Showing posts with label Wild West Show. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wild West Show. Show all posts

1/03/2019

Jacqui Nelson’s North of the Border - Inspiration for my Trick Rider Story


Who's next on my North of the Border guest blog series? 

Today it's me, your North of the Border host, Jacqui Nelson :) 

And I'm sharing the inspiration for my Wild West trick-riding heroine, Eldorado Jane, from my novel, Between Home & Heartbreak.

How, when and why did Canada become part of my inspiration for this story? Read on and see...

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 I love writing about classic Old West events. So I always wanted to create a story about a female trick rider in an iconic show like Buffalo Bill's Wild West (which first started in America in 1883). 


I haven't seen many trick riders in action. I'd like to see more.

Where I grew up (in northern Alberta, Canada) the most popular sports/activities seemed to be hockey and ice skating (in the winter) and the rodeo and the fair (in the summer). There weren't many female hockey players or rodeo riders, but the women ruled the barrel racing. Our small town (population 1,500) had two brothers who became champions in the saddle bronc event. I wondered about the sisters of rodeo-royalty families. What were their talents? What were their dreams? Where did they go and what did they do?

In a small town in a remote location, you often have to go somewhere to even figure out what your dreams are. That was me. I left home at eighteen but came back often. I loved the farm, but I loved to explore and discover new things as well.

Then, many years later, after attending a Tournament of Kings dinner show in Vegas or it might have been the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Orlando (I went to both), I heard a rumor that the sister of one of those super-star rodeo families had been riding in those shows!

A Medieval Times Princess riding in the California Rose Parade
My youthful ponderings had been given an answer. Or at least a partial answer. My mind took off exploring again, thinking about trick riders and what types of shows they might join or leave—and why.

Eventually, Eldorado Jane (my trick-riding superstar of my show, Colonel Calhoun’s Wondrous West) showed up in the Texas Hill Country in 1879. Eldorado Jane has left the show, but it hasn't left her. A show without its star attraction is a show that isn't drawing the biggest crowds and isn't paying its bills. So, Colonel Calhoun tracks down Eldorado Jane (aka Eldora) and insists that a show must be put on—to make money and to make a point. If you've worked so hard to become a star and a success, how can you give that up? And how many people (your employer, your fellow performers, your fans) won't let you give up your show life even if you wanted to?

Here's an excerpt from Colonel Calhoun’s Wondrous West show where (in the wake of a violent death that has yet to be solved) there's a lot more going on that just the show...

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The hushed beat of Indian drums built to a mighty pounding that filled the show tent.


Standing in the middle of the ring, Eldora laid her palm over her heart and gazed around with the exaggerated alarm of an actor. The dread beating in Lewis’ heart was real.


A horse charged in carrying a chief wearing a feathered war bonnet, face paint, and a breastplate full of too many adornments to decipher at his speed. A half-dozen whooping and chanting, bare-chested braves on nimble ponies followed him. When Eldora leapt on her own horse, they chased her around the ring.
 A handful of seconds later, the warriors corralled her by the target with the bulls-eye.

“Don’t worry,” Vandrill’s grip on Lewis’ shoulder tightened, warning him not to leave his seat in the crowd. “It’s part of the act.”


The chief pulled Eldora off her horse and into the throng. A loud whoop sounded and the riders raced for the exit, revealing Eldora bound with rope to the target. Using long measured strides, the chief marched away from her. After ten steps, he spun to face her again. This time with his palms raised high.


The drums went silent. So did the crowd. They all stared at the chief who finally stood still enough for Lewis to see beyond the face paint and war bonnet. The chief was Hawk and his breastplate contained not only feathers and beads but animal claws.


Claws that could’ve been used to murder someone and make it look like a mountain lion. A reclusive animal that usually stayed far away from towns, even when injured.


Hawk pulled a tomahawk from his belt, widened his stance and drew back his arm. He aimed the blade at Eldora.


Lewis grabbed the pistol that Vandrill held close against Lewis' side and yanked the barrel earthward. He used his other hand to slug Vandrill in the jaw.


The entire time they wrestled for the weapon, Vandrill kept his gaze on the show ring. “Stop fighting me and start helping Eldora,” he hissed. “Brutus has arrived and he looks spitting mad. I don’t want to shoot him if it can be avoided. So, release the gun and get going.” He shoved Lewis toward Eldora. “Your lady needs you.”

Vandrill was right. Brutus, the buffalo that had previously moved at a placid pace, now careened wildly around the ring. Hawk didn’t even glance at the beast. The Lakota brave’s gaze hadn’t wavered. Neither had his tomahawk, still raised and ready to throw at Eldora.


Lewis jumped over the wall separating the crowd from the ring. He raced forward with only his body to protect her.

~ * ~

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Between Home & Heartbreak, visit my excerpt page on my website. Or you can find the story on Amazon US, UK, Canada, and Australia. And on Kindle Unlimited as well.

Sitting Bull & Buffalo Bill in Montreal, Quebec, 1885
Before the invention of film, vaudeville and variety shows were the entertainment of the day. Everyone traveled. The show often traveled to reach the guests, and guests traveled to reach the show. Just like I traveled to see a trick rider from my hometown who I didn't even know I was going to see.

 On a side note, some Canadian travel trivia... 

William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (the creator of Buffalo Bill's Wild West) was born in Iowa Territory but lived for several years in his father’s hometown in Toronto Township (in Ontario, Canada) before his family settled in the Kansas Territory.

Do you have a favorite show you've traveled to see or would like to travel to see? 
Comment below for a chance to win an e-copy of Eldorado Jane's story... 

~ * ~

Fall in love with a new Old West... where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, wilderness guides, and trick-riding superstars in my stories. Those are my heroines. Wait till you meet my heroes! My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm in northern Canada.

I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.


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9/13/2016

E.E. Burke's Best of the West: A New Release from Award-winning Author Jacqui Nelson

Today, it's my great pleasure to host fellow author and friend Jacqui Nelson as my Best of the West guest. Jacqui and I met back in 2010 when we were both finalists for the RWA's prestigious Golden Heart award for Historical Romance. Jacqui won...but I don't hold that against her. In fact, I'm one of her biggest fans! Her writing has won numerous awards, and it's no surprise. She has an amazing talent and a unique voice well suited for Western historical romance. Read on, and see what I mean... 

 Between Home and Heartbreak
Book 2, Gambling Hearts Series

 Who is Eldorado Jane? Long-lost friend or scheming superstar?

Texas Hill Country — 1879

Plain Jane Dority vanished while riding in a storm beside her childhood best friend. Eighteen years later, Wild West trick-riding superstar Eldorado Jane returns to claim her birthright: the Dority homestead now owned by the steadfast Texan who never forgot Jane or forgave himself for her disappearance.

Lewis Adams would give anything to see his friend come home, but he's certain Eldorado Jane isn't his Jane. So why does this mesmerizing woman—with the talent and fame to have anything she desires—want the remote patch of land that he loves? There's only one way to find out: accept a wager with a deceiver who holds the power to bring back his friend or break his heart. The outcome rests in her hands. Or does it?

Friendship. Betrayal. Blackmail. Eldorado Jane holds every card...except the one that matters most.

Excerpt

** This is the scene where Lewis Adams gets his first glimpse of what Eldora (aka Eldorado Jane), Wild West trick rider can do. **

Led by the blasted Appaloosa Cayuse, Lewis’ horses spilled through the hole Samson had busted in the corral. The volatile stallion crowded him and Lila into a corner, shielding and hemming them in at the same time. Whatever had spooked the horse, he’d gone from needing protection to offering it in a heartbeat.

Either way, he was ensuring Lewis lost everything.

A shrill whistle whipped Samson around and sent him thundering after the last horse departing the corral. Lewis leapt onto Lila bareback and gave chase.

Samson plowed a path straight through the river of heaving horse flesh. Lewis slipped Lila into his wake. The brute had become Lewis’ best chance to avert disaster. If he could catch the lead horse, the Appaloosa, and turn him, his followers might embrace their herd mentality and turn as well.

Lewis scanned the distance, remaining between the stampede and the trail.

Eldora Calhoun stood dead ahead. Disbelief then fear sent Lewis’ heart racing as fast as the herd. Horses usually tried to avoid running over people or anything that made for unstable footing—if they weren’t spooked witless.

Eldora couldn’t stop them. She was going to get herself killed. Unless Lewis reached her before the horses did.

Samson pulled ahead to run even with the Appaloosa. Lewis urged Lila to move up beside the pair but the herd jostled Lila sideways, away from Samson, hemming them in again, leaving him unable to reach Eldora.

Finally, she moved.

Pivoting sideways, she braced one foot behind her and raised her hands as if preparing to grasp something in front of her…where nothing existed but air. Never once had her gaze left Samson.

Understanding made his heart leap with hope. She intended to mount Samson on the run.

** Does Eldora make the mount? Well, she is the star of a show that’s entertained New York and all across the county, so the odds are in her favor. But there are plenty of other challenges that Eldora has no idea how to handle in the wild and remote Texas hills — including Lewis. **

Amazon Buy Links:

Between Home & Heartbreak (Gambling Hearts, book 2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L9RZRKK
Between Love & Lies (Gambling Hearts, book 1): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014BNUCKO


Meet Jacqui

Fall in love with a new Old West...where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. You’ll find cardsharps, scouts, spies & Wild West trick riders in my stories.

My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching classic Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm. I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® — but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my books.

Contact info



Q&A

What does your hero hate most?

I knew only two things about Lewis Adams when he played a small part in Between Love & Lies (Gambling Hearts, book 1): he was extremely easygoing and only lost his cool if someone tried to steal something from him or a person he cared about.

So when I asked the question, who’s the best and worst woman for Lewis? I knew it had to be a woman who would come to steal his land—the land he’d bought with the hard-earned dollars he’d gained during book 1’s cattle drive.

How do your hero and heroine clash?

In Between Home & Heartbreak (Gambling Hearts, book 2), Lewis is overprotective and sees Eldorado Jane as a daredevil, a look-before-you-leap type of woman. She is after all a trick-riding superstar in a Wild West show.

In reality, Eldorado Jane may be a daredevil, but she isn’t a senseless one. She’s trained long and hard to achieve her fame and fortune. The more Lewis tries to protect her (and in the process stifle her), the more she strives to convince him that taking chances is not only fun but an essential part of life.

What could we find in your heroine's purse?

My heroines seldom carry purses, but I love using clothing to help paint a picture of my characters and how others feel about them. Here's my hero, Lewis’ thoughts about Eldorado Jane, and her companion Col. Roy Calhoun, when they first arrive at Lewis’ homestead…

Lewis had never glimpsed anything or anyone as captivating as Eldorado Jane: a woman fully dressed, covered from chin to toe, wearing a jacket that hugged her like a lover’s eager embrace…until it fell in a flare of ruffles over the back of her skirt, over the delectable curve of her—

He locked his attention on the uninspiring territory of Calhoun’s equally well-tailored but fully unpleasant form. “You from San Antonio or Austin?”

What inspires you daily?

Before I start my day, it's become my routine to post an inspirational picture on my Facebook Author Page and on Twitter. I like themes. So far I've done two: sunrises and coffee cups. Soon I'll be embarking on a third theme. If you’re interested in seeing the pictures, there are links to my social media sites at the bottom of this blog post. 

Complete this sentence. When I want to relax, I. . .

I curl up on my sofa and watch a show. Recently I started watching "Peaky Blinders." I love the characters and the use of history (World War I) as motivation for their actions. These are seriously flawed characters that have survived the worst of times. The war is over but everyone is still struggling to survive in the gritty and corrupt industrial city of Birmingham in 1919.

Is there a “Blooper” in your story?

During the final polishing of Between Home & Heartbreak, a couple of my advance readers let me know that I'd used the word "stranglers" instead of "stragglers" in this sentence: Clusters of longhorn cattle dotted the land, as did the stragglers being rounded up by men on horseback.

I’m not sure how those cows would have strangled someone with only cloven hooves to do the deed! J

What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

A book never seems done to be me. There are endless ways to polish and strive for perfection (and catch errors like the one above). The only way for me to stop is to start a new book. Currently I’m working on a short story for an anthology and book 3 in my Gambling Hearts series, which will follow Mr. Vandrill (my Wild West show crack shot) and Oralee Adams (Lewis’ sister) on a cattle drive hounded by rustlers and thieves of all sorts.



Giveaway


Today, Jacqui is giving away 2 free e-copies of Between Home & Heartbreak (or if you already have this book, your choice of one of her other e-books). Just enter the raffle and leave a comment:

What is your favorite classic Western movie, and why?


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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