also have a purple wig I bought for Halloween. Here’s a picture.
If you haven’t preordered Jess’s Reckoning, CLICK HERE. And if you’d like to read an excerpt, CLICK HERE.
