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Naming Horses

Last week, on my Facebook page, I asked for help in naming a boy’s horse for my work-in-progress. If you’re wondering if the boy’s horse has a name yet . . . I received several hundred great suggestions and narrowed it down to seven for the boy’s horse. I found a name for his father’s horse: Haggis. And I named …

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Wagon Train Quiz

Ever watch the TV show, Wagon Train? Just about any Western movie or TV show captured my attention, pulling me into the adventure and possibilities. Shows like Wagon Train led to my fascination with wagon train travel, which inspired Prairie Song. In Prairie Song that sense of adventure and the promise of possibilities compel the Boone’s Lick Wagon Train Company …

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Tea, Quilts, and Books in Saint Charles

Today, I’m flying into Missouri. Here I come Saint Charles! I’m excited to participate in several Author Events, May 14-18. I hope you’ll join me in St. Charles, the setting for The Quilted Heart, also the launch city for The Boone’s Lick Wagon Train Company in Prairie Song.

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Author Events in Saint Charles

  Are you in Missouri or know someone who lives there? I’m headed to Saint Charles, Missouri, next month for the Lewis & Clark Heritage Days and several Author Events, May 14-18. Join me at the setting for The Quilted Heart, also the launch city for The Boone’s Lick Wagon Train Company in Prairie Song. Here’s my current itinerary: Wednesday, …

Meet Caroline from The Quilted Heart Omnibus

Meet Caroline from The Quilted Heart Omnibus

Today, I’m featuring the two main characters in Ripples Along the Shore, the third and last novella in The Quilted Heart. After you’ve read The Quilted Heart, read Prairie Song to spend more time with Garrett and Caroline. MEET Garrett Cowlishaw Garrett Cowlishaw  is the a friend of Rutherford Wainwright and is in St. Charles to recruit a band of people to …

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Test Your Oregon Trail Vocabulary

Writing historical fiction brings me delight on many levels. The process of discovery is one of the things I enjoy most about writing fiction. Yes, it can be great fun getting to know a cast of characters and discovering their story. But deepening my knowledge and understanding of history also brings me delight. While doing the research for Prairie Song, Book …

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Happy Birthday, Daniel Boone!

Daniel Boone. What image does the name evoke? A mountain man wearing a beavertail? If you answered, a mountain man wearing a beavertail cap, you’re likely a baby boomer or a fan of TV reruns. Daniel Boone’s pioneer exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He was born on October 22, 1734 in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, lived in Kentucky, …

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Story Inspiration

What inspires a novelist to create characters, explore a setting, tell a story? For me, it’s often visual stimulus that stirs my imagination, sparks memories, and starts me spinning a tale of love and loss, loneliness and community, grace and second chances. DISCOVER Prairie Song on PINTEREST   

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The Oregon Trail and Prairie Song

The end of the American Civil War reopened the floodgates for humanity headed west. Men and women hungered for land and business opportunities to help them rebuild their war-torn lives and families. Wagon train companies were typically a ragtag group of pioneers–families and individuals–fleeing their past, headed for a brighter future. Or so they hoped. A captain was usually hired to …

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Leeverites, Do You Have Them?

I didn’t write this post from my home office. I was traveling, which required that I pack for another state, a higher elevation, and cooler temperatures. Before I left home, piles of clothes, shoes, and sweatshirts lie on the bed awaiting their fate, vying for room in a suitcase already spoken for by toiletries, a blow dryer, and a makeup …