Not a Western? Really? Color Ginger Shocked!

It's a free Monday and I thought I might share a blog that was published two years ago.  This is still one  of my favorite books, and I hope it will become one of yours.

 

I've just recently decided to re-release the book that was voted best historical romance of 2009 by Love Romance Cafe.  What debuted as Sparta Rose has now become Ellie's Legacy because I definitely thought the story was worth an attempt to garner more readership.  The one thing that surprised me the most when I promoted the book as a "Western" historical romance, was finding out that anything on the east side of the Mississippi river is not considered a western.  Dang!

But then, I was recently reading this wonderful book The Politically Incorrect Guide to The South (and Why It Will Rise Again) by Clint Johnson, and I pretty much felt vindicated in having my story take place in Tennessee and still consider Ellie's Legacy a western-themed novel.

Now please note that all of my references here are attributed to Mr. Johnson who, I must say, wrote a very compelling and moving history of the South.  I learned a lot from this book, especially discovering that the western expansion of the United States is due largely to 140 southerners who had "adopted" God's will that the United States spread from ocean to ocean.  The period of time was between 1830 and 1850, and of the six presidents who served during this period, five were from the south.  The following details were provided by Mr. Johnson's research:

In the mid 1840s - Georgia-born John C. Fremont and Kentucky-born Kit Carson headed explorations of the west, mapping and exploring routes to encourage settlers to travel of California and Oregon.

The Mexican War (1846-1848) was led by Virginia-born generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.  The president at the time was James K. Polk who hailed from North Carolina and Tennessee.

After the Mexican War, The Gadsden Purchase, made by South Carolinian, James Gadsden, acquired portions of Arizona and New Mexico to hopefully allow for a cross-country railroad stretching from the south to California.

Had not these brave souls from the south had the chutzpah to explore uncharted lands, unlike New Englanders who wanted to limit the size of the Union, we might never have realized life in the old west as we know it.  As Mr. Johnson states, in this case,"we would not have been a United States stretching from 'sea to shining sea.'"

So, I'm quite proud my ranch foreman, Tyler Bishop is patterned after the Stetson-wearing, rope-tossing cowboys of the west.  I can guarantee, if you read the book, you won't see much difference between Tennessee pride and that of those who settled in the areas we recognize from TV cowboy and Indian sagas.  In fact, if you read a lot of historical novels, you might recall that the lion's share of wagon trains began in Missouri with folks headed for Oregon and California.  They don't call "it" the "Oregon trail" for nothin'. 

There are so many things I didn't know about the south...  Little things like: Fourteen of the nation's top Ivy League schools are in the south, and since the inception of the Miss America pageant in 1921, one-third of the winners have been southern. Slavery was not legalized in the south, and the Confederate battle flag is symbolic of Christianity, modeled after St. Andrew's Cross (seen in Scotland's national flag and in the Union Jack of Great Britain.)

 I was born and raised in California, but since moving to Tennessee, I've come to the conclusion I was meant to be here.  Pride, honor and faith is alive and well in the south.

By the way, if you'd like to check out my work, please visit my website where I have all my books featured, along with videos/blurbs. I'm happy to say I'm still alive and kicking, and as long as I am, I'll keep pumping out western historical novels. I'm currently working on two historicals...Yellow Moon and The Well.  Yep...it means a lot of research, but I'm learning as I go.

Special thanks to my friend Ronnie Brown who loaned me The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South by Clint Johnson, and again to Mr. Johnson for letting me in on his southern knowledge.  Loved it!

Take a Quick Visit to Historical Cragfont with Ginger

Photo courtesy of open house album on Cragfont website

Merry Christmas.  This is going to be short and sweet, because as I searched for information on the historical Cragfont mansion just a few miles from where I live, I came across their official website with a wonderful video that tells just enough about the home to make you want to read more.  Rather than paraphrase what is already so abundantly available on the official website, I'm going to post their video here and direct you to the history dating back to 1785 on this wonderful Tennessee 'museum.'

Hope you enjoy, and just click on the link above to get to Cragfont's official page.  Just another reason to visit Tennessee!  This place abounds with history, even though it's on the wrong side of the Mississippi to be considered "western."  Here's a map I copied from Wikipedia which shows the division:

 Although the "plains" states in the lighter shade of red are sometimes included in the "old west" territory, you can see that Tennessee only comes close.  *smile*  Do, I care...no, I can still write about the time period, and I think you'd have a hard time arguing that my heroes aren't true western cowboys.  Take Ellie's Legacy, for example.  Set in Tennessee, specifically Sparta, I sure wouldn't want to tangle with Tyler Bishop about his status or attire. 


Happy Holidays and Cowboy Kisses all around!

Western Birthday Buddies

Today I’m sharing my birthday with two famous people – Davy Crockett and Maureen O’Hara.

Both were not born in the American West, like me, but ended up living in the west – Davy in Texas, Maureen in California (unlike me, but I might end up out there at some point!) Both were pretty famous, unlike me. My claim to fame is meeting famous people like the actor Wes Studi and novelists Nora Roberts (romance), David Morrell (Rambo action/adventures) and Loren Estleman (mystery/westerns).

Oldest first -- David Crockett. was born on August 17, 1786 (only 200+ years before me) in Greene County, Tennessee (only three states away from Michigan), the fifth of nine kids (I’m the 4^th of six kids). Parents John and Rebecca Hawkins Crockett no doubt had a log cabin and lived off the land. I’ve always been fascinated by log cabins, but enjoyed my parents’ suburban house.

David (not Davy -- Crockett was always known by his full Christian name) learned to shoot at eight years old and only attended school for four days. He was a born woodsman. He married at 20 years old, and Mary Finley gave him two sons and a daughter. After Mary’s death, David wed Elizabeth Patton, who gave him two more children. He then became a scout during the War of 1812, and participated in a massacre on the Cree Indians in retaliation for an attack on Fort Mims, Alabama. Whoa! We really *do* have a connection, even though it might be a branch of my husband's family.

Once he returned home to Tennessee, David served as a member of the State House of Representatives from 1821 until 1823. He also won a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1826. His reputation and folk legend status may have ballooned during elections due to his “backwoods oratory” style -- and comic illustrations portrayed him in that coonskin cap. After his defeat in 1833, David grew tired of politics and decided to join the fight for Texas independence. Crockett was killed on March 6, 1836, at the Alamo in San Antonio. I remember watching native Texan Fess Parker on the Disney channel and enjoyed the episodes, even if they were based on the legends. He sort of *looks* like legendary "Davy" Crockett. Sort of. 

Now let’s get to another birthday buddy of mine. Maureen FitzSimons was born on August 17, 1920 (eight years before my own mom) in Ranelagh, Ireland (I wish! I'd love to visit the Emerald Isle), the second of six children. Her father worked as a businessman and her mother was an actress and opera singer. Good genes clearly passed from mother to daughter (just like my mom’s artistic gene passed to me). After her debut as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Maureen’s early career focused on swashbuckling films like Jamaica Inn, The Spanish Main, The Black Swan and Sinbad the Sailor, plus How Green Was My Valley and the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street.

Maureen starred with John Wayne in The Quiet Man, set in Ireland (my favorite wanna-vacation-there-spot). She also appeared in the westerns Buffalo Bill, The Redhead From Wyoming, Rio Grande, McClintock! and Big Jake. Maureen was well-known for portraying a strong-willed heroine. Sound familiar? Yep, my heroine, Lily Granville of DoubleCrossing, is strong-willed but also independent. Lily may not have fiery red hair, green eyes, and a peaches and cream complexion, but Maureen O’Hara certainly had some influence on her characterization.

<------ To the left is the silent film actress Mary Miles Minter, whose ethereal look is perfect for Lily.  To the right is Duke (John Wayne) and Maureen O'Hara in the western film and comedy McClintock!  --------->

Ace Diamond might not take Lily over his knee, but she will definitely give him a run for his money in Double Crossing's sequel! Keep an eye out for Double or Nothing later this year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Maureen, and many more to you, too! I'll raise a cupcake in your honor.
--Check out a few of the 5-star reviews on Meg Mims' website!