by Kristin Holt
Today's
sheriffs have several methods for identifying criminals, and quickly sharing
that vital info with other branches, departments, and offices.
Can
you imagine the frustration of small-town, old west lawmen? Without today's
resources, they survived by wits, skills, intellect, and often brute force.
Sheriff
August "Gus" Rose had the benefit of ten years' experience in USMS (United States Marshals Service), but nothing
could have prepared him for the unidentified gang pestering Mountain Home,
Colorado and surrounding valley. Pranks turned into costly property destruction, and
rapidly escalated to hanging crimes.
Gus
had no motive, two ill-experienced deputies, two failed attempts to track the
bandits, and townsfolk losing confidence. The only thing that seemed to be going
right is one witness who can identify the miscreants' leader and she's mighty skilled with a pencil.
Her sketches of the outlaws assisted Gus in identifying the bad guys--assistance
he desperately needed.
Anyone
who's walked through an art museum knows paints (watercolors and oils) have
been around a good long while. When were colored pencils and crayons invented? Wax-based artistic materials (like crayons) have been around since the Greek Golden Age.
Artist-grade colored pencils (as we know them) began wide-spread production in
the early 20th century. But colored pencils for "checking and
marking" had been around for decades. Staedtler invented colored oil pastels (pencils) in 1834. "Conté crayons, out of Paris, are a hybrid between a pastel
and a conventional crayon; used since the late 1790s as a drawing crayon
for artists [source]."
Because
I'm a freak for historical accuracy, I intentionally didn't qualify how Noelle added color to her portraits
of the bad guys. Noelle's determination to help Gus identify and apprehend the
criminals makes all the difference. She's a tough woman, determined to not only
save herself, but prevent the evil men from killing the man she loves. I
respect men in the uniform (or tin star), and doubly respect the women who love
their law-defending men.
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The Marshal's Surrender, a sweet (rated PG)
western historical romance novel [about 42,000 words] debuts today! This title is more gun-intense than anything
I've written, set in the Colorado
Rockies in December 1900, and is a stand-alone book within a series of
stand-alone titles: Holidays in Mountain Home series. While it's a Christmas book, it's far more "winter" and romantic suspense
than a classic Christmas novel. The violence is on the mild side of PG, and
entirely 'clean' by every other measure.
This
title is markedly reduced for just a few more days! Pick it up for 99-cents, or enjoy it with
your kindleunlimited subscription. By the end
of the week, the price will increase to $2.99.
Oh! One more thing...
Hi! I'm Kristin Holt, USA Today Bestselling Author.
I write
frequent articles (or view recent posts
easily on my Home Page, scroll down) about the nineteenth
century American west–every subject of possible interest to readers,
amateur historians, authors…as all of these tidbits surfaced while researching
for my books. I also blog monthly at Sweet Americana Sweethearts (first Friday of each
month) and Romancing the Genres (third Tuesday of each
Month).
I love to hear from readers! Please drop me a note. Or find me on Facebook.
Website | Email | Newsletter | Twitter | Pinterest | g+| Facebook Profile | Facebook Fan Page | Goodreads | Amazon
3 comments:
You've come up with such a fresh premise in this book! Can't wait to read it!
Thank you, Sarah! I appreciate your kind words.
One of the best things about reading historical stories (romance in particular) is what I learn. Had no idea about the history of crayons and pastels. And thank you for modeling how to make sure readers know how this book is a little different from our other books.
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