The Old Fashioned Way By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless

 

Authors, in general, spend a lot of time doing research. Sometimes we get so lost in the fascinating things we discover that we neglect the poor characters we left hanging in a precarious situation. Historical writers in particular love to dig away in the past to unearth little-known tidbits that are always fun to include in our stories. Readers really appreciate it too when, as well as enjoying our made-up world, they learn something they didn’t already know.

 The internet can be both a curse and a blessing when it comes to research.  On the one hand, it’s “How did we ever manage before Google?” While on the other hand, the internet is full of mis-information, half-truths, and rabbit holes we would never normally go near. 

 Being an old-fashioned type of gal, I have to admit I still love research books. Real ones, with pages where I can highlight sections or stick a bookmark. I have many happy memories of  the research floor of my local library, going back to my teens. I loved the smell of the old books, the peaceful aura that was condusive to reading and writing. the euphoria when I found what I was looking for.  I also haunted the library discard book sales and credit some of my best research materials to them. Sadly, when I moved, I was forced to downsize my library. But here are a few of my favorite research books that I wouldn’t be without.

Speaking of books, Her Undercover Cowboy, a steamy contemporary romance, is currently free to US readers, today and tomorrow only. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087NHQY7K

Tomorrow, if you go to romancebookworms.com, you will find over 600 free books, for one day only. 

Search out your favorite genre(s), click away, and load up your ereader. No commitment, no strings, just writers thanking readers.

 

Oh, and Happy Fall Equinox!  

Kathleen   

USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes.   

With nearly 50 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction.     

She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and loves to hear from her readers.  www.kathleenlawless.com

 

Sign up for Kathleen’s VIP Reader Newsletter to receive a free book, updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers.    http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

 

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No Smiles, what is up with old photos?

Why are their smiles turned upside down in historical photos? I remember from my childhood staring wide-eyed at the family photograph that hung on the wall at my Grandma Moore's house was odd to me why the faces were stone-like, even mad. What had happened before the photograph to make them so upset? Even the children looked sad. When I asked my Grandmother about the picture she told me it was considered vain to smile in a photograph.

Picture taken in the early 1900's. Pictured is James Wiley and Martha Bess. This is the great great grandparent's of my Brotherinlaw Mike Burnett. The photograph was hanging in his livingroom so he let me take a copy with my cell. Sorry it wasnot the best quality. Another reason for the frown like smile was it took twenty minutes for the camera to process the picture with the old Daguerreotype camera. By the time the photograph was finished the smiles had worn off. The old cameras were nowhere near advanced as they are in the twentieth century and if anyone moved or changed their facial expression the photograph would turn out blurry. It is said the photographer staged the process as if they were painting the patrons portrait. Can you imagine trying to keep the children still for that amount of time?

It was also common practice for some family members to have a photograph taken of their deceased. The photographer would stage the dead in different poses by proping up stands and using hidden ropes to position them to appear alive. A little creepy if you ask me.

There are a few photographs found from the nineteenth century where a smile was found. Below is my favorite.

I hope this was enlightening for a few of you. Take the pictures and bring on the smiles. Thank you for joining me today on Cowboy Kisses! Take care and see you next month on the fourth monday of October. xoxoxo Find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can find all my books on Amazon.

New Release: Geller's Find

 

Tagline:

It’s summer break and Dr. Luke Geller, history prof and part-time archeologist is in Nevada looking for potsherds. What he discovers is an antique rifle and a portal in time.

 

Excerpt:

Jenkins stood on the sidewalk, his legs spread, his hand hovering over his gun. Stubble grew over a square jaw. An off-center nose and a scar on his temple bespoke a brawler.

“I don’t want any trouble.” Luke kept his stance casual and his expression neutral while his nerves quivered and his muscles jumped, ready for anything. A brisk wind sprang up. A lone tumbleweed brushed against his leg before it landed up against the Thirsty Dog. Luke’s eyes never left the hombre standing in front of him.

“I bet you don’t.” Jenkins sneered, his pupils dilated and the hot light of battle sparking his eyes.

Teaching had honed Luke’s tolerance. But he’d had an unsettling forty-eight hours. His hands clenched. He wasn’t in the mood to be pushed around by an irate cowboy who blamed him for the loss of his job. Jenkins was trying his patience.

“You sure you want to do this?” He rolled his shoulders and loosened his fingers.

“Do what? You ain’t even armed.” A sneer curled Jenkin’s lip.

Luke charged, his head down, butting Jenkins square in the belly, then straightened hard, the top of his head connecting with a crack to the former bouncer’s chin. Jenkin’s went down, his pate hitting the sidewalk with a heavy thud. His eyes rolled back then closed.

“Don’t mess with a Philly boy.” Luke’s blood up, he kicked Jenkins in the crotch. Even unconscious, the man groaned.

He stared down at the sprawled cowboy, his head hanging over the sidewalk and into the dirt road. Luke might be a scholar, but you didn’t grow up in the city without learning to brawl. Not to mention, his summers spent looking for artifacts had hardened and honed him.

A spattering of applause had his head jerking up. Men were crowded around the swinging doors of the saloon.

“Jenkins never even had time to throw a punch.” A middle-aged cowboy shook his head, a look of admiration on his face.

“I’d rather have seen a gunfight,” another grumbled.

Breathing hard, his blood still rushing through his system, Luke gave a curt nod to the crowd, turned on his heel and nearly plowed into Saffron, who stood with her arms folded, her head tilted to the side and her eyebrows raised.  “I see you’ve been busy making friends.”

 

Character Facts:

Doctor Luke Geller is a full-time history professor and part-time archeologist.

His specialty is Native American artifacts.

Instead of a gun, he carries a Hopi throwing stick.

He likes cats, horses with a sense of humor, and women who aren’t looking for a commitment. 

Character Facts of Saffron Aldaine

Tough as they come. Lily’s right hand and best friend.

She gives every new hire the ranch’s piebald to ride. He looks like a dream but unseats his riders when they least expect it.

Can’t cook and has no intention to learn.

 

Buy Link: https://tinyurl.com/GellersFind

Bio:

Sandra, who also writes as S. Cox, is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina.

An award-winning author, her stories consist of all things Western and more.

Foodie Facts:

She spent a number of years in the Midwest chasing down good Southern BBQ. By the time she moved to North Carolina where Southern BBQ is practically a staple, she’d become a vegetarian.

Pineapple is a must-have on pizza, along with black olives and onions.

She loves pumpkin waffles. Pumpkin cream cheese, not so much.

Links:

https://sandracoxwriter.com

https://cowboytrivia.blogspot.com

 

Hershey and the Chocolate Bar -

Post by Doris McCraw aka Angela Raines

For some of you, the person born on September 13, 1857, is a pretty special person. Know who I'm talking about? I'm going to tell you. Milton S. Hershey, of the Hershey chocolate company.

According to some of the records, Milton Snavely Hershey grew up in the Pennsylvania Mennonite community. His family consisted of his father, mother, and a younger sister who passed away at four.

It was said that his father frequently left his wife and son for long periods of time so it makes sense that the young Milton would learn to do for himself. He began school when he was six but did not continue past the fourth grade. Although he initially apprenticed with the local printer he was fired when he dropped his hat into one of the machines. His father worked to convince the printer to give his son a second chance but his mother and his aunt Maddie thought that he should learn how to make candy.

Milton S. Hershey - 1905
from Wikipedia

In 1872 he began an apprenticeship with the confectioner in Lancaster Pennsylvania that lasted for years.

In 1876 at the end of his apprenticeship, Milton, moved to Philadelphia to start his own business. 

Hershey came to Denver Colorado where he learned to make caramels using fresh milk. He also traveled to New Orleans and Chicago taking more opportunities to educate himself before arriving in New York City in 1883 to train with New York City's candy and restaurant chain, Huyler's.

Hershey eventually ended up back in Lancaster where he started the Lancaster Caramel Company. The company was a huge success so by 1890 he had two factories.

After attending the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 Hershey became interested in chocolate with the result that he sold his caramel-making company for about $1 million and devoted himself to creating milk chocolate.

By 1900 he produced his first Hershey's chocolate bar.

Hershey married Catherine Sweeney in 1898. The couple had no children so therefore they made plans to establish Hershey industrial school and by 1918 he transferred most of his assets to the Milton Hershey school trust fund. This plan allowed for the school to be the beneficiary.

Milton Hershey passed away of pneumonia in October 1945. He was 88 years old. Not only did he leave a legacy through his school and his foundation, but he will also always be forever remembered for Hershey's milk chocolate bar.

Doris McCraw

To Live Or Die In Bear Country by Jan Scarbrough

Novelists have imagination. It’s a good thing, because we usually have not experienced many of the things we put in our novels. For example, I’ve never ridden a bull, but I’ve put professional bull riders in my books. So, research is necessary to be a good writer.

In 2016, when I visited a Montana dude ranch, I learned the wranglers who led trail rides carry bear spray. Good reason!

A 2017 article in Montana Journal covers the whole reason hikers or riders need to carry bear spray in areas where they may encounter bears. 

To the uninformed, “bear spray” is the non-lethal deterrent many hikers and hunters carry to thwart bruin attacks or to confront bears behaving in defense-driven incidents. Another salient fact worth noting to debunk the myth of the Old West—the vast, vast, vast majority of grizzlies do not view humans as prey. The vast, vast, vast majority of close encounters with people involve bears that are: 1. instinctively engaging a perceived threat to cubs; 2. surprise encounters when they can't smell, see or hear us as we amble into them, as when they are feeding on a carcass, in a berry patch, walking along a river when there's a lot of white noise from rushing water, or sleeping in their day beds.

Here’s a video from the 2017 article that describes an encounter with a grizzly bear where the hikers deployed bear spray.

So, of course, in one of my next western contemporaries, I had to add a grizzly bear. Slade Heston comes from Kentucky. He’s a real city slicker. Agreeing to accompany heroine Laurie on a hike, he remembers to carry bear spray.

They hadn’t gone far when he heard rustling in the underbrush. Slade looked to his left beside the trail and his steps faltered. A brown bear puffed and grunted and stared at him with beady black eyes. Laurie stopped, and he bumped into her, catching her right arm in a fierce grip.

“Oh, dear God!” Her voice was low and crackled with fear.

Frozen with dread, he swallowed the urge to flee. He didn’t see any cubs. Maybe this wasn’t a sow. So maybe that was a good thing. But if this guy had a fresh kill nearby, Slade knew their lives were in danger.

A span of several heartbeats passed with the bear standing his ground, not moving an inch. Neither did they. Heart thudding in a dreadful beat, he tried to recall Hank’s words. Don’t run. Always carry bear spray.

That’s it! He fumbled for the can of bear deterrent hooked to his belt. It was the size of a giant canister of aerosol hair spray.

“Get behind me, Laurie,” he ordered, but she didn’t move.

He jerked her behind him, and at the same time flicked off the plastic safety. His hand shook as he extended his arm with his thumb on the trigger. Fearing to lose his grip, he grabbed the bottle with two hands. At that moment, the mass of angry brown fur charged.

Slade’s heart slammed into his throat. He deployed the bear spray, tilting the can downward toward the animal, not straight at it, and whipping the can back and forth. The cloud rose in time to hit the rushing creature in the eyes and nose with an acrid fog of mist. In a split second, the bear veered left away from them and vanished into the underbrush.

“Let’s get the hell out of here!”

Trembling, Slade grabbed Laurie’s hand and started down the trail at a fast walk—a very fast walk.

Take a look at my romantic mystery series Ghost Mountain Ranch to read more about Slade.

https://books2read.com/Darby

https://books2read.com/SladeGhostMountain

https://books2read.com/Kelsey

Writer life behind the scenes

Fans have asked for a peek behind the scenes of writer life. (Be careful what you ask for. LOL) Since I'm plotting my next western, I decided to post on the writing process today. 

Each book starts for me as a simple idea, such as a scene or concept. Or, in the case of a series, it often starts as quest to tell a particular supporting character's story. From there I brainstorm a basic plot. I pick a love interest for my MC, if the previous story hasn't already chosen one, and I decide on the couple's central conflict and their HEA.

To hammer out the basics, I do a bit of broad research. With my latest western, Fool's Iron, I needed a location that was fairly close to Ohio, where there would be (pre-transcontinental) railroad construction during the setting year. I entertained both Illinois and Indiana but settled on the latter. 

From there, I type some general plot notes into a document. Then I plug those into a plotting worksheet, to help me flesh them out and ensure I don't get sidetracked or neglect any major turning points. 

I also make a 'character list' document, in which I come up with names, birthdays, general descriptions, family members, and basic data regarding the MCs and other supporting characters. To aid that, I search for images that represent how the major players appear in my imagination. Looking at these pictures helps me when I'm describing them in the novel. 

When it comes time to start the actual writing, I print out any mention of the character(s) from previous books and double-check to make sure the setting year fits with the timeline of the series. Other items I collect are historical maps of the area and a calendar of the setting year. You might laugh, but it's necessary. I would've had a booger of a time keeping up with Maggie's pregnancy (or the letters to and from her mail-order-husbands!) had I not jotted the progress on an actual calendar.

Once the macro research has been done, the micro research begins. I pause and look up the little things as I go - foods they would eat, clothes they would wear, seasonal activities they would engage in. How fast does a horse walk? Was Utah a state yet? How much did lamp oil and stationery cost? How long did it take a letter to be delivered in 1853? 

Over two hours of research went into the funeral parlor scene, alone, to get all the details right. I kid you not.

As I navigate my way through the story, I do my best to stay true to the character's personality, his or her background, and the social mores of the period. I search word etymology along the way, too, to nix as much modern language as I can. It's tedious, but it pays off in the long run.

Despite my best laid plans, I sometimes get stuck. I hadn't planned for Luther or Liam to show up for any more scenes after the explosion. But Maggie had no reason to stay near Edgar once she reached Bloomington, and I had to keep them together long enough for him to sober up. While researching the real church that was the inspiration for the fictional church Maggie goes to for help, I learned of the split of the Presbyterian church and their support of the Underground Railroad. Liam's smuggling of Luther immediately got written in as a subplot.

I work on the manuscript until the first draft is complete, then it gets several polishing passes before going to my critique partners, my beta readers, and finally my proofreader. 

That was probably more than you wanted to know, but that's the basics of how I write a novel.

Is there something you're curious about that I didn't mention? Ask me!

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I have a small announcement. 

The story I entered in the 7th annual Insecure Writer's Support Group anthology was chosen as one of the winners. First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts released on September 6th. My contribution, My Heart Approves, is a western historical mail-order bride story. 

First Love is published by Freedom Fox Press, an imprint of Dancing Lemur Press. Its collection of romance stories is clean and wholesome, and ranges from historical to contemporary. There's something for everyone! 

First Love features the talents of Linda Budzinski, Melissa Maygrove, Michael Di Gesu, Sylvia Ney, Katie Klein, Kim Elliott, Templeton Moss, S.E. White, Denise Covey, and Sammi Spizziri. Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will touch your heart and rekindle lost feelings. 

Prepare to return to that first love...

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Get your copy at one of these retailers:

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/First-Love-Art-Making-Doughnuts-ebook/dp/B09QH3Z28P/
Barnes & Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-love-insecure-writers-support-group/1140884369?ean=2940165751301
iTunes  https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1605240999
Kobo  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/first-love-the-art-of-making-doughnuts
Scribed  https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844897&language=0

I hope you'll buy a copy. Anthologies are a great way to try the writing of several authors at once.