E.E.'s 10th Anniversary Celebration: PIcking Up Steam!

Ten years ago, I officially entered the world of romance writing when I submitted a manuscript to the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest. To my utter amazement and delight, I made the finals in November, 2010. That moment gave me the impetus and encouragement I needed to send me down a path to becoming a published author. 

This month, I’m celebrating with a special focus on my original
romance series, Steam! Romance and Rails. It all started with an idea and a friendship with two other 2010 Golden Heart finalists, Jacqui Nelson and Jennifer Jakes. I had been working on a railroad romance, and we were all ardent fans of the series Hell On Wheels. I proposed a joint effort, which we turned into three love stories woven together around a common historical event–a gritty, glamorous railroad race.

The anthology Passion’s Prize launched the series with Adella’s Enemy by Jacqui Nelson, Eden’s Sin by Jennifer Jakes and Kate’s Outlaw by yours truly. You can still pick up each of the novellas originally featured in this anthology. I’ll go into more detail on the historical underpinnings of the series in my next blog post. In the meantime, here is an interview I did shortly after publishing the first full-length novel of the series, Her Bodyguard.

What made you combine romance and rails?

That’s a good question. I guess something about the old steam railroads calls to my adventurous side, and to my romantic nature. But more specifically, when I touring a museum in Fort Scott, Kansas, a few years ago, I came across a small booklet about a railroad race. It had all the makings of an epic: crooked politics, underhanded landlords, angry mobs, liars, cheats, killers…I couldn’t imagine a more perfect setting for a great love story. 

Tell us a little about the series.

The first books in the series are set against the background of a contentious construction race through southeastern Kansas between two powerful railroads with long names. The government promised the winning line free land grants and exclusive rights through this corridor into cattle-rich Texas so you can imagine how they pulled out all the stops and no one was above cheating. 

Her Bodyguard, revolves around the story of the Border Tier. While its crews were trying to win a race, the railroad was feuding with settlers over land rights. That’s really the focus of my book. The heroine, Amy Langford, is a wealthy widow who’s invested heavily in the railroad and is looking for ways to appease the settlers so they’ll stop vandalizing the tracks. Only, someone is out to kill her. The hero, Buck O’Connor, is an outlaw who comes out of hiding to help his cousin avoid financial ruin. Through a twist of fate, he ends up being Amy’s bodyguard. He uses his position to thwart her railroad and help his cousin, while at the same time trying to protect her. You can see that isn’t going to work. But it takes Buck awhile to recognize this. He’s pretty sure of himself.

How much of the story is based in fact?

Quite a bit, actually! Honestly, I couldn’t come up with better scenarios than those I find in history books. The race really happened pretty much as it’s written, the settler’s riots, too. I love to use real events and include historical characters. In this case, I put two people very attracted to each other but with opposing goals in the middle of a cutthroat railroad competition and a land war. It was fun to see how they reacted.

Your books are based in the American West during the nineteenth century. Why that place, and why that era?

 I write what I love best. I’ve always been a history geek, and particularly American history. I really got fascinated with the Western expansion when I first moved to Kansas. That period of expansion had such an impact on this country, good and bad. I don’t think people realize just how much. There are so many stories that haven’t been told and I want to tell them.

I try to strike a balance between gritty realism and romance, though I suppose I do err on the side of romance, but in many ways, that Victorian era was very romantic—even in the “Wild West.”

This month, all books in the series Steam! Romance and Rails are on sale for only 99 cents each. We’ve never offered this series at such a low price, so it’s a great time to forego that mocha latte and treat yourself to stories that will keep you warm all winter!

HER BODYGUARD: A determined railroad investor stalked by a mysterious killer seeks protection from a wanted gunslinger, who is hiding a dangerous secret.

KATE’S OUTLAW: After a railroad heiress is abducted, one of her captors becomes her protector. On the run from danger with enemies on all sides, they discover a love as powerful as it is forbidden.

Originally part of the anthology Passion’s Prize. Catch up on the stories of two other women caught up in a dangerous race for riches in Adella’s Enemy by Jacqui Nelson and Eden’s Sin by Jennifer Jakes.

A DANGEROUS PASSION: An inquisitive author sets out to expose a charismatic railroad baron and becomes ensnared in a deadly mystery and a dangerous passion.

FUGITIVE HEARTS: When a newly-made widow tries to cover up the truth behind her husband’s violent death, her plan backfires, sending her fleeing from a hardened lawman determined to bring her to justice.

Who out there has read books in this series? Do you have a favorite character? Who is it, and why are you drawn to them?

I’ll be doing a drawing to give away a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one commenter.

GLIAS crew, thanks for being on this journey with me!

New from author E.E. Burke: Collect Steam! in a box

Purchase from Amazon  Passion and ambition collide in the age of steam, as rivals grapple for power, riches, revenge and love...  What are your plans for 2016? I'm kicking off the new year with the release of my Western Romance series in a special collection for a special price.  The Steam! Romance and Rails Series Collection boxed set is an Amazon exclusive offer for Kindle. The set includes my debut novella and three full-length novels, including the latest release. The collection is discounted to $5.99, which is more than half off the regular price if you purchase the books separately. Read the series back-to-back, or dive into the stories you haven't read yet. Consider it a late Christmas present to yourself, or an early birthday gift. Either excuse will do. This collection will only be offered for a limited time, so pick up Steam! while it's hot... (pardon the awful pun). If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for FREE. Here's what included: HER BODYGUARD - Book 1, full length novel  When Amy Langford finds herself in danger after investing in a railway to bring mail-order brides west, she hires Buck O’Connor for protection. But the former soldier has orders to destroy her plans — orders that become more and more difficult to follow as he falls for her...  KATE'S OUTLAW - Book 2, novella Railroad heiress Kate Parsons takes matters into her own hands to resolve a land dispute with the Indians. After she’s abducted by mistake and then rescued by her captor, she discovers that the Cherokee outlaw isn’t the real savage. Now she’s in a race to put an end to the hostilities and clear his name before it’s too late.  A DANGEROUS PASSION - Book 3, full-length novel  When her father lands a job out West, Lucy Forbes packs her books and her dreams and sets off to document the grand adventure. But the moment she steps off the train, she's thrust into the gritty reality of an untamed frontier and into the arms of a scoundrel.  FUGITIVE HEARTS - Book 4, full length-novel  For years, Claire hushed up her husband’s dangerous condition to guard his reputation. When tragedy strikes, she puts her own life at risk when she vows to keep another terrible secret. Sheriff Frank Garrity must get to the truth, although the hard-drinking lawman hides his own secrets. But as Frank unravels Claire’s subterfuge and unlocks her heart, he’s torn between his desire to save her and his duty to bring her to justice.  What are your plans for 2016? I'm working on a new series, which I'll introduce later next month with an exclusive excerpt on Get Lost in a Story. Today, I'll be giving away a copy of the Steam! Romance and Rails Series Collection Boxed Set to one lucky commenter. Just leave a comment about your resolution or big plans for the coming year, and enter the drawing. I'll announce a winner Saturday.

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E.E. Burke's BEST OF THE WEST: Death, Victorian Style

Grieving Victorians

October seems a fitting month to share a post on mourning customs in the 19th century. 

A LITTLE HISTORY

Victorians had a morbid fascination--some might call it an obsession--with death and dying. Many books were written on the subject of how to mourn, what to wear, when to wear it, and many other customs--some of which we might find downright bizarre.

The queen started it, so we can blame her. When Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into mourning, and she continued to wear black for the rest of her life. Her prolonged and highly visible grieving influenced society on both sides of the ocean. 

Queen Victoria in mourning

That same year, the American Civil War began. Death on a massive scale affected families and communities. Mourning became a central fact of wartime. After the war, death continued to be ritualized. 

MOURNING RITUALS

Hair Jewelry

During the Victorian era, customs dictated every aspect of life—and death. Social decorum dictated how family members dressed and behaved after the death of a close relative. Black was the “in” color, all the way down to underclothes and handkerchiefs. The mourning dress would be solid black, symbolic of spiritual darkness, made of non-reflective material like bombazine, and trimmed in crape (crepe), a scratchy silk with a crimped appearance produced by heat. Merchants weren’t about to miss out on the opportunity and mourning apparel became the first “off the rack” clothing. If one couldn’t afford a new outfit, they dyed existing clothes black.

Mourning Accessories 

Personal stationery and handkerchiefs carried a black border, with a wide border indicating a very recent death. Widows were expected to wear black two years, after that they could go into half-mourning, in gray, mauve, and white.

Mourning jewelry was popular, especially pieces made with the loved one’s hair. (Don’t even get me started on Victorian hair art, another peculiar custom.) Women in mourning carried or wore “tear catchers” made from glass vials or tiny urns.  Tears were captured, the vials capped. Supposedly, when the tears evaporated the mourning period would be over.

Women covered their faces with veils, which kept red-rimmed eyes hidden. But there was also a superstition that the spirits of the departed hovered around those they loved. If a passerby looked directly on the mourner's face, that spirit might attach itself to the person.

Widow in full mourning

In fact, superstitions and customs went hand-in-glove, you might say.

A wreath of laurel, yew or boxwood tied with crape or black ribbons hangs on the front door to alert passersby that a death had occurred. All over the house, black material covers windows, pictures and mirrors. Many rituals were based on superstitions.

*Stop the clock at the death hour to avoid bad luck.

*Turn down family photographs so the wandering soul could not take possession of the living

*When there was a corpse in the house you had to cover all the mirrors, so the soul would not be trapped behind the glass.

*Carry the corpse out feet first because if it’s carried out head first, it could look back and beckon others to follow it into death.

Mourners greeted guests coming to pay respects and, served “funeral biscuits” – small cakes wrapped in white paper and sealed with black sealing wax.

Death Room Photograph

In the parlor, called the “death room” when a coffin was on display, lilies and other fragrant flowers fill the room (or flowers made from human hair, often the deceased’s), and a portrait of the deceased taken after death stands near the coffin.

During this era, post-mortem portraits became very popular. 

The body would be watched over every minute until burial, hence the custom of “waking”.  The wake also served as a safeguard from burying someone who was not dead but in a coma.  Wakes also lasted several days to allow relatives to arrive from far away. The use of flowers and candles helped to mask unpleasant odors in the room. Burial usually followed four days after death. Lavish meals would be served to guests after the internment.

Post Mortem (see stand behind her?)

Photography was still fairly new and expensive. In many cases, this would be the only picture families had of their loved ones. 

The photo shoots became quite elaborate. Corpses would be propped up with devices, sometimes eyes would be painted over closed lids, and if decomposition occurred before the photo could be made, death masks would be employed.

A widespread concern in the nineteenth century was the fear of being buried alive. Coffin alarms were developed. A bell was attached to the headstone with a chain that led down into the coffin to a ring that went around the finger of the deceased. 

Some expressions that came from this era: “Saved by the bell." Also, "dead ringer.”

Coffin Alarm

Another concern was grave robbery.  The culprit? Usually men hired by doctors (or the doctors themselves) who needed fresh cadavers for dissection classes.  They earned the name "Resurrection Men."

“Bricking-over” a grave was a way of guaranteeing some security after death.

Death Comes Calling

At the beginning of my latest novel, Fugitive Hearts, the heroine's husband is killed. She claims the shooting was accidental, but as gossip spreads, people begin to suspect her of murder. 

Available from Amazon and major retailers

“Sheriff…I just shot my husband.”

Hotel owner Claire Daines is a respected member of the community. Until she shocks the entire town by rushing into a saloon wearing only her nightclothes and confessing to very inebriated lawman.

Is she a killer? Is she crazy? Or is she covering up something worse?

For years, Claire hushed up her husband’s dangerous condition to guard his reputation. When tragedy strikes, she puts her own life at risk when she vows to keep another terrible secret.

Sheriff Frank Garrity must get to the truth, although the tough, hard-drinking lawman hides his own secrets and would rather walk a lonely path than face his demons. But as Frank unravels Claire’s subterfuge and unlocks her heart, he’s torn between his desire to save her and his duty to bring her to justice.

Here's an excerpt:

Observing proper protocol, Claire has stayed with her husband's body all night and remains beside the coffin the next day as guests--including the town's worst gossips--come by to pay their "respects."

“Make way, make way…” The mournful wail came as a surprise, but not nearly as surprising as who appeared in a parted sea of mourners. Gertrude Bond paraded across the room in a black silk gown trimmed sumptuously in velvet, with a matching bonnet, clutching a lace fan—never one to miss an opportunity to make a fashion statement.

On a gold chain around her neck hung a delicate glass vial. Why the lachrymatory? She wasn’t family, wasn’t even a close friend. She had as much need of a tear-catcher as a crocodile.

She paused in front of the coffin, flanked by her followers, which included the mayor’s wife. That was the bitterest pill for Claire to swallow, seeing former friends switch loyalties after her brother left town and another man took his place.

The new general manager’s flamboyant wife drew the fan to her shapeless breast with a loud sigh. “What a terrible, terrible loss. An honorable, respected man like Mr. Daines cut down in his prime.”

The room went silent. There were some sharp looks, but no one rebuked the harpy for her rudeness. Instead, they turned away and pretended not to notice, no doubt because of her influential position in the community.

In a brief fantasy, Claire stuffed her black handkerchief into the other woman’s mouth. But no, things were bad enough without creating a spectacle. She gave a cool, but polite, reply. “Thank you for coming by to pay your respects.”

Gertrude maintained a mournful expression, practiced enough to appear convincing. “Do allow me to convey our deepest condolences for your loss. I’m sure your heart must be broken. With your husband gone, what will you do?”

This wasn’t the time or place to be discussing her future, and she certainly wasn’t filling Mrs. Bond in on her plans. “I’m afraid I can’t think past the moment.”

“Of course. You’re beset with grief, a very great burden to bear alone. Family can be a comfort. Have you sent for your brother?”

Oh, Gertrude would love that. She took every opportunity to remind people that the former general manager had left under the shadow of scandal, and even went so far as to suggest Henry was guilty of defrauding the railroad instead of his assistant, Caldwell, the man who’d murdered the investigator and very nearly killed Henry.

Claire had written to advise her brother and sisters of Frederick’s death, but not the manner in which he had died. With the trouble she’d caused her siblings over the years, she didn’t want to add humiliation to the list. “My family has been informed,” she said simply.

“Then you’ll be going to live with them?”

Why did the wretched woman care?

“There’s no reason for me to burden them. My home is here.”

Gertrude looked strangely annoyed. “You wish to remain in Parsons?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“To avoid jail, I suppose.”

What odd customs surrounding death and mourning have you heard about? Comment and enter the drawing for your chance to win a copy of the first book in the series, Steam! Romance and Rails.

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New from E.E. Burke: Fugitive Hearts

What would you sacrifice to give someone you love a second chance?

“Sheriff…I just killed my husband.”

Hotel owner Claire Daines is a respected member of the community. Until she shocks the entire town by rushing into a saloon wearing only her nightclothes and confessing to very inebriated lawman.

Is she a killer? Is she crazy? Or is she covering up something worse?

For years, Claire hushed up her husband’s dangerous condition to guard his reputation. When tragedy strikes, she puts her own life at risk when she vows to keep another terrible secret.

Sheriff Frank Garrity must get to the truth, although the tough, hard-drinking lawman hides his own secrets and would rather walk a lonely path than face his demons. But as Frank unravels Claire’s subterfuge and unlocks her heart, he’s torn between his desire to save her and his duty to bring her to justice.

Here's an excerpt

Upon reaching the oaken and etched-glass hotel door, Frank stopped. He searched for the handle with his fingers, and using the toe of his boot, managed to coax the door open without releasing the trembling woman in his arms.

Inside, half a dozen men milled about the lobby, situated between an ornate mahogany reception desk and a carpeted stairway leading to the second floor. Claire put her arms around his neck and hid her face in his shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured reassuringly. “I won’t leave you out here in your nightclothes. Where are your quarters?”

“Upstairs, in the back,” came the muffled reply.

The anxious guests converged on Frank about the time a clock started chiming.

“We heard a gunshot.”

Chime.

“There’s a dead man up there.”

Chime.

“Are you the sheriff?”

Chime.

“Thank you, I know. Yes.” Frank fired off short answers without slowing down to talk. He’d take Claire to her rooms and learn what happened first hand before he started interviewing anyone else. As he climbed the stairs, the chimes continued. Eleven. When he got a moment, he needed to jot down the time in the small notebook he carried in his pocket.

The woman in his arms still shook despite the air being warmer inside. Maybe it wasn’t from cold as much as from shock. If her husband had ended his life in front of her, that would explain her fragile state and bizarre behavior. He’d been acquainted with Claire Daines for the past two years, and in all that time he’d never seen her leave the hotel with so much as a hair out of place.

Her reclusive husband, on the other hand, could be a ghost for all Frank knew. Frederick Daines kept to his rooms, didn’t even go to church on Sundays. According to his wife, he suffered from war injuries and had trouble getting out. She took care of him without complaint while running a busy hotel and more recently raising an orphaned boy, Billy Frye.

“Where’s Billy?”

“In bed,” came her muffled reply.

Odd. Nobody else seemed to be.

Apprehensive guests peeked out of their rooms. They held lamps and candles aloft, the flickering light casting eerie shadows on their faces and the rose-patterned paper lining the hallway.

Frank cradled the trembling woman closer. Not because he felt any more protective toward Claire Daines than he would any other woman. He’d keep telling himself that until he believed it.

When he reached the back, a flickering light shone from a gas lamp on the wall. These rooms weren’t marked with numbers. Near the end of the hall, a door stood ajar. He hesitated, not wanting to take her inside if her husband lay dead in that room. “Is there somewhere else you can wait while I take a look inside?”

“Jail,” she murmured in a resigned tone.

He huffed with annoyance. “Stop talking about going to jail. You need a doc.”

“I’m not sick.”

“Is there a cure for hardheaded?”

Using his elbow, he nudged open the door. Cold air escaped the dark room and his nostrils flared at a charred odor. “Smells like something burned…”

Inside, Frank set his charge on her feet. She maintained a fixed stare. Reminded him of the expression he’d seen on the faces of young soldiers who’d gotten their first taste of war. Without thinking, he cupped his hand on her head and gently stroked her disheveled hair.

Desire buzzed through him. He’d never touched her before and had wondered what might happen if he did. Now he knew. Didn’t come as a surprise.

He drew his hand away. “I need to look around. Wait here.”

She didn’t speak but he got a nod.

The room was awful dark. He fumbled in his pocket for a pack of lucifers and struck one. A quick survey revealed singed curtains fluttering over a partially opened window. That explained the chill and the smell. Nearby, a candle lay on the wood floor in a puddle of water and some papers were strewn around, a few of them charred. Fortunately, someone had put out the fire before it took hold. A blaze could’ve burned down the wood-frame building in no time.

He retrieved the candle and, after a few matches, got the damp wick dry enough to light. Then wedged the taper into its stand and set it on the desk. That’s when he saw the body.

A man in his dressing robe lay sprawled face down on a floral carpet. Frank squatted by the still figure, detecting a faint scent of gunpowder and a sharper stench that indicated loss of bodily functions. No pulse, mottled skin, ice cold…

He rolled Daines over. The body remained flaccid, which meant he couldn’t have been dead for long—less than a few hours. Sightless eyes stared upward. Blood and powder burns stained his white nightshirt around a neat hole drilled in his chest. Whoever shot him had been close.

Frank’s heart commenced to pounding, every thudding beat resounded in his head, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. Had to be the effects of the whiskey he'd consumed because he’d seen more than his share of dead bodies and in much worse condition than this one. 
He drew a deep breath and released it. Forced his mind to focus. He couldn’t allow anything to cloud his thinking—not whiskey, not even his sympathy for the young widow. Frederick Daines had been shot through the heart. His wife just admitted to killing him. One question remained. 

Why?

E.E. Burke

Weave together rich historical detail, passionate romance, add a dash of suspense and you have books by E.E. Burke. Her chosen settings are the American West, and her current series takes place during the tumultuous era of America's steam railroads.

Her writing has earned accolades in regional and national contests, including the prestigious Golden Heart®. Over the years, she’s been a disc jockey, a journalist and an advertising executive, before finally getting around to living the dream...writing stories readers can get lost in.

#BestOfTheWest Heroes and Book Release Party

Tomorrow you can party with some of your favorite Western romance authors who are joining E.E. and co-host Angi Morgan to celebrate the release of Fugitive Hearts.

We'll be sharing about our favorite Western heroes, including the ones in our books, and there will be presents galore--FLASH giveaways every hour, along with fantastic drawings held by each author during their guest appearance. 

Here's the all-star line-up:
Kirsten Osbourne
B.J. Daniels
Becky Lower
Linda Broday
Cindy Nord
Kaki Warner
Beth Williamson
Kathleen Rice Adams
Rosanne Bittner. 

The fun starts at 11 a.m. and goes non-stop through 10 p.m. You're all invited. To RSVP, just comment here and I'll send you an invite. (I'll need your Facebook name).

You can earn extra points in my drawing just by coming to the event and bringing a friend. 

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