Twelve Days in the Territory

 I'm pleased to welcome good friend and fellow writer, J.R. Lindermuth. John's novel, "Twelve Days in the Territory" was released on May 5th and I'm eager to read it. 

J. R. Lindermuth lives and writes in a house built by a man who rode with Buffalo Bill Cody. A retired newspaper editor, he is now librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with genealogy and research. He has published 19 novels and two non-fiction regional histories. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Readers (and writers) often have misconceptions about women of the past.

Victorian stereotypes, fiction, film and scant attention to history color these opinions. We know women didn't have the vote in the past, often couldn't own or inherit property and were bound to obey without question their husbands and fathers. But, even if totally true, it doesn't mean women couldn't be strong and resourceful.

True, it took a long struggle for women to achieve the vote, and we still can't say they've achieved full equality. In the 19th century, most women here and abroad lived in a world of class, formal religion, social strictures and structured family life. Despite these restrictions, there were many women who bent the rules and did things others considered radical.

We see in the bible and other early writings, in Shakespeare and in contemporary novels how women used their wiles (psychology as well as physical charms) to get their way with men. They may not have been able to own property, but many definitely could dominate and even punish a man who did them wrong. And many were capable of achieving things on their own.

History shows us some of the most effective and bravest of spies in the Revolution and the Civil War were women. In the 1840s, Margaret Fuller dedicated her life to a revolution aimed at freedom for women. She made her living giving lectures in a time when it was illegal for women to do public speaking for pay. She beguiled men like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Edgar Allan Poe said society consisted of men, women and Margaret Fuller. Later there was Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman), an inventor, businesswoman, charity worker and (most famously) a journalist.

Martha, the young woman taken hostage by outlaws, in my latest novel, Twelve Days in the Territory, believes she'll be rescued by her uncle, the sheriff, and Will, the man she loves. But, in the meantime, she's also doing something about her situation. She's leaving a trail for Will and her uncle to follow, she's paying close attention to the conversations of her captors, and she's taking advantages of opportunities for escape. Then there's Lucinda, Craw's woman. Despite living with outlaws, she's a Christian and intent on passing her faith to her children. She also makes sure other women in the camp are treated with respect while pursuing her goal of changing Craw's ways.

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Here's a blurb for Twelve Days in the Territory:

Will Burrows, a mild-mannered school teacher, is the only man in town who volunteers to join Sheriff Gillette in pursuit of outlaws who have taken Martha Raker, the sheriff's niece, hostage and fled into Indian Territory in the fall of 1887.

Gillette doubts Will's suitability for the task, but the young man who has been courting Martha insists he must go. Yet even Will has doubts about his qualifications and harbors a secret which raises his fears of what they'll face in the Territory.

Martha, a strong-willed young woman, will show courage and tenacity in the will to survive, confident in the belief she will not be abandoned by the man she loves or by her uncle.

All three will face trials the like of which they've never known before and they soon discover Crawford McKinney, the outlaw holding Martha is the least of their troubles.