The Tarnished Lifestyle

In my current book, A Proper Romance, prostitutes play a major role. When my heroine first arrives in Timberton, Wyoming territory, to her horror she is mistaken as the new town prostitute. Two prostitutes also play an integral part in bringing Cal and Mattie together. I done alot of research on them and some of the stories I found were simply so entertaining, I wanted to share them with you.

My favorite story is about the infamous 'Queen of Sporting Row', or rather, the reaction to her death by both men and women. Julia Bulette arrived in Virginia City and sat it on it's heels. She used her popularity with the townsmen to have the red light district moved from the shanty filled C street to brand new cabins on D street, that the men built I am assuming. This, of course, infuriated the townswomen. Julia surrounded her cottage with roses and geraniums, much to the horror of the townswomen, because these were $10 a pot! She recieved regular deliveries from San Francisco's most exclusive furrier and diamond store. One smitten customer gifted her with a team of white horses and a brand new phaeton.

The men even made Julia a member of Virginia City Engine Company Number One, and Julia didn't care how infuriated the decent women of town got over that fact, she marched in every parade and showed up whenever the alarm sounded, much to the dismay of whatever man was currently sharing her bed.

Julia was murdered and robbed, and much to the disgust of the towns women, their men rounded up a posse and tracked down her murders. When one of them was brought back for trial, he had a really comfortable sentence, because the towns women regarded him as a hero and brought him fried chicken and homemade pies, much to the disgust of the towns men.

This story actually plays a small part in my wip. My hero, who is the town's founding father, has a finger in many of the town's businesses including, you guessed it, a saloon with 'working girls'. My heroine, who is applying for a teaching post, arrives on the same train as the new prostitute. When Mattie reaches the saloon and Cal Holton first, well, let's just say she never had a job interview quite like that one before. The saloon and the sporting girls are a big problem for them to overcome. Cal sees them as a way to make alot of money. Mattie sees it as a debasement of women.

Some Interesting Tidbits

I can remember reading a Sunfire romance when I was 14 years old called Caroline. Caroline was trying to get to California to find her brothers and ended up cutting her long golden hair and masquerading as a boy to get there. At that time, I thought that was one of the best stories I had ever read. As I've gotten older, I often wonder how accurate these stories are. Could a woman masquerade as a man successfully? Could she, as a man, travel clear across the country and maintain the facade?

Evidently, she could. Case in point. Charlie Parkhurst.

Charlie Parkhurst was a stagecoach driver, evidently a very successful one. He drove stage in some of the wildest towns during the Gold Rush, and after his death was eulogized in papers as, "one of the most dexterous and celebrated of California stage drivers", according to the San Francisco Morning Call. It is believed that Charlie even gut shot a bandit that was trying to rob his stage, the man eventually died from the wounds. Charlie had been kicked by a horse he was shoeing and lost his eye, thereafter wearing a black leather patch on his scarred face. Charlie lived up into his sixties smoking, chewing, swearing, drinking, and gambling. At his death, when friends came to lay him out, they were shocked to find that Cock-eyed Charlie was a woman. His business partner and long-time friend, Frank Woodward, evidently was so shocked that he went into a cussing fit over it, even going so far as to ask another friend if he was, indeed, still a man. And, it seems, that Charlie Parkhurst was also the first woman in the United States to vote in a presidental election, decades before women got the vote in Wyoming!

So here is proof that a woman can successfully maintain a disguise, and did. Oh, the possibilities this brings to my mind. The what-if's start rumbling around my brain and scenes start forming. This is why I write western romances. The story I could make from this scenario.

Dealing With Life

If anyone still checks this blog, I thank you for sticking around during my absence. Right after my last post, life got in the way in triple time.

My niece was diagnosed with AML Luekemia, that was so scary, I can't even describe it to you. But after intensive chemo, which she is still undergoing, I am happy to say that she is now in remission. We just pray that she stays that way for the next five years, and then they can say she is cancer free.

My mother was diagnosed with a heart condition, the bottom half of her heart is only working at 30%. The call she got from the doctor after she had an ultra-sound on her heart scared the bejeezus out of us. They told her it didn't look good and was referring her to a cardiologist. That's it. Then we had to wait a month for the appointment. Scary time-thinking something is critically wrong your Mom. My Mom is one of the most important people in my life, the thought of something happening to her really floored me. It totally knocked me off kilter.

I said, triple time, didn't I? Yes, this whine fest is not over. The third problem was me. I had a serious case of writer's block. Even though I wanted to write, I couldn't. I would type something and then read it and hit delete. Nothing I put down sounded good to me and I seriously started to doubt myself as a writer. So I decided to step back from it, just to see if I could. And I couldn't. The stories I have started kept coming to mind and I would think of what I wanted to do with it and where I wanted the story to go, and even thought up a new story altogether. So, I am getting back in the groove, calling up my muse, and dusting off my mojo. Time to get back to what I love.

Here's to writers, doing what they love because they just can't help themselves.