Character Interview with Tyler Bishop by Ginger Simpson

  Today, I’m featuring  Ellie's Legacy, one of my western historical romances.  When my hubby and I moved to TN from CA, we lived in Sparta for a year.  I was so inspired by the history of the area that writing this book came naturally when Ellie showed up among the characters in my head and started yapping at me.  Ellie's Legacy (previously Sparta Rose) was named as the Best 2009 Historical and Love Romances Café and I got lots of positive reviews. It was a fun story to write because Ellie is such a feisty heroine.  Today, you get to hear from the hero, Tyler Bishop.  Enjoy.

Interviewer:

We’re very pleased to have Tyler Bishop with us today.  Mr. Bishop is the hero in Ginger’s Simpson’s western historical romance, Ellie's Legacy.  So, Mr. Bishop, welcome to Dishin’ It Out.

TB – “Ty, please.  Mr. Bishop was my father.  And thanks for the welcome, but I’m here under duress.”

INT  - “Really.”

TB –“Sure enuff. I have things waiting to be done.  Cows need to be moved to another pasture, fences need mendin’ and the longer I dawdle, the more I stand to lose favor with my boss, Ben.”

Int – “Ben?  Would that be Ben Fountain, father of the heroine, Ellie Fountain?”

TB – “Yep, that’d be right.  There’s another reason I need to get movin’… Ellie.  For some reason, that little filly is out to get me.  Seems every time I chew the fat with her pa, she gets her nose out of joint.  I never met someone so… so…what’s the word I’m looking for.  You know, someone who wants to prove they can do everything better than the next feller?”

INT – “Oh, you mean competitive.”

TB – “That’s her in a nutshell.  Just wait till you read the story.  She even went out, bought a gun and learned to shoot.  She’s says it’s because of the polecats next door, threatening to trespass on Ben’s land, but I say different.”

INT – “Really?  Why do you think she bought the gun?”

TB – “To try to show me up.  She already thinks she can ride and rope as good as any man, and lord knows, she could stand to dress up a bit.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell there’s a girl under that big ol’ hat and the layer of dust.”

INT – “Does she always dress in men’s clothing?”

TB – “Well she did until I invited her to a dance.  Ben sort of pushed me into it, but down deep I wanted to go with her.  She looked mighty pretty, all fancied up, but instead of the evening turnin’ out like I planned, she went and got herself in trouble again.  She should have listened to me about those pesky Bryant boys.”

INT – “What kind of trouble did she get into?”

TB – “I may be greener than most folks you know, but I ain’t about to divulge Ginger’s whole story.  Ellie is a real tomboy, and she stays madder than a wet hen at me most times, but I’ll just say, I think she finally realizes there are just times a woman can’t match a man’s strength.”

INT – “Well it sounds like I’ll have to buy my own copy if I want to see how this turns out.”

TB – “Ginger says you're right welcome to visit her Amazing page. That’s where Ellie and my story is being sold. I’m not real savvy when it comes to the Internet, but I wrote this down.  *fishes in pockets.    Let’s see, http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson. I'm supposed to share all the names with ya’ll but I did good to remember that one.  I think Ginger said there are links on her home page...whatever that is, but I scribbled the address here.  *turns paper caddy corner* Okay...it's www.gingersimpson.com.  I thank you for the time, but I best get going.  I fear Ellie Fountain is gonna be the death of me or really change my life.

INT – “Thank you, Ty, and please visit us again.”

Round Robin Blog with Ginger Simpson #RndRobin0914

Rhobin Courtright provides such interesting topics for our monthly posts, and this month is no different.
September's topic is about abandoned places. Do you have abandoned places near you that itch your curiosity about what happened and why? Does your imagination take over? Are these places haunted? What stories do you imagine?

I live on a street named after a Tennessee historical site, Wynnewood House.  The building of this beautiful two-story log structure was started in 1828 and probably not finished until a year or so later as a stage stop and mineral springs for those traveling the Avery Trace, at the time, the main east-west road across the state.  The complexity of the architecture surely took quite a while due to the size of the building. Because of my interest in writing western historical novels, I'm fascinated by this structure that has become an historic museum of sorts.  Guided tours open to the public, allow people a glimpse back in time by perusing the site.  I've borrowed the description from a blog that appears to have become defunct...Kenny's Sideshow describes Wynnewood:

"The inn was built of materials plentifully available on the site. The foundation walls, which raised the logs and other woodwork safely above the damaging effects of surface water and moisture, were formed of limestone blocks quarried from the adjacent hillside. The same material was used to build the six original chimneys, five of which are still standing. Sturdy hardwood logs - many as long as thirty-two feet and all cut from nearby trees - were squared to 8” x 16”, notched and put in place on the foundation for the walls of the two story building. Hand-hewn beams and joists whose ends rested on the foundation supported the first story. At the second floor level supporting joists were mortised directly into the log walls. Ceiling joists for the second floor served to tie the roof rafter sstructuretogether as well as to support the ceiling. The roof, latticed with wide boards, was originally covered with hand-split wood shingles. When acquired by the State in 1971, the roofing was asphalt shingles placed ca. 1936. When replaced in 1995, the roof was restored to hand-split wood shingles matching those removed in 1936.

The main building of the inn, approximately 110’ x 21’, contained ten rooms: five on each of the two floors. There were fireplaces in eight of the ten rooms. On the first floor a central open hallway or “dogtrot” led from the front steps to the back porch or galley which extended nearly the full length of the rear of the building. All rooms on the first floor opened onto the dogtrot or the gallery. Originally there were no rooms with connecting passageways. Rooms on the second floor were reached by one of the two stairways, the principal one rising from the dogtrot. The second ascends from the gallery at a point one room away from the west end of the building. The large room at the east end of the second floor, the size of the two first floor rooms beneath it, was used at one time as a meeting room for the local Masonic lodge. At other times it was used as a public sleeping room for male overnight guests of the inn. The original roof over the gallery was at the level of the eaves of the second floor. In 1899 it was lowered to its present first floor level.

The interior walls of the five first floor rooms were at first unfinished but later plastered. The plaster finish was applied in late 1836 is Almira Wynne was able to heed her husband’s written instruction from Natchez, November 4, 1836 suggesting that she “brave the difficulties” and have it finished before bad weather. Sometime since, plaster has been applied to the walls of the three westernmost rooms on the second floor. The large upstairs room at the east end was left with the logs exposed.

A large kitchen, approximately 20 feet square, with a massive stone fireplace was located in a story and half log house connected by its roof structure to the west end of the main building and separated by another dogtrot. It is thought to have been a part of the original construction of the inn. The kitchen floor was some six or seven steps lower than the floor of the main building. Five steps led down from the kitchen level into the spacious stone-walled cellar located beneath the two westernmost rooms of the inn. Separate open-riser stairs connected the kitchen to the room above it.

A two-story annex has formed an ell-type extension southward from the main building since it was connected to the inn in 1899. The log portion of this unit, approximately 20x20, is located at the south end of the ell and appears to have been built sometime before the inn. It is of two stories and originally was served by a stone fireplace and chimney, both of which were later removed. All of the logs used were of cedar; a fact that clearly sets it apart from the other buildings in which the use of cedar logs was consistently avoided. Differences in the squaring of the logs and the corner notching are such that suggest an earlier stage of construction. Could this have been the “comfortable cabin” and/or “workshop,” the only two structures mentioned in the published court notice of sale of 300 acres to settle General Winchester’s estate in 1829? On this point, no firm facts are available. Connection of the log house to the inn by board and batten walls created additional enclosed space that has since been used as a dining room.

Located about fifty feet south and west of the annex is the original smokehouse. The details of its log construction seem to match the inn in every particular and strongly imply that it was built at the same time that the inn was created.

Perhaps forty feet southeast of the inn is a log cottage containing a single room with a large stone fireplace. This unit is of the same period as the original construction. It was used for many years sa office and living quarters for the community medical doctor. In later years it was rented as a summer cottage and its accomodations carried the highest rates charged. In other times it was variously used as the Wynne family’s bachelor quarters and as a schoolroom.

As an inn, mineral springs resort, and spa, Castalian Springs saw two major periods of operation. The first lasted from 1830 until 1861, the second from 1899 until 1914. Though commercial guests were not sought between 1861 and 1899, the custom of taking local boarders did continue in this period."

Sadly, in 2008, an E3 tornado severely damaged Wynnewood house  It has since been rebuilt and reopened, but I can't help but imagine that Mother Nature drove away the "spirits" I imagine still dwelled there. If I could, I'd like to time-travel back to 1830 and view the hustle and bustle of travelers as they sought rest and relief from long stagecoach rides across bumpy and dusty roads.  If you listen really hard, you can still hear their "ahhh," as they slip into the relaxing mineral springs.

Here's a picture of Wynnewood after the tornado.  You can see the original wooden structure amidst the damage.

Now hop on over to the sites of the other participants and see how they've addressed today' topic:

 Skye Taylor
Helena Fairfax
Connie Vines
Rachael Kosnski
Marci Baun
Anne Stenhouse
Judith Copek
A.J. Maguire
Beverley Bateman
Rhobin Courtright

Meet Ellie Fountain #hitoricalromance

Hi, my name is Ellie...and that's what I'm called despite my birth name bein' Roselle Fountain.  Some how, I don't figure to measure up to that fancy name ever, because I prefer ropin' and ridin' to dressin' and actin' a lady.  Pa would like me to learn all about keepin' house, but since we have Cook to tend to all those chores, I keep busy with the hired hands, preferrin' to spend my time with them over pourin' tea and holdin' out my pinkie finger.  Oh, I wear a dress, but nothing fancy.  I'd much rather have on pants and chaps, but...

What has my dander up right now is the new ranch foreman, Tyler Bishop.  Pa hired him and I have no idea why.  We were doing just fine without him, but now he's here and thinks he's the boss of everything, including me.  I think Pa wanted some added security against the polecats that live on the neighboring land...the Bryants.  They haven't said as much, but it's clear they aim to own everything they can grab onto.  I'll be danged if they'll ever get their claws into Fountainhead.  My pa built this ranch and it's going to be mine some day, and I aim to run it as I see fit.  

I suppose Pa always wanted a son, but he got me instead. Now, he's treatin' Ty like he's the boy he always wanted.  Ticks me off a bit. 

 My ma's been gone since I was real small, and everyone tells me I'm her spittin' image.  I often wonder if I would be different if she was still around, but then I guess I'll never know. Some people think I'm spoiled, and I reckon I am  That's what happens when you're treated like a storybook princess.  If I could just learn to keep my mouth closed, I probably wouldn't get into so much trouble.  

My goal right now is to show Ty that I can do everything he can do, and even better.  I secretly bought myself a gun at the mercantile, and I've been practicing well out of earshot of the ranch to prove I can defend myself and our land.  I worry that nosy ol' Tyler will come snooping around and butt into my business like he always does.  I might be able to stay mad at him if he wasn't so dang good lookin'.  When I'm good and ready, I aim to show him my new skills

He had the nerve to ask me to a dance in town.  Oh, I'm no dummy...I know it was Pa's idea to make me more ladylike, and even though I'm not hankerin' to go, I said I would.  I've had a couple of brushes with the Bryant boys, so I hope they won't be there.  It would be just like Ty to come to my rescue and spoil everything.

Ellie's Legacy available on my Author's Amazon Page.

INTERVIEW WITH Heroine from Ellie’s Legacy by Ginger Simpson

RF=Roselle Fountain

INT = Interviewer

Our special guest this evening is Miss Roselle Fountain, the heroine from author, Ginger Simpson’s western historical, Ellie’s Legacy. Welcome, Roselle. 

RF – *Fidgeting* Oh please call me Ellie.  I’ve never much identified with such a flowery name.  You probably can’t tell by the way I’m dressed today, but I’ve always been somewhat of a tomboy.

INT - *Laughing*.  So I’ve heard.  You look very nice in your flowered print—very much the lady.

RF – That’s Pa’s doing.  He insisted that if I was going to make an appearance, I needed to dress like a lady.  I’d much rather be wearing britches and boots. *Tugs at the neckline of her dress*.  These things are too danged uncomfortable at times.

INT – So, Ellie, tell the readers a little about Ellie’s Legacy.

RF – *Grins* Well, I can’t give away too much.  Ginger would skin me alive, but I’m sure she won’t mind me telling you that it’s got a little romance, a lot of western, and even more feistiness than her last historical romance.  It all starts when Pa hires Tyler Bishop as the ranch foreman.  I kinda figured Pa always wanted a son, and Ty proves me right. Their relationship gets me pretty riled up.  I have a bad temper at times… I think it comes from this red hair.  *pulls a strand of hair forward and smiles*.

INT – So, besides your being jealous of Ty, is there any adventure involved.

RF – Oh, you bet.  *Squares herself in her chair*.  The polecats that live on the neighboring ranch are aiming to get Fountainhead away from Pa.  Dude Bryant and his twin boys are meaner than snakes… well at least Dude and Jason are.  Joshua comes across as quiet and a follower.  But, *balls hands into fists* I’ll be danged if they’re gonna get my legacy.  I actually bought a gun and taught myself to shoot it. 

INT – A gun?  What do you plan to do with it?

RF – Protect Fountainhead of course.  I’m aim to show Pa he don’t need Tyler Bishop around when he has me.  I just wish that Ty wasn’t so dang good lookin’.

INT – I haven’t heard you mention your mother.  How does she feel about you owning a gun?

RF - *Lowers her eyes*.  My ma died when I was very young.  I suppose that’s why I took up with the ranch hands and spend so much time workin’ outdoors.  *Raises a steely gaze*.  But, now that Ty’s in the picture, Pa wants me to spend more time in the house doing womanly things.

INT – Would that be such a bad thing?

RF – Of course it would.  I don’t much care for cookin’ and cleanin’.  We have Cook for that.  I’d much rather brand a cow as fry one.

INT – So what about the romance part of the story?

RF – *Chews her bottom lip for a moment* I can’t tell you much more than I accompany Ty to a dance, but as usual, he gets my dander up there, too.  What happens from then on, you’ll have to find out for yourself.  I may look young and naïve, but I’m not silly enough to give away the whole story.  Miz Ginger is counting on sales to help pay for something called a root canal.  I wouldn’t want to let her down.

INT – I certainly wouldn’t want you to do that either.  You’ve given us enough of a teaser to stir some interest.  Hopefully we’ll see you on a best seller’s list somewhere.

RF – That would be right nice.  It just may happen cause remember, I have a gun. *Slaps hip and fakes a draw*.

INT -  Well, here’s hoping you don’t have to use it.  *laughs*.  Thank you so much, Ellie for being with us today.  And good luck in the future.

RF – Oh, yeah.  I almost forgot to tell you that Ellie’s Legacy is available on Amazon, published by Books We Love.  I reckon the copies are available on something called the Innernet.  *pulls paper from pocket.*  Miz Ginger gave me this to read: www dot amazon dot com forward slash author forward slash gingersimpson.  It’s her page where you can see all her books.  I hope I got that right.

INT – Sounds fine to me. Thanks again, Ellie.

http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson

http://www.gingersimpson.com

http://cowboykisses.blogspot.com

Sneak-Peek-Sunday with Ginger

Welcome to Sneak-Peek Sunday.  The rules are simple and anyone can participate by visiting the host's site.  Here's how you play along:

1. Sign up in the Linky List for the appropriate Sunday.  The Linky List will go live 12:01AM Monday and will close at 11:59PM Saturday night every week.
2. Post 6 paragraphs (no more, no less) from either a WIP or a published work. The post must be live by 9:00AM Sunday.
3. Open to both un-published and published authors.
4. Post the link back to Sneak Peek Sunday so that others can hop along.
5. HAVE FUN!!

Today, I'm allowing you to peek into Ellie's Legacy, a favorite western historical of mine because I love my sassy, tomboy heroine.  Here she is in a scene in which she's set to prove that her secret shooting lessons have allowed her to "outdo" her pa's ranch foreman.  Will she?  At what reward?  Guess you'll have to read more if you want to know.  (See, that's the great part of peeking...it's supposed to make you want more.)  Have I succeeded?

Here are my six paragraphs:

Ty had already tethered his horse and busied himself setting up a line of cans along a fallen log. Ellie found a stump and sat, her heartbeat sounding in her ears.

He straightened from his task and glanced over at her. “You ready?”

She stood on wobbly legs. “I…I guess.”

“You don’t sound too convincing. We can call the whole thing off if you aren’t feeling sure of yourself.”

Oh, that irritating tone in his voice. Call it off? Not a chance. She could do this—she had to do this. Besides, his attitude was downright insulting. “I’m quite confident about my abilities, thank you.” Ellie spoke through clenched teeth.

She brushed by him and walked toward the target area. With a glance over her shoulder, she feigned confidence. “So how are we going to do this?”

You can purchase any of my books through my Amazon Author's page.

Now scroll back to the logo at the top and click on it to get back for more participants in todays sneak-peeks.

YAY! DESTINY'S BRIDE IS ON AMAZON!

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  I'm scheduling this post on Saturday and celebrating a day early, but unfortunately just doing a happy dance with no green beer involved.

Thank Goodness for Amazon and the opportunity to improve old works.  A whole lot of years ago, my debut novel was released.  I thought I knew it all back then, and thanks to an historically oriented editor, I learned a valuable lesson about credibility.  Although I've read western historicals for most of my life...starting with the Little House Series in grammar school, I was a reader and not an author.  I didn't know the secrets for drawing the interest of the person holding the book, and more importantly, keeping it.

Historical readers want to be able to believe the facts in novels dealing with the past are true.  There is no quicker way to lose credibility as an historical writer than to use untrue events or muster up something that doesn't fit the era.  You can't have a microwave on a wagon train and have it go unnoticed.  *smile*

Although, my historical references were accurate, I believe my editor was an author who knew little more than I did about the mechanics of good writing.  I received a four-star review from Romantic Times, but if you can write a good enough story, you might detract from the obvious faux pas, because by today's standards the content was fraught with them.

Thanks to Books We Love, I've had an opportunity to re-write and rename by debut novel and I'm happy to announce that Destiny's Bride is available on Amazon as of today.  I'll have a video trailer soon, but in the meantime, I hope you'll check out the listing, and give my heroine and heroes (2) a try. I think you'll enjoy the ride because I've gotten good reviews even with less than stellar skills.  One thing's for sure, learning is never-ending when you write.

Welcome Linda Swift

Thank you for inviting me to share your blog, Ginger.  This little vignette is based on a true incident, one of my many culinary disasters, I might add. And yes, I have used a portion of it in a book. I try to make the most of what I'm given.


                                           
         Turkey, anyone?

        We had just moved to Alabama a few months before and my husband returned to Kentucky to bring our daughter home from college for the holidays. He also brought my widowed mother, his mother and her husband. They were to arrive in the early afternoon so I had the morning to prepare the turkey and dressing.

        Not bothering to dress while cooking, I was wearing a faded chenille robe, floppy house shoes, no makeup and had my hair in rollers. Things were going well as I attended other tasks while the bird basted in a plastic brown-n-serve bag. The stove timer alerted me that the bird was done and I removed the roasting pan and placed it on the stovetop. I was eager to get those succulent juices into the bowl of dressing I was mixing, so I attempted to move the pan to the counter across the room. It was heavier than I anticipated and the bird started sliding and landed on the kitchen floor.

        The bag burst and turkey broth spilled onto the floor and my fuzzy slippers while I stood in horrified shock. Then I went into action, grabbed a roll of paper towels and mopped up as much as I could.  I managed to get the turkey back onto the pan and hoisted it to the counter, lamenting the loss of that essential broth.

        While I mopped, I had a few choice words for Tom Turkey and the bag he browned in as I tried to figure out the best way to save the day. At least, this disaster had occurred while I was alone in the house and still had plenty of time to clean up the kitchen and myself. It was a moment before I heard the sound of a car horn in the driveway above my dark mutterings. And just then my husband stuck his head in the kitchen door and said with a wide grin, "Surprise. We got here early."

        "Go drive around the block!" I snarled, as he crossed the kitchen with open arms to greet me with a kiss. Instead he slipped on the still-slick floor and clutched at me to steady himself, bringing us both down in a tangle. And we were thrashing about like two lovers in the throes of passion when the others appeared in the doorway.
  
   "Don't come in," I yelled.

        "Well, did you ever?" my mother-in-law said to my mother as they stopped in the doorway in shocked disbelief.

        I finally disentangled myself and struggled up, while I tried to explain the situation. My daughter led her grandparents to the front door while my husband got a mop to clean the floor. I went to greet the family properly, then got dressed and returned to cope with the situation. I found some chicken broth in the pantry and my mother mixed the dressing while I grappled with the bird. He was nice and brown and looked rather regal when I placed him on a platter.

        "Did you remember to take the giblet bag out of it?" My M-I-L asked as she eyed the bird with suspicion.

        "Oh, yes, I did." I would have thought she'd forgotten that incident from my early marriage by now.

        M-I-L made slaw while my daughter set the table. The men brought in the luggage  while we finished dinner preparations.  I reminded myself that all's well that end's well as we sat at table savoring the holiday feast. But I couldn't help but notice that my M-I-L was eating dressing without any turkey.


BIO:

Linda Swift  is a multi-genre author currently writing for seven digital publishers. Her available titles include contemporary and historical fiction, short stories, and poetry.
Linda's first books of fiction were released by Kensington. The Market House Theatre produced one of her plays on WPSD-TV.

In her other life, Linda was a teacher, counselor, and psychometrist  in McCracken County  and Paducah City Schools. She is a graduate of PCC and MSU with post-graduate work at U. of AL, Tuscaloosa. She and her husband now spend time in their native Kentucky and the Gulf Coast of Florida, stopping enroute to visit their children in Nashville. She gives credit to her supportive family for their technical help that enables her survival in Cyberspace.

Let Nothing You Dismay, set in Paducah, first published in a Kensington Christmas  anthology, has just been released in print as a single title.  Another holiday book, The Twelve Days of Christmas, set in Murray, is also available now in print. This Time Forever, a Civil War saga can now be purchased in print or ebook,  just in time to commemorate the Sesquicentennial.  For more information Linda invites you to visit her website at www.lindaswift.net

The Civil War brought casualties beyond the bloody battlefields as North fought South. Philip Burke, against his family's wishes, volunteered to defend the Union and became a prisoner of war who bartered his medical expertise to remain out of prison. When the Union Army invaded Tennessee, Clarissa Wakefield's antebellum mansion became a Confederate hospital.  Philip was placed in charge and against propriety she volunteered to stay on and help nurse the wounded. Clarissa's husband was a Confederate soldier and Philip's fiancée waited for him in Oswego but the fire between them soon raged out of control. As the opposing armies fought for possession of Chattanooga, Clarissa and Philip faced their own battle. Caught in the passions of war and love, with hurt inevitable either way, would they be faithful to their vows or listen to their hearts?

 

Love, Romance and Cicadas?

Cicadas...up until I moved to Tennessee, this insect was something often mentioned in romance novels.   For example:

The sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving James and Cathy sitting in semi-darkness on the front porch.  An air of awkwardness hung between them, neither knowing what to say.  Cicada's crooned in the background, calling out to a willing mate.

Well brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you that the crooning around here today is horrific.  The trees everywhere are filled with these nasty looking insects that possess not even a hint of romance when you have one land on you.  Recent rain stirred them from their perches and they fly about in swarms looking for a place to land.  Woe be you if you stop long enough.

These insects return from the ground every thirteen years to mate. Although considered harmless, they are a nuisance if you like the outdoors.  Cicadas live on tree roots underground for all those years and then in an immature form, climb up the tree where they attach themselves in shells from which they will morph into the beautiful bug shown above.

My son's lawn looks as if it's been aerated.  So many holes explain the deafening sound you hear when you go outside.  If you want to get an idea of the constant drone click here.  Just magnify the noise ten times.

Some of these suckers get huge and are so big they merely bounce off the windshield of your car.  I passed through a swarm today and it sounded like someone was pelting me with stones.  Oh, sweet romance...no more shall I think of love when I hear a cicada.