Pioneers’ Yellow Roses: blooming on the Cartwright kitchen steps

Pioneers’ Yellow Roses: blooming on the Cartwright kitchen steps

Yellow roses appear briefly in three scenes within COURTING MISS CARTWRIGHT. Yellow roses, particularly Harison’s Yellow, are found strewn along the Oregon trail, blooming feral alongside abandoned ruins of cabins and clapboard houses in ghost towns, and originated in 1824 New York. This article contains the ‘Cemetery Scene’ where Felicity, new to Mountain Home and seeking answers. visits the cemetery and first notices the yellow roses on her father’s grave. This scene is the first conversation between sisters who’ve not known about each other until their father’s will brought them together the evening before–and they’d been barely civil.

SODA SPRINGS, Sweet Romantic Fiction by Carolyn Steele

SODA SPRINGS, Sweet Romantic Fiction by Carolyn Steele

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC (advance review copy) of SODA SPRINGS by the author Carolyn Steele. This article provides my review of this charming western historical novel and an interview with the author. I share insights about this coming-of-age novel, recommend the book to more than one type of reader, and am pleased to be one stop along the new release’s Blog Tour journey.

Victorian Era: the American West

Victorian Era: the American West

Queen Victoria reigned from age 18 to age 81; June 1837 until her death in 1901. Anything that falls within this time, whether those English-speaking countries were her subjects or not, is referred to as the Victorian Era. The United States definitely had a Victorian Era–and the sheer quantity of significant historical occurrences, inventions, developments, social happenings–is astounding. This overview sheds light on this favored backdrop (Victorian Era American West) for fiction.