My Favorite Outlaw

Being a western writer, I have researched a lot of outlaws. And being human, of course one of them quickly became my favorite. My favorite outlaw has all of the things we look for when wanting a great legend: a Robin Hood-esque reason for becoming an outlaw, a perceived injustice, and, the thing that makes everyone fascinated with outlaws, a mysterious disappearance. Who do you think of when you hear that list? Jesse James? Butch Cassidy? Billy the Kid? But none of those are my favorite. My favorite outlaw is Henry Barry Lowrie.



Henry Barry Lowrie was a Lumbee Indian from Robeson County, North Carolina.
Lowrie, like so many other outlaws, took to a life of crime during the Civil War. Being an Indian in North Carolina during the War meant that Lowrie was harassed by the Home Guard, who regularly came and pressed the Lumbee men to work on building Fort Fischer. If a man didn’t want to be dragged into building the fort, he hid in the swamps that surrounded the area. Lowrie tired of being harassed and decided to strike back, killing two members of the Home Guard that had a long standing feud with his family.


The Homeguard struck back, accusing Lowrie’s father, Allen, and his oldest brother, William, of stealing. On March 3, 1865 the Home Guard arrested both men, convened an illegal court, and executed Allen and William Lowrie. It is said that Henry watched the executions from behind some bushes and vowed to take his revenge.


For months, Henry hid in the swamps while being considered a wanted man. On December 7, 1865, during Henry’s wedding ceremony to Rhoda Strong, the Home Guard arrested him with no warrant. Legend has it that Henry filed his way out of the jail and, still shackled, made his way home to Rhoda.


Henry started a band, known as Lowrie’s band, of disgruntled Indians, two African Americans, and one Scotsman. They started robbing rich white residents of Robeson County, earning them the reputation of being the local ‘Robin Hoods’. When the state government declared them outlaws and posted rewards for them, the band retaliated with violence. This stretch of violence resulted in the deaths of 10 members of the Police Guard and the Lowrie Band.


In 1871, the chief of the Police Guard had the Lowrie women gathered up and held them hostage in prison. Lowrie and his gang sent the chief a letter demanding the immediate release of their women or an escalation of violence and like treatment to their women-folk. What was the chief to do but release the Lowrie women?


The last known crime of Lowrie and his band came on February 16, 1872 when they raided Lumberton and stole over a $1000 worth of goods and a safe containing $20,000. The safe was later discovered, open and empty, in the sheriff’s office. It is said by some that the reward money that the government had gathered had been in that safe at Pope and McLeod’s General Store, others say that the $12,000 reward went unclaimed. But all accounts say that Henry Barry Lowrie disappeared after that heist.


While rumors abounded that Henry had accidentally blown his own head off while cleaning his gun, several others hinted that he had escaped to the West. And to further stimulate these speculations, it is said that at least twice a year, Rhoda took trips out west. She never said where she was going or who she was visiting.


While I gathered all of this information, I little cared about which version was true. We all know that rumors surround outlaws and that the truth is probably a little of all of them. But Henry Barry Lowrie stirred the ‘What if’ component of my brain like none of the other outlaw legends had.


So how about it readers, is there an outlaw, famous or infamous, that strikes a chord with you and has quickly become a favorite?

Happy, Happy, Happy

It's the time of the month when I update this blog. And for those that still check in regularly I have great news-I've finished revising my wip and have finally gotten to the query stage of my writing career. The Schoolmarm's Seduction is now sitting in several agent's inboxes. Yay! Time to saddle up and move on to the next story.

What I've Been Reading

Reading was slow this month as I put myself on a deadline and meant to keep it come Hell or high water. I've only managed to read three new books. The husband and I each went and picked out a new book by our favorite authors, but I ran across a new hardback by another fave and hubby let me slip it in. The hardback I picked up was Odd Hours by Dean Koontz. This was another great installment to the Odd Thomas saga, which I am a rabid fan of. For those that read it, I like the new addition of Ole Blue Eyes in this book and his turn as a poltergeist. Great scene. I can't wait to see what Odd and Frank are up against next.

I also picked up Suzanne Enoch's After the Kiss. (Sigh), I just love Suzanne Enoch's books. She always packs so much into each book, I find that I can't put them down until I've read every word, and I usually end up re-reading them to death. I really liked Sullivan Waring and the angst he goes through to embarrass his father and half-brother. And Lady Isabel may be my favorite Enoch heroine to date. She starts out blackmailing Sullivan, simply because she can. That is so realistic. First she gets curious, and then she gets infatuated. And finally she falls in love with the most unlikely man-the thief who broke into her home! It's a great book and I highly recommend it.

The last book is my hubby's pick. It is so funny to see my big macho hubby so excited over a romance book that he tracks down an employee of the book store and demands to know why the book wasn't on the shelf! He informs her that he receives the authors newsletter and he knows that today is the release date. The girl, she was a young teenage girl, keeps looking at him like he is pulling a joke on her and looking around for the camera crew. Finally, I tell her the name of the book, Into the Shadow by Christina Dodd, and she goes and looks for it. She comes back with the book and my dearest practically tackles the girl to snatch it out of her hand! I swiped the book from him one evening and read it. I could have waited but it takes him a while to read a book and I enjoy the taunting factor too much to pass up the opportunity. Yeah, we're like that. It's another good read. I'm not too much into the paranormals, but I really enjoyed it.

I tackled my synopsis and am happy to report that it didn't kill me like I feared it would. I couldn't manage to get it any lower than four pages and still make it interesting and informative. I hope the agents understand. I need to give shout outs to Gillian and Erin for all of their help with the synopsis and query letter. I tell you guys, my critique partners are the best! They're always willing to help and hold my hand when nerves attack. I don't know what I'd do without them.

Congratulations must be sent to my other critique partner, Louisa Cornell, who has also finished her revisions and started on the great agent search. I know she'll have an agent soon.

Hubby bought a new car. It's a really bright red Impala SS and it came with a curse. That's right. Curse. Everytime I drive that thing I get stuck in a storm. EVERYTIME! I have managed to dodge tree limbs, saved it's hydroplaning rearend from crashing, and had to sit through a hailstorm while my teenage son practically cried over the damage that he was sure I was inflicting on it. Those were all on different days, by the way. This has been the wettest summer that I can remember.

I've been hearing the plaintive cries that every mother or caregiver dreads during summer vacation. 'I'm Bored!' My youngest is the worse. It is so hard to keep a hyperactive seven year old occupied. He discovered his older brother's X-Box and I've had a time keeping him from spending all day in front of it. I told him today to go outside and play in the sun a while. After a five second trip to the front porch, he came back in complaining that it was HOT outside. Imagine that. A trip to the craft store is necessary, it seems.

Well, faithful readers, how goes your summer so far? Anyone else hearing the dreaded howl of bored children? Anyone else wrap up revisions and launch their baby out into the cold cruel world?

I am off to start a new story.

The World's Worst Blogger

My Apologies For Not Posting

That's me, the world's worst blogger. No matter how many times I think up brilliant blog posts, I usually forget to type them up and post them. I had a bevy of terrific post ideas this past month-but between the mayhem of end of school year, the freak storms that came every other day, and my own inclination to forget to blog-they never made it past the idea stage.

I Was Tagged

I've been tagged by my brilliant CP, Gillian. I have to describe my life in six words. The perfect motto:

Let the craziness ensue, I'm game.

That ought to sum it up pretty well. Because my life is plumb full of craziness at any given time.

I'm not tagging anyone, because I figure everyone that reads this blog has been tagged in my absence.

What I've Been Reading

I've bought some really great books this past month.

I just finished The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn-absolutely terrific book but I wish they would have released it and Mr. Cavendish at the same time-since the books parallel each other and we find out who the Duke is in the first one. I love the dialogue in Julia Quinn's books-it's so realistic and the heroine's always have a smart comeback, a trait I admire in real life so I love finding it in books.


I also read A Wanted Man by Linda Lael Miller, another terrific book. I love how Ms Miller inserts humor at really tense moments-that is so realistic to me, as someone in my family always manages to do that. I just adore her books. She writes some of the best heroes in the business, in my humble opinion.


On To Other Things


I've got a new favorite song. Brad Paisley's I'm Just a Guy. I love this song-it shows the differences between women and men in a fun and quirky way. My favorite part? 'You see a priceless French painting. I see a drunk, naked girl.' That just sums it up eloquently, don't you think? I could imagine my hubby saying something like that, easily. There's parts of this song that make me stop and go-'Oh, I could see a Romance Hero saying something like that!"

Lazy Days of Summer-NOT!

I am determined to have my wip finished and start the query process by the middle of July. Wish me luck. The query letter and the synopsis are worse than getting teeth pulled, I believe. I am actually dreading having to do this. I read on another blog that Harlequin (I am targeting HH) only wants a 2 page synopsis. I have to reduce this book I have been slaving over for a year into 2 pages. That ought to be fun.

So, let me know what's happening with all of you. Anyone else working up the nerve to submit? Any new books you want to recommend? How about a song that makes you stop and go "Now how true is that?"