Feb 18: was it Presidents’ Day, Louis Riel Day, or Maud Lewis Day? Or all of these and more?

February 19, 2019April 12, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

February 18th was a holiday for many people in North America, but depending on where you lived it was called something different and honored someone different. In at least one location, this difference is different EVERY year! Here are some of the differences…

In the United States, it was PRESIDENTS’ DAY.

Washington’s birthday sign, c. 1890–1899

And in Canada, it depended on the province you lived in…

Beaver sculpture, over the entrance to Centre Block of Canadian Parliament,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick, it was FAMILY DAY.
In Prince Edward Island, it was ISLANDER DAY.
In Manitoba, it was LOUIS RIEL DAY.
In Nova Scotia, it was HERITAGE DAY with an honouree who changes every year…

In 2015, it was Viola Desmond Day.
In 2016, it was Joseph Howe Day.
In 2017, it was Mi’kmaq Heritage Day.
In 2018, it was Mona Louise Parsons Day.

And this year it was, Maud Lewis Day – which if you’ve watched the movie about her called Maudie (starring Sally Hawkins as Maud Dowley Lewis and Ethan Hawk as her husband, Everett Lewis), you’ll probably be saying (like I was saying): Hurrah, for Maud! Love her art and her plucky spirit.

CLICK HERE (or the long link below) to see a picture of Maud and to read the rest of this blog (which features Louis Riel Day and the Métis inspiration for my stories-in-progress) at the Get Lost in a Story group blog (where this blog was originally posted)…

http://getlostinastory.blogspot.com/2019/02/louis-riel-day-maud-lewis-day-and-more.html

Jacqui

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Steam! Romance & Rails – Adella’s Enemy

November 12, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

I’m a reader who loves larger-than-life characters and vivid settings in stories that play like movies in my head. In those imaginary picture shows, a rousing time period can play a huge role. It sharpens the image and adds emotion.

As a writer of historical romance adventures, I’m always searching for ways to create a story with that kind of depth.

The grandeur of the railroad (its majestic steam engines and frontier stations that transformed into booming towns) was a time of romance and splendor.

American_Express_Train_7644-WikimediCommons

Bright skies & full steam ahead…

But with every enterprise (especially one as large as building and maintaining thousands of miles of track) came challenges, complications and unforeseen tragedies. This setting is ripe for storytellers. Want conflict – aka the writer’s best friend?

The railroad has it all.

Unscrupulous promoters, money-hungry investors, competing rail lines, saboteurs for hire, train robbers, displaced natives and farmers, exploited laborers, Mother Nature…the list is endless.

american-railroad-scene-snowbound

Gloomy nights & slow going…

With so many options, a writer can become overwhelmed. Hopefully somewhere in that mass of humanity brimming with conflict are characters that stand out from the crowd—people who will drive my story.

TheLastSpike-1869-ByThomasHill-WikimediaCommons

Who’s going to lead this adventure?

If you’re lucky like me, two people might step forward.

One might say, “I’m your leading man. My past is far from perfect, but I’m striving to make a better future for those around me.”

And the other might reply, “I’m your leading lady who’s going to make his life difficult.”

ADELLA’S ENEMY: a Steam! Romance & Rails story

The War Between the States ended five years ago, but she still pursues her enemy…

Rebel spy turned government rabble-rouser Adella Willows receives her mission straight from a Washington senator—play havoc with the Katy Railroad and derail its bid to win the race. The senator craves wealth. Adella craves revenge against the man responsible for her brother’s death. But her plans crumble into chaos when she enters a battle of wits with the railroad’s foreman.

An ocean separates him from his failures in Ireland, but he’s still haunted by those who died…

Seasoned railroad foreman Cormac McGrady’s sole desire is keeping his workmen safe and employed, which means keeping the Katy ahead of its rivals. But the beautiful spy bedeviling his railroad needs protecting as well. Cormac must choose between winning the race and winning Adella’s heart, while Adella must choose whether she lives for revenge or dies for love.

Can the pursuit of an old enemy lead to a new love?

ADELLA’S ENEMY: Excerpt

“It’s one of the Joy Men.” The declaration came from the workmen’s leader—a giant of an Irishman—hidden somewhere beyond the wall of bodies between her and the train.

A spy for the rival railroad? If James Joy had sent a rabble-rouser from his line, Adella had best learn as much about him as possible. Starting with what he looked like.

She pushed through the workmen. Each man spun with a scowl, ready to berate whoever poked him in the ribs or stepped on his toes. When they saw her, they stumbled back, jaws dropping. She reached the platform’s edge just in time to see the man on the stockcar leap to the engine, run across its back and slid down the cattle guard to the ground.

The big Irishman shoved through his men with a growl. “Why aren’t you chasing after—?” He slammed to a halt in front of her.

He hadn’t touched her, but the sight of him looming over her with a combination of anger and disbelief twisting his mud-streaked face, pushed her back. She teetered on the edge of the train platform, the weight of her valise throwing her further off balance. Many hands reached for her, including the giant’s.

She refused to let go of her valise and accept them.

She fell with a shriek. Her rear end hit the mud with a bruising wallop. She gritted her teeth to stop any additional embarrassing outbursts then, valise still in hand, staggered to her feet. And promptly sank ankle deep in the muck.

A colossal groan rent the air. She jerked round to face the train, as did the workmen on the platform above her. The terrible sound came again, making the stockcar shudder with its force. A crack like gunfire echoed. Chains burst. Iron screeched against iron. And the mountain of rails toppled toward her. Trapped as she was in the muck below, she’d soon be crushed in a muddy grave. Fear devoured all further thought.

A broad hand clamped around her arm and yanked. Her feet popped from the mud, and she sailed through the air before landing on the platform. The hand released her. Shock rendered her legs useless, crumpling her like a rag doll on the boards beside her valise.

With the force of Thor’s hammer, the first rail struck the earth. A shower of mud pelted the platform on either side of her. The clanging that followed left her ears ringing.

“Did I hurt you?” the giant’s now familiar brogue whispered, so close it raised gooseflesh.

Lifting her head, she stared into eyes as silver as newly minted dollars, the only difference in a face as muddy as the rest. The man’s massive frame crouched protectively over her. She was bombarded with memories of her mother’s stories, tales passed down for generations of legendary Celtic warriors. She had never dreamed of encountering one of those mythical men in human form.

Adella’s Enemy is on Amazon US, CA, UK & Aus. Read for free with Kindle Unlimited. Read another excerpt on my website.

Do you have a favorite setting or character from a book or show?

I’d love to hear what stories captivate you.

Who knows, the railroad might be one of them 🙂

Jacqui

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Girl Guides & Scouts: Inspired by History & Cookies #MondayBlogs

October 22, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 8 Comments

My box of Girl Guide Cookies – remembered long after devoured

Mmm, cookies. As I mentioned last Monday, after a chance encounter with some lovely salespeople on the street, I’m started pondering the history of Girl Guides. Their cookies were devoured quickly, but my curiosity about their history lingered and kept me asking…

HOW DID GIRL GUIDING & SCOUTING BEGIN?

Left to right: Robert Baden-Powell, David Cossgrove, Agnes Baden-Powell, Juliette Gordon Low

In 1907 in England, Army General Lord Robert Baden-Powell organized the first Boy Scout camp in the United Kingdom.
In 1908 in New Zealand, Lieutenant Colonel David Cossgrove (who served in the Boer War with Robert Baden-Powell and brought the Boy Scout Movement to Christchurch) organized the Peace Scouts for Girls—on the request of the youngest of his four daughters who asked for a girl’s equivalent.
In 1909 in London, a group of girls appeared at a Boy Scout Rally and declared themselves to be Girl Scouts. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, decided that there should be a Movement for girls.
In 1910 in the United Kingdom, the Girl Guide Association was officially established under the leadership of Agnes Baden-Powell, Robert’s sister.
In 1910 in Canada, Mary Malcolmson officially registered the first Canadian Girl Guides Company in St. Catharines, Ontario. The group started meeting in November 1909 after a St. Catharines Boy Scout leader received two Girl Guides pamphlets from Baden-Powell and passed them on to Malcolmson. * I was very sorry (very Canadian of me, eh?) that I couldn’t find a picture of Mary to add to the one above *
In 1912 in the USA, Juliette ‘Daisy’ Gordon Low founded Girl Guiding by assembling 18 girls from Savannah, Georgia for a local Girl Scout meeting.
In 1928 at a conference in Hungary, WAGGGS – the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts was formed with 26 founding members: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, India, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and Northern Ireland, USA and Yugoslavia.
In 1931, WAGGGS reached one million members.
Today, WAGGGS members total around 250 million and are found in 150 countries.

THE HISTORY OF THE COOKIES… OR BISCUITS 🙂

Selling Girl Guide Cookies in 1969

In 1917 in America, the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria to finance troop activities.
In July 1922, The American Girl magazine (published by Girl Scouts of the USA) featured an article by Florence E. Neil (a local director in Chicago, Illinois) where she provided a cookie recipe and suggested they could be sold by troops for 25 to 30 cents per dozen.
1927 in Canada, Girl Guide Cookies (inspired by America’s Girl Scout Cookies) were first baked by Guide leader, Christina Riepsamen, in Regina, Saskatchewan. The cookies were sold door-to-door (with a bag of 12 cookies costing 10 cents) to finance troops’ rail fares to a lakeside camping trip.
In 1992, Canadian astronaut (and former Girl Guide) Roberta Bondar juggled Girl Guide cookies in space.

ONE FINAL BITE OF HISTORIC LITERATURE

In May 1908, Lord Robert Baden-Powell published Scouting for Boys, a book based on his ideas for the training of boys. The book inspired thousands to join the Movement and became one of the bestselling books of the 20th century.
Today, I’m imagining as many girls as boys read it.

Thank you to the WAGGGS, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Girl Guides of Canada, Girl Guiding New Zealand, and Girl Guides Australia websites for such interesting information.

Were you a Guide or Scout? Or do you know someone who was?

I wasn’t and I think I missed out, so I’d love to hear your Guiding and Scouting stories! Hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Jacqui

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Roulette: a Deal with the Devil or a Search for a Perpetual-Motion Machine? #MondayBlogs

September 30, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

French Roulette Wheel Last week, I pondered the popularity of the game of faro in the Old West, which lead to thinking about the history of the game of roulette. For me, this is a great way that interests can turn into inspiration and then story plots — in waves.

From France to New France to New Orleans and West, roulette found a way to survive bans, cheating, and even a creation myth involving a deal with the devil…

THE BIRTH OF ROULETTE

In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal (a FRENCH mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and Catholic theologian) introduced a primitive form of roulette during his search for a perpetual-motion machine (a hypothetical device that could work indefinitely without an energy source).
In 1758, NEW FRANCE (present-day Québec)’s regulations banned the games of “dice, hoca, faro, and roulette.”
In the 19th century, the French double-zero wheel made its way from NEW ORLEANS, up the MISSISSIPPI, then westward. Because of rampant cheating by operators and gamblers, the wheel was eventually placed on top of the table (to prevent devices being hidden in the table or wheel) — this was the start of American-style roulette.
Early American Roulette
In the 1860s, when the GERMAN government abolished gambling, the Blanc family (who had introduced the single 0 style roulette wheel in the German spa town of BAD HOMBURG) moved to the last legal casino operation in Europe at MONTE CARLO, where they established a gambling mecca for the elite.
The sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel (from 0 to 36) is 666 — the “Number of the Beast.” So one legend says that François Blanc made a deal with the devil to obtain the secrets of roulette.

ROULETTE in FILM

In Support Your Local Gunfighter (released in 1971), James Garner‘s character has an addiction where he can’t stop betting everything on a single roulette spin.
In Casablanca (released in 1942), Humphrey Bogart’s character has a trick roulette wheel. He uncharacteristically takes pity on a young Bulgarian refugee couple. He tells the husband (who’s lost most of his money at roulette while trying to win enough to bribe a police captain) how to bet, when to let it ride, and then to cash in his winnings—and never come back.

ROULETTE in REAL-LIFE

In 1891 in Monte Carlo, Charles Wells (a part-time swindler and petty crook from London) broke the bank at each table he played over a period of several days. Breaking the bank meant winning all of the money in the table’s bank that day, resulting in the table being covered with a black cloth until the bank was replenished.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Dr. Richard Jarecki won $1.2 million at dozens of European casinos. He claimed that he was using a mathematical system designed on a powerful computer. In reality, he simply observed more than 10,000 spins of each roulette wheel to determine flaws in the wheels.

And there is the beauty of history being my inspiration for story ideas. That last point will definitely become a plot point for a future story (about a female Old West gambler, of course) 🙂

“Gwendolen at the roulette table” an illustration for George Eliot’s 1876 novel, Daniel Deronda

Have you ever played roulette?

Same as last week, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) about the game, or who you most enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) playing against, or if you have a favorite film or novel that involved roulette — like Daniel Deronda above or Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novella, The Gambler… neither of which I’ve had the chance to read, but I have watched Support Your Local Gunfighter and Casablanca (and enjoyed those films immensely).

Hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Jacqui

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Faro is it really “the Only Game in Town”? #MondayBlogs

September 24, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 6 Comments

While researching Wild West gamblers, the game of faro kept coming up. It seems that Westerners had a passion for the card game that was outlawed in France in the 17th-Century.

Could that be part of the attraction?

An outlawed game appealed to a land of outlaws and free spirits like these fellows…

Scam artist Canada Bill Jones * I especially enjoy his name * loved the game so much that, when he was asked why he played at one game that was known to be rigged, he replied, “It’s the only game in town.”
Con man Soapy Smith was a faro dealer. It was said that every faro table in Soapy’s Tivoli Club in Denver, Colorado, in 1889 was gaffed (made to cheat).
Lawman Wyatt Earp dealt faro for a short time after arriving in Tombstone Arizona having acquired a controlling interest in a game out of the Oriental Saloon.
Dentist and gambler Doc Holliday dealt faro in the Bird Cage Theater as an additional source of income while living in Tombstone.

But that’s not all. Even the Italian adventurer Casanova was known to be a great fan of faro. He mentions the game several times in his autobiography.

What more could faro offer?

Apparently, people enjoy faro’s fast action, easy-to-learn rules, and better odds than most games of chance…unless you are playing against scam artists, con men, lawmen, and dentists 🙂

Have you ever played faro?

I’d love to hear what you enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) about the game, or who you played against. Hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Jacqui

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How Beer helped save the Clydesdale #HorseLover #MondayBlogs

August 20, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 8 Comments

1904 Clydesdale drawing

The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse (or draught horse in the UK and Commonwealth) named for and derived from the farm horses of Scotland’s County of Clydesdale.

Originally the Clydesdale was a compact draft horse smaller than the Shire, Percheron, and Belgian. In the 1940s, they were selectively bred to produce taller, more impressive parade and show horses.

Characteristics

Today, the Clydesdale stands 16 to 18 hands (64 to 72 inches, 163 to 183 cm) high and weighs 1,800 to 2,000 pounds (820 to 910 kg).
Usually bay in color with white on face and legs. Black, gray, chestnut or a roaning pattern may also occur. Occasional body spotting on the lower belly.
Extensive feathering (long hair) on lower legs.
Straight or slightly convex facial profile.
Strong with an energetic personality.

Rise and Fall in Popularity

The breed was developed from Flemish stallions imported to Scotland and crossed with local mares. The first recorded use of the name Clydesdale was in 1826 at a Glasgow exhibition.
Between 1884 and 1945, export certificates were issued for over 20,000 horses heading to other parts of the British Empire, North and South America, continental Europe, and Russia. Clydesdales became known as “the breed that built Australia.”
During World War I, their numbers declined due to the conscription of thousands of horses for the war effort. Their decline continued with farm mechanisation.
In 2005, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust moved the Clydesdale to “at risk” status. In 2010, the estimate was 5,000 Clydesdales worldwide (4,000 in the US and Canada, 800 in the UK).

How Beer helped (and continues to help) save the Clydesdale

On April 7, 1933, the Budweiser Clydesdales were first introduced to the public during a repeal of Prohibition celebration.

August Busch, Jr. presented the horses as a gift to his father who was lured outside their St. Louis brewery when told his son had purchased him a new car. Instead, he found a team of Clydesdales hitched to a red, white and gold beer wagon. Carrying the first case of post-Prohibition beer, they made a special journey down Pestalozzi Street.

Recognizing the advertising and promotional potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, Busch, Sr. sent the team by rail to New York City, where it picked up two cases of Budweiser beer (at New Jersey’s Newark Airport) and presented it to Al Smith (former governor of New York and an instrumental force in the repeal of Prohibition).

From there, the Clydesdales toured New England and the Mid-Atlantic States. They even delivered of a case of beer to President Roosevelt at the White House.

From 1954 to 2011, Budweiser Clydesdales pulled the City of St. Louis’ float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2014, they returned to the parade pulling the beer wagon. Beginning in 1986, their inclusion in television advertising became a longstanding Super Bowl tradition.

Budweiser-team_aug2009-WisconsinStateFair-Wikipedia.jpg

Eight horses are driven in a hitch, but ten are on each team to provide alternates when needed.

Today, the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company owns around 250 Clydesdales in the US, one of the largest herds of Clydesdales in the world.

The Clydesdale in my Upcoming Story

More often than not my stories include a horse and not just any horse. Their breed, color, disposition, and names are shaped by the people in the story and the setting. No two horses are the same. Or maybe they are if you’ve read Rescuing Raven.

In my upcoming December release, Robyn: a Christmas Bride, my hero (Max Peregrine) and his family (brother Jack and grandpa Gus) run a freight hauling business in Colorado in the 1870s. I figured they’d use mules or draft horses. The mules appeared in Jack’s story, The Calling Birds. So for Robyn: a Christmas Bride I was keen to include a special draft horse—and Caradoc (aka the Clyde) suddenly appeared.

Robyn: a Christmas Bride – an Unedited Excerpt

Setup: Trouser-wearing tomboy Robyn Llewellyn has donned new apparel and ridden from Denver (where she and her 3 brothers work as wagon drivers for Max Peregrine) to the mountain high mining town of Noelle. She’s made the journey on Max’s Clydesdale—a horse she’s named Caradoc, a Welsh name with a special meaning…but I’ll save that for another blog 🙂

Dresses were menaces. The dratted skirt caught on the saddle and nearly upended Robyn as she dismounted from Caradoc. She landed with a curse and a flurry of fabric. The usually unrufflable Clydesdale snorted, sharing her surprise. Her Noelle journey suddenly loomed a thousand times larger than her usual jaunts around Denver hauling Peregrine freight.

She should’ve waited to don her new attire after arriving in Noelle, but she’d wanted to start her transformation as soon as possible. She misjudged a dress’ unique challenges. Wearing a skirt was hard work. Why did women agree to do it?

In trousers, she could’ve sprung off Caradoc’s back in one smooth leap. No frustration. No fuss. No flash of petticoats, like a flag announcing her arrival. Her unladylike dismount brought stares, whistles, and even catcalls from the men on the street between the train depot and Peregrines’ Post and Freight Noelle.

Her expletive about foul-smelling goats shocked them into silence. Not very ladylike either, but effective. Would apologizing for her lack of grace been the correct response?

She’d have to ask Birdie. Giving the men a final glare, she spun on her heel to tie Caradoc’s reins to Peregrines’ hitching rail.

Before she could, the office door opened and Birdie stepped out and enveloped her in a hug. “Voilà, you’re here! How delighted we are to finally see you in Noelle.”

Trying not to squirm like a gangly gosling under a mother’s wing, Robyn patted Birdie’s shoulder. Coming from a family of brothers who didn’t hug she wondered how Birdie, who’d grown up with brothers as well, had become so open with her emotions.

Then a man who resembled Max—except with wilder hair, a blonder beard, and lighter eyes—appeared and she understood. Birdie released Robyn and stepped into the circle of her husband’s arm. She flew to him like a bird to a nest. Love had changed Birdie.

It had changed Robyn as well, but only her heart. Noelle and its women were her best hope for changing all of her. Then she might win love as well.

Have you ridden in a horse-drawn wagon?

Was it pulled by a single horse or a team of 2 or even 8? Would you take the reins if they were offered to you? My family had horses on the farm where I grew up, but they were always riding horses.

So when I was twenty-something, I signed up for an afternoon class to learn to drive a draft horse wagon. I love it, but all I remember is that saying Gee told the horses to go right while Haw told them to go left. I definitely need a refresher course 🙂

I’d love to hear your stories or thoughts about draft horses. Hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Jacqui

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How the Friesian Horse found a home with Knights, Farmers & the Circus #HorseLover #MondayBlogs

August 13, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 2 Comments

FriesenStatue-InNieuwestadLeeuwarden The FRIESIAN is a horse breed originating in the Netherlands’ Friesland province. They resemble a light draft/draught horse but are graceful and nimble for their size. They may have been used as foundation stock for such breeds as Norway’s Dole Gudbrandsdal, America’s Morgan, and Britain’ s Shire draft horse, Fell pony, and Norfolk Trotter (ancestor of the Hackney).

Characteristics

mostly an all-black coat color
long, thick, and often wavy mane and tail
long, silky hair or “feathering” on the lower legs
long, arched necks and chiseled, short ears
compact, muscular bodies with powerful, sloping shoulders and hindquarters.
comparatively short and strong legs.
a brisk, high-stepping trot
a willing, active, and energetic personality but can also be gentle and docile.

Rise and Fall in Popularity

In the 11th century, illustrations depicted knights riding horses which resembled the Friesan, with one of the most famous examples being William the Conqueror. Their size made them coveted as war horses.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the gained even greater popularity as harness horses for agricultural work and the trotting races popular then.
In the 20th century, displacement by machinery became a threat to the survival of the breed.

How a Circus helped save the Friesian

Friesian_Stallion The initial recovery of the breed was due to the family-owned Circus Strassburger. After fleeing Nazi Germany for the Low Countries, they discovered the show qualities of the Friesian horse and (during and after the Nazi occupation) demonstrated the Friesians’ abilities outside of its local breeding area.

The Strassburger family had more than a hundred horses in their stables, including twelve black Friesian stallions. Their circus toured Germany, France, Scandinavia, Belgium, and the Netherlands and became especially famous for having a tiger ride on the back of one of their horses.

Today, about seven percent of the horses in the Netherlands are Friesians.

The Friesian Horse in my novel, Between Home & Heartbreak

I had great fun providing many horses for Lewis Adams (my humble Texas horseman) and Eldora Calhoun, aka Eldorado Jane (my Wild West trick riding superstar). One of Eldora’s performance horses is a gentle but energetic black Friesian named Samson.

Here’s an excerpt with Eldora & Samson on the day they first meet Lewis & Lila

A shrill whistle whipped Samson around and sent him thundering after the last horse departing the corral. Lewis leapt onto Lila bareback and gave chase.

Samson plowed a path straight through the river of heaving horseflesh. Lewis slipped Lila into his wake. The brute had become Lewis’ best chance to avert disaster. If he could catch the lead horse and turn him, his followers might embrace their herd mentality and turn as well.

Lewis scanned the distance remaining between the stampede and the trail.

Eldora Calhoun stood dead ahead. Disbelief then fear sent Lewis’ heart racing as fast as the herd. Horses usually tried to avoid running over people or anything that made for unstable footing—if they weren’t spooked witless.

Eldora couldn’t stop them. She was going to get herself killed. Unless Lewis reached her before the horses did.

Samson pulled ahead to run even with the lead horse. Lewis urged Lila to move up beside the pair but the herd jostled Lila sideways, away from Samson, hemming them in again, leaving him unable to reach Eldora.

Finally, she moved.

Pivoting sideways, she braced one foot behind her and raised her hands as if preparing to grasp something in front of her…where nothing existed but air. Never once had her gaze left Samson.

Understanding made his heart leap with hope. She intended to mount Samson on the run.

Got a favorite horse or story (fact or fiction) about a horse? I’d love to hear it!

Jacqui

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Canada Memories: The Log Driver’s Waltz #CanadaDay #Music #History

July 2, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 4 Comments

The Power of Music & Memory

Last Friday while working at my parttime job at the bookstore (hey, an author needs other jobs if she wants to eat regularly), the usual question came up: what music should we play today?

Since Canada Day/July 1st was only a few days away, I thought of these two much-loved Canadian folk songs (and National Film Board animated short films) from my youth…

The Log Driver’s Waltz

PLOT: a Log Driver’s occupation (the transporting of felled timber by walking or running on logs as they float downriver) has the physical agility of a dancer.
WORD FUN: The word “birling” is often misheard as “whirling” or “twirling.” “Birl” is an old Scots verb meaning “to cause to revolve.” In modern English, it means “to cause a floating log to rotate by treading.” Today, birling is a competitive sport.
THE SONG: written by Wade Hemsworth, a Canadian folk singer and songwriter who also studied painting at the Ontario College of Art and spent World War II serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
THE FILM: made by animator/director John Weldon and the National Film Board (NFB) in 1979. Watch the NFB’s The Log Driver’s Waltz at www.nfb.ca/film/log_drivers_waltz

The Log Driver’s Waltz

First Verse

If you ask any girl from the parish around
What pleases her most from her head to her toes
She’ll say I’m not sure that it’s business of yours
But I do like to waltz with a log driver

Chorus

For he goes birling down and down white water
That’s where the log driver learns to step lightly
Yes, birling down and down white water
The log driver’s waltz pleases girls completely

Black Fly

PLOT: being tormented by black flies while working in Northern Ontario’s wilderness.
WORD FUN: “Ontario” is stretched to “On-terr-eye-oh-eye-oh.”
THE SONG: the original was written by Wade Hemsworth in 1949. The second version with a different tempo and accompanying vocals by Kate & Anna McGarrigle was made into an animated short film.
THE FILM: made by animator/director Christopher Hinton and the National Film Board in 1991 and was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992. Watch the NFB’s Blackfly at www.nfb.ca/film/blackfly

Blackfly

First Verse

‘Twas early in the spring when I decided to go
To work up in the woods in North Ontario
And the unemployment office said they’d send me through
To the Little Abitibi with the survey crew

Chorus

And the black flies, the little black flies
Always the black fly no matter where you go
I’ll die with the black fly a-pickin’ my bones

In North Ontar-eye-o-eye-o, In North Ontar-eye-o

What’s your favorite Canadian Song?

Looking for something Canadian to listen to today? Try Heritage Minutes or Canada Vignettes or (warning – includes mild swearing!) the fun Canadian song The Last Saskatchewan Pirate by Captain Tractor,

Jacqui

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The Good, the Bad and the Villainous in Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales #Inspiration

May 14, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

Ian McShane as Al Swearengen in Deadwood

Ian McShane as Al Swearengen in the Deadwood TV series

For my newest release, RESCUING RAVEN (part of the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology), I had great fun including real-life villain Al Swearengen in my story. For me, Swearengen is the ultimate bad guy. He’s smart and determined. He hasn’t had an easy life. He’s keen to make a better life – for himself. He’ll go to any lengths to do that. His actions create high stakes conflict in the lives of everyone around him.

When portrayed by Ian McShane in the Deadwood TV series, Swearengen is also charismatic and amazingly likable on more than a few occasions. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do next. He’s more than bad. He’s complicated.

Who was the real-life Al Swearengen?

Ellis Albert “Al” Swearengen was born in 1845 in Oskaloosa, Iowa Territory. He and his twin brother were the eldest two of eight children.
He arrived in Deadwood in May 1876 with his wife, Nettie, who later divorced him on the grounds of spousal abuse. Swearengen married two more times. Those marriages also ended in divorce.
He lured women to Deadwood where he coerced them into working in his brothel. Calamity Jane was one of his first dancers at the Gem.
His talent for making alliances and financial payoffs kept him clear of even the most dedicated townsfolks’ efforts to clean up Deadwood. This included Seth Bullock, the town’s first sheriff.
In Deadwood, he started out with a narrow, canvas-and-lumber saloon known as the Cricket, which featured gambling and prizefights.
Shortly after, he opened a larger two-story saloon known as the Gem Theater, which was promoted as a legitimate theater but was really a dance hall and brothel. The Gem earned an average of $5,000 daily (equivalent to $124,000 today).

Sadly I can find no pictures of Al Swearengen or his Cricket Saloon (where my hero and heroine, Charlie and Raven, become involved in one of Swearengen’s prizefights), but here is a photograph of the Gem Theater…

The Gem Theater, Deadwood, circa 1878

You can read the opening scene of RESCUING RAVEN on my excerpt page, but if you want to see Al Swearengen in action that comes later. Here’s a snippet…

RESCUING RAVEN’s Al Swearengen Excerpt

The Cricket’s narrow width and long length delayed Charlie’s progress. It’d slow his departure as well. Keeping patrons inside might be one reason for the saloon’s unusual dimensions. Another was making the most of prime property on a bustling main street until the owner earned enough to expand.

Al Swearengen never stopped concocting new ways to make money. After many refusals, Charlie had finally agreed to one of Swearengen’s schemes to draw a crowd. A huge one. Men even filled the fighting ring.

Swearengen stood by its far left corner with his haggard-faced wife behind him. Too many days with Swearengen had bruised whatever beauty Nettie once had.

“Heaven be praised,” Swearengen shouted above the throng’s chatter. “Step back! Clear the ring!” He thrust his arm toward Charlie. “We need no longer fear Deadwood’s challenger won’t show.”

~ * ~

I can’t wait to visit Deadwood and walk in the footsteps of Al Swearengen and all of the people who shaped such a legendary Wild West town.

1876 Deadwood

Modern-day Deadwood

If you’re in Deadwood, South Dakota, June 7 to 9, I’d love to meet you!

I’m attending the 2018 Wild Deadwood Reads author-reader event which features a Thursday evening author meet & greet, and a Saturday morning/afternoon breakfast & book signing. You can find all of the details on the WDR’s event page.

Can’t make it to Deadwood?

Read the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology and visit Deadwood in the pages of 17 unique stories, including RESCUING RAVEN. All proceeds benefit the Western Sports Foundation.

Amazon ~ Amazon Canada ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Australia ~ B&N ~ Apple ~ Kobo

Jacqui

Jacqui Nelson WDR

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Can Flowers Feed our Souls and Bodies? #Nature #History #Inspiration

May 7, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

Flowers are inspiring! Seeing the return of the wild Camas & Bluebells blooming in my nearest park (Beacon Hill in Victoria, British Columbia) always revives my spirits and reminds me of this historical tidbit: Native Americans or First Nations used the Camas bulb as a food source.

I’d never looked into that historical tidbit, but my story-in-progress, HEALING HOPE, finally gave me the nudge to do so. Thinking about herbal remedies (made by my Old West doctor heroine, Henrietta Hope) made me ask, just for fun…

What plants could be harvested from the wilderness? And when and how?

Camas and bluebell field

First, be careful!

The white-flowered Meadow Death-Camas (gotta love the name) is TOXIC and (just to make life trickier than it need be) it often grows in the same areas as the edible Camas. Plus the bulbs are apparently difficult to distinguish.

Now back to the tasty, I’m-not-going-to-kill you Camas…

Camas Flowers

The bulbs are said to taste like a baked sweet potato but sweeter! And they are part of the asparagus family.
When to harvest? In the autumn, once the flowers have withered.
How to cook? Pit-roast or boil the bulbs.
Where to find? In southern Canada and the northwestern United States, from British Columbia and Alberta to California and east from Washington state to Montana and Wyoming.
Who ate them? The Nez Perce, Cree, Coast Salish, Lummi, and Blackfoot. They also contributed to the survival of members of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Other names? Quamash, camash, and wild hyacinth.

And what about those Bluebells that I see growing with the Camas?

Spanish Bluebells

Be careful here as well! Bluebell bulbs are said to be POISONOUS in their “fresh state” – as opposed to their dried state, I guess.
The ones I’m seeing are Spanish (not British) Bluebells and they are not only blue/purple but also pink and white.
How to use them? The juice (in all parts of the plant) was used as a substitute for starch (when and where stiff collars and other stiff clothing were in fashion). The sticky quality also made it good for bookbinders’ gum and setting feathers in arrows. Tennyson spoke of Bluebell juice being used to cure snake-bite.
Other names? Darn it – they’re sometimes called wild hyacinth, as well! So be careful when/if someone tells you – it’s all right to eat the wild hyacinth.

Yes, harvesting wildflowers sounds like a tricky business and best left to the adventurous or those who know exactly what they’re doing.

How adventurous are you? What wild food have you eaten?

As a kid, I remember picking mostly wild berries and fruit: wild strawberries (so tiny!), saskatoons, redcurrants, rosehips, and (if my memory is correct) something called a pin cherry (that also sounds tiny and a lot of effort to pick).

Jacqui

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WILD DEADWOOD TALES releases tomorrow! What Inspired 17 Stories Set in Deadwood? #WildDeadwoodTales

April 30, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

I was going to write here about Flowers & Food, but wait! Tomorrow (May 1st) is release day for the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology, an inspiring multi-author anthology with 17 new stories set in Deadwood—and with all proceeds going to the Western Sports Foundation.

What inspired these 17 brand new, never-published-before stories? The town of Deadwood, South Dakota, and the Wild Deadwood Reads author-reader event. But there’s more. Read on for the inspiration for each Deadwood story…

Angi Morgan: Maverick Seduction

MaverickSeduction-MorganQuote_01 Sean Maverick is on a charity auction block until a beautiful woman from his past buys him for the night. Em Stone believed in love at first sight even if she had to lasso and knock Sean off his feet.

What was the inspiration for your story?
I was intrigued by the idea of what happened to a cowboy when he could no longer be a cowboy.
What genre(s) do you usually write?
Romantic suspense & Romantic Comedy with a touch of suspense and dab of supernatural
You’ve been granted a superpower for one week. What would you choose and why?
speedster — I love the idea of being able to get everything done and maybe get ahead with housework.
Tell us three surprising things about yourself.
I was a Boy Scout Leader Trainer. I was the youngest advertising intern at the Dallas Morning News. And I sang backup for Music majors final projects in college.

Nancy Naigle: Timing is Everything

TimingIsEverything-NaigleBlurb Kendra is fine with being a bridesmaid. She hung up her wedding hopes and dreams eight years ago when her cowboy chose the rodeo over her. But when they cross paths in Deadwood, the timing just might be right for reconciliation.

What was the inspiration for your story?
A gorgeous pair of western boots–pretty enough to get married in. And who doesn’t love a reunion romance?
What genre(s) do you usually write?
Small town romance and women’s fiction
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
Trail riding with good friends on my Palomino named Tooter.
What’s your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?
It’s hard to pick a favorite but I’ll say Tombstone, and I love Sam Elliott in that movie. I even named a husky-voiced moustached man Virgil after his character in Tombstone in my upcoming Christmas novel, Dear Santa.

Paty Jager: Saving Dallie

SavingDallie-JagerQuote_01 When a miner tosses his daughter into the pot at a poker game and the winner is a brothel owner, Beau Gentry is determined to keep the young woman out of the man’s hands.

What was the inspiration for your story?
My short story is connected to my Silver Dollar Saloon series. To showcase the main characters in my series, I had to put a woman in peril and have the Beau Gentry the owner of the saloon save her. I set the story in the Gem Theater, known to be one of the worst brothels in Deadwood.
What genre(s) do you usually write?
Historical & Contemporary western romance and Murder Mystery
What’s your favorite thing to snack on while writing?
My favorite thing to snack on while writing is Dove dark chocolate.
Tell us three surprising things about yourself.
I have driven in a Powder Puff demolition derby, skinny dipped, and have been bucked off a horse three times in my life.

Ginger Ring: Best Results

BestResults-RingQuote_01 Orphaned at a young age, both Adam and River yearn to find a living relative from either of their families. After finally deciding to put down roots in Deadwood, a simple DNA test brings a result that is more than they expected.

What was the inspiration for your story?
A couple years ago my cousins found out they had siblings that they never know about. They found each other through one of those DNA sites.
What genre(s) do you usually write?
Historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense, mafia
Tell us three surprising things about yourself.
I’m very shy, I grew up on a dairy farm, I didn’t get married until I was 40.
What’s your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?
I love them all Longmire, Pale Rider, Tombstone. If it’s a western I watch it.

Lizbeth Selvig: Gotta Have Faith

GottaHaveFaith-SelvigQuote_01 Faith “Bunny” Redmond forms an extreme plan at the Deadwood rodeo to convince a champion bull rider that women can excel at the dangerous sport. If she wins his respect, she might also win his love.

What was the inspiration for your story?
I read about a woman named Maggie Parker who is currently the only professional female bull rider on the pro circuit. I was inspired by her story and her courage even though I’d never ever have enough courage to climb on a bull.
What genre(s) do you usually write?
I write sexy-sweet contemporary romance.
Tell us three surprising things about yourself.
I can speak German
I hiked 200 miles across England in 16 days, and 100 miles across Scotland in 8 days.
I met the love of my life when I was 15 years old. I married him when I was barely 19 and we’ve beaten the odds by being together over 40 years!
What are the top three things on your bucket list?
Go back to Scotland and do book research as well as hike. Take my husband to Australia. Take my grandchildren on an African safari.

Jacqui Nelson: Rescuing Raven

Rescuing Raven by Jacqui Nelson - Excerpt Raven wants to save one person. Charlie wants to save the world. Their warring nations thrust them together but duty pulled them apart—until their paths crossed again in Deadwood for a fight for love.

What was the inspiration for your story?
Appaloosa horses and the history of Deadwood and the Dakota Territory in 1876, including the gold rush, General Crook’s Horsemeat March, the Battle of Slim Buttes, Al Swearengen’s Cricket Saloon (that he owned before the Gem Theater) and Al’s relationship with his first wife Nettie and saloon girl, Kitty Austen.
What genre(s) do you usually write?
Western historical romance
What’s your favorite western, cowboy, or horse movie?
I love Dances with Wolves and For a Few Dollars More but my Western love-list is long and also includes: Quigley Down Under, The Magnificent Seven (the first one), The Outlaw Josey Wales, Jane Got a Gun, Hidalgo, Django Unchained, and more.
What are the top three things on your bucket list?
Travel all around South Dakota, safari in Kenya and Tanzania, and live in the country with a pair of corgi dogs.

Read more WILD DEADWOOD TALES story inspiration from E.E. Burke, A.C. Wilson, Amanda McIntyre, Tina Susedik, Sylvia McDaniel, and Terri Osburn at Get Lost in a Story.

Pre-order your copy today. Read tomorrow (May 1st).

Amazon: http://bit.ly/WDTales
B&N: http://bit.ly/WDTBN
Apple: http://bit.ly/WDTApple
Kobo: http://bit.ly/WDTKobo

All proceeds go to the Western Sports Foundation which provides critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there.

Hope you enjoy reading the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology as much as we enjoyed writing each of our stories ❤

Jacqui

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How Doctors from Canada, USA, and Australia Inspired my New Heroine #History #Inspiration #Deadwood

April 23, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / 4 Comments

Who were Jennie Trout, Susan La Flesche, and Constance Stone? They were three women born in different countries who all struggled to achieve careers in medicine in the 19th century. Lucky for their patients (and for future generations) they found the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) where they studied to be doctors and leaders achieving historic firsts in Canada, the United States, and Austrailia.

And lucky for me, they are also providing inspiration for my doctor heroine in my story-in-progress HEALING HOPE (set in Deadwood 1877).

Dr. Jennie Kidd Gowanlock Trout – First licensed female physician in Canada

Jennie_Kidd_Trout Born: April 21, 1841, in Kelso, Scotland. Her family moved to Ontario, Canada when she was six.

WMCP graduation year: 1875

After Jennie’s marriage in 1865 to Toronto publisher, Edward Trout, she decided to become a doctor. Her own chronic illnesses provided her motivation.

In 1871, she was admitted by special arrangement to the University of Toronto’s School of Medicine but (because of the school’s demeaning treatment of her and another female classmate) she transferred to the WMCP where she earned her M.D. in 1875.

That same year, after passing the Ontario registration exam, she became the first woman licensed to practice medicine in Canada.

In 1883, after male students forced women out of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Jennie helped endow the Women’s Medical College at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte – First licensed Native American female physician

Doctor.susan.la.flesche.picotte

Born: June 17, 1865, on the Omaha Reservation, United States.

WMCP graduation year: 1889

As a child, Susan saw a native woman die due to a white doctor refusing treatment, which may have motivated Susan to pursue medicine. Also, women were often healers in Omaha society.

Her father was of Ponca and French Canadian ancestry. Her mother was the daughter of an Army surgeon and a woman of mixed Omaha-Oto-Iowa heritage.

The Connecticut Indian Association sponsored Susan’s WMCP expenses and her housing, making her the first person to receive federal aid for professional education in the United States. They requested that she remain single during her schooling and for several years after her graduation, in order to focus on her practice.

In 1889, Susan returned to the Omaha reservation to become the physician for the government boarding school and the rest of the community. She often had 20-hour workdays and was responsible for over 1,200 people.

Dr. Emma Constance Stone – First licensed female physician in Australia

ConstanceStone-FromAustralia-stamp Born: December 4, 1856, in Hobart, Tasmania.

WMCP Graduation year: Constance left Australia to study at the WMCP and then Toronto’s University of Trinity College where she was awarded her M.D. in 1888.

She then traveled to England where she worked at London’s New Hospital for Women and qualified for a degree at the Society of Apothecaries.

In 1890, she returned home and became the first licensed female physician in Australia. She and her sister, Clara (one of two women who graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1891) went into private practice together.

In 1896, Constance led eleven female doctors to create the Victoria Hospital for Women and Children (later called Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Hospital) operated “by women, for women” for the benefit of poor women uncomfortable with male doctors.

Dr. Henrietta Hope – Who is she?

She’s the heroine of my story-in-progress HEALING HOPE. A story that happens a year after my Deadwood story RESCUING RAVEN (which releases May 1st) and…

Henrietta is a graduate of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (which you can read more about on my blog: a frontier doctor’s early education).
She has an appreciation of modern medicine, an affinity for herbal remedies, and a desire to help any patient in need.
She’s practiced medicine for a decade while traveling with the Dakota tribes.
Then in 1877, a tragic accident brings her to Deadwood, a lawless town where female doctors aren’t respected. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of hope for her future…until William Jennings (the overprotective shotgun messenger who guards the Deadwood Stage) challenges Henrietta to join him in a new life.

What parts of a frontier doctor’s life would you find the most challenging?

For me, the biggest challenge might be being the only doctor in town. Or if there were other doctors in town, trying to figure out how to change their unwillingness to collaborate and share their camaraderie and knowledge. Hardships always seem easier to tackle when we’re not alone.

Jacqui

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A Frontier Doctor’s Early Education #History #Medicine #WildDeadwoodTales

April 16, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

New story. New heroine. New character backstory or…history!

Yes, for me, history shapes everything. Today I’m sharing the historical inspiration for Doctor Henrietta Hope, the heroine of my story-in-progress, Healing Hope.

First the backstory/history of why I decided to write this particular story…

While writing Rescuing Raven (my short story that releases May 1st in the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology – with all proceeds going to the Western Sports Foundation), I had lots of ideas for who’d taught my Lakota heroine, Raven, to speak English.

The teacher would be a city-trained doctor who’d embraced a unique life traveling among the tribes to administer medicine but also learn more about Native American ways of healing. And she’d be a woman. She was so clear in my mind that I knew she must have her own story.

But how does a 19th-century doctor’s career begin?

I started researching which American colleges would have accepted women as students a decade before my story starts in 1877, and I found…

The Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania

The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania

What an interesting (and inspiring) history jackpot! The college was founded in 1850 and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine and offer them the M.D. degree. More interesting history…

Smedley’s History of the Underground Railroad cites Dr. Bartholomew Fussell with proposing (in 1846) the idea for a college that would train female doctors. The college was a tribute to his departed sister, who Bartholomew felt could have been a doctor if women had been given the opportunity at that time.
The first deans of the college were men: Nathaniel R. Mosely (1850-1856) and Bartholomew’s nephew, Edwin Fussell (1856 to 1866). Then the college had a long history of female deans, lasting almost 100 years.
The first woman dean of this (or any) medical school was Ann Preston (appointed 1866–1872).
To provide clinical experience for the students, a group of Quaker women (including Ann Preston) founded the Woman’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1861.
Originally called The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, it changed its name to Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1867. In 1970, it was renamed The Medical College of Pennsylvania after opening its doors to men.

Can’t wait to share my frontier doctor, Henrietta Hope’s full story (set in Deadwood 1877) with you soon. Until next time…

Want to read more about the history of Deadwood? Head to Deadwood Early Years and Thieves in the Black Hills

Jacqui

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Thieves in the Black Hills #History #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales

April 9, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

The HISTORY of THEFT is NEVER-ENDING. In the Old West, they hanged you for horse theft. In Merry Olde England, they transported you to a colony for any kind of theft (over a certain monetary value). But in the Black Hills, the thieves who stole the Lakota’s sacred land went unpunished.

Buffalo Hunt by George Catlin. The Black Hills gave the Lakota everything they needed.

At the end of my last blog, I shared how…

In 1875 after gold was found in Deadwood Creek, the U.S. government failed to honor the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty requiring them to protect the Lakota land from white intruders. Instead, the government offered millions of dollars to buy the land. The Lakota refused because it was their holy land. Their home was taken from them illegally and by force.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn by C.M. Russell.

But the thievery, of course, doesn’t start or stop there.

The First Sioux War was fought between 1854 and 1856. It started after a small detachment of soldiers entered a large Sioux encampment to arrest a man accused of stealing a migrant’s cow.
The Great Sioux War (also known as the Black Hills War) was fought between 1876 and 1877. It started after gold was found in Deadwood Creek and white intruders invaded and stole the Lakota’s land.
After the Battle of the Little Bighorn (also known as Custer’s Last Stand), General Crook marched in pursuit of the Sioux. He took only enough rations for a few days. Which resulted in the Horsemeat March (also known as the Starvation March) when the soldiers had to eat their horses. I suppose one could say that Crook stole his men’s dignity by starving them and leaving them with no option for an alternative food source.
Near Deadwood, the Battle of Slim Buttes resulted in more thievery (also known as the spoils of war) this time the soldiers took the Lakota’s horses and their winter food preserves.
Finally, General Crook and his men’s march ended in Deadwood where they were entertained lavishly by the townsfolk.

It happened because of thievery – of all sorts.

Soldiers charge at Slim Buttes, by Charles Schreyvog

Surrender at Slim Buttes, by R.F. Zogbaum

Pictures: soldiers charge at Slim Buttes (by Charles Schreyvog) and surrender at Slim Buttes (by R.F. Zogbaum).

How did this particular HISTORY shape Rescuing Raven?

DEADWOOD, 1876… In a gold rush storm, can an unlikely pair rescue each other?

RR-Raven-Excerpt-FlickerOfUnderstanding

Raven is a rescuer at heart. First, a family member needs her help then her horse is stolen at the Battle of Slim Buttes. There’s no way Raven will allow her beloved Appaloosa to remain with men who eat their own mounts rather than pause their hunt for the Lakota to hunt for food.

She embarks on a rescue mission that takes her into the heart of Deadwood where she finds a man also in need of rescuing.

A man named Charlie Jennings who wants to rescue Raven in return.

RR-Charlie-Excerpt1-ShouldntBeHere

Want to read more about Raven and Charlie and Deadwood?

Rescuing Raven Excerpt ~ Cover Creation Magic ~ Deadwood Early Years Facts

Can’t wait to share more about Deadwood with you, including another Deadwood story set a year after Rescuing Raven. Next time I’ll share my history inspiration for Healing Hope. I’m excited to finally be writing a story about a heroine who is a doctor!

Jacqui

Want to find out more about the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology? Like/follow our fan page at www.facebook.com/WildDeadwoodTalesAnthology & meet all 17 of the Wild Deadwood Tales authors here.

WDT-MeetTheAuthors-TwitterSize

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Cover Reveal: RESCUING RAVEN & the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology #CoverLove #WildDeadwoodTales #WSF

April 2, 2018April 20, 2019 / Jacqui Nelson / Leave a comment

Creating a BOOK COVER is fun! I come up with the ideas and then my designer puts it all together and makes it magic. Pleasing picture. Catchy title. Intriguing tagline. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Most times it is but sometimes…not!

After the cover design for one of my earlier books went off the rails, I sent a 10-page Word document (with sample pictures added) to my designer so I’d get exactly what I wanted. And I did. Clear communication (especially when using email only) is key.

So, here’s Rescuing Raven’s cover and the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology cover as well.

WDT-RescuingRaven-BookCovers

DEADWOOD, 1876… In a gold rush storm, can an unlikely pair rescue each other?

Yes, two book covers for my one story!

One cover for my single, standalone story and another cover for the 17 stories combined in the anthology. Why? Because for all of 2018 Rescuing Raven will only be available in the Wild Deadwood Tales anthology, with all proceeds during 2018 going to the Western Sports Foundation, #WSF. The anthology will be available for pre-order in May (on Amazon, Amazon, B&N, Apple or Kobo) and will be showcased at the Wild Deadwood Reads author-reader event in Deadwood, South Dakota, June 7-9.

After 2018, I’ll publish Rescuing Raven on my own, and that’s when the individual cover will get full use. I could have waited until 2019 to get Rescuing Raven’s cover made but why wait?

Want to read an excerpt from Rescuing Raven?

Head to my website. The story’s first line is…

Fighting a growing impatience fueled by rage, Charlie Jennings drew his revolver and urged his horse through the trees flanking the Deadwood Trail.

Want to read about Deadwood’s history around the time when my story is set?

Take a look at the blog I wrote last week about Deadwood. You’ll learn things like – how many saloons did Deadwood have in 1877. If you guessed even 50, you’d have to guess higher! And isn’t that astounding?

Here’s another mind-boggling fact that, unfortunately, touches my heroine life in Rescuing Raven (and that I’ll write more about in my next blog)…

In 1875 after gold was found in Deadwood Creek, the U.S. government failed to honor the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty requiring them to protect the Lakota land from white intruders. Instead, the government offered millions of dollars to buy the land. The Lakota refused because it was their holy land. Their home was taken from them illegally and by force.

Many unsavory things happen in Rescuing Raven, but it’s still a romance with a happily-ever-after for my heroine, Raven, and my hero, Charlie. There’s good and there’s bad. And I think that’s appropriate because that’s what happens in real life as well. And don’t worry, there’s also humor! I have a trio of characters (with oddball names) to lighten the story while still complicating it. You’ll meet them if you read my excerpt.

Do you have an intriguing or outrageous historical fact about Deadwood or South Dakota? Hope you’ll share it in the comments below.