When I see you, and you ask me why I'm not farther along in Book Two, which I'm confident some of you will (!), I'll mention this, the latest delivery of deep, drifting, lake effect snow on my beloved Wisconsin town ... driveway ... deck ... I've been shoveling snow for what seems like weeks,… Continue reading The author’s life ~ Mounds of snow on Monday
Author: Ralls Melotte
The author’s life — Thank you to the Museum of Idaho
Photo of Museum of Idaho, from Visit Idaho My great thanks to the Museum of Idaho for the wealth of its resources and the helpfulness of the team there. They helped Cat's Cafe, Eagle Rock Trilogy Book One come to life in the most realistic way, and my early research for the trilogy a complete… Continue reading The author’s life — Thank you to the Museum of Idaho
Saloons in the Old West ~ Whiskey and Women (update)
Image from LegendsofAmerica.com In my historical fiction novel, Cat’s Cafe, two saloons compete for hard-drinking rail workers, cowboys, bullwhackers, and others who love a stiff drink as often as they can afford it. In July of 1879, the town of Eagle Rock had just been formed but more saloons would swiftly follow. As an example… Continue reading Saloons in the Old West ~ Whiskey and Women (update)
Saloons in the 1870s Old West ~ And an update: Books and Talks!
Patrick’s Saloon in the historical novel Cat’s Cafe, Eagle Rock Trilogy Book One, wasn't the highly polished, rich mahogany, mirrored saloon depicted in film and television westerns -- at least not in the beginning. Western towns in the 1860s and '70s were thrown up faster than they could be properly built. Only a few buildings… Continue reading Saloons in the 1870s Old West ~ And an update: Books and Talks!
Four Women Who Tamed the Wild West
Welcome to Eagle Rock, Idaho Territory, 1870s Determination and ingenuity brought irrigation to the desert, education and Christianity to pioneer families and Native American children in a Mormon enclave, women's suffrage to the West, and civilization to the small town of Eagle Rock where four remarkable women, based on real life late 19th-century women, lived.… Continue reading Four Women Who Tamed the Wild West
Native American women guide the U.S. forward
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, photo from http://www.doi.gov National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly Lowe, photo from http://www.neh.gov Native American women now lead the Department of the Interior and National Endowment for the Arts. At last. On January 15th,, 2022 Debra Anne Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, became the… Continue reading Native American women guide the U.S. forward
Cat’s Cafe, reviews and comments
Thank you everyone for the great reviews and comments! “The dramatic center of the story — Catherine finding the inner strength to take on a pile of troubles — is handled with an engaging sense of compassion … A zesty and occasionally touching story of a woman confronting the crude realities of a new life.” … Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, reviews and comments
Racism in America
Chinese laborers at work on construction for the railroad built across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, circa 1870s. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images- History.com In my previous post, I shared some excerpts from a speech given by Brigham Young in 1850. Although some of the comments made in that speech are rightfully considered racist by present day standards,… Continue reading Racism in America
The Mormons, Cat’s Cafe Ch. 5 and 6 notes (edited)
Brigham Young, Sr. Photo courtesy Library of Congress Accuracy, objectivity, and fairness without interpretation in these notes is of supreme importance to me. If something doesn’t look right, please let me know. It’s a challenging subject, to be sure. I’ve noted references below. Brigham Young, Sr. who was often referred to as the “Mormon Moses”… Continue reading The Mormons, Cat’s Cafe Ch. 5 and 6 notes (edited)
Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 5
View of the Mormon Temple in Idaho Falls beyond the Snake River Dam. Numerous Mormon temples can be found in many cities throughout Utah and Idaho as well as almost every state in the Union. Photo taken in 2021 by Ralls Melotte Joseph Smith (Jr.) as a young man. Photo found in the Library of… Continue reading Cat’s Cafe, Ch. 5