Madame Blavatsky

By Kristy McCaffrey

Madame Blavatsky

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was an unconventional figure to emerge from the Victorian era, a time of high morals and puritanical behavior. Born in Russia in 1831, she was self-educated and widely-traveled, developing an interest in Western esotericism during her teenage years. She also claimed to be a psychic.

The rise of science in the 19^th century had had a paradoxical effect—it undermined faith in Christianity and the literal word of the Bible while also creating an enormous void for an explanation to the mysteries of the universe. People became caught up in table-rapping, materialization, séances, clairvoyance, palmistry, and crystal-gazing.

In 1849, Blavatsky visited Europe, the Americas, and India, and it was during this period that she encountered a group of spiritual adepts known as the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom. They sent her to Tibet where she developed her psychic powers. Many critics dispute these claims, saying she fabricated these travels.

The emblem of Theosophy

By the 1870’s, Blavatsky was involved in the Spiritualist movement, supporting the existence of Spiritualist phenomena (making contact with elementals and spirits). In 1875, she co-founded the Theosophical Society, describing Theosophy (wisdom of the gods) as “the synthesis of science, religion and philosophy.” Based heavily on occult teachings and Eastern religions, her work in the Theosophy movement influenced the spread of Hindu and Buddhist ideas in the West, with some Theosophists becoming Buddhists.

According to Blavatsky’s biographer, Marion Meade, people across the globe furiously debated whether the medium was “a genius, a consummate fraud, or simply a lunatic.” Madame Blavatsky had professed to be a virgin, but in fact, she had two husbands and an illegitimate son. She claimed to be an apostle of asceticism but smoked up to two hundred cigarettes a day and swore like a soldier. She was considered an enlightened guru while at the same time ridiculed as a fraudulent charlatan and plagiarist, but there is no doubt that she her ideas eventually led to the New Age movement in the 1970’s.

Blavatsky died of influenza in 1891 at the age of 59 in the home of her disciple and successor, Annie Besant.

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THE MISSOURI MULE

EQUUS CABALLUS (female horse) + EQUUS ASINUS (male donkey) =
 

THE MISSOURI MULE

Mules have been bred and used for centuries as draft, pack, and riding animals. Mules are mentioned in the Bible and appear in Assyrian bas-relief.

Here in Missouri, we consider the mule ours. The first mention of mules in Missouri can be found in newspaper articles printed during the early Santa Fe trading expedition. Between 1870 and 1900, Missouri was the leading breeder in number and quality. In 1889, there were 34,500 mules foaled in the state of Missouri alone out of a total 117,000 in the United States. Of the 330,000 sold, Missouri alone supplied 68,300.

The Missouri Mule was adopted as the state animal of Missouri on May 31, 1995. Nearly two hundred years before, the mule was already making a huge impact on the state. From the early 1800s to the early 1900s the mule played a central role in farming and land development. In 1870, Missouri was the largest mule-holding state in the nation, a position it held until 1900.

The typical Missouri Mule is a cross between a mare of a draft breed and a mammoth jack. This cross produces a stout, strong animal that is more easily managed and more agile than his draft horse cousins.

With its short thick head, long ears, thin limbs, small narrow hooves, and short mane, the mule shares characteristics of a donkey. In height and body, shape of neck and rump, uniformity of coat, and teeth, it appears horse-like. The mule comes in all sizes, shapes and conformations. There are mules that resemble huge draft horses, sturdy quarter horses, fine-boned racing horses, shaggy ponies and more.

The mule inherits from its sire the traits of intelligence, sure-footedness, toughness, endurance, disposition, and natural cautiousness. From its dam it inherits speed, conformation, and agility. Mules exhibit a higher cognitive intelligence than their parent species.

A mule does not sound exactly like a donkey or a horse. Instead, a mule makes a sound that is similar to a donkey's but also has the whinnying characteristics of a horse (often starts with a whinny, ends in a hee-haw). Sometimes, mules are known to whimper.

Handlers “generally find mules preferable to horses because they show more patience under the pressure of heavy weights, their skin is harder and less sensitive, rendering them more capable of resisting sun and rain. Their hooves are harder than horses', and they have a natural resistance to disease and insects. Many farmers of clay soil also found mules superior as plow animals.”

Mules come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, from minis under 50 lbs. to maxis over 1,000 lbs. Mules’ coats come in the all the varieties as those of horses—sorrel, bay, black and grey, white, roans (both blue and red) palomino, dun and buckskin, even paint, though they’re much less common. And appaloosa mares produce mules with even wilder colors than their horse cousins.

19 hands, 1,900 pounds of mule

Professor Melvin Bradley, an enthusiast who has researched the mule's legacy says, "They farmed our land, hauled our lumber, drained our swamps, took us to church and war. Now we're having fun with them."

Mules have been a favorite of our nation's leaders as well. George Washington was an excellent horseman, but felt horses "ate too much, worked too little, and died too young". In order to obtain an animal that better suited his needs, Washington imported jackstock from Spain and France and began breeding mules.

And Missouri native, President Harry S. Truman, often bragged about the superior qualities of the Missouri Mules. Proud to be the son of a horse and mule dealer, Truman invited a four-mule hitch from his hometown of Lamar to drive in his 1948 inaugural parade up Pennsylvania Avenue.

Terms:

Draft Mule = mule offspring from a draft horse mare
Gelding = castrated stallion/jack
Hinny = hybrid of a stallion and a jenny
Horse Mule = proper term for a male mule
Jack = intact male donkey
Jenny = female donkey
John = informal term for a male mule
Mammoth Jack = jack at least 56" tall at the withers
Mare = female horse
Mare Mule = proper term for a female mule
Molly = informal term for a female mule
Mule = hybrid of jack and a mare
Muleskinner = driver of a hitch of mules
Stallion = intact multiplemale horse

http://www.cvm.missouri.edu/org/muleclub/facts.html

Resources: 

http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/animals/mo_mule.htm

http://www.lyndonirwin.com/mule5.htm

Wikipedia

                                                          

Available Now from Amazon!

Tracy Garrett

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HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE CHINA SERVICE

There is nothing quite as lovely as a table set with fine linens and beautiful dishes. Growing up at home, Mom always made a fuss about holidays and birthdays by setting the family table with her Noritake Azalea pattern china given to her as a wedding gift from my grandmother McNeal. At these occasions, Mom would also bring out the silver flatware and linen napkins. The festive and beautiful table setting made these celebrations even more special. Well, this was just my family’s way of celebrating, but a presidential dinner with foreign dignitaries or a state dinner would require the finest china, silver, and linens that can be acquired or made.

1789

When George Washington began his presidency in 1789, the government appropriated funds for a house in New York City, the nation’s capital at that time. Dinnerware likely consisted of English and Chinese exports, readily available and commonly used in the Federal period.

George Washington China

Pre-1814

Before Congress appropriated funds for china after the 1814 fire destroyed the Presidents House, presidents used a mix of both personal and common china. The selection of White house china for each president is one of the duties of the First Lady.

1817

It was President James Monroe who ordered the first dinner service created specifically for official use by an American president. China makers Dagoty and Honor of Paris manufactured the 30 specially decorated place settings and matching dessert service, which cost $1,167.23. A handsome eagle with wings spread, designated in the shipping list as the arms of the United States was at the center of each plate. Five vignettes with an amaranth border represent Strength, the Arts, Commerce, the Sciences and Agriculture.

Monroe China

1833

President Andrew Jackson purchased a new china service in 1833 with marbleized blue border and an ascendant eagle. The government purchased the 440-piece dinner set and 412-piece dessert set from L. Veron & Co. of Philadelphia at a cost of $2,500.

Jackson China

1846

The Polk porcelain china service of 1846 was manufactured by Edouard D. Honor in Paris and purchased from the merchants Alexander Stewart & Co. in New York City. Both dinner and dessert services consisted of 40 pieces and cost $979.40. The dinner plate featured a shield of the United States behind a ribbon bearing the national motto at the top of the plate and had a lobed rim molded and gilded in a scroll design. The 120 dessert plates displayed a wide selection of boldly painted flowers.

1853

When President Franklin Pierce dedicated the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City in July 1853, a porcelain display by Haughwout & Dailey impressed him and soon afterwards an order was made for a 241-piece White House dining service costing $536.24. The dinner plate had a scalloped edge, dark rim, stippled border and a dark line enclosing the border.

Pierce China

1861

When Abraham Lincoln was president, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, went to New York City and ordered new china from E.V. Haughwout & Co. The 190-piece china set, produced by Haviland & Co. in Limoges, France, was delivered in September 1861 and cost $3,195. The distinctive dinner plate has a royal purple border lined with gold dots and edged with a gold cable design. A version of the arms of the Unites States is painted in enamel colors in the center of the plate.

Lincoln China

1869

In 1869 President and Mrs. Julia Dent Grant authorized Washington, D.C. dealer J.W. Boteler & Bro. to order china from Haviland and Co. in Limoges, France. Delivered to the White House in February 1870, the 587-piece service cost $3,000. The dinner plate had a buff band framed by gold and black lines overlaid with flowers in different colors and a version of the Great Seal of the United States in red and gold.

Grant China

1879

First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes wanted to commemorate North American flora and fauna in her new White House china and commissioned artist Theodore R. Davis to create 130 designs for the set. Cost for the order came to $3,120. Davis designs were so lifelike that Washington socialite Clover Adams observed that when she dined at the White House she could hardly eat soup peacefully if she had to watch a coyote leap at her from behind a pine tree.

Hayes China

1891

First Lady Caroline Harrison enjoyed painting china as a hobby and was interested in acquiring a new set of china for the White House. The design featured a wide, dark blue border decorated in gold with corn and golden rod, a symbol of American agriculture and as a tribute to the Harrisons home state of Indiana. At the center was the arms of the United States. Washington, D.C. china importers M.W. Beveridge filled the order, and the china was manufactured by Tressemannes & Vogt of Limoges, France. The new 288-piece china set cost $732.00 and arrived at the White House in December 1891.

Harrison China

Pre-20th Century

Until the 20th century, the brilliant presentation of dessert, which included a tremendous variety of sweets, fruits, ice creams, and nuts, was a sign of a home’s sophistication and social status. Baskets, coolers, and china sets of elegantly decorated porcelain bowls were needed to stage this key and often breathtaking last course. Every presidential china service ordered in the nineteenth century included a beautiful dessert service.

1901

In the summer of 1901 First Lady Ida McKinley granted permission to Abby Gunn Baker to research and write the first history of the White House china. Ms. Baker (1860-1923) was a journalist who wrote articles on White House china for popular magazines. She assisted First Lady Edith Roosevelt in selecting pieces of White House china from the collections of earlier presidents and displaying them in custom made cabinets in a hallway on the ground floor of the White House.

1903

President Theodore and First Lady Edith Roosevelt wanted their set of official china to be manufactured in the United States. However, when Knowles, Taylor and Knowles Pottery Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio received the Roosevelt china order, it turned down the purchase request on grounds that it was too large and filling it would unsettle their business. The china was manufactured instead by Wedgwood in Great Britain and ordered from Van Heusen Charles Co. of Albany, New York. The 1,344-piece set, decorated with the Great Seal of the United States, with a border pattern of gilt bands and lines called Ulanda by Wedgwood, cost $8,094 and arrived at the White House in 1903. Mrs. Roosevelt began displaying past sets of official state china in a museum setting by having them placed in a specially-made cabinet by Gustav Stickley on the ground floor of the White House.

Theodore Roosevelt China

1917

First Lady Edith Wilson moved the china collection to a specially designated China Room on the ground floor.

White House China Room

1918

In March, President Woodrow Wilson commissioned Lenox of Trenton, New Jersey to produce the first American-made state service. All services in the past had been manufactured in England or France. Wilsons 1,326-piece china set had a dark cobalt border framed by a heavy gilt line of stars and stripes at the shoulder and featured the presidential arms in raised 24-carat gold in the center.

Wilson China

1934-1935

As a result of continued breakage of china, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt announced in November 1934 that a new Lenox set would be purchased that contained 1,722 pieces and cost $9,301.20. The dinner plate had a narrow blue rim bearing gilt stars for the then forty-eight states lined by gilt roses and plumes interrupted by the presidential arms in enameled colors. It made its debut on January 24, 1935, at the annual dinner given for the heads of diplomatic missions in Washington.

Franklin D. Roosevelt China

1952

President and Mrs. Harry Truman purchased a china set for use in the newly refurbished State Dining Room following the extensive White House renovation of 1948-1952. The china was ordered through B. Altman and Co., of New York City, a department store that had been granted the contract to redecorate the White House after its repair and redecoration. The service plate had a heavy gold rim and celadon-green border. The presidential arms are at the center and the eagles head was turned towards the olive branch by Trumans 1945 executive order redefining the seal. The 1,572-piece china service cost $26,944.10 and was first used on April 3, 1952 at a lunch for Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The Trumans had moved back into the White House from Blair House just a week earlier.

Truman China

1955

First Lady Mamie Eisenhower decided to supplement the new Truman china set with 120 gold service plates with a raised-medallion border in coin gold from Castleton China, Inc. of New Castle, Pennsylvania at a cost of $3,606.40.

Eisenhower China

1961-1963

During the Kennedy administration the Truman china was used along with gold service plates that had been ordered by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower in 1955. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wanted to order a new china set and studied some design proposals; however, an order for new china was not placed. Jacqueline Kennedy lost her husband when the president was assassinated and, I am certain, choosing china was no longer of much concern to her following the tragedy of the president’s death.

Prototype for the Kennedy China

1968

When Lady Bird Johnson in 1968 requested the first new china set since 1952, for use at ever-increasing state visits in 1968, an anonymous donor funded its purchase through the White House Historical Association, setting a new precedent for the private funding of state services. The 2,208-piece Johnson china was decorated with American wildflowers. Tiffany and Co. of New York City executed the design and the set was manufactured by Castleton China of New Castle, Pennsylvania. The total cost was $80,028.24. The china was first used for a state dinner (for Australian Prime Minister John G. Gorton) on May 27, 1968, 18 days after it had been first presented to the public.

Johnson China

1982

The Reagan state china service was manufactured by Lenox China, New Jersey and consisted of 4,370 pieces, enough to accommodate a 19-piece place settings for 220 guests. The service featured gold-latticed bands on a scarlet border and cost $209,508, contributed by the J.P. Knapp Foundation. The china was first presented to the public on February 4, 1982.

Reagan China 

2000

A presidential service was added in 2000 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the occupancy of the White House. The plates, enough to accommodate 300 12-piece settings, incorporate architectural motifs from different White House rooms into their yellow and gold borders, and some show images of the mansion itself a first for White House china. The set was purchased by the White House Historical Association for $240,000.

2009

First Lady Laura Bush unveiled the Bush set of official china on January 7, 2009. Lenox manufactured the state china set of 320 14-piece place settings, which was purchased by $492,798 in private funds raised by the White House Historical Association Acquisition Trust. Mrs. Bush also presented to the public a smaller set of 75 place settings for use in the private family quarters of the White House, manufactured by Pickard China of Antioch, Illinois. The additional $75,000 cost was also funded by the White House Historical Association.

George W. Bush

2015

There are 320 place settings and 11 pieces in the Obama service, including seven plates, a tureen with saucer, and a cup with saucer. First Lady Michelle Obama designed the service with inspiration from the china of Presidents Madison and McKinley. It was purchased for $367,258 by the White House Historical Association. There are 18 full state services prior to the Obama China: James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln (2), Ulysses S. Grant (2), Rutherford Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, William J. Clinton and George W. Bush.

Obama China

About the white house historical association

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned a restored White House that conveyed a sense of history through its decorative and fine arts. She sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. In 1961, the White House Historical Association was established to support her vision to preserve and share the Executive Mansion’s legacy for generations to come. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association’s mission is to assist in the preservation of the state and public rooms, fund acquisitions for the White House permanent collection, and educate the public on the history of the White House. Since its founding, the Association has given more than $45 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. 

To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org. 

Sarah J. McNeal is a multi-published author of several genres including time travel, paranormal, western and historical fiction. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press. She welcomes you to her website and social media:

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Now Available for Pre-Order--A RESTLESS KNIGHT by Deborah Macgillivray

Dragons of Challon – Book One

Lady Defiant

Blessed with The Kenning, Lady Tamlyn MacShane foresaw this day...when the English warrior dressed all in black would come to claim her lands—and her.  She is determined to defy the ruthless, arrogant Julian Challon, but fears she is no match against his strength...or his dark sensuality.

Lord Resolute

To Julian, this proud Scots lass should be nothing more than a captive, a prize given to him by Edward Longshanks.  Rumored to be a witch, Tamlyn’s fiery beauty ensnares him—body and soul.  Now the warrior known as the Black Dragon runs the risk of falling under her dark enchantment, a spell that cannot be broken—the magic of love.

“Deborah writes as if she’s been in Medieval Scotland and can somehow, magically, take you back there with her to stand amidst the heather and mist of another time.  This is breathtakingly beautiful, award caliber writing.”   — New York Times bestselling author, Lynsay Sands.

New Release -- MYRA’S ESCAPE by Agnes Alexander -- Giveaway!

Escape is her only choice…

Myra Felton’s grandfather has sold her to a banker to pay his debts! But Myra will not become the property of the evil Cosmos Hubbard—she plans her escape… With her future uncertain, she leaves in the dead of night for Charleston, the largest city of any size, vowing to lose herself there. But a chance encounter with a marriage broker gives her the best plan of all—with no money of her own, she agrees to travel to Wyoming, as far from Cosmos Hubbard as she can get!

He’s desperate for a cook…

Anson Barlow fears mutiny from his four younger brothers if he
can’t come up with someone to cook a decent meal for them all once in a while! It’s hard enough to run a thriving ranch such as the Circle B without having to worry about cooking and cleaning—talents the Barlow brothers lack. When he signs a contract for a housekeeper, he doesn’t realize that also means a wife.
Love is waiting…

When Anson meets Myra at the train station, she’s not at all what he’s expecting. He can’t protect her from the gossips if he takes her home without marrying her—and though he may be many things, he is not that cruel. But though the marriage may protect her from vicious jealousy in the town, what will happen when Cosmos Hubbard shows up to claim the woman he says is rightfully his? Will MYRA’S ESCAPE have been for nothing?

EXCERPT:

     “What do you mean, you hate Myra?”
     “I didn’t never want no more young’uns after my son turned out so rotten, but Myra was our granddaughter and Emmie Mae said it was only right that we take her in. After our son died, the girl was in an orphanage for a couple of years or so. She was ten or twelve years old by the time Emmie Mae found her.”
     “Why did she come to live here?”
     “When my sorry son and his wife died and there weren’t no-where else for the girl to go ’cept the orphanage. Spite me saying we ought to leave her there to grow up, Emmie Mae wouldn’t hear to it. She said it was our duty to raise the girl. I finally give in to Emmie Mae ’cause she swore she’d not cook my meals no longer if’n I didn’t let the girl come to live here.”
     Myra’s heart almost stopped. She knew she and her grandfather didn’t get along very well, but she never dreamed he actually hated her. Though she’d never cared for him as much as she did her grandmother, she always thought they were family, and therefore cared somewhat for each other. That was one reason she’d stayed on at the farm after her grandmother’s death. She felt she should look after her grandpa out of respect. But his words had changed everything.
     She decided her duty to him was over and she would no longer worry about him or his farm. It was time to start taking care of herself. After all, she would soon be twenty years old. It was time to get away from here and live her own life somewhere else.
     Before she could think of a way to get away and out of her grandfather’s hideous plan, Cosmos shouted, “I know you’re listening, Myra Felton. So to make it clear, you better be at my house on Saturday by the time I get home from work. Don’t get it in your head to try to run away because there’s no place in South Carolina or anywhere else that I’ll not find you. I’ll follow and find you anywhere you run. I’ve wanted you for a long time, and you will be mine, whether or not you want to be.”
     She didn’t answer aloud, but in her mind, she thought again, When Hell freezes over.

Be sure and leave a comment for a chance to win a free ebook.

         

New Release -- TEXAS ROSE by Tracy Garrett -- Giveaway!

Texas, 1847~

A PROMISE MADE…

A loner with a heart of ice and nerves of steel. A dangerous, fast gun for hire. Jaret Walker has only his honor and the reputation he’s built for himself to call his own. When a promise sends him to isolated Two Roses Ranch and Isabel Bennett, the woman he’s come to protect, all he can think of is making her his—in every way. But she’s the kind of woman a man like him can never have—for he’s a man with a past that haunts him, and with no future to share. 

A SCORCHING DESIRE…

The moment Isabel Bennett lays eyes on Jaret Walker, the dreams she’s pushed aside for so long suddenly seem possible. She’s sworn never to marry and give a man control over her ranch. But when Jaret rides into her life, she’s tempted to taste what she’s sworn to give up—a passion that burns out of control with each kiss…desire that consumes them both…and a bold challenge from the future that neither of them believed in…until now…

Previously published as Touched by Love.


“Suspenseful, heart-warming, and…unforgettable.”    
              –New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath


“Well-written, entertaining Western. A tender story about two people who find out that belonging to each other is all they need.” 
              –Romantic Times, 4-star review

EXCERPT:

     He breathed a little easier when the general met him in the promenade. Their business went quickly, and with the exchange of gold, a prisoner was delivered into Jaret’s keeping.
     Nick Bennett looked a lot thinner than when Jaret left him here three months ago. This place could do that to a man. Suck him down to dry bones in no time. Jaret had no intention of giving the general time to change his mind. Ignoring Bennett’s glare, Jaret led him out the gate to freedom. “Don’t say a word,” he hissed under his breath. “Just follow me.”
     They mounted and rode double as soon as they cleared the bridge. The mare seemed to want to get away from the prison, too, and kept to a steady trot over the first hill and out of sight. Jaret guided her back to where he’d concealed another horse before he slowed the pace.
     “Why?” The single word held all of Nick Bennett’s hatred and fury and confusion.
     “You didn’t belong in there.”
Bennett accepted Jaret’s help off the horse, balancing against the saddle until his knees would hold him. “I told you that before you brought me here.”
     “True, but I expected you to say that. I’d been told different.” Jaret drew a knife from his boot and sliced through the ropes binding Nick’s wrists.
     “What changed your mind?”
     “I found out someone wants you dead—and I was the way they chose to do it. I don’t hire out for murder.” 

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free ebook.

     

A Genealogy Chart for Characters?

BY CELIA YEARY

My new re-released series The Camerons of Texas have beautiful new covers and are now on Amazon.

The first is TEXAS BLUE, the story of Marilee Weston who marries Jeffrey “Buck” Cameron. She is the mother of Josephine (Josie) Weston who was fathered out-of-wedlock by Judge Douglas Paxton. Buck is the middle adult child of the original Camerons. Buck and Marilee move away from Nacogdoches to a ranch southeast of Austin. A daughter is born there, named True Lee Cameron.

TEXAS PROMISE  is Book II—The Camerons of Texas. This book tells the story of  Marilee and Buck’s older daughter, Josephine, who marries Dalton King in Austin, Texas. They locate two-year-old Laura Lynn Paxton, half-niece to Josephine, and adopt her. A son, Alexander “Alex” King is born in Austin.

TEXAS TRUE is Book III—The Camerons of Texas—The younger daughter, True, marries Samuel Deleon in Austin. They are awarded custody of Sam’s niece, Lacy Deleon, and nephew, Antonio Deleon. They move to the Deleon Ranch in South Texas. A son is born, named Jackson Rene Deleon.

TEXAS DREAMER is Book IV—the Camerons of Texas. This one is about Lee King, one of Buck Cameron’s nephews.  While in Houston, Lee meets Emilie McDougal, who is as much a dreamer as he. They form a bond, more like a business deal, until they learn they want more from the other.

From these four stories, I have the beginning of a Cameron Genealogy Chart. Although I haven’t written stories about the children born to or adopted these couples, I do have a chart created which shows how each is related.

At the moment, I could write ten more novels, each about a descendent of the Camerons.

Whew. Trust me, it’s only in theory.

In addition, I’ve toyed with another line from Sam Deleon, a character who didn’t fit in at first, but became one of the movers and shakers of early Texas oil. The series might be The Deleons of Texas.

Is this a common practice among writers of series? I wonder. If so, I’d like to hear about it.

Thanks for stopping by the PRP blog today. All my books can be found on Amazon under Celia Yeary.

 Celia Yeary…

Romance, and a little bit of Texas

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/celiayeary

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