Congressman Cady...'Rebel''s Villian

Each new character creates a certain visual that stays with you throughout the book...and forever after. In writing Once A Rebel, I've already shared that I had Josh Bernstein (pictured left) in mind as the hero's template. (Sorry, Galen doesn't really resemble anyone that I can think of.) As I penned the congressman, the whole time I could just see Ted Levine as the ambitious politician, Theodore Cady. Not sure why, but something about his voice and look captured and held my interest.

Below is a picture of Ted, for those who haven't seen him before. He's been in many movies and TV shows, but one of his most famous is probably Silence of the Lambs.

Once A Rebel is now available in paperback as well as e-book,
so pick your poison and get to reading!

Enjoy!

Until next time,

Angie

Once A Rebel by Angela Ashton

A True Story

My heroine is loosely based on a real person. I've yet to write the article. I suppose I'll do that during spring break when I have more time, but one of my mother's dearest friends is the daughter of an orphan train rider. The woman did not have a pleasant time of it when she was adopted and had a very difficult childhood until she turned 18 and left to make her own way. Agnes was to be adopted by a family when she was 5 and rode the ship from New York to Texas, then boarded a train that would take her to this family. The trip took more than a month, but when she arrived, the couple decided they didn't want her. She had to return to the local church rectory, only this time - alone, with no other orphans to keep her company.

Afterwards, she stayed at the rectory until she was at last spoken for. The couple who took her, did so to please the husband's mother as it was she who was taken by the little girl. She spent her remaining childhood with rural folks that treated her more like an indentured servant than a beloved daughter.

I will write more about her life and how my character, Shauna, is loosely fashioned after Agnes when I have time to sit down and do the article justice.

Panic of 1873

In September 1873, the Philadelphia Banking Firm, Jay Cooke and Company, filed bankruptcy. In May of that same year, the Vienna Stock exchange in Austria collapsed. These two events led to a national economic depression that would last until 1877. Read more about the Panic of 1873 and its causes.

This time of hardship worked well with my story. My heroine, Shauna, was taken in by a family that treated her as a servant. Instead of being adopted, she agreed to an indenture. Indentured orphans were bound to their foster family until they reached the age of 18. For Shauna, leaving the household to live on her own proved a scary proposition. Unmarried and with no skills, she couldn't hope to find work. Once she did build up the courage to leave, the panic of 1873 hit. She would be 19. So - she stayed, hoping something would happen to change her circumstances. That something didn't occur until she was 21.

Gaelic Script

In "Once A Rebel", Galen Stewart writes in her country's native tongue, Gaelic, in hopes of keeping unwanted readers from learning her dangerous secret...in case her journals should ever get lost.

I took the following from the internet:

Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)

Scottish Gaelic is spoken by about 60,000 people in Scotland (Alba), mainly in the Highlands (a' Ghaidhealtachd) and in the Western Isles (Na h-Eileanan an Iar), but also in Glasgow (Glaschu), Edinburgh (Dùn Eideann) and Inverness (Inbhir Nis). There are also small Gaelic-speaking communities in Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia (Alba Nuadh) and on Cape Breton Island (Eilean Cheap Breatainn). Other speakers can be found in Australia (Astràilia), New Zealand (Sealainn Nuadh) and the USA (Na Stàitean Aonaichte).

Scottish Gaelic is closely related to Manx and Irish and was brought to Scotland around the 4th century AD by the Scots from Ireland. Scottish Gaelic was spoken throughout Scotland (apart from small areas in the extreme south-east and north-east) between the 9th and 11th centuries, but began to retreat north and westwards from the 11th century onwards. All Scottish Gaelic dialects are mutually intelligible, and written Irish can be understood to a large extent.

The earliest identifiably texts in Scottish Gaelic are notes in the Book of Deer written in north eastern Scotland in the 12th century, although the existence of a common written Classical Gaelic concealed the extent of the divergence between Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

Thought I'd share some Gaelic script with you. This is the Lord's Prayer. There are lots of books and websites if you're into learning more about the old Scottish language.

While I don't go into Gaelic detail in Rebel, I've always found Scotland, it's language and everything about it facinating.

Hope you enjoy the book.

Available now at Champagne books.

(Shouldn't have to wait much longer for the print version!)

http://www.angelaashtonbooks.com/

Once A Rebel, by Angela Ashton

Location for Once Jilted

I saw Kim's wonderful post and so being rather under the weather, thought I'd blog about the same topic. Less thinking that way. I wanted something different for my hero, Kane. I knew I wanted him to be Irish, but I didn't want him to be a cowboy, or lawman, or doctor, so I scratched my head for a while and started researching states. When I clicked on Indiana, all sorts of wonderful information popped up on covered bridges. So - voila, Kane is now a bridge builder. Check out some of these bridges. I narrowed my search and decided to place the setting in and around Nyesville, Indiana. Though small, the town was near a train station, so that worked out perfectly.

Location, location, location…

A B C D E F – I bet you’re wondering what the alphabet has to do with location. Well I’ll tell you. Believe it or not, there is an area about thirty miles north of San Francisco, California - Point Reyes Peninsula – which in 1866 was sectioned off into 33 tenant dairy ranches. Each was given a letter in the alphabet, with ranch A being the closest to the lighthouse.

And this is where Once a Vagabond plays out and Abby and Ethan’s path cross again for the first time since he put her on the orphan train. Ethan is now the new first assistant to the lighthouse keeper and Abby is one of the peninsula’s teachers.

Neither recognized one another at first – almost ten years can do that you know – and the fact that Ethan mistakes Abby as a hooker only causes their relationship to start off as turbulent as the waters surrounding the rocky and rugged cliffs of the peninsula.

Unfortunately, by the time Ethan finally figures it out that Abby is the young girl he’d befriend in New York City, he’s afraid to tell her since she knows him as John Cable. A man she now finally trusts.

Happy New Years!!!!

So until next time, happy reading.

Kim Leady
Incredible stories…Unforgettable characters
www.kimleady.com

The Train Has Left The Station!

Happy New Year!

May 2008 be the best year yet!!

It's official...the train has left the station and Scottish born Galen Stewart has started her rebellious journey...

The ebook is available now at http://www.champagnebooks.com/

The print version will be available in just a few weeks.

Hope you enjoy reading about Galen and Josh as much as I did telling their story!

Once A Rebel, by Angela Ashton