WISE QUOTES TO INSPIRE and a FREE GIVEAWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER........Gail L. Jenner

Writers are voracious in their appetite for inspiration! For me, one of the things that I find inspiring is the wisdom passed down from the most famous writers --- those individuals who have made a "big splash" in the world. Not only do I enjoy reading their stories --- classics that never fade with time --- I enjoy hearing them speak to us, as writers.

As I was browsing through a recent list of inspirational quotes, I found a number I thought worthy of sharing. Perhaps they will inspire others.

For example, the prolific and dynamic Stephen King wrote:
I try to create sympathy for my characters then turn the monsters loose. - Stephen King
 

Not just obstacles or antagonists or issues and foibles....but monsters? A great inspiration....I have never thought about turning monsters loose in my stories, but why not?


And how often have I struggled to figure out where I'm going in a story, but E. L. Doctorow provides an alternative:
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow 

Along with that..... Faulkner says:
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.– William Faulkner

So --- does that mean don't fret? Don't worry so much about trying to make the story "good" before its time? Leave the critical part of the brain on the shelf until later?

And who can resist listening to Mark Twain? Do we speak the truth or are we liars, one and all???  He insists:  Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use. – Mark Twain 

And Anton Chekov says it beautifully, reminding us that:  My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.

In other words, the truth comes as we move through the story --- letting that inner voice or muse direct our hand. Mayhap that is why the beginning and end are so often vague or redundant or anti-climactic? Some other worthwhile thoughts include the following:
Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.
– Barbara Kingsolver

I like Kingsolver's remarks: It reminds me that I am not just writing for a "market" or sale. I'm writing to say something -- hopefully something that resonates with the reader, something that is unique or timely or universal.

Ayn Rand wrote:  Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.

I agree! It's AS I'm writing that elements of the story become clearer to me: the conflicts or the internal issues my character(s) must overcome seem to percolate as I move through scenes or when I introduce new characters or problems to be solved.

Likewise Conrad makes it clear that: 

A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.  – Joseph Conrad

Isn't it through story that much of what we observe about human life and experience comes to the forefront, driving us as writers and driving our characters through their created universe? Perhaps, as Sidney Sheldon wrote:  A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God.  Does that mean we need be grateful we are not demi-gods in the real world? I think so. We do not have the ANSWERS to life, but we surely must ask the QUESTIONS!

Hemingway also speaks about being a writer and the perception that others may have. I wonder if he spoke "tongue in cheek" when he said: 

 It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.



Also speaking to the issue of quality and value of writing, Herman Melville wrote:
                  To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.   – Herman Melville  Ray Bradbury spoke about the importance of letting characters have their way. Perhaps a reminder that we cannot always control the direction of our stories or our characters' choices in life! He wrote:   First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!
Finally, on the issue or necessity of revision, John Irvin writes:  Half my life is an act of revision.  Hmmmm -- the ugly truth raises its mighty head! REVISION -- the art, the power of it is what makes our stories shine. More reason to leave the critical part of the brain until it's time to begin revising... Well, time for me to return to my sanctuary! But the trip through the mind's eye of great writers really does give me pause and reminds me that writing is more than just a calling...writing well is a craft and requires attention and dedication. Such is my goal.  THANKS for stopping by......Leave a comment....I will be awarding one lucky reader a free copy of JULY'S BRIDE, my novella recently released from Prairie Rose....           -------------------------------------- Gail L. Jenner, a past history and English teacher, began writing at age 9. Inspired by so many writers, one of her greatest thrills is having WON a WILLA Award for Best Softcover Fiction from Women Writing the West, for ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, re-released by Prairie Rose Publications in 2013.    For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O Her newest releases from Prairie Rose include JULY'S BRIDE and JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! She is the author of several stories that have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE, and COWBOY KISSES. She is the coauthor of 5 regional histories and edited and contributed to ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, an anthology of Western rural women's stories.

Five Generations Strong....Ranching is What We Do.... By Gail L. Jenner

Although I've briefly talked about the ranch, I thought I'd delve a little more into its history. Several people have mentioned they enjoy hearing about the ranch. So here's a little more on the Jenner Cattle Company, three generations working together today, representing 3 of the 5 original generations:

L-R: nephew Frank; "Great Papa" Jack (91); brother-in-law John; son Matt; hubby Doug; son Nick.

 The Jenner Cattle Company, Inc., is one of the oldest ranches in Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, California.  For those who think California is the land of beautiful people and beautiful beaches and sun year-round, they have not visited the most northern quadrant of the state! Forty miles from Oregon, we are a rural (very rural) mountain community. We are surrounded by the Klamath National Forest, the Trinity-Salmon Alps, and the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area. The "valley" is perhaps 30 miles long and 6 miles wide. Originally the land of the Shasta, it is still the home of one of the largest tribes in northern California. Neighboring tribes include the Karuk and Yurok (further to the coast).

The first contact with whites dates back to Hudson Bay Company's beaver trappers and early mountain men, circa 1928-30. Stephen Meek, brother to Joseph Meek, is "credited" with putting Scott Valley (then called Beaver Valley) "on the map."  Interestingly, Stephen Meek lived for a time on a part of our ranch, and Old Pop used to recall how the Meek would hang his beaver pelts on our barn to dry in the sun (that would have been in Meek's later years -- around 1900+)... today the beaver are few, but they remain -- rather fascinating to watch how quickly they can build a dam. Only trouble is that we often try to plant trees along the slough and they saw them down very quickly! LOL...

The Jenners' entry into the valley goes back to the days of the gold rush (more on that in a future blog <g>).....the gold rush here followed on the heels of the Sierra Mother Lode "rush," but actually produced as much, if not more gold. Gold was first noted in 1848, but it wasn't until 1850 that the rush north into the Trinity region and beyond took hold. Even today, few people realize that the "northern mines" were as rich as they were, and the gold rush here lasted into the 1900s.

The Wagner Saloon in Etna

Part of the family’s ranching operation has its roots in the Wagner Ranch, purchased by Ignace and Mary Ann (Lichtenthaler) Wagner, both of Alsace, France, in March of 1874 (March 17, 1874). Although Ignace first went to mine in the area of Placerville (then known as "Hangtown" in the Sierras), he soon moved north, with a little bit of gold, as did so many gold seekers. He was a hard-worker and began to look around at how he could make a living for his family; farming and ranching was very profitable in the early days and he had come from farming stock. Later, at least one of his sons ran the Wagner Saloon in Etna. 

Another branch of the family included the Kapplers, who founded the original Etna Brewery--which has been resurrected and has won many micro-brewery awards since its "re-creation" in 1990! The Kapplers were also from Germany, arriving again as part of the gold rush. Settling in Etna, the Kapplers established the brewery and built an ice house and were the first to bring electricity to the town in 1898. Prohibition forced the brewery to close, although the beer did win a Blue Ribbon at the San Francisco Exposition in 1915.

The original farmhouse on the Wagner Ranch was built in 1859, but Ignace soon built a new home on the flat, opposite the old structure. The painting below was done by A. Cedro and stretches a good 4-5 feet across; it shows the layout of the Wagner Ranch in its "heyday."

Note the "horse barn" (still a beautiful and historic barn, on the right....).

The Wagners raised prized horses, including some magnificent Percherons; one even won a Blue Ribbon at the 1915 Exposition. They also raised hogs and apples. Today we still butcher hogs in the same way as did the first Wagners and we smoke our hams, bacon, sausage in the "old smokehouse on the hill." 

Our oldest son - note the "scrapers" to the left of the hog - 150 years old.

We also press cider in the 150-year old family cider press, made from a variety of apples on the ranch (many of which were planted later by my husband while in high school). Both are annual traditions that we have passed on now to the sixth generation. In fact, each Christmas our gift to neighbors, family and friends includes some of our wonderful sausage. Everyone looks forward to the gift!

NOTE: if anyone's interested in the historic and fascinating history of processing pork -- I could do a blog with photos...?

The first Jenner to arrive in Scott Valley was E.P. Jenner, who emigrated from Sussex County, England, in 1849 (again, because of the gold rush!), then founded the Union Flour Mill c. 1864, outside the town of Rough and Ready, now called Etna. With gold miners needing food and supplies, it was E.P.’s nephew, Frank S. Jenner, who followed his uncle to the valley and established a ranch on land straddling the “Island” (land between Scott River and Patterson Creek/slough) in the early 1870s, where rich bottomland produces good feed for cattle. 

This is the view from our living room window.

Today we still raise cattle on these rich pastures and native grasses – which adds to the flavor and nutrition found in our beef. It is 100% All Natural, with no hormones, no antibiotics, and it has a strong reputation as prime and superior beef.

The Jenner family, operating in its fifth generation, is centered around Frank’s original Island property, in addition to the Wagner Ranch, but we have also added to the family’s holdings and cow herd in the years since my husband and his brother joined the business (40+ years). And in the last 15 years, our two sons and nephew have joined the family operation/corporation. But "Grandpa Jack" (now 91) still works a good 8-hour day!

Today we run 1000+ cows and we've moved from raising Hereford to Angus-cross cattle. We calve in the late fall but since we have FOUR seasons (yes, temps drop to well below zero in the winter and we get snow that often lasts for days or weeks). With the valley floor at 2800 feet and the mountains around us peaking at 9,000 feet, we are a beautiful, green, lush valley. It's no wonder that so many immigrants from Germany and Switzerland made this valley their home.
    

In addition, the Island ranch features a lush, natural slough, with roughly 50 acres of ponds and four reservoirs. The area is maintained as a natural preserve where waterfowl and other wildlife congregate year-round. 

In winter, the geese often "skate" along the frozen slough....

We limit hunting in order to protect both wildlife and cattle, so it’s not uncommon to see hundreds, if not thousands, of ducks, geese, herons, even pairs of eagles (both Bald and American Golden) and other bird life, as well as beaver and/or otters, etc. The diversity is amazing and there is rarely a day I don't look out and marvel at the beauty and the fertility of nature. We love our cows, and for those who have wondered, cattle AND wildlife do cohabitate incredibly well. Cattle are natural recyclers; they are also natural fire retardants and can convert otherwise dry material into a powerful food source (like the dry hillsides that ignite in California every summer -- a shame they are no longer used to keep the fire danger down). 

Now that we have the sixth generation coming on, it's been wonderful having our rich family history to pass on -- not only the stories, but the actual "material" culture of a family that has lived on the same land for almost 150 years! And now, even the Jenner "girls" have expanded the family's enterprise; we've created our own business, Jenner Family Beef, which offers beef locally and regionally.

Just this year, Jenner beef is being featured at the new and exclusive Clove & Hoof butcher shop and eatery in Oakland, CA......along with an endorsement by San Francisco's Slow Food group. By expanding what we do, we feel that we can provide for our growing family. With four generations at work now and the next coming on, we hope to maintain our family's rich heritage!

========================================================================
Gail L. Jenner is the wife of Doug Jenner. She considers

her life on the ranch to be almost a dream-come-true!
Keeping the history of five generations alive is another
reason she collects and records local history, in addition
to writing historical fiction....
For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com
OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O
OR: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hlhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hl
She is the author of the PRP release of her WILLA Award-winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS. Her stories have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE, and COWBOY KISSES. She has also coauthored 5 regional histories, and edited and contributed to ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, an anthology of Western rural women's stories.

EASTER, SPRING..... THOUGHTS ON THE SEASON.... By Gail Jenner

As the season of Easter wanes and the season of spring surges ahead, it’s a time when I often ponder the role we play on earth. Is that the spiritual part of my soul or my writer's soul at work? Or both.....?

As writers, I believe we have a responsibility to think about the role we play in the world of words and thought. Is it merely to entertain—which is certainly motivation enough to write—or is it also to impart something significant to our readers?

It has to be acknowledged, that whether it’s "truth" or a reflection of the truth, or the desire to move the hearts of those who take in our stories—there is something quite powerful about the written word.

The following passage came to me in an email this week and it struck me as true for us, as writers, not just because it is a spiritual truth, but because it raises a practical and ethical or moral question, too:

“A man’s [or woman's] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].”         ~   Proverbs 18: 20

 I decided to post the quote on my desktop and so have been glancing at it all week. Last night I decided that even the most trivial story carries an element of something deeper, or does it?  Are we satisfied with the words we select and with the stories and/or themes we portray? Is it any accident that certain stories resonate with us and demand to be heard?

Do we write about redemption? Vengeance, and the consequences of it? The battle between what our characters want or need? Do we write about love—lost, forgotten, stolen, recovered? Or about a time in history when people thought not about the consequences of their actions—eg; how we've destroyed or tormented or conquered? History is full of these stories and as I look through our own Prairie Rose titles, I'm struck by how many of us seem to incorporate them into our writing, as well.


Clearly, themes are important to most of us. I know they are to me. Even as a young person reading (and I have always loved historicals, biographies, autobiographies, and history), I often looked to stories for insight into the human heart or soul, or into the conflicts that ripped brother against brother or nation against nation...As a teacher of history, these themes came up in my teaching all the time, too. I wanted my students to dig deeper into the "facts" and find the human story, whether good or bad.

Thus, authors, through their stories, are empowered to share what it takes to survive, how men AND women can overcome the odds..... Or how, sometimes, we are crippled by or left bare by the devastation that people have suffered through history. 

Perhaps that's why we carry the "burden" of speaking to the hearts and minds of our readers, hoping that they derive more than just a good story from our words!

Easter—a season of redemption—and spring—the season of rebirth:  great themes for our own personal journeys and also for our characters.

In my first novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, several of my characters (Red Eagle, Liza, Crying Wind, Liza’s father) are involved in their personal journeys of discovering not only what they need, but also in recovering that which was lost: an unknown past; a connection to a people torn apart by violence and prejudice and war; a love that was almost lost, then found; and a people who overcame what was taken from them. It was also a story of how hate and bigotry can tear apart the soul and the flesh...

In part, these very themes were what drew me "into the original story." After doing an enormous amount of research with the intent of writing nonfiction, I found myself thinking about what each of these people had to lose or gain by the events that led to the infamous and tragic Marias Massacre of the Blackfeet in Montana. A rarely shared event that left 173 innocent people dead in the middle of a bitterly cold January morning...

Those questions provided the impetus to turn the mass of facts I had collected into historical fiction.

It became imperative that I communicate more than just the facts. It became imperative that I build characters that were aching or searching to know more, to find more, to overcome....even to love more. To find wholeness in the face of death and pain and loss...Perhaps, in truth, to be reborn.

Gail L. Jenner is the author of the WILLA Award-winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, republished by Prairie Rose Publishing, as well as the author of several short stories, the historical novel, BLACK BART: THE POET BANDIT, and 5 nonfiction regional histories.

THE WESTERN COWGIRL -- MYTH, LEGEND, HISTORY by Gail L. Jenner

           As children, we often impersonate heroes. For many of us of the 1950s-60s generation, that probably included cowboys and Indians, or, possibly, cowgirls. Although not raised on a ranch, I loved Annie Oakley and I recall my very special Annie Oakley outfit that I got one year—and that I ruined when I foolishly ate a big ripe olive off of our olive tree (not knowing that they are bitter and contain a black bitter juice that STAINS!). 

Unbelievably, while checking on ebay for one like it, I found it,  the 

exact outfit--going for $225! Surely my parents didn't pay more than

a few dollars for it...

            No one in my family thought it out of character when I actually married my fourth-generation cowboy rancher fourteen years later. In short order I became a rancher’s wife and cattlewoman. I still work with my husband as often as I can, I ride (even tried my hand at barrel racing for fun, but mostly help work/move cows or ride in the mountains), I wear jeans and boots and have even taken up training my own horse, along with writing and teaching school, raising children (and chickens, too, over the years), raising a large garden, and cooking for "the guys" almost daily. I have become a ranching woman in the last 44 years, and nothing could pry me away from my life here in this rugged mountain valley.  But, though I would love to call myself a cowgirl, the label has to be reserved for the most dashing of Western women, the real cowgirls. 

I live around many of them—some who have ranched independently their entire lives—women, like Jessie, who, at 92, still spends all day outside with her cows, or Nancy—who took over the family ranch as a young woman and has remained at the helm for more than 25 years. Nothing deters these often quiet but resolute women.

             

But cowgirls have been with us for generations, and a number of women have held registered brands in Texas since the late 1700s. In 1795, a list of ranchers “legitimately engaged in the business of raising cattle,” included ten women. According to records, these ten held title “to more than one if five of the early cattle spreads.”

            One Spanish Doña, Doña Rosa Hinojosa de Ballí, inherited 55,000 acres of land in  in 1790.  She raised cattle, horses, sheep and goats and grew her ranch to over one million acres. Another, Doña Maria del Carmen Calvillo, inherited her ranch in 1814, and was said “to have cut a fine figure as she flew across her lands on her white stallion!” Moreover, she was “a superb rider and markswoman...noted for her flowing black hair, her scandalous male attire and her financial success.”

            Other early cattlewomen included pioneer women like Ann Burke who emigrated from Ireland with her husband to ranch in Texas. Sadly, her husband died on the voyage, but Ann—who delivered her first child one hour after landing on the Texas coast—went forward with their dream, raising cattle and horses on their large land grant.

            Mary Ann "Molly" Goodnight, married to Charles, helped establish the famous JA Ranch and rode the trail to Dodge City twice. Molly also owned her own herds, in addition to those she co-owned with her husband. She became known as the Mother of the Panhandle.

           

 Interestingly, it was the western frontier that first established the rights of married women to own land or earn their own income.  In 1849 in California, lawmakers hoped that by improving property laws, they could attract more women to the rough and tumble mining regions.  Of course, along with improved property laws, there followed fairly “loose” divorce laws so that a number of women—after arriving as brides—divorced and went on to become their own bosses and entrepreneurs.  In Helena, Montana, in the 1860s -70s, it is said that for every three marriages granted, there was one divorce.

             

The lure of owning land, therefore, was ample reason for many women to travel west and take up homesteads or acquire land grants, even to the chagrin of many men who thought the Homestead Act far "too equitable!" Across the Midwest, single, divorced, even married women pursued their dream for owning and working their own land.  Without being "feminists," they established a reputation as competent and respected landowners.

            Throughout the West, cattlewomen and cowgirls continued to take up the rope and saddle. Most were girls raised on the family ranches who often inherited their holdings. Between 1875 and 1900, in fact, approximately 250,000 ran their own farms and ranches while millions worked alongside husbands or fathers on their multigenerational spreads. Even Buffalo Bill Cody wrote, in 1899: “What we want to do is give our women even more liberty than they have. Let them do any kind of work that they see fit, and if they do it as well as men, give them the same pay.”

            Annie Oakley, the cowgirl star of the Old West, who actually appeared as “ladylike” off the stage—and never as a floozy—nevertheless, embodied the first national image of the sharp-shooting cowgirl.

Her skills of marksmanship rivaled any man's, and she was revered during her day and seen as a western icon; that image was not mythological or contrived, even if it was staged. Her fame brought recognition to what many western women were capable of.

         

Cowgirls also became part of the rodeo circuit. Daredevil cowgirls, like Vera McGinnis, rode standing on her horse, at a hard gallop in a race called The Drunken Ride, at the Pendleton Roundup in Oregon. Kitty Canutt became the "Champion Lady rider of the World" on a horse called "Winermucca" in Rawling, WY, in 1919. There were even female rodeo bulldoggers.  About Fox Hastings--born Eloise Fox-- who ran away from home at age 14 to ride bucking stock, it was written (in 1929): "To the rodeo crowd she is Fox Hastings, cowgirl extraordinary. To neighbors, she is Mrs. Mike Hastings, a good cook and tidy housekeeper." 

       

 As writers of the western tradition, we should be sure and not reduce the cowgirl to myth. Complex and multifaceted, they were women of unique qualities and character. And for urban readers, it's important to recognize that though these historical figures are legendary,  the cowgirl is as real today as she was 150 years ago; she is a powerful and important part of our Western cultural inheritance. 

Gail L. Jenner is the author ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, recently re-released by Prairie Rose Publications.


She has also coauthored five nonfiction regional histories and has contributed to a number of anthologies, including ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP (GlobePequot/Two Dot), also Prairie Rose's LASSOING A BRIDE, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, and COWBOY KISSES. She writes for NPR/JPR's historical series and for JEFFERSON BACKROADS, a monthly regional publication. She is also a co-partner in the family's "all female" online business, JENNER FAMILY BEEF.

As a ranching wife, Gail is an active CattleWoman and works hard to share a better understanding of life on a ranch. She has presented at various conferences on issues and challenges faced by agriculturalists in this modern world. Most of all, she loves the life that she shares with her cowboy husband, her children, and her grandchildren--who now represent the 6th generation on this family-owned operation. She and her husband live in the original family homestead, a house built c. 1870.......And she's still bemoaning the loss of her Annie Oakley outfit!