By Kristy McCaffrey
Henry Mill, an English inventor, patented the first typewriter in 1714, although he described it as a “Machine for Transcribing Letters.” At the start of the 19th century, an Italian inventor named Pellegrino Turri also created a mechanical typing machine, along with carbon paper to provide the ink. These early machines were largely developed to enable the blind to write.
The first commercially successful typewriter didn’t come along until 1874, when E. Remington and Sons began producing models with the popular QWERTY keyboard layout, based on a prototype created by American inventors Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule.
The success of this last invention was twofold. First, the
text could be seen as it was typed. Earlier writing machines had the paper
hidden inside, making it difficult to follow the output. The second
important feature was the keys could be used at speed without jamming. The
QWERTY keyboard design was to avoid keys clashing together when typing combinations
of letters frequently found together in common English words.
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Don't miss THE NIGHTHAWK!
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Arizona Territory
September 1899
Sophie Ryan’s dream of working for a newspaper has come true. Accompanied by her cousin, Lucas Blackmore, a newly appointed U.S. Deputy Marshal, she arrives in Jerome, one of the richest mining towns in America. And one of the most remote. Although she’s been hired to report for the Jerome Mining News on education and cultural issues, she soon finds herself immersed in something more serious when she finds an enigmatic injured man in the Black Hills claiming to be an ornithologist.
U.S. Deputy Marshal Benton McKay is undercover tracking the notorious train robbing Weaver gang, and the trail ends in Jerome. When he’s injured in the Black Hills and found by a determined and beautiful young woman, he must gain her trust to keep his identity a secret. But keeping her out of trouble proves a challenge, especially with her cousin assigned to assist him. As they track down the band of outlaws, another agenda emerges—the renegades are searching for lost gold believed to have been left behind by the Spanish Conquistadors. And Sophie Ryan is determined to report on it.
The Nighthawk is a fast-paced romantic adventure filled with humor, treasure hunting, a tenacious heroine, and a hero harboring a secret. It has light steam, a happily-for-now ending, and can be read as a standalone.
Sophie is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
Available in digital and paperback. Find more info here.
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Read an excerpt
Sophie pulled free. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I could ask you the same, but I don’t have time.”
McKay went to the barn door as Bromley’s light disappeared around the house. He stepped into the storm, searching the ground for Xander’s path. It became futile quickly, the ground a muddy slop. And he couldn’t keep lurking around the Bromley house. The man might see him.
When he stopped abruptly, Sophie slammed into his backside. He grabbed her shoulders before she fell, her duster slick with rain. “We need to go,” he said.
Grabbing her hand, he dragged her behind him, not stopping until they got to her horse.
“Were you following me?” she demanded.
He ignored her, grabbing her waist and hoisting her onto Roger. He took the horse’s reins from her.
“I can ride on my own,” Sophie said loudly above the din of rain.
McKay walked Roger to his own horse. Once mounted, he continued to hold Roger’s reins, not wanting to lose Sophie in the storm. It was slow going, but he finally got them to the livery where they left the animals for the night. Then McKay took her hand again and led her to his hotel.
“Where are we going?” Her voice was exasperated.
“We need privacy,” he said, taking a back way, entering the Connor Hotel through a rear entrance.
When the way was clear of employees, they went through the kitchen and took the stairs. He unlocked his door but when he stepped inside, Sophie refused.
“I’m not going into your room,” she whispered. She was dripping water all over the carpeted floor.
“Now’s not the time to play hard to get, Sophie.”
He pulled her inside and shut the door.
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2 comments:
My grandparents had an old typewriter (I have no idea where it came from, though it was heavy) that I used to 'type' on when I was young. It was fun and something do to to pass the time. I much prefer the computer keyboard for typing books. So much easier, especially when making a mistake or wanting to delete and entire paragraph. Thanks for sharing, Kristy!
Interesting, I always wondered how they came up with the unusual layout for the letters. Nice excerpt!
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