E.E. Burke's #BestOfTheWest STEAM! Sampler

This coming Tuesday is release day for my new book, Fugitive Hearts, which is the fourth in the series Steam! Romance and Rails. 

To celebrate, I’m hosting a special STEAM! Sampler. From now through Monday, I’ll be blogging about a variety of topics related to the series and holding prize drawings. 

And, I'll be and offering my debut novella, Kate's Outlaw, FREE.

Let’s get rolling with a look at an exciting time in the history of America known as the Railroad Era.

On May 10, 1869, the final spike was driven into tracks connecting a transcontinental railroad line. The impact was immediate and dramatic. Travel between America's east and west coasts was reduced from months to less than a week.

That famous contest between the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific wasn’t the only competition between two behemoths. In 1870, two other lines raced to be first to reach the border of then-Indian Territory and win exclusive rights to lay track into cattle-rich Texas. 

This true story turned out to be a perfect setting for the first two books in my series, Her Bodyguard and Passion's Prize. Let’s take a look at the history behind them:

“If the railroad can be put through next season, we can sell lots enough to make such sinners as we are, rich as sinners ought to be.” Samuel Pomeroy, Kansas Senator

With the Cherokee Treaty of 1866, President Grant establishes a large tract of land in southern Kansas for settlement. Using political pressure, the railroads got the land cheap, less than $1 an acre.

That same month, the President signs the Land Grant bill into law, giving first railroad to reach Indian Territory (modern day Oklahoma) exclusive rights to build through the sovereign nations.

The race between three contenders quickly becomes a cutthroat competition between the two most powerful railroads: the Southern branch of the Union Pacific, dubbed the "Katy", and the "Border Tier" line owned by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, The two men leading the railroads are Eastern investors who get into the business for the easy money. It turns out to be not so easy.

Since the end of the Civil War, settlers have been “squatting” on what is now railroad land. They claim Congress promised it to them and refuse to pay the railroad’s asking price.

 “Hang the RR man as high as Haman, without benefit of clergy”. Spokesman for Crawford County Land League

By late 1869, competitive railroads are racing toward a prescribed crossing point at the border of Indian Territory.  Working for James Joy’s Border Tier line, brilliant engineer Octave Chanute (who gained famed by constructing the first bridge over the Missouri River at Kansas City) draws a straight line south and builds to altitudes of 300 feet, intent on constructing a “first class” railroad.

Further west, Judge Levi Parsons drives the Katy Railroad crews day and night. At one point, crews are laying two miles of track a day, trying to catch up to their rival.

Meanwhile, settlers in Southeastern Kansas organize into armed militias (Land Leagues) to oppose the railroad. Leaguers attack railroad agents, burn out rail crews, steal supplies, tents, articles and camp equipment. 

Federal troops are sent in to keep the peace. The settlers, predominantly Union veterans, face off with the government they’d fought for just a few years earlier. Despite problems with angry settlers, all bets are on the Border Tier Railroad to win the race. They have a comfortable head start on the Katy, and more money. 

But In January 1870, the stockholders of the Katy Railroad meet in Emporia. Parsons has hired a new general manager who will win the race for him: Colonel Robert S. Stevens. While the Border Tier builds a railroad that will last, Stevens tells Katy workers to lay tracks with minimal grading and adjust routes to minimize bridges and curves. He focuses on speed, rather than quality.

“Give me the iron and the big stuff and I’ll put your railroad down if I have to lay it flat on the prairie.” John Scullin to Katy Railroad owner Judge Levi Parsons.

In May, the Border Tier reaches Baxter Springs near the Indian Territory border, still ahead of the Katy, and holds a blowout celebration party—a little prematurely.

Rumor has it Katy spies are stirring up the settlers and encouraging them to riot. The Border Tier strikes back and is accused of vandalism and banditry. Both lines engage in bidding wars for workers. Neither admits to wrongdoing.

“One must be prepared to pay for the victory, or not play at all.” James Joy, Border Tier Railroad president

"Indians" (reputedly men hired by the Katy) direct Octave Chanute to wrong border crossing, a pile of stones that mark an 1837 survey, which is few miles away from the official 1854 border. His railroad crosses at the wrong place. While the Border Tier celebrates, Katy crews lay track in nonstop rain--to the correct borderline. 

The problems with the settlers continue to plague both railroads as they dispute the results of the race. I won’t tell you how it ends, although I will say my books are historically accurate.

Here are blurbs from the first two books in the series. I’ll be giving away signed copies of the first three books in the series in the Steam! Sampler drawing. 

The most dangerous man may be the one she hired.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo |
 iBooks | Smashwords | Google

​For America "Amy" Langford, investing in the Border Tier Railroad isn’t about chasing riches. The savvy businesswoman is after bigger stakes: influence, respect, success her father didn't live to see. Rioting settlers and cutthroat competitors can’t stop her, but a killer might. When a ruggedly handsome drifter comes to her rescue, she trusts her instincts and hires him on the spot as her bodyguard.

    Buck O'Connor has put his violent past behind him, but being a wanted man dictates a life of deceit. So what’s one more lie? He becomes Amy’s protector so he can secretly thwart her railroad’s progress to help his cousin avoid financial ruin. A great scheme...until he falls in love. But the price for deceit is steep, and the secrets he hides could destroy their future...if they survive.

In a race for riches, anything can happen.

 Amazon | B&N | Kobo |
 iBooks | Smashwords | Google

​Outlaws, soldiers and spies bedevil the Katy Railroad as crews rush to reach Indian Territory before their rival and claim the prize. Riches that come with free land. The stakes are just as high for three women whose lives hinge on the outcome. This novel in three parts tells their stories:

​​Adella's Enemy by Jacqui Nelson: A former Rebel spy must choose between living for revenge and dying for love. 

Eden's Sin by Jennifer Jakes: A woman with a soiled past must trust the one man who could ruin her future. ​

Kate's Outlaw by E.E. Burke: A railroad heiress abducted by outlaws must escape her Cherokee captor before he steals something more valuable than her fortune--her heart. 

Tomorrow on the Steam! Sampler, A Dangerous Passion continues the story...

FREE on Amazon for a limited time

This weekend, enter to win:

1 signed copy, Her Bodyguard
1 signed copy, Passion's Prize
1 signed copy, A Dangerous Passion

You can also download my debut novella, Kate's Outlaw, FREE on Amazon from Friday, July 25 to Tuesday, July 28. 

Have you read any of the Steam! series books? If so, who was your favorite character and why? If not, tell us about a favorite book based on a true story or historical event.

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"A New Old West" from award winning author Jacqui Nelson

Each month, I feature a Best of the West guest author on Get Lost in a Story. One of my first guests was a fantastic debut author, Golden Heart winner Jacqui Nelson. Last month, you heard about her award-winning novel, Between Heaven and Hell. She'll have another Western historical romance out in September, Between Love and Lies. And today I'm giving readers a sneak peek!

Between Love & Lies, coming Sept 2014

In a town ruled by sin, will he earn her love or her lies?

Sadie Sullivan lost everything when a herd of longhorn cattle bound for Dodge City trampled and destroyed her farm. Now she works in Dodge—one of the most wicked and lawless towns in the West—at the Northern Star saloon. But her survival in this new world of sin and violence depends on maintaining a secret so deadly it could end her life before the town of Dodge can.

The one man capable of unraveling all of Sadie's secrets is Noah Ballantyne, the Texan cattle rancher whose herd destroyed her home. Back in town and taking up the role of Deputy Marshall, Noah vows he won't leave until he's put things right. But with the Northern Star's owner unwilling to let her go and a rival rancher plotting to claim her for his own, things won't be easy...especially with Sadie resisting him every step of the way.

Between Love & Lies – a never before seen excerpt 

Dodge City, Kansas – 1877

Noah drew a bag from each of his vest pockets and scattered their contents, a stream of colorful poker chips, across the card table. “How many acres was your farm?” He pulled his chair closer, his knee brushing hers.

The contact sent a jolt, unexpected and breath-taking as a bolt of lightning, up Sadie’s spine. She pinned her gaze on the window and huffed out a breath, trying to conceal her reaction. “If you’d truly purchased my home, you wouldn’t have to ask its size.”

He unfolded a crisp white piece of paper and laid it atop the poker chips. The deed to her farm bore his name.

Her blood roared in her ears. “Well, since you do indeed own my farm, you do not need me to tell you the extent of your property.”

“Indulge me,” he insisted, pulling his chair even closer until she sat between his splayed knees, within the unyielding curve of his body.

She blinked, befuddled by his persistence and this conversation’s purpose. Around her, the corners where the sun couldn’t reach were no less dark, but with Noah sitting so close the shadows seemed lighter.

She released a pent-up breath. “My farm totaled one hundred acres.”

Noah assembled the poker chips in neat stacks before her. When he was done, she counted ten columns of ten chips.

His gaze snared hers and held her captive. “I’ll give you one acre for every request you grant me.”

She felt her jaw sag in disbelief, but the rest of her snapped to attention. The desire to regain her farm was deep-rooted. And completely illogical. She couldn’t live on the land without a new house—a house she didn’t have the funds to build or protect from the never-ending herds flowing north from Texas. The dream of recovering all she’d lost faded, leaving her with only Noah’s proposal. He’d mentioned requests and she worked in a saloon…with a brothel upstairs.

Heat singed her cheeks, but she lifted her chin. “What kind of requests are you proposing?”

Meet Jacqui

Jacqui Nelson writes historical romantic adventures set in the American West and Victorian London. Jacqui's love for the Old West came from watching classic Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm. Her passion for Victorian London wasn't far behind and only increased when she worked in England and explored the nooks and crannies of London on her weekends. She now lives on the west coast of Canada where she works in a bookstore. She is a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® winner and three-time finalist.

Amazon ebook or paperback

Jacqui's previous releases:

Between Heaven & Hell 

On a trail full of danger, will he guide her to heaven or hell?

Hannah knows one thing the moment she enters Fort Leavenworth—she's arrived in Hell. But inside is the means to a new life, a position as a scout on a wagon train bound for the Western Territories. All she has to do is convince the wagon master, Paden Callahan, she's the right person for the job.

After his wife was murdered by the Comanche, Paden let his work as a Texas Ranger consume him. Now he wants nothing more than to disappear into the West. Unfortunately, the one man he can't refuse has asked him to guide a wagon train full of tenderfoots across thousands of miles of Indian land. But Paden's greatest challenge turns out to be Hannah, a woman his heart won't allow him to ignore even though she was raised by an enemy he hates.

Adella’s Enemy (included in Passion’s Prize, a novel in three parts)

Amazon ebook & print

Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Apple iBook

You can learn more about Jacqui by visiting her website or following her on social media: 

www.JacquiNelson.com

www.facebook.com/JacquiNelsonBooks

www.twitter.com/Jacqui_Nelson

www.goodreads.com/jacquinelson

www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson 

www.pinterest.com/JacquiAuthor

Now, let's get to the questions...

E.E.: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Jacqui: After writing my first novel, Between Heaven &  Hell (an Oregon Trail story that won a Golden Heart® for historical romance in 2010 and that I just published this summer), I started searching for a storyline for a second book. As is often the case for me, I turned to history for inspiration. While reading my Time-Life Old West books, I learned how the Texas cattle drives devastated the small farms along the trail when the longhorns infected the local cattle with a deadly tick.

What if a hard-working woman’s only source of income was destroyed by a cattle drover’s herd in just such a way? What if the drover returned a year later on a second cattle drive and found the woman’s life had changed 180 degrees: from innocent farm girl to cynical siren singing in a notorious Dodge City saloon? The idea was the spark for Noah and Sadie’s story.

E.E.: What is your hero’s “kryptonite”? What brings him to his knees?

Jacqui: Noah’s kryptonite is the guilt he carries and can’t ignore. It’s what drags him back to Dodge a year after his first disastrous trip. It’s what then keeps him in Dodge until different emotion invades his heart.

E.E.: What one thing about your hero frustrates your heroine?

Jacqui: Noah wants to help Sadie, but she’s learned the hard way not to trust anyone. How can she depend on anyone when everyone in her past has abandoned her, including Noah when he first met her a year ago?

E.E.: What one thing about your heroine frustrates your hero?

Jacqui: Sadie won’t accept Noah’s offer of assistance and if he can’t help her, he can’t make amends for starting her descent into a life of sin.

E.E.: What could we find in your heroine's purse?

Jacqui: Sadie doesn’t carry a purse, but she does make good use of another accessory. If she needs to open a locked door that stands in her way, she uses her hairpins. Her employer, Madam Garrett (the owner of the Northern Star Saloon) is hiding an evil secret. Exposing this secret is Sadie’s ticket out of Dodge and her dangerous life as a saloon girl.

E.E.: Which of your characters would you most like to invite to dinner?

Jacqui: I’d choose frontier lawman Marshal Bat Masterson. I had a great time researching his life and threading him into my novel. Masterson and Wyatt Earp were in Dodge City in 1877 (the year of my story) and I loved the true-life detail that Masterson had a wicked sense of humor. I couldn’t resist having him pester Noah into becoming his deputy so Masterson could more easily meddle with Noah and Sadie’s lives.

E.E.: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Jacqui: The stories that sing to me are the ones brimming with emotion and grit. When I read, I want to laugh, to cry, to shout in protest (when something goes wrong) or in joy (when something goes right).

E.E.: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go?

Jacqui: I’d travel to the American Old West of course! I love the frontier spirit and the open country. But I’d like to put some restrictions on my time travel…no visiting during the winter or pouring rain J

E.E.: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do?

Jacqui: I grew up on a farm and I loved watching Western TV shows and movies. I find the memories from my youth are often the most vivid and therefore the most inspiring.

E.E.: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

Jacqui: Although my characters are often larger-than-life in their looks and their deeds, the journey I ask them to take is never glamorous. I drag my characters through the mud, both physically and emotionally. I make them earn their happily-ever-after. Is it possible to be sexy under those conditions? I’ll have to let my readers be the judge of that!  

E.E.: What has been your most rewarding publishing moment? 

Jacqui: I love hearing from readers. One comment that particularly delights me is hearing how those who don’t normally read Westerns say they enjoyed one of my books and are now looking forward to reading more Westerns. It’s a thrill to learn that I might be helping to resurrect a love for the Western genre!

So that leads to a question: when was the last time you read a Western novel or watched a Western TV show or movie? And what did you think?

Enter and leave a comment for your chance to win one of my books, including my new release, Between Love & Lies, which comes out in September.

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New Release from E.E. Burke

Get Lost in a Steamy New Series

Welcome to Steam! Not steam as in punk, but real steam as in railroads. 

Steam! Romance and Rails is a new Western romance series set in an era when America expanded its boundaries as fast as men could lay track, a time when passions and ambition were destined to collide.

Today is release day for Her Bodyguard, the second book in the series. Check it out...

Amazon 

The most dangerous man may be the one she hires. 

For America “Amy” Langford, investing in the Border Tier Railroad isn’t about chasing riches. The savvy businesswoman is after bigger stakes: influence, respect, success her father didn’t live to see. Rioting settlers and underhanded competitors can’t stop her, but a killer might. When a ruggedly handsome drifter comes to her rescue, she trusts her instincts and hires him as her bodyguard.

Buck O'Connor has put his violent past behind him, but being a wanted man dictates a life of deceit. So what’s one more lie? He becomes Amy’s protector so he can secretly thwart her railroad’s progress to help his cousin avoid financial ruin. A great scheme—until he falls in love. 

While Buck hides his true purpose, Amy lies to herself about her growing feelings for her bodyguard. But the price for deceit is steep, and the secrets they both hide could destroy their future—if they survive. 

From now through Sunday, I’m hosting a special Steam! weekend, and blogging about a variety of topics related to the series. I'll also be giving away lots of freebies. So make sure you sign up for the drawing. 

First, let’s take a look at some little known facts about a railroad construction race through Kansas that sparked a settlers' war—a true event that's central to the story in Her Bodyguard. 

The main characters from my book are here today, and they’ve agreed to let me interview them. So with no further delay, let me introduce Buck O’Connor and Amy Langford from Fort Scott, Kansas. 

Buck and Amy, why don’t you tell us how you came to be involved in this railroad race and the riots that ensued as a result.

Buck: Well, I was living in Texas at the time, and...uh...  Actually, it’s all about cows—”

Amy: “Cows? Oh good grief. You’re avoiding the question, Buck. (Turns to the host) He’s doing that because he doesn’t want to tell you his cousin brought him to Kansas as a hired gun to kill me—”

Buck: “Hold on now. Don’t gallop off down that road. I wasn’t about to kill you. Things just got a little tense after the railroad stole the settlers’ land.”

Amy: “The railroad didn’t steal their land. Didn’t belong to them in the first place. Mr. Joy arranged to buy it from the government.”

Buck: “What little he paid for it, I’d call it stealing.”

Amy: “Well, let’s not debate the definition. Suffice to say, settlers were squatting on land the railroad owned and didn’t want to pay the asking price to purchase it.”

Buck: “Generally, folks don’t want to pay highway robbers either.”

Amy: (rolls her eyes): “We weren’t highway robbers.”

Buck: “You weren’t. See, Amy here was on the railroad board, doing her best to promote the line and help them win that race against the Katy.”

Amy: “Things weren’t working out so well...”

Buck:: “Because that fool James Joy didn’t listen to you. If he’d bargained in good faith to begin with, he wouldn’t have all this trouble.”

Amy: “But then you wouldn’t have come back from Texas, and I couldn’t have hired you as my bodyguard.”

Host: “Bodyguard? But I thought you said he was a hired gun?”

Amy: “He did both. Buck will tell you, he has many talents.”

Buck: Oh, so you want to talk about my talents?

Amy: We can discuss those later. Now that I think about it, you weren’t really a gunslinger. You were wanted for—”

Buck (clears his throat): “We don’t need to go into all that. Tell them about the Land League.”

Amy: “The settlers formed a vigilante group, dressed it up as a political organization. Started riots, destroyed railroad property, attacked representatives. They brought Buck in to slow down the railroad and force Mr. Joy to settle for cheap. Of course, I didn’t know all this at the time I hired him to be my bodyguard.”

E.E. : “All right. I’m still a little confused, but obviously you two worked things out. Tell me how this relates to the race.”

Amy: “We couldn’t afford to let the settlers slow us down. The Border Tier was constructing track at the same time as the Katy. Both railroads wanted to be the first to reach the border of Indian Territory because only the winner would get the land grants.  And, more important, only one line can pass through Cherokee territory into Texas, tap into the cattle trade.”

Buck: (spreads his arms): “See? I told you. It’s all about cows.”

E.E. : “I think that about sums it up. Thank you both for agreeing to be interviewed. And it sounds like there’s an interesting story behind how you ended up together.

Amy: It's all there in the book. Why don't you give them an excerpt?

Excerpt from Her Bodyguard, available today.

    His breath clouded the air. Come to think of it, this ramshackle barn was damn frigid. It offered shelter from the sleet, but did little to keep the cold out. “Here, let me pile up some hay. It’ll block the drafts and keep you warm.”
     “What about you? Are you warm enough?” She hugged the blanket, shivering.

“You want my coat?” His hands went to the buttons. Should’ve thought to offer it earlier.

Her eyes widened. “No, I wasn’t implying that. I just thought you might be cold. We can share the hay.”

For a moment, he was speechless. It'd been so long since anyone cared about his comfort, he hadn’t expected it and didn’t know how to respond. He shrugged to hide how much her concern touched him.

“Ah, don't worry about me. You hungry?” He rummaged through the saddlebag, finding the last piece of jerky. “It’s not much, but it’ll take the edge off.”

“Thank you.” She gifted him with a smile that snatched his breath.

He leaned back on one arm, trying his damnedest not to look like an infatuated schoolboy. Instead of sitting here mooning over her, he ought to find out what he could about the local situation. Whatever she knew might come in handy when he started searching for that railroad promoter.

“So, you live out here, Mrs., uh…”

“Langford,” she finished.

He tried the name in his head. Mrs. Langford. Nope, he preferred Venus.

She bit off a small piece of jerky with perfect white teeth, chewed slowly and swallowed before continuing. “Yes, I live…” Her voice trailed off and her lashes lowered.

He leaned forward, worried. “Something wrong?”

She shook her head. “I'm sorry, Mr. O'Connor. I wasn't honest before. I don't live around here. I was headed for a friend’s house before starting back to Fort Scott.”

That she'd fibbed about where she lived didn't surprise him. She'd done it so he'd think her husband was nearby. But where she was going astonished him. “Fort Scott? That's another two days’ ride.”

“By rail it’s only a couple hours. But the line hasn’t reached Girard yet, so we have to go a few miles north to meet the workers’ train.”

“We?”

“I was traveling with an escort. He attended a meeting earlier today in Baxter Springs and didn’t make it back. We’d arranged to stay overnight at a friend’s farm, so I thought I’d meet him there.”

“Your husband abandoned you in Girard?”

Irritation flickered across her face. “He’s not my husband, and he didn’t abandon me.”

It was on the tip of Buck’s tongue to ask why she was traveling with a man who wasn’t her husband. But then, what did he care who she traveled with? He opted for a safer question. “Why were you there? From what I hear, it’s not exactly a safe place for a woman.”

She finished chewing the last bite before responding. “I had business in town.”

“Business?”

Her lips sealed. Apparently, she didn’t wish to elaborate.

Buck smoothed his mustache with his thumb and forefinger, mulling over her hesitation. Just what kind of business would a wealthy lady have with a bunch of rowdy settlers? When he’d come up on her, she’d been terrified, even after he told her he was trying to help. Had even offered him money. More money…

His scalp began to tingle, a sure sign something wasn’t right. He leaned forward, draping an arm over his knee to appear casual. “I didn't mean to frighten you when I rode up. You must've been expecting trouble.”

“Trouble is one way to put it….” She toyed with a curl at her cheek, not meeting his eyes. “You see, I thought you were going to kill me.”

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Have you ever been on a train? Do you have a favorite story you can share?

Those who comment can enter the drawing for a free copy of Her Bodyguard. I'm also giving away copies of Passion's Prize, the first book in the series, which I co-authored with Golden Heart sisters Jennifer Jakes and Jacqui Nelson. Passion's Prize features three interwoven novellas about a spy, a former madam and an railroad heiress who get caught up in a cutthroat competition between two lines racing for riches.

Also, this month I'm running a special drawing at my website to give away a two-day stay at the Victorian mansion featured in my book. You won't want to miss your chance to enter.