Wednesday in Wyoming - September 25, 2024

 

Can you guess which fort this is? If you guessed Fort Laramie, you were correct. That's the fort that intrigued me so much when I first visited it that I knew it had to be the setting for a book. And it was.

A major stop on the Oregon Trail, Fort Laramie was far different from my mental image of a western fort. No stockade. No buildings constructed of logs. Instead, during its later years it resembled a New England village with sidewalks, birdbaths, and ladies carrying parasols. Not quite the Hollywood version of a western fort.

If you're ever in eastern Wyoming, I encourage you to visit Fort Laramie and the surrounding wagon trail sites, including Register Cliff and the wagon ruts. For more information about Fort Laramie, click here.

One Special Christmas - The Making of a Cover

 Do you ever wonder what's involved in creating a book cover? The answer is, it depends. My own experience has varied from having no involvement to being asked to choose costumes for the model, but rarely have I had the pleasure of watching the artist develop the cover and providing feedback each step of the way.

That's what happened with the cover for One Special Christmas. I was extremely fortunate to have gifted artist L.A. Sartor creating my cover.

It started with a brainstorming session in which we decided that rather than have my heroine in an exterior scene like the ones you see on most of my covers, since Greta was the manager of the tearoom in Sweetwater Crossing, we'd feature her in a tearoom.

At that point, all I told L.A. was that Greta was a blonde and that I thought a green gown would be good. After our discussion, I sent her this picture from the Christmas celebration at Fort Laramie, thinking she could incorporate it into her design. 

While there's nothing wrong with this picture, it's a bit shall we say bland? L.A. recognized that and took a different approach. To say that I was overwhelmed when I saw her first design is an understatement. 

I was thrilled! This was so much more detailed, so much more interesting than I'd expected. There were a few things that had to be fixed on this, but the overall design was more beautiful than I'd dared hope.

Next came the choice of fonts for the title and my name as well as positioning of both. That took a few iterations, but we finally had a finished front cover.

Next came the back cover. When L.A. asked me what I wanted, I suggested a green background with the back cover copy in a cream colored box. She probably knew that wasn't a good idea, but she let me see the flaws for myself.

There were many things wrong with this. Besides the fact that the teaser line is almost illegible, the back cover itself is too plain. There's nothing on it to make a reader want to buy the book. I'm famous for saying that back covers should be pretty. This one wasn't.

Fortunately, once again L.A. knew how to fix the problem. She created a tapestry for the background, and when we had an interactive meeting to finalize the design, we changed the spine color to rose. 

What a difference! We now had a full cover that I loved. The back cover is more than pretty. It's beautiful, just as the front cover is. 

I'm thrilled with the way it turned out and hope you agree with me that this is an outstanding cover.

If you'd like more information about One Special Christmas, you can find that as well as an excerpt on my website.

And if you enjoy cozy mysteries, you won't want to miss L.A.'s Tick Tock Dead. Yes, L.A. Sartor is not only a gifted artist, she's also an author. Here's a link to her website.

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 18, 2024

 

If you've read my books, you know that a number of my characters -- heroes, heroines, and even villains -- are involved in the medical profession. That's one of the reasons I was drawn to this exhibit at Fort Fetterman. 

I was a little surprised that there wasn't a saw. After all, doctors were often referred to as Saw Bones, even though they did much more than that. What else would you have expected to see here?

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 11, 2024

 

Before I moved to Wyoming, if you'd asked me to describe a western fort, this  would have been my answer: buildings made of logs, all surrounded by a stockade fence.

I soon discovered that not all forts were like that, but some were, including this one. Fort Caspar near the town of Casper -- notice the different spellings -- is a reconstructed 1865 military post. 

In addition to the buildings, which include barracks, officers' quarters, a stable, and much more, there's a small museum, all of which make it worth a visit if you're in the area.

If you'd like more information, you might find this link helpful.

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 4, 2024

Since forts were essential parts of the Old West, or what some might call the Wild West, this month's Wednesday in Wyoming blog posts will highlight some of the state's most interesting forts.

Located in the western part of the state, Fort Bridger includes a wide variety of buildings ranging from a reconstruction of trapper Jim Bridger's cabin to the commanding officer's Victorian home to "auto camping" cabins developed during the early years of auto travel. 

Their website provides more information. And if you're able to visit, you might even take a tour with a guide like the one pictured above.