But at a fashionable residence like Kendall Castle, a butler would have answered the door. Here I have an enormous staff at my disposal. Without thought to budget, I can decorate to my hearts content. My virtual castle has no dust motes or footprints marring my marble floors. The gardens are impeccable. My cook prepares meals so I can write, create, and imagine what might have been.

So, Bradford and Mattie’s spirit lives on at Kendall Castle. I have the utmost respect for them though I only know them through my mother-in-law’s stories.

Mattie was born 22 October, eighteen hundred seventy-seven. Her ancestors were from England, Scotland and France. Bradford hailed from a Missouri farm family and was born 18 September, eighteen hundred seventy-six. Eventually they met and married. She bore him ten children, eight of whom lived. My mother-in-law is third from the youngest. Until their deaths, Mattie and Bradford resided in Texas.

From their picture, one can see Mattie’s diminutive stature. She had the coveted Victorian waistline measuring a scant eighteen inches and I have one of her skirts as proof. Her feet were tiny and narrow, and I have her ‘Sunday’ boots to prove that, too. The boots look scarcely worn which would seem in keeping with her life. She had no time to don her finest. This tiny lady chopped cotton on their small dry land farm. The weeds oft matched her height. When picking the sticky pods, she had to drag a bag behind her and I’m sure it weighed more than she did. The cotton was their source of income unless the boll weevils claimed the crop first.

What do these facts have to do with anything? The couple represents the ordinary historical hero and heroine that a writer can make larger than life.

My mother-in-law’s tales about the old family farm fed my interest in those telling details that can affect a humble individual. Over the years, I’ve helped research my husband’s ancestors and in the process have stumbled across interesting historical tidbits that affected past society. My environment also nurtured my interest in historical things.

I was born in Durango, Colorado. Except for five years when my father moved the family to Williams, Arizona, we lived in Durango, a small historic tourist town in the San Juan Mountains. Both towns captured the flavor of the old west where muck caked boots and broad brimmed hats were the norm. Everybody knew everybody.

Tourists and skiers came and went. But when a stranger came to town and stayed, whispers rippled down Main Street. These newcomers became heroes and villains. Where did they come from? Why did they stop in such a remote town? Why did they want to stay?

History speaks about the populous’ westward migration. Some were running from their former lives, some had secrets to hide, and some were adventuresome. Some dreamed of wealth in the gold fields. When I thought about those nameless individuals who came to Durango, I imagined them to be characters of the past, all with murky histories.

I realized then that I had an overactive imagination.

Other things that fed my interest in historical writing were the stories my parents told me about my grandparents during their lives in China. They lived through war, famine, and hardships. How did my female ancestors endure? How did they overcome their many obstacles to keep their families together?

All the stories had one commonality. They spoke of love, hope, commitment, family, and the obstacles the individuals overcame to achieve their goals. These elements are the central theme to any romance novel, a story that always has a happy end. When reading these stories, I experience great pleasure knowing that against all odds, a woman can empower herself with wit and courage. My husband’s and my ancestors possessed the same qualities.

Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Herman Melville, and Jane Austen also inspired me write historical novels. While I would never compare my writing to theirs, we share one thing, immersing the reader into all shades of the past. The setting challenges me as an author and my characters’ abilities. Courage, fortitude, intelligence, and wit are even more important since they don’t have the technology we have today to help them battle their obstacles.