by Molly Owen | Jul 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
Travel in the west was done by horse, coaches, wagons and buggies, sternwheelers and later on by train. Learning what conveyances were used where and when is always an ongoing process for me. My first published book, Marshal in Petticoats, I’d set the date and wrote the book with a train scene only to find out there weren’t any trains in the area at the time. So I tried writing the scene with a stage coach and it didn’t work nearly as well, then I changed the time of the story and had to go through and re-read newspapers for the new time to make sure I had other aspects correct in the story.
While researching the trains I came across sternwheelers on the Columbia River and set my next book, Gambling on an Angel there. The fourth book in the Halsey brother series, Doctor in Petticoats, has the hero and heroine traveling by train and required even more research to find out about what kind of cars were on the trains in Oregon at that time and how they were set up.
Some of the books I use for researching trains are: Early Oregon Days by Edwin D. Culp, Out West on the Overland Train by Richard Reinhardt, Rand McNally’s Pioneer Atlas of the American West as well as several sites on the web. http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Car_Builders_Dictionary/
http://www.pnwc-nrhs.org/hs_or_n.html
A story I’m working on for the fifth Halsey brother book deals with logging. I’m currently reading books on how they logged in the late 1800’s. Glory Days of Logging by Ralph W. Andrews and Timber by Ralph W. Andrews. I also plan to visit a couple of logging camps in Oregon.
Research is my favorite part of writing a story.
Paty Jager
http://www.patyjager.net
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Photos:
http://www.google.com/search?q=historical+railroad+pictures&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.com/search?q=sternwheelers&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=flS&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=zC8qTvD2E6XRiAKpmoWwAg&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=588
by Molly Owen | Jun 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
I like to have a sort of sound track for the books I write. Not handpicked songs put on one cd but rather several cds that play mixed together- all day long- or the whole time I’m writing one particular book. It’s my trigger to get into the book faster when I sit down to write. Of course it takes a couple weeks to get the automatic jump start when I hear the music, but it works for me.
Today, while in the thrift shop(I always browse the books, cds and dvds), I found a cd of western movie title tracks. Now the story I bought this to hopefully work for isn’t a typical western because it will be mainly set inside a logging camp. But what I failed to think about when purchasing this cd was the fact many movie westerns are set in Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Nearly half of the songs have the Latin beat, trumpets, and guitar stanzas. I have a feeling this cd will have to wait for another book.
The last Halsey books I wrote I used bluegrass cds and Celtic music. Two of the heroines had Irish and Scottish backgrounds.
For my contemporary westerns I used contemporary western singers’ cds. Chris LaDoux, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Reba. Okay, so contemporary to me. Reading the list aged me a bit.
While writing the spirit trilogy I listened to Native American cds. The flutes, the drums, the wailing… these brought out different tempos and emotions as they played in the background.
My love of music and the inspirations I’ve had in my life from music helps to ground me in the lives of my characters.
Anyone have some ideas for acoustical bluegrass and perhaps Norwegian music? My heroine in this last Halsey book is Norwegian. Or logging songs?
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by Molly Owen | May 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
I received a brochure in the mail the other day promoting the Cowboys and Indians magazine. Inside they had Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code and it is pretty darn close to the original cowboy code only modernized.
Gene created this code in response to young radio listeners who wished to be like him.
1. The cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation’s laws.
10. The cowboy is a patriot.
Could you imagine what a kinder and gentler world this would be if everyone were taught these standards?
Paty Jager
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by Molly Owen | Apr 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
I put up on facebook the other day the question- Which came first the Easter Bunny or the Easter Bonnet? Of course, I received some interesting answers none of which answered my questions. LOL
Which, made me dig into the history of both and found that they both go back much farther than I expected.
The Easter Bunny actually originated as the symbol for the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, used the earthly bunny symbol for the Anglo-Saxons to worship to her. The Easter bunny was also use in pre-Christian fertility lore. And because of the fertileness of the hare and the rabbit, they were symbols of new life in the spring season.
Now did the Easter Bunny cross the ocean to America? The Germans brought him. The Easter Bunny was first written about in Germany in the 1500’s. In 1800 the first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany. Nest were built in secluded places, with the children using their caps or bonnets. If the children had been good all year the Easter Bunny would lay eggs in their nest.
The Easter Bonnets? They began before Easter was celebrated. The first bonnets were circles or wreathes of flowers to celebrate the coming of spring. After so many months of drab darkness the round shape was to symbolize the shape of the sun and the path it takes about the earth and the flowers and green leaves to show the new growth and color.
Easter was once known as the “Sunday of Joy”. Mothers and daughters, who wore the dark mourning clothes after the Civil War, began wearing colorful hats to this Sunday service, adorning the hats with blooming, fresh flowers. If the flowers weren’t blooming yet, they made paper and ribbon flowers and added feathers.
So, which came first the Easter Bunny or the Easter Bonnet?
Paty Jager
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by Molly Owen | Feb 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
I’m currently writing the third book in my spirit trilogy series that is set among the Wallowa Lake Nez Perce. I’ve enjoyed the research about this band of the Nez Perce tribe, but with this book I have to also take into account the the army that is chasing them from their home to Canada where they hope to find freedom.
I’ve used the names of the officers in charge of each troop that skirmished with the Nez Perce on that flight, but I’ve made up the rest. And I’ve not given the places of the skirmishes names. Even though I’ve been religiously reading from four books about the trek using points of view from the Indians and the military, I’m keeping it as vague as I can so it doesn’t read like a military text book or a history text book. I’m trying to keep the story entertaining while showing both sides. (okay I am a bit more sympathetic to the Nez Perce than the army)But I’ve found the hardest part is finding ways to have the hero and heroine (he’s a cavalry officer and she’s the Nez Perce spirit) be together and make it not seem unrealistic. But she’s a spirit and can move around with the ease of a bald eagle(her spirit animal.
So my question is: Do you read historical romance for exact history or do you read for the romance and prefer the history to enhance the story rather than take it over?
Blurb for Spirit of the Mountain available now:
Wren, the daughter of a Nimiipuu chief, has been fated to save her people ever since her vision quest. When a warrior from the enemy Blackleg tribe asks for her hand in marriage to bring peace between the tribes, her world is torn apart.
Himiin is the spirit of the mountain, custodian to all creatures including the Nimiipuu. As a white wolf he listens to Wren’s secret fears and loses his heart to the mortal maiden. Respecting her people’s beliefs, he cannot prevent her leaving the mountain with the Blackleg warrior.
Blurb for Spirit of the Lake available May 2011:
Two generations after his brother became mortal, Wewukiye, the lake spirit, prevents a Nimiipuu maiden from drowning and becomes caught up in her sorrow and her heart. Her tribe ignores Dove’s shameful accusations—a White man took her body, leaving her pregnant, and he plans to take their land.Wewukiye vows to care for her until she gives birth, to help her prove the White man is deceitful and restore her place in her tribe.
As they travel on their quest for justice, Dove reveals spiritual abilities yet unknown in her people, ensnaring Wewukiye’s respect and awe. But can love between a mortal and a spirit grow without consequences?
Paty Jager
www.patyjager.net
www.patyjager.blogspot.com
buy link:http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=177_139&products_id=4170
by Molly Owen | Jan 24, 2011 | Blog, Paty Jager
Doing research for the third book in my spirit trilogy I had to do research on the plains cavalry. This was the mounted army used to curtail Indian uprisings and make sure there was safe passage for the people populating the west.
After the Civil War Southern cavalry officers were demoted to privates. There was feeling that if they were allowed to remain officers they could become in control of the military. So many left the service rather than be demoted. After the war many of the soldiers went back to civilian life, leaving the cavalry shorthanded.
The years following the war most recruits were either illiterate or spoke a foreign language, causing problems when it came to training. Officers, who were graduates of West Point or promoted during the Civil War and had sufficient training and experience in fighting, found themselves teaching ragtag groups how to ride horses and fire a rifle.
The plains cavalry weren’t the sophisticated and well oiled machine the movies make them out to be. A good part of the enlisted men were criminals who chose enlisting to going to jail.
Not all forts were as large and accommodating as we see in movies either. Most were small complexes of buildings for housing, cooking and eating, and a supply or trade shop along with a stable and farrier. When the soldiers weren’t working on their fighting they were the upkeep and builders of the forts.
During most of the Indian Wars period, the basic enlisted man’s salary was $13 a month. Low pay, combined with boredom, and the fact many were there due to paying a debt to society for crimes they committed there was a high desertion rate.
Food at the frontier forts wasn’t of good quality. The enlisted man’s menu consisted of hash, stew, hardtack, salt, vinegar and molasses. Scurvy was a common disease among the men due to the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.
I discovered with my research the cavalry life was not glamorous and you had to have either wanted to stay away from your family really bad or had no other place to go to want to stay in the mundane life that could kill you just as easy from fraternizing with the local women as it could from a bullet or arrow.
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