South Dakota’s women homesteaders
My historical fiction series, On the Dakota Frontier, tells the stories of women homesteaders who stake claims in Dakota Territory in the 1800s. And, while the stories are based on considerable research, they’re still fiction. Earlier this year, I was contacted regarding writing a nonfiction book about the real women homesteaders who came to South […]
Iron Horse Claim tells Lizzy’s story
Medicine Creek Claim told the story of two sisters who left war-torn Missouri during the Civil War to start new lives in Dakota Territory. Except it didn’t tell both sisters’ stories. I had written three-quarters of the novel when I realized I had told Charlotte’s story. What about Lizzy? I had two choices. I could […]
Historical Novel Society reviews Lone Tree Claim
Book reviews, both reader reviews and professional reviews, are the lifeblood of authors. Reader reviews on sites like Amazon Books and GoodReads provide other readers with impressions about the book: Did the reviewer like the book or not? These reviews are vitally important – especially on Amazon, where my books average 4.4 stars out of […]
Introducing When the Chokecherries Bloom
An idea or a concept inspired each of my books — except my newest novel, When the Chokecherries Bloom. Proving Her Claim began with a statistic. While 42% of women (unmarried or widowed) homesteaders proved their claims, only 37% of men (single or married) proved their claims. Lone Tree Claim was inspired by a museum […]
A new genre. Stretching my writing muscles.
But this story is written for younger audiences, probably for Middle Grade or Tween readers. Writing in a new genre has been challenging.
Authors talking to authors
Wild Deadwood Reads is a book fair on steroids. Nearly 100 authors and hundreds of readers got together to shop for books and talk about books.
Two More (Fictional) Women Who Tamed the Frontier
The third book in the On the Dakota Frontier series, Medicine Creek Claim, is the story of two sisters who lived in Missouri during the Civil War.
Sequel or Series?
I didn’t t write a Sequel: a “what happened next” book with the same characters. Instead, I wrote a story with new characters: Katie and Jake. So, I’m writing a Series.
First Book Talk for Lone Tree Claim
During the talk, I introduced the new characters and briefly summarized the plot. Then, I read an excerpt from the book that encapsulates Katie’s and Jake’s personalities and relationships.