WATCH OUT FOR THAT QUICKSAND!

Most of us have read stories in which the villain or the protagonist is trapped in quicksand. My first encounter was in a Nancy Drew book, where she sank to her thighs or waist. Then, one of the villains in a Sherlock Holmes story died in quicksand. Since then, I’ve read other accounts—fictitious and authentic—in which someone became victim to the engulfing, suffocating medium.

I live in North Central Texas near the Brazos River and not that far from the Red River. As a child, we visited my grandmother just over the Red River into Oklahoma. I always wanted to stop and play on the river’s red sand and water. My parents talked of people, animals, even wagons being lost in the river’s sands. I had doubts, for I knew they didn’t want to take time away from our visit.

When my husband and I moved to North Central Texas, I heard the same tales of quicksand in the Brazos River engulfing the unsuspecting. The water appears tranquil and the banks firm. I have to admit I was a skeptic. However, now I’m a believer. I have a friend who is almost 105 years old whose mind is still sharp even though her body is betraying her. Let me share her parents’ story with you.

Her Dalton parents were married in Weatherford TX and lived there for a year with her grandparents. They decided to move to Mineral Wells, which meant crossing numerous creeks and the Brazos River. By this time, Mrs. Dalton was six months pregnant with their first child.

They loaded their belongings into a wagon and set out for their future home. When they reached the Brazos, Mr. Dalton drove the team across a low area. Suddenly, the horses started squealing and sinking. So did the wagon. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton were able to leap from the back of the wagon onto firm ground.

The Brazos River near Mineral Wells

Unfortunately, the horses, wagon, and belongings sank into quicksand and out of view. All they salvaged were the clothes on their backs and a tiny bundle Mrs. Dalton grabbed as she jumped. The couple had to walk the fifteen miles back to Weatherford and the parents/in-laws. What a blow, but at least they survived and lived to raise a family of nine. Most of their children lived at least into their nineties and a couple passed the century mark.

Since my friend told me this story, I’ve heard of other families who had the same or a similar misfortune involving quicksand at the Brazos. One family cut the harness so the horses escaped, but lost the wagon. Another involved the wagon driver sinking into the quicksand while trying to free the animals. Being a pioneer was tough!

These stories caused me to speculate, as writers always do with any new kernel of information. Because I am somewhat claustrophobic, the mention of quicksand terrifies me. Even writing about the sucking, suffocating goo that swallows up indiscriminately creates shivers and a knot in my abdomen.

Since it terrifies me, I decided to use it in my latest series, Men of Stone Mountain. So far, two of the books mention or involve quicksand. If I have to be frightened, why shouldn’t my characters, right? (cue fiendish laugh) All three books also involve poison, but that’s another article.

The three Stone brothers are Micah, Zach, and Joel. These men are heroic, loyal, handsome, and want to settle near one another. They live in or near the fictitious city of Radford Springs near the Brazos River and in the real Palo Pinto County and Palo Pinto Mountains of Texas.

In the first of the series, BRAZOS BRIDE, Micah’s cattle are dying of thirst from the drought that has dried up all the natural springs and his tanks. Hope Montoya’s huge ranch borders the river, but she is being poisoned and fears she won’t survive without help. She and Micah make a deal that gives him land between his and the river in exchange for entering a paper marriage with Hope. While their union frees her of a guardianship, the wedding makes them both targets of the murderer’s escalating attacks. BRAZOS BRIDE is available from Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

Zach Stone’s story is HIGH STAKES BRIDE. Poor Zach has been jilted for the second time, this time by mail. He vows never to speak to another woman unless she is a relative. But then Alice Price crosses his trail. She’s on the run from her worthless stepbrothers who have wagered her in a high stakes card game with the meanest man in Texas. Zach thinks he has a plan to help himself avoid his brother’s ribbing about his lost mail-order bride and give Alice a place to hide. Zach changes his mind about the ease of protecting the event-prone Alice when one complication after another arises. HIGH STAKES BRIDE is available from Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

BLUEBONNET BRIDE is Joel Stone’s story. By this time, Joel is the Radford Springs Sheriff and keeps a safe town with his by-the-book law enforcement. He is quite smitten when widow Rosalyn Dumas and her daughter Lucy step off the stage. Lucy admires “Mister Sheriff” but Rosalyn wants nothing to do with the man who could destroy her new life. Back in Pearsonville in East she was convicted of murdering her husband and only escaped the gallows due to a tornado sweeping through town. Trouble always follows, doesn’t it? Joel fights to save the woman he loves from prison. BLUEBONNET BRIDE is available at Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, etc.

Currently, my work in progress is TABITHA’S JOURNEY, a novella about six foot six Bear Baldwin and his attempt to find a mail-order bride. Tabitha Masterson leaves her Boston home to escape a forced marriage to a man she despises and arrives in Radford Springs expecting to marry rancher Bear Baldwin. Or maybe not. Their story will be available very soon.

If you enjoy series books about the Old West, please give the Men of Stone Mountain a try. They are available in print and e-book from most online sources.

Thanks for stopping by!

HOT DIGGITY DOG! A TOP PICK REVIEW!

Great reviews thrill authors, and I am so excited about my Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews for BRAZOS BRIDE. Picture me doing a Snoopy Happy Dance around the house. Ouch, I tripped over a couple of cats and a dog. Okay, instead of me dancing, picture me smiling a lot. Really a lot.

Pour your favorite beverage and let's toast to a fabulous review! I'm lifting my Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper in a happy toast to you readers and to BRAZOS BRIDE and the Men of Stone Mountain trilogy and to the reviewer Barb.

Here’s the review by Barb of Night Owl Reviews:

"I found this book to be very entertaining. I read it in one afternoon because I had to know who was trying to murder Hope, the heroine. Her interaction with Micah and their relationship was the heart of the story. I really got into the story and the characters. The mystery of just who of the many characters were the evil ones kept me reading and turning pages (so to speak) on my Kindle. I was unable to stop reading this book until I finished it. That really says something for the author's plot and cast of characters. I enjoy these types of books, but this one was exceptional. I will be patiently waiting for the stories of Micah's brothers, Zach and Joel. I see the potential for some very good stories following these brothers' lives. Good job in making me want more.
Mar 28, 2012
B007HS10SY
Top Pick 4.5 stars"

Wasn't that great? And she wants more about the Stone brothers. Oh, thank heavens! I have more stories about the Men of Stone Mountain, two more to be exact. Right now, I’m writing Zach’s story and having so much fun with his heroine, Mary Alice Price. But that’s for another time. Today, help me celebrate my Top Pick review for BRAZOS BRIDE.

And this book is only 99 cents from Kindle. What a bargain! The buy link is:
http://www.amazon.com/Brazos-Bride-Stone-Mountain-ebook/dp/B007HS10SY/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333679517&sr=1-11

The book is set on the Brazos River in 1870, hence the name. The ranch is near present day Possum Kingdom Lake. The Brazos River is shown below.


Brazos River, longest river in Texas


Yep, Possum Kingdom Lake is a real place. Actally the ranch from which I modeled that in the book was huge, and part of it would now be under the lake. There's plenty still topside, though, including the historic homesite. 

Possum Kingdom Lake including the cliff
that is part of the original ranch

I changed the actual ranch's home into a haceinda because the heroine is Hispanic. (Besides, I love Spanish architecture.) But the ranch is a genuine working ranch that I was privileged to visit on a Palo Pinto County historic tour a few years back. So glad I was able to see the beautiful Belding-Gibson private ranch and it inspired me. WhooHoo!  


Thanks for stopping by!
 

LAUNCH FOR MY NEW BOOK, BRAZOS BRIDE!

Me doing a
happy dance!

This weekend is the official launch of my new western historical BRAZOS BRIDE, set in 1870 North Central Texas. Woo Hoo! I am so excited about this book. While considering this trilogy, I engaged in a lot of research on stage lines, Comanche attacks, pioneer settlements, and a million other things specific to the area and time period. Let me share with you some of the places and events that inspired me.

Frankly, I love trilogies. I like seeing the hero and heroine from the first book reappear still happily married in the second and third books. Family-oriented books also appeal to me, so this trilogy features three brothers: Micah, Zach, and Joel Stone. Zach lives on Stone Mountain and his brothers live nearby. You can see why it’s subtitled Men of Stone Mountain, can’t you? But back to inspiration.

A fascinating non-fiction book, PAINTED POLE by Barbara Belding Gibson, is about the Belding Ranch. Fortunately, I bought mine years ago because now they're very hard to find and expensive. When the first Belding came to Palo Pinto County, Texas in 1859, he found an abandoned small cedar log cabin already on the land. To people in the east or in Europe and the UK, I realize thatjust ovee 150 years is not old. But y'all remember, we’re the “new” part of the US, and that time period is early for Texas, partner. Texas only became a country in 1836, and then a state in 1845.

Mr. Belding had a huge ranch that has since been divided several times among descendants. The portion on which Barbara and Cy Gibson live includes the original cabin, smokehouse, and cold room. These structures have been preserved and incorporated into the newer portions of the ranch house. The former cabin is now a bathroom--roomy for that purpose, but very small for a home. Fortunately, the Gibsons love history and are excellent stewards of their heritage.

Approaching the
Palo Pinto Mountains

Several years ago, Hero noticed in the local newspaper that the Belding-Gibson Ranch was holding an open house. YeeHaw! We attended and I was enthralled. This ranch was perfect for the first book in my trilogy! Although I was working on other projects, I took notes like mad.

California hacienda in Laguna Beach
similar to Hope Montoya's (sans
plam trees and beach)

The heroine, Hope Montoya, is Hispanic from a very wealthy family who were in Texas before there were anglos. She lives in a two-story Spanish-style hacienda reminiscent of the Moorish Spanish architecture found in many areas of the Southwest.
 However, that's not true of the hero, Micah Stone.

Belding cabin on right, dogtrot,
and smokehouse on left from a
photo in PAINTED POLE

Micah lives in a replica of the Belding Ranch cabin with a dog trot extension. I enlarged the cabin minutely, so there was room for five bunks and some other furniture. I also attached a porch with a couple of benches and a chair for the hero, his brothers, and two ranch hands. That’s the fun part of writing; we can take reality and twist it to suit our stories. Mmm, I feel so empowered! I can almost hear Helen Reddy singing in the background. "I am woman, hear me roar...."

Part of the Belding Ranch is beneath
Possum Kingdom Lake, which
was created by daming the Brazos. The
white cliff on the left is Hell's Gate and
a part of the original ranch.

The Brazos River runs through this area, winding through ravines and creating lovely scenery. The hills are the Palo Pinto Mountains, called that by the Native Americans who labeled them “painted poles” for the scrub oaks colorful fall leaves. They aren’t the Appalachians or the Rockies, folks, but the Palo Pinto Mountains are beautiful in their own way. To someone like me who mostly grew up in relatively flat West Texas, they are gorgeous. I used this area in another book, a modern time travel titled OUT OF THE BLUE. That book has an Irish girl from 1845 plopping into the modern lake beside the bass boat of a police detective.

When I was a small girl, I lived in Southern California and fell in love with the Spanish architecture prevalent there. Probably that's why I love Santa Barbara, San Antonio, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque so much. Anyway, that’s the style I chose for the heroine’s home. In my mind, I can picture it so clearly. I hope my writing brings the home to life for readers.

And I love romances where there is also murder and mayhem. This one has both. I just love torturing my characters. (Ghoulish laugh)

Another commonality of this trilogy is that each involves a type of poison. In BRAZOS BRIDE, the heroine is being poisoned and enlists the hero’s help to discover the killer. Her plan involves a temporary marriage of convenience so she can control her estate. Well, you’ve read enough romances to know how that will end, right? But you need to read this book to see how Hope and Micah arrive at their happy ending. Really, you do need to read the book!

Here’s the blurb:

Hope Montoya knows someone is poisoning her, but who? She suspects her mother was also poisoned and knows her father was murdered. Who wants her family eliminated? She vows to fight! She realizes she won’t last the eight months until she turns twenty-five and her uncle no longer controls her or her estate. Never will she be dominated by a man as she was by her father, as she has seen her mother and grandmothers dominated. If she marries, she gains control now, but only if she weds a man she can trust. Only one man meets her requirements. Can she trust him to protect her and capture the killer...but then to leave?

Micah Stone has been in love with Hope since the first time he saw her. But he was accused of her father’s murder and surely would have hung if not for his two brothers’ aid. Most in the community still believe him guilty. But the drought has him too worried about water for his dying cattle to care about his neighbors’ opinions. When Hope proposes a paper marriage in exchange for land on the Brazos River and much needed cash, her offer rubs his pride raw. His name may be Stone, but he’s not made of it. He can’t refuse her for long, and so their adventure begins.

And here’s an excerpt from in the hotel room after the wedding:

She looked at her hands. Perhaps she was unreasonable. Or maybe insane for sympathizing with a man who'd had to work harder because of her family.


"I know it is an odd situation. If—if you wear your shirt and britches, I guess it would be all right if you slept on top of the cover here." She patted the bed beside her.


He froze. Not a muscle moved, and he only stared at her. Had she misunderstood? Did he think her offer too forward?


She babbled, "That is, if you want to. You said I should trust you. Well, maybe you would be more comfortable where you are." Why didn't he say something? Would he prefer sleeping in a chair to sharing the bed?


From the street below, she heard raucous laughter and someone called to a man named Ben. Music from a piano, she supposed in the saloon, drifted in through the open windows. A gust of breeze moved the curtains and slid across her skin. In this room, though, there was no sound.


Slowly, he rose and extinguished the lamp as he moved across the room. She slid one of the pillows beside hers then scooted down. What had possessed her to offer him half her bed? Would he think she invited more?


Too late to take it back now, for the mattress dipped as he stretched out. Quaking inside at the thought of him so near, she turned her back to him. She heard his weary sigh, as if he relaxed for the first time in a long while.


"Good night," she offered, and hoped he understood the finality of the phrase.


"Yep. Good night, Mrs. Stone." The mattress shook as he turned his back to her. She felt the soles of his feet press against her ankles. He must be several inches too long for the bed and she guessed he had to bend his legs to fit. She didn't dare turn to see firsthand.


She lay perfectly still, afraid to take a deep breath. Soon his breathing changed and she knew he slept. Outside the open window the town quieted and the distant tinkling of the piano was the only sound. Light from the full moon illuminated the room and slanted across the bed. A soft breeze drifted across her, lulling her in its caress.


With a sigh, she fought to relax, but abdominal pain kept her awake no matter how her body cried for rest. Perhaps if she planned, she’d forget the pain and chills that racked her frame.


Plan, yes. She needed a plan for food preparation when she returned to her home. No, Micah said he had a plan. Oh, dear, once more he took charge when it was her life, her home.


Maybe Aunt Sofia and Uncle Jorge would have left by then and things would be fine. Already she felt more secure. She sensed her eyelids drifting closed and the sleep’s blessed relief approaching. She snuggled into the pillow.


A gunshot ripped apart the night.


The blast startled her and she screamed as something thudded near her head, showering her hair and face with splinters. Panic immobilized her. What had happened?


Micah dragged her onto the floor as a bullet ripped into the mattress.

Want to know what happens next? BRAZOS BRIDE is 65,000 words, mildly sensual, and only 99 cents at Amazon Kindle. Here’s the buy link:


http://www.amazon.com/Brazos-Bride-Stone-Mountain-ebook/dp/B007HS10SY/ref=sr_1_18?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331156267&sr=1-18


On Monday, Ann Christine will by a guest, so please return. Thank you for stopping by!