RESEARCHING TCS

There are more than 40 different resources in my bibliography for "The Calling Stone."   Most are books, but I found some great papers, maps, documents, biographies, and even a wonderful historian from Ft. Laramie who became my pen pal and go-to source for anything related to the book section on the famous fort.  A couple of the books were written in the 1890's, one of them found online, complete and original.

Years ago, when the book idea was just a seedling, we traveled the Wild West in our 20th century version of a covered wagon--a bright orange Volkwagen pop-up camper!  With two children and a Schnauzer, our trail West stopped at most of the settings in "The Calling Stone."   At each stop, we picked up valuable books and pamphlets that are probably out of print by now.  Many of them were from local or University or Military Presses.   The camper also sagged under the weight of 500 lbs. of rocks and boulders brought back as memorable "souvenirs" for my garden. 

Our trip took us through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, with stops at museums, forts like Robinson and Laramie, Ash Hollow on the Platte River, Chimney Rock, the Oregon Trail, the Black Hills, and the Little Bighorn battlesite, better known for Custer's Last Stand.  Separate trips later on took us to St. Louis and New Ulm, all settings in the book.

The 21st century brought remarkable changes in the way research could be done online.  It's now a library at my fingertips!  Maps, histories, biographies, virtual tours, even a thesaurus and dictionary are just a touch away now.  Historic sites have been reconstructed as an homage to the past, when Manifest Destiny opened up the West to settlements.

I also wrote short bios on the real-life characters in "The Calling Stone," including several Generals and military men, politicians, Crazy Horse, even the original Dr. W.W. Mayo, father of the Mayo Brothers.  Whenever there was any conflict in different sources over dates, I used what was most often cited.  For example, Crazy Horse was born anywhere from 1838 to 1842.  I settled on 1840 as more likely the year of his birth.  Viewpoints were also varied, but that was to be expected, and I was careful to show no bias in my own beliefs when relating them.

The Indian Wars (with whites) of the 19th century began with some famous mid-century massacres and by 1876, Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn marked the dramatic close; Indian victims in the first battles, U.S. military victims in the last. Through eye witness accounts from each, I was able to give an accurate description of what actually occurred, and my hero and heroine traveled the scenarios with me.  "The Calling Stone" is basically the love story of two people who have great reasons to hate each other's race, yet clash with unforgettable passion in the backdrop of  these historic events. And the story doesn't end there...

The characters almost took over my own life, making me laugh and cry, sometimes waking me at night to fumble with a pad an paper as they dictated a piece of rich dialogue. Often, I felt used; just a humble instrument dictating their story, a time-traveling voyeur in their life. There are some memorable lovers in historic fiction, Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice and Scarlett and Rhett from Gone With the Wind come to mind.  Maybe Jessamine and Mitch from "The Calling Stone" will someday bask in the warmth of those comparisons!