Sunday, March 29, 2020

Girl With the Blue Tattoo

Have you heard of Olive Oatman, also known as The Girl with the Blue Tattoo? She was a teenage heroine of frontier America who was captured by Indians after her Mormon family was slaughtered by them. She lived among them as a slave and they tattooed her chin. Years later, she was ransomed back to white society.

The main character in my erotic romance Hell on Wheels: A Sexy Western is loosely based upon Olive Oatman. Although Olive was never a prostitute as my main character is, both teenagers share the same experiences in their teenage years. My girl, however, is not marked by the disfiguring tattoo. Both teenagers are survivors despite all the challenges they face in their young lives.

I love stories about the building of the transcontinental railroad, one of America's greatest engineering feats in the 19th century. I recently went to a ceremony honoring the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike, which commemorated the meeting of the train coming from America’s east with the one coming from the west. This accomplishment may never have happened without the labor of the Chinese, soldiers home from the civil war, freed slaves, recent Irish immigrants, and various ne'er-do-wells who needed money in spite of the dangerous, back-breaking work it took to build the railroad. And let's not forget the women who entertained them and traveled along with the train as the railroad was being built. They all lived in squalor in make-shift towns nicknamed Hell on Wheels. It took a lot of grit and gumption on their parts. My girl is a feisty heroine who has a humorous way of looking at the world and the men and women with whom she comes in contact. She has sexual relationships with both men and women, sometimes 3 at a time. All are loving relationships.

I have tried to stick to history as much as possible in this erotic story where I follow the course of the railroad's construction starting from the Platte River Valley all the way to California. It is my hope that history buffs, railroad aficionados, lovers of coming of age stories meant for adults, and readers of erotic romances will take a look at my story.

Who knows? You might find yourself liking trains more than you ever have before. Keep on riding them, especially those long-distance ones such as the California Zephyr and Coast Starlight. I have traveled in a sleeper car on both train routes and it is the best way to see America. And don't forget to bring my book along with you. All aboard!