Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Valentines and Cowboys

Romance in the Old West
by Jacquie Rogers

Valentine's Day is a fun one for lovers, and has been popular in American for a quite a while.  It was widely celebrated in the Old West.

Lovers have been giving gifts to their special someone since the Middle Ages, but fancy cards didn't make their appearance until the postal service was available to all.  That didn't happen until Victorian Era, both in England and America.

Want to buy a Valentine's Day card?  Americans can thank Esther Howland for them.  She started the card business in 1850 at her father's stationery story in Worcester, Massachusetts after having received a decorated card from England.  She expected to sell $200 worth but that very first year, she received $5,000 of orders!  Valentine's Day cards grew in popularity during the Civil War when so many lovers were separated, but the hugest increase was immediately after hostilities had ceased.  This is when humorous cards made their entrance.

And now to the Wild West.  Valentine's cards and mail delivery go hand-in-hand, so when the transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869, guess what? You've Got Mail.  

Miners and cowhands had left their sweethearts back east to make their fortunes in the west.  The dearth of female companionship made their hearts grow fonder for the girl back home.  They sent whatever they could find at the store.  If a man couldn't write, he'd sign the card with an X, then he'd weasel someone into addressing the envelope for him--usually cost him a few drinks at the local saloon.  Sending card that his girl would receive on Valentine's Day was just the ticket, especially accompanied by a little something--maybe a garnet brooch or a gold watch.

In return, he checked the general delivery every day to see if someone, especially his girl or his mother, sent him a letter.  A woman didn't send her beau a Valentine's Day card because it would be considered way too forward.  Instead, she'd send a nice letter about their family and mutual friends, maybe with a lock of her hair, and the lonesome cowhand or miner would be all too happy to get a little slice of home.

Don't forget to check out the Reading Romances Saint Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop.  You can start with my post and the other links are at the bottom, so visit everyone and score some great stuff!



Where the Old West really happened!
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Madams
Much Ado About Mavericks

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Cowboys and Lovers: Reading Romances #GiveawayBlogHop #CelebratingValentine


Special thanks to Reading Romances 
for sponsoring this huge 
Valentine's Day Giveaway Hop!

What could you win at this stop?  
One $10 Amazon Gift Card

How do you enter?  Leave a comment for one entry.  Tell us about your favorite Valentine gift (whether given or received), or list your favorite romantic comedy and tell us why.  Don't forget to leave your email address with your comment!

Want five more entries?  Send the link to your review on any of my books to jacquierogers @ gmail.com (without the spaces).  Yep, that's a possible total of SIX entries.

Easy-peasy!


Where the Old West really happened!
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Madams

Happy Valentine's Day
to You and Yours!


Keta's Sweet Historical: Sky Tinted Water



*New* Release
Sky Tinted Water
Sweet Historical


Please welcome romance author Keta Diablo

Keta's a multi-published award-winning erotica author, a fabulous writer, and now she's released the first of her sweet western historical romances.  Lucky for us, she agreed to visit here today and tell us all about her new book, the first of a series.

About Sky Tinted Water:
* Mystery
* Suspense
* Thriller
* Book 1 in the series

Note: This is a ‘sweet’ historical romance.

Familial bonds, malevolent schemes and passion collide in this sweet historical novel. Set in Minnesota during the Civil War and the Sioux uprising, this is the story of Rory Hudson, the exquisite Irish lass with an unbreakable spirit and the enigmatic Dawson Finch, a man bound by honor, duty and loyalty.

When Dawson enlists in the army to bring peace to nation divided, Rory’s world plummets into a tailspin. War, distance and time separate them, but nothing can dispel the haunting memories of their love. Not even death can destroy their fierce passion or a love so strong it beats the odds of the impossible.

* Rory's world is shattered when Dawson leaves for the war. And ... someone is stalking her. Someone is also watching over her in Dawson's absence. Want to find out who?

Available Here
(Read the reviews on Amazon!)

Want to read an excerpt? Chapter One is on my website.

Thanks so much for reading about Sky Tinted Water. If you read the book, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Watch for Book 2, Sky Dance, coming to a Kindle and Nook near you in March - 2013

Why I wrote
Sky Tinted Water
and
Sky Dance

First of all, I'd like to thank Jacquie for hosting me today, and I'd also like to thank you for stopping by. Much appreciated.

Some readers have asked how I choose certain time settings for my books, or maybe a better question would be why? You've probably noticed there aren't many romance novels set during the Civil War, but it happens to be a period in our history that fascinates me. I think about the thousands of lives lost and the boundaries crossed when family members chose sides. It wasn’t uncommon to find cousin fighting against cousin or neighbor against neighbor. The Civil War was a deeply personal war for many, and yet in the end, many soldiers forgot why they were fighting.

It's hard to imagine a country so divided, harder still to think families were torn apart by principles, beliefs and ideals. Imagine drawing a line across the United States – the top half fights for one side and the bottom for the other. And suppose you had beloved family living in Texas and you live in Wisconsin? You can see where I'm going with this, right?

Sky Tinted Water and Sky Dance take place during the Civil War and a Native American uprising that struck terror in the hearts of settlers. This is a story about two people who lived during this turbulent time and persevered through separation, loss, triumph and of course, love.

If you read Sky Tinted Water and Sky Dance, my humble thanks. I hope for a short period you're transported to another time and place and I sincerely hope you enjoy the journey.