Curiouser and Curiouser

It seems the more I learn about Evelyn the more questions I have. Just when I think I am ready to start writing The Secret Lives of Evelyn, I find another secret, which leads to another question!

I have found her obit, which was tricky and when you read the book you'll find out why.

I've been emailing with her GG granddaughter and and great granddaughter in England. Both have given me some pretty neat details about her life.

My Apex book came back with a few more edits. There is a neat story there, too. I had some photos from a guy in Apex which were wedding negatives to someone he did not know. I used them because they were cool. My editor wanted more info, so I started digging and found the groom alive at age 87! I was so neat to get his details for the photos.

The guy who has the negatives graciously agreed to let me give them to the groom--63 years later.

How cool is that?

It's a good day!

I have been deep into research and hot on the trail of Evelyn's descendants this week and last.

So far, I have found more interesting tidbits and details, along with a direct descendant of Evelyn and George's!

She lives in the UK and seems really excited about me writing about her family. The other descendant that I already found here in the states is just thrilled.

It's so cool to be able to speak with people who are directly related to Evelyn. Right now, she is just a person in genealogy data banks, but speaking with and emailing her relatives make it all seem so more real.

I can't wait to see what the latest contact has for me...and to finally start writing her story.

This weekend it's a road trip with my cousin. We are staying with my Uncle Donald because I have a Western Writers of America event near his home. Should be a fun girl's weekend!

I Know What They Looked Like!

Today I found a newspaper article which had an artist's drawing of my two main people in The Secret Lives of Evelyn! I finally know what they looked like. This is too cool.

I also read some disturbing stories about George--I don't think I like him very much...

Happy and Mad

I am both happy and mad all at the same time!

I found another great piece of the Secret Lives of Evelyn puzzle yesterday. As it turns out, quite by accident. I was looking for one thing and stumbled upon it. I love it when that happens!!!

On the other hand, I am really mad and upset about two book reviews I received yesterday. One was for Taste of Tombstone and the other for Tombstone's Treasure. They were both from scholarly types, which might explain their comments.

Tombstone's Treasure was hit for having disorganized footnotes, while Taste of Tombstone was hit for the same thing, but also for the recipes. It always amazes me that people think recipes that were used in the west have to come from old cookbooks in the west.

How would that be possible when most books were published in the east during the 1800s? Did these highly-educated scholars think about that?! Of course not--the women who went west, yes, from the east, took their EASTERN cookbooks along with them.

They also slammed me for not citing the source for every single recipe I have in the book. They should have paid attention to the Prologue where I specifically say I used old cookbooks of the time, including an 1880 one that I bought in Tombstone! Ugh. They also mentioned not being able to remember who Otto Geisenhofer was and had to use the index to look him up. Why was that a big deal?

Thanks--I feel better now.

Fish Balls That Melt in the Mouth

I kid you not! That is the headline of a western newspaper in the late 1800s. It's referring to a recipe they printed, but still...

I'm working on researching my next few True West Frontier Fare columns and stumbled across it. Somehow I will have to use that for one of my stories! You can't make this stuff up. LOL

The Secret Lives of Evelyn is still consuming me. I applied for a grant yesterday in the hopes that I will get some money so I can travel to England and California and trace Evelyn.

I subscribed to a couple of newspaper and genealogy sites to help me and it's leading me to some neat stuff. I can't really say what it is because it might spoil the story for the reader.

I must admit that I am like a junkie on crack when it comes to this research. I even dream about reading censuses and ship's logs.

This is the hardest I have ever worked on any book. It will be awesome, but it surely is taking a lot out of me.

Back to it...