A Peek Behind The Scenes #5

Erica Here:

I am so excited! Today, I get to introduce you to the patriarch of the Hart family, George Washington Hart!

Known as GW, Mr. Hart was my creation, and I just love him. He's a tough man of action, a pioneer, a visionary.

And secretly, he's quite sentimental.

The template I used for GW is the character Boss Spearman from Open Range, played by the inimitable Robert Duvall.

Tough, smart, and with a code of honor he lives by, GW is the father of seven sons and the head of a cattle empire. In a family of strong personalities, he's got a will of iron, and he has the respect of his sons and his community.

But there's another side of GW, a softer, more sentimental side. You see, GW is a romantic, but he lost the love of his life. He is a one-woman man, and his heart belongs to his lovely bride Victoria. He keeps her upstairs parlor exactly as it was when she was alive, and he talks to her portrait, which hangs over the fireplace in the dining room, sharing his concerns and pride over their sons, above all wishing she was there to share their lives once more.

Victoria provided the softness and culture her husband and sons needed on the Texas frontier. She was musically inclined, and saw to it that her sons learned manners and how to treat ladies. Each of her sons has a wonderful sense of chivalry and a high regard for the female of the species as a result of her instruction.

GW had a wonderful marriage, and it is both the memory of this relationship and his desire to see the Hart legacy continue that prompts him to issue his New Year's Day ultimatum that all of his sons must marry within the calendar year or be disinherited. 

I had such fun creating GW Hart. I think he fits right into the Hart family. I hope you will love him as much as I do. 

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The Texas Treasury Robbery

In my story, For Love or Money, a past historical event is very important.

Immediately after the Civil War, Texas was in chaos. This was at least partly due to the hasty disbanding of the Confederate army at the end of the war. There were 60,000 troops in Texas in the spring of 1865. Morale was horrible. Many Confederate soldiers deserted and plundered.

When word reached Austin that the Confederate forces had surrendered to Grant, rather than stay and face the uncertainty of their status under the Reconstruction government, Governor Pendleton Murrah and several other Confederate officials fled into Mexico. Most other state officials were removed from office. Union occupation troops were on the way, and Texas temporarily was denied readmission to the Union.

During this time of disorganization and fear, violence became common. Mobs and bands of outlaws, many of them army deserters, contributed to the turbulence. In the capital, Austin, citizens got together in an attempt to protect the people and their property.

Captain George R. Freeman, a Confederate veteran, organized a small company of volunteers in May, 1865, to protect the state capital until the Union army could get there. 

The city was in turmoil, and a mob had taken control of the streets, plundering stores and causing riots and general havoc. Freeman’s volunteers restored a measure of peace, and they then disbanded with an agreement to gather again if needed. A church bell would sound the alarm if necessary.

On the night of June 11, Freeman was informed that a gang planned to rob the state treasury. The bell tolled, and about twenty of the volunteers gathered.

In 1861, the Texas legislature created the Frontier Regiment to guard

frontier settlements. They occupied several abandoned federal posts

and established a line of 16 camps through the center of the state.

Map courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

By the time the volunteers arrived at the treasury building, the estimated fifty robbers of the gang were already inside, breaking into the safes. A brief gun battle broke out. One of the robbers was gravely wounded. Freeman was shot in the arm.

The thieves got away with more than $17,000 in specie, that is, in gold and silver coins. A later audit report stated that a total of $27,525 in specie had been located in the treasury at the time of the robbery, as well as $800 in Louisiana bank bills. Several million dollars of U.S. bonds and other securities were also in the vault, but the robbers didn’t take them.

Before he died, the wounded robber told the outnumbered volunteers that the leader of the gang was “Captain Rapp,” but this man was never caught. No other members of the gang were ever captured, and the loot was not recovered, though some money was found outside. Federal troops arrived in Texas on June 19, 1865, and it took a while to restore order. Ex-Confederates were granted amnesty if they promised to support the Union in the future, but it wasn’t until March 30, 1870 that Texas’s representatives were once again allowed to take their seats in Congress.

What does all this have to do with my story? You’ll have to read Seven Brides for Seven Texans to find out!

Civil War Ties and a Giveaway

Several of the Hart brothers, including Crockett, fought in the Civil War. Crockett doesn’t talk about it much, but he keeps a lot inside about that time.

Battle Flag of the C.S.A., Crockett's allegiance

Here’s a quiz for you about events that happened before and during the Civil War (Answers below):

1.       What New England minister’s daughter wrote a book about slavery that touched millions of hearts and converted many to the antislavery cause?

2.       Richmond, Va., was the second and most permanent capital of the Confederate States of America, and Danville, Va., was the third and last capital—but what city was the first?

3.       Who coordinated donations and volunteers to form an independent nursing corps during the Civil War?

4.       Who was sworn in first as president—Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?

5.       Can you name the two first ladies during the war—North and South?

Answers

1.       Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)

2.       Montgomery, Alabama

3.       Clara Barton

4.       Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the C.S.A. on Feb. 18, 1861, and Lincoln as president of the U.S.A. on March 4, 1861.

5.      Mary Todd Lincoln in the North, and Varina Howell Davis in the South.

Jefferson and Varina Davis's wedding picture, 1845

I hope you enjoyed this little exercise. Tomorrow we’ll talk about an event that played a major part in my story, the Texas Treasury Robbery.


Today I'm offering a paperback or e-book copy of my colonial romance The Prisoner's Wife. Leave a comment with your contact information to enter.

And the winner of my book Echo Canyon from Monday's post is Lucy Reynolds. The winner of Cowgirl Trail from Tuesday's post is Joy Ellis. Don't forget to enter our big Kindle Fire giveaway!

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Hearts Afire

Jane Haymaker is the heroine of my story, For Love or Money. Jane has had a hard time since her mother died. Her father is lazy, and he drinks too much. Jane and her younger brother, Ben, have taken care of each other. Now they’re grown, but they’re still finding it hard to deal with their father.

       At the opening of the story, the family’s house is burning, and it seems likely that Jane’s father accidentally started the fire. She gets him out of the way and does what she can to save the

barn, since the house is already lost. Cue the hero—Crockett Hart rides to the rescue.

       Jane has always looked up to Crockett. She went to school with his little brother, Hays, but Crockett’s the one she admired. Now he’s here and jumping into action. Jane’s heart is in tumult as she watches the family home burn and works side-by-side with the man of her dreams—the one she’s sure would never look twice at her.

      Come visit Jane (even though she doesn’t have a kitchen table to sit you down at) and get to know her. I think, like Crockett, you’ll decide Jane is worth cultivating.

    

   Jane receives several gifts after the fire. One that she treasures is Crockett's mother's Bible. In it, she finds a verse that says, When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Jane finds this verse a comfort in the aftermath of the fire.

    Is there a special verse that has helped you through a difficult time?

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!

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Davy Crockett and David Crockett Hart

Davy Crockett portrait

Crockett Hart is, of course, named for the frontiersman, solider, and politician. Davy Crockett was born in Limestone, Tennessee, in 1786.

Davy Crockett grew up in eastern Tennessee and was known as an excellent hunter and frontiersman, a good family man, and a leader of men. He later served in the state legislature and then the US House of Representatives for Tennessee. He opposed some of President Andrew Jackson’s

policies, most notably the Indian Removal Act. He served three terms in Congress, and then after a lost election, decided to move to Texas in 1835.

     He was known for telling colorful stories and tall tales, and claimed among other things that he could whip his weight in wildcats. His last major act in life was to fight in the Texas Revolution. He died in 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo. He was 49 years old.

     Crockett Hart has a lot to live up to in his namesake. There’s something in him that wants to be as well-liked and respected as Davy Crockett. In my story, For Love or Money, he makes a good start by helping an underdog family. He goes into it not looking for glory, but wanting to make a difference in Jane and Ben Haymaker’s lives. What he doesn’t count on is being ambushed by romance.

        One of Davy Crockett’s famous sayings was “Always be sure you are right, then go ahead.” Crockett Hart, once he makes up his mind what’s right, moves ahead. I hope you enjoy reading his story in Seven Brides for Seven Texans.               

          Be sure to enter our Rafflecopter giveaway. And leave a comment below if you'd like to enter a separate drawing for another of my Texas books, Cowgirl Trail.

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Too Many Roosters in the Hart Chicken Yard?

 Crockett Hart, age 28, is the fifth of the seven Hart brothers. The hero of my story, Crockett, is a good rancher but also a bit at loose ends. He’s six feet tall, a bit lanky, and has the Hart dark hair and brown eyes. Sometimes Crockett feels overshadowed by some of his brothers and the heroes they all represent. He’s not sure he can ever meet his father’s expectations.

Crockett’s insecurities make him want to stand out somehow and to make his pa proud. Though he doesn’t think about it much, his desire to stand out leads him to choose bright clothing and a flashy tobiano pinto horse. A tobiano is a common color pattern in “paint” horses. The gene produces white patches of hair on pink skin within the base color of the horse. Here’s a picture of a tobiano horse, but the pattern has a lot of variation:

Photo used by permission of Laura Kidder

As a kid, Crockett took some foolish risks, also a symptom of the middle child syndrome and the desire to be noticed.

Still, Crockett is a hard worker. His drive to excel pushes him and makes him very competitive. If he doesn’t think he can perform a task perfectly, he’d rather not do it—to avoid failure. This has caused some tension with his father and brothers.

 What about you? Are you competitive? Some people are TOO competitive. If you think you might have this trait, or you just want to find out, you can take a personality quiz here:

http://www.gurl.com/2013/03/20/are-you-competitive-personality-quiz/

If you comment here and leave a way to contact you, you will be entered in a drawing for my brand-new western novel, Echo Canyon.

A Peek Behind The Scenes #4

Erica Here:

It's time for another Peek Behind the Scenes Post! We've talked about how we as the authors set up the collection, creating the story lines and the town of Hartville. We've taken a look at the Hart ranch and house. And we've talked about the origins of the idea and the time line of the back story.

Today, I thought it might be fun to talk about how we handled things when differences arose.

I'll let you in on a little secret: Starting out, I actually thought there would be far more disagreements/problems/challenges than there wound up being. But things worked out well all the way around, and I think it was because we followed a few, basic guidelines:

1. Communicate.

If you need something, or think something isn't working, speak up! The sooner you bring an issue to the attention of others, the sooner we can work out a fix. This is one place where having the private Facebook group paid off in spades. It was easy to post a question, tag the person most affected, and get an answer quickly.

2. Be A Pro.

No tantrums, arguments, or hissy-fits. (Not that I expected anyone to do this!) We did need to remember, however, not to take things personally, and also remember that we're all on the same team. We all wanted to turn out the best product possible. Everybody worked well together, and it was so fun to see friendships deepen, authors get to know each other, and everyone come together for the good of the collection.

3. You own your main characters, and everybody owns the rest.

Would it surprise you to know that authors are proprietary? We create characters that come to feel like part of our families, and if I am honest, it was this part of writing a continuity series that had me the most worried. How would the other authors treat my character? And I know the rest of the gals were wondering the same thing. But we needn't have worried so much. By providing good character sketches up front and checking in with one another as we went along, I think we were able to keep each others' characters consistent and not use them in a way that made their creator feel uncomfortable. I know that I had to request a couple of changes to the way that my character, Bowie, was written, and the authors were gracious to make those changes. I had a couple of things I needed to change in my story to accommodate another writer, and those changes got made without a fuss.

4. Try to settle things between the two or three authors and come to an agreement.

No need to pull in everyone on an issue if it only affects a couple. We saw this with some timeline issues, with some character issues, and with a few logistical issues. It was interesting to see how writers naturally gravitated toward one another as they plotted. Travis and Houston Hart were always close as youngsters and had stayed in touch through Houston's absence, so Amanda and Keli worked together on their stories, even beta-reading for one another. Austin and Bowie Hart were close in age and the oldest two, so it was natural for me to have Austin be Bowie's 'voice of wisdom' when he needed it, and to consult Vickie on how best to portray Austin in my story.

5. The buck has to stop somewhere.

Sometimes an executive decision needed to be made, and that responsibility fell to me as the team leader. If a difference couldn't be settled, or needed an outside opinion, that's where I came in. We had this happen a few times, where it wasn't even a difference of opinion so much as a need for information. Which of the sons would inherit El Regalo? Where would each sons' land be? When would the annual cattle drive be held? (Austin, check the map of the 7 Heart Ranch, and spring into early summer so there would be grass and water for the herd headed north.) :) I handled most of these issues, trying to keep things fair and on track.


I am so blessed that this group of ladies was so easy to work with! The communication and cooperation were fantastic, and I hope we get the chance to work together again soon!

The winner of Keli Gwyn's E-X-P-A-N-D-I-N-G giveaway Friday prize is:

Trixi Oberembt won the final prize package in Keli Gwyn's Expanding Giveaway. Trixi will receive three Texas-themed candies and four Texas-set stories by Love Inspired Historical authors, a total of SEVEN items. Congratulations, Trixi! Keli will get your prize package on its way to you pronto.

Congratulations to all this week's winners, and to Keli for a great week of blog posts and Texas-themed prizes!

Come back next week when Susan Page Davis is our hostess. She'll be talking about Crockett and Jane's story, For Love or Money. (This one...oh my, I fell in love with Crockett in about three paragraphs, and I think you will, too!) 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a LOADED KINDLE FIRE TABLET!


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Tasty Texas Treats

Keli Gwyn, author of “A Love Returned” in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, here to talk about treats, tasty Texas-style ones.

My mother grew up in Texas. She introduced me to sweet tea at a young age. In fact, I can’t remember life before sweet tea.

For those who might not know what sweet tea is, it’s sweetened iced tea. The trick to making it “just right” is getting enough sugar in it. If you mix in the sugar when the tea is still warm and then cool it down, you can get more sugar absorbed into the mix. Not that I worried overmuch about that. Part of the fun for my younger self was tipping my emptied glass and letting the excess sugar on the bottom slide onto my tongue. It was like drinking liquid candy. Yum!

My maternal grandmother took charge of preparing our family feasts when she moved to town in my teens. One of the meals I most looked forward to was Nanny’s beans and chowchow, which she served on New Year’s Day. I wasn’t a huge fan of the beans themselves, but I loved burying them under a mound of her tangy chowchow, which was a pickled relish she learned to make when she lived in Texas. I never learned exactly what was in Nanny’s chowchow, but it sure tasted good.

Houston Hart, the hero of “A Love Returned,” spent twelve years in California, but he’s back in Texas now. One of the things he’d been looking forward to upon his return was sinking his teeth into one of the tasty tamales made by the Hart’s cook, Perla. Because of her Mexican heritage, she made the best tamales around, at least according to the Hart men.

Houston’s dream is realized when he sits down to a meal of tamales. Here’s the opening paragraph of the story.

Twelve years was a long time to wait for a tamale. Sam Houston Hart forked a bite and savored the spicy taste.

Since the stories in the collection take place in Texas, I thought it would be fun to offer some tasty Texas treats in my giveaway packages this week. I learned about the Texas Millionaries from my mom, who likes them. My research led me to the Longhorns and the pecan pralines.

Seeing the pralines brought back another memory of the pecan pies Nanny made for Thanksgiving each year. I’m not a fan of pecans or pies, but the memory of my Nanny’s pies is special nonetheless.

Today’s the last day to win the tasty trio of Texas-themed treats I’ve been giving away all week, so be sure to enter the giveaway. Here’s how…

Questions for You
Answer at least one to enter the giveaway.

Which Texas-themed treats are your favorites?

How do you like your iced tea, sweetened or not?

Do you like nuts in your candies? If so, which kinds?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

Each day this week, I’ve added a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline plus all three books in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan, A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge and A Rancher of Convenience by Regina Scott.

The winner of the day four prize package is Bonnie Roof! Congratulations, Bonnie! I will get your candies and books on their way to you.

Today I’m adding Texas Cinderella, another Love Inspired Historical, this one by Winnie Griggs. That’s a total of SEVEN items, which seems like a fitting number for the final prize package in my Expanding Giveaway, wouldn’t you say?

To enter my final giveaway this week, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above by midnight EST. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will ask Erica to include the name of Friday’s winner in her Saturday post tomorrow.

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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Coralee's Compassion

Keli Gwyn here to talk about Coralee Culpepper, the heroine of “A Love Returned” in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection.

If I were to describe Coralee in one word, it would be compassionate. This Southern belle has a heart as big as Texas, which is one of the many things she’s known for—along with her ringlets, of course. The vintage photograph below shows what I imagine her to look like.

Coralee cares for those in her community. She’s a member of Hartville’s Confederate Widows and Orphans Fund committee. She attends meetings and helps raise funds for the CWAOF, but she goes above and beyond those duties.

If Coralee hears that one of the war widows has a need, she takes it upon herself to meet it. She arranges to have meals prepared by her family’s cook delivered to them. Coralee offers the widows work when she can, too, in an effort to provide needed funds while enabling them to maintain their dignity.

In “A Love Returned,” Coralee hires one of the war widows to make baby clothes for a certain little Hart baby that’s on the way. No spoilers here. To find out which brother is soon to be a father, you’ll just have to read the stories in the collection.

Another way Coralee helps the citizens of Hartville is by serving on the committee planning the lavish Christmas Eve Ball. This annual affair was initiated by the matriarch of the Hart family, the late Victoria Hart herself.

At the time “A Love Returned” takes place in 1874, Coralee is helping plan the ball. As she does with anything she undertakes, she gives her all. This kindhearted woman does nothing halfway.

Because of Coralee’s loyalty to her family as well as her to community and the great state of Texas, few people know the depth of her compassion. She harbors a family secret that she promised to keep, and keep it she has, despite great cost to herself.

What Coralee lost is something readers of “A Love Returned” will discover. If you’re like me, your respect for this generous, selfless woman will grow when you do. I’ll give you a hint. It just might have something to do with a certain handsome Hart brother.

Thanks to GW Hart’s edict, his middle son, Sam Houston Hart, is back in Texas. But is Houston home for good? That’s what GW, Houston’s brothers and Coralee wonder. She can’t trust Houston. He left her once, and she fears he could leave again. After all, he still owns the hardware store he started out in California. She’ll just have to keep her distance or risk heartache all over again.

Questions for You
Answer at least one to enter the giveaway.

What organizations or committees--either in your
church or community--do you belong to?

What church or community projects have you participated in,
and which of those projects have brought you the most joy?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline along with the first and second books in the three-book Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan and A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge.

The winner is Deanna Stevens. Congratulations, Deanna! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.

Today I’m adding the third and final book in the Lone Star Cowboy League series to the prize package. The winner will receive all of the above plus A Rancher of Convenience by Regina Scott—six items in all!

To enter one of my giveaways this week, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above by midnight EST. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will announce the winner’s name in the following day’s post, so be sure to check back to find out who won. (I’ll ask Erica to include Friday’s winner in her Saturday post.)

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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Home is Where the Hart Is. Or Is It?

Keli Gwyn here to talk about Houston, the hero of “A Love Returned.”

Houston is the middle Hart brother, and his story comes smack dab in the middle of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. I thought that would be a good place for it to fall. I’m glad Erica and the others agreed with me and let me have that spot. The vintage photograph below shows how I pictured Houston.

The story begins with Houston’s return to Texas after twelve years away. He’s the only Hart brother to have left home with little to no intention of returning. Like many, he headed to California, where I live. Unlike many, he wasn’t as interested in what the Golden State had to offer as he was in getting away from his father and his father's expectations back in Texas.

People leave home for many reasons. Many are positive and mark normal life passages.

I left home for the first time when I headed to college. Being away from family was new to me. Like some do, I bounced back home for a time. I left again when I got a job and my own apartment, but I didn’t go too far. At least at first. I did spend a couple of years up in Washington state, but I returned to California, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area about three hours from my parents.

A few years later, I met my husband. Carl had a dream of teaching in an American high school over in Germany. We’d only been married a year when his dream came true. All of a sudden, I faced an international move. This was in 1987 before the Internet, Skype, etc. I’ll admit to being scared, but I was also excited. The four and a half years my husband and I spent in Germany were some of my best, but I missed our families and was happy when it came time to return to California.

Twenty years later, I experienced leaving home from a parent’s perspective when our daughter headed off to college. Since she chose a university that was only an hour away, I did pretty well. When she decided to head to Europe after her graduation and work as an English-language teaching assistant, it was hard on me, but my husband and I supported her. How could we not when we’d lived abroad ourselves?

Our gal ended up spending a year in France and two years in Austria before returning this past summer. Although those three years were tough at times, I’m thankful Adriana had that wonderful experience. Even so, I’m glad she’s back now and has settled in our area again. The grin I'm sporting in the photo below shows how happy I was when we picked her up at the airport this past June.

Sending our daughter off to Europe was hard, but we could keep in touch on a daily basis, thanks to Skype and Facebook instant messaging. I can’t imagine what it was like for those who left home back in the 1800s. Both parent and child had to realize that they might never see one another again and that correspondence, if possible, would be slow and infrequent.

Houston made the choice to leave home, despite the distance and difficulty communicating with his family back in Texas. Why?

He didn’t feel like he fit in. Unlike his father and brothers, he preferred running a business to ranching. In order to be his own man, Houston chose to go to California. The trouble was that the woman he loved said she couldn’t go with him, but he knew what she really meant. Coralee wouldn’t go with him.

But Houston is back now. Although he’s in no hurry to see Coralee Culpepper again, Hartville is a small town, so he's bound to run into her. He’ll just have to keep his distance because he’s not about to be rejected again. She’s not the woman for him. But can he find a bride in time to get his inheritance?

Questions for You

(Answer at least one question to be entered in the giveaway.)

When/why did you leave home for the first time, if you have?

Do you live near your relatives, or have you moved away?

Have you had children leave the nest?
If so, what was that experience like for you?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline plus the first book in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan.

The winner is Kristine Klein. Congratulations, Kristine! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.
 
Today I’m adding the second book in the Lone Star Cowboy League to the prize package. The winner will receive all of the above plus A Family for the Rancher by Louise M. Gouge—five items in all.

To enter one of my giveaways this week, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above by midnight EST. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will announce the winner’s name in the following day’s post, so be sure to check back to find out who won. (I’ll ask Erica to include Friday’s winner in her Saturday post.)

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Writing of “A Love Returned”

Keli Gwyn here. I’ve had four novels published. They’ve ranged from 70,000 to 100,000 words. Novellas are much shorter. Those in the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection are roughly 25,000 words. Telling a satisfying story in so few words isn’t easy.

Sometimes things an author really wants to include in a story have to be cut, which happened to me while writing “A Love Returned.” I had to omit a bit of history I found fascinating. I have a hunch you might find it as interesting as I did, so I’m sharing it here. Think of it as one of those bonus features on a DVD. This one would fall under the heading: deleted material.

When Erica invited me to write a story for the collection and came up with the idea of Houston having spent time in California, I got excited. I love the history of the Gold Country I call home and was eager to include some of it in my story.

I dived into the research, something I greatly enjoy. I knew California’s gold was used to help finance the Union’s efforts in the Civil War and that men from the Golden State did head east to serve in one of the armies. What I didn’t know was whether or not any fighting actually took place here. Even though it seemed unlikely, I wanted to find out for sure.

I’ve been surprised by my research findings many times. This was one of them. While there wasn’t a full blown battle, a single armed skirmish did take place in California in the Gold Rush town of Volcano, about forty miles from where I live.

Several of Volcano’s residents were members of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a sizable Confederate militia in California. In 1862, members in the town of Volcano, which was producing a lot of ore, made plans to seize large shipments of gold bound for the Union and send it south instead.

A pro-Union group known as the Volcano Blues got wind of the planned robberies and petitioned the arsenal in the port city of Benicia for artillery. They received a 737-pound brass cannon that had been made in Boston and used during the Mexican era.

It’s hard to know what actually took place after that, but most sources agree that the cannon, renamed “Old Abe,” was smuggled into Volcano inside a hearse. From there, the accounts vary.

According to folklore, the Volcano Blues set up the cannon on the main street, loaded it with gunpowder, nails and scrap iron, opened the windows of their businesses and fired a single shot. Supposedly, the concussion broke the windows of shops owned by the Confederate owners who hadn’t opened theirs. Since glass was quite expensive, that would have been a considerable loss.

While that colorful tale is more exciting than the truth, more accurate accounts say that the cannon wasn’t actually fired. Its mere presence was enough to quash the Knights’ plans. Had it been fired with the makeshift ammunition it was purported to contain, the blast could have killed a number of those standing nearby.

Old Abe, seen below in a 1925 public domain photo on file with the Library of Congress, is on display in the town of Volcano. The hearse, which dates to about 1850, is owned by the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. The most recent information I could find says its undergone some renovation and is in storage.

Although I wanted to use this real life event in “A Love Returned” as a way to show Houston’s loyalty to Texas and its fight for states’ rights, I didn’t have room. Since I couldn’t use this bit of history, I chose not to mention Volcano by name.

In my mind, though, Houston’s hardware store was in Volcano, he was a member of the Knights and he was one of the merchants whose windows would have been blown out if Old Abe had actually been fired. I’m sure if Coralee knew all that, she wouldn’t be as inclined to doubt Houston’s loyalty to her beloved Texas. What do you think?

Questions for You

If you were to take a visitor on a tour of your town, which historical sites would be must-sees?

What interesting facts about your town excite you?

What is your town famous for?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

Each day this week, I’ll be adding a new item to the prize package, making it BIGGER and better than the one before.

Yesterday’s prize package included three tasty Texas treats: a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline. The winner is ablst nlki I. Congratulations! Please send me an email me at keligwyn (at) keligwyn (dot) com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package on its way to you.

Today’s prize package includes the same three items plus one more. I’m adding the first book in the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series from the Love Inspired Historical line that Erica, Gabrielle and I write for: Stand-in Rancher Daddy by Renee Ryan.

To enter one of my giveaways this week, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions I ask in that particular post by midnight EST on the date that post is published. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will announce the winner’s name in the following day’s post, so be sure to check back to find out who won. (I’ll ask Erica to include Friday’s winner in her Saturday post.)

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection, including my three Love Inspired Historicals and two by Gabrielle. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

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