Additionally, my friends and family, especially my husband, have continued to abet my desire to pour my thoughts out on paper and its modern substitutes. They have to put up with my everyday whims and requests, so deserve special recognition for their patience and love.
At the top of that group of special people, I would like to give an extra level of thanks to my beta readers who took the time to point out the gaps and oversights in my manuscript: Peter Crist, Maura’s spouse and a childhood friend of my husband, caught a number of details, but complained of the short shrift given to the gun battle—I had to remind him this is intended to be a romance rather than a John Wayne vehicle (although if you agree with him, do let me know!); Deborah Collins, whom I met courtesy of our mothers, both World War II WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots)—pilots flying for the United States Army Air Corps—when they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, focused on entirely different aspects which also helped tighten the manuscript; and another WASP-related acquaintance, Roy E. McAfee also took the time to point out areas of concern.
I have two Nancys to thank, Nancy White and Nancy Leslie, both wonderful friends, both conversant with the piano, and both exquisitely eagle-eyed, who’ve helped with several of my novels now. Each brings her own perception to my ideas and lets me know when I got it wrong.
My brother, Marc Bellassai, an early music and art professor as well as performing artist, picked up on another area which needed attention; and my husband wanted to be sure Toby wasn’t forgotten. All their input was invaluable!
But most of all, you, the reader, make it worthwhile to share my thoughts and dreams as expressed by the characters who whisper in my ear. Thank you.
Elissa Strati
May 2020
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Glass Bottles? Used since the early 1800s for babies. Rubber? The Aztecs had it. But safety pins? They date back to the Middle Bronze Age, in the second millennium B.C.E.
And did you know that George Pullman’s use of exclusively black porters and maids on his sleeper cars starting in 1865, followed by formation of the first black union in 1925, is considered a major contributor toward creation of the black middle class?
Most of the places are real and portrayed as accurately as possible, as is Sheriff Johnny Behan, Tombstone’s first sheriff, although he is used fictitiously. Many of the locations, including buildings, still exist, although some have changed names and usage.
Doing research to avoid anachronisms is actually one of my favorite parts of writing. Thanks to the internet and access to millions of resources at the flick of a finger, it is possible to verify data rapidly and with a degree of accuracy, although there are times when an old-fashioned paper dictionary is what is truly wanted. Did you ever stand at an unabridged Webster’s on a stand and just browse the words on a page? Amazing!
Megan’s final destination, Benson, Arizona, was a brand new town at the time she arrived. Things were happening so rapidly in this region that I had to choose my dates extremely carefully. Cochise County was created from the southeastern corner of Pima County; the railroad came through and the town of Benson was established. The boom in Tombstone was at its height and the town incorporated and became the center of the new county government, with a number of stagecoach companies vying for custom on the lucrative Benson-Tombstone run. The railroad was also driving south to get in on the action coming from all the mines ripping gold, silver, and copper from the ground.
However the Tombstone spur did not get completed for nearly ten years due to a series of catastrophes, including a major fire (the scourge of most urban areas, exacerbated by tinder-dry conditions and . . . tinder . . . as building materials!) and massive flooding of the mines. But that was in the future for Megan and Ted, and they had no DeLorean.
I do not know the actual arrival times for westbound trains coming into Benson, although the daily service scheduled between Benson and Tucson was not at especially convenient times, so I took artistic license here and there to keep the story moving. The characters were already coping with enough.
I love learning and hope that you have enjoyed this trip into yesteryear. And please share with me if I’ve let inaccuracies creep in! Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the story my characters are telling me I forget to go back to be sure they got the details right.
