Real Life Heroes: Sgt. Alvin C. York

By Isabel Roman

Those who take their celebrity status and use it for good always have my admiration. Let's not even go into today's so-called celebrities--it's a joke.

Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887–September 2, 1964) was one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking out 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others. This action occurred during the U.S.-led portion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which was part of a broader Allied offensive masterminded by Marshal Ferdinand Foch to breach the Hindenburg line and ultimately force the opposing German forces to capitulate.

All that is well and good, but why do I really admire him? In the 1920s, York formed the Alvin C. York Foundation with the mission of increasing education opportunities in his region of Tennessee. Plans called for a non-sectarian institution providing vocational training to be called the York Agricultural Institute. York concentrated on fund-raising, though he disappointed audiences who wanted to hear about the Argonne when he instead explained that "I occupied one space in a fifty mile front. I saw so little it hardly seems worthwhile discussing it. I'm trying to forget the war in the interest of the mountain boys and girls that I grew up among."

It opened in December 1929. As the Great Depression deepened, the state government failed to provide promised funds, and York mortgaged his farm to fund bus transportation for students. Even after he was ousted as President in 1936 by political and bureaucratic rivals, he continued to donate money.

How can you not admire a man who saw what he saw and did what he did and all he cared about was helping his community become more educated?

Money Matters: Inflation in Pre-Hitler Germany

By Delia DeLeest

Hyperinflation is exactly what it sounds like: money becoming worth less and less in a very short period of time. Pre-World War II experienced this and the result affected the entire world and the course of history.

Though the Armistice in November of 1918 ended the actual fighting of World War I, it took over six months of negotiations to form an actual peace treaty. The Treaty of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919, five years to the day of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (and the Mrs. Archduke, who is always forgotten), which is the event that started the whole war ball rolling in the first place.

One of the provisions of the treaty was that Germany accept full responsibility for the war and that they pay reparations of $31.4 billion (equivalent to $400 billion in 2010 U.S. dollars). It was felt by many, both Germans and others, that this was excessive and the signing of the treaty caused distrust of the government and extreme unrest among the German people. Along with the monetary reparations, Germany was also stripped of its provinces and territories. There was no way Germany was going to be able to pay this bill and they didn't even bother trying. This, of course, did not go over well with their creditors.

The original war debt created within Germany itself also had to be figured into this equation. During the war, the mark was also taken off the gold standard, thus making it easier to simply print more money as it was needed, thus feeding the inflationary need for more money for purchasing. These are only a few of the factors that caused the horrendous decline of the mark; thousands of other things combined from before, during and after the war to decimate the country's monetary system.

In December of 1919, the exchange rate was 47 marks to one US dollar, by December of 1922 it was 7,000 to 1 and by December of 1923, (are you ready for this?) one US dollar was the equivalent of 4,200,000,000,000 marks. I double and triple checked and, yes, that is the right number of zeros. Children were given stacks of marks to play with like building blocks, because it was cheaper than buying actual blocks to play with.

The result of this inflation was awful. Those who thought they were well-off became paupers overnight. Exchanging your money for foreign currency was illegal, as was hoarding food and other necessities. If you wanted to survive, you were forced to break the law. Farmers who had food available in the country refused to ship it into the city. If the food made it to its destination without being stolen along the way, the money people wanted to use to pay for the produce was relatively worthless. There are heartbreaking stories of farmers dumping their milk while people starved in the cities. Policemen were pulled from their horses and the unfortunate animals were butchered right there in the street in a frantic quest for sustenance.

In response, the government tried various things, but printing more money only fed the inflationary fire and raising taxes only increased the cost of living, which again, fed inflation. Is it any wonder that during those times one such as Adolf Hitler, a charismatic nationalist who promised a bright future, came into power? The inflation didn't create Hitler, but it made Hitler possible. The people were looking for a savior, someone who was willing to do something different than their government in the past and he certainly fit the bill.

Delia DeLeest is fascinated by all things 1920s. She suspects she was once a flapper or, more probably, a bootlegger in a previous life. Her third 1920s era book, NOT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, is being released from The Wild Rose Press at the end of October.

Guest Author: Moira Rogers

This week on Unusual Historicals we're featuring Samhain author Moira Rogers as she celebrates the release of A SAFE HARBOR, a paranormal set during the Great Depression. Here's the blurb:

During the bite of the Great Depression, sole female dominant Joan Fuller struggles against the rise of cruelty among her alpha counterparts. The men tolerate her interference--until she breaks from the pack and allies with a witch and a vampire. Now the Boston alpha intends to bring them all forcibly back into the fold--and teach her a lesson she may not survive.

Seamus Whelan and his werewolf bootleggers intend to retire from smuggling and savor their fortune, but first they must do a favor for an old friend: escort some female wolves to safety. An easy job, if their leader wasn't a prim ex-debutante with enough power to challenge Seamus himself. Chance makes them allies; powerful need makes them lovers.

Together, they have the opportunity to build a sanctuary for their kind, but first they must free themselves from Joan's past, and the powerful man who would see her destroyed.

***

Why the Great Depression?

In our contemporary paranormal series, we have a paranormal culture that was twisted when the wrong people took power. It made sense to us that the quickest way to overcome natural selection was an event that transcended power and struck at the heart of survival.

The Great Depression seemed like the perfect time for money to overtake tradition and let a new set of rules come into play. So when we decided to go back and write about this turning point, there was no other choice!

What research challenges did you face?

Much of A SAFE HARBOR and its sequel, UNDERTOW, takes place on a remote island off the coast of Maine. In many ways, we were writing frontier level technology in a Great Depression setting, which meant we had to know what our characters would have--and what they'd be missing!

The other challenge was feminism. Our werewolf society has progressed somewhat backwards from human society. Our contemporary female wolves had very little power in their paranormal lives but relative freedom in their human ones.

When writing A SAFE HARBOR, we had to reverse our thinking, and try to think about how women who had different roles in human society would be changed by the power they'd had in their paranormal lives--and how difficult it would be to have that power taken away.

How have you handled adding paranormal elements into this era of history?

As with any era, the most important thing for us is to make sure that the paranormal aspects work with the world around them. In this instance, we already had a world. We knew how the bits and pieces fit together. Our challenge was considering how our cultures had progressed through the years.

What other historicals eras (if any) have you used for settings?

In March 2011 we'll be seeing our first alternate Wild West paranormal romance hit the virtual shelves. It's a little bit steampunk, a lot paranormal and a wild campy ride. It's been fun to write something that gets to be a little more out there, since A SAFE HARBOR and UNDERTOW are relatively serious books set in a dark world. (As can be expected...the Great Depression is not the most cheerful time period!)

Who is Moira Rogers?

Our biography asks the important question: How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon.

By day, Bree and Donna are mild-mannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page. (Disclaimer: crime fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)

What's up next for you?

In October we'll see the publication of our second historical novella, UNDERTOW, as well as a short story in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2. After that we'll be returning to contemporary times and the Deep South for our third Southern Arcana novel. Then a trip to the gunslinging wild west in March!

In other words...we keep busy.

***

Would you like to try out this tasty unusual treat? Just leave a comment or question for our dynamic writing duo. Maybe: What are your thoughts about a romance set in the Great Depression? What about mixing paranormal elements with historical settings? I'll draw one winner at random next week, who will win a digital copy of A SAFE HARBOR. Void where prohibited. Best of luck!

Excerpt Thursday: Moira Rogers

This week on Excerpt Thursday we're featuring Samhain author Moira Rogers as she celebrates the release of A SAFE HARBOR, a paranormal set during the Great Depression. Join us Sunday when Moira will be here to talk about this fab blend of paranormal elements and an unusual era. Here's the blurb:

During the bite of the Great Depression, sole female dominant Joan Fuller struggles against the rise of cruelty among her alpha counterparts. The men tolerate her interference--until she breaks from the pack and allies with a witch and a vampire. Now the Boston alpha intends to bring them all forcibly back into the fold--and teach her a lesson she may not survive.

Seamus Whelan and his werewolf bootleggers intend to retire from smuggling and savor their fortune, but first they must do a favor for an old friend: escort some female wolves to safety. An easy job, if their leader wasn't a prim ex-debutante with enough power to challenge Seamus himself. Chance makes them allies; powerful need makes them lovers.

Together, they have the opportunity to build a sanctuary for their kind, but first they must free themselves from Joan's past, and the powerful man who would see her destroyed.

***

There was no time for a proper bath, though the polished tub stood empty with its shiny new pipes gleaming and a freshly washed stack of towels beside it. For some of the girls, the ability to twist a knob and fill the tub with hot water had been a luxury more magical than the fact that they changed to wolves with every full moon.

Those were mostly Edwin's girls. Girls so poor they'd never known anything but heating pot after pot of water to fill a tub a bit at a time, if they were even that lucky. She had to credit the man with some cunning--he'd been very sure to pick girls unlikely to be missed. Orphans and farmers' daughters and maids who would be assumed to have abandoned their drudgery in favor of running off with a man. Oh yes, Edwin chose well.

Most of the time.

Joan sighed and did her best to ignore the tub as she stripped the torn, bloodstained dress from her body quickly but carefully. Even if there had been time to immerse herself in hot, clean water, she couldn't have. Simone had just changed the bandage wrapped around the wound on her calf, and it still hadn't healed. Instead Joan had stitches holding her skin together while sluggish power stirred inside her.

Not enough. Not nearly enough, and fear clawed inside her as she tried not to imagine what it could mean. The bond with Adam would take what it needed to keep their people strong, but it had never drawn so much from her before, never felt like a noose around her neck. She was the most powerful wolf. Her magic fed the pack, fed everyone.

Including the wolves left to Edwin's surely untender mercies.

Every heartbeat increased her weariness, until exhaustion weighed so heavy that even simple chores seemed insurmountable obstacles. She fumbled with the knob for the hot water, then hesitated. Their supply wasn't endless, and it might be needed for more important things before the day was done. Gritting her teeth, she twisted on the cold water instead.

Autumn had come early to Massachusetts, and washing the blood from her hair wasn't as easy as she'd hoped. It had dried into a tacky, sticky mess, tangling around her fingers until she wanted to scream with frustration.

By the time the water ran clear, she was shivering in just her undergarments. She tucked one of the thick towels around her body and used another to rub at her hair, bracing herself for the fact she still had to wash her face, arms and neck in the icy water.

"You need some help."

Joan barely bit down in time to hold back a startled noise as she spun and found herself looking into gentle blue eyes. It was the new man, the one who'd come to speak to Adam's friend. Nothing should have made her so oblivious that she disregarded the sound of footsteps in the hallway, which meant she had left weary behind and careened into recklessly exhausted.

But not so exhausted as to tolerate a man staring at her with such blatant appraisal. She gripped the towel and tried to summon her fiercest glare as she pretended his words had been a question instead of an arrogant, presumptuous statement. "I'm fine. Please close the door behind you."

"We're going to be working together." He stepped into the bathroom and, indeed, shut the door behind him. "That means we need to talk."

She'd seen women sporting dresses that bared more skin than her towel, but it didn't make her feel less naked. The press of his power didn't help--he was clearly a strong wolf, one full of rough, edgy dominance that stirred the wolf inside her with unrestrained curiosity.

She had to get rid of him. "I'll be out in a few minutes. If you or the men you brought need anything, you can ask Simone. She's in the kitchen."

"We had a lovely conversation." He smiled suddenly, not a grin or a smirk, and it transformed his face from hard to boyishly handsome. "She told me to come talk to you."

Of course she had. Humans might judge authority by gender or age or social standing or money, but wolves only cared for power. It didn't matter that she was twenty-four and female, that she'd lost her inheritance and any hope of being accepted or respected by polite society. She had raw power, so she was in charge.

The heaviness of her responsibility settled over her. Soon she'd slide to the floor under the weight of it, crushed beyond repair.

News and Media: Radio

By Delia DeLeest

Nowadays radio seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. It's used to maybe catch a few minutes of the news on your way to work. Otherwise, if you want entertainment, you'll take out your iPod or get on the internet. But less than a hundred years ago, radio brought the world to places that previously only got their news and information from the newspapers, sometimes days after it actually happened. Radio was the first modern mass media and it changed the world.

The year 1923 seems to be the turning point from radio being a specialized tool to becoming accessible to the masses. Sears & Roebuck offered radios for sale for the first time in their spring catalog and 556 stations dotted the country in such diverse places as Paducah, Kentucky and New Lebanon, Ohio. Over 400,000 homes had a radio by the end of that year, up from only 60,000 the year before. In the beginning people were so excited to hear voices coming from that big wooden box in their living room that they would listen to anything. Here's an example of a common broadcasting lineup in 1923:

5:15 Rinaldo Sidoli, violinist
5:30 Rea Stelle, contralto
6:00 Peter's Adventures, by Florence Vincent
7:30 Frederick Taggart, baritone
8:15 Lecture by W. F. Hickernell
8:30 Viola K. Miller, soprano
8:45 Salvation Army Band concert
9:15 Viola K. Miller, soprano

As the 1920s rolled on, politicians discovered that radio was a wonderful way to get their campaign promises out to the general public. A New York Times reporter summed it up this way: "brief pithy statements as to the positions of the parties and candidates which reach the emotions through the minds of millions of radio listeners, will play an important part in the race to the White House." That would be 1928's version of the political soundbite so commonly used today.

By the time the Depression rolled around, Americans were so enamored of their radios that they became a family's most prized possession. Social workers found that many people were more apt to sell their furniture and clothing to make rent payments rather than part with the wooden box that kept them connected to the outside world. Radio had gone from being mere entertainment to a lifeline. It not only brought local and national news into their home, but the new radio shows coming out brought laughter into their lives in the form of Amos 'n Andy and Jack Benny. Radio shows like these became staples in America's homes and the Golden Age of Radio had begun.

News and Media: Newsreels

By Carrie Lofty

Before television, the nightly news, and goofy local weather forecasters, people only had one source of news that featured moving pictures: the newsreel. Generally brief and themed to a particular topic, newsreels were documentary films that covered world events, topical and local concerns, and entertainment gossip.

Invented in 1908 by the innovative production company Pathé Frères in 1908, newsreels premiered in Britain in 1909 as the Daily Bioscope. The concept of garnering news from movie pictures soon caught on, particularly in America and the British Commonwealth nations. Much like movie previews today, the newsreels preceded a feature film, or else were sandwiched between two features as part of the intermission. In the 1930s and 40s, newsreels were so essential that many large cities had dedicated newsreel movie houses, and even smaller movie houses had dedicated theaters that showed the latest newsreels on a continuous loop all day.

During the silent movie era, newsreels were accompanied by on-site piano music and narrative placards. Here's an example:


Later newsreels were fully narrated, such as this one from Castle Films about the bombing of Pearl Harbor:


During the Great Depression and WWII, Hollywood and the Allied governments employed the best writers of that generation to make the news more palatable and patriotic. For example, both Dylan Thomas and John Steinbeck wrote newsreel scripts.

No matter their importance to people of the early 20th century, newsreels did not survive the swift transition from radio to TV. Television brought newsreels right into living rooms, thus ending the need to leave home for one's current events. But for historians who study that era, newsreels continue to provide fantastic information about long-forgotten news events and, more importantly, the cultural attitudes that shaped its reporting.

Guest Blogger: Ryshia Kennie

This week we welcome Ryshia Kennie as she discusses her novel FROM THE DUST, which is set in 1935 Saskatchewan.

He died with liquor on his breath and poison in his soul. On that day Eva Edwards' life changed forever. It's 1935. Eva is young, desperate and newly widowed with a prairie farm, a child and little else.

Tate Prescott Brown comes from Toronto from a life of wealth and privilege, and because he's trained as a veterinarian, he believes that farming is something he understands. So when he inherits a Saskatchewan farm he gets in his coupe and heads for the prairies.

Set against a prairie backdrop and supported by an eclectic and meddling group of local community folk, FROM THE DUST is the touching story of story of a man and woman each struggling between love and independence and misguided feelings of what might be right for the other. Sometimes love can be so...unexpected.

***

Why did you choose the 1930s?

When I was a child I heard stories about an uncle who was working under the hot prairie sun and accidentally grabbed a jug of gopher poison instead of water and drank it down. It was during the depression and he died horribly leaving a young wife and a daughter alone. While it all happened before I was born, the story was so heart wrenching that I knew one day it would weave itself into a story. So while the story opens with a true scoundrel dying, the inspiration was indeed a tragic love story. A contradictory beginning, I know.

Even without that story I think I would have been drawn to the era. You can't help but think of the depression when you see old abandoned farmhouses and buildings forgotten--rotting under the prairie sun. The only reminder of a family that gave up and fled leaving everything behind.

What else inspired you?

FROM THE DUST was inspired by both a person and a location. The location I chose for was the Qu'Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, Canada, a beautiful and historic setting that I became very familiar with as a child visiting my Grandmother. The person who inspired the heroine's character was Georgina Binnie-Clark, a pioneer woman who emigrated from England. With no previous experience Georgina took over her brother's land and farmed it, turning it from failure to success.

Did you enjoy the research?

A little too much! There were days I forgot to write and got lost in the pages of what are called "the lost years." The librarians in the Prairie History room were thrilled that someone was taking an interest in volumes of books that were in some instances falling apart from age and disuse. And with a never-ending supply of elderly relatives with more than just a story or two about the depression--let's just say the research could have become the never-ending project.

Wasn't the Great Depression...depressing?

I thought it would be. I assumed that there could have been nothing uplifting about those years and it was a miracle that they survived with their sanity intact. Was I surprised when I set out to interview the people who were children and young adults during those years. The tales of doom and gloom weren't there. Instead most people met my questions with a smile and launched into unexpected stories of fun times, of dances and skating parties, and of star-crossed lovers attempting to elope on a boxcar.

Eloping on a Boxcar?

Yes--it was a true Saskatchewan story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent but a little delving and I soon discovered the young lady's identity. It's hard to keep a secret in a small prairie town. But in the days when young men road the rails across the country looking for work, a young woman fell in love with one of those men and at the age of sixteen she slipped on pants, tucked her hair under a cap and got on that train heading east. The town constable was unsuccessful in retrieving her so her father got in his Model T and used precious gas to find her. He did and brought her home I imagine with a few words of reprimand. So in the end it wasn't a very satisfying love story but one of many good tales of the times if you just take the time to ask.

Is FROM THE DUST typical of your books?

Each book is unique. Like children, they have their own personalities. This was my first. So like all firsts, it will always be special--to me anyway. I like the concept of women overcoming the odds, taking charge of their life, forging ahead in unusual situations. Eva Edwards does just that in FROM THE DUST when she takes charge of a Depression-era farm and faces off against the man who threatens her livelihood. In another story, Claire Linton ends up flying half way across the world to Cambodia to face her demons and meet the man of her dreams. And in yet another, Garrett Cole fights convention to lead an expedition into the Borneo rain forest where things go horribly wrong and the man of her dreams is nothing like she ever imagined. While FROM THE DUST is the only one published right now, the others are pending in the wings.

Will you write another story in an Unusual Historical period?

I would love to write another historical. The less visited periods of history are what I love best. I have a few ideas, beginnings of stories really but right now the tarmac is stacked with a lineup of other projects. But another historical is always at the back of my mind--in the "warming pan" so to speak!

How can readers learn more?

There are a number of ways readers can contact me. Aside from my website, I'm on Myspace and I have a blog entitled Passport to Romance. If you're interested in finding out when new books are available, drop me an e-mail at ryshia@ryshiakennie.com.

***

EXCERPT:

Late May 1935
Qu'Appelle District, Saskatchewan

He died with liquor on his breath and poison in his soul. Doc MacPherson claimed that between the alcohol and the arsenic there were enough chemicals in his body to keep him pickled to the second coming.

It was a terrible way to die. Eva wouldn't wish that on anyone, even him. She shivered. The last twelve hours had been awful. She pulled a bobby pin from her hair, rearranged a stray piece and secured it again. She hadn't reacted well. She knew that. She regretted snapping at the child. She regretted a lot of things. None of them could be undone. Like Mr. Edwards, the time was gone, over. The damage had been done.

"He went sudden. That's a blessing," Hans said abruptly like he could read her thoughts.

Her sigh was short as the wagon took that moment to bounce in a rut. The coffin slammed against the wagon rails. Her hand tightened on the rough wooden seat while the other gripped the child's thin arm. The coffin slid across the wagon box and banged against the other side. The wagon rocked. She jarred against Hans.

"Gee up!" Hans flipped the reins and nudged her over on the wooden seat with his elbow.

She glanced over at her old friend and closest neighbor.

"Hans, I can't thank you--"

"Don't be thanking me, girl. This is the least I can do. Should have been me who hammered that coffin together. You shouldn't have--"

She laid gentle fingers over his large knuckled hand. "You've got enough to do without worrying about me, too."

Hans looked skyward. Tension etched his worn face. "You shouldn't have hammered his coffin together." He clucked at the team. "Unseemly."

She swayed as the wagon rocked. The future looked grim. Fear knotted and twisted in her gut. She'd forgotten to look at the sore on the cow's leg. The thought rose unbidden and battled a litany of other chore-related thoughts building in her sleep-deprived mind. She had spent the early morning hours hammering scrap wood into a coffin for Mr. Edwards. Married for four years--in all that time, she had never called him by his first name.

***

SELECTED REVIEWS

"Ryshia Kennie did an exceptional job describing in detail the climate, economic and social situation of Saskatchewan's rural Qu'Appelle District. The details added depth and a great sense of realism to this story. However, the real magic of From the Dust was the hard won intimacy between Eva and Tate." Simply Romance Reviews

"Ms. Kennie has given her supporting characters very in-depth attributes which is not only lovable but delightfully frank. The plot was so well written, and the people so endearing that it was impossible to not love this book." The Romance Studio

"Kennie writes beautiful descriptions of the prairie. She paints a pretty picture of the wheat fields and surrounding scenery. Within the first pages, a dust storm overtakes our heroes and I could feel the sand stuck in my teeth!" The Long and the Short of It

"A work of depth and genuine sentiment from a Canadian author. Rich in period detail and full of nicely-drawn characters, FROM THE DUST is a solid romance that also has a good deal to offer to those who don't normally read romances." Dan Hays, Statesman Journal

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Would you like a copy of FROM THE DUST? If so, try out this little quiz. Be good--try not to google! Answer one of the questions correctly and be entered in a drawing for a free copy.

1. This stick was famous for finding water...
2. These storms were the hallmarks of the dirty thirties...
3. A child of the 30s might do tricks with this wooden toy on a string...
4. This implement was pulled by a horse and prepared the soil for planting...
5. Before Kleenex was available, men might carry one of these...
6. Many clothes were washed on one of these...

I'll draw a winner in one week. Best of luck!