Fort Davis, Texas is Rich in Legend

Texas. The entire uniquely-shaped state, boot-deep in  is tall tales and true to life history, has been a 10-gallon source of inspiration for many of those who are passionate about the pen. Myself included.

From the counties of El Paso to Hidalgo and Lipscom to Zavala, in each and every county you're sure to find your share of local lore and legend that some might just swear is based in truth. Take Fort Davis (Jeff Davis County) for example.

In the late 1800's (around 1860) it is rumored that a young Apache girl was found wounded after a skirmish between Cavalry troops stationed at the fort and the local Indian population. She was taken back to the fort and the mother of Lt. Tom Eason (Mrs. Eason) took her in and named her Emily, nursing her back to health and allowing her a home on the post - where she grew up and fell in love with Tom.

Tom's feelings for her were not returned and he instead married a white girl, after which Emily slipped away and rejoined her band. After learning of a major attack planned on the fort, Emily stole away again in the night, this time to the fort to warn her love of the impending assault. She was mortally wounded by a nervous sentry.

She died, but not before professing her love for Tom again and warning of the attack, thus saving many soldiers' lives. Maybe Tom's included. She was buried in the post cemetery. But Emily's story doesn't end there. 

Fort Davis was abandoned in 1891 and all of those entombed there relocated to San Antonio . . . except Emily. After having her story confirmed by a one-time Lieutenant named Henry O. Flipper who spent time at the fort, the state of Texas erected a marker in her memory. In 36 words, it told of the of her love for a soldier and her death because of it that saved old Fort Davis from massacre. 

The marker has been since removed and placed in storage, with access limited to the purported site of her burial and counter-rumors flying, swearing her story is pure fiction. 

Me? I saw the marker as a young girl when visiting the fort with my parents. I have gone back in search of it as an adult only to find it gone. 

So, if federal agents won't let us have our romantic legends, it is up to us to keep them alive in the pages of a book. Which is precisely why I wrote the four-book Saga of Indian Em'ly. The first in this series is out now and titled The Apache and the Pale Face Soldiers. 

So real or fake? It's up to you to decide. However to quote the editor of the Shinbone Star  in the last scene with John Wayne's remains in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, "When the legend becomes fact . . . Print the legend."

Four Authors, Four Stories, Four Challenges

By Kathleen Rice Adams

Regardless how easy some authors make fiction-writing look, all of us struggle with something in every story.

Take “Making Peace,” my contribution to the new Prairie Rose Publications anthology Cowboy Cravings, for example. The hero, Bennett Collier, is the elder brother of Amon Collier, the hero from “The Big Uneasy” in Lassoing a Mail-Order Bride. The brothers’ relationship composed a significant subplot in “The Big Uneasy,” and “Making Peace” puts a period on the end of that relationship’s sentence. My challenge lay in ensuring both stories could a) stand alone as complete, satisfying reads in their own right, and b) be read in any order without one giving away too many of the other’s secrets. That second point was particularly vexing, since “The Big Uneasy” provided backstory for “Making Peace.” In situations like that, there’s a delicate balance between revealing too much and leaving readers confused by revealing too little.

I understand it’s common among authors to know their characters and stories so well that they think they’ve made things clear when they haven’t. Readers will have to let me know whether I accomplished my goal with “Making Peace.”

Turns out, all four of the authors who contributed to Cowboy Cravings faced at least one issue that proved challenging, but in the end each of us became stronger for having faced her demon head-on.

Here are the problems each author faced, along with her solution:

‘Hearts and Diamonds,’ by Cheryl Pierson

Revenge sets Nick Diamond after a bride, and nothing will stand in his way. But when that bride happens to be outspoken firebrand Liberty Blankenship, all bets are off. Anything can happen when Hearts and Diamonds collide!

I think for “Hearts and Diamonds,” the hardest thing was the love scene. In a short story, it’s really tough to create a love scene that “moves along” rapidly with people who don’t really know one another. So I gave Nick and Libby a “sort of” shared background—they remember one another, but he’s several years older than she is, and they’ve lost track of one another.

Something else that helped the love scene was the fact that she was marrying someone she wasn’t in love with—and Nick reminds her of that. She lets him know, even though she might not have been in love with [villain] Carlton Ridgeway, at least she could have hoped for respectability. That plants a seed in his mind...this might just work. Because, Nick had planned to give her that, too, all along—unless she wanted an annulment.

Because a short story is so limited on word count, the love scene I wrote was one that got the point across heatedly, without going into the details of how each part of the sex they had was accomplished. And, because they share this wedding night, when the next crisis happens, they’re already emotionally closer than they’ve been when we left them the night before in their ...ahem...passion. So it was finding the right way to move the relationship along without having it seem unrealistic that was the most difficult thing for me with this story.

‘Starr Bright,’ by Celia Yeary

A stubborn rancher, a Spanish beauty...and the Texas summer heats up.

Any time we take a character—or characters—from previous stories, we try to keep them as true to their original personality and looks as possible. This shouldn’t be too difficult, unless, in my case, I used two characters who were not in the same story. In “Starr Bright,” I used Starr Hidalgo in all her glory, but I paired her with Conrad Taylor who was a character in another novel, another decade. In my mind, these two should be paired, no matter what. Since dates aren’t generally added to novels, I knew no one would ever figure that out...or care.

‘Lily and Mesquite Joe,’ by Kristy McCaffrey

Lily Kingston has long loved Mesquite Joe Riordan. Facing the truth of his past will test her resolve, but only her stubbornness can win his heart.

I wrote “Lily and Mesquite Joe” well over two years ago as a submission for Harlequin Historicals Undone, the online short-story branch of this popular series of books. It was rejected due to lack of characterization. Besides being bummed about the reject, I was completely stumped. I honestly couldn't figure out how to fix the story because I wasn’t really sure where the problem lay. So, I set it aside and let it collect cyber-dust.

When the submission call for Cowboy Cravings came, that story started waving its hand at me—pick me, pick me. Prairie Rose Publications welcomed it into the family, and kind-hearted editor Cheryl Pierson gave it a once-over, then a twice-over, and, I believe, a thrice-over. My hero, Joe Riordan, needed work, and with Cheryl’s guidance I began to see the issues that plagued the tale.

In the end, Cheryl helped me redeem Joe, and when that finally happened I had that “aha” moment of why the story was denied so long ago. So, while rejection naturally makes all of us writers run crying to our beds with a box of doughnuts, it helps to remember that finding the right home for a story is important for the health and well-being of that creation. We want to find a place where our writing can flourish. Lily and Mesquite Joe found their way into the world at last.

So… Here are my questions:

Authors, have you ever encountered a challenge that dogged you all the way through a story? How did you resolve the issue?

Readers, have you ever encountered a story in which you recognized an author’s struggle? Maybe something just didn’t seem quite “right.” How did that affect your relationship with the story?

As a thank you for taking the time to comment today, I’ll give away an e-copy of the winner’s choice from among the four Prairie Rose summer anthologies: Lassoing a Bride, Lassoing a Groom, Lassoing a Mail-Order Bride, or Cowboy Cravings. No matter which you choose, I promise you’ll get some excellent summer reading by some of the best western historical romance authors writing today. (Why yes, thank you, I am the very epitome of modesty.  <grin>) Be sure to leave a contact method in your answer!

Craving a cowboy on these hot summer nights? Here are four stories that are sure to turn up the heat! If you love tall, dark, and handsome cowboys with a touch of danger thrown in, and the ladies that show them they've met their match, Cowboy Cravings is a must-have. Fast guns, smooth action, and hot love sizzle in one delicious recipe for these spicy stories. The summer has never been hotter in the Old West than it is when you have to satisfy those COWBOY CRAVINGS!

Four great summer reads!

 

            

PRP New Release -- Cowboy Cravings--Giveaway

Prairie Rose Publications is giving away an ecopy of COWBOY CRAVINGS to one random person who comments on this blog.

Craving a cowboy on these hot summer nights? Here are four stories that are sure to turn up the heat! If you love tall, dark, and handsome cowboys with a touch of danger thrown in, and the ladies that show them they've met their match, COWBOY CRAVINGS is a must have! Fast guns, smooth action, and hot love sizzle in one delicious recipe for these spicy stories! The summer has never been hotter in the old west than it is when you have to satisfy those COWBOY CRAVINGS!

HEARTS AND DIAMONDS—Cheryl Pierson
Revenge sets Nick Diamond after a bride, and nothing will stand in his way. But when that bride happens to be outspoken firebrand Liberty Blankenship, all bets are off. Anything can happen when Hearts and Diamonds collide!

STARR BRIGHT—Celia Yeary
A stubborn rancher, a Spanish beauty...and the Texas summer heats up.

LILY AND MESQUITE JOE—Kristy McCaffrey
Lily Kingston has long loved Mesquite Joe Riordan. Facing the truth of his past will test her resolve, but only her stubbornness can win his heart.

MAKING PEACE—Kathleen Rice Adams
A Confederate soldier. A Jayhawker’s widow. An accidental passion that could mend the wounds of war.

Links:

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cowboy-cravings-cheryl-pierson/1119742762

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/449153

    

Kindle                  Trade Paperback

          

Her Hurry-Up Husband ~Tanya Hanson

HER HURRY-UP HUSBAND by Tanya Hanson...

A beautiful socialite needs a husband fast—for just one month—but the handsome rancher wants a wife for life!

A quick peak at my latest release and the brand new anthology, Lassoing a Mail-Order Bride!

I hope you like Elspeth and Hezekiah’s love story!

BLURB:

Prim and proper socialite Elspeth Maroney flees from an indiscretion to the Wild West of Colorado as a mail order bride. She doesn’t plan to stay long, only a month. Rancher Hezekiah Steller needs a wife quick to get himself an heir, but despite his rush, nerves rattle. What will the stagecoach deliver to his doorstep?

Their worlds collide deliciously until Ellie must confess her mistakes. Will Hez still want her tomorrow?

Buy Link

EXCERPT::

For a quick second, Hezekiah considered jumping on the train and riding it to Utah. The iron bench he sat on was harder than any boulder, colder than a long night in a line shack. What had he done?

His heart thumped so hard it hurt and all but broke a rib when the woman departing the train came into eyeshot

.

A woman wrapped in a black cloak like a bat closing its wings. A woman with hair so white she could have been the snow queen in a fairy tale. And so old she could have mothered Methuselah.

Good Lord, had the telegraph operator in Omaha meant 91, not 21?

The conductor gently loaded her onto the platform, and Hez prayed for death.

“Great granny? Great granny?”

A herd of Hunsakers ran from behind their worn-out wagon, all nine of ’em grabbing the old lady close. Life returned to Hez’s bloodstream.

But his heart stopped again when he heard the conductor call out his name.

“Hezekiah Steller? This lady’s looking for you.”

It was happening for real. Hez, heart stopped, plodded forward like he was that old woman’s man. Until the conductor pulled another female outside and unwrapped the long linen duster passengers wore to keep away the coal dust.

Beneath the grimy coat stepped his bride. Like an angel bursting forth from a bank of clouds. Like a dream coming true. Her beauty astonished him; her tiny waist brought on sweet relief. And Hez realized his life would never be the same. Realized he just might never breath normal again.

“How do, ma’am.” He tried to speak but no sound came forth.

www.TanyaHanson.com

Linda Broday: A Cowboy's Life on the Frontier

For many of us, if you're like me, we’re unsure about the cowboy’s job on an early day ranch other than the obvious of working the cattle. Years ago, I wanted to learn about the other chores involved because I wanted my cowboy to be realistic. So I went looking......

The cowboy’s job began just as the first rays of dawn were breaking and he didn’t crawl out of saddle until after dark. The days were long and the work was hard. But the cowboy loved his life. It was in his blood. He didn’t “work” for the ranch; he “rode for the brand” and he was very loyal to the animals entrusted in his care and to the one who employed him.

But let’s get back to daily life.

Upon “rolling out” of the sack, a few of the men would saddle their mounts and round up the scattered band of ponies that had wandered near and far, grazing during the night and herd them into the corral while the cook set about making breakfast. The outfit would fill their bellies then carry their saddles and bridles to the corral and mount up. (On cold days the compassionate cowboy would warm the bit for a second before putting it in the horse’s mouth. I’m sure it was appreciated.) Once mounted, the wrangler would get to the business of checking the herds and looking for signs of trouble. The cattle required constant care and vigilance.

Daily chores in addition to riding herd on the cattle:

Keeping horses shod and in good physical shape

Gentling horses

Branding Cattle

Repairing saddles and wagons

Mending ropes and harnesses

Cleaning their guns

Skinning carcasses of any cattle that died and drying hides

Riding fence and repairing any downed ones

In general, doing whatever the foreman asked, be it painting and fixing up or putting out bait to catch or kill any predators that threatened the stock.

Simply put, when he was on the time clock, the cowboy was at the beck and call of his employer.

Life was much easier in warm weather. Spring and fall saw roundups and trail drives. Once the cattle drives were a thing of the past sometime in the 1880’s, the cowboys drove cows to the nearest railroad shipping point. A note of interest: The biggest year for Texas cattle drives was 1871 when more than 700,000 cattle were driven up the trails from Texas.

In the mountainous areas, the saddle wranglers would herd the cattle twice a year to summer or winter ranges for better grazing. They used the high country in summer because it was normally a little cooler. The low country was preferred in winter as it wasn’t usually as cold. Of course, on the plains I’m sure they had no need to shift the herds since the land was flat.

Part of the cowboys’ duties was to inspect the herds to see if they had enough food and water. They also directed the cattle away from any patches of known loco weed. This was called “outriding.” In addition, the outriders “rode sign” to determine if any cattle had strayed too far from the herd and if so to turn them back. They looked for bogged down steers or horses, laid traps for coyotes and wolves, and kept their eyes open for signs of rustling. And the outriders “blabbed young calves that were too old to be nursing their mothers. This involved clipping a board onto the calf’s nose. It allowed the animal to graze but not to nurse. Usually, this was only done in the case of a lusty calf with an emaciated mother. It allowed the mother to gain weight.

Outriders also kept on the lookout for diseased or injured animals. When they found any, the cowboy either inspected and treated the animal or destroyed it.

Mother Nature brought her own set of problems. Lightning and prairie fires were the most feared. But there were also gullywashers that could trap scores of cattle in flash floods; tornadoes and cyclones; and drought and freezing temperatures that could devastate entire herds. The bottom line was protecting and saving the cattle. They were money on the hoof.

Winter brought some of the cowboys’ hardest work. They lived in “line camps” which were outpost cabins situated on the far reaches of the ranch. And the punchers who wintered there were called line riders. The difference in line riders and outriders was the fact that line riders had a specific area to patrol whereas outriders roamed everywhere. The line rider’s main job was looking after their herd. They made sure the cattle had food and water and protected them from hungry coyotes and wolves. Whatever it took to get the herd through the freezing winter months that’s what they did. It was lonely boring work for the line rider and they were always grateful for springtime when they could rejoin their fellow cow punchers.

To sum it up, the cowboys’ job consisted of doing whatever they could to make the ranch run smoothly and turn a profit.

According to the book “The Cowboy” by Philip Ashton Rollins (which is excellent by the way,) in the late 1800’s top hands earned $40.00 a month. Lesser hands were paid $25.00 and upward. Foremen earned $10 to $40 over and above what the top hands drew. And they were all given free room and board. That wasn’t much money for what was expected of them.

I’m curious about why we think the cowboys’ life was and still is so glamorous, why we’re attracted to men who ply that trade. Or is it simply that it’s hard dangerous work so the men have to be tough as nails to survive on the unforgiving land. We want them to dig in their heels and face life head on no matter the challenges. And the women too. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN YOUR CAREER -- OOOPS, SPENDING MONEY! By Gail L. Jenner

Many writers bemoan the fact that they have to invest -- OOOPS, spend money (!) on their careers -- well before selling a ms. or seeing any results from sales. I was fortunate to have been raised by parents who understood the importance of preparation and schooling and who taught me that to have anything worthwhile, it takes time and sacrifice AND, quite often, money.

That understanding has served me well. First, as a teacher, but for the last many years, as a writer. Most writers recognize the need for computers and technology without a second thought. Unfortunately, for many, the cost of attending conferences or courses, building a platform by speaking and appearing at locations without pay, even donating articles, books and resources while having to spend on other resources, adds up so quickly that they pull back. That hesitation, however, can slow the course of their career and writing opportunities tremendously.

Thankfully, I married a man who, though not a "reader", also supported my growing obsession and said, "Go for it!" Though I had been writing and selling articles and stories for several years, teaching English and history full time while being a very busy rancher's wife and mother of three, etc., meant I was burning my candle at two ends. I think a lot of writers do that, especially in the beginning. But my husband said, "If you really want to write, don't be afraid to quit teaching full time, if that's what you need to do." So I did....

The next step, spending money in the process of writing, came next. My father -- who had passed away by then -- had always said, "Never, NEVER, be afraid to invest in YOURSELF." My mother and family kept reminding me of that. My twin sister and mother even insisted we load up my sister's old pickup truck, and four of our children, and head up to Montana where I was wanting to go for primary research into the history of the Marias Massacre, the background for the novel I was pursuing (ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, which then WON a WILLA Literary Award)! We looked like something out of the Grapes of Wrath :-)   Packed into her 1969 pickup, in August -- with no air conditioning -- we headed north! With four little boys, it was quite an adventure.

But I realized through that endeavor that getting to those locations where you need to SEE, hear, or feel your STORY, is critical. I even suspect that part of the reason the novel went on to win a WILLA Award, from Women Writing the West, was because I had spent so much energy and time researching primary documents and visiting sites that were integral to the story. Hopefully it made the story much more authentic because I was not sitting at home trying to imagine the locations Red Eagle and Liza Ralston struggled against but walking over ground they would have walked....perhaps that's why PRP was also willing to re-release the novel in December 2013 (thank you, Cheryl and Livia)!

After that trip, I also began to see the need to attend more writing conferences and courses. I had already found Women Writing the West and when the conference came to Sacramento, I jumped on board. What a great group! I have since attended at least ten Women Writing the West conferences, and even did a stint as President and WILLA Chair.

Besides meeting the awesome women who people the organization, through WWW, I met the editor for Arcadia Publishing and immediately began a relationship with them, having now sold them four titles. Two of those titles have gone into second printing and the last one my coauthor and I did for them (POSTCARDS FROM THE STATE OF JEFFERSON) was actually one that Arcadia pitched to US! At WWW, I also met the publisher who accepted the ms. for HISTORIC INNS & EATERIES IN THE STATE OF JEFFERSON (Old America Publishing), AND two conferences ago, I met the editor from Globe Pequot who accepted the pitch for ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, just released. ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP is now ranked #57,000 on amazon.com.

I also met the agent I worked with (only for a short time) at a writers' conference. Although the relationship didn't work out, I began to build the confidence that helped me approach other agents and editors at conferences.

I have since attended RWA conferences, PNWA conferences, a Willamette Writers conference, even smaller local and regional conferences. I dragged my husband to L.A. and attended a four-day Screenwriting course because I wanted to jump into that genre, and I traveled to Portland (320 miles north) for six weeks to attend a screenwriting course. Some of my writing friends shook their heads at how willing I was to travel long distances to learn more or seek out new opportunities. Of course, living in a remote, rural area -- I had little choice but to travel!

I began to speak to small writing groups and offered myself to schools in the area, even traveling a couple hours each way, to speak and share; sometimes I sold a book or two, but often sold nothing. I joined a list of historical writers and began writing for our local NPR/JPR station and its quite famous historical essay series (I still contribute 3 small essays each month!). I accepted a "job" as a writer for a new regional publication, JEFFERSON BACKROADS; in exchange for my writing a long piece each month, I "receive" free ads and publicity. This year, I'll be attending the Western Writers of America conference in Sacramento and can't wait to meet writers who have attained such great success as many of them have done!

Another expense that seems to "pay off" includes contests (although I'm quite selective). I've entered many different contests and have placed in a number of them, even winning the cost of registration, presentation at the banquet provided the finalists and winners, and a private pitch session for one of my scripts, through Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA).

Clearly, I consider the cost of attending conferences as a necessary investment in building my career. It provides so many opportunities for meeting and networking that the investment of time and money comes back many times over. I look back and think to myself, "Wow! Had I shrunk from spending the money out of fear or feeling the pinch, I'd have missed so much!" So, if you've hesitated until now, just "Go for it!" Search the internet, find local, regional, or national conferences, or courses you know will expand your horizons, and jump in!

For more about my books, visit my website: www.gailjenner.com
OR http://prairierosepublications.yolasite.com/gail-l-jenner.php
For more about the WILLA Literary Award guidelines/application, visit: http://womenwritingthewest.org/pdffiles/2014_WILLA_guidelines_application.pdf