Bustles And Spurs

2012-01-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon

1950s COWBOYS JAW ABOUTTHEIR WORLD

Stephen Bly

Quotes from Cowboy For ARainy Afternoon, Chapter 17. . .

“How’s Miss Diane?”Coosie asked.

Quirt unfastened hischarcoal gray vest. “She’s takin’ it hard. She’s a sweet gal who lost her husbandin Korea three years ago. Hasn’t dated since, ‘cept she thought Leon was theone.”

“Nice of you to lookafter the young widow,” Bronc commented.

Quirt’s hand dropped tohis gun. “What do you mean by that?”

Bronc stiffened up. “Imean you’re sniffin’ around like a geldin’ that was cut late in life.”

These blunt old men touch on another sore subject. They called the war the Korean Conflict, the ‘forgotten war.’ However, it was never forgotten by those who served there or their loved ones. Or those of us too young to go, yet old enough to listen to the stories. This sobering conflict reminded folks that WWII did not insure peace on earth. Only the Son of God can do that.

“Ain’t much to get riledover anymore, besides politics and the New York Yankees.”

“Now, don’t you gomentionin’ them d. . .” Shorty glanced down at me. “Eh, them dadgum Yankees.The Cardinals is twice the team they are and you know it.”

“I thought we agreed notto talk about politics and baseball, at least when Shorty is around,” Thadsaid.

1955 Brooklyn Dodger Champions

If I remember right, in 1954 there were only 8 American League and 8 National League teams. The one furthest west was the St. Louis Cardinals. Out West, you had to root for an eastern team. Like now, the N.Y. Yankees were either loved or hated. For some reason, known only to my dad, our family sided with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Let’s mount us some fineponies, ride right into the dance floor of the Day-Lyte Club, shoot it up, ropehim and drag him all the way to Santa Fe,” Bronc suggested.

I grabbed my hat off thetable and shoved it on my head. “Can I come with you?”

“Little Brother,”Granddaddy said, “you’re the only one in the room who could throw his leg overa saddle. The boys are joshin’.”

“We can give him a whatfor, if he comes back here,” Shorty proposed.

“We could load up inPop’s ’49 Plymouth and go to the club,” Bronc suggested.

“Can I go, Granddaddy?” Ipleaded.

“Your grandma would dieif she knew I hauled you into a joint like that. We aren’t going nowhere.”

Quint sighed. “Ain’t thatthe truth.”

There is a quiet buzzfrom old ceiling fans, like six thousand crickets out of tune. People don’toften notice it, until there is silence.

The truth of Granddaddy’s statement hits the old men for awhile. Living in the past can get real lonely.

Right about then, I heardthe fan.

We all flinched when thefront door banged open. A man with dark brown butch haircut, wearing khaki workpants and a long-sleeved khaki shirt strolled in. He headed straight towardsus. Following Quirt’s lead, my hand slipped to the plastic grips of my cappistol.

“Oh, good,” he said. “Isee the Spring Renaissance #10 arrived as scheduled.”

“Are you talkin’ aboutthem flowers?” Shorty asked.

“Yes. We had some mix upwith substitute deliverymen this morning. I was checking if everything wentokay. Our regular man called in sick with a horrible sore throat. I couldbarely hear him. He sent his brother-in-law to fill in. I wasn’t too sure ofhis ability.”

Quirt eased his hand offthe old Colt.

“That’s all I need toknow. Much relieved.” He spun on his heels and marched out the door.

The man wore khaki pants and shirt. . .that’s a tip of my hat to my farmer dad. He wore that same attire every workday of his life. The butch haircut was mine, however. Dad was bald before I was born.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you remember mostabout the 1950s, either lived or told to you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

COMING MARCH 2012: Hardback & ebook

Stuart Brannon: The FinalShot

by Stephen Bly (1944-2011)

It's 1905.

Two orphans flee Oregon'sTillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Do they tell what reallyhappened & risk a dangerous man's wrath? Meanwhile, Brannon searches forhis missing U.S. Marshal friend & grapples with the game of golf on behalfof a charity celebrity tournament.

Paperback edition available August 2012.

NOTE: Finishing Dad’s novel was a family affair.

E-mail janet@blybooks.com toget a choice of blog articles for your use that feature various aspects of the process ofwriting this novel.

PROCRASTINATION: AN AGELESS MALADY

2012-01-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

By MonaHodgson

Happy 2012!

I thought I’d use the fresh start this New Year offers to explore some of the reasons we may put off those things that inhabit our dreams. I’ll use the desire to write for publication as my example, but if that’s not your interest, insert your own dream or pursuit. Metal sculpture. Returning to school. Leading a Bible study. Watercolor. Song writing. Advocacy for children in the court system. . . .

I wrote two full-length historical romance novels in 2009. After receiving a phone call from my agent on March 31^st, I drafted Two Brides Too Many, the first book in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series and turned it in on June 1^st. Believe me, a fluttering cape is not part of my wardrobe.

Twenty-two years ago, shortly after I began my trek into publication, my dad and I were walking on a dirt road in Arizona’s White Mountains when we discovered a deserted and dilapidated cabin not much bigger than my dining room. By the time, we’d finished our walk, my imagination had planted the seeds from which the premise for a novel sprouted.

Over the past two decades, I’ve taken countless novel-writing courses, focused on learning the craft of writing a story. As part of that process, I started a second contemporary novel set in Arizona’s Verde Valley. And intrigued by the late 1890’s and the stalwart women of that time, I began writing a historical novel set in Jerome, an Arizona copper mining camp. But I had never finished writing a novel until that pivotal phone call from my agent.

In September 2008, ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) awarded my Jerome historical, A Thimble’s Worth, First Place in the Historical Fiction category of the Genesis Contest and the chairman highly recommended that I finish the novel in the likelihood that at least one editor would ask to see the full manuscript. I did want to sell the novel and become a published novelist, so why didn’t I finish the story or any of the others I’d begun?

Perhaps you procrastinate too? I’ve discovered that most of the excuses for procrastination are also quite universal. Excuses are evergreens that appear healthy year round.

Ever use time, or the lack there of, as an excuse not to pursue organizing a hiking group, taking a short-term missions trip, or writing the story on your heart? Uh huh, me too.

But I don’t have trouble taking the time to eat chocolate, enjoy a semi-regular lunch with a friend, or to keep my fingernails trimmed. Hmm. Seems I’m willing to carve out time for those things that are truly important to me (and the folks I shake hands with).

And how about fear? Ever use fear as a viable excuse not to move forward? A legitimate reason to shrink in the face of a daunting dream, right? Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of disapproval and fear of condemnation of your very self because of the authenticity required to write fiction that is rich in truth. I so get that. And then I read 2 Timothy 1:7 (For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.) Oh, yeah.

Truth is, excuses breed faster than bunnies so there are plenty of them, but I think I can pin a lot of my procrastination on expectations and confusion.

EXPECTATIONS

I instinctively think about routine as a set and dedicated schedule. Images of a wide-awake writer skipping to her friendly computer at 8:30am and growing a garden of words until she takes a 30-minute daydreaming break at 10:00am. A one-hour lunch served on the lanai follows a second planting of fertile words. At 2:30pm, after a third productive writing session, she stretches out on the daybed for a 30-minute brain-invigoration snooze. Then at 5:00pm she breaths a sweet sigh of satisfaction and flicks off her office light. Another day of free-flowing, literary brilliance behind her, she latches the door shut and rushes into the real world.

Hysterical and fantastical, is it not?

And so not where I am at in this stage of my life. Never has been, at least not for any measurable length of time . . . like a full day.

Some of us work at home with life spinning all around us. Others of us also work outside the home, and family-life rides tandem with our dream of writing for publication (or whatever it may be). Due to health issues, my hubby retired seven years ago and is a mostly-stay-at-home man. I travel regularly to speak at schools, conferences, and women’s retreats. My only grandchild in the United States lives a mere hour away. I am a caregiver for my mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease and her ailing husband. And so on. Your own list of other responsibilities is compelling and long. So how do you and I set aside blocks of time for the writing process or any other lofty pursuit?

Don’t give away time unnecessarily and don’t discount the all important wedges of time.

I’d been under the impression that I couldn’t write a novel with distractions. That I needed big chunks of solitude in order to complete a full-length story worth publishing.

Such expectations set us up for procrastination.

PRIORITIES

Time is an issue, no doubt about it. You and I are both pulled in many directions and that can take place within a five minute period. We face many opportunities to serve others, the church, the community, the world. All of them good causes. Some of them even great. So how do we choose? Warning: here comes the dreaded “P” word. Priorities. They, well, take precedence over any number of time-munchers. Remember the chocolate and the fingernails? We will make time for those activities that we consider a priority.

Can someone else write the articles, the books, the poems, the songs, the stories rooted in your heart?

No? Okay. Can someone else clean the church kitchen? Serve on the Valentine’s banquet committee? Teach the weekly Bible study? Dot. Dot. Dot.

I’m just asking . . . what is the best use of your time?

Next time you get a phone call, an email, or a text asking you to do this or that, stop and think. Think about your motivation for saying yes. Then think about saying no if the activity wouldn’t be the best use of your time.

DISRUPTIONS HAPPEN

I do have a “work schedule.” One I refer to as fluid. Recently, my mom called me in meltdown mode and needed my help. Though not my first choice, that was the best use of my time. I also frequently find myself in hospital rooms and doctor’s waiting rooms. I have learned to savor all the bits and blocks of writing time I have and I’m figuring out how to draw the best out of them.

Writing on the Go

1) Know when to go somewhere else to write. A place with white noise works well for me these days. McDonalds being one of my favorite places (might as well have a fruit parfait and an iced Mocha while I’m there). When I crave a quieter atmosphere, the library is just the ticket.

2) Be ready to carry writing work with you. My motto: Have tote bag, file folder, AlphaSmart keyboard, and/or laptop—will travel. I keep my tote stocked with index cards, extra batteries for my AlphaSmart, a notepad, and a snack. Depending upon what I’m working on and what stage I’m at in the project, I might add research material I want to read or organize, character sketches I need to fill in, a hard copy proposal or chapters I want to edit, a market guide for checking out possible publishers—things I tend to when I’m . . .

Writing in a Pinch

Be prepared to fill those wedges of writing time with activities that don’t necessarily require big blocks of uninterrupted minutes or hours. Research, outlining, character interviews, proposal components, editing scenes or chapters, drafting a query letter, studying possible markets, etc. can all be done more readily in snippets of time, which leaves any blocks open for spinning the story.

Writing Settled In

By tending to some of the pre-writing and the business side of writing on the go or in the pinches of time, I’m better prepared to sit down at the keyboard and get to the writing that requires a more concentrated chunk of time or place. Also, having those smaller tasks out of the way or at least lined up for writing on the go or writing in a pinch, I’m in a frame of mind to jump right back into my story.

MAKING SENSE OF ROAD SIGNS

My other evergreen excuse stems from those years of taking so many courses on writing fiction, reading a plethora of how-to books on the genre and craft, and studying so many different methods for constructing and polishing a great story. They all converged in the land of checklists and do’s and don’ts to form a maze through which I could not see the end of my novel.

When I accepted that two month deadline for Two Brides Too Many, I gave myself permission to shape my own routine for writing.

Are you struggling with procrastination? There isn’t just one way to plan, write, or finish a novel. Give yourself permission to find a route that works for you and keep on keeping on.

QUESTION: What do you dream of doing? What next step will you take toward fulfilling that goal?

MONA HODGSON is the author of Two Brides Too Many, Too Rich for a Bride, and The Bride Wore Blue (May 2012), the first three books in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series (WaterBrook Multnomah).

www.monahodgson.com

www.facebook.com Mona Hodgson Author Page

A Brand-Spanking New Year

2012-01-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

Off with the old, in with the new!

What does that mean to us?

Here's what it means to me:

This is a time for new beginnings. One of my best friends is a missionary, and every year, we individually ask God for a word for the year. Then we share our words with each other. Many years, we've received the same word. Sometimes, we receive words that dovetail together. That's what happened this year.

God gave me the word Rest. He said that our world is in much turmoil, and we're all feeling the effects of that turmoil. We have roadblocks, or someone in our family is one of the people in this country without a job, or the unrest between nations is taking a toll on our own family. But God wants us to trust Him and rest in Him. Worry should not be a part of our lives. We need to keep our eyes on Him, and let Him fight our battles. Remember a whole host of angels surround us to do that very thing.

Rita's word was Choices. (Another friend told me she received the word Decisions, which I see as almost the same thing.) And I feel that all three of our words connect in a precious, holy supernatural way.

When we have Choices and need to make Decisions, we must look to the Lord first, listen to Him, then Rest in the decision and let Him bring about what He wants for us in our lives.

That's my words for the new year. Please share yours with us. Leave a comment with your word or words from the Lord for this year.

And I'll have a gift for one of you--a copy of my latest book release Maggie's Journey.

Maggie had to learn how to look toward the Lord for her choices and then rest in His watch care over her.

Maggie's Journey grabs you on page one with characters and events that reflect real-life joys and heartaches that change the characters forever. Make room on your "keepers" shelf! —Loree Lough, best-selling author of 80 award-winning books, including From Ashes to Honor.

A girl who’s been lied to her whole life…

Near her eighteenth birthday, Margaret Lenora Caine finds a chest hidden in the attic containing proof that she was adopted. The daughter of wealthy merchants inSeattle, she feels betrayed both by her real parents and by the ones who raised her.

Maggie desires a place where she belongs. But her mother’s constant criticism and reminders that she doesn't fit the mold of a young woman of their social standing have already created tension in their home. With the discovery of the family secret, all sense of her identity is lost.

When Maggie asks to visit her grandmother in Arkansas, her father agrees on the condition that she take her Aunt Georgia as a chaperone and his young partner, Charles Stanton, as protection on the journey. Will she discover who she really is and, more importantly, what truly matters most in life?

Lena Nelson Dooley is an award-winning author with more than 690,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers—where she received the Mentor of the Year award in 2006—DFW Ready Writers, and Christian Authors Network. She lives in Hurst, Texas, with her husband of over 47 years.

Maggie's Journey, received 4 stars from Romantic Times Magazine

Steven Bly's Last Book

2012-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

The editor at Center Point Large Print sent me this note about Stephen Bly’s last book. Stephen was a good friend and I consider it an honor to help them get the word out on this last offering:

Center Point Large Print is proud to present Stephen Bly’s latest (and sadly, his last) Western fiction title, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot. I've attached to this email, the cover art and the text.
Thrilled to be given the opportunity to publish Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, we at Center Point Large Print were saddened to learn that Steve had succumbed to illness before completing it. So when Janet, Steve’s widow and a published writer, asked if she and her three sons could complete the work as a tribute to Steve, I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough. I’m sure you’ll agree that Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot is a tribute to both the character, Stuart Brannon - and to his creator, Stephen Bly. A favorable mention to your readers would be very much appreciated.
For those readers who would like to read the entire Stuart Brannon oeuvre, Greenbrier Book Company will reissue the six books that came before Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot in the spring and summer of 2012 (www.greenbrierbooks.com <http://www.greenbrierbooks.com>).

Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot
By Stephen Bly, with Janet, Russell, Michael and Aaron Bly
Published by Center Point Large Print
Available March 1, 2012

Synopsis
In 1905, at 58 years old, legendary lawman Stuart Brannon - now a rancher and widower - had no intention of leaving his beloved Arizona Territory to attend the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, nor to participate in the celebrity golf tournament for the Willamette Orphan Farm. Even an emotional appeal for his longtime friend didn’t persuade him. His life no longer consisted of bloodthirsty men to track down . . . people trying to kill him . . . lawless gangs preying on the innocent.

Then the telegram came: Stuart, I need you in Portland. Tim Wiseman is missing. I think there’s a cover-up going on. Tell folks you’re going to the Exposition. Nose around. Find out how a U.S. Marshal can disappear and no one knows why. I’ll contact you there. T.R.
How could he refuse a request from the President of the United States?

Filled with humor and heart, adventure and romance, Stuart Brannon’s Last Shot is the story of a man who embodied the Code of the West. Christy Award-winning author Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 8, 2011) wrote 105 books including six Stuart Brannon novels. In Stuart Brannon’s Last Shot, we bid a fond farewell to the character - and to Stephen Bly, his creator.

To this I add, Happy Trails, Steven – we miss you.
Terry Burns

OLD COWBOYS & ECCENTRIC WRITERS

2011-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

Stephen Bly

Here I am on a winter’s day looking out of my office window.Our precipitation dial can’t decide whether it’s rain or snow. Either way, it’sa nice day to stay indoors and oil the saddles, clean the Winchesters or writea novel.

I did a little research this week and discovered a great newpoison. Can’t wait to use it in a scene. Strange the things that make a fiction writer happy.

Speaking of the crazy mind of a writer, when I’ve got a plotdeveloping, it’s like a recipe that I put together . . . a little of this, a bit of that, a pinch of spice, a touch of herbs and a whole lot of random stuff pulled out of the frig and cupboards stirred in . . . and then simmered slow in acrock-pot for weeks, even months. The kitchen in my mind fills up with a sweet smelling aroma. Or if not, I start tossing ingredients out and begin again.

The oldcowboys out on the trail did the same. They had lots of time to mull over their tales, to create all the nuances. To toss around and tamp down their philosophies of life. When they told their stories, they spunthem different every time. That’s the beauty of oral history. It’s not aphotograph of the past. It’s a monologue filtered through the memory and heartof the one who lived it over and over again.

On the internet you can go to a web-cam that transmits 24/7from the golf course at Pebble Beach, California. The picture’s scenic, but abit boring. Nothing happens. Every once in a while you catch someone on thegreen, but you don’t know how they got there. No hint at all of what it meansto them. How much more exciting to listen to your brother-in-law describe thecourse after he finished a round. Will he be as detailed accurate as the videoor photo?

Nope.

Pebble Beach Golf Course

But he can give you a visceral feel for the course that's almost vicarious. You canimagine playing there yourself.

That’s what stories do for us. They provide almost personalexperience of places we’ve never been, times we’ve never lived . . . like theOld West. What a privilege, a pleasure it has been for me all these years toenter into that long ago world through thevenue, the gift of writing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What world have you encountered in recent days through theimagination of fiction? What about the story helped you to feel like you’d beenthere?

~~~~~~~~~~~

AVAILABLE NOW:

Paperback Writer

Paperback Writer . . . Paul James Watson lives ahumdrum life but escapes now & then through his craft of writing. Hebecomes so absorbed in his novels that his character, Toby McKenna, a highlysuccessful detective, becomes a daily companion. It’s not long before the linesof reality, fiction and imagination become so entwined that the real Watsonthreatens to become lost.

Throw The Devil Off The Train

Throw The Devil Off The Train . . . The trip to CA took 3 days by train. Was that enoughtime to prevent Catherine from throwing away her heart ... again?

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

COMING MARCH 2012:

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot . . . It's1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them's branded a hero.Do they tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath?Meanwhile, Brannon searches for his missing U.S. Marshal friend & grappleswith the game of golf on behalf of a charity celebrity tournament.

Available on Amazon.com, ebooks, or http://BlyBooks.com/store.htm/

Research, Cook Books, and Christmas Plum Pudding

2011-12-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

By Mona Hodgson

Research can be many things: Fascinating, engaging, time-consuming, surprising, delightful.

Even yummy.

If you’ve been reading The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek novels, you know Miss Hattie attends First Congregational Church in Cripple Creek. In Two Brides Too Many, the Sinclair sisters began attending the church. By the end of Too Rich for a Bride, Ida’s husband Tucker Raines served as the church’s new pastor.

As part of my research for a series, I like to visit museums in my setting. In those museums, I like to peruse any local books offered in the gift shop. The Cripple Creek District Museum is one of my favorite hangouts when I’m in town. Imagine my delight when I came across a red book titled:

Church History Cook Book

First Congregational Church

Cripple Creek, Colo.

The small, thin cook booklet actually lists the names and addresses of the cooks offering the recipe. But there’s more—the year(s) of the cook’s residence in Cripple Creek. The First Congregational Church of Cripple Creek existed for twenty years, spanning the late 1890’s, the time in which this series is set. And now I have a collection of recipes used by women in that time and place. One of the reasons I enjoy researching a time period and setting, its culture and its people.

Since it is December and Christmas is upon us, I thought it would be fun to share three Christmas Plum Pudding recipes from the First Congregational Church cookbook published by the Cripple Creek District Museum.

Christmas pudding is a pudding that was traditionally served on Christmas Day (December 25). It originated in medieval England, and was best know as plum pudding in our Victorian era. Many families had a recipe handed down generation to generation. The early English Christmas pudding was boiled in a pudding cloth, and often presented as a rounded mound of pudding. Victorian tradition involved putting the batter into a basin and steaming it.

Christmas Plum Pudding

One cup currants

1 cup suet, chopped fine

2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup sugar

1 cup seeded raisins

1 cup sour milk

1 level teaspoon soda

½ cup candied citron, sliced

1 teaspoons cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt.

Roll fruit in flour and add flour enough to make a stiff batter. Steam or boil four hours. Serve with a sauce.

Mrs. Philbrick, 1899

Christmas Plum Pudding

3 cups bread crumbs

2 ½ cups suet

2 cups sugar

1 lb raisins

3 cups currants

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmegs

1 teaspoon soda

3 cups buttermilk

Flour to thicken quite stiff. Boil four hours.

Dr. B. Murray, 1895

Christmas Plum Pudding

1 cup beef suit, chopped

2 cups bread crumbs

½ cup citron

1 cup English walnuts

1 cup seeded raisins

1 cup currants

1 pint of flour

4 eggs, well beaten

1 heaping cup sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 level teaspoon soda, dissolved in a little warm water

Mix fruit with some of the flour. Put eggs, sugar and salt into the milk and spices, add fruit bread crumbs and suet, then add soda and the rest of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Steam four hours.

Mrs. T. P. Connor, 1895

We’ll want a sauce to go with our pudding. Favorites include cream, hard sauce, brandy butter, and golden sauce. I’ll share Miss Ella’s recipe for the latter.

Golden Sauce

½ cup butter and 1 cup sugar beaten to a cream. Add 3 egg yolks beaten light, then add the bell beaten whites. Lemon extract to taste. Place in a double boiler, stir till it thickens. Serve hot.

Miss Ella Hummer, 1894-1909

Merry Christmas! May your Christmas be bathed in the grace of Jesus’ gift to you in the manger.

MONA HODGSON is the author of 32 books for adults and children. Her popular Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Books—Two Brides Too Many, Too Rich for a Bride, The Bride Wore Blue, and Twice a Bride (WT); six Zonderkidz I Can Read books, Real Girls of the Bible: A 31-Day Devotional, and Bedtime in the Southwest.

Check out www.monahodgson.com for Mona’s Free Resources.

You can follow Mona at www.twitter.com and become a fan at www.facebook.com, Mona Hodgson Author Page.

AND SO YOU ARE MY SON

2011-12-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

Soon after God told me to become a professional writer, He told me to bless people at Christmas with a story instead of sending Christmas cards. This is the third one I wrote, and it's my gift to you this year.

And So You Are My Son

I have loved your mother for a long time. She first captured my heart with her big brown eyes when she was a little girl. I was quite a bit older than she was, so I should not have noticed her. But one day as I was rushing home from the hill outside town knowing I was almost late for supper, I ran around the corner of her house just as she walked out the gate. In my haste, I knocked her to the ground. Stopping short, I began to apologize as I lifted her to her feet. I will never forget the way she looked at me. She did not cry. Her eyes just got bigger and bigger. For many days her eyes haunted my thoughts. Soon I decided to wait for her to grow up before I married.

And grow up she did, into the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her eyes were always the center of her beauty for me. Some days they were laughing eyes, merrily twinkling. Other times the depth of wisdom that greeted me there was overwhelming. Oh how I feared her father would give her to someone else.

One day my eyes sought her among the other girls, as they often did. Without knowing why, I sensed a change in her. My heart swelled with loving her until I thought it would burst. Then I realized she was nearing the age to marry. That moment I started planning how to approach her father.

I knew I was only a carpenter, and she deserved so much more. That is what I told her father, but he did not turn me away. He did say he wanted to give Mary the chance to accept or reject my offer. That was not usually done, but I was glad. I remembered many times looking up from my work to find her gazing at me. Although I loved her and wanted her desperately, I loved her enough to let her go if she did not want me.

The time of waiting seemed endless. My agony intensified as I thought of more and more reasons I was not worthy of her. Then the summons came.

Dressing with particular care, I presented myself at their gate. As I was invited into the house, my eyes searched the corners of the room for her. My heart fell when she was not there. I knew she had turned me down. Then her father greeted me. As I returned his kisses on each cheek, my heart was thudding in my ears. He kindly cut through the remaining formalities and joyfully told me we were now betrothed. My leaden heart soared, and I was both laughing and crying as she came shyly into the room.

We were so happy as we prepared for our coming marriage. I built all the furniture for our house next to the carpenter shop.

I had just begun to build a special chest for Mary when she came to see me that day. As she slipped into the room and stood quietly watching me, I sensed something.

She hesitantly told me what the angel had said to her, and I was shocked. She said she had waited until she was sure she was carrying a child before she told me. The one thing that was so precious to me about Mary was her innocent purity. I was not sure I even believed in angels, so I could not grasp what she was saying—except that she was having a baby. Well, I knew it wasn't mine. I felt as if someone had kicked me in the stomach as hard as he could. I almost doubled up from the pain. It must have shown on my face, because Mary rushed away with tears streaming down her cheeks.

I dropped what I was doing and sank onto a nearby stool. I guess I sat there for a long time. When I realized what time it was, the sun had set and darkness had engulfed me. I began to wonder who the father of the baby was. My mind darted from one man to another. I tried to guess who he was. I wanted to kill him for stealing what I had waited so long for. Finally, I went home in defeat.

If I had planned to bury the pain in sleep that night, I was mistaken. Tossing and turning on my bed, my mind was filled with Mary—as a child . . . as my betrothed . . . pure, then defiled. Finally, I decided to put her away privately. I did not want to have her stoned even though she had betrayed me.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to go to sleep. Then a light so bright my eyelids could not shut it out filled the room. A man was standing at the center of the light. He told me to take Mary as my wife, because the child she carried was the Son of God. He told me we were not to become one until after You were born.

The next day, I told Mary about the angel visiting me. We were soon quietly married, but there was gossip about us. I resented it for Mary—and for me. I was not sorry when we had to come to Bethlehem.

The trip was hard on Mary. I tried to make it as easy as possible, but I knew she was exhausted when we arrived. The search for a place to stay was frantic; but this stable is snug against the cold. I was happy for the privacy when You were born.

As the hard pains gripped Mary, there was not even time to search for a woman to assist her. Being a man, I did not know anything about birthing a baby. I could not have done it without God's help. It was in the very act of helping Mary birth you that you became my son. That was the only part I had in your coming, but such a special part. And so you are my son . . .

If you or someone you love receives an ereader for Christmas, be sure to consider my last two books.

Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, is only available in Kindle format.

Maggie's Journey is available in all ebook formats.

Thank you.

Deeply Devoted ~ Christmas Giveaway

2011-12-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

by Maggie Brendan

I promised you a Christmas Giveaway that you just couldn't refuse!!

I’m excited to announce the launch of an incredible promotion from my publisher, Revell, in celebration of Deeply Devoted. The prizes are amazing: A $250 Bed & Breakfast Date Night, a 21-piece Blue Willow china set, or a gourmet Italian feast fit for a king (or queen!) Wouldn’t one of these prizes be the perfect way to start the New Year?

To enter the giveaway, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Brendan/209545385783344?sk=app_28134323652.

The link is also on the sidebar on the left of my facebook author page as well.

Don't forget to savor the meaning of Christmas admist the shopping, decorating, etc. Slow down and take time to enjoy the free gift of God's incredible gift--the reason for our celebration.

Blessings,

Christmas Campfire Companion

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

Have a reader on your list that likes Christmas? Or likes westerns?

Or Both?

Fourteen of America's top western writers publishing today have contributed delightful Christmas stories to this collection, fourteen saddle-hardened writers who reached down to give a glimpse of their sensitive side. Each story is a gift, and each a take on Christmas . . . a western Christmas.

Livia Reasoner (Livia J. Washburn) has been writing award-winning, critically acclaimed Western, mystery, romance, and historical novels for more than twenty-five years.

Troy D. Smith has published eight books and more than fifty short stories and magazine articles and was a 2001 winner of the Spur Award, the western writer's equivalent of the academy award.

Frank Roderus is a well-published author of over 300 books, twice received the most prestigious award a western writer can receive, the Spur Award.

Tim Champlin (pseudonym of John Michael Champlin) is the author of 30 historical novels over the past 30 years as well as 35 short stories and non-fiction articles.

Larry D. Sweazy won the WWA Spur award for Best Short Fiction in 2005, and was nominated for a Derringer award in 2007 and has published over 50 non-fiction articles and short stories.

Robert Vaughan sold his first book when he was 19 years old, and, under his own name and several pseudonyms, he has sold more than 400 books, including approximately 200 Westerns. He has hit the NY Times, Publishers’ Weekly, and USA Today bestseller lists numerous times, and is the recipient of the Spur Award (SURVIVAL, writing as K.C. McKenna).

Douglas Hirt won the Colorado Authors’ League Top Hand Award. His 1998 book, BRANDISH, and 1999 DEADWOOD, were finalists for the SPUR award given by the Western Writers of America.He is short story writer, and the author of thirty-two novels and one book of nonfiction.

Dusty Richards is the author of a hundred western novels under his name and pseudonyms. He’s won two Spur Awards, one for a novel called “The Horse Creek Incident” and the other a short story on Amazon.com, “The Comanche Moon.” He also received the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center’s Wrangler award for his book, “The Sundown Chaser.”

Kerry Newcomb was born in Connecticut but had the good fortune to be raised in Texas. Newcomb is a New York Times bestselling author with over forty novels to his credit. He has been published in several countries.

Matthew P. Mayo’s short stories appear in a variety of anthologies, and have been finalists in both Western Writers of America Spur Awards and Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards. He also contributes to several popular series of Western and adventure novels and has a number of non-fiction books.

Robert J. Randisi is the author of more than 540 books in the Western, Private Eye, Men’s Adventure, and Horror genres under a number of pen names. As J.R. Roberts he is the creator and author of the long running series “The Gunsmith.” He also wrote and created the Tracker, Angel Eyes, Bounty Hunter, Mountain Jack Pike.

Rod Miller is author of Things a Cowboy Sees and Other Poems, published by Port Yonder Press. Other recent work includes a historical novel, The Assassination of Governor Boggs as besides poetry and fiction, he writes nonfiction, magazine articles, book reviews, and essays.

James Reasoner has been a professional writer for more than thirty years. In that time, he has authored several hundred novels and short stories in numerous genres. Best known for his Westerns, historical novels, and war novels, he is also the author of two mystery novels that have achieved cult followings, TEXAS WIND and DUST DEVILS. Writing under his own name and various pseudonyms, his novels have garnered praise from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as appearing on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.

They even allowed me to hang out with them in this collection:

Terry Burns writes Christian fiction with a western theme and has over 40 books in print, including 10 novels. He has a two-book set from Port Yonder Press, included in The Sagebrush Collection. These contain the best of his short stories and a Young Adult book, Beyond the Smoke, won the Will Rogers Medallion in 2009.

How long has it been since you read stories from such well know authors? Well, that's too long.

It is now available for order at http://tinyurl.com/campfire-companion

THE OVERCOMERS: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities

2011-12-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

by Molly Noble Bull, Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Ruth Myers Perrine and Ruth Scofield

Can you imagine what it might be like to push a one hundred pound rock up a hill with nothing but a toothpick? If so, you have some idea how hard it is for a person with LD, learning disabilities, to learn to read and spell ten simple words.
My name is Molly Noble Bull. I am married, a mother of three grown sons, and a grandmother, and my father and grandfather were cowboys. I’m also dyslexic.

The photo above was taken on the Santa Rosa Ranch in South Texas when I was twelve years old. I'm the little girl on the left.

I thought I was the only published novelist in the world with learning problems, and that was not so long ago either. I felt inferior to other authors. Obviously, they were smart while my grades on tests always indicated the opposite.
I’m a born again Christian, and I think the Lord wanted me to tell my secret to the other Christian authors on an e-mail loop I was a part of—tell the entire group that I suffered from learning problems. It took all the nerve I had to send that message.
As soon as I clicked send, I regretted it. Why had I told other authors I respected that I was the dumbest kid in my elementary school? Why had I revealed my secret? What happened next changed my thinking forever.
Counting me, seven published authors from that group of mostly women admitted that they, too, suffered from learning problems. Amazed, I was suddenly no longer alone.
Ronald D. Davis called dyslexia a gift in his book The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can’t Read and How They Can Learn. Davis stated, “…. no two dyslexics will have exactly the same symptoms,” and he listed several creative people with learning problems on his website including Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo da Vinci and Walt Disney.
Of the seven published novelists with learning problems on my e-mail loop, five are telling their stories in this book. Here are their names—Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Jane Myers Perrine, Ruth Scofield and me, Molly Noble Bull.

With God’s help, all five of us became published authors. We give the Lord the honor and glory for all our accomplishments, and this book is our testimony—an account of how, with God’s helped, each of us found the courage to never give up.
We hope that those with learning problems, their parents and others will also push on and find comfort in learning how we conquered our learning disabilities and continue to overcome. We overcame some serious handicaps, and we are thankful.
But according to the Book of Revelation chapter 2 and verse 7, the true Overcomers will eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. It is our earnest hope that everyone who reads this book will seek and find the Lord first. Then all the other things wished for will be given as well.
#
Molly Noble Bull is a born again Christian. Married and the mother of three grown sons, she is also a grandmother and a published novelist. She has published with Zondervan, Love Inspired and Tsaba House. However, Tsaba House went out of business before five of her contracted novels were available for publication. This is her first non-fiction book. To find The Overcomers at an online bookstore, write Molly Noble Bull in the search slot.
All five of these multi-published Christian novelists have published with Love Inspired. Margaret Daley and Ginny Aiken are super published Love Inspired authors. The titles of all the novels by these five authors are listed in The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities by Molly Noble Bull, Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Jane Myers Perrine and Ruth Scofield. To find all their books, write their names in the search slot—whether at walk-in bookstores or online.
http://mollynoblebull.com

PEEKIN' INTO HEAVEN, A Cowboy Poem

2011-11-29T09:13:00.001-08:00

Stephen Bly

On a clear day west of Cody

in nineteen and twenty-three

2-Bob rode his buckskin out

to see what he could see.

The day broke July purdy;

the wind was takin’ a nap.

Mr. Sun made his presence known

as 2-Bob rode Elkhorn Gap.

When daylight breaks on Wyomin’

and sunbeams hit the trail

and antelope line the distant rim

and the sage is alive with quail ...

It’s like heaven dipped down close

for mortal man to view.

So 1-Bob paused upon the rise

jist to gaze for a spell or two.

A distant rider caught his eye

by the way he slapped his quirt,

and the yellow scarf around his neck,

hangin’ down on a dark blue shirt.

2-Bob patted his horse, rubbed his eyes,

as he peered into the sun.

“I’d say that was ol’ Mike Feeney, boy,

who died the spring of ought-one.”

Then a buckboard rattled down the trail,

a dark haired lady held the lines.

A memory flashed of a long farewell

at a gravesite in the pines.

Next, a gray haired gal trotted along,

ridin’ sidesaddle on a Tennessee mule.

2-Bob recalled a slate full of wonders

at a one-room South Dakota school.

But it was the woman in the calico bonnet

that put them tears on his cheek.

2-Bob remembered a mama’s love

and a woman so strong, yet meek.

He rode his buckskin back to the ranch,

ponderin’ days of the distant past

and folks he’d known that lived it right,

with faith in the Lord that would last.

Kansas Red met him in front of the corral

to ask him where he’d been.

“Jist peekin’ into heaven, Red.

I reckon I’ll go back there again.”

On a clear day west of Cody

in nineteen and twenty-three,

2-Bob rode his buckskin out

and discovered eternity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now Available in hardback & e-book:

Throw The DevilOff The Train

The trip to CA took 3days by train. Was that enough time to prevent Catherine from throwing away herheart ... again?

Coming March 2012, Stephen Bly's last novel:

StuartBrannon's Final Shot
It's 1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them's branded a hero. Dothey tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath?
Meanwhile, a lawman comes out of retirement to search for his missing U.S.Marshal friend and grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a charitycelebrity tournament.

website: http://www.BlyBooks.com
blog: http://BlyBooks.blogspot.com

Writers' Rest: NEW BOOK FROM MOLLY

2011-11-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

Writers' Rest: NEW BOOK FROM MOLLY: by Molly Noble Bull http://www.mollynoblebull.com/ I would like to introduce my newest book—The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conque...

Cripple Creek

2011-11-25T06:37:00.000-08:00

By Mona Hodgson

Denver or Colorado Springs were popular towns in Colorado Territory, and have remained so since Colorado received statehood in 1876. Although Cripple Creek is often overlooked, the gold mining camp’s footprint is deep and widespread in Colorado’s historical soil.
Cripple Creek, nestled in a saddle valley on the southwestern slopes of Pikes Peak, became a booming gold mining camp in the late 1890’s. At an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet and just below timberline, the city’s history is one of highs and lows with fires, disease, outlaws, Indian wars, labor wars, and prostitution.

Here’s a peek at the Cripple Creek that inspired this author to write The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series.

Tens of thousands of men (and women) flocked to the rocky mountains of Colorado seeking gold.
Between 1890 and 1910 more than 22,000,000 ounces of gold were extracted from 500 mines in the Cripple Creek District, mainly Cripple Creek and the neighboring town of Victor.

The Cripple Creek District produced thirty millionaires.
Many influential women made history in Cripple Creek, including Sister Mary Claver Coleman of the Sisters of Mercy who helped establish the first general hospital in Cripple Creek; business entrepreneur Mollie O’Bryan, the first woman with an official seat on the Cripple Creek Gold Mining Stock Exchange; Dr. Susan Anderson (Doc Susie); Mollie Kathleen Gortner who became the first woman to file a gold claim in her own name in the Colorado camps; and Pearl DeVere, proprietor of The Homestead House. As a bonus, I feature at least one of these women in each of the four stories in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series.
By the time the nineteenth century gave way to the 1900’s, Cripple Creek had become a cultural destination, drawing the upper tens of Denver and Colorado Springs to its opera houses and ice cream parlors.

This rowdy but charming mountain home of The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek now houses several engaging museums, including the Cripple Creek District Museum, Pikes Peak Heritage Museum, Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum, and the Old Homestead House Museum.

Between mid-may and mid-October, you can ride the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, reliving Vivian Sinclair’s train ride to Victor in combination with the tactile experience and your imagination.

I hope you’ll spend time in my fictional town of Cripple Creek with Kat, Nell, Ida, and Vivian Sinclair in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, and plan to visit the historic Cripple Creek one day soon. Perhaps June 22-24, 2012, for Donkey Derby Days?

Extra! Extra! In the spring, WaterBrook Press will sponsor a spectacular contest to launch Book Three, The Bride Wore Blue (available May 8, 2012). The Grand Prize? Win a trip to Donkey Derby Days in Cripple Creek, Colorado! Plug into the Mona Hodgson Author Page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mona-Hodgson-Author-Page/114199561939095), www.monahodgson.com, and the Mona Hodgson Update Newsletter for details (You can sign up on my website).

Recommended Reading:

Money Mountain by Marshall Sprague

Cripple Creek Days by Mabel Barbee

Cripple Creek District: Last of Colorado’s Gold Booms by Jan Mackell

The Cripple Creek District by the staff and board of the Cripple Creek District Museum

Cripple Creek: World’s Greatest Gold Camp by Leland Feitz

Cripple Creek Railroads by Leland Feitz

Just How Much Information Do You Need About a Place to Write a Book

2011-11-13T02:30:00.000-08:00

I like for my historical novels to be authentic to the time period. I search for all kinds of information to fit the situation. When writing Maggie's Journey, here are some things I found out.

The decade from 1880-1890 in Seattle, Washington Territory:

Northern Pacific Railroad reaches Spokane Falls on June 25, 1881.

Range wars between cattlemen and sheepmen in Douglas County 1881.

Washington Territorial Legislature creates Garfield County (out of Columbia County) on November 29, 1881.

U.S. Army establishes Fort Spokane at the junction of the Spokane and Columbia rivers in 1882.

Great Dayton (Columbia County) Fire 1882.

Women form first women's club on the West Coast in Olympia on March 10, 1883.

Women win, lose, regain, and again lose right to vote in Territorial elections between 1883 and 1888.

Northern Pacific Railroad’s mainline between Washington and Minnesota is completed at Gold Creek, Montana, on September 8, 1883.

Washington Territorial Legislature creates Asotin County (out of Garfield) on October 27, 1883.

Washington Territorial Legislature creates Kittitas County (out of Klickitat) and Lincoln County (out of Whitman) on November 24, 1883.

Washington Territorial Legislature creates Skagit County (out of Whatcom), Douglas County (out of Lincoln), and Adams and Franklin counties (out of Whitman) on November 28, 1883.

Northern Pacific constructs a railroad bridge over Snake River at Ainsworth 1884.

Chief Joseph and many Nez Perce, who were exiled to various reservations after their exodus to Canada was blocked in 1877, are relocated to the Colville Indian Reservation in 1885.

Whites, Indians, and others expel Chinese from Seattle, Tacoma, and elsewhere during 1885 and 1886.

Horse rancher Frank Beezley settles on Beezley Springs (Ephrata) in 1886.

Mother Joseph builds Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane in 1886.

John McMillan establishes Roche Harbor (San Juans) Limestone in 1886.

Dawes Severalty Act 1887.

Jesuit missionary Fr. Joseph Cataldo, SJ, opens Gonzaga College (now Gonzaga University) in Spokane on September 17, 1887.

Stampede Pass tunnel opens on May 27, 1888.

The Great Fire burns Seattle on June 6, 1889.

The Great Fire burns Ellensburg on July 4, 1889.

The Great Fire burns Spokane Falls on August 4, 1889.

Washington becomes a state on November 11, 1889.

Yakima becomes the site of the State Fair in 1889.

Cheney Normal School (future Eastern Washington University) formally opens on October 13, 1890.

Population of Washington state is 357,232 in 1890.

I didn't necessarily use all this information, but it helped me flesh out the setting and time period.

To help me understand life on wagon trains, I used a number of books as well as web sites. Here's some of the information I gleaned:

McElroy traveled with his brother-in-law, Norton Bates, in a train of 16 wagons, all from Illinois. The first few days were cold and the trails were deep in mud. During one stretch they crossed the same river 27 times. The party soon realized that their wagons were overloaded - a common experience for the early travelers. McElroy and Bates lightened their load by selling 250 pounds of pilot bread, 200 pounds of flour and 50 pounds of "other stuff." When they approached the higher elevations of Wyoming, the load needed to be lightened again. The pair shortened their wagon by cutting off a third of its length, and they left behind another 500 pounds of flour, a barrel of sugar and several hundred pounds of bacon.

When they reached South Pass in western Wyoming, "our team failed wrote McElroy, and the group split. They had heard rumors that it was "sickly" at the gold mines and that it would be best to avoid them for awhile. McElroy and Bates took the advice, traded their stake in the outfit for horses, and turned north toward Oregon. The rest of the party went south toward California. McElroy arrived in Oregon City, capitol of the Oregon Territory, on August 20, 1849.

For a few months he worked at the local newspaper, the Oregon Spectator. In November he headed south for the goldfields, canoeing down the Columbia to Astoria and then taking passage on a sailing ship to San Francisco - a "very stormy trip."

McElroy wrote Sarah that he had reached the goldfields near Placerville, California, on December 1, 1849, and achieved "tolerable success for a green hand." He averaged one ounce ($16) per day. Once he mined two ounces, some days much less. A half-ounce a day was considered by the miners to be an average find. He was proud to report that he made between $300 and $400 during the month of December.

Unfortunately, his good luck did not continue - he fell sick in early January 1850 and was unable to work for three months. Sick care cost him $30 per week and soon took most of his earnings. By April he was well enough to work again, but high water made the streams difficult to mine. So he decided to return to Oregon.

I came here for the purpose of helping to start a newspaper. The office belongs to Mr. Dryer (the man I have been working for in Portland), and he says he places the utmost confidence in me and insisted on me coming here to take charge of the mechanical and financial departments of the paper. I consented on condition that I stay no longer than until I get my affairs settled up, and until he finds someone to take my place.

Starting a newspaper in little town of Olympia was a challenge. Fewer than people lived in the area (in about "26 houses and shanties") and there were few businesses in town. Nonetheless, it was the chief population center of the territory. Seattle was still only a dream in the minds of the Denny party who had arrived at Alki Point just seven months earlier. Incidentally, Seattle did not have its first newspaper until 11 years later, in 1863, when the Seattle Gazette began publication.

Actually, you can lose yourself in the past by finding information such as this. Welcome to my world.

Speaking of my world, I recently created a new website. Check it out: www.lenanelsondooley.com

Thanksgiving and Heaven

2011-11-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

by Maggie Brendan

November so far has been perfect fall weather and I relish walking through my neighborhood each afternoon admiring the canvas of God’s handiwork. His painting was so vivid that I decided to take my camera along on my walk yesterday. I took lots of shots and thought that I would post one.

As usual, I’m energized and observe the deep orange, brilliant reds, and burnished gold from the oaks, sweetgum, and maples on either side of the boulevard. I think God speaks to my heart through what I see reminding me of his goodness, and the fact that he remains faithful beyond what we humans can begin to conceive or even comprehend.

He does this in many ways, but one that’s so evident to anyone with a pair of eyes, is by ushering in fall with all its brilliancy on time without fail. The cerulean sky is cloudless and bright as I look up knowing that beyond this atmosphere is the 3^rd heaven in all its splendor where He sits at the right hand of the Father. I contemplate my loved ones who’ve passed from this life, awaiting the time that they will return to this earth to reign with him right where Kind David ruled in Israel and my soul is comforted. Now, I ask you how cool is that? God said Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool, from where he observes the poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word. He’s not saying that we should be scared of him, but rather that we take His Word seriously and be humbled at His sovereignty.

There are 3 heavens. One is the atmosphere where the bird, the wind and clouds are. The 2^nd heaven is the celestial heaven where the sun, moon and our solar system hangs. The 3^rd heaven is where God dwells. He has placed eternity in our hearts and nothing else will entirely satisfy us while we have our temporary existence here.

I’m reminded that my hope is in Heaven and not Washington. Have you considered this?

Available Now!

Lena Nelson Dooley’s Newest Historical: And More

2011-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

by Molly Noble Bull

www.mollynoblebull.com

Today I am interviewing Lena Nelson Dooley from Hurst, Texas, a multi-published author as well as an old friend. Lena writes Christian fiction. Welcome, Lena, it's great to have you here.

“Thank you, Molly. It’s my pleasure.”

“I just bought a copy of your newest novel, Maggie's Journey, and can hardly wait to read it.”

“So, tell us about Maggie's Journey.”

Lena:

Maggie has grown up an only child. Her parents came west on the Oregon Trail, and finally settled in Seattle, Washington Territory. In 1885, near her 18^th birthday, Maggie finds information that turns her world upside down. She journeys to find the answers about this information and discovers what’s really important in life and love.

Molly:

Sounds great. Now, briefly tell us about each of the other books in the series. Are these books connected in some way? If so, how?

Lena:

My McKenna’s Daughters series is about identical triplets who are separated at birth and the different directions their life paths take. The girls are close to their 18^th birthday before they know they have sisters. Books 1 and 2, Mary’s Blessing, are about the girls who were adopted. Book 3, Catherine’s Pursuit is about the girl the father kept. There are a lot of issues that have to be dealt with as well as the search for their sisters.

Molly:

Now I really want to read the books in this series.

So, Lena, tell us a little about your Christian walk.

Lena:

I was raised in a Christian home. Accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was seven years old. As I traveled toward adulthood, I made many mistakes, but God never took His hand from me. In my twenties, I had a dynamic experience with the Lord that strengthened my walk with Him. I can’t imagine not having Him as the focal point of my life. He has taken me to many amazing places both physically, spiritually, and in my career.

Molly:

Great. Now for a few quick questions, what is your web address? Who is publishing your book? And how can we get a copy?

Lena:

My blog is http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com . There are tabs at the top of the blog that take you to pages that tell about me and my books.

The McKenna’s Daughters series was contracted by Realms, the fiction line at Charisma Media. I’ve also signed another 3-book contract with them for after this series is finished. The books are available in Christian bookstores, at Barnes & Noble, and on other websites, such as Amazon.com and Christianbooks.com. The titles come in print and as e-books.

Molly:

Thank you, Lena. So, how do you decide where to set your novels?

Lena:

When I wrote for Barbour Publishing and Summerside Press, the publisher pretty much chose the settings, but I did have input into the choices. With the Realms books, I’ve chosen the settings myself. McKenna’s Daughters books are set in Seattle, Little Rock, Oregon City, Portland, and San Francisco.

With the next series, the first book starts in Colorado, but books two and three are set in Texas. I’ve only had one other book that was completely set in Texas—Wild West Christmas.

I’ve visited or lived in some of the places where I set the books. In others, I do a lot of research to make the setting authentic to the time period, whether it’s historical or contemporary.

Molly:

Thanks again for coming by, and come back real soon.

Lena:

Anytime, Molly. I always enjoy connecting with you and your readers.

Molly:

To find Lena's books in bookstores or online, write Lena Nelson Dooley in the search slot.

Molly Noble Bull’s first non-fiction book, The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities, will be published by Westbow Press in early 2012. Besides Bull, the authors are Ginny Aiken, Margaret Daley, Jane Myers Perrine and Ruth Scofield, and all five published with Love Inspired.

Brides and Blessings, Bull’s modern day western set in Texas, came out from Love Inspired in paperback and is now available as a kindle e-book for less than four dollars. Click below, if you are interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Brides-and-Blessings-ebook/dp/B0056I1C9Y/ref=sr_1_3_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318719813&sr=1-3

Molly’s long historical, The Winter Pearl, was published in trade as well as mass market paperback by Love Inspired and is now available as an e-book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Winter-Pearl-ebook/dp/B000SEGOCG/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318946848&sr=1-1

Of Wind and Tumbleweeds

2011-10-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be short, because I want to ask for YOUR input. Get ready to share!

If you have ever watched an old western movie or even a TV show set in the Old West, you are quite familiar with a nuisance known as the tumbleweed. Even I remarked about seeing them when I first moved to Colorado, saying, "I am in the West." :)

For the most part, tumbleweeds are shown in deserted or ghost towns, empty and dusty streets, or out on the prairie where no building impede their path. But, in reality, tumbleweeds are found everywhere people are, if the conditions are right.

Tumbleweed is a phrase used to describe various varieties of bushes that break off when very dry, and roll with the wind.

These thick matted bushes sometimes stick to each other to resemble a giant Tumbleweed, and single Tumbleweeds six or eight feet in diameter, are not uncommon in the Southwest at times. They have been seen in many Western movies, but far from being "quaint" they can be both a nuisance and a fire hazard. Sage brush creates one of the more common kinds of tumbleweed.

Where I live in Colorado, when the wind blows across town, tumbleweeds inevitably follow. And it's amazing how those buggers can get stuck under your car, then dragged for miles. People avoid them like they do an animal or debris in the road. One of the most ironic facts is knowing the actual tumbleweed is a plant brought over from Russia.

Scientific descriptions with good photos!

History and Description: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tumbleweed.htm
Nice site and has bibliographical links.

Russian Thistle: Desert USA—the Ultimate Desert Resource has a very good history article, and the photo of blossoms to the right is theirs. It's beautiful. It's also larger than life. The blossoms are teensy, and when seen through a microscope, are nearly transparent at one point.

So...what trademarks or icons of the "west" come to mind when you think of a western setting? When you read a western story or novel, or when you watch a movie or TV show, what items are required in order for the western setting to be believable to you?

Research? Who needs it?

2011-10-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Before I start talking about research, I want to announce a few places where you could come meet me:

This Saturday, October 15, A Book Release Party for Maggie's Journey
Mardel Christian Store
Grapevine Highway at Hurstview
Hurst, Texas
1-3 pm

Friday, October 21, A booksigning
Lifeway Christian Store
Flower Mound, Texas
5-7 pm

Saturday, October 22, A booksigning
Lifeway Christian Store
Hurst, Texas
11 am - 1 pm

I'd love to meet you there. Have our picture made together.

One of the things I like most about writing historical novels is finding nuggets of information to make the time period more accurate. While I was writing my latest book to release Maggie's Journey, I was having a hard time picturing Seattle, Washington Territory, in 1885. I had looked for books and computer links, but still not much to go on.

When I quit working full-time and stayed home to write (the first time that happened), I started volunteering in our local library. I'm a real people person, and writing is a solitary endeavor. Imagine my surprise when they put me in the back of the library mending books. Still not much contact with actual people. But I learned a lot about how a library runs.

Every library has a reference librarian. This person will help people find the information they need. Since the advent of cell phones with nationwide free long distance, I have contacted a few of these librarians when I couldn't find information.

I decided to contact the Seattle Public Library. I didn't ask for anyone to do my research for me, just a few suggestions on books about the time period. I hit the Mother Lode.

Seattle Public Library system had digitized literally thousands of historical photos and loaded them on line by decade. I used a number of these pictures to help me construct in my mind the areas of the city that I could use in my book. A couple of weeks ago, I found a similar site for San Francisco, which is one of the settings in the book I'm writing now.

At one time in writing Maggie's Journey, I wanted to find the name of a nice hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1885. When I used Google to find the information, a map of St. Louis in 1885 appeared along with photos and text about various buildings and areas of the city. Another valuable moment.

Here are a few of the links I've been using:

http://mappery.com/map-of/Antique-map-of-St-Louis-from-1885
http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Category:1880s

The use of research enriches all our books, whether historical or contemporary.

How do you use research?
--Lena Nelson Dooley

The Magic City of the Plains

2011-10-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is from Maggie Brendan.

THE MAGIC CITY OF THE PLAINS

Cheyenne, Wyoming was aptly nicknamed The Magic City of the Plains and frequently referred to by its nickname in the local newspaper, Cheyenne Daily Leader, as early as 1867. I was fascinated to learn that it was dubbed The Magic City because of its boom and rapid growth from a ramshackle city on the empty plains like magic. Early on, bull-whackers, thousands of men and a few hundred lewd women, drank and gambled in the raw railroad town bringing debauchery and violence, which left a stain Cheyenne’s reputation. Thankfully, Rev. Joseph W. Cook, an Episcopalian, with the aid of other urban pioneers, set about to institute order in the community, starting churches and schools and civilization of its inhabitants. I was simply in heaven on this trip of research, because this was after all, cowboy country.

When I visited for research last September, the first thing that struck me about Wyoming was the windswept prairie and wildlife. Walking the historic district of Cheyenne ignited my desire to photograph and enjoy reading about the old buildings and homes that are still intact today. With such rich history, I tried to give a glimpse of its details in my book, Deeply Devoted of the Blue Willow Brides series, but there is so much more that could be told. Mail-order brides were a huge part of settling the West.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the buildings that I photographed on my trip that are mentioned in Deeply Devoted.

My first glimpse at the Union Pacific Depot as I entered the city of Cheyenne left a lasting impression on me. With its multi colored sandstone and pitched roof that resembled a castle, I decided it would be the starting point in my novel. I marveled at the details of the building and enjoyed the museum there. When my heroine arrives, the clock tower had not yet been erected and wouldn’t be until 1890. It did have a beautiful park in the front with trees, a bronze cannon and fountain, which is still there today.

The interior was so beautiful and I imagined what it must have been like when my heroine, Catharine, stepped off the train.

The Phoenix Block was a successful mercantile store and later the Normandy Hotel. It’s still standing today and the bottom floor is now western ware and at one end a popular café, whose name escapes me now.

This the First National Bank, established in 1882.

One of my favorite buildings in Cheyenne is the Tivoli, where Clara and Mac have dinner and run into Greta and Bryon in my story. It was rumored that it had secret passageway, among other things, to other business on the second floor. It’s a beautiful Victorian structure that was a restaurant and beer garden, or speakeasy as it was later called. When I was there for my research, the new owners were refurbishing the interior bar and crown molding in a wonderful dark cherry, I believe from what I could see through the windows.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Cheyenne and if you haven’t picked up your copy of Deeply Devoted, I hope you will do so today. I’m enjoying some great reviews. Romantic times gave it 4 stars.

Thanks to Amanda Cabot for her friendship while I was in Cheyenne!

Maggie

My first movie premier

2011-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

I was invited to the premier of a delightful Christian movie entitled Footprints. The premier was being held in the oldest continuously operating movie theater in the State of Texas in Mineola, Texas. It was being held there because the community theater group there gave actor/screenwriter/director and producer Jim Huggins his start in theater. It was quite a gala affair and Saundra and I enjoyed it tremendously.

So why me? Why was I invited?

Actually Jim contacted me some time ago and said he had been told that I was the guy to take his screenplay and turn it into a novel to accompany the movie. I have done some of that before, but never when I had an actual movie to look at as I worked on it.

A shot of Saundra and I with the cast members that were present.

A shot of me with Jim Huggins who wrote the screenplay based on his own life. He produced and directed the movie. Usually a screen play is adapted from a book so maybe they try to make the movie follow the book as well as they can. In this case the movie came first and it was essential for the book to match up with it as much as possible. Since it was a fictionalization of real events that made it more important to be a close fit.

The book is now in the hands of several publishers who are strongly considering it. The movie is going into distribution now and a DVD version should be able to be ordered soon. It will make you run the gauntlet of emotions but is a powerful story of God's redemption as well as a story of how to think out of the box when it comes to being a witness for God. The website to see when DVD's may be ordered is at www.footprintsmovie.com And yes, maybe my hat got a little tight when there was a full screen credit at the end with my name and telling people to look for the book.

MY FAV WESTERN MOVIES

2011-09-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Stephen Bly 2008

by Stephen Bly

Quite often I get asked, “What’s your favorite westernmovie?”

Sure, the 1952 classic, High Noon, rates high. Butthere are a number of others I enjoy. Here’s a list of ones I like best, thoughI make no claim to pronounce these the best westerns ever made. They’re theones I like watching over and over.

These are listed in chronological order, by release date,not in order of preference.

Stagecoach

1. Stagecoach (1939)- John Wayne’s first major role. Directed by John Ford. While showing thelimitation of a pre-war movie, it sets the tone of westerns aimed for adults.The genre would never be the same. Stagecoach did for the movies what Gunsmokedid for TV westerns. This might be the first time many witnessed legendarywestern stunt man, Yakima Canutt, stop an out-of-control stagecoach. IndianaJones crawling under the speeding German troop transport in Raiders of theLost Ark is a tip of the fedora to Canutt.

Fort Apache

2. Fort Apache (1948)- stars Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Shirley Temple. Directed by John Ford. Thepresentation of seasoned western cavalrymen, of a headstrong and stubbornoffice (Fonda), and of unscrupulous Indian agents all ring true with history.Wayne is not the main character. Anyone could have played his part. The storycenter’s around Fonda’s role, an obvious ‘Custer’ type. This might be the firsttime the general public was informed, no matter how subtle, that Custer wasn’tsuch a great hero after all. The concluding scene about how things should beremembered is classic.

High Noon

3. High Noon (1952)- stars Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly. Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Hands down, myfavorite movie of all time. I went to the theater as an 8-year-old and watchedevery breath-taking second of it. I made up my mind that day that I would liveby the ‘code’ as Will Cane did. It is the reason I write western stories. AndCane is the proto-type of my own characters: Stuart Brannon, Tap Andrews, AveryJohn Creede, etc.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

4. The Man WhoShot Liberty Valance (1962) - stars James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles.Directed by John Ford. I like the gradual realization of what really happened... and why it’s important to allow things to continue as they are. Who do youthink is the hero in this movie?

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

5. Butch Cassidy& The Sundance Kid (1969) - stars Paul Newman, Robert Redford,Katharine Ross. Directed by George Roy Hill. Okay, some say this is a comedy,not a western ... and that the “Raindrops Keep Falling” sequence annoys. But Ilove the great old time sepia nickelodeon/silent movie opening and the introline: “some of what follows is true.” And the excellent cinematography. Theearly scene with Butch at the bank ... watch the shadows and camera angles ...wow, it’s good. And the final scene is an all-time classic. But I enjoy theaffable Butch Cassidy (which is true to history) and the fact that no matterhow likeable you might be, good does triumph over evil.

A Fistful of Dynamite

6. Duck, YouSucker (1971) - stars James Coburn, Rod Steiger, Romolo Valli. Directed bySergio Leone. Music by Ennio Morricone. This is, perhaps, the worst title ever.Sometimes it’s called A Fistful of Dynamite. They wanted to name it OnceUpon A time ... Revolution. But using ‘revolution’ in a 1971 film wasconsidered too radical. Warning: it is, in places, graphic and violent and notfor all audiences. But it tells an honest story will all the action andcharacter development you would expect in a good western. And there’s a chanceelement stressed here ... of being in the right place at the right time ...that rings true to most revolutions.

The Shootist

7. The Shootist (1976)- stars John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard. Directed by Don Siegel. Myfavorite John Wayne movie. The Code of the West reigns supreme with moreclarity than any other movie. I relate to the character of J. B. Books, evendown to his battle with cancer.

Quigley Down Under

8. Quigley DownUnder (1990) - stars Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman. Directedby Simon Wincer. Originally slated for 1980 to star Steve McQueen. Forget thepredictable plot. The movie is about a Sharps rifle and re-established the lostsport of long distance, silhouette shooting. It’s also about a woman called‘Crazy Cora.’ Laura San Giacomo should be given an award for the best femaleperformance in any western ever. Yeah, I consider this a ‘western,’ even thoughit’s set in Australia.

Open Range

9. Open Range (2003)- stars Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening. Directed by KevinCostner. For a modern movie, they get a lot of things right, such as the soundeffects of the gunfight. For once, Hollywood made gun reports authentic. Thatmight be the only time in the history of western movies.

The Alamo

10. The Alamo (2004) - stars Billy Bob Thornton,Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson. Directed by John Lee Hancock. Thisis the modern, not John Wayne version. Pre-civil war Texas might not seem likethe setting for a western, but I’ll put it in that category. Terrificcinematography. Superb casting. Historical accuracy. I love this film. Itinspires me every time I watch it. Pay close attention to the characterdevelopment of William Travis (played by Patrick Wilson).

True Grit

I have also recently added to this list the newest releaseof True Grit (2010) - starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, HaileeSteinfeld. Directed by the Coen brothers. I admire John Wayne as much as thenext western movie buff. But in the original True Grit I was alwaysaware that Rooster Cogburn was really John Wayne. In this version, Jeff Bridgesis Rooster Cogburn in every twitch of his being.

~~~~~~~~~

What western movie would you add to or subtract from this list? And why?

~~~~~~~~~

COMING MARCH 2012: Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, byStephen Bly, with Janet Chester Bly, Russell Bly, Michael Bly & Aaron Bly

Check out: www.BlyBooks.com or www.BlyBooks.blogspot.com

HEAVEN IS FOR COWBOYS

2011-09-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

by Molly Noble Bull

www.mollynoblebull.com

HEAVEN IS FOR COWBOYS

And regular folks, too

There is a place of quiet rest

For me, Heaven was once a scary place because in order to go there, one must die. But books like Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpro and others made God’s dwelling place more real to me. Now, the fear is gone—replaced by excitement and great joy.

According to the scriptures, animals will be in Heaven. In fact, Jesus and his saints will return to earth one day riding white horses. As a cowgirl or sorts, I look forward to mounting up and riding a white horse—with Jesus leading the way.

Heaven is described in the Bible as a place of beauty and quiet rest. Best of all, God the Father is real, and He will be there. Click below and take a short video tour of Heaven straight from the Holy Scriptures.

http://youtu.be/jGRx8-SANW8

Earth is a wonderful place to those who love the Lord because God’s Holy Spirit is in them. But Heaven is far better. I believe that once you have seen the video and studied the scripture verses noted in it, all fear of death will disappear, and you will be eager to go there when your days on earth finally end.

Cowboys...What's the Appeal?

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm currently on a deadline, and I've got an infant who's teething and a toddler who's wearing me out. Plus, I've had to take on a 2nd job to help make ends meet as a result of the book for which I write closing in December. That meant 2 lost contracts and the money that would have gone with them.

So, I'm resurrecting a post that appeared here two years ago. It brought a lot of great discussion, and I thought it would be fun to have it posted again.

I confess. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved watching westerns. And the sight of a man in jeans, boots and a Stetson have always made my heart skip a beat. If that man happens to also be astride a fine horse, all the better! :)

Right now, I'm working on a couple of books with a western setting. In fact, the very first complete book I wrote was set in a small western town and featured a hero who was a successful cattle baron. And now, I'm returning to writing what I love...stories about horses, cowboys, ladies and ranches in the west.

So, what is it about cowboys that appeals to so many of us? Why do little boys love to don the hat and boots and swing that lasso? Why do little girls get a twinkle in their eye when they see one? What about them makes ladies want to hop right on their horse and ride off into the sunset with them? What about the way they tip their hat makes you feel that all is right with the world? Why do stories of them always catch our ear or seeing them catch our eye? And what is it about the way they drawl the word, "ma'am" that can make you weak at the knees?

Perhaps it's a desire for those simpler times when a man's handshake and his word was his bond, when men treated women with a high measure of respect and courtesy, when loyalty was a highly-prized character trait, and when you had all you could ever hope for if you had a good woman, a good saddle and a good horse.

To me? It's the love of horses and the image that cowboys represent. They might be a little rough around the edges, and they might even stink if they've been riding range for days on end without the luxury of a creek or a shower. But we love them anyway! There is just something about them that has stood the test of time, and I'm sure will continue to do so for years to come.

Before I end, I'd like to share a web site another friend sent that's entitled:

True Cowboy - The Last Cowboy Stronghold

Whether you're looking to delve into the history of the cowboy or want to scope out some modern-day ones, or even if you've got a hankerin' to don the gear and become a cowboy or cowgirl yourself, this site has it all. Enjoy!

Oh! And I'd love to hear what YOU feel is the reason for the appeal of the cowboy. What about them makes YOUR heart beat faster or puts a smile on your face? Share your thoughts in the comments.

** images used from the following sites: http://www.art.com, http://domainnamenews.com, http://www.buckaroostyle.com, http://www.fineartamerica.com, and http://www.celebritycostumeshop.com.

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood. Today, she is an author, speaker, online marketing specialist, and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have 1 daughter, 1 son, and a flat-haired retriever mix named Roxie. She has sold eleven books and 1 novella so far to Barbour Publishing, with more books on the horizon. She is also a columnist for the ACFW e-zine and writes other articles on the side. Read more about her at her web site: http://www.amberstockton.com/.

MAGGIE'S JOURNEY - Lena Nelson Dooley

2011-09-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

My next book will have a prerelease debut at the ACFW National Conference in St. Louis, September 22-25. The bookstore will be open to the public, so if you live near there, you'll be able to purchase a copy of Maggie's Journey and of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, which won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in western media.

Lena Nelson Dooley is an award-winning author with more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers—where she received the Mentor of the Year award in 2006—DFW Ready Writers, and Christian Authors Network. She lives in Hurst, Texas, with her husband of over 47 years.

Then Maggie's Journey will release in stores in early October.

Maggie's Journey
By Lena Nelson Dooley
ISBN 978-1616383589
Realms/Charisma House
October 4, 2011
McKenna's Daughters Series, Book 1

A girl who’s been lied to her whole life…

Near her eighteenth birthday, Margaret Lenora Caine finds a chest hidden in the attic containing proof that she was adopted. The daughter of wealthy merchants in Seattle, she feels betrayed both by her real parents and by the ones who raised her.

Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan

2011-09-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

by Maggie Brendan

Dear Friends,

Maggie has had an illness in the family since May. She's continued to write more stories for you and wants to share about her newest release Deeply Devoted...

Deeply Devoted - Releases in September 2011!

Maggie Brendan has done it again—stolen my heart with a love story that left me breathless. As gentle as a prairie breeze and as delicate as the Blue Willow china for which the series is named, Deeply Devoted is a tender and haunting tale that stirs heart and soul—deeply—well beyond the last page. -- Julie Lessman, Best Selling Author of Daughters of Boston series

Brendan, Maggie. Deeply Devoted. Revell. (Blue Willow Brides, Bk. 1). Sept. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9780800734626. pap. $14.99. CF
Instead of choosing the young lady his mother has picked for him, Peter Andersen sends to Amsterdam for a mail-order bride in this new series by Brendan (“Heart of the West” series). Catharine Olsen arrives in Cheyenne, WY, with her mother’s china and her two sisters in tow. Peter is patient not only with Catharine but with her sisters. However, as the two begin their life together on the wheat farm, Peter’s mother will go to any length to see her son’s marriage destroyed. VERDICT This novel should appeal to fans of Lori Wick who enjoy a gentle romance with a Western twist as well as those who like reading about cultural clashes.

--LibraryJournal.com

-- Romantic Times Book Reviews, www.RTBookReviews.com

Did you know...

No Place for a Lady is a free download through Sept. on Kindle and the Nook! Here are the links...

Amazon

http://tiny.cc/bhzim No Place for a Lady

Barnes & Nobel

http://tiny.cc/1nh98 No Place for a Lady

This is the link for Deeply Devoted out now...

http://tiny.cc/ne7sz Deeply Devoted

Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral? by Terry Burns

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I give up, what is it?

I just got a submission for a steampunk manuscript, the first I have received. Do I handle steampunk? I don't know.

I had kind of a general idea what the genre was but I needed to know more. I googled it and came up with a blog from Lena Nelson Dooley on the subject. Lena is a good friend and a Hartline client (Joyce's) and generally a pretty reliable source of information. She says, "Early templates for what steampunk would become include Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. So far modern film examples have been pretty lacking and not received strong critical responses, but they include Wild, Wild West, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, and some even argue the new Sherlock Holmes film can be included because it uses technology far ahead of its time, explained with older methods."

Okay, I'm quite familiar with all those and enjoyed all of them. So it is books set in the past but uses technology far into the future, or at least far in the future for its time. That's a little closer definition than the rather nebulous one that I was working with. Our agency submission guidelines say that we do not work in the science fiction or fantasy markets so that would rule it out, right?

Not that clear. Is it sci-fi because it is melding technology into the story that did not exist at the time? Or is it just a historical with a twist? We do historicals. I saw Wild, Wild West, was it a sci-fi? Or an imaginative western?

I finally reluctantly turned it down, not because of the sci-fi definition, but because I didn't know where to go with it. Looking through the exhaustive editor databases that I have I just don't see that I am working with any editors that have shown an interest in it. And I don't sell to publishing houses, I sell to editors that I know and have established a working relationship with.

But I'm open to the idea, and will be exploring it further. Maybe someday when the future technology catches up with my historical editor preferences . . .

MATCHMAKING.COM IN THE OLD WEST

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Stephen Bly
1944-2011

A number of Old West bachelors found brides through mail order. For a good reason.

The Civil War decimated the supply of eligible eastern men. So, single women and widows abounded. And a shortage of females existed in the wild west.

This led to outlets such as The Heart And Hand Magazine, published by a matrimonial bureau. Many a cowboy spent a cold winter’s day or night flipping through the pages. Often he believed the lovely, lively descriptions of the gals who sent submissions.

After a series of letters, written as a lark or out of sheer loneliness, a cowboy might drive a buckboard fifty miles to meet his Heart-And-Hand love. She might turn out to be quite unlike his perception or her photograph. Of course, the cowboys didn’t always appear as prime treasures themselves.

The system wasn’t all bad though. Honest correspondence provided potential for building a solid foundation for a relationship. The letter writers could discover each other’s mind, soul, spirit…the important parts.

Sometimes outer looks get in the way, divert attention from what’s a person’s true value. Long, copious conversations…by letter, phone, e-mail or texting…can lead to discovery of the true spirit, what’s inside.

A dozen thoughtful epistles from an honest heart can be worth about two years of dates at the movies and pizza parlour. Such a system helps folks really know each other before they commit...and advances the prospects of living happily ever after.


It's Your Misfortune & None Of My Own

The premise for my Code of the West Series grows out of a scenario such as this with two different couples, Zechariah Hatcher and Suzanne Cedar, Tap Andrews and Pepper Paige...honesty and sincerity by one and plenty of deception and deceit to overcome by the other.

*************

Throw The Devil Off The Train

NOW AVAILABLE:

Throw The Devil Off The Train

COMING MARCH 2012:

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

Introducing Author Lacy Williams

2011-08-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

by Lacy Williams

Have you ever wondered how an author comes up with the setting for their story?

Lacy Williams shares how she created the fictional Wild West town where her book MARRYING MISS MARSHAL is set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfNsqdZv8tw

More about MARRYING MISS MARSHAL:

Filling the shoes of her late husband as town marshal hasn't been easy for Danna Carpenter. She's not only fighting criminals, she's also fighting to earn the respect of the townspeople. So crossing paths with tenderfoot detective Chas O'Grady is the last thing she needs. He's hunting a band of cattle rustlers and isn't used to the rugged Wyoming landscape. Teaming up is their only option, but when circumstances place them in a compromising situation, the town forces a more permanent partnership—marriage. If they can let down their guards with each other they might find that love is the greatest catch of all.

Publisher’s Weekly calls MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, "warmly romantic with a hint of adventure and an unconventional heroine" (June 2011)

RT Book Reviews gives it 4 Stars and says, "Williams' debut is a great story with a twist, and it will keep readers riveted." (August 2011)

Readers can find links to purchase, and more info at www.marryingmissmarshal.com

About Lacy:

Lacy Williams is a wife and mom from Oklahoma. Her debut novel, MARRYING MISS MARSHAL, won ACFW's Genesis award before being published. She promises readers happy endings guaranteed. Lacy combines her love of dogs with her passion for literacy by volunteering with her therapy dog Mr. Bingley in a local Kids Reading to Dogs program.

Lacy loves to hear from readers at lacyjwilliams@gmail.com. She posts short stories and giveaways at her website www.lacywilliams.net and can be found on social media at www.facebook.com/lacywilliamsbooks and www.twitter.com/lacy_williams

Interview with Western Writer Frank Roderus

2011-08-06T04:23:00.001-07:00

For the Reader to Care: Frank Roderus on Writing the West

This interview re-posted from Booklifenow.com blog by Jeremy L C Jones

Bad Boys by Frank Roderus opens with a man about to tell the woman he loves about his wild and rowdy past. The novel ends… well, it ends where it needs to end. In between, the story ranges, in tone and content, from the romping good times of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to the more mature The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the picaresque tales of highwaymen and outlaws. The prose is fast, tight, and as clear as spring water. Each chapter moves deeply into the life of the central character, Danny Southern, and then moves on with only the faintest hint of sentimentality and a steady maturation.

At the three-quarters mark, dread sets in—not simply because of some impending doom, but because it becomes increasingly hard to deny that the story will soon end. It’s hard to stop reading Bad Boys—hard to put it down while in you’re reading it and hard to accept that it’s over when you finish.

Frank Roderus has been writing novels full-time for more than thirty years. He’s written in a variety of genres—action-adventure, crime, mystery—but the majority of his 300+ books are Westerns. He writes both stand-alone and series Westerns. He’s been contributing steadily to the Longarm series (as by Tabor Evans) since #53 (in 1983).

When I asked Roderus what remained the same in all his novels–what was the constant–I was hoping he’d reveal to me the secret to writing a fresh and unique novel every time out of the gate.

“Oh, I do most earnestly hope there is no constant in them,” said Roderus, “at least not apart from reader involvement with my characters. Through the years I have been privileged to vicariously become a delightful array of people and professions. Cowboys, sure, but also badmen, telegraphers, storekeepers, drifters, snake oil salesmen… the list has gotten pretty long and I have enjoyed experiencing each of them. And hope to find more in the future.”

With Roderus, it all comes back to characters the reader can care about. Below, Roderus and I talk about writing fiction in general and writing the West in particular.

You’ve been writing Western stories since you were five, novels since the late 70s, and writing full-time since 1980… Are you still loving it?

Frank Roderus: I am still very much loving what I do and feel blessed to have had the opportunity for such a wonderfully enjoyable career. Writing has always been a joy for me and I did thoroughly enjoy my years as a newspaper reporter, but journalism is essentially a matter of finding something that is wrong and pointing that out to the readers. With fiction I can also point out that which is good in people. Besides, it is just plain fun to tweak the noses of the bad guys.

Where does a Western novel usually start for you–image, plot, character, historical event, somewhere else altogether? And how do you develop the novel from there?

Frank Roderus: My books nearly always start for me by way of a character. I will find someone in my thoughts and he will tell the story from there. I just sit back and mentally watch the show unfold bit by bit and put that down on paper as it happens. The situations these characters find themselves in can be prompted by a newspaper story or something read in a history book, by almost anything. Much of my pleasure reading is non-fiction and those, especially first person accounts from long ago, will sometimes influence my characters but they become very much their own persons. In fact, some of my best friends have been my own characters.

What does a first chapter need to do and how do you do it?

Frank Roderus: I would hope that my first chapters give the reader something to care about. Good, bad or simply setting a tone, for the reader to care is the important thing. Or so I believe.

Danny Southern, Harlan Breen, Lyle Wilson… What makes for a compelling protagonist in general and a compelling Western protagonist in particular?

Frank Roderus: There again, for the reader to care is most important. Notice that I do not say the reader has to like the character. He can hate the rotten lousy so-and-so, and that is quite all right, just so long as he wants to see the fellow get his comeuppance and sticks around for the ride toward that end. I have come to believe that as long as I care, I can create a character who the reader will also care about. But I must genuinely care in order for this to happen. I don’t think the protagonist in a Western is markedly different from a character in a crime novel, a noir piece or even a romance, though. Any differences are on the surface–does this guy ride a sorrel horse or drive a red Ferrari–the heart and the emotions are constants and those are the basis for storytelling.

And how about an antagonist?

Frank Roderus: Same thing. He can have shades of gray in his character but there should be an emotional involvement in one’s feelings toward him. The reader may even like him… but should want to see him fall as a matter of simple justice.

Any advice for writing action scenes?

Frank Roderus: Action scenes are generally easy to write. I watch them play out in my mind and put down what I “see” there. I do have my own emotional involvement though and am completely wiped out by the end of the scene, very much as if I had physically participated in them, just without the blood and the bruises.

The middle of your novels never sag. How do you keep the tension mounting, the plot moving, and the suspense building?

Frank Roderus: Oh, my. You can’t know how pleased I am for you to say that. Maintaining pace is not always a simple thing to do and I can’t always judge how well I have done it. What I try to remember in the middle of a yarn, when all the characters and the main direction of the story have been established, is to throw in some new problems for the protagonist to overcome. Those needn’t be central to the main story but they do need to be true to the character. You can also slip in something playful.

The end game… what does the final chapter need to do? How do you manage the fine balance between too many and too few threads tied up? How do you ensure the reader leaves satisfied and comes back for more when the next one comes out?

Frank Roderus: I probably am guilty of weaving too few threads, not too many. I just try to wrap up what is there so there is some closure for my protagonist, whether good guy or bad. Leaving the reader satisfied is always a goal but since I am not creating series characters there is no compelling reason for the reader to return. He knows he will not find someone familiar in my next book, but I do hope he will feel he can find someone interesting.

Speaking of the next one, what can we expect from Ransom?

Frank Roderus: Ransom is about relationships, man and woman, father and daughter, divorced man and his ex wife’s lover… and of course with a bad guy/kidnapper thrown into the mix.

Any parting words? Words of encouragement or caution for the writers out there?

Frank Roderus: Oh, encouragement, by all means. It has always been difficult to get into print, always will be, but it is worth the struggle. The thing a new writer must do is write something so darn good, so completely compelling, that an editor simply can’t turn it down.

As for caution, I would advise newcomers to avoid the easy route of e-pub until he has sold at least one book to a legitimate print publisher. There are two reasons for this. The first and more obvious is that the e-pub houses generally do not have staff to properly edit, and the writer needs the input of editorial staff in order to have his work fully judged. He really cannot adequately judge it himself. Secondly, and more important, the print houses have established distribution and distribution is the most difficult part of the publishing process. That said, writing is more fun than almost anything. Do it. Revel in it. And keep at it until you do get that miracle of an acceptance letter.

If I may toss in a bit of advice here, the Western Writers of America holds seminars at their annual meetings that can be invaluable to newcomers. While one must be published in order to become a member of WWA, you do not have to belong to the organization to attend the conventions. Check their website for details about those summer meetings. And once you are published, you might want to consider Western Fictioneers as a source of information, encouragement and fellowship also. It too has a website that may be of interest.

OLD WEST MUSING ON A SUMMER'S DAY

2011-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

by Stephen Bly

A lot of towns in the Old West went ‘boom and bust.’ Such as mining towns like Winnemucca, Nevada or Wallace, Idaho. . .or oil towns like Gillette or Rock Springs, Wyoming. Some were timber towns like our own Winchester, Idaho.

I have great respect for the folks who weather the booms and busts and keep a town going. That’s why I wrote the poem, “Pork City, Montana.”

Pork City is a fictitious place. But here’s how it came to be.

I drove out to the Black Hills of South Dakota one time to do research. While singing an old cowboy song, out of the corner of my eye I spied an exit sign for Pork City. I laughed when I realized it really read Park City.

But the rest of the trip across Montana, I pondered the history of the town that might have been called Pork City. Here’s the result.

PORK CITY, MONTANA

Pork City, Montana in ‘23

was changin’ for all the world to see

The slaughterhouse sold and hogs ran free

Pork City, Montana in ‘23

Roustabouts swarmed like locusts in the sand

Derricks sprouted up where the sage used to stand

Iron pipe laced this wilderness land

Crude oil flowed, the economy fanned

Pork City, Montana in ‘53

as desolate a place as you’ll ever see

Stores boarded up, it was time to flee

Pork City, Montana in ‘53

Weeds in the blacktop, porches ‘bout to fold

Shingles in the yard, wood stoves growin’ cold

Rows of hundred dollar houses, ever’ one of ‘em unsold

Families uprooted, their stories never told

Pork City, Montana in ‘93

As lively a place as you’ll ever want to see

A shoppin’ mall’s where the slaughterhouse used to be

Pork City, Montana in ‘93

They returned to the land, to graze and to till

Of big city livin’ they all had their fill

They claim they’ll stay and I reckon they will

Sharin’ them sunsets with wild hogs on the hill

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Throw The Devil Off The Train

Available Now:

Throw The Devil Off The Train

Coming March 2012:

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

10 Reasons to Read and Write Historical Fiction

2011-07-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

by Mona Hodgson

Most often, historical fiction is my genre of choice for both reading and writing. Why? Here are my top ten reasons:

1. Introduction to significant events and influences from an era before my time. Whether it’s personal research or as a benefit to another author’s careful digging, historical fiction brings yesteryear to life. In Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, compelling characters introduced me to life on a plantation and to the widespread affects of the Civil War.

2. Information is an inherent feature of historical fiction and immerses the reader in a specific time and place in history. In Maid to Match, Deeanne Gist showed me what life might have been like in George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate. I learned about scullery maids, footmen, and the role of a lady’s maid. In Ticket to Tomorrow, author Carol Cox put me in the Machinery Hall at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

3. Illumination of faith and life beyond the natural boundaries of my imagination. Life in a North Carolina mansion, a Seattle logging camp, a medieval castle, the lowlands of Scotland, etc. Historical fiction sheds light and offers an explanation for a variety of historical mores. Yes, we’re talking about fiction, but in the best historical fiction most of the story components are rooted in truth.

4. Intersection with characters with whom I share a connection. Jo from Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women was one of four sisters, as am I. She was also a writer. I connected with Jo at both of those crossroads.

5. Identification with characters who share my basic values and struggles. Sometimes the rapport and empathy may come in having experienced a similar situation, such as moving into new territory like Marty did in Jeanette Oke’s book, Love Comes Softly. Even though I haven’t experienced widowhood as Marty did, or married for the sake of convenience, I have felt lost in a new situation.

6. Interpretation is an imperative in the best historical fiction. A solid story set in history offers readers an analysis of the past and can help bring understanding in the wake of war, a natural disaster, or a personal or societal tragedy. Through the actions and reactions of characters like Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler, we gain better understanding of human nature, ourselves, and interpersonal relationships.

7. Importance grows out of the heart of a historical novel. Harriett Beecher Stowe poured her heart and soul into her ground-breaking novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Historical fiction can mark personal and societal milestones. A story may shed light on an issue such as slavery. It may chronicle the emergence of women in business as in my novel, Too Rich for a Bride. Or it may feature the exhilaration and scandal stirred by the foolhardy new activity of cycling as seen in Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist.

8. Inspiration is a given when I become immersed in the lives of the stalwart women of the past, whether actual or fictional. In each of my books in The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series, I include a real life woman from the time period and Cripple Creek history. In Two Brides Too Many, Sister Mary Claver Coleman serves as the real life woman. The reverend mother of the Catholic Order of the Sisters of Mercy who came to America from Ireland to establish schools and hospitals in needy areas. Inspiring! Driven by her personal loss and her hunger for retribution, DiAnn Mill’s fictional character in A Woman Called Sage is a bounty hunter. An inspiring tale of courage and second chances.

9. Imagination is stirred as I place myself beside characters on a plantation, in a mining camp, on a prairie schooner, in a boardinghouse, or at Kitty Hawk, watching the first airplane shudder in its lift off. Details stir the reader’s imagination. Whether it’s the hilarity involved in a British Lady’s decision to become a ranch hand out west as in Cathy Marie Hake’s novel Fancy Pants or the characteristics of a logging camp in search of brides as seen in A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist, the particulars an author chooses to include engage the mind’s eye of the reader.

10. Independence that grows out of a need to be a self-starter. In The Inheritance, Tamera Alexander uses family responsibilities and connections to spur her main character to draw on her independent spirit in a fresh start. Her parents gone, big sister McKenna Ashford loads up the family wagon and heads West with a rebellious brother at her side. Cholera epidemics, fires, war, widowhood, drought, a gold rush, and more served as the impetus for new beginnings.

I count it a privilege to work as a historical novelist, to be able to weave truth from historical events and settings with characters who are true to human nature. I’m taking what I’ve learned from my favorite historical novelists and pouring it into my debut series, The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek.

Which historical novels do you count among your favorites, and why?

Learn more about Mona and her books at www.monahodgson.com and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mona-Hodgson-Author-Page/114199561939095.

To read the first chapters of Two Brides Too Many and Too Rich for a Bride and to watch the videos, go to www.monahodgson.com. Click on Mona’s Books, then on Sneak Peek or the book trailer.

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine

2011-07-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been 3 months since I last posted here. Time flies when you've got an infant and a toddler around your house, plus 2 book deadlines. Sorry I've neglected to provide my monthly posts here, but I also see many of my fellow western historians remaining faithful in sharing their unique insight and tidbits. I'll try to do better.

My family from Delaware visited me last week, and no, that is not them to the left. :) That is a picture of early miners with their work area illuminated by candlelight.

Anyway, one thing my family always does is check out one tourist spot in the area during their time here. This week, it was a tour of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Mining was a popular industry during the mid-to-late 1800's, and it continues today...some of it in the very same mines discovered over 130 years ago!

This tour is America's longest continually operated gold mine tour. The most jarring experience is descending a mine shaft 1,000 feet in an open ore bucket. For those who don't know what this is, it's a VERY small cage-like container suspended on cables and secured into a mine shaft. The space is probably about 4 or 5-feet square and we managed to fit 6 full-grown adults PLUS 2 kids into that tiny space. Talk about being packed in like sardines! Yet, this is how many miners also descended and ascended every day to do their work.

Here is the story of the Mollie Kathleen mine:

Coming West to Colorado from Ottumwa, Iowa, arriving with her husband Henry, son Perry, and daughter Elizabeth, the Gortner family first settled on North Nevada Street in Colorado Springs.

In the spring of 1891 Mollie’s son Perry arrived in the Cripple Creek area employed as a surveyor assigned to map mining claims of this country’s newest and overlooked frontier. With all news of the day focused on Cripple Creek’s gold. Mollie loaded the family wagon with supplies and joined the next wagon train heading west up Ute Pass to visit her son. After a four day trip, Mollie was relieved to find Perry had completed construction of a half log half canvas field tent. Mollie waisted little time setting up housekeeping.

In September of that year (1891), Perry while surveying upper Poverty Gulch, saw a huge herd of elk. Later he told Mollie of the herd so she headed out to see for herself. As she made her way up Poverty Gulch (three hundred yards past Cripple Creek’s first gold strike--- Bob Womack’s Gold King Mine---,) winded Mollie decided to rest.

Looking downward,as she caught her breath, Mollie noticed an interesting rock formation that winked back at her. Using a rock to break off a sample, she could hardly believe her eyes, the outcropping was pure gold laced in quartz.

With her heart racing Mollie nonchalantly hid gold samples amongst her clothing, she had to be calm, there were a number of prospectors in the area. Earlier that day Mollie had mingled with Bob Womack whom had overlooked her find for more than a dozen years prospecting an area he had nicknamed Poverty Gulch.

By her determined act, Mollie Kathleen Gortner became the first woman in the Gold Camp to discover gold and strike a claim in her own name. This was clearly a bold move out of step with the times. Most men of the time, only named their horses, jack asses, and mines after their women, it was very uncommon to let a woman claim something of such value.

Even after her mine was in production and when visited by the National Geological Survey, it’s authors entered their report of the mine being “Discovered by Mr. M.C. Gortner” Mr. Gortner’s name was Henry --- Mollie’s name was Mary Catherine Gortner. Mollie Kathleen Gortner Died in 1917. Henry would later die of a broken heart one short year later. Perry Gortner was left 1/3 interest in his mother’s gold discovery and was managing operator of the Mollie Kathleen until his death in 1949. The Gortner family lay to rest in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO.

Amazing to think something which began in such an unorthodox manner has continued to exist and the mines in this area are still producing gold ore which funds many organizations and outreaches throughout the Pike's Peak Region.

I have a 3-book series set in Silverton and Durango, but I just might shift a little northeast and move my setting to near Cripple Creek. It would be a lot easier to do research. :) We'll have to see which region my editors prefer.

For more information on the Mollie Kathleen, visit this site.

Tiffany Amber Stockton is an author, online marketing specialist and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one daughter, one son, and an Australian Shepherd mix. She has sold eleven books and one novella so far to Barbour Publishing, with more on the horizon. She's also been a member of ACFW since 2002.

Read more about her at her web site: http://www.amberstockton.com/.

The Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction

2011-07-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

Over a week ago, I received notification that my book that released last May, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, has been awarded the Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western fiction. This was welcome news.
The letter stated: The Will Rogers Medallion Award is presented each year to those books that represent Outstanding Achievement in the Publishing of Western Literature. Your book exemplifies the combination of excellent content, high production values, and honoring of the Cowboy Heritage that the award was created to acknowledge.
I was indeed honored to receive this recognition.
I don't write books for awards. I write books for readers. But along the way if one of them receives an award, I recognize it as a blessing from God.
And I've gone back to the book I'm writing right now--Mary's Blessing, book two in my McKenna's Daughters series for Charisma House.

An award looks good on a resume, and I'm sure my Charisma House publicist can use the award to help sell my upcoming books with them to bookstore buyers, but what impact do the awards have on readers?
As a reader, do you take note if a book or author has won an award?
Does it affect whether you buy the book, or not?
If you want to read the winning book, you can buy it or download it to a Kindle. If you buy a print book and want a signed copy, email me. I'll mail you a personally signed book plate to put in your book.
Here is the link to buy the print book:

And here is the link to buy the Kindle ebook:

Let's talk movies

2011-07-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Usually when you get a bunch of western writers or readers together and the talk turns to movies it is about classic western movies or maybe the new fare that is coming out. I know the release of the remake of "True Grit" generated a lot of this type dialogue among my western writing friends.

But I have something different in mind today. I'm thinking more as a writer. You see, I collect movies that I think have a particular lesson to teach to writers or that I think contain some good examples for writers. Today I'm going to give you a top ten list in my mind of such movies.

My personal favorite writer movie is "Sixth Sense" with Bruce Willis. It made the list when I was so thoroughly fooled by the plot resolution and had to immediately watch it again to see if I had been fooled all along or if they had simply lied to me. Going back the clues are all there, they simply push me gently to make false assumptions, which I did. This would be an important skill for a writer.

I guess I would give second place to "Deathtrap" with Michael Cain and Christopher Reeves. I got to see it off Broadway and a road show version as well as the movie. In it, an old experienced writer (Cain) is undergoing writers block and is attempting to steal the work of Reeves (and kill him) as he mentors him. The mentoring is great for writers watching, but the amazing constant plot reversals is the real lesson.

3. If we are studying plot reversals and gently misleading the reader or viewer I would submit that the next things to study are virtually any movie by Alfred Hitchcock. He was an absolute master at giving us a minimum of visual clues and engaging our own imaginations. He scared an entire generation to death with a shadow on a shower curtain and a little cake coloring in a bathtub drain in "Psycho" with Janet Leigh.

4. Perhaps his best in my mind is "North by Northwest" with Cary Grant and Eve St Marie. This one has witty dialogue and maintains an absolute breakneck pace. A great study in how to keep the reader/viewer into the story without respite.

5. A close one to that would be "Vertico" with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. This one is the exact opposite of the above with slow, surreal scenes that nonetheless that shows how to keep the reader/viewer glued to the storyline

6. "Murder 101" with Pierce Brosnen. He was a college professor lecturing on how to write a murder mystery even as the steps he was lecturing on was happening to him in real life. It's an excellent writer's movie as it actually shows story structure plot point by plot point.

7. "Adaptation" with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep is a story of a writer hired to adapt a bestselling book to the screen only to find it is absolutely un-filmable. The insights of the writer in the movie is terrific for those struggling with the craft. [storyline]

8, "Delirious" with John Candy is a study in rewrites. It's kind of a goofy thing but it is a good study in plot development.

9. "Stranger than Fiction" with Will Ferrell is a study in narration (that only he can hear) and really shows us what the text we write (as opposed to dialogue and action) really is to the reader. [narration]

10. "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase shows a writer dealing with writers block (a favorite topic for writers) and how easy he was to distract from his task [writers block].

There are a dozen other Hitchcock movies such as "Rear Window" or "The Birds" that could have just as easily made the list. Some other movies that make various top ten lists for movies for writers include "Finding Neverland," where Johnny Depp plays playwright J.M.Barrie and is a fascinating look how storylines are developed as he comes up with his play Peter Pan. [storyline] "All the Presidents Men," "Almost Famous," "Capote," "Factotum," "Frida," "The Hours," (Saundra and I hosted the author of that bestseller at a conference although we didn't really care for the book and haven't seen the movie) and "Stone Reader". Some of these I have seen (or read the book) and some I haven't.

I spend my day immersed in writing or writing-related tasks. To "turn it off" I have to watch something that can get my mind off it. If I can do that and still learn something about my craft, more the better. I do collect these DVD's and I'm always on the lookout for more. Is there anything you would recommend for the list?

WATER--ARTESIAN STYLE

2011-06-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

And a tribute to Stephen Bly

By Molly Noble Bull
www.mollynoblebull.com

An artesian water well on the Santa Rosa Ranch in Kenedy County, Texas

An aquifer could be described as soft, porous rock in layers and just below the service of the ground that takes in and soaks up water. My husband and I lived in the Texas hill country west of San Antonio for over twenty years where an underground lake, called the Edwards Aquifer, constantly flowed under our feet.
In drought-filled South Texas where I was born and where we live today, water was often a problem. While a plentiful supple of water was just below the surface in the Texas hill country, ranchers drilled deep wells to find water for their animals and their families in South Texas. Often one drought melts into the next one.
But some ranchers, even in South Texas, were fortunately enough to have a flowing supply of water called an artesian well at some locations on their land. Above is a photo taken in the nineteen thirties or forties of an artesian well on the Santa Rosa Ranch in Kenedy County, Texas.

I cannot end this article without mentioning author Stephen Bly who recently relocated to Heaven. Each month, my Bustles and Spurs articles were right before his, and he often left comments after my posts. I will miss his kindness, but his talent for storytelling will go on and on.

History Matters

2011-06-20T02:20:00.000-07:00

By Mona Hodgson

My husband and I live at the base of Mingus Mountain, home to the historic copper mining camp known as Jerome, Arizona. About fifteen years ago, my fellow writers and our friends, Stephen and Janet Bly, along with their son Aaron, came for a visit. Actually, our house served as home base during their research trip for Stephen and Janet’s contemporary novel Copper Hill in their Hidden West Series.

Some of our favorite moments during that visit included our times camped out in lawn chairs in our driveway. Under the stars, our cowboy buddy regaled us with tales of the Wild West, Idaho stories, and his ideas for books to come. We were already fans of Stephen Bly’s Stuart Brannon stories. And on those evenings chewing the fat under a moonlit sky, it felt as if we could’ve been sittin’ on the porch at Broken Arrow Crossing with Stuart Brannon.

Endearing and enduring memories of a man who understood the importance of history and the value of preserving it.

Yes, history matters. Stephen Bly and his wife, Janet, are an indelible part of my history as a writer, and as a reader of western fiction.

I don’t consider myself a historian by any stretch of the imagination. Instead I am a writer of historical fiction, inspired by a master of the craft. I enjoy doing the research involved in delivering a compelling story steeped in history. Like Stephen Bly did for me in his westerns. Whether historical or contemporary, Stephen’s stories were rich in human history and man’s history with God.

Stephen rode off ahead of us this month. I’m sure the sound of his Father’s voice on the mountaintop in Idaho sounded mighty sweet, calling him home. We’ll surely miss Stephen here.

His latest novel, Throw the Devil off the Train, is my next read. You can check out all of Stephen and Janet’s books at http://www.blybooks.com/store.htm

A Tribute to Our Friend and Fellow Blogger - Stephen Bly

2011-06-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

Our dear brother in Christ preceded us to glory this last week. He meant a lot to all of us. He opened up the old West to us in a different way, with a deeper look inside. If you want to read all of his posts, just click on his name in the links attached to the previous post. You'll begin to understand just what he meant to the group here at Bustles and Spurs. If you want to help support his widow Janet, please go to this web site and order some of his books. http://www.blybooks.com/ You'll love them, and they make wonderful gifts.

I only knew Stephen as an online friend, but I'd come to respect him as an amazing man of God, as a husband and partner to Janet, as a very professional author, and a writer of interesting stories with lots of depth. I will miss him. I read every post he wrote on this blog, and I often featured him on my own blog.

In giving a tribute to him, I wanted to include what some of my friends had to say about him:

I once heard Stephen teach a workshop about writing a scene in a completely new way: just write the dialogue you hear between the characters, then go back and add the action beats and descriptions. Of course he demonstrated this on a scene with about 8 characters and it sounded like utter chaos. :)

I haven't blogged since February, what with getting married and moving and mothering five kids, but the love I have for Stephen and his family brought me out of "retirement." If any of you wish to get a glimpse of his sense of humor, you can read about him here: a small tribute to a great man.

Christina Tarabochia (formerly Christina Berry)
Carol Winner & Christy Finalist 2010 ~ The Familiar Stranger(Moody Publishers) Order now!
www.christinaberry.net
www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/authorchristina

In addition to being a fine writer, Stephen was generous in sharing his knowledge. When I came to him with a question, he didn't know me, but he was willing to take time looking through his library for me and gave a thoughtful, helpful answer.

Susan Page Davis
www.susanpagedavis.com

Stephen Bly—cowboy, gentleman, awesome storyteller, friend, lover of his wife and family, pastor, and so much more—has gone home to be with the Lord. The world is a lesser place with his passing, but heaven is having a party! I shall miss this dear brother in Christ.

Robin Lee Hatcher

Faith. Courage. Love.

http://www.robinleehatcher.com

http://blog.robinleehatcher.com

"Robin's stories are always an adventure of the heart! " –– Karen Kingsbury

Stephen's hearty laugh always lifted me, made me smile too. I respected his approach to life and his determination to continue God's purpose for his life until the very end.

DiAnn Mills

http://diannmills.com

As you can see, Stephen was well-loved will be sorely missed. We know he's enjoying being with Jesus and meeting all those who went before whose lives he changed through him ministry and his writing.

Lena Nelson Dooley

Marshal Dillion rides into the sunset

2011-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

We lost a big man (literally) when James Arness died at the age of 88. I grew up watching Gunsmoke every week and it feels a lot like losing a member of the family.

Last month I posted here that we were in Dodge City recently and I got the chance to hang out at the Long Branch Saloon for a while. It's part of the Boot Hill Museum complex there. I felt like the spirits of Doc, Chester and Miss Kitty were looking over my shoulder. If I was back there now, Matt would be there with them.

I'm in a group of well-published western writers and they have had a lot to say about it yesterday. A lot of tidbits were being passed around, like the fact that they originally wanted John Wayne for the role, but he declined and suggested Arness instead. Now I can't imagine anybody else in the role.

His real name was Aurness, but he dropped the 'U' for show business reasons. When the war came along he wrote his draft board and asked to be drafted. He was wounded in the leg at Anzio, hospitalized for a year, and it left him with the slight limp that we all remember so well.

An intensely private man, his long time co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) said "I've worked with him for 16 years but I don't really know him." In an article that he wrote for "Persimmon Hill" Johnny Boggs reported that Arness said in a personal interview, "I don't think anybody could have predicted it (Gunsmoke) would last that long, but I did feel right away that it was going to be a high quality show because they had a core of really good writers. The stories that we did were not just shoot-em-up and ride by westerns. It was more character study."

One by one the members of the group recounted memories of sitting around with the family on Saturday nights and how those family memories seem strongly tied to the series. One member of the group that is a U S Marshal said Arness is one of very few non-marshals to be presented with an official badge after he did a recruitment video for the marshals service. I smiled when he said "I aspire to be half the Marshal Mr. Arness was."

He made over 30 movies in addition to his TV career, but is most remembered for his Gunsmoke role. Happy trails, Marshal, we'll remember you.

WHY HEROES & HEROINES NEED SIDEKICKS

2011-05-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

Throw The Devil Off The Train

Stephen Bly

Every hero or heroine needs a side-kick to bounce off thoughts and ideas.

Sidekicks in Throw The Devil Off The Train provoke humor and provide balance.

Frances Garrity, an obese woman with two very small children, fills the seat behind Catherine Draper and Race Hillyard. As she becomes enmeshed in their lives, she seems oblivious to her massive size. Part comic relief, she also enriches the story with her depth of experience, hurts and show of loyalty.

When Francine auditioned for a part in Throw The Devil Off The Train, I was skeptical of her size. However, her natural, in-your-face personality convinced me of her importance.

The second quirky character is Mr. Walker, Race Hillyard’s saddle. His name comes from the stamp of the maker, D. L. Walker of Visalia, California, on the back of the cantle. Catherine anthropomorphizes him by her various conversations during central scenes.

Then, six teenage daughters of a Mormon passenger who dress alike, act quite different. Yet their focus on this trip unites them as they’re concerned about the fate of Catherine and Race.

None of the sidekick characters showed up on my list when I started the book. They just appeared, one by one, in various scenes. If they did well, I allowed them larger parts later in the story. Who ends up in my novels surprises me. But I’ve noticed one thing. . .seldom do normal people qualify.

Just when I think I know the plot, the characters up and change everything.

Creede of Old Montana

You see, Avery John Creede needed a sidekick. In a western movie, theme music can move the story along. In a western novel, without a partner for your protagonist, you’re forced to use a lot of interior monologue…or he or she talks to a horse. I’ve even included a burro and a moose…as a sort of sidekick to converse with in my novels. Each of these was for the heroines.

I decided in Creede of Old Montana on a young compadre. But Avery’s such a loner, he wouldn’t accept just any kid. So I provided a nephew who was named after him: Avery Creede Emerson…or Ace.

In order not to stereotype Ace, I didn’t want him to be a rank tenderfoot at everything. I wanted him to be of help to his Uncle Avery, but keep his independent personality. So, I needed a dramatic event or two to reveal his character.

I like Ace. He’s kind of like a young Matt Damon…or for Bly fans, think of him as a young Brady Stoner. He hasn’t been out west very long, but he’s a quick learner. And he recalls a few words from the dime novels he’s read, such as “light a shuck,” which means to get out there in a hurry. Much needed concept when he hangs around his Uncle Avery.

Ace soon starts using the phrase, “What would Uncle Avery do?” to get him through his troubles. This reminds Avery of his important role in Ace’s life, a duty suddenly thrust on him, to be sure.

I figure Avery needs a long talk with someone…to explain some things, to figure out others. Maybe he’ll unload to the mystery dark-haired lady…or the gal in yellow. Maybe he’ll confide in his nephew, Ace. Or maybe he’ll let me in on it. Me and Avery go way back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who's your favorite novel sidekick?
Answer this question and be included in a drawing end of next week to win a free copy of Throw The Devil Off The Train.

MY ARTICLE THIS MONTH

2011-05-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

by Molly Noble Bull
www.mollynoblebull.com

This month, I’d planned to post an interview with a country werstern singer who is also a cowboy and a lawyer. But I was unable to get all the info I needed in time. So make a note to meet right back here on June 27, 2011 to read that interview and hear some great country werstern songs. My days here are the 27th and the 28th of each month.
In the meantime, stop by Writers Rest and read some of my other articles.
http://writersrest.blogspot.com

Below is a photo of me taken in front of a red barn at the Santa Rosa Ranch in South Texas. I am the girl in your right and was twelve years. My friend, Barbara, was eleven.

Bustles And Spurs

PROCRASTINATION: AN AGELESS MALADY

A Brand-Spanking New Year

Steven Bly's Last Book

OLD COWBOYS & ECCENTRIC WRITERS

Research, Cook Books, and Christmas Plum Pudding

AND SO YOU ARE MY SON

Deeply Devoted ~ Christmas Giveaway

Christmas Campfire Companion

THE OVERCOMERS: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities

PEEKIN' INTO HEAVEN, A Cowboy Poem

Writers' Rest: NEW BOOK FROM MOLLY

Cripple Creek

Just How Much Information Do You Need About a Place to Write a Book

Thanksgiving and Heaven

Lena Nelson Dooley’s Newest Historical: And More

Of Wind and Tumbleweeds

Research? Who needs it?

The Magic City of the Plains

My first movie premier

MY FAV WESTERN MOVIES

HEAVEN IS FOR COWBOYS

Cowboys...What's the Appeal?

MAGGIE'S JOURNEY - Lena Nelson Dooley

Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan

Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral? by Terry Burns

MATCHMAKING.COM IN THE OLD WEST

Introducing Author Lacy Williams

More Excellent Historical Links

Interview with Western Writer Frank Roderus

OLD WEST MUSING ON A SUMMER'S DAY

10 Reasons to Read and Write Historical Fiction

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine

The Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction

Let's talk movies

WATER--ARTESIAN STYLE

History Matters

A Tribute to Our Friend and Fellow Blogger - Stephen Bly

Marshal Dillion rides into the sunset

WHY HEROES & HEROINES NEED SIDEKICKS

MY ARTICLE THIS MONTH