Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 11

Progress After a Hard Year

[image error]Here I am while vending at a farmers’ market.

This month I reflect on a hard year but look forward to a better tomorrow and make some announcements in the Creative Worlds of Janalyn Voigt newsletter.

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Christmas Novella & Podcast Launches

Reader News for December 2015

We’re in the holiday season, and with a new Christmas novella to release,  I couldn’t be more pleased. After one of the hardest years of my life (months of lost work due to illness, hackers, broken computers, and household disasters), I’m finally able to announce some progress. First, though, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention you, dear reader, and thank you for your loyalty. During some of the roughest times, you encouraged me in small ways that mean a lot.

Christmas Novella

I’m delighted to announce the release of All I Want for Christmas, a Sweet Serenade Christmas novella and my very first indie title. I don’t plan to give up benefits of being traditionally published, but I also wanted an outlet that allows more creative control to the author. The cover is my own design, and I’m ridiculously pleased about how it turned out.

All I Want for Christmas will release for Kindle in the next couple of days, to be followed shortly by a print version. I’ll be reading this book free as part of my brand new podcast, so catch those details, below.

All I Want For Christmas

Hailey may just give up on men entirely.  When Corey broke her heart,  her best friend Matt helped pick up the pieces. Matt made his interest in her no secret when they first met, but seemed happy to accept a friendship, at least until now. With Corey looking her way again, Matt has started acting funny.

If Matt wasn’t a cubicle worker who moonlights as a Seattle street musician, this could have been easy.  Hailey can’t afford a drag on her ambitions. She needs to climb the career ladder to keep her childhood home, all she has left of her parents.

After Amy ditched him for a man with more money, Matt isn’t about to tell Hailey that the ‘fiddle’ he carries is a Stradivarius or that he owns a tuxedo. Let her love him for himself or not at all.[image error]

Epic Fantasy

I’ve submitted Sojourner, Tales of Faeraven 3, to my publisher. As I mentioned last month, this series, which I envisioned as a trilogy, has morphed into four books. DawnKing, Tales of Faeraven 4, is already stirring in my mind.

Western Historical Romance

I’m looking forward to beginning Hills of Nevermore, first novel in the Montana Gold series, which is set in Montana’s gold rush days. With just eight months between books, I’m reworking my schedule to accommodate more time for writing them, and my husband and I are discussing another research trip to Montana to gather information for the second book, Cheyenne Sunrise, which I’ll begin later in 2016.  I’ll be updating my author newsletter with details from my research and literary travels.

Romantic Mystery Novels

I’m enjoying writing Deceptive Tide, a romantic suspense novel set on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands archipelago an unspoiled paradise off the coast of Washington state.  Watch for its release in the beginning of 2016.

Story Circle/Literary Wayfarer Podcast

I’m becoming leary about announcing dates, because right after I said I’d be starting the Story Circle podcast in November, the laptop I need to record the podcast broke.  It’s finally repaired, and I’m hoping to release the first episode on Friday with All I Want for Christmas, a Christmas novella. The chapters are short, so I’ll be reading several at a time so we can complete the novella in December.

Upcoming Events

This month I’ll be signing books at the December meeting of Northwest Christian Writers Association. If you’re going to be in the area, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello.

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Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

If ever there was a season to read Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, this would be it. Blustery winds, fretful skies, and chilly nights lend a certain atmosphere in keeping with the drama of this story.

A true thriller, Jamaica Inn derives tension not from macabre deeds, although it has its share, but from Bodmin moor itself, personified in page after page of description that nowadays would earn a writer frowns in some circles. I relished every word of these exquisitely executed passages. They drew me into the story like nothing else. When the heroine, Mary Yellan, gazed out over the moors, I was right there, beside her, with the strange winds moaning in my ear.

As an author, I’m taking notes. Our modern literary world is full of rules for writers, stipulations that were unknown to earlier authors. I’m glad for their sake, because rules tend to kill creativity. Jamaica Inn compels the reader, I believe, because its creativity blends with the author’s life experience.

Descriptions of the moor ring true because they were drawn from impressions Daphne du Maurier gained during a misadventure she suffered. While staying at the real Jamaica Inn, which still provides sustenance to Cornwall’s travelers today, Daphne and a friend went riding on Bodmin moor. A sudden fog descended, disorienting the two young ladies. Darkness fell, and they lost their way completely. The situation could have become dire had they failed to keep their wits about them. They gave the horses their heads so they would carry them safely through the boggy terrain and back to the the stables.

[image error]Jamaica Inn today (Image by Lost Penguin (Wendy) (Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)], via Wikimedia Commons)While Daphne was recovering from her ordeal, the local vicar is said to have regaled her with Jamaica Inn’s ghost tales and with the local history of smuggling. This inspired her to write the novel, Jamaica Inn.

Jamaica Inn has a bold heroine not unlike its author. Cat-like, Mary Yellan follows her curiosity straight into trouble. Jem Merlyn, the hero, is sigh-worthy despite some strange ideas that seem to have come from the time this book was written. That would be 1936, in case you are wondering, but the story is set in 1820. Mary cleans up his pigsty of a house, and when he orders her to cook for him, she does it. That sort of thing probably wouldn’t fly today. This is a vintage book, after all, and should be read with that in mind.

[image error] Daphne du Maurier in her youth

I had questions about the heroine’s motivations for remaining at Jamaica Inn when it’s clearly in her best interests to leave, but the readership this story was written for thought a great deal more about family ties than we do currently, so in that context, it is plausible.

The wreckers of the Cornish coast have intrigued me since I learned about them by reading The Wreckers, part of Ian Lawrence’s High Seas Trilogy. These were ruffians were said to use false lights in order to lure ships onto rocks near the shore. Salvage rights to sunken vessels were a prize men were reputedly kill for, and any survivors might not live long. Dead men tell no tales. I use this concept myself in DawnSinger and WayFarer, the first two books in my epic fantasy series, Tales of Faeraven. In those stories, wreckers haunt the Coast of Bones and indirectly shape the plot.

While the traditional idea about wreckers provides interesting fodder for novels, it’s only fair to mention Cornish Wrecking, 1700-1860: Reality and Popular Myth. In its pages, the author, Cathryn J. Pearce, busts the myth of Cornish wreckers as akin to the fiends of hell. Read it if you must. :o)

Recommended Reading

I recommend Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier as a fall or winter reading pick. The story is a romantic adventure that is just right to warm and thrill you. Read it when the night wind moans.

Note: This article contains my Amazon affiliate links. Purchasing items on Amazon through the links I provide is a simple way at no additional cost you can support this site.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be pleased for you to share this image at social sites with a link back to this post to let others know. Thanks for reading!

Janalyn

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Mona The Camel, a San Juan Islands Icon

Every once in  a while an animal captures the popular imagination and even attains fame. That’s the case with Mona, a camel living on San Juan Island who has an irrepressible affection for people.  Mona, originally called Moanie for the sound she made whenever her first owner, J. Ward Phillips, would leave, still makes that sound when she talks to people.

Phillips obtained Mona from a breeder in Missouri and brought her to the San Juan Islands as part of an exotic animal farm. When Phillips moved to Canada for a few years, he returned to visit Mona every couple of months, but that didn’t prevent her from protesting the separation by dismantling her barn. Phillips realized she needed a new owner who could give her more attention.

The woman who purchased Phillip’s camel decided not to keep her, which is how Mona came to live with Steve and Corina King. Steve had good memories of a camel he saw in a petting zoo as a child, and Corina developed an interest in camels during the three years she made documentaries in Egypt. Since coming to live with the King’s Mona’s popularity has grown.

My own experience of her was on a perfect day in summer. I was in a car with two other writers while touring San Juan Island after holing up for a week in a private home near Friday Harbor on a writing retreat. Several cars were pulled over alongside the Roche Harbor road as the occupants petted Mona. The camel even kissed one of them on the cheek.

The temptation to stop was great, so we pulled over, too. I stood beside the fence, waiting on my turn for Mona’s affections, When she started toward me, I was immediately struck by how tall camels actually are.  They also have the most beautiful long-lashed eyes. It was easy to see why so many people have been smitten with this darling. Even so, I couldn’t quite overcome my reluctance to touch her, even when she looked at me in puzzlement. As my way of making amends, Mona will appear in my romantic suspense novel, Deceptive Tide, book three in the Islands of Intrigue series I researched while in the islands.

Mona has her own Twitter account and Facebook page as a public figure. That would be about right. The winery across the street even named a wine, the 2009 Mona Vino Blanc, after her.  On the San Juan Vineyard’s Yelp listing you can read countless stories about the ever-adorable Mona’s interactions with visitors.

Mona is so beloved within the San Juan Island community you would think life couldn’t get better for her. Unfortunately, she’s lost a lot of her coat from too many sweets, so visitors are being asked not to feed her. Also, her feet are not really designed for a cold pasture in winter, so out of concern for her health, her owners are considering sending her to a camel farm in San Diego.

Here’s hoping that, wherever she travels, Mona always has lots of people to kiss.

[image error]Note: When I met Mona, I forgot to take her picture, so I used a similar camel to illustrate this post.

Research Sources

Quiet, Loveable Camel Seeks Winter Home | San Juan Island Update
Mona, the Camel | Friday Harbor Now
Rural Confidential: The Mona Story | The Journal of the San Juan Islands

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Am I Abandoning Other Genres?

Last month, amid the excitement of announcing my new contract with Mountain Brook Ink for Montana Gold, a western historical romance series set in Montana’s gold rush during the 1860’s, I overlooked readers of my other genres.

Afterwards, I received emails asking if I plan to write more books in Tales of Faeraven, my epic fantasy series, and inquiries about Deceptive Tide, part of the Islands of Intrigue-San Juans romantic suspense series. My announcement coincided with my decision to change the format of my reader news to include highlights only rather than apportioned genre news. I think this change may have added to the concern that I might abandon the other genres I write.

Not so!  (Thanks for caring.) Put simply, I am an eclectic storyteller, and this means that my writing is happily and unabashedly multi-genre. There are limits, in terms of time and resources, to what I can sustain, so I’ve limited to three genres. The banner, below, illustrates my focus.

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Epic Fantasy

I apologize for the delay in completing Sojourner, Tales of Faeraven 3. The good news is that this series, which I envisioned as a trilogy, has morphed into four books. I plan to write DawnKing, Tales of Faeraven 4, next year. Thanks for your patience, and look for a fantasy novella or short stories from me to tide you over.

Western Historical Romance

If you missed the announcement in last month’s reader news last month, I’ve signed a contract for three books in the Montana Gold series, set in Montana’s gold rush days. I’ll keep you posted on developments in my reader news and also update my author newsletter with details from my research and literary travels.

Romantic Mystery Novels

I’m currently writing Deceptive Tide, a romantic suspense novel set on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands archipelago off the coast of Washington state, an unspoiled paradise. Of course, I’ve had to visit several times for research. :o) I’ll keep you posted.

Story Circle Podcast

I’ll be starting this in the next month with All I Want for Christmas, a novella to get you in the holiday spirit.

Upcoming Events

This month I’ll be signing books at the North Kitsap Holiday Fest. I hope you’ll stop by my booth and say hello if you’re in the area.

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Janalyn Voigt’s Surprising Announcement

[image error]I’m writing in this picture. Of course. Writers write, right? :o) Authors also autograph, which is what I’m doing here. Well, sort of. I’m actually signing a certain document, and now I get to make a fun and unexpected announcement.

My Surprising Announcement

A couple of years ago, the western historical romance market was saturated with writers, and my Montana Gold series simply didn’t find a publisher. I gave up writing western historical fiction, at least temporarily. That was a real wrench but the right thing to do at the time.

Besides my being new to the western historical romance genre, my stories are not cookie-cutter fare, which means they don’t fall into neat categories. In western historical fiction, I do my best to cut through the mythos and recreate the West as it might really have been. I don’t sugar-coat violence, but neither is it glorified. My books are about people with very real problems not unlike those we face today. I want them to be as realistic as possible.

In Hills of Nevermore, book one in the Montana Gold series,  the heroine, America Ellis, carries a secret shame and feels God has abandoned her. Shane, the hero in the story, is an Irish-American preacher whose zeal to save the lost echoes his need to emotionally escape the ghetto of his childhood.

Cheyenne Sunrise, book two in the Montana Gold series, follows the journey of Irish-American heroine, Bry, who must decide whether to love again after an abusive relationship. Nick, the hero, is the son of a Native American woman and a French trapper and a trail guide who lives between two worlds without fitting into either.

In Stagecoach to Liberty, book three of the Montana Gold series, a young Hessian girl falls into the hands of soul merchants set to force her into prostitution. Riding on the same stagecoach is Conner, a world-weary drifter looking for a reason to believe in himself and God.

These characters twined around my heart and I hated to let them go. It’s wonderful to be able to breathe life into them at last.

Here’s the story of how it all happened.

I was honored to make the acquaintance of fellow-author Miralee Ferrell at the Missoula Book Festival a little over two years ago. I found Miralee engaging, scrupulously honest,  and her personality meshed well with mine.  I even discussed my Montana Gold project with her, since she’s a celebrated western historical romance author whose opinion I respect.

Little did I know that Miralee would go on to establish a publishing company called Mountain Brook Ink and also attend a writing conference where I was teaching to find authors that would fit her publishing house.

When I learned that I was going to be at the same writing conference as Miralee, I emailed inviting her to coffee. My only thought at that point was to reconnect with a friend.  But the idea of pitching my western historical series grew on me. I respect Miralee’s opinion and trust her integrity, so the thought of working with her held a lot of charm.

When I met with Miralee, I could tell she understood the heart of my stories. We talked a little about the glamorizing of the West. “I want real!” she said, winning me over.  I’m so glad to be working with someone I trust as a friend and admire as a writer to bring Hills of Nevermore, Cheyenne Sunrise, and Stagecoach to Liberty, all books in the Montana Gold series, to life for readers.

If you’d like to keep up with my progress in writing these stories, learn details from my research, and be alerted to special discounts, this is your invitation to sign up for my author newsletter.

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Edward and Eleanor, a Royal Love Story That Transcended Death

[image error]Statue of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor by Von Lincolnian (Brian) from Lincoln, UK (http://flickr.com/photos/lincolnian/1...) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)], via Wikimedia CommonsWhile researching DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1), my epic fantasy novel based on 13th-Century Europe, I stumbled upon the history of England’s Eleanor Crosses. I hope you enjoy discovering this royal love story as much as I did. ~ Janalyn

Edward and Eleanor, a Royal Love Story That Transcended Death

Contrasted against the cruelty of the age in which they lived, the love story of King Edward I and his child bride, Eleanor of Castile, blossomed like a tender rose among thorns. Theirs was a marriage of political convenience, made when Edward was 15 and Eleanor somewhere between 9 and 13 years old (her birth date remains uncertain). Although they married early, they lived apart and did not consummate the marriage until Eleanor was probably in her late teens.  In the years that followed, their marriage of convenience grew into a union oflove marked by fidelity.

Edward was one of the few kings of his time who did not take a mistress. He and Eleanor were inseparable. When Edward visited the Holy Land during the Eighth Crusade, he brought Eleanor along, and she delivered a daughter (Joanna of Acre) in a tent. Altogether, the couple had 15 or 16 children, many who did not survive childhood.
Tragedy strikes.

Eleanor and Edward were crowned King and Queen of England in August 1274, following the death of Henry III. Eleanor would live just 15 more years. While traveling to join her husband in the city of Lincoln in late fall of 1290, she grew ill, probably with quartan fever (malaria). She had to halt her journey just 10 miles from her destination, where with Edward at her bedside she died.

In a solemn procession, Edward accompanied his wife’s embalmed body on a 12-day journey to its burial in Westminster Abbey. At each place her remains rested along the way, he erected “Eleanor Crosses,” elaborate stone monuments in her memory. In all, 12 crosses stood at

Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddingston, Northampton, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St Albans, Waltham, Westcheap and Charing. Edward had probably seen memorial crosses in France after the death of King Louis IX in 1271, although construction of cenotaphs (empty tombs) were common in the ancient world.

Feared among his subjects and by those nations he subdued, King Edward I was called the Hammer of the Scots because of his bloody subjugation of that nation. This reputation has carried down through time and still attaches to him today. He is featured as a tyrant in the movie, Braveheart. And yet, Edward’s tireless grief for his wife indicates he also possessed a softer nature. Many years after Eleanor’s death, Edward spoke of her as she “whom living we dearly cherished, and whom dead we cannot cease to love.” Although he eventually remarried, he continued to honor Eleanor’s memory until his own death in 1307.

Today only the three Eleanor Crosses at Geddington, Hardingstone, and Waltham survive. All have lost the tall crosses they bore, but the lower stages remain. The best of the three (and the only one still in its original location) is at Geddington. Fragments of the ruined crosses at some of the other locations can be viewed as well.
 
The Eleanor Crosses Today

Lincoln: A fragment can be viewed at Lincoln Castle.
Grantham: The Historical Notes on Grantham compiled in 1857 by Rev. B. Street, Curate at Grantham, tells what happened to its cross. “At the upper end of High-street, where it widens out West of St. Peter’s Hill, stood a Cross of Stone, recording the resting of Queen Eleanor’s corpse, at Grantham, in November, 1290. It was destroyed, together with other time hallowed monuments at Grantham, by the Parliamentary soldiers in the Civil War, most probably in 1645, when the town was garrisoned by the rebels under Colonel Rossiter.

At the Alderman’s Court, held Feb. 19, 1646, at the Guildhall, Grantham, it was ordered that the town Constables should recover, from those inhabitants who had appropriated them to their own use, as many as possible of the stones which came off the cross at the upper end of High-street, commonly called the Queen’s Cross, and carry and lay them in the Church. A Mr Howgrave, apparently in a letter addressed to Gough, the Editor of Camden, says, “I saw a stone carved with foliage work, said to be part of it, and I believe it, seeming of that sort of work.” This must have been in Charles the Second’s reign.

No known remnants of the original cross at Grantham remain.

Stamford: The Stamford museum houses a marble fragment of the original Eleanor Cross. A reinterpretation of the Eleanor Cross was built in 2008.

 

Geddington: This is the most intact Eleanor Cross and still stands in its original location. It is triangular, has drapery along its lower course, and contains a statue of Queen Eleanor.

[image error] Hardingstone, Northampton: The British library offers a glimpse of how the Eleanor Cross situated at the edge of Delapré Abbey originally appeared. A local story has it that the cross at the top was knocked off during World War II by a low-flying aircraft. Octagonal in design, it was built in three tiers and features open books in its lower course. What these books contained is now lost in time.

Stony Stratford: The exact location of this cross is now a matter of debate, but it may have stood at the lower end of town. Tall and elegant, it was destroyed during the English Civil War. Any trace of the ruined base has since vanished. A commemorative plaque in the town is the only reminder that it once existed.

Woburn: The funeral procession stopped for the night at a Cistercian abbey that may have stood at the site of the later Woburn Abbey. No one knows the exact location of the Eleanor Cross that once stood at Woburn, and no known remnants exist.

Dunstable: The Eleanor Cross was built at a crossroads where the local people gathered to mourn Eleanor’s passing. A modern statue of Eleanor stands at a shopping precinct named in her honor.

St Albans: A commemorative plaque on the Clock Tower is the lone reminder of the cross that once stood in High Street. It was pulled down to be replaced by a fountain, and then the town pump.

Waltham (now Waltham Cross): The cross at Waltham still stands, although the original statues of Eleanor have been replaced by replicas. The originals now reside in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Victoria & Albert Museum.

Westcheap (now Cheapside): Succombing to an ordinance from Parliamont, the Cheapside cross was pulled down amid riots. Fragments rest in the Museum of London, but although drawings that would enable reconstruction of the Cheapside cross exist, the attempt has never been made.

Charing (now Charing Cross): Charing boasted an expensive marbe cross in a location on the south side of Trafalgar Square, but in 1647 this cross was destroyed on order of Parliament. A replacement cross went up in 1865 in front of Charing Cross railway station, but it is not an exact replica.

Praise for DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1) by Janalyn Voigt

“Janalyn Voigt is a fresh voice in the realm of fantasy. Her writing is crisp, her verbs muscular, and it’s all wrapped up in a lyrical style. Blending action and romance, DawnSinger is a journey through fear, failure, and faith, and I look forward to its sequel.” Eric Wilson, NY Times bestselling author of Valley of Bones and One Step Away

“In DawnSinger, Janalyn Voigt has penned a novel full of surprises. With adventure, mystery, and an unlikely romance, this beautiful, epic fantasy debut will leave you scrambling for the next book in the trilogy.” Jill Williamson, Christy Award-winning author of By Darkness Hid

“DawnSinger is a delightful fantasy spun with bardic prose and threaded with danger and intrigue.” Linda Windsor, author of Healer, Thief and Rebel, Brides of Alba Historical Trilogy

A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

This article first appeared as A Royal Love Story: History of the Eleanor Crosses at Heroes, Heroines and History

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Actual Reality. Live a Quiet Life

I’ve never been one for crowds, as in being in them has caused me to suffer panic attacks. This became apparent when my family visited Disneyland at a crowded time of year. Everyone had fun, including me, but when I returned to the celebrated amusement park a couple of years ago, it was during a quieter time frame. I have fonder memories of that trip but was still glad to go home.

Maybe, like me, you have outgrown your childhood shyness but still don’t quite know what to do with yourself in a social setting. I usually make like a wallflower until I work up the gumption to jump into the fray. I then enjoy myself, but it’s an exertion. If I stay too long, the restless urge to be somewhere else overwhelms me.

You might never know this about me, should we met in person. I have been described as reserved and also as outgoing. Which is true? Neither or both, depending on how you look at it. I’ve made peace with myself over being an introvert. I’ve even come to appreciate its benefits. I will never be the cool Mom or the life of the party, but I am a thinker, a reader, and an observer.

The trouble for me in today’s rapid culture is that everyone seems to be in one long social gathering, a party that goes on too long. It’s fun but also a little draining for someone like me. Engaging at a social site has the power to break my routine and throw off my day. As a writer who needs to interact with readers, I have to be online regularly but I limit the time I give these sorts of activities. I’m willing to miss out on my virtual life in order to live my actual one. Hmmm…maybe I could coin a phrase for non-internet time: actual reality.

In my opinion, the world has gone a little crazy with the need to belong, to express, to matter. Humankind has remained constant about this. It’s what our ancestors wanted, too. What has changed is our ability to slake these thirsts. It’s possible to join groups, write updates, and receive caring feedback from people we’ve never met in person.

We are all having an uproariously good time, but how much of it really matters? Here are some questions to ponder: Do I know my neighbors? Has my extended family heard from me lately? What books have I lost myself in this year? Am I getting the exercise I need?

Social media doesn’t always lead to happiness. Sometimes, we have to unplug to live a quiet life.

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Camels of the…Wild West? Yes, Really

 Camels of the Wild West

The United States had a problem. Following the Mexican-American War large tracts of desert land needed to be occupied through army bases, supply lines, and mail routes, but lack of water in these areas made use of horses or mules prohibitive. The US Camel Corps came into being as an alternative method of transportation. The sum of $30,000 was designated by the government for purchase of camels on March 3rd, 1855. Since the army knew nothing about handling camels, several Middle Eastern men were also hired to come to America to take care of the creatures. One of them, Hadji Ali, was soon nicknamed Hi Jolly.

In April 1856, the first camels arrived in Texas. While use of the beasts gave the army definite advantages, the Camel Corps soon discovered that life with camels could be difficult. Unlike horses, which were fairly easy to manage, camels had a tendency to spit, bite, and kick. They also didn’t smell particularly pleasant, a smell that often panicked horses and mules.

In a trial run, one Lieutenant Beale crossed into California with the camels. Beale was pleased with the camels’ performance, but not everyone agreed with him. In the end, it turned out to be a moot point. The start of the Civil War focused the nation’s attention elsewhere, and the advent of railways ended the need for the Camel Corps.

The California Camels were sold in 1863 and those remaining in Texas were sold mainly to zoos, circuses, traveling manageries, and to carry freight for Nevada mining operations. A few ranchers and private citizens also purchased camels. Other camels either escaped or were released into the wild by the soldiers who had cared for them. Sightings of feral camels in the southwestern deserts continued until the last confirmed encounter in 1941 near Douglas, Texas. They are thought to have died out, but reports of sightings continue and even a persistent legend of the ghost of a giant red camel.

What do you think? Do descendents of the U.S. Camel Corps wander the deserts of the American West or have these creatures been lost in time?

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Reader News. Literary Travel Anyone?

Reader News, September 2015 Edition
Announcing Literary Wayfarer Travel

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Fasten your seat belts and prepare to launch into some fun literary adventures. I’ve started the Literary Wayfarer Travel section of the website with a separate feed you can subscribe to in order to receive posts as they publish. First up is the image of the week category, but in September I’ll add another post per week. These will feature literary locations I come across during my research, plus travel journals written by me while on trips to research my novels, or for conferences and book events. Visit Literary Wayfarer Travel.

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Old Bohemian Homestead

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This new blog is doing well. Take a gander and sign up for the feed, here: Old Bohemian Homestead.

Epic Fantasy

I’ve made progress on Sojourner, thankfully. After last month’s brave words, I came down terribly sick and then had to deal with the home improvement project from hell. If you want to know about it, you’ll find the story in this month’s author newsletter.

Romantic Suspense

Work on Deceptive Tide will begin next Monday. I’m looking forward to revisiting Orcas Island, one of my favorite places in the world, through this story.

Western Romance

I’m biting my tongue to keep from giving my news too early. This is a genre I all but gave up, but apparently when I do that I somehow free my writing career to advance in a particular area. There will definitely be details next month.

Story Circle Podcast

This is going to take an interesting bent, which I didn’t see before. That explains the problem getting going. Now I have a clearer focus and should be able to voice it soon.

Speaking

I’m taking a break from speaking for a bit while I focus on other aspects of my platform, but I’m lining up engagements for later this year and next year. If you’d like to inquire into my availability to speak at your event, please contact me! You can learn more about me as a speaker on my speaker page.

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