TRUE GRIT - WESTERN WOMEN

Everyone loves a sexy cowboy, but there’s not much of a love story if he doesn’t have an interesting woman who can tame the untamable.  Who’s up to the ever-so-pleasant but sometimes rocky task?   Let’s talk about western women. !

Western women weren’t merely transplanted eastern women.  For the most part, women had more rights and were far more “modern” in their thinking.  Wyoming granted women’s suffrage in 1869.  Most of the western states were far ahead of the eastern states when it came to suffrage, property rights, and marital law.

With that in mind, let’s look at a few women who shaped the character of Janelle Kathryn (aka J.K., shortened to Jake) O’Keefe, the heroine in MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3).
                                                        
 And while we're looking at these inspiring women, let me mention that another release, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS, is FREE today on Amazon!

Little Joe Monaghan

Joe Monaghan

A lot of you know the story—Joe Monaghan was a woman who lived as a man in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, for forty years.  But that’s not what interested me.  What I found intriguing was what she did.  As a member of the “weaker sex,” here’s a list of accomplishments:
 Worked a high-altitude mine, and worked harder than most men.
 Worked odd jobs—carpentry, digging ditches, anything to make a coin
 Bought a small acreage and raised chickens and garden vegetables—enough to sell and provide her with a decent living.
 Hired out as a sheepherder
 Hired out as a cowhand
 Homesteaded
 Earned money as a wrangler and bronc buster
 Performed as Cowboy Joe in Whaylen's Wild West Show: the Greatest Show on Land or Sea (note: Whaylen offered to pay $25 to any man who brought a horse that Joe couldn't ride, and never once did he have to part with his money)
 Built her own ranch and raised cattle
Now does that sound like the “weaker sex” to you?  This is not an easy country to ranch in, either.  Take a look: http://youtu.be/E8CzQYEncvk (be prepared to listen to a motorcycle. )
You can read more about Little Joe Monaghan at Unusual Historicals.

Kitty Wilkins

Kitty Wilkins

Now, we’ll go to a girlie-girl, a very feminine woman who you’d think would be the epitome of Victorian propriety.  She also lived in Owyhee County.  I’m referring to Kitty Wilkins, who, to this day, holds the record for the largest horsetrading deal in North American history.

Did she act like a man? No.  Did she look like a man?  No. The Sioux City Journal of Sioux City, Iowa, described Miss Wilkins as "a tall stately blond, with fluffy, golden hair, large blue eyes that have quite a knack of looking clear through one, regular features and pearly teeth which glisten and sparkle when she smiles, and she has a habit of smiling very frequently. Her lips are red and full, and her mouth and chin denote a certain firmness of manner, no doubt acquired in her peculiar calling."

Yet this woman could wheel and deal with the best of them.  She knew horseflesh better than most men, and she understood the business.  Find out more about Kitty Wilkins at Romancing The West.

Jake O’Keefe

Maureen O'Hara/Jake O'Keefe

So how did Little Joe Monaghan and Kitty Wilkins become Jake O’Keefe?  I guess it just happens when visions mix up in the ether.  Out came a beautiful woman who looks like Maureen O’Hara but is in a man’s world where she has to make do with what she’s got.  And what she has are the skills to make her the best foreman in the territory.  She’s confident, competent, and bold.  She wears clothing appropriate to her job; hence, britches instead of skirts.  I loved the idea of a man having to tame a woman instead of the other way around.

Now who would make the most improbable mate for a woman of this background?  A Boston attorney.  Yep.  So that’s just what I gave her, and it was rather fun watching her work all this out.  Sometimes an author needs to stay out of the way and let the characters tell the story, and believe me, no one gets in Jake’s way.  Well, except for Ben.  Whoo-baby!

Excerpt of MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3)
by Jacquie Rogers

[Setup: Ben grew in Owyhee County, Idaho Territory, but his father (who called Ben “Skeeter”) didn’t see where he’d ever amount to anything so he sent Ben to Harvard, where he read the law and became a prominent Boston attorney.  In this scene, Ben has just come home for the first time in thirteen years to settle his deceased father’s estate.]

Ben paid for the sarsaparillas and grasped both mug handles with one hand.  “Nice to see you again,” he said to the clerk.  He strode outside, into the billowing alkali dust kicked up by the wagon passing in front of the store.

A red-headed woman in cowhand’s clothes pulled the horses to a stop.  She handled the reins as well as any man; nevertheless, he planned to drive to the ranch whether she liked it or not.  She jumped down and headed for the trunk, but Ben ran to it first.  Shoving the mugs into her hands, he picked up the trunk and heaved it into the wagon.  He’d be double-damned if he’d let a woman load his trunk for him, even if she was nearly as tall as he.

She saluted him with one mug, drank the entire contents, and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.  “We best be getting to the Bar EL.  They’re expecting us.”

He could hardly wait to see his mother and sister, even if his stomach soured every time he thought about his childhood home.  But he had to take care of the family and ranch now that his father had died.  Worse, he had to contend with Jake O’Keefe because Pa thought his own son too incompetent to hire good people, even after four years at Harvard and nine years of practicing law.

The soda was refreshing and he took his time while the woman waited, not patiently, shifting her weight from left to right, then tossing a few pebbles.

“I think we should reintroduce ourselves.”  He placed the mug on the boardwalk and offered his hand.  “How do you do?  I’m Benjamin Lawrence, visiting from Boston.”

“Janelle Kathryn.”  She grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.  “I’m surely pleased to meet you.”

He tested his shoulder to see if it still functioned after her hearty handshake.  Then, just to knock her off guard, he took her hand and kissed the back of it with grandiose gallantry.  “My pleasure, Miss Janelle.”
♥ ♥ ♥
Jumpin’ juniper berries!  Jake snatched her scorching hand away from Skeeter’s lips.  His well-placed little smacker burned hotter than a branding iron in August.  Only better, but she sure as shootin’ wouldn’t admit it to a soul.  Ever.  Of course, she had no intention of washing her hand for a month either.  That hot kiss sent goosebumps clean down to her toes.

She sucked in a deep breath and cleared her throat.  “Let’s go.”  She hopped onto the wagon and picked up the reins.

Ben leapt onto the seat and took the reins from her.  “I’ll drive.”

His thigh rubbed hers.  She didn’t know how he could think right if he tingled anything like she did.  But, he probably didn’t.  She inched away from him as the buckboard moved out of town.  She focused on the sagebrush—at least it didn’t knock her plumb senseless.  He was too damned good-looking in a dandified sort of way.  Taller than she was, too, by a few inches.  Few men were.  She stood even with Whip, who, although bent with years of hard work, was taller than the rest of the men.

It ate at her that Skeeter muddled her mind so, and she had no idea what got into her to tell him her real name.  She’d better set him straight.

“Just so’s you know, I ain’t no simpering female.  Folks around here call me Jake.  Jake O’Keefe.  I expect you ought to call me that, too.”
~^~
Enjoy the ride!

MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #3) is available at Amazon.

You can get MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #2) for FREE on Kindle today,

 and MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS (♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥ #1) is only 99¢.What a deal!

Author Jacquie Rogers

Visit Jacquie at her website, http://www.jacquierogers.com/
Twitter, https://twitter.com/JacquieRogers
Facebook , http://www.facebook.com/JacquieRogersAuthor
Romancing The West, http://romancingthewest.blogspot.com/
or her Blog http://jacquierogers.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Jacquie, who is one of my favorite authors, for sharing her source of inspiration for her new heroine. Don't you love her book covers? If you haven't read her books, poor you! Start with book #1, MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS, and you won't be able to stop until you've read all three of her Hearts of Owyhee Series. She combines fast pace, humor, surprises, and great characterization for a perfect read.

Thanks for stopping bt!

REVIEW OF MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS

MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS (Hearts of Owyhee)

By Jacquie Rogers
Melange Publishing

Lucinda Sharpe has spent ten years overcoming her past. Her former guardian, the not-so-Reverend Hundall, called her “the daughter of Satan.” As a recent graduate of Miss Hattie’s School for the Refinement of Young Ladies, Lucinda has escaped the Hundalls and her past to begin her career as a schoolteacher. What a shock when she arrives in Dickshooter, Idaho Territory and meets her pupils. Oh, my! The students aren’t scrubbed and darling children; they’re fairly shabby prostitutes.

Lucinda is forced to remain in the Comfort Palace...um, hotel until the next stage. In the meantime, she meets the owner, Reese McAdams. He is nothing like she expected, and she is amazed she almost likes him. Before she can board the next stagecoach out of what passes for a town, the Comfort Palace women convince Lucinda to remain and teach them to read and write so they can obtain better jobs. Her agreement sets in motion another wonderful story by Jacquie Rogers. Although part of the Hearts of Owyhee series, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS initiates the Soiled Dove mini-series featuring Fannie and the other ladies from the Comfort Palace. I was pleased that the Gardner sisters from MUCH ADO ABOUT MARSHALS made an appearance, although their time was too short. (I hope for a book about banker, Iris Gardner, in the future.) In the meantime, Jacquie Rogers’ eagerly awaited next release will be MUCH ADO ABOUT MAVERICKS.

Set in 1882 Owyhee County, Idaho, MUCH ADO ABOUT MADAMS is a trmenbous bargain at only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle at

http://www.amazon.com/About-Madams-Hearts-Owyhee-ebook/dp/B007HRTQ0O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333224438&sr=1-1

I am supposed to say that I received this book from the author for my unbiased review. Believe me, I would have purchased this book had Jackie Rogers not given it to me! She is one of my favorite authors.

                                             ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JACQUIE ROGERS, AUTHOR

Here is Jacquie Rogers' bio from her website www.jacquierogers.com. You will quickly see how funny she is:

My parents were poor but honest sharecroppers …


Okay, perhaps that's stretching the truth a little, but I come from a long line of no-holds-barred storytellers, so I like to exaggerate. Worse yet, I'm a writer, and writers do tend to get carried away. My parents actually owned a dairy farm in Owyhee County, Idaho, near Homedale and I grew up milking cows, breaking ice on the calves' water troughs and checking the bottoms of my shoes before entering the house. While I don't miss the frigid Idaho winters, I do recall those soulful calf eyes with fondness. Nowadays, the only soulful eyes I see are those of my husband when he pokes his head in my office for the tenth time and asks me when I'm going to fix dinner.

Still, those early farm days gave me a solid grounding in Real Life and provided me with endless fodder for my stories. Those days seem so bucolic now. Back then, I was a member of the Homedale Rod & Gun Club, Stateline Grange, and Sage Creek 4-H. I showed livestock, was the county fair queen, and garnered the title of girl's champion in the small bore rifle competition. (Now there's a scary combination!) I rode my horses to hell and back, with special emphasis on riding into the sunset while harmonica music played in the background.

Farm Girl Enters Urban World

But there came a time when this farm girl hankered for more than practicing her county fair queen wave (elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist) and scraping cow pats off her shoes. For one thing, I couldn't get a date--nobody wanted to go out with a tiara-wearing sharpshooter who wore stinky shoes. So I put away my tiara and became a professional photographer, which served me well during my college days.

I also had a stint as deli manager at Kmart, which became something of a rite of passage for me. You meet the strangest people in a Kmart. After the Kmart stint, I figured I could handle anything, even politicians. Due to my deep familiarity with bulls**t (animal excrement? animal leavings? cow doody?), I made the logical move up to political campaign manager. I was a natural at it, which surprised no one, especially my family. I can sling it with the best of them.

And then came my tenure as accounts receivable manager at the Boise State University Bookstore. It was like hiring an alcoholic to work in a liquor store. I had to enroll in a 12-step program when I quit that job. (Hello. My name is Jacquie and I'm a bookaholic.)

Cupid Strikes

And then I fell in love. Mark had never seen my tiara and he didn't know I could plug the fringe off a squirrel tail at fifty yards with a rifle. He did know about my days as a political campaign manager, but like he said, nobody's perfect. We got married and honeymooned in Ketchum, Idaho. We were young and in love and playful. One day, we went down to the swimming pool of our honeymoon hotel. While I futzed around locating a lawn chair and folding my towel and straightening my bathing suit, Mark jumped into the pool. I felt my way to the pool without my glasses a short while later and spotted Mark's bald head at the other end. Submerging myself, I swam up behind him sneaky-like. Since we were the only ones in the pool, I reached down there and gave him a friendly little squeeze, as newly married couples are wont to do. The reaction I got was better than I could ever have expected, and there was only one tiny problem that ruined the whole effect: it wasn't Mark.

That scene will likely end up in one of my books, as soon as I fully recover from the mortification. Which will be in about 100 years.

Parenting, Programming, and Penning (the writing kind, not the cattle kind)

We moved to Seattle and I became a programmer, then started a software company (no, not that software company!). And like most new business owners, I made a few mistakes now and then. I call them my $15,000 stapler mistakes (read undercharged a job). Most business proprietors who've been in business for any length of time eventually buy a $15,000 stapler. Still, it was the good life.

I joined Romance Writers of America and the local RWA chapter. Because I didn't know any better, I allowed myself to be elected president of the Greater Seattle RWA chapter. I was in it up to my eyebrows. After numerous writing conferences, I thought I knew it all, and entered some writing contests.

I found out I didn't know it all.

Back to the drawing board! More conferences, more workshops, more how-to books, more delving into the craft of writing. I must have been doing something right, because people started asking me to do workshops. Now I do writing workshops and teach on-line writing courses.

During all this, I wrote and wrote. I did westerns. And paranormals. And futuristics. And lots and lots of humor. I even, God forbid, started blogging. http://keelysfaerygoodadvice.blogspot.com

I Become a Writer

So, how did I start writing? I got sick. So sick that I lay in bed for two months with pneumonia, unable to do anything but read. Which was a good thing, since we had a bazillion books. In fact, floor to ceiling bookcases filled to overflowing, with stacks of books on the floor in front of the bookcases. I read them all, and then there was nothing left to read.

My daughter, an avid Romance reader, tried to get me to read one of her books. I refused. She was adamant. To get her to stop yammering, I finally broke down and read a Romance. It was awful. My daughter told me you couldn't judge an entire genre by one book, and gave me another book to read. It was Kathleen Eagle's FIRE AND RAIN, and I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much I went on to read 100 more Romances while I recuperated.

Light My Fire

Those books struck a spark in me. I kept getting ideas for stories. Scenarios blipped through the jellied mass in my head. Voices began talking in my ear. Characters leapt full blown into existence and followed me around the house, nagging me to put them into a book. People were making love in my bed, taking bubble baths in my bathtub, drinking wine in front of the fireplace I didn't have. Handsome men walked out of the bathroom with just a towel around their hips. Dainty heroines with secret babies baked chocolate chip cookies in my kitchen and took them to the cute guy next doors. Bronc busters moseyed into the living room chewing on a piece of straw and oozing boyish charm. Rain-drenched heroines appeared on my doorstep like adorable waifs, unable to find their way home because they had amnesia. I couldn't stand it. I wrote a book about a heroine waif who baked cookies for her neighbor who was a bronc buster hiding out from the law after being falsely accused of a heinous crime.

When I wrote The End, you could hear members of my family thudding to the ground from Seattle, Washington to Homedale, Idaho. My mom had always wanted me to be a writer. Naturally, I immediately swore I'd never do anything that smacked of writing. Besides, it was against my religion to finish a job if I wasn't being paid to do it. Yet despite it all, I wrote a book. And then another. And another. And now, like it or not. I am a published writer.

Mom's gone now, yet I can't help but wonder sometimes if she wasn't the one responsible for peopling my house with strangers who kept nagging at me to write their stories. I suspect she is, and I also suspect she's having the last laugh.

See, I told you Jacquie Rogers is funny, didn't I? She can't help herself. You can read her blog at Romancing the West, http://romancingthewest.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by!