Historical Romances-- Timelines

Oregon Historical Timeline

Stevens Family& Historical Events of the Time

1795 Elijah (St. Louis Jones b. Missouri 7-31 Leo
1815 Martha Stevens b. Missouri 10-18 Libra
1825 Adam Stone b. Ohio 7/31 Leo
1826 Jedediah Hardman b. Georgia 12/4 Sagittarius
1829 Joshua Hardman b. Georgia 7/17 Cancer
1831 Matthew Kane b. Missouri 2/9 Aquarius
1832 Randall Phillips b. Virginia 1/10 Capricorn
1834 Loraine Stevens b. Missouri 10/31
1835 Han Jei b. China; Bernice McDowell b. Illinois
1840 Arabelle Stevens b. Missouri 4/28 Taurus
1841 Jason Phillips b. Virginia 1/14 Capricorn
1849 gold discovered in California
1850 Homestead Land Act
1851 Amy Stevens and Matt Kane marry
1855 Adam Stone returns to Oregon
         Laura Kane b. Oregon
        Adam meets Rand Phillips fighting Rogue Indian War
1856 Trail of Tears—Oregon
1857 Elijah Stone b. Oregon
1859 Oregon becomes a state; Rufus Kane b. Oregon
1861 Civil War begins
1862 Jed Hardman goes to war
         Gold discovered in Canyon City
1864 Snake War begins
1865 Lee surrenders -- Civil War is over
1867 Belle Stevens (Morgan) returns to Oregon
1868 Snake War ends
1872 Modoc War
1873 Portland destroyed by fire
1877 Nez Perce War
1878 Bannock-Paiute War

Arizona Historical Timeline

O'Brian and Taggert families & Historical Events of the Time

(Some families are ancestors of the Hemstreet witches, contemporary paranormal romance series)

1833 Charles Prevo b.
1840 Jeremiah Taggert b. Kansas; Rose Jarred b. Missouri
1841 Victor Hemstreet b. San Francisco
1842 Roman Alexander Oliver b. Kansas
1843 Lars Ericson b. Wisconsin
1844 Raul Cordova b. Mexico; Valerie Simpson b. Kansas
1845 Robert Mitchell b. New York; Frederica Jamison b. Boston
1846 –
1847 Delbert Sicilla b. West Virginia
1848 Wei Song b. Weaverville California; US wins Mexico War
1849 Maria Jacinta b. Mexico; Apache wars begin 'officially'
1850 Constance Banyon b. Maryland
1851 Eleanor Samuels b. San Francisco
1852 Samuel Ryker (O’Brian) b. Kansas
1853 Laura Ericson b. Wisconsin
1854 Cordell O’Brian b. Kansas
1855 ---
1856 ---
1857 James Redman m. Rose Jarrod Missouri; Clint Adams b. Nebraska
1858 Abigail Spenser b. Illinois
1859 --
1860
1861 Vincent Taggert b. KS; Priscilla Wesley b. Georgia; Civil War begins.
1862 Cochise and his band attack soldiers beginning Apache war
1863 Ellen Buchanan b. Texas; Territory of Arizona created by Congress
1864 Kit Carson captures 7000 Navajo forces them from Arizona
1865 Civil War ends
1866 Asa Taggert b. Utah; Rafael Cordova b. Mexico
1867 Cole Taggert b. Utah
1868 Jesse Taggert b. Utah; Connie m. Delbert Sicilla
1869 Juan Cordova b. Mexico m. Josita
1870 Raquel Cordova b. Mexico d. 1870
1871 Laura Ericson m. James Ferris Tucson, Arizona
1872 James Angus b. Illinois
1873 Eleanor Samuels m. Victor Hemstreet; Jason Ferris b. Tucson
1874 Felipe Valencia b. Arizona
1875 Clint Madison b. Illinois; Nathan Hemstreet b. San Francisco
1876 Gabriel Cordova b. AZ; Holly Jacobs b. Ill; Wilhelmina Butler b. SF
1877 Grace O’Brian b. Kansas; Catherine Lawrence b. Boston
1878 Anita Cordova b. Arizona; James Ferris b. Tucson
1879 Alexa Johnson (Oliver) b. Kansas; Lily Jacobs b. Illinois
1880 Wei Zian b. Arizona
1881 Railroad crosses Arizona; OK Corral gunfight in Tombstone
1882 US government bans Chinese immigration for 10 years
         Sam Ryker m. Abigail Spencer June & November
1883
1884 David Ryker b. Circle R Ranch
1885 Geronimo leaves reservation
         Grace arrives to live with her father in Tucson
1886 major earthquake in Mexico damages Tucson; Geronimo captured
         Cordell O'Brian m. Priscilla Wesley
1887 Alice Ryker b. Circle R Ranch
1888 Jesse O’Brian b. Circle O Ranch; Raquel Valencia b. Tucson
1889 Daniel Cordova b. Circle O Ranch Jan.
1890 Ellen m. Robert Mitchell; Jose Valencia b. Tucson
1891 Alicia O’Brian b. August Circle O
1892 Roberto Cordova b. December Tucson
1893 Royce Johnson (Oliver) b. Kansas
         Grace leaves for college
1894 Will Tremaine publishes first dime novel
1895 James Redman dies Feb. Tucson; James O’Brian b. Circle O
1896 Valerie Taggert dies; Yaqui Uprising in Mexico and Arizona
1897 Spanish American War begins;
         Rafe joins Rough Riders        
         Margarita Valencia b. Tucson
1898 Rafe mustered out Feb. 15th
         Grace returns to Tucson in June
         Rafael Cordova m. Grace O'Brian September
         Victor Hemstreet dies in SF
1899 Donovan Cordova b. November Tucson
         Holly comes to Tucson
         Rose Redman m. Roman Oliver December 31 Tucson
1900 Holly Jacobs m. Vince Taggert
         Donovan Cordova b. Tucson
        
1901
1902 Lily Jacobs m. Jesse Taggert
1903 Tyler Taggert b Tucson; Joshua Taggert b. Tucson
1905 Samuel Butler dies SF
         Wilhelmina comes to Arizona and meets Cole Taggert
         Wilhelmina Butler m. Cole Taggert
         Lily Jacobs remarries Jesse Taggert
         Holly Jacobs remarries Vincent Taggert
         Frederica Windsor arrives in Tucson meets Jeremiah Taggert
1906 Frederica Windsor m. Jeremiah Taggert
         Ruth Taggert & Lucinda Taggert. b.Tucson
1907 Josiah Hemstreet b. Tucson
1908 Redland Hemstreet b. Tucson
1912 Arizona becomes a state-- last of the contiguous states to do so

POV

Putting this blog on inactive status where it becomes a place I can always show someone my entire list of books as well as explaining the heat level.

This excerpt, the last for a while, is from one of my personal favorite contemporary books, Her Dark Angel. One scene in it came right out of one of my dreams. I consider it a bit of a beauty and the beast story (the beast more the soul of the hero than his appearance as he's a very handsome man. 

With angel in the title, it might seem it's a supernatural story; but it's not-- even though there is one hard to explain event-- but more metaphysical and the sort of thing that shows up in the newspapers once in a while-- without a logical explanation for how it could be.

The main reason for sharing this excerpt is how the styles of writing have changed from when I wrote it in the mid-'90s to today regarding point of view. Back then to have the points of view switch around was perfectly acceptable (they call it head hopping). Today a few writers still do it, but it's much less favored. For now, it's more common to have a point of view last a scene, chapter. or more rarely a whole book. 

So here's the excerpt as it appears today in the book. Below it, I rewrote it keeping that scene in one point of view. I could redo the whole book and might (most of my books from the 90s were written in this looser style). The problem with shifting points of view is always being sure the reader knows whose head they are inside. Head hopping takes some skill to make that obvious.

><><><><

 For a moment, Dill forgot what he'd intended to do, that he'd wanted her to fight him off, to have Johnny catch them like that. Johnny's anger with him should be cause enough for them both to catch a plane to safer ground, but the feel of her against him, the softness of her body pressed against his made him lose track of his intentions. One kiss. What could one kiss hurt?

          He bent, his lips brushed hers. She started to pull away, but his hands left the wall and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her against him. "God, sweetness," he murmured, half prayer, half entreaty as he felt her press against him, her lips softening as he again bent to claim their sweetness.

          Katy opened her mouth, letting his kiss more fully possess her. Her body was alive with the feeling of his lips, his tongue, his hands, his hard body against her. She gave up the battle and brought her arms up around his neck. In some distant corner of her brain, she thought, this was wrong, but she couldn't remember why, couldn’t push away, couldn't do anything but claim what he was offering.

          She heard a door open, felt Dill’s body tense and from somewhere found the strength to push away, except Dill held her, the smile on his lips cold as he shifted to cup her breast with his hand. She slapped ineffectually at him, beginning to feel a real anger as she understood what he was doing, all but the reasons for it

          "What the bloody hell," her uncle's yell came from the doorway.

          Dill moved away, turning to face the enraged rush of her uncle. "You punk," Johnny roared. His fist lashed out and caught Dill on the point of his chin.

          Dill made no attempt to defend himself and took the next blow too, letting Johnny vent the anger he'd known he would feel. Not wanting the older man's heart to be over worked by a fight, Dill stepped into the next wild swing and felt it lift him almost from his feet and stagger him against the wall where he slid to the ground, half dazed from the blow.

          Johnny turned back to Katy. "Did he hurt you?"

          "He… he was just kissing me."

          "I saw!" Johnny's voice rose with his anger. He turned to stare down at Dill who was rubbing his jaw. "I trusted you, and you treated her like one of your whores," he said, his voice now coming back to a more normal range.

          Dill pushed himself to his feet. "Trust?" he asked. "You used me, old man. I've always known it, and this proves it."

          Johnny stared at him, the hurt in his eyes. "How could you lay a hand on her? Don't you know what kind of woman she is?"

          "Too good for my kind? Is that it?" Dill asked, deliberately lighting a cigarette. Go for broke, that was his only thought now.

          "She's... You're..."

          Johnny stopped, unable or unwilling to voice the gulf between them. Dill wanted him angry, wanted him protective, wanted him gone, and he used a crude obscenity; then added, "She's just another woman."

<><><><><

For a moment, Dill forgot what he'd intended to do, that he'd wanted her to fight him off, to have Johnny catch them like that. Johnny's anger with him should be cause enough for them both to catch a plane to safer ground, but the feel of her against him, the softness of her body pressed against his made him lose track of his intentions. One kiss. What could one kiss hurt?

Bending, his lips brushed hers. She started to pull away, but his hands left the wall, and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her against him. "God, sweetness," he murmured, half prayer, half entreaty as he felt her press against him, her lips softening as he again bent to claim their sweetness. It shocked him as she opened her mouth, allowing him access. He felt her body come alive with the kiss-- worse, so did his. When her arms went up around his neck, he knew it was wrong, a mistake, that this had been way more than he intended.

He heard the door open and tensed his body, found the strength to push away but he had one last thing to do. He knew his smile was cold, soul destroying when he cupped her breast with his hand. She seemed to come awake and slap ineffectually at him, he saw the anger in her eyes. Good. He wanted her furious.

          "What the bloody hell," Johnny yelled from the doorway. There was shock in the old man's eyes, as his mouth dropped open. Dill moved farther from Katy ready to face the enraged rush of her uncle, the man who had done so many things for him, for whom he would have given his life. He was doing something even harder-- giving up respect and even his soul but it had to be this way.

"You punk," Johnny roared. His fist lashed out and caught Dill on the point of his chin. Dill made no attempt to defend himself and took the next blow too, letting Johnny vent the anger he'd known he would feel. Not wanting the older man's heart to be over worked by a fight, Dill stepped into the next wild swing and felt it lift him almost from his feet and stagger him against the wall where he slid to the ground, half dazed from the blow.

  Johnny turned back to Katy. "Did he hurt you?"

  "He… he was just kissing me."

  "I saw!" Johnny's voice rose with his anger. He turned to stare down at Dill who was rubbing his jaw. "I trusted you, and you treated her like one of your whores," he said, his voice now coming back to a more normal range.

 Dill pushed himself to his feet. "Trust?" he asked. "You used me, old man. I've always known it, and this proves it."

  Johnny stared at him, the hurt in his eyes. "How could you lay a hand on her? Don't you know what kind of woman she is?"

  "Too good for my kind? Is that it?" Dill asked, deliberately lighting a cigarette. Go for broke, that was his only thought now.

   "She's... You're..."  Johnny stopped, unable or unwilling to voice the gulf between them. 

Dill wanted him angry, wanted him protective, wanted him gone, and he used a crude obscenity; then added, "She's just another woman."

><><><>< 

I have to admit, I like the version all from Dill's view but do I really want to rewrite this book? I can't afford the time right now. It's easier to do it in new writes.

A Price to be Paid

With the need to inspire myself for the book I need to finish, here's a snippet. It's paranormal, and third in the Hemstreet Witches Series. The problem has not been that I don't like the characters. The issue the hero will be facing is a huge one, and I have not been sure how to handle it. 

The story is about reincarnation and the question of redemption. Can a soul who has done bad things find a way to redeem itself in a future lifetime? If so, what is the price? In the newspapers, we read about human monsters, are shocked at what they have done, and some say they go to hell for eternal punishment. What if that's not what happens after they die? 

He's a complicated character as a rancher, multimillionaire, father, lawyer and considering a run for major political office in Arizona.  What he has to deal with in terms of his soul, that's not even on his radar as he is a very practical minded person. The life he was living when he was killed in 1901 is someone he's heard very little about. He's about to learn more, and it won't make him happy.

The political aspect is probably what stopped me in September. I needed time to really think about it. I've had the time and still not sure of how to proceed but proceed I will this week.

><><><><

    He had barely gotten in from working, taken a quick shower, and opened a beer when he heard a car driving in. Out on the porch, he watched as Jason got out of his low-slung sports car.

    “Hot for March,” he said as his friend stepped onto the porch. “Maybe be an early summer. Want a Nimbus or a Lager?”

    “Make it light. I have work yet to do.”

    A few minutes later, they were sprawled on the porch lawn chairs and sipping from their beers.    “You said you needed to talk,” Asa said.

    “Your mother in town?”

    Asa shook his head. “On her way back to Flag.”

    “All right. Well, for one, we need to go over your meetings for next week. You will need some endorsements.” He handed Asa a sheet of names. “These would be a good start.”

    Scanning down them, Asa looked up. “This could all have been covered in an email.”

    Jason handed him another sheet. “These are issues likely to come up where you need to have positions.”

    “Again—why not an email?”

    “For what I want to discuss, emails are less than safe if you are being hacked."

    "Am I?" 

    "You could be and besides, I wanted this conversation face to face.”

    Asa nodded. “So spit it out.”