Cowboy Kisses News ~ Julie Lence

 

Due to work issues, Amanda A Brooks is taking a leave of absence. She will return to blogging June 8th. Should something change, I will let you know. 

Thank you, 

Julie

The “Tin Kitchen” ~ D. K. Deters

A pan of biscuit dough rests inside a small tin oven, propped carefully in front of the flames. There is no stove, no kitchen—only ingenuity and necessity. For many early settlers, this simple device, known as a reflector oven, made baking on the frontier possible.

While browsing the Internet for information about cooking tools early settlers used, I happened upon the reflector oven. Curious, I had to learn more.

The portable tin reflector oven appeared in America during the second half of the 1700s. Also known as a “tin kitchen” or “tin oven,” it was likely adapted from European open-hearth cooking. These ovens were typically made of tinplate or sheet iron and had three enclosed sides, with the fourth side left open to face the fire. They came in various sizes, depending on what the user wants to cook.

During Westward Expansion, the reflector oven was ideal for settlers, traders, and soldiers because it only required a campfire. With it, the cook could bake breads and cakes on the trail.

By the mid-1800s, reflector ovens were a standard part of rural American homes, and their design became more refined. Innovations included folding sides, multiple racks, and polished interiors to improve heat reflection and usability.

The tin kitchen represents the resourcefulness of early American settlers. This oven was especially popular in Appalachia, the Midwest frontier, and logging and mining camps.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, as cast-iron stoves became more widely available, reflector ovens fell out of everyday household use. However, they never fully disappeared. Today, their continued use by campers and backpackers connects modern outdoor enthusiasts with early American traditions.

Based on historical sources about early American cooking tools.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_309723

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflector_oven

https://www.nps.gov/places/beol_kitchen.htm

Lewis and Clark

 

On this day in 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition left its camp among the Mandan tribe and resumed the journey West.

The Corps of Discovery had begun its adventure the previous spring, and arrived at the large Mandan and Minnetaree villages along the upper Missouri River (north of present-day Bismarck, North Dakota) in late October. 

Once at the villages, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark directed the men to build a sturdy log fort. The following winter was a harsh one, but the expedition had plenty of provisions. The two captains made the best of their enforced halt, making copious notes in their journals and preparing maps of their route. Most importantly, they met frequently with the local Native Americans, who provided them with valuable information about the country that lay ahead.

One of my favorite places to learn more about Lewis and Clark and their expedition was at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located at Cape Disappointment on the Pacific Coast.

     

 Almost at the top of the hill, the first thing visitors see is the decommissioned military fortification that served as a military base during the Civil War and World War II. Following the trail to the very top of the hill offers a spectacular view of where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.

         In November of 1805, the U.S. Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reached the mouth of the  Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. "Great joy in camp," Clark wrote in his journal, "we are in view of the ocean, this great Pacific Ocean which we been so long anxious to see." Cape Disappointment was already a notable landmark in the Pacific Northwest, named before the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived. The first known documentation of the area was in 1775 by Spanish explorer Bruno Heceta, who named it “Bahia de La Asuncion,” or Bay of the Assumption.  Then in 1788, British trader John Meares named it “Cape Disappointment” when he mistakenly believed that the mouth of the Columbia River was only a bay. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center stands high on the cliffs of the state park located at Cape Disappointment. A series of mural-sized timeline panels guide visitors through the journey of the expedition, using sketches, paintings, photographs, and snippets from journals written by the Corps members.  The center also has a nice short film presentation about the Corps, a glassed-in observation deck with incredible views, as well as various maritime and military displays. It took us almost two hours to go through the whole thing and look around outside, but it was time well spent.   

This early map of North America fascinated me. I can't even begin to imagine what the people who journeyed west into the unknown must have felt when they began their expedition.

   

 This journal entry from Meriweather Lewis made me smile. I think I would have also been heartily tired of the national hug.  

Also, thank goodness for modern medicine. It truly was so interesting to read the details shared and get a much better idea of what the people who made this trip experienced. There are also some wonderful artifacts on display too!

Do you have any favorite museums you've visited to learn more about their journey?

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Prairie Falcons

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

Prairie falcons are medium-sized falcons similar to peregrines located in Western North America. They might be better called desert falcons from their need for open space and arid dry habitats.

They’re scrappy survivalists, with females much larger than males. They don’t like human interaction much but are considered an entry level bird for falconry. They're smart but don’t catch on to routine well if training has been lacking. But when trained well, they’re incredible hunters—aggressive, agile, and determined.

Prairie Falcon
(courtesy of Deposit Photos)

Proper training includes providing abundant food (to avoid developing the habit of screaming for food) and extensive "manning" (close contact and handling). Unlike the peregrine, they do not respond well to training with the swung lure, as missing the lure brings out their impatience. Teaching prairie falcons to climb and "wait on" to stoop on game is best accomplished by a reward system of flushing game or serving live birds such as pigeons for the falcon to chase when the falcon has assumed the proper position several hundred feet or more above the falconer.

The prairie falcon's eagerness to hunt and chase requires it to be patiently taught that when it assumes the proper waiting on position the falconer can be trusted to reliably flush game. As the falcon comes to understand this, it learns to hunt as an effective team with the falconer.

* * * * *

In my upcoming book, The Falcon, the heroine is trying to raise a prairie falcon she found as a fledgling.

The Falcon by Kristy McCaffrey
Wings of the West: Book 12

Coming July 3, 2026

Mexico

December 1899 

Josie Ryan’s connection to Texas runs deep, from the land to an almost preternatural kinship with the animals in the wild. This bond has led her to the edge of life and death, from saving a boy caught in a fire when she was eleven years old to being struck by lightning to a mountain lion attack that almost ended her life. The discovery of an abandoned falcon chick leads to a fierce attachment, but with only intuition to guide her, Josie struggles to train the wildest creature she’s ever encountered. When she learns of a man who could help, she’s determined to gain an introduction. 

Mateo Almirón, El Halconero—The Falconer—and Argentine gaucho, is tasked with delivering two prized purebred Criollo mares to Matt Ryan, a man whose reputation casts a long shadow. Years ago, Ryan saved the life of Mateo’s father, and the horses will settle the longstanding debt, but when the exchange goes wrong, Mateo is entrusted with protecting Ryan’s daughter, Josie. Now Mateo and Josie must hide in the mountains of Northern Mexico where stories abound of Josie’s mother, a woman who lived among the Comanche and rose from the dead. 

But in a place alive with superstition, Josie and her untamed falcon will give rise to a new legend …

Josie is the youngest child of Matt and Molly from THE WREN.

* * * * *

Available for pre-order from Amazon, Nook, and Apple Books.

(It will also be available at Kobo, Google Play Books, and in paperback on release day.)

Connect with Kristy

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Time Travel Triggers: What Sends Love Through Time?

 

Every time travel romance needs a catalyst:
a magical, mystical, or completely unexplained force that rips the characters out of their timeline and drops them into another.

Why did I decide to write time travel?

Because Time for Love by Constance O’Day Flannery kept me up all night reading. A woman gets dental work done inside what used to be a train depot. A mysterious force ignites, and suddenly she’s in 1876 and mistaken for a mail-order bride.

I was hooked.

Years later, after plenty of research, I wrote Time to Save a Cowboy. My heroine travels back to 1890, triggered by two things: an antique garnet ring and an old locomotive.

Time Travel Catalysts in Romance

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
While wearing an antique jeweled watch, the humming stones of a Scotland ruins pull Claire back to 1743.

A Highlander for Hannah by Mary Warren
A love spell meant to find “the one” accidentally summons an 18th-century Scottish Highlander.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
A hidden compartment in inherited furniture transports the heroine to seven years in the past.

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
A magical Harlem garden and a haunted piano bring a handsome Renaissance man across time.

Why I Love Writing Time Travel

My favorite part—the history.

For Time to Save a Cowboy, I chose 1890 Hesperia, California and went deep. I discovered that the hotel had running water, rare for the time, and learned about the Los Flores Ranch. I even visited the land while it was still a working ranch.

In the past few years, that property had been replaced with houses.

Time may move on … but in stories, love always finds a way back. 💕

 

Writing Scams Aren't A Joke ~ Julie Lence

 

Today is April 1^st.  Many refer to it as April Fool’s Day, the day to pull harmless pranks on the unsuspecting.  Some are elaborate schemes that require time to plan and carry out. Others are spur of the moment, with both hoping to achieve an end result of laughter. What isn’t funny is the elaborate scheme meant to cause harm, and in the writing world, such has been happening as far back as last summer.  

Authors are individuals who spend their days (and nights) sitting alone in front of a computer writing a story in the hopes someone will read it and enjoy it enough to brag about it to friends and family. Some may think we’re loony shutting ourselves off from society, and they may be right. But any author will tell you that days of eating potato chips for lunch and tuning out the sights and sounds around us are worth it just to hold our published book in our hands. What isn’t worth the blood, sweat, and tears we poured into a novel are the tricksters looking to steal our dreams.

Daily, authors are bombarded through email and social media accounts by people claiming to be professional book marketers wanting to help them succeed. They’re offering to put your book in front of book clubs to net you Amazon reviews… to market your book to thousands of readers via their own social media pages and groups… to turn you into the hot new break-out author earning thousands in just a short amount of time. Most will have the title to your book and offer a quick sentence stating they read the book and loved the plot and the interaction between the characters, which is nothing more than a lie. With the use of AI, it’s easy for them to locate character names and plot points to make you believe they are legit. In reality, these book clubs and social media accounts don’t exist; the sender (scammer) being from a foreign country hoping to steal your hard-earned money and then disappear faster than you can blink. 

Since last year, I’ve received plenty of these emails and inquires. I’ve also been contacted by fake profiles of legitimate authors who want nothing more than to hook me up with an unscrupulous agent who is going to do the same thing; take my money and run. The best I can advise—be aware that these scams exist, and if you are contacted by someone, err on the side of caution by doing a thorough search on that person before inviting conversation with them. Keep your money (and sanity) out of the hands of the wicked.   

 

Black Women Voters in 1870 Wyoming Territory by Zina Abbott

 

Last month, I wrote a post about the first women jurors chosen to serve on a jury in 1870 Wyoming Territory. It  all came about when The territory legislature granted women full voting rights on December 10, 1869. You may find that post by CLICKING HERE

The first opportunity for Wyoming Territory women to vote came on September 6. 1870. Although Utah Territory granted women the right to vote shortly after Wyoming Territory, and women there had opportunities to vote in both February and August of 1870, there is no record of Black women there voting.

In South Carolina, many suffragists, both white and Black argued that the recently enacted Fourteenth Amendment granted women voting rights, Black women voted in some regions of South Carolina in October and November of 1870. The Supreme Court later ruled that the Amendment did not guarantee voting rights to women, so women there were not granted that right until August 1920. 

However, in Wyoming Territory, suffrage was granted by the legislature without reliance on the Fourteenth Amendment. Among women voters in the September 9, 1870 election were Black women—quite a step forward for many who were likely enslaved less than a decade earlier. Unfortunately, since Native American tribes were treated like separate nations, women suffrage in Wyoming Territory did not extend to Native women.

Nancy Phillips, probable 1870 voter

Despite the racism that did exist, there were those in Wyoming Territory who worked to protect Black women’s suffrage alongside that granted to the white women. The following quote is from territorial secretary, Edward Lee:

Edward M. Lee

Partisan strife to secure votes among the male adherents of rival candidates culminated in the afternoon, when a brace of colored sisters, hanging gracefully on the arms of a deputy United States marshal of Irish birth, were escorted by him to the polls, and indulged in the right of suffrage. Was not this remarkable coalition a precursor of more harmonious relations between these heretofore bitterly antagonistic elements? The descendants of Ham and St. Patrick hobnobbing in political communion? Verily, ‘the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and a little child shall lead them.’

Another account of the 1870 election comes from Justice John Kingman, also an ardent supporter of woman suffrage. In testimony before the 1876 Massachusetts Legislature, Kingman noted: 

I remember a case in point, which, at the time, caused me much uneasiness. We had, at first, a large proportion of Southern men and Northern Copperheads. By that I mean men who advocated secession, and came to Wyoming to escape being drafted. Carriages were employed by the candidates to bring ladies to the polls. At the hotel were a number of colored girls employed as servants. After a while a carriage drove up with four of these colored girls in it. They were helped out, and as they went to the polls the crowd quietly parted; they voted and returned to the carriage without a word said. Then I breathed freely; I knew all was safe.

Both accounts make note of partisanship in the shadow of the recent Civil War. Lee and Kingman were Radical Republicans who had served in the Union Army as brigadier generals, as had Governor Campbell. All three men were committed to equal rights, but they knew that there were many people in Wyoming who were not.

At South Pass City, several drunken and armed white men proclaimed they would not allow any Negros to vote. They attacked a fellow voter who made the statement that they should be allowed the same privilege, as granted by law. A U.S marshal broke up the riot and saw to it the Black men were allowed to vote. When it came to the Black women, the U.S. marshals decided on a more pro-active approach to insure their safety.

The names of the Black women who voted are unknown. Like the numbers of white female voters, the number of Black women who voted  are not known. However, it is known through census records that thirty Black or “mulatto” women above the age of twenty-one lived in Wyoming Territory. Most of them arrived in Wyoming Territory as part of a family unit, many of them who owned property. About twenty-five percent lived with their employers and seventeen percent lived independently. The largest Black population lived in Cheyenne. Three lived at nearby Fort D.A. Russell, and resided with their employers.

Women’s right to vote in 1870 started a long tradition of political activism for Wyoming’s Black community. In spite of the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, which protected Black male suffrage, a great deal of opposition to this right existed.

For the rest of the nation, states and territories granted women suffrage in a piecemeal fashion until finally, fifty years after Wyoming women were granted the right to vote, all women in the United States were granted this right in 1920. Universal suffrage was a tradition in which Wyoming Territory led the rest of the nation.

 

The setting for most of my latest release, The Bride Who Step Dances, takes place in 1874 Laramie City, Wyoming Territory, just four years after Wyoming Territory women voted for the first time. This book is now available as an ebook and at no additional cost with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

Sources:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/black-women-vote-in-wyoming/

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/then-i-breathed-freely-black-women-vote-wyoming-1870