Marybeth and Edward are compelled by their circumstances to marry as they trek west to the newly formed railroad town of Cheyenne. But life in Cheyenne is fraught with danger, and they find that they need each other more than ever. Despite the trials they face, will happiness await them in this arrangement of convenience?
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Tell us something about where you live.
My name is Marybeth Kruger…well now it’s Vogel since I married. Up until a few months ago we lived in Independence, Indiana, but now we live in the middle of nowhere in a railroad town called Cheyenne.
Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?
I was given the name because my mother liked the sound of it. There wasn’t anything really special about it, but she always said I looked like a Marybeth.
Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?
My full-time job is to care for my little sister Carrie. My mother died when I was young, and my father remarried. Carrie’s ma died in childbirth and made me promise to care for Carrie as if she were my own. Since then, I’ve done just that. I’m the only mama Carrie has ever known, and I love her dearly. When our pa died recently some folks figured to take Carrie away from me since I didn’t have a job to support our family. But Edward Vogel came to our rescue, and we agreed to a marriage of convenience.
Who are the special people in your life?
So many of the special people in my life have died, but Edward and Carrie remain. Edward is my husband of convenience. He needed a wife, and I needed a husband in order to keep from losing Carrie. We’ve loved and cared about each other as friends for many years since Edward was married to my best friend Janey. After she died, however, we just sort of looked out for each other.
What is your heart’s deepest desire?
To have true love in my life and raise my little sister in a happy home.
What are you most afraid of?
Losing my sister and Edward never really loving me as a wife.
Do you have a cherished possession?
Not really. Things have never been all that important to me. My mama taught me early on that things are replaceable, but the people in your life are what really matter.
What do you expect the future will hold for you?
I’m not sure. This town called Cheyenne is a wild place with lots of low-life criminals. Danger is all around us and I fear that Edward may get killed in his deputy job. I’m praying God’s protection over him, of course, but in a town where it’s not even safe to walk the streets, I worry that someone will take his life and leave Carrie and me without his support and protection. I pray all the time that God will keep all of us safe.
What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?
I learned that God is truly faithful to watch over us and that love really matters. I thought I could live without love, but I was wrong.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
I’m a woman of strong faith in God and that is what has seen me through so many bad times. Without God, I’d be all alone in this world, I’m sure. His love for me has gotten me through all these bad times and I’m sure it will get me through bad times to come.
Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!
Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
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I’d like you to meet my guest today. Can you introduce yourself, please?
Guten Tag. My name is Lena Neubauer. My Momma named me Magdelena after her mother, but I have always been called Lena.
I grew up as the oldest girl in a house with seven children. My father provided for our happy childhood in the small German town of Frohn.
Have you lived in Germany your entire life?
Well, my adventurous older brother moved to America with his bride but when she died in childbirth, he sent for me to watch over their children there. Watching the younger children has always been a privilege to me. My own siblings were growing up, so I willingly traveled across the ocean to see to my brother’s needs. That is how I ended up here in America.
So, are you a nanny?
I’m not sure I’d call myself a nanny, only a helpful sister and aunt. We were taught always to put family first.
Was it scary to cross the Atlantic alone?
A young woman traveling alone in the mid-1800s was daunting. I knew no one else and tried to stay to myself but was befriended by a young family who took me in as if I were a nanny to their children. Isn’t it wonderful how the Lord provides in our time of need?
Of course, America was nothing like my brother Herman described in his letters. The treatment of the dockworkers in New Orleans alarmed me. I had no experience with slavery except the Bible passages about it. Being face to face with such ill treatment disturbed me.
Did you stay in New Orleans?
Fortunately, my brother lived upriver on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. We spent some time on a paddle-wheeler after only a brief stay in New Orleans. It was a very pleasant adventure.
It looks like there is more to that story. Would you like to elaborate?
Well, I met a young abolitionist Karl who became a sort of tour guide. He helped me understand much of what I was witnessing in this strange land. He was an unexpected Godsend for me.
Did you stay friends after the trip? You seem to be blushing.
I really cannot say. My story is yet unfinished with him, I think. His wild abolitionist ways are a bit frightening, yet intriguing. It is difficult to explain the hold he has on me, but I am in no position to give in to those thoughts.
What do you expect the future to hold for you, Lena?
I pray that the Lord will lead me to always do the right thing. My brother Herman needs me and that is where I will stay until I am not needed there anymore. Whether that leaves me adrift in a strange land, only God knows. However, He has never left me nor forsaken me before and I am sure He will be beside me all the days of my life.
Is there anything else you’d like everyone to know about you?
I am a child of God. He can take ordinary people like me across oceans to brave injustice and love through the most difficult circumstances. Always be open to how God can use you. That’s what He did for me when I trusted Him.
Terri writes in the Idaho mountains where she lives with her husband and two big dogs. After raising three children and retiring as an English teacher, she now is a national speaker and Bible study leader for women’s groups. She is also a successful writer of articles, devotions, retreats, and church programs. When she is not writing or kayaking down the MiddleFork of the Payette River, spending time with her grandchildren fills her heart.
Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.
Our readers might not be familiar with you. Can you tell us a little something about yourself to get us started?
Certainly. My name is Ann Terry Greene Phillips. I was born in 1813 and lived all my life in Boston, Massachusetts. I was raised by my aunt and uncle on Chauncy Place after the untimely death of my parents. I lived with them until my late husband, Wendell Phillips, and I were married and moved together to a modest home on Essex Street. My life has been dominated by twin passions: my abhorrence for the institution of American slavery and my love for Wendell.
What do you think you learned from being raised by your aunt and uncle instead of your own parents?
I am lucky to have been born into a large family, such that in living with my aunt Maria and Uncle Benjamin, I was surrounded constantly by other family members as well. While I missed my own parents terribly, I never suffered for love or attention. Aunt Maria and Uncle Ben were staunch abolitionists, and growing up in their home, I was treated to many opportunities to become involved myself. For example, even as a young girl, I helped my aunt organize and sponsor abolitionist bazaars, where volunteers would donate crafted items to sell, and all monies earned would then be used to support the abolitionist agenda. Similarly, my aunt would bring me with her to meetings of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, where I learned a great deal about the Cause and how to best use my own skills to help eradicate the horrid system of slavery that continued in the southern states. As soon as I was of age, I joined the BFAS as an official member and remained active in the organization throughout my life.
When did you know that Wendell Phillips was the person you wanted to marry?
I will never forget the day I met my Wendell. I had been tasked with accompanying my cousin Mary on a long ride back to her family’s home many miles from Boston. Mary was very much in love with her beau, William, at the time, and she convinced me that he and his friend, Wendell, should join us on our ride. I suppose I was there mainly as chaperone. William brought Wendell perhaps to distract me so that he and Mary could whisper to themselves for the duration of the ride. When Wendell arrived, I remembered that I’d seen him before, at an abolitionist rally that had turned violent. Though I could hardly have focused on the handsome bystander that day, while my friends were being threatened with arrest, I confess I had thought about him several times since. Once we were settled in the carriage and had the opportunity to converse, he began asking me questions about that rally and the Cause in general. I’m embarrassed to admit that I grew quite passionate in my answers, speaking at such length that I eventually had to apologize for droning on so long. Well. Wendell assured me that he’d never been more interested in anything than what I’d been saying. I knew in that moment, that I had found my match.
We were sorry to hear that you’ve had some health challenges. How has that been going?
Yes, a few months after I met Wendell, I began to display signs of a mysterious illness. I had no outward signs of illness, no fever, or cough, or even rashes. Instead, I had headaches of such magnitude that I could not rise from my bed. Similarly, my muscles ached and I experienced shooting pains throughout my body at random. There were weeks when the symptoms were so bad that I could not rise from my bed. Other times, I might experience bursts of energy and hope that I was cured. Over time, I began to understand that the symptoms would simply come and go throughout my life and that I must always take care with myself, or those symptoms would return with vengeance. It has been conjectured since my death that the condition from which I suffered was a severe case of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Sadly, this was not something for which there was any treatment in my time. We did, of course, try the remedies suggested, such as water cures, various herbs, and seaside retreats. Eventually, I simply learned to live with my condition and do everything I was able in spite of it.
Living in the mid-1800s, there have been many restrictions placed on you because of your sex. In some ways, it seems that being female may actually have helped you do the abolitionist work that has been so important to you. Can you talk about that?
I suppose we can all acknowledge now that women are conspicuously absent from much of the historical record. It’s not because we were not involved in the major historical events of our day. We simply had to restrict our participation so that it was behind closed doors. As you probably know, my husband, Wendell, became an active abolitionist and gave speeches throughout the country. He was often called “The Golden Trumpet of Abolition” for his unparalleled oratory skills, and his speeches have been memorialized in many published books. As his wife, let us just say I had great “influence” over the content of his speeches. Similarly, because people were so often focused on the men in the room, female activists such as myself were often able to complete certain tasks related to the Cause without being detected. Though we often had to force ourselves to be creative in our actions, in some ways, being female may have allowed us to be more effective than our male counterparts.
I’ve heard a rumor that you don’t eat sugar. Can you expand on that?
The rumor is true, and the reason is quite simple. I refuse to sweeten my comestibles with the spoils of slavery. Cane sugar is one of the many crops that my brothers and sisters in the South have been forced to harvest, and until such time that sugar is collected by free people who are paid for their labor and treated fairly, I want no part of it.
I understand that you were one of the wealthiest young women in Boston at the time of your marriage, yet your home is quite modest. Can you tell us why that is?
Similar to my last answer. Yes, at the time that Wendell and I married, I may have been the single wealthiest young woman in the entire city, thanks to an outsize inheritance from my deceased parents. I saw no reason, however, to live in luxury while slavery persisted in this country, not when I could use my funds to help others. Wendell and I lived on what we needed, and the rest, we donated to help the enslaved, the marginalized, the downtrodden, with whatever they required.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The efforts that I went to in order to advance the abolitionist cause and help the enslaved were never intended as a way to bring attention to myself. I simply wanted to ensure that our nation, which promised freedom and equality for all, was living up to its ideals. I hope that my work and achievements moved us closer to that goal, even if there is still quite a way to go. I also hope that people will read my story and decide for themselves.
Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!
Jacqueline Friedland is the USA Today bestselling author of four novels, including He Gets That From Me and That’s Not a Thing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School, she practiced as a commercial litigator at the New York law firms of Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP and Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP. After determining that office life did not suit her, Jackie began teaching Legal Writing and Lawyering Skills at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan and working on her first book during her off hours. Finally deciding to embrace her passion and pursue writing full time, she returned to school to earn her Masters of Fine Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, graduating from the program in 2016. Since then, she has published four novels and has been hard at work on new projects. Her books have received multiple awards, including the gold medal for fiction from Reader’s Favorite, and first place in both the NextGen Indie Awards and the American Fiction Awards.
When not writing, Jackie is an avid reader of all things fiction. She loves to exercise, watch movies with her family, listen to music, make lists, and dream about exotic vacations. She lives in Westchester, New York with her husband, four children and two dogs who shed more than she ever imagined was possible.
Sisters Emmy and Callie have no secrets between them until a mysterious accident robs one of a crucial memory and sparks troubling visions. Only through letters they exchange while painfully separated do the sisters reveal hidden truths leading back to a fateful springtime day—and a chilling September night—that changed them both forever.
August 15, 2023; ISBN 9780800741600; Ebook ISBN 9781493439744; $16.99; Paper. Affiliate link used will not cost you more but supports the blog.
Welcome to Novel PASTimes! Let’s start with the basics. Tell us your name.
I ’preciate you havin’ me. My name’s Hepzibah Jordan. Ever’body calls me Hepsy. I was named for a queen in the Bible, but Mama spelled it her own way—same as the Baptist church where we go. Might seem strange or a colored woman in Alabama to have a queen’s name, but Mama says that’s the name I was meant for.
And who is your mother?
Tirzah Randolph. Mama came to Alabama as a slave. Got pulled away from her people in South Carolina when she wasn’t but fifteen. Didn’t get freed till after the war. When she got down here, all by herself, she asked God to send her a balm to sooth her soul and heal the hurt in her heart. He gave her a home and a family, and she promised to go where he led from then on. He gave her the gifts o’ sight and healing and led her to the birthin’ bed, where she saved many a woman and her babies, most ’specially, Miss ’Relia Bullock. Miss ’Relia don’t trust nobody but Mama when it comes to her chil’ren. And she made it her business to look after Mama and her family. The Bullocks are good people. They saved my family from a lot o’ hardship. But then again, my Mama saved them. It’s a circle that don’t never end. Sometimes it’s hard to say who’s dependin’ on who.
Can you tell us a little bit about where you live and work?
I live in Shelby County, Alabama. My husband—he’s done passed from the cancer—he built us a cabin on some land Mama bought from Mr. Ira Bullock, right on the Coosa River. I work at the Bullock house on one of the biggest cotton farms in the whole state. Mama ran the house till she got too old and needed a rest. That’s when her and Miss ’Relia made a promise to each other. Mama promised she’d train me to take over the house if Miss ’Relia would teach me to read and write and cipher. They both kept their word. Miss ’Relia hires me help when I need it, and I keep the house runnin’ smooth and meals on the table. Her chil’ren treat me like fam’ly—much as I let ’em. Sometimes they got to be reminded o’ the lines white folks drew a long time ago.
What are the Bullock children like?
Good gracious, they’re all so different. Mr. James is the oldest—probably in his early thirties by now—done married and out o’ the house but works the farm with his daddy and his brothers. Mr. James is a fine farmer. He’s real quiet and polite. Next is M’George—I can’t say his name without smiling. That one just warmed my heart from the time he was a little bitty boy. Made me so sad to see Miss Lucinda break his heart. I just have to believe something’s gonna bring ’em back together one day. Mr. Sam is a wild one—fifteen years old and can’t wait to get off the farm and go sail a ship or something. Mr. Theo is the baby—just five years old. And amongst all them boys are Miss Emmy, who’s twenty, and Miss Callie, who’s eighteen. Mama says Miss Emmy’s got the tender heart, but Miss Callie’s got the questionin’ heart. She wants to understand the world and find her place in it. And she don’t take anything for granted. Just because white people say “this is how it is,” that don’t mean Miss Callie’s gonna go along. That’s prob’ly why she’s so close to my heart.
We hear Callie just met somebody new?
That’s right. Mr. Solomon Beckett moved down here from Missouri and bought the old Cruz place. None of the boys around here’s up to Miss Callie. She’s too smart for ever’ last one of ’em. They ain’t man enough for her. But Mr. Solomon? I expect I’ll do what has to be done to move that along.
What do you hope readers can learn from your story?
That all people—not just the white ones—are God’s chil’ren. I’m not just a housekeeper. I’m not just a cook. I’m a person. Got my own joys and sorrows that don’t have a thing in the world to do with the people I work for. Got fam’ly I love. I might work for you, might even care an awful lot about you, but I’m not yours. I belong to Almighty—flesh and blood, heart and soul.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of five novels set in the South: Christy Award winner Missing Isaac (2018), Almost Home (2019), The Key to Everything (2020), Under the Bayou Moon (August 2021), and Letters from My Sister (coming in 2023), all published by Revell Books. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is perhaps best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she wrote major pieces on the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on the recovering Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, photographed by Mark Sandlin, won the 2009 Travel Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society. Luesse earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Auburn University and Baylor University, respectively. She is a native of Harpersville, Alabama, and lives in Birmingham, where she creates Southern fiction from a tiny writing studio she calls the Story Shack.
In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart May 9, 2023; ISBN 9780800741723; Ebook ISBN 9781493441327; $16.99; Paper. Amazon Affiliate link used will benefit the blog but not cost you any more.
Welcome to Novel PASTimes! Today we are talking to Jacci Reed, an actress on the Kingston Floating Palace. Thank you for stopping by today, Jacci, to tell us about your life on a river showboat. That has to be amazing.
Thank you for inviting me here. I love to talk about my showboat life, but I do have to say that oftentimes people think my life is more glamorous than it really is.
Really? In what ways? It seems being on stage almost every night would be a dream come true for most actresses.
Oh, I do love putting on the shows. I fell in love with the stage when I was five years old. But doing a show every night no matter how tired or sometimes sick you might be can be taxing. Then we have to work hard in rehearsals to get the shows right. Costumes and stage props have to be made. Plus, at times the crowd can be rowdy and ready to do catcalls no matter how well we think the show is going. I’m afraid not every person who comes to our shows is a lover of the arts. So it’s not all song and dance although those are definitely the parts I love best–those songs and dances with my grandfather and with Gabe.
I guess we don’t always think about the behind the scenes work that goes into a show or how hard it is to please everyone in the audience.
Most of our crowds are wonderful and love the shows. The people run to the river to see the showboat tie up as soon as they hear the calliope playing. Have you ever heard one? Yes? Then you know that they make a unique kind of music using steam valves and pipes. Some call them a steam piano. Marelda Kingston, she and her husband, Captain Dan own the Kingston Floating Palace. Anyway, Marelda is the best on the river at playing the calliope. The music carries for miles and is wonderful advertisement for our showboat. Since we usually tie up early in the afternoon, people out in the country have time to finish their work and make their way down to the river for our evening show.
Can you tell us more about this Gabe you mentioned a moment ago?
Oh yes. Gabe Kingston is the best friend a girl could ever have. He is Marelda and Captain Dan’s son and was actually born on a showboat. Their showboat has always been a family affair. Duke, my grandfather, has been with them so long that he seems part of their family now. In 1881, when I was five years old and came aboard to live with him due to some tragic happenings, I became part of their showboat family too. Gabe was thirteen then, but he seemed so old to me at the time. He watched over me like a big brother, but now he’s always telling me he is not my brother. But he is definitely a friend I treasure. I can’t imagine my life without him. On the showboat, he directs the plays and is master of ceremonies. He can get the crowd laughing with his jokes and that makes the show even better. People do love to laugh.
Can you tell us about those tragic happenings when you were five, or would you rather not talk about it?
So many years have passed. Fifteen. Much about what happened then lurks in the shadows of my memories. Some of it I remember too well and some I’ve never understood. I do know my mother was trying to protect me from a man who was trying to steal me from her. In the confrontation, she was wounded. She did love me so much. I do know that much. She said it was a miracle from the Lord that the steamship she was working on as a maid was tied up next to the very showboat where my grandfather was part of the cast. We were able to escape from the man and find safety on that early Kingston Floating Palace. The showboat we are on now is much larger and has been beautifully updated.
Your showboat does look impressive. I can’t wait to go aboard for your show. But let’s go back to what happened when you were five. Do you know why someone was trying to kidnap you?
More truth that hides in the shadows. My grandfather never wanted to talk about it. He avoided answering my questions while I was growing up and continually told me I should concentrate on the present rather than worry about the past. I suppose he is right, but sometimes what you don’t know about your past can come back to haunt you in the present and bring fresh troubles.
But enough about that. Can we talk about something more pleasant?
Certainly, although there does seem to be more we need to know.
And more I need to know as well, but as my grandfather says, it’s better to think on the here and now. Besides, I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I do feel I will pull the truth out of those shadows someday. But don’t you want to know more about the show tonight?
Yes, of course. Can you tell me about some of the cast members or the specialty acts?
I would love to. I play a character named Penelope and the leading male character, Cameron Drake, plays Penelope’s love interest, Sterling. Cameron is an excellent actor and very handsome, but he’s not very happy on the showboat. He thinks his talents are being wasted. He thinks mine are too, but I love putting on the dramas on the Kingston Floating Palace.
Then we also have some great variety acts. Perry Wilson is a very accomplished ventriloquist. The Loranda family does all sorts of acrobatic tricks including a tightrope walk. Captain Dan and Marelda do a magic act. Duke does a dramatic monologue and then there are those dances and duets I have with Gabe. We do aim to entertain.
What do you love most about being on the river?
The river feels like my home. I love to feel the water rolling along under my feet, taking me somewhere new each day. I love watching for birds and animals along the river. The sunlight has a way of glancing off the water and brightening the air. I even love the damp smell of the water, especially after a rain. But I suppose most of all I love being part of the showboat family of actors.
Can I ask one more question about the unknown of your past you mentioned earlier?
Certainly. Ask whatever you want.
All right. How do you think your own personal life story is going to end? Aren’t you nervous that all those shadows you spoke about earlier might swallow you?
You make it sound so dramatic and a bit dangerous just like one of our plays. I suppose things could happen to make it so, but real life is different than shows. One can’t always know how things might end, but you can always whisper a prayer that you will get through the shadows and find happiness and joy. I want to believe that is how my life story will go.
I certainly hope so as well. Thank you so much for doing this interview, Jacci. Do you have any final comments for us?
I am so honored you wanted to know more about my showboat life. I might add one thing. If you ever hear a calliope playing to let you know a showboat is coming to a landing near you, drop everything, hunt your quarters and dimes, and come enjoy a night of fun with a showboat family. Maybe it will be mine on the Kingston Floating Palace.
Ann H. Gabhart is the bestselling author of many novels, including When the Meadow Blooms, Along a Storied Trail, An Appalachian Summer, River to Redemption, These Healing Hills, and Angel Sister. She and her husband live on a farm a mile from where she was born in rural Kentucky. Ann enjoys discovering the everyday wonders of nature while hiking in her farm’s fields and woods with her grandchildren and her dogs, Frankie and Marley. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.
A brighter future awaits—if she can escape the shadows of the past
Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the handsome new schoolteacher, Craig Ferguson, and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town.
Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father’s death—and to aid Craig, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. As they work to uncover the truth, they just may find the key to unlock a future neither could have imagined.
Welcome to NovelPASTimes. For those who haven’t met you, please introduce yourself.
I’m Emily Vaughn. No, that’s not right. I’m Emily Leland now.
That’s a common mistake for newlyweds. Is Leland your married name?
Yes. I was married for over a year, but fortunately I’m a widow now.
Fortunately? Most women wouldn’t find being widowed fortunate.
That’s because they weren’t married to George Leland. Marrying him was the biggest mistake of my life. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about him.
Certainly. Let’s discuss something more pleasant. Sweetwater Crossing seems like a nice town.
I love it. Oh, we have our share of problems, but I’m convinced it’s the most beautiful town in the Hill Country, maybe in all of Texas.
I couldn’t help noticing that one of the houses on Creek Road appears out of place here.
You’re not the first person to say that. That’s my home, Finley House. There’s a long story about it and why it’s as large and elaborate as it is. The abbreviated version is that Clive Finley, a man from Alabama, built it for his fiancée shortly before the War Between the States. Sadly, he died before he could bring her here. He asked my father to take care of the house until he returned from the war, which is why my family has lived there ever since. And, yes, it’s much bigger than we need and the taxes have taken much of my father’s stipend as the town’s minister, but my sisters and I consider ourselves fortunate to live there.
Sisters, as in plural. I always wished I had at least one. Tell me about yours.
I’m the oldest of the three of us, and no matter what my sisters claim, I’m not bossy. Not very often, anyway. It’s just that growing up, they sometimes needed guidance. But you asked about the others. Joanna – she’s the one in the middle – can make even an out of tune piano sound good. Right now she’s in Europe studying to be a concert pianist. Louisa hates being called the baby of the family, even though she is. She can’t bear to see anyone in pain. That’s why she plans to be a doctor.
What wonderful aspirations. What is yours?
I thought I was going to be a good wife and mother like my own mother, but …
Oh, Emily, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I only have one more question. I saw a fresh grave outside the cemetery. Who’s buried there?
I’ll try to say this without shedding too many tears. That’s my father’s grave. His death was considered scandalous, so he wasn’t allowed to be buried in consecrated ground, but don’t believe the stories you may hear. My father did not take his own life. I’m as certain of that as I am that the sun sets in the west, and if it’s the last thing I do, I will discover who murdered him.
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than forty books and a variety of novellas. Her books have been honored with a starred review from Publishers Weekly and have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Award, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers’ Best.
Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.
Thanks for inviting me. I’m kind of nervous. Never did anything like this before. After all, it is 1883. What exactly is a blog, anyway?
A blog is kind of hard to describe to someone from your era. Hmm… I guess I’d say it’s like an information log that you can read through a window to the world. Your great-great grandchildren will enjoy reading them. Now, let’s talk about you. Tell us something about where you live:
Oh, that’s easy. Boulder in Colorado. It’s a town an hour or so from Denver, which, of course, gets all the attention. In fact, I live on a tree farm outside Boulder.
Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?
I suspect it has to do with my last name. Christmas. Kind of limits what sounds good. My father’s name was James, but everybody called him Jingle. James, Jimmy, Jingle. (shrugs) My mother’s name was Grace—fits with almost any surname. So my sister and I were saddled with Ivy and me, Holly.
Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?
My sister and I run our family Christmas tree farm operation. My grandfather started it when nobody in their right mind paid for a tree. They just went out and cut one. Not always on their own property, either. But then more folks moved to towns and cities, so they didn’t own land. And more folks protected what they did have, so it wasn’t safe anymore to go on somebody else’s land and take one of theirs.
I don’t like trees. They’re quiet, aloof—like cats. I prefer cattle. If I had my way, I’d cut down every tree and plow the land under for corn. And buy more cattle. You can eat cattle. Can’t eat a tree.
But I persevere, because Ivy loves the trees.
Who are the special people in your life?
Well, as I said, Ivy. Not many more. The brothers next door—well, Ivy had a bad experience in third grade, so we avoid them.
What is your heart’s deepest desire?
I’d like to sound all spiritual, of course, and say I want to live the life God intended for me. And I do. But I’d like to have fun along the way. And sometimes church folk think God banned fun when He kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden.
What are you most afraid of?
Losing Ivy. And I don’t mean her dying. She’s almost past marriageable age. I can’t imagine living here alone. Or having to move out.
What do you expect the future will hold for you?
No idea. I just go day to day, not looking beyond the current tree season. Or cattle season. Although, in some ways, they’re similar, aren’t they? Growing trees for the future. Raising cattle for the future.
What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?
That I love a good mystery. That I might have more in my future than I thought. That I hope I’ll be in another story someday.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
You might think I’m a whiner, but I’m really not. I like to get ‘er done. Got a problem? Solve it and do something about it. That’s my motto. Not a girlie-girl. Like Ivy. She loves dressing up, sashaying at the barn dances. Me? I’d rather birth a breeched calf or tame a wild horse.
Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!
You’re welcome. It’s been a hoot to be here. Tell me again, what is a blog?
Let’s just say it’s something you might not understand for now… But thanks for taking the time to chat with us.
About Donna:
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical andcontemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter.
Stay connected at Donna’s website so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
Boulder Colorado 1883: Two sisters living next door to two brothers. When bad stuff starts happening, who is behind it? If not a neighbor, then who? Can the two ranches, competing in the Christmas tree market, cooperate enough to save their land? Or are they doomed to lose all?
I’m a little surprised you agreed to this interview, Miss Morgan. You have always been reluctant to speak about yourself in public.
That is true. I have always refused interviews. I’ve never sought the limelight. I leave that to others, with egos far greater than mine. However, I think it’s time for me to open that door, even if only a crack. I recognize that by being silent, people may have an inaccurate picture of me, and accuracy matters, don’t you agree?
Absolutely! Speaking of accuracy, little is known about your early years before you became a legendary architect. I know you were born in San Francisco, and as a young child your family moved across the bay to Oakland. You attended Oakland public schools before enrolling at the university in Berkeley.What were those years like, growing up in Oakland in the late 1800s’s?
(JM smiles for the first time, leans back in her chair) Oakland was so beautiful then, and true to its name, oak trees were plentiful, growing in front of houses, on street corners, spreading their green splendor throughout our neighborhoods. Charming Victorian houses lined the streets. Travel was by horse and buggy mostly on dirt roads, as well as on a growing number of paved streets with actual sidewalks which made roller skating so much more fun. The houses in my neighborhood were surrounded by low-set iron or picket fences connecting one to the other. As a child, I preferred the pickets. The narrow wood crossbeams nailed along their backside turned into a raised sidewalk, a perfect fit for small feet. Besides the oaks, there were a few towering Monterey pines that provided another wonderful childhood diversion. A low hanging limb made an easy first step. The rest of the way was like climbing a ladder. I loved being up there, high above the ground. The higher, the better.
Your dream of becoming an architect at a time when the Victorian Era was near its end, must have been challenging?
Oh my, yes. The expectations for young girls always created problems for me. While I never fit the mold dictated by society, I did manage to avoid drawing too much criticism by staying quiet and respectful. However, there is something you must understand. The realization that I wanted to become an architect developed slowly. I didn’t wake up one morning with a clear picture. It was a gradual unfolding, much like watching a building go up—a little at a time.
The opportunity to watch the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge was one of those pieces. After 14 long years of dangerous and stunning engineering work, it finally opened to the public in 1883. I had been watching it develop from before I could walk. My mother’s parents, my grandparents, lived within walking distance from this engineering marvel. My family made frequent trips from Oakland to the east coast on the transcontinental train. I was there shortly after the grand opening of the bridge. What a thrill! When I first stood on that bridge beside my architect cousin, Pierre LeBrun, I knew that I wanted to create something extraordinary in my life, I just did not yet know how.
And by the way, during those early years of my life in Oakland, the city was in the midst of a building boom, construction everywhere. In fact, my family built its own magnificent home. I followed that project with great enthusiasm.
Oakland High School played a significant role in your life. Can you tell us something about those years and how they influenced your path to architecture?
My early school years were easy for me. I was always at the top of my class, but survived being teased by staying quiet, almost invisible. Everything changed in high school, mostly because I chose what was called The Science Track, filled with arrogant boys and a sprinkling of girls. That was where I met Miss Mollie Connors, the school’s memorable and influential drafting teacher. And that was also when the boys began to show their true colors. They had little patience for a girl sitting next to them, especially one who had caught Miss Connor’s eye. What a force! She inspired many future architects.
When you enrolled at the University of California, you majored in engineering. What was behind that unusual choice?
I had no choice. By that time, I knew I wanted to become an architect, but the program had not yet been established. Even so, both my cousin, Pierre LeBrun and Miss Connors supported my decision to major in engineering They rightly believed that it would give me a sound grounding for my future study of architecture. They were right! Many of my buildings stand today of my buildings’ ability to withstanding earthquake and fire.
What was your college experience like?
College at Berkeley was a mix of experiences. I studied hard, dealt with arrogant male students and antagonistic professors, most who believed that a woman’s place was in the home. The smartest thing I did was join the first sorority on campus, Kappa Alpha Theta, which, by the way, we still refer to as a fraternity. Without these smart, caring, energetic women in my life I probably would have spent all four years in the library buried under my pile of books.
Did your parents support you in this dream?
What an interesting question. Yes and no. The truth is, while my mother was proud of my achievements throughout my lifetime, during those high school years she was deeply worried about how my ambition could disrupt my path to happiness. Most girls and their parents in well-off families had but one dream. To ‘come out’ as a debutante, to be courted by attentive young men, to select one as a mate, and to live happily ever after as a wife and mother. By the time I became of age, I knew my dream was to become an architect. I also knew that having both marriage and a career would never be possible. But of course, I did not use that argument with my mother. Instead, I convinced her to focus her energies on my younger sister, Emma, who was known in the family as the ‘beauty’ while I was considered to be ‘the brain.’ Needless to say, although Mama was devasted, in the end she permitted me following my dream.
Papa, on the other hand, supported me from the beginning. He and I would frequently visit the construction site of our new home, and he even escorted me to San Francisco to purchase my drafting equipment for high school. I believe he had some experience with deferring dreams.
You succeeded in achieving the dreams of your youth. Your path was challenging as well as rewarding. As you look back to those early days, what essential elements helped you most?
Two personal attributes paved my way from the beginning—courage and persistence,. These characteristics will always play an important role in achieving one’s dreams, which has been especially true for women.
As an educator, Susan J. Austin knows the minds of young readers. Her first novel, The Bamboo Garden, is set in Berkeley, California, 1923, and describes an unlikely friendship between two girls that is tested by a fierce fire that threatens to destroy their town. Currently, she is writing about twelve-year-old Goldie, a whiz kid in the kitchen who hopes that her culinary magic can help her family’s delicatessen out of a pickle in 1928 Hollywood. Her characters are always brave, strong willed risk-takers. Writing historical fiction offers her a way to educate and excite her readers about the past. She and her husband live in Northern California, surrounded by family, their splendid but fussy rose bushes, and a lifetime collection of books. Learn more at www.susanjaustin.com.
Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today, Dianna.
And thanks for hosting me. I’m excited—and nervous—to be here. Not sure why you even want to talk to me. I’m simply Dianna DeWalt, living in a small town. And it’s 1881—not like it was 1876, the Centennial. Now, that was a year. The stories I could tell you about that—but wait. You’re going to ask the questions, aren’t you? Or else I’ll keep you here all day.
Tell us something about where you live:
Colorado Springs, in Colorado, is a pretty city. Lots of trees, grand homes, and the mountains are so close.
Is there anything special about your name? Why do you think you were given that name?
I don’t think there is anything special about my name. I never thought to ask my mother. Perhaps it has something to do with Diana, goddess of the hunt. I always seem to be sneaking around, trying to catch a good newspaper story. And my father said I was so quiet I should be wearing a bell, like a cat.
Do you have an occupation? What do you like or dislike about your work?
I am a newspaper reporter at the Colorado Springs Weekly Gazette. Well, I want to be a reporter. I love researching interesting articles and exposing wrongdoing in local and state government. Maybe someday there will be an actual title for that. Maybe a journalist investigator. In the meantime, I keep the editor happy by reporting on social events, such as weddings, engagements, the travel of the rich and famous. Thank goodness I’ve moved up from birth and death announcements.
I like writing stories, but I wish my editor would trust me more. I’m sure it’s because I’m a woman, because the male reporters are always assigned the juicy articles.
Who are the special people in your life?
I don’t really have anybody. My best friend, Alice, works in the newsroom with me. She writes the obituaries, poor girl.
What is your heart’s deepest desire?
To find and write a really important story, one that blows somebody’s world sky high.
What are you most afraid of?
Of working here on social events until I die.
Do you have a cherished possession?
My favorite hat. It’s tall, with a grand feather and a satin ribbon. Took me six months of eating one meal a day to save for it.
What do you expect the future will hold for you?
SIGH. I don’t know. But I do know the One who knows, so I guess I’ll keep going, listen for His voice, and pray for the best.
What have you learned about yourself in the course of your story?
I learned that what I thought was a small story was huge. And significant. I can’t believe that I went to La Junta Colorado to cover the inauguration of the town and ended up neck-deep in a mystery. Almost got killed twice. Found a missing man. Saved another man wrongfully charged with murder. And—well, for the rest, you’ll need to read the book.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?
Some people think I’m pushy. And bossy. And brusque. But I’m really not. It’s how I have to act to get along in a man’s world of newspapers. I love kittens. And puppies. And someday, when I’m good and ready, I’d like to have a husband and family—when I’m ready.
Thanks for allowing us to get know you a little better!
Thank you! This has been fun. And not nearly so difficult as I thought. I worried that I should have studied, or something like that. Thanks for the chance to share with readers.
A hybrid author,Donna Schlacter, writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 50 times in books; is a member of several writer’s groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter.
www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
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Welcome to Novel PASTimes! We are pleased you stopped by today.
Can you please introduce yourself and tell us more about your talents and what you love to do?
Thank you for the invitation to tell you about myself, Mollie Sheehan Ronan. I’m a shy person though some would dispute that because I do love to recite moving pieces like Chief Black Hawk’s 1832 surrender speech or a Shakespeare sonnet. When a piano is around, I can play it – and the organ too – and I love to sing. But recitation is my favorite. I’d do that after supper at our establishment that my step-mother ran while my dear father worked as a freighter in the Montana mines and was sometimes gone for a year at a time. I suppose I enjoyed the praise and the compliments about my very long auburn hair, so long I could sit on it. Best was getting to see stage performances that my father would take me to. Such plays were a great pastime in the mining camps when winter snows kept miners from panning or sluicing for gold. I loved reading fairy tales from Ireland especially and dreamed of falling in love with my own prince charming. And I did!
You mentioned that you met your prince charming. What happened?
Sadly, my father didn’t approve even though my fiancé had been my father’s best friend! My father was so adamant that we break off our engagement, that he moved our entire family (step-mother, sister Kate and brother Jimmy) out of Montana to San Juan Capistrano in California. Quite a different landscape, I can tell you. Beautiful, bougainvillea blooming, eternal summer, but I did miss the mountains. I thought my life with Peter would be no more. I considered joining the convent in Los Angeles but one of the Sisters counseled me that service to God was not to be an escape from the world but a way to enter more deeply into service to all God’s children. Well, God had other things in store and through a series of twists and turns, Peter and I found each other again. I think you’ll like that story, but I won’t go into it here. My life then did become a kind of fairy tale, living happily ever after with my husband who was involved in the newspaper industry, mining, politics and, of course, he was very active with our growing family.
You mentioned that “Family is everything” to you. But going against your father’s will led to some conflicts within your own family.
Family is indeed everything to me and I hated hurting my father, who still didn’t approve of my husband despite his being a fine provider and loving husband and father, one who encouraged rather than controlled his children. He felt Peter being 10 years older than me was too old but I don’t think my father would ever have approved of anyone who might fall in love with his “little girl.”
How did your language skills and your desire to make everyone feel welcome aid you in being the wife of the Indian Agent among the Flathead People?
Peter and I had some disappointments but then when we were the most discouraged, a new door opened and I entered a world of the Flathead People, — the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend D’Oreille tribes in Montana. We lived among them for the next seventeen years. Every day I learned that the way I saw the world was not the only way to see it. My best friend after Peter is a Salish woman, Shows No Anger. How I love her! I learned so much from her about the land and family and that honoring one’s father meant listening to my heart and focusing on my own family. I do love words and kept a journal and wrote my memoir. One word I especially love is hearth. It comes from the second century and can be translated as focus.The hearth was the center of the home. It’s where people were fed, stories told, comfort offered. It was where the heat was. The farther one moves from the heat, the more easily one can lose focus. I focused on the hearth of my family and always had an open door to strangers too. Imagine a table that could seat sixteen. My husband sat across from me in the middle, never at the ends. We always wanted to keep the focus on our guests and family to be sure they were well fed. And thus, we were well fed too, with family, friends and faith.
I hope you like my story of living Beneath the Bending Skies.
About the Book:
Bestselling and award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick has brought the West to life in her inspiring novels based upon true events. Each tale looks at the hidden lives of women whose universal struggles, bravery, indominable spirit, and ingenuity helped form the American West. In Beneath the Bending Skies, Kirkpatrick uses her signature style to delve into the life of Mollie Sheehan, who had to forgo her father’s blessing in order to seek her happily ever after. Her life-altering decision became the catalyst for her movement to aid the Nez Perce tribe during the mid-1800s.
Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award- winning author of 40 books, including The Healing of Natalie Curtis,
Something Worth Doing, One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn’t Say, All Together in One Place, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar. Learn more at www.jkbooks.com.
Novel PASTimes 