Wild Rose Pass by Karen Hulene Bartell
Give a warm welcome to Karen Hulene Bartell, author of Wild Rose Pass, just released. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Karen and Wild Rose Pass.
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. It’s a pleasure to be here!
My pleasure. I see you’ve brought a guest along.
Yes, this is Ben the hero of Wild Rose Pass.
Great! Lets start with BEN, tell us about the real you—
Ben shakes his head with a reluctant laugh. “Not much to tell, ma’am. I just do the best I can. Someday, I hope to resign my commission, buy some land, settle down, marry, and raise a family, but for now, I follow my commanding officer’s orders and give an honest day’s work for a day’s wages.
Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed?
“You’d find my Jeff Davis boots, a shoe-shine kit, and my Springfield .45 caliber ‘Trapdoor’ rifle.”
……What makes you laugh out loud?
“I’m a quiet man by nature, ma’am. I keep my feeling to myself, except”—hiding a grin, he dimples—“when I dance. Then, sheer enjoyment prevails.”
……What makes you angry?
“Brutalization, ma’am. I’ve seen enough on the frontier. Seeing its effects in ‘civilized’ society rubs me the wrong way. One thing I can’t abide is a woman beater.”
……What event in your past has left the most indelible impression on you?
“My earliest memory is watching the Comanches kill my father and brother.”
Ben speaks with disinterest—as if repeating a story he’s heard or keeping emotional distance.
“A roving band of Comanches raided my parents’ farm, burning the crops and torching the log cabin my pa had built with his own hands. Then using that same ax he’d used to cut the logs, they swung it into his back, breaking his spine and killing him. I never saw what happened to my mother, but as my brother ran away, they shot an arrow in his back. One Comanche slung me over his horse and rode back to camp, carrying me in front of him. At first, camp life was bad.”
Ben speaks in a slow monotone, as if the words conjure painful memories.
“The man beat me so often another Comanche took pity. He and his wife had three daughters but no son, so he traded me mula ensillada, for a mule and a saddle, and raised me as his own son.”
……What do you most value?
“Family, ma’am, because without family, what does a person have?”
……What do you sleep in at night?
“Long johns, ma’am. Being in the cavalry—especially now with the Indian Wars—I have to be ready to ride at a moment’s notice.”
……What is the type of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?
“A strong woman, ma’am—a lead mare, a trail blazer—someone who thinks for herself and makes her own decisions. Then once she makes up her mind, she pins back her ears and stands her ground.”
……What do you consider most important in life?
“I’ve already told you, ma’am, family. To me, it’s more important than anything else. A person can always earn money. Livestock and goods can be replaced, but to my way of thinking, neither wealth nor position measures up to family because, without it, what does a person have?”
……What is your biggest secret?
“I’m in love with the captain’s daughter, ma’am, but she’s out of my class. She’s cultured and been educated out East. Besides, she’s West’s woman. He’s a West Point graduate, while I’m just a battlefield-promoted mustang. He shares family connections with both sides of her family and, as First Lieutenant, he outranks me.”
****
Author, Tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult?
Writing Wild Rose Pass was a stretch for me because I’d never written in the Frontier, Western, or Historical genres before—no ghosts and nothing paranormal. Adding to my dilemma, the timeline was 1880 Texas, so every phrase they spoke, every idiom they used, every food they ate, every dress and uniform they wore, as well as the roles they played, all had to be double-checked for historical accuracy. Writing it was slow going.
And although romance is always a part of my novels, I’d never written a true “Romance” before, so I had to learn how to write from two points of view and speak in both the heroine’s and hero’s voices.
Still, it was fun. I enjoyed getting into the Old West mindset. Guess it reminds me of the old Westerns I used to watch as a kid 😉
Do your characters always act as you expect?
Usually, but not always. My characters definitely have minds of their own!
Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?
Hmmm…a little of both, I’d say, but mostly I fly by the seat of my pants. I write mini-plots on scraps of paper that lead to a scene’s conclusion, but I never know, from that scene to the next, what the next action will be until inspiration strikes.
Wild Rose Pass by Karen Hulene Bartell
Tell us a little about Wild Rose Pass.
Cadence McShane, free-spirited nonconformist, yearns to escape the rigid code, clothes, and sidesaddles of 1880s military society in Fort Davis, Texas. She finds the daring new lieutenant exhilarating, but as the daughter of the commanding officer, she is expected to keep with family tradition and marry West Point graduate James West.
Orphaned, Comanche-raised, and always the outsider looking in, Ben Williams yearns to belong. Cadence embodies everything he craves, but as a battlefield-commissioned officer with the Buffalo Soldiers instead of a West Point graduate, he is neither accepted into military society nor considered marriageable.
Can two people of different worlds, drawn together by conflicting needs, flout society and forge a life together on the frontier?
Sneak peek between the pages of Wild Rose Pass.
Reining his horse between catclaw and prickly-pear cactus, Ben Williams squinted at the late summer sun’s low angle. Though still midafternoon, shadows lengthened in the mountains. He clicked his tongue, urging his mare up the incline. “Show a little enthusiasm, Althea. If we’re not in Fort Davis by sunset, we’ll be bedding down with scorpions and rattlesnakes.”
As his detachment’s horses clambered up Wild Rose Pass, the only gap through west Texas’ rugged Davis Mountains, Ben kept alert for loose rocks or hidden roots, anything that might trip his mount. A thick layer of fallen leaves created a pastiche of color shrouding the trail from view. He glanced up at the lithe cottonwood trees lining the route, their limbs dancing in the breeze. More amber and persimmon leaves loosened, fell, and settled near the Indian pictographs on their tree trunks. When he saw the red- and yellow-ochre drawings, he smiled, recalling the canyon’s name—Painted Comanche Camp.
“How far to Fort Davis, lieutenant?” called McCurry, one of his recruits.
“Three hours.” If we keep a steady pace.
Without warning, the soldier’s horse whinnied. Spooking, it reared on its hind legs, threw its rider, and galloped off.
As he sat up, the man groaned, caught his breath, and stared into the eyes of a coiled rattler, poised to strike. “What the…?”
Flicking its tongue, hissing, tail rattling, the pit viper was inches from the man’s face.
A sheen of sweat appeared above the man’s lip. “Lieutenant—”
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About the Author:
Author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Westerns spurred her to write (pun intended). Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Connect with Karen:
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Wild Rose Pass! This is the first of a two parter, Karen will be back on April 7th with more surprises and another special guest! So please check back.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Historical Romance, Karen Hulene Bartell, Western, Wild Rose Pass by Tena Stetler with 17 comments.
Glad to host you. Best of luck with Wild Rose Pass!
Great interview! Looking forward to reading more of Ben!
Hey Jennifer glad you stopped by! Ben is an engaging character.
Thank you so much for hosting Ben and me today, Tena! It’s a pleasure chatting with you!
The pleasure was all mine. Look forward to seeing you next week for part two!
So are Cadence (my heroine) and I, Tena! Thanks again for having us next week!
Can wait to see what secrets Cadence reveals. LOL See you then!
Thank you, Jennifer! Ben is based on my friend’s great-great-grandfather, who really WAS captured and raised by the Comanches. Sounds like he was an amazing person.
I found I loved writing Westerns. Yours sounds very interesting. Best of luck with it.
Westerns are something I enjoy reading but not sure about writing. Maybe one day I give it a try. So glad you stopped by!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Ilona! Yes, it *is* writing westerns. This was my first, but I’ve already begun writing its sequel. Thanks again!
Great excerpt – sounds like an intriguing story. Loved hearing about your intense research and adventure into a new genre.
Thanks for popping in Delsora! Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Loved meeting Ben! And I certainly look forward to finally getting to read your book, Karen. Best of luck
Thanks for popping in Barbara! You know Karen’s book is on netgalley. I’m going to settle down this weekend and start reading Wild Rose Pass. Looking forward to it.
Thank you, Tena! Especially since YOU have so much to celebrate with not one, but TWO new contracts <3
Barbara, bless your sweet heart! Thank you so much! I really enjoyed writing Ben’s character – just a sweet guy. Hey, Wild Rose Pass is on Netgalley starting today – if you’d like to read/review! https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/189094 And thanks again for stopping by!