The Wylder West

Belly up to the bar or hunker down near the campfire today with us! Authors and readers of the Wylder West Series will be chatting about upcoming releases, the books already in the series, the western frontier, and my favorite topic, cowboys! The graphic doesn't show all of the stories in the series...why not mosey over and find out what good news we've got up our sleeves?  We'd love to have you join us today from 2-4 on the Wylder West Facebook page. See you there! 

  Women who populated the wild west were strong, smart, and capable of doing just about anything —which makes me believe they should have had clothing suited to that way of life. And I suppose they did, to an extent. But every time I think of a woman walking beside a wagon on a dusty trail or sitting for days in a cramped stagecoach wearing layers of fabric, my head reels! I can't imagine doing that!  It is lots of fun to research women's clothing of the time. In A Wylder Christmas , the heroine Violet goes to the mercantile for some "unmentionables" for her unexpected houseguest. It was entertaining (and informative!) to learn about undergarments of the time.  Wondering about fashions of the day? Fashion History Timeline is filled with some interesting facts and photos! 

  When I write a western historical romance I do a lot of research. I mean, I have no firsthand knowledge of living in the west in the 1800s so Google is my friend!  I love every minute of poking around in the old-time facts and fancies. Just so much to learn — and it gives me such an overwhelming sense of respect for how things were done back in the day.  A Wylder Christmas features Violet Bloom, Wylder's schoolteacher. Researching one-room western schools, curriculum of the time, and even the yearly school calendar was enlightening. So much has changed, but the dedication of teachers has remained the same. Truly inspiring!   I'm currently writing the story of one of Violet's sisters (she has three!) and am learning about homesteading. Again, I'm amazed by the trials homesteaders faced and the way they lived while building. They were hardy, brave people who withstood a ton to carve a living from an unforgiving landscape.  Curious about the time and condit...

  The Wylder West Series launched in December 2020 with four books:  The Wylder County Social Club by Nicole McCaffrey Wylder Hearts by Kim Turner A Walk on the Wylder Side by Laura Strickland A Wylder Christmas by Sarita Leone In the last few months three more Wylder books have been added to the series:  Wylder's Magic by Sherrie Lea Morgan Home in Wylder by Jane Lewis A Wylder Undertaking by Laura Strickland Wylder's growing! This Wyoming territory town filled with intriguing characters, wild adventures, and western romance. It's the kind of place that invites a person to come on in and sit a spell.  I've read all the stories so far and have enjoyed each one. Between us? I'm waiting on the next Wylder release! If you like your cowboys hot, your women strong and sassy, and believe in love, then you'll enjoy this series, too.  Why not mosey on over? Sit a spell? Fall under Wylder's charms...

  I have a hankering for old recipes, dusty cookbooks, and vintage kitchen utensils. I love taking a peek into how meals were prepared and served way back when.  This recipe from an industrious homemaker has survived the century-plus since its publication. Recently I made this in my kitchen and the fritters were tasty--although my images of a handsome cowboy sitting across the table from me were purely in my mind. No matter how many fritters I fried, the cowboy just wouldn't show up to dinner!  In all seriousness, if you'd like to check out some interesting recipes from the days when the west was settled, this nineteenth-century cookbook called Catering for Two: Comfort and Economy for Small Households by Alice James is worth a peek!  Cauliflower Fritters 2-3 cups cauliflower florets butter 1 beaten egg pinch of salt 1T milk 1t flour Boil cauliflower in salted water for twenty minutes. Drain.  Add a pat or two of butter and mash. When cool enough to handle, for...

Ever wonder what life was like back in the wild west for a saloon girl? For most, life was hard. Seems at first glance to be fun, all that singing and dancing and such, but when it got right down to it, those women were strong. The profession certainly wasn't all fun and games! Many women took up the social professions as a result of being widowed, orphaned, or just alone. The women they lived with often became stand-in families.  They dealt with venereal disease, violence, and a host of other less-than-savory issues. Still, many did it because there was no shortage of positions for a woman willing to sing, dance, and drink with wild west men.  The pay varied but sometimes it was enough for a woman to build a new life. There are many stories of women who worked in saloons for a period of time, socked the earnings away, and then moved on to fulfill a dream.  Still wondering? Take a peek and get some more information.  And if you want to see what life for the "soiled ...

I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy of some of these, but they certainly are fun! I found these several years ago in a book called Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: He’s crooked enough to sleep on a corkscrew (refers to a dishonest person). Raised on prunes and proverbs (a religious person) Coffin varnish (whiskey) Fat as a well-fed needle (poor) Deceitful beans (meaning they’ll talk behind your back—as in give you gas) Got a pill in his stomach that he can’t digest (shot dead). She’s like a turkey gobbler in a hen pen (proud He’s like a breedin’ jackass in a tin barn (noisy) Fryin’ size but plumb salty (a senior citizen) Quicker ‘n’ you can spit and holler howdy (fast) Studying to be a half wit (stupid or crazy) Built like a snake on stilts (tall) She’s on melody but strong on noise (a bad singer) Weasel-smart (very crafty) Scarce as bird dung in a cuckoo clock (hard to find) Dry as the dust in a mummy’s pocket (very dry) In the lead when tongues was handed out (talks too much) ...

  Ever wonder what cowboys drank out on the range as the sun peeked over the horizon? Most likely, it was some strong coffee. Like, real strong.  Brewed by the gallon for wagon trains or parties of men riding the range, many days it was the wake-up call that summoned men from bedrolls to saddles.  One of the essentials for lone riders, the battered tin pot, boiled up coffee on an open flame in no time.  Whether riding solo or with a posse, one thing that remained constant was that good ol' cowboy coffee!  No fancy add-ins, either. Sometimes crushed egg shells or a bit of salt made the pot but nothing more than that. And there were no lattes or frothy creamers. Strong and black — that's the way the wild west downed it!  If you want to boil up a pot of your own cowboy coffee, Cowboy Coffee Co. offers a few tips.  And if you're looking to nail down authenticity, why not grab yourself a package of Arbuckles' ? Some say it's how the west was won but I don'...

  Ever wonder just what went on in the bunkhouses of the old west? Cowboys by the dozen, perhaps, living in close quarters for a season or longer, on ranches across the frontier.  All the distractions we rely on now—internet, television, karaoke machines, to name a random few—weren't options for those hardy men. So, how did they keep themselves amused between trips to town?  Well, it seems like a lot of men played musical instruments, like guitars or harmonicas. They sang beside campfires and belly stoves.  Others read or wrote poetry. That's right, cowboys wrote poems, probably influenced by the sweeping vistas and longing for sweethearts they'd left behind.  Card games passed long hours. Wagering on hands dealt and Lady Luck's benevolence—or lack thereof—surely kept games lively.  Sleep probably claimed a lot of hours. The men worked hard in an often harsh landscape under physically demanding conditions so any extra shut-eye was most likely welcomed....