The Other Livingston Women

by Linda Farmer Harris

Do you have famous people in your family? My sister, Marsha, and I have researched our family for years. We have a lineage of successful, educated, and prominent community people, but no U.S. presidents or writers of the constitution. Our ancestors met the folks landing at Plymouth Rock.

We do have a legacy of educators, public school teachers and principals, plus fiction and non-fiction writers.

It's not uncommon for families to follow in the same profession. Note the number of "...and Son(s)" business signs or advertisements stating "family owned" you see in your city. Is your family part of this tradition?

My February 27, 2015 HH&H Blog, http://www.hhhistory.com/2015/02/the-obsession-of-victoria-gracen.html, talked about pioneer Christian fiction author Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947).

Grace Livingston Hill
courtesy of Daena M. Creel

Grace Livingston Hill

Her book The Obsession of Victoria Gracen introduced me to her novels, and her family.

  

Family Members of Grace Livingston Hill
courtesy of Daena M. Creel

Read more about Grace online at http://www.gracelivingstonhill.com/

My March 27, 2015 HH&H Blog, http://www.hhhistory.com/2015/03/pansyisabella-macdonald-alden.html talked about Grace's maternal aunt, Isabella Macdonald Alden (1841-1930), known internationally by her nom de plume Pansy. She was a frequent speaker at Chautauqua meetings and Sunday School conferences. 

She wrote, "I dedicate my pen to the direct and continuous efforts to win other for Christ and help others to closer fellowship with him." This resolve was definitely shared by Grace and the other Livingston women.

She not only authored nearly twice as many books as Grace, she wrote and edited "The Pansy" her own weekly children's magazine from 1874-1894.

Isabella Macdonald Alden

Courtesy of LadyBluestocking.com

The Pansy Magazine - July 1886

Read one of her stories — Sing a Song of Years, chapter twenty-eight in Four Mothers at Chautauqua http://www.readseries.com/auth-pansy/4mothrschat.htm

Read more about Isabella at: 
• http://www.isabellamacdonaldalden.com/links.html
• http://www.readseries.com/index.html
• http://www.readseries.com/auth-pansy/pansybio.htm
•  https://winterparkmag.com/2015/06/04/the-world-according-to-pansy/

Grace came from an impressive family of writers and artists. Her mother Marcia Macdonald Livingston (1832-1924) wrote several children's books and a Christmas play as C.M. Livingston. 

Marcia Macdonald Livingston
courtesy of Daena M. Creel

Marcia was a regular contributor to her sister's "The Pansy" magazine. She and Isabella wrote five books together, plus two family effort books. Their sister Julia Macdonald also contributed to The Pansy magazine.

Read one of their collaborative stories:
• Circulating Decimals http://www.readseries.com/auth-pansy/circ-dec.html

Everyone in the sisters' families, as well as a few close friends, contributed to the books, A Sevenfold Trouble and The Kaleidoscope.

Grace's fraternal aunt Margaret Livingston Murray (1810-1910) was one of the earliest women's rights leaders in America. Her home in the country district of East Twenty-Third Street, New York City, became the center of a group of people that included Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Dr. Henry Ward Beecher, Dr. Seward Webb. Chester A. Arthur, John D. Archbold, and Gen. James Watson Webb. Her passing at age 100 was noted in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. CLXII (162), No. 15, pgs. 508-509, January-June, 1910.

Grace's daughters, Margaret Livingston Hill Walker (1893-1946) and Ruth Glover Hill Munce (1898-2001) were also writers. Margaret published three books - Bible Stories for Children, The Children's Lamp, and A Handful of Corn.

Margaret Livingston Hill Walker

Ruth's was an accomplished concert violinist who studied at Juliard under Thaddeus Rich, Concert Master of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra.

Ruth Glover Hill Munce

Her pen name was Ruth Livingston Hill. Ruth finished Grace's last book, "Mary Arden" and wrote several in her mother's style. Her publisher commented that her style was so close to her mother's he couldn't tell the different. Ruth wrote Bright Conquest, Morning is for Joy, The Homecoming, The South Wind Blew Softly, The Jeweled Sword, John Nielson Had a Daughter, and This Side of Tomorrow.

At age 70, Ruth began an eight-year teaching position at Nairobi Bible Institute in Kenya. She based her book What Happened? A Study in Genesis, A Textbook for Christian Schools or Home Bible Study Groups on her teaching experience in Kenya. She was still active until her death at 103.

Have you written a book with your family members? Maybe contributed to a family cookbook?

Blessings,

Linda Farmer "Lin" Harris

Lin and her husband, Jerry, live on the P Bar R Ranch West in Chimney Rock, Colorado. She writes historical fiction for adults and children. Her novella The Lye Water Bride is included in the California Gold Rush Romance Collection (Barbour Publishing, 2016).

Women Inventors

By Linda Farmer Harris

I love gadgets. However, they must be totally useful and appropriate for the task, not just a cute novelty. Yes, I gravitate to the "As Seen on TV" shelves at Walmart and Tractor Supply. I can recommend the Hurricane 360 Spin Mop, the Spicy Shelf, and the Vidalia Chop Wizard.

Those "inventions" made me think of other posts about inventions by HH&H Bloggers such as Anne Greene's two posts about household essentials:
1 - http://www.hhhistory.com/2014/05/why-could-housewives-of-1920s-begin-to.html and 
2 - http://www.hhhistory.com/2014/08/household-essentials-of-roaring-twenties.html.

Put "Inventor" in HH&H's search field to read more posts about inventors and inventions such as the Phantoscope, Stereoscopes, and Barbed Wire, plus eighteen more.

Anne's posts made me wonder about women inventors. How many and what type of essentials do we enjoy today that were invented or refined by women?

Mary Kies was the first American woman to earn a patent in her own name. In 1809, she developed a way of weaving straw into hats.

The phrase "own name" appeared with many reports and struck me as curious so I dug deeper and discovered that at the end of the 20th century only 10 percent of all patents were awarded to women inventors. The laws in the colonies and in England stipulated that women couldn't own property, including intellectual property. Therefore, inventions and patents were owned by the woman's father or husband.

In addition to prejudice and ridicule, women didn't receive the technical education that would aid them in turning ideas into products.

You might expect women's contributions to be focused entirely on the home and family. Many are. I like inventor Sally Fox's philosophy — "I never really planned to be an inventor, but my attitude toward life has always been inventive." She's responsible for Foxfibre naturally colored cotton.

You can thank Margaret Knight that your paper grocery bags have a square bottom instead of resembling an envelope. 

Margaret Knight

In 1868, as a worker in a Massachusetts paper bag plant, Margaret invented a machine to make the bottoms flat and square. 

 Until then, bags were envelope shaped

Idea theft was a reality then as now and Charles Annan tried to patent her idea. She filed a lawsuit in 1871 and won it and secured her patent. Her picture courtesy of http://youarethefuture.co.uk/

This was not her first invention. Witnessing an accident at the textile mill when she was 12, she developed a device that would automatically stop a machine if something was caught in it. Her device was being used in area mills by the time she was a teenager. This was one of twenty patents and almost 100 different conceived inventions, including a dress and skirt shield, a rotary engine, and a shoe-cutting machine. In her obituary, Margaret was described as a "woman Edison."

Aren't you glad that Mary Anderson received a patent in 1903 for her device for cleaning car windows? We call them windshield wipers today and by 1916 they were standard on most vehicles. Her initial design was a swinging arm device with a rubber blade operated by the driver from inside the vehicle using a lever.

Mary Anderson

In 1917, Charlotte Bridgwood patented the automatic windshield wiper she called a "Storm Windshield Cleaner."

Barbara Askins, NASA chemist - invented a new film developing method to improve astronomical and geological photos.

Patricia Billings, sculptor - invented Geobond(R), non-toxic, indestructible and fire-proof - the world's first workable replacement for asbestos, and all she wanted to do was create a cement additive to prevent her sculptures from shattering. The exact recipe for the registered Geobrand(R) is still a secret.

Patsy Sherman, research chemist - invented Scotchgard(TM) stain repellent. Her advice to aspiring inventors: "Keep your eyes and mind open, and don't ignore something that doesn't come out the way you expect it to. Just keep looking at the world with inventor's eyes!"

Stephanie Kwolek, one of the first women research chemists - inventor of Kevlar (R) resistant to wear, flames, and corrosion.  Kevlar(R) is the main ingredient in the production of bulletproof vests. It's also used in suspension bridge cables, skis, hiking and camping gear, and safety helmets.

Where would we be without Mary Phelps Jacobs, a New York socialite, who invented the modern brassiere!

Dr. Temple Grandin is especially dear to our Colorado P Bar R Ranch West. She pioneered animal handling methods that keep the animals calm and prevents injuries.

Temple Grandin

 Her center-track restraint system uses animal behavioral principles rather than excess force to control animals. Her inventions and academic achievements, a Ph.D. in animal science, are accomplished while living with autism. Ms. Grandin's picture is courtesy of Discover Magazine.

For you crafty wood working gals, Tabitha Babbitt invented the circular saw in 1812.

Older writers applaud Bessie Nesmith and her invention in 1951 of Liquid Paper(R).

For more information about women inventors, visit:
•  http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0906931.html
•  http://www.women-inventors.com/Women-Inventors.asp
•  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/women.shtml

I can't close without a shout out to Elizabeth Magie Phillips who invented my favorite board game Monopoly. Originally called The Landlord's Game, it was invented as a teaching device designed to demonstrate the economic ill effects of land monopolism and the use land value tax as a remedy for them. On January 5, 1904, she was granted U.S. Patent #748,626. 

Besides McDonald's game, how many variations or versions of Monopoly can you name? 

In 1978, Neiman Marcus sold an all-chocolate edition. The entire set was edible and cost $600. 

In 2000, FAO Schwarz-New York City sold a version called One-Of-A-Kind for $100,000. The locking Napolino attache case was lined in suede and featured 18-carat gold tokens, houses, and hotels; rosewood board; street names written in gold leaf; emeralds around the Chance icon; Sapphires around the Community Chest; Rubies in the brake lights of the car on the Free Parking Space; and the money was real, negotiable U.S. currency.

In 1985, the Guinness Book of World Records reported that a set designed by artist Sidney Mobell to honor the games 50th anniversary was worth $2,000.000 and made of 23-carat gold, with rubies and sapphires atop the chimneys of hotels and houses.

I wonder what Mrs. Phillips would think about her board game now?
 
Are you an inventor at heart? Do you have an original idea or a tweak on a current idea or product?

Do you wonder how to apply for a patent or do a patent search about your idea? Read Kathleen Y'Barbo's HH&H post - http://www.hhhistory.com/2013/05/inventions-and-their-patentsand-giveaway.html – for more insight.

Blessings,

Lin and her husband live on a hay and cattle ranch in Chimney Rock, Colorado. She writes historical fiction for adults and children. Her enjoyment of genealogy and family history adds unique elements to her stories.

She was caught looking at the Curl-A-Dog, spiral hot dog slicer. Jerry hurried her away from the aisle.

What's Your State Song?

by Linda Farmer Harris

I grew up, graduated high school, and married in the Land of Enchantment-New Mexico. Even after forty-eight years of being gone, I'm still stirred by the state song, learning history we didn't have time for in school, and seeing roadrunners and horned toads.

Part of my fascination extends to the remarkable New Mexico women. Long before strong women emerged as norm in our culture, they were carving out their places as artist, potters, writers, miners, inventors, singers, cowgirls, architects, and Harvey Girls. See Cynthia Hickey's HH&H blogs for more information about the Harvey Girls. Plus, my HH&H entry on March 27, 2013 - Hospitality Southwest Style.

My mother was a New Mexico Artisan. She wasn't famous outside her little corner of southeast New Mexico, but she had a skill and talent that she honed into incredible pottery and ceramics. She had the gift of seeing liquid colors that looked clear and colorless to me and accurately knowing how much and where to put them on the pottery. She left us with an appreciation for Southwest art and music.

Do you know your state song? Who wrote it? Below is the first verse and chorus of mine. You can find the whole song at 50States.com.

     Under a sky of azure, where balmy breezes blow;
     Kissed by the golden sunshine, is Nuevo Mejico.
     Home of the Montezuma, with fiery hearts aglow,
     State of the deeds historic, is Nuevo Mejico.

Chorus
     O, fair New Mexico, we love, we love you so.
     Our hearts with pride o'verflow, no matter where we go,
     O, fair New Mexico, we love, we love you so.
     The grandest state to know, New Mexico.

Elizabeth Garrett, daughter of Sheriff Pat Garrett, penned and published O, Fair New Mexico in 1915 and, after performing the song for the New Mexico Legislature, it was voted as the official state song in 1917 (New Mexico Statutes, Chapter 12, Article 3, Section 5). Yes, her dad was the former Lincoln County Sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.

Courtesy of University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Special Collections

Elizabeth lost her eyesight due to an over-application of blue vitrol to her eyes a few hours after she was born. She graduated from Texas School for the Blind in Austin, Texas. In addition to becoming a nationally recognized soprano, she became a qualified voice and piano teacher. It's reported that eastern "audiences were appreciative of her talents and her interesting compositions about the far-west land of New Mexico." She was known as the Songbird of the Southwest. Elizabeth was a remarkable woman. There's so much more to her rich and incredible history.

I was born in Arkansas and lived there until the fourth grade. Not enough time to learn the state song in Arkansas history class. So, I looked up the 1916 song written and published by Mrs. Eva Ware Barnett and Will M. Ramsey. It was adopted by the Arkansas Senate Concurrent Resolution No, 6, in January 1917. 

Courtesy of The Jonesboro Weekly, January, 1917

Below is the first verse and chorus. You can find the whole song at Wikipedia.

     I am thinking tonight of the Southland,
     Of the home of my childhood days,
     Where I roamed through the woods and the meadows
     By the mill and the brook that plays;
     Where the roses are in bloom
     And the sweet magnolia too,
     Where the jasmine is white
     And the fields are violet blue,
     There a welcome awaits all her children
     Who have wandered afar from home.

Chorus
     Arkansas, Arkansas, tis a name dear,
     'Tis the place I call "home, sweet home";
     Arkansas, Arkansas, I salute thee,
     From thy shelter no more I'll roam.

I'm confident you've heard Texas, Our Texas during football TV half-times, so I won't jot part of it down here.

Our new home state of Colorado adopted Where the Columbines Grow written and music by A. J. Fynn on May 8, 1915 (Senate Bill 308, Colorado Revised Statute 24-80-909). 

Below is the first verse. Read more at 50states.com.

     Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,
     above the dark forests of pine,
     And the wild foaming waters dash onward,
     toward lands where the tropic stars shine; 
     Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle,
     responds to the notes of the dove
     Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,
     the pioneer land that we love.

You can see how the state's nature and characteristics are mirrored in the songs.

Does your state have multiple state songs, anthems or historical songs?

If you don't know your state's song, visit United States State Songs. 

Before you go, I can't resist another question. Does your state have an official cookie? 

New Mexico has the Biscochito or Bizcochitos. Adopted in 1989, it was chosen to help maintain traditional home-baked cookery. 

Courtesy of Zia Diner, Santa Fe Restaurant, via quazoo.com

I can see a holiday batch coming up - complete with the Fleur de Lis cookie design that was the original preference. If you try the Biscochito let me know.

Blessings and Happy New Year,

Lin

Lin is learning to bake at high altitudes. A chef in Grand Junction shared that using flour with 4 grams of Protein is the key to reliable Colorado baking. It works. Most popular brand flours have 3 grams of protein. She's been able to bake her father's family famous dinner rolls and popovers.

Keep Those Love Letters

by Linda Farmer Harris

Welcome to Thanksgiving Day!

Jerry and I are praying your list is long and filled with joyous reminders of God's faithfulness this past year.

I thought about blogging the traditional Thanksgiving facts and figures, but by now you know that the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade that's probably been playing in the background all morning began in New York City in 1920.

Yes, we're having the traditional turkey and honey-baked ham. However, we're not shooting our own turkey this year. Although, I must say it was very tempting. We have Merriam turkeys and they can grow into a nice plump size. The flocks number about 16-20.

Imagine my surprise when I found a flock taking turns at my small migratory bird feeder. After they left I had to set the feeder on the ground and remove the bowl. Those critters made it rock and their weight loosened the bond between pedestal and the bowl. While the feeder is not a family heirloom, it has traveled many miles and several homes with us.

Did you know that wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances? They have excellent vision and hearing, with a field vision of about 270 degrees. For more turkey facts, see Margaret Brownley's HH&H post on the 24th - "Let's Talk Turkey."


Did you know the Turkey Trot ball room dance popular in the 1900s was named for the short, jerky steps of the turkey? 

After a big meal, a little exercise is suggested to tackle those 4,500 calories we each expect to consume. Nothing like an hour of shopping tomorrow to burn 300 calories an hour.

I thought about the folks who weren't able to join us for the meal; folks who write real letters not emails. Not long ago, a friend loaned me some old letters her mother had received from a gentleman at the Capital Business College, Austin, Texas, beginning in 1891.

Tied with a lavender ribbon, the stack of letters is 2 1/2 inches high of wafer thin paper and envelopes. Even the commercial penny post cards are delicate.

One is postmarked Luling, Texas, 30, May, 1892, with a two cent stamp. The intrigue starts with a note from Henry imploring Katie to get a picture of Leona, a girl he fancies. Katie swipes a photo and takes it to church the next day, but Henry didn’t show up. She had to return the picture. Apparently Leona found out and framed her displeasure in a note via Katie back to Henry. Thus, starts the romance that ends in love and marriage, and several baby carriages.

Written with what appears to be an old-fashioned ink pen, some of the letters look like formal calligraphy, others the stroke of a too full nib. For the most part, the penmanship is beautiful. It makes me want to take up calligraphy.

A 2X2 torn and folded piece of notebook type paper was tucked between the pages of one of the letters. The text said it was a kiss until they could be together for a real one. By 1893, the initials SWAK (sealed with a kiss) on was on the back flap of the note card sized envelope.

Another letter dated 12, Oct., 1892, is a 7X9 yellowed tissue thin paper folded into a 4 1/2 X 3 1/12 note. The stemmed rose at the left top is in color and embossed.

 

Many of them are written in pencil for which the author apologizes each time for the breech in correspondence etiquette. Apparently, the most accepted method is brown ink. The shape and style of several letters not how we see them written today. Tiny pieces of brittle paper fell from the bottom edge and I gently laid it with its envelope and back into the metal cake tin.

It was charming to see these pre-zip code addresses—Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas—and know that they were delivered.

One letter dated Feb, 18, 1893, was from Mr. Norris to Miss Foster on behalf of Mr. Ridout because he had a sprained wrist and couldn’t write for himself. So sweet.

Another letter was to a daughter from her father in 1897 after his return from Spring and Summer in Indian Territory. Later in 1937, he writes a frank, yet loving letter of advise and parental admonishment.

Terms were interesting. Letters were referred to as missives. They used phrases such as “I am old and driving out close to the end of the row, but still doing for the other fellow.” “Yours as of the 22nd.” “…a poor wandering sinner.” “I’m like bad money-always on hand.”What young lady wouldn’t want to be called “mi bonita novia” (my beautiful girlfriend or fiancée)?

Social events were still steeped in formal courtesies. One of the notes read, “Henry, Your company will be accepted with pleasure for tonight. Your friend, Leona.” They talk of going to the Friday night ice cream supper, the dance, picnic and ball, and pecan hunting on Saturday.

Apparently Henry thought Leona had a gentleman caller on the side and spent a two page letter extolling his own virtues and urging her to be his exclusively.

The folded down small notes within the letters were so romantic. The longer letters were written, ready to mail when just a bit more apparently needed to be added.

Henry’s greetings to Leona ranged from Dear to Dearest, then Dearest and Nearest, then Dear Little Girl, all the way to Dear Remembered One. The easy banter back and forth was endearing.

The letters toward the bottom of the stack are in the early 40’s. By 1942 the postage was up to three cents. The letters now talked about military service, train rides to training grounds, the fear of pending deployment, and the expectation of being away from home for Thanksgiving.

Family letters were exchanged more frequently and were four and five pages of close written messages of encouragement and news of every kind. The thin onion skin pages were folded and crimped down to get their postage’s worth. They now included news about cousins, uncles, and fathers, and the war.

I admit I wept as I read an obituary tucked in one of the last two letters. I think I'll write a letter instead of going shopping.

Are you a letter writer?

Happy Thanksgiving,

Lin writes historical fiction set in the 1890s. She and her husband, Jerry, live on a hay and cattle ranch in Chimney Rock, Colorado.

American Slang

by Linda Farmer Harris

Slang and clichés fascinate me. My dad's advice was, "Say what you mean and mean what you say." Slang drove him crazy.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, clichés are words and phrases that are used so often that they are no longer original or interesting. For example, over the hill, the calm before the storm, or back against the wall. As writers, we avoid them like the plague.

What's your favorite cliché? What phrase(s) do you find yourself relying on to communicate with friends and family?

Slang "are words that are not considered part of the standard vocabulary of a language and that are used very informally in speech especially by a particular group of people." Not to be confused with idioms, jargon, and euphemisms.

Slang words show the attitudes of folks who use them. They can appear as a new word, new meaning for an existing word, word that are said a particular way, but are not dialect based, and/or compounded words. The words are not dialect, graffiti, secret codes, or catch phrases.

It has been reported that by the 18th century that the differences between English speaking countries and America prompted the evolution of slang. Writers began using slang in the 1900s. Slang was originally thought to be the language of the uneducated, criminals, and foreigners.

Sit in a large bookstore, or stand in a long grocery line for very long and you'll probably hear a lot contemporary slang or regional clichés in quite a few conversations.

The first time I was asked if I wanted a "pop" I said I had one, but would really like a Coke. My aunt still kids me about that one.

What slang word threw you for a loop the first time you heard it? Was it old slang or new?

Writing historical fiction adds its own need for making sure word and phrase usage is authentic, true to the period. A few years back, I read a novel set in 1850. The premise was intriguing, the characters likable from the first page. However, the promise of a great read was shattered when the villain used 1940 gangster movie lingo.


I recently completed content editing for a local writer. Her novel is set in 1977, Archuleta County, Colorado. One of her characters, Star, is a gum-smacking rebellious teenager. Star's vocabulary is spiked with contemporary lingo. Since I remember that decade, I marked, but didn't immediately check the slang Star used.

Before the editing was finished, I double-checked the slang. Several were in the online 1970's lists, but closer investigation revealed that they were not in use before 1977. Star couldn't use them. So the writer opted for "older than dirt; diddly-squat; head honcho; get so hyper; get on your pony and ride; all show and no go; lock, stock, and barrel.

One online website I visited was the Historical Dictionary of American Slang at http://www.alphadictionary.com/slang/

When I have some free time, I'm going back to explore A Glossary of Quaint Southernisms at http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/southernese.html.

Well, I was staying on task, focused on 1977 slang, foregoing electronic forays into Southernisms, Yankees vs. Rebels, Cowboys vs. Dudes, when I came upon -
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/generation_test.html - Slinging Slang from the Flappers to the Rappers: The alphaDictionary Slang Generation Checkup. 

The twenty multiple-choice questions didn't take but a few minutes, but the results were enlightening. I'm definitely a slang product of my high school era, four-plus decades later!

As we know, never hitch your research on one source - online or in print. It was time to pull out the big guns.
• Partridge's Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English edited by Paul Beale; 
• Bring Home the Bacon & Cutting the Mustard by Castle Books; 
• Heavens to Betsy & Other Curious Savings by Charles Earle Funk;
• Dunces, Gourmand & Petticoats by Adrian Room;
• The Cat's Pajamas: A Fabulous Fictionary of Familiar Phrases

I came across a few interesting nuggets — 
• since 1897 "bad" has been used to mean "good"
• "dude" to mean "guy" first appeared in the 1870's.

Texting is changing our current slang, too. We've abbreviated words and phrases, and even speak the letters. For example: YSVW—You're So Very Welcome; DBA—Don't Bother Asking; VBD—Very Big Deal; CUL—See You Later; PAW—Parents are Watching.

It won't be long before our computer keyboards will have text shortcuts built in.

In the novel you're currently reading, what slang or clichés has the author used?

Blessings,

I was introduced to CB slang by my brother, Jonathan. He became interested in the CB radio culture in high school. He had his "handle" and we'd listen for hours to the trucker transmissions. It was an easy slip over into being fascinated with slang and use cowboy slang in my Western novels.

Lin and her husband, Jerry, live on a hay and cattle ranch in Chimney Rock, Colorado.