Chicken Dinner: Chocolate, Bunco, & Gunfights



Henri Nestlé



Have you recovered from post-Valentine's Day chocolate withdrawal? Chocolate is a late-comer in the world of candy. Milk chocolate is the granddaddy of our modern day candy bars. It was invented in 1875 by Daniel Peter who merged his company with that of Henri Nestlé's company, and voila! We have chocolate! I had great fun with this new candy in Much Ado About Marshals.

Jefferson Randolph
(Soapy) Smith

Speaking of vice, some of the most interesting (and fun) facts you'll find on the internet about the Wild, Wild West are at Soapy Smith's Soap Box, a blog maintained by Jeff Smith, Soapy's great-grandson. You can also find a ton of Old West information on the Soapy Smith website. And even more if you buy Jeff's book.

Soapy wasn't into gambling so much as bunco, but I bet he played a little roulette.  Then again, maybe not.  Jefferson Randolf Smith II may not have been shy about divesting others of their money, but he was a very smart and enterprising man.  He'd have known to stay away from the games with low or no odds for the player to win, and on top of that, roulette wheels were routinely altered to make the house odds even better.  Check out Frontier Gambler's article, Roulette in the Wild Wild West.

Several of you enjoyed the articles from The Owyhee Avalanche. Here are a few more, but this newspaper has a whole column of historical articles every week, so I urge you to subscribe.

The Owyhyee Avalanche
February 17, 1872

SHOOTING SCRAPE. Two miners named Crawford and Dowry, had a row at the Skookum boarding house night before last, resulting in the latter being shot by the former. The bullet passed through the upper portion of the right side of the abdomen, penetrated the right arm on the inside above the elbow and lodged under the skin on the outside. It is a flesh wound and is not considered dangerous. Dowry was brought down to the War Eagle Hotel, where Dr. Beckett extracted the bullet yesterday. Crawford delivered himself up to Shriff Stevens, but up to the time of going to press, no complaint had been made against him, and no examination had.

Other bits of interest:

The heart of John Cable was made glad yesterday by the arrival of his wife and two babies from San Francisco.

"Poor, weak and erring man," says a religious newspaper, "what is he?" In this country he is either a Democrat or a Republican.

A woman writes to a literary weekly that the ladies are doing all they can to bring heaven down to earth. We had thought they would be content with "raising hell."

This week's guest: Meg Mims!

Chicken Dinner: Santa, Scoundrels, and Stockdogs

Coffee Time Romance Reviewers
Award for Much Ado About Marshals

Whether I made the naught or nice list, I don't know, but Santa did bring a rather nice gift this week. What's that? Much Ado About Marshals won the Coffee Time Romance Reviewers Award thanks to Cherokee for her marvelous 5-cup review! (I ♥ you, Cherokee!) Here's part of what she said:

Much Ado About Marshals is a hoot. I loved the endearing characters and the way they connect well in the story. Everything fits together wonderfully allowing the audience to bond with the characters. I could really sense the sensations, as well as visualize all the events surrounding them. There were times I could almost taste the food that was being prepared. Jacquie Rogers creates a witty, delightful, and downright amusing book with impressive charming players. I love the chemistry of Daisy and Cole. With the collection of lively secondary players, this exquisite storyline is a remarkable read.

You can read the entire review on the Coffee Time Romance and More website. I would carry on more but can't think of anything else to say, so now we return to our regular Chicken Dinner scheduling...

Goodreads Giveaway!

Speaking of which, if you'd like a free autographed copy, head on over to Goodreads where we're giving away three print copies of Much Ado About Marshals. Hurry, because today is the last day!

Here's a book you'll want to put on your Christmas list: ALIAS SOAPY SMITH: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel: The Biography of Jefferson Randolph Smith II, written by Soapy's great-grandson, Jeff Smith. This book is chock full of everything you didn't know about the Old West. I'm hoping Santa brings one to me, but Jeff tells me it won't fit in my sock--the book is over 600 pages long and filled with authentic pictures.

What do you know about cow dogs? If your story involves cattle, then you'll need a couple good herding dogs. Don't know anything about dogs and cattle? Not a problem--go to StockdogSavvy.com, and if that isn't enough information for you, Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor and Ty Taylor wrote a book titled Stockdog Savvy. Learn all about cattle, their habits, their social pecking order, and how dogs work with them so effectively.

Indie Book Blowout Extravaganza

Want a bunch of great books in practically every genre for only 99¢ each?  Of course you do!  Join us for the Indie Book Blowout Extravaganza December 12 to 24!!!  Want to win a Kindle and/or over $100 in gift certificates?  Head on over to http://bit.ly/ogtk1x  and see how you can enter!  Load up your Kindle before the holidays!  Great books and awesome prizes. :)

REMINDER: Romancing The West will go dark over the Christmas break, returning the first week of January. I might post a little special here and there, but we won't have any featured authors during that time.  Stay tune for a few freebies, though. :)

This week's guest author: Karen Witemeyer!