Creatures of Habit

When I read about J.K. Rowling writing in longhand on a legal pad while sitting in a coffee shop, I shudder. To each his own, but this sounds like torture to me.

Every writer has his/her own way of creating. I used to write on a manual typewriter at my dining room table. Then I wrote on an electric typewriter and then a desk computer in an office in my home. Then I moved to a different house and made the whole upstairs an office and library and wrote on a new desktop computer. Then the Internet, routers, and laptops took over and I now write on a laptop in a downstairs office. I keep thinking that I'll start writing in the upstairs office again, but then I think it's dumb to heat and cool that whole floor.

The point is, I like to write in basically the same place and on the same instrument, day after day. Sometimes, if my back his aching or I'm crushing a deadline, I'll take the laptop into the living room and sit on the couch to write during the evening after writing all day in my office. 

My library upstairs is hardly ever used now and I've donated more than half of my books that used to be shelved up there to charities. The Internet has become my main source of information, along with a few books about the west and cowboys that are out of print.

I haven't written in longhand anything fictional since I was a kid and didn't know how to type yet. I know of several writers who do write in notebooks, but it seems odd to me. They will have to commit their work to type for it to be saved and/or emailed, so why not start off keying in the computer and skip a step? Or they have to hire someone to key the whole thing into a computer. Waste of money. The longhanders say this way of writing makes them more creative and allows them more time to think.

For me, I think faster than I can type -- and I type fast. When I think back to the days of the typewriter and correction fluid/tape, I break out in hives.

I also use my computer to read back what I've written. The computer guy (I like to use the male voice) reads it to me and that helps me catch mistakes, misspellings, omitted words, etc. It also makes me laugh when he reads my sex scenes in his monotone, unemotional voice.

Back when I was part of a critique group, the reading of our work aloud was a godsend. We could hear it, catch the odd phrasing, wince at the wrong wording, tsk at the poor punctuation, and question how believable a plot point was and if someone really would talk like that. After years and years of being critiqued, I still have one or two other people I respect (as in, they are astute writers and/or readers) read my final drafts and tell me where I've succeeded and where I've failed. It's part of my writing "habit."

That's the thing, you see. Writers are creatures of habit. That's the only way you can actually become a writer. You have to make sitting down in front of a computer screen (or notebook) a habit. Every damned day until it is ingrained. Until it's almost an addiction. If I miss a day or two, I have withdrawal symptoms. I feel that something is amiss. I'm antsy. I feel guilty. That's why most writers write while they're on vacation. They need their "fix."

That's also why some writers continue to write in longhand on lined paper. It's habit. It's their daily drug of choice. The "fix" is in. 

The Western Perspective - a Woman's View

Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Mount of the Holy Cross -Helen Chain
From Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum
Collection in 50% of the Story

When you think of the West, it's usually cowboys, fur traders, wagon trains. Yet, what did women see, especially the creative ones? This post will look at a few.

Isabella Bird, Grace Greenwood, and Helen (Hunt) Jackson wrote of what they saw. Bird, "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains", Jackson, "Nelly's Silver Mine", and Greenwood's "New Life in New Lands".

Helen Maxwell 
from Wikipedia

Martha Maxwell and her dioramas of animals in their natural habitats brought the world a new way of seeing the West and its nature. Martha Maxwell - Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

Ana (Anna) Dickenson, who in 1873 summited four 14,000-foot peaks, including Pikes Peak and Long's Peak. Ana Dickenson

And there was artist Helen Henderson Chain, who painted "The Mount of the Holy Cross" in 1879, and also climbed. She also traveled with her husband and photographer William H. Jackson.Helen Chain

Gutenberg Project - A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains

Internet Archive- New Life in New Lands

Project Gutenberg - Nelly's Silver Mine

Until Next Time,

Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

 

Outlaw Henry Newton Brown ~ D. K. Deters

I was rummaging through some western historical books recently and came across an interesting story about the infamous outlaw Henry Newton Brown. This part of his history begins in Caldwell, Kansas. Growing up in Kansas, the story immediately drew my attention.

Geographically, the town of Caldwell was known as the “Border Queen” because its southern boundary is on the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Located fifty miles south of Wichita, Caldwell was also a stop on the famous Chisholm Trail.

Caldwell, Kansas 1889 (Public Domain)

In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad reached Caldwell, sparking a boom for commercial establishments. Saloons lined Caldwell’s main streets with hosts of businesses as the town continued to expand. Unfortunately, Caldwell had earned a reputation as a disorderly town.

Gunfights plagued Caldwell:

1880 - A city marshal and an assistant marshal were murdered.

1881 - The mayor and a former marshal were killed in a street fight.

1882 - Another city marshal was gunned down.

As the town fell rife with lawlessness, enter notorious outlaw Henry Newton Brown, who was involved in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. He had joined up with Billy the Kid and the “Lincoln County Regulators.” On April 1, 1878, Brown, Billy the Kid, and other desperados murdered Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady. Brown left New Mexico to avoid murder charges. After leaving the gang, he found legitimate work as a cowboy and even became a deputy sheriff, but those jobs didn’t last because he had a temper and was quickly dismissed.

 

Henry Newton Brown  - 1857-1884 (Public Domain)

However, by 1882, Brown had made his way to Kansas, and Caldwell officials welcomed him as an assistant city marshal. He was later promoted to marshal. The gunfighter quickly cleaned up the bustling border town. Afterward, the grateful citizens raised his pay to $125 per month and awarded him with an engraved Winchester for restoring law and order.  The inscription read: "Presented to City Marshal H. N. Brown For valuable services rendered in behalf of the Citizens of Caldwell Kas A. N. Colson Mayor Dec 1882.” Area papers wrote glowing articles about his deeds. Of course, they didn’t know about Brown’s outlaw past.

(Public Domain)

Brown seemed to have abandoned his life of crime and married Alice Maude Levagood, the daughter of a well-to-do Caldwell brick maker, in March 1884. A woman of good standing, Alice had graduated from Park College, Parkville, Missouri, with the class of 1882.

 

Alice Maude Levagood  - 1861-1935 (Public Domain)

On April 30th, 1884, the marshal, in debt and living beyond his means, returned to his outlaw roots. Joined by his deputy and two outlaw friends, they robbed a bank in Medicine Lodge using the rifle the citizens of Caldwell had given to him. Two people were killed, and his gang was captured. Brown was shot the same day, trying to escape. His gang members were lynched.

 

.

Bank robbers John Wesley, Henry Brown, William Smith and Ben Wheeler. 

(Public Domain)

He did write a letter to his wife which read in part: "Darling Wife: I am in jail here. Four of us tried to rob the bank here and one man shot one of the men in the bank. I want you to come and see me as soon as you can. I will send you all of my things and you can sell them. But keep the Winchester. It is hard for me to write this letter, but it was all for you, my sweet wife, and for the love I have for you. "Do not go back on me. If you do it will kill me. Be true to me as long as you live, and come to see me if you think enough of me. My love is just the same as it always was. Oh, how I did hate to leave you last Sunday evening. But I did not think this would happen. I thought we could take in the money and not have any trouble with it, but a man's fondest hopes are sometimes broken with trouble. We would not have been arrested but one of our horses gave out and we could not leave him [the rider] alone. I do not know what to write. Do the best you can with everything. I want you to send me some clothes. Sell all the things you don't need. Have your picture taken and send it to me. Now, my dear wife, go and see Mr. Witzleben and Mr. Nyce and get the money. If a mob does not kill us we will come out all right after while. Maude, I did not shoot anyone and didn't want the others to kill anyone. But they did and that is all there is about it. Now, my darling wife, goodbye. H. N. Brown."

Did Maude still love him? That is unclear, but she never remarried. Maude didn’t keep the rifle, and it became the property of the Robert R. Foster family. The Fosters later sold the gun to Dr. M. B. Aynesworth around October 1976. A short time later, in 1977, Dr. Aynesworth donated the rifle to The Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, Kansas. (The museum is on my bucket list.)

I found several articles about Henry Newton Brown. All of them are fascinating. Although nefarious acts marked Brown’s life, he was the essence of the Old West figures who changed from outlaw to peacekeeper and back again.

 

Resources:

Truewest Magazine, Lawdogs Go South Henry Newton Brown’s Gang vs Medicine Lodge Cowboys by Bob Boze Bell 

The Wild West, Lawmen, Outlaws, Ghost Towns & More by Bill O’Neal, James A. Crutchfield, and Dale L. Walker

Legends of America, Henry Newton Brown – Outlaw Marshal of Kansas

Wikipedia, Henry Newton Brown

New Release ~ Julie Lence

 It's my pleasure to share with you my latest release, The Pop Star Loves Her Cowboy! This is book #2 in my Bennett Family Series; is a western contemporary series set in Reno, Nevada. 

Pop star Barbie Bennett is certain her future is with Zach, until a photograph suggests their relationship might be nothing more than a lie. 

Pop-music superstar and CEO of Bella Cosmetics Barbie Bennett is ditching her tour bus for her hometown of Reno, Nevada. Her sweetheart works the family ranch and long summers of separation from him are finally over. When photographs of Zach cozying up to another woman find their way to her desk, Barbie is almost certain he’s the victim of tabloid fodder. But what if she’s wrong and he’s just another man who broke her heart?      

After a knee injury forced him to retire from the rodeo circuit, ranch hand Zach Maldonado is finally in a position to propose to Barbie. He’s gained her father’s approval and has put in motion a romantic evening to pop the question, only Barbie accuses him of stepping out on her. Zach vows to find the culprit behind the comprising photographs and expose the lie. But will that be before or after her anxiety convinces her to cut ties with him?

The Pop Star Loves Her Cowboy is available in both E-book and print on Amazon and can be found here:  www.amazon.com/dp/B0FG48TFYH 

  

   

Roller Skating ~ Julie Lence

 Kids of every generation are always looking for some form of entertainment. Many listen to music. Others join the chorus at school. Those with a talent for playing an instrument sign on with the school band. Girls try out for the cheerleading squad while boys vie for a spot on the football or basketball team. While today’s youth feed the rumor mill or form life-long friendships using the latest app, previous generations hung out at the mall or movie theater. Some flocked to the bowling alley or local park. In the 80’s, it wasn’t uncommon for parents to drop their kids off at the neighborhood roller skating rink, to return for them hours later. But before the roller rink was all the rage, kids skated on sidewalks, and had keys to adjust skates to fit beneath their shoes. Before that…

Roller skating dates back to the 1700’s and London, England. While it’s not known who invented the 1^st roller skate used in a stage performance, it has been documented the 1^st roller skate in use took place in 1743. Two decades later, John Merlin is credited with inventing the 1^st inline skate; a skate boasting two metal wheels but not easily maneuverable. Merlin wore them to a party and crashed into a mirror.             

wooden skates courtesy Science Museum

The 1800’s brought significant changes to the roller skate. Petitbled patented the 1^st roller skate design in 1819. Although the design was deemed impressive, it again lacked maneuverability.  In 1823, Robert Tyers patented a skate resembling the roller blades we know today; 5 wheels in single file on the bottom of a skate boot. 1857 saw the opening of the 1^st roller rink in London. James Plimption designed the quad skate in 1863 (2 wheels in the front and 2 wheels in the back), and in 1876, the toe stop was patented. It wasn’t until the 1880’s that the United States devoted time and money to mass producing skates, thus becoming known as the 1^st boom decade for roller skating. Before the 1880’s, public rinks had been open in New York since the 1860’s, but the craze spread west during the boom decade, with McCarty’s Rink opening in Dodge City, KS in 1885 among the other 50,000 rinks in existence.  

The cost for a pair of skates was $6. In 1885, sales reached more than $20 million in the United States, and as the craze soared higher, people of all ages could be found gliding around the smooth wood floors. Businessmen skated to work. Amateur and professional athletes, along with sports promoters, also joined in on the fun. A 6 day race (March 2-8, 1885) was held in New York City, with the winner receiving $500 and a diamond belt worth $250. Thirty-six men signed up for the race. Eleven thousand were estimated to have watched. Newsboy William Donovan from Elmira, New York won.

 

Fast forward to 1970’s when disco came on scene. Many weren’t just out on the dance floor doing the Hustle, they were disco dancing on roller skates at the roller rinks, and movies were showcasing the fad. (Roller Boogie and Skatetown, U.S.A. come to mind). 1979 saw the launch of Rollerblade, Inc., owned by Scott Olson. In 1983, President Regan declared October roller skating month, and in 1993, Rollerblade, Inc. developed the Active Brake to increase safety for skaters.  Whether young or old, a novice or a pro, rinks and roller blades are still in existence today, so if you’re inclined, get out there and have fun!      

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Yesterday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, so I thought I'd share my mama's recipe for chocolate chip cookies (see below). 

For years, I struggled to make chocolate chip cookies. They were too dry, too cakey, too flat, too ... something. 

After my mom passed away, I found a handwritten copy of her cookie recipe. I followed it to the letter and baked a batch of cookies that tasted like my childhood. 

In new new release, Sunrise Surf, the hero, Logan, loves anything with chocolate chips in them. In fact, he's quite taken with the cookies the heroine makes for a party for her nephew. 

You're probably wondering what a beach book has to do with cowboys. 

Logan grew up on a ranch in Central Oregon, and despite his work undercover for the Oregon State Police, he goes back to the ranch to see his family whenever he has a chance. 

So how does a cowboy end up posing as a surfer for the summer?

I'll let Logan explain ...

~*~

From the time he was seven until his grandfather passed away during Logan’s sophomore year of college, he’d spent two weeks every summer with his grandparents on the Oregon coast. After that, his grandmother couldn’t bear to visit the familiar places and walk through the memories the coast stirred in her thoughts.

However, it didn’t keep Logan away. He continued surfing every chance he got, even with his demanding and busy career as an Oregon State Police officer. Logan had known the first time he’d seen a state police car cruising down the lonely stretch of highway by his family’s ranch in the middle of nowhere that he wanted to work for them.

With that goal in mind, he’d pursued it until he’d become a respected member of the force.

Which is how he’d ended up undercover in Seaside.

~*~

When a police officer posing as a surfer and a doctor wading through the uncharted waters of parenting a teen join forces to dismantle a drug operation, anything is possible.

 Oregon State Police Officer Logan Wright swaps his badge for a board, posing undercover as a homeless surfer to infiltrate a deadly drug ring. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Seaside's rugged coastline, he struggles with his dual life, especially after meeting a beautiful doctor who turns his head and touches his heart. Troubled by the fine line between duty and authenticity, Logan fears sharing the truth of his identity will drive her away.

 Laken Hayes is a devoted doctor, fiercely protective of her teenage nephew, and determined to keep her hectic life in balance. But when a free-spirited surfer enters her world, nothing will ever be the same. Unexpectedly drawn to the charismatic man, Laken finds joy in his upbeat outlook on life while inadvertently becoming entangled in the web of Logan’s mission.

 As their connection deepens and mysteries unravel, Logan faces a heart-wrenching dilemma: will he continue the deception to protect his cover or reveal his true self to the woman who has captured his heart?

 Join Logan and Laken as they navigate a tide of secrets, false identities, and a wave of fast-moving danger in Sunrise Surf, a wholesome small-town romance that proves love may be the ultimate risk worth taking.

I hope you'll check out Logan and Laken's story, and have a beautiful August!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and combine. Add vanilla. Stir baking soda and salt into flour then add a little at a time to dough. Stir in chocolate chips.

Use a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon to drop dough on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes until cookie are just set and barely starting to brown. Remove from oven and cool for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 36 cookies

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes.

When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.

Land Allotments in the Twin Territories and THE SWAN is out!!

 

By Kristy McCaffrey

The Dawes Act (the General Allotment Act) was passed in 1887 and authorized the U.S. President to break up Indian reservation land into small allotments. The purpose of the Dawes Act, and subsequent extensions, was to protect American Indian property rights, particularly during the land rushes of the 1890s that occurred in the Twin Territories, which encompassed Oklahoma and Indian Territories.

In 1896, the Dawes Commission received congressional approval to compile rolls of tribal members in the Five Nations (the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles) who would be eligible to receive allotments, allowing it to add individuals who maintained they had not been included on the various tribal census rolls.

In 1897, the Atoka Agreement called for an equitable distribution of Choctaw and Chickasaw tribal land among the members, except for lands set aside for schools and townsites and land reserved because of coal and asphalt deposits. Homesteads of 160 acres would be inalienable for a period of twenty-one years, and the surplus land could be sold, one-fourth in the first year, one-half in the second year, and the remainder by the fifth year after allotment.

In my new novel, The Swan, a group of women must stand against those who would take advantage of Chickasaw orphans and their allotments. The Swan is Book 11 in my Wings of the West series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Twin Territories
November 1899

Dr. Anna Ryan has been spurned by the Dallas medical community for the simple reason of being a woman. Wanting more than a rural practice alongside her mother, also a doctor, Anna accepts an invitation from a mentor to join a private hospital for disabled children in Oklahoma City. But when she falls in with a band of women attempting to protect the rights of Chickasaw orphans, she’ll need more than her medical training to survive.

Malcolm Hardy has skirted the line between lawlessness and justice since escaping the mean streak of his father and his no-good half-siblings a decade ago. In Oklahoma Territory he created enough distance from his family name to find a quiet purpose to his days. But then Anna Ryan walks back into his life, and his hard-won peace is in jeopardy.

The last time Malcolm saw Anna, she had been a determined girl he couldn’t help but admire. Now she was a compelling woman searching for answers that could lead straight to him. But one thing was clear—Anna’s life path was on a trajectory for the remarkable while Malcolm’s was not. Surrendering to temptation would only end in heartbreak.

The Swan is an emotional story of a woman finding her true calling and a hero moving forward after a difficult past. It has light steam and a heartfelt and poignant ending.

An excerpt from The Swan

(Malcolm Hardy is meeting with Cash Wright, an old friend and a Lighthorseman - the Chickasaw police force.)

“Who would’ve thought back when we worked for Kellogg that you’d end up a respectable lawman,” Malcolm said.

“And you’re respectable?” Cash’s tone was tinged with irony.

“I’m trying,” Malcolm answered honestly, proud of the fruits of working hard. “Ever hear from Ambrose?”

“No. You?”

“Not in some time.”

“You gave him and Bessie a chance,” Cash said. “He wouldn’t have squandered it.”

Malcolm couldn’t disagree. Ambrose was the son of a black Chickasaw freedman—released from slavery after the Civil War—but had struggled with citizenship since the Chickasaw refused recognition. It had sometimes lit a tension between Ambrose and Cash, both men paying for the actions of their forefathers. Guilt by association rather than true differences.

Then Ambrose had fallen in love with a Ponca woman, and Kellogg’s true nature and ambitions had come to light in his machinations of acquiring allotted Ponca land. It had been a testament to the friendship between the three of them that they’d managed to thwart their boss and give Ambrose and Bessie a life with the Ponca.

“I’ve seen Delmont,” Malcolm said, mentioning the final cog that connected them all.

Cash’s face stilled, the surprise obvious. “Where?”

“Conleyville.”

“The hell you say.”

“Why?” Malcolm asked.

“I’m on my way there. I’ve got business, and also to see my mother.”

That caught Malcolm off-guard. “Drusilla lives in Conleyville?” He had met Cash’s mother once in Tishomingo shortly after he and Cash had quit Kellogg’s outfit and come south.

“Outside of town,” Cash said, “in the Arbuckles. I don’t like her living out there alone, but she prefers the wilderness.” He took a gulp of coffee. “Is Delmont still with Kellogg?”

“I think so. He’s got something going on, and knowing him it must be related to land.”

Cash raised his brows. “In Conleyville? It’s Chickasaw territory, and he’s not Chickasaw.”

“That we know of.” But Malcolm’s response was etched in sarcasm. Both he and Cash knew that if Webb could lie about his ancestry, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Cash’s voice was quiet and contemplative as he said, “He’s after the allotments.”

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