Pony Express

Nearly a year ago, I dreamt about a family traveling west on the Oregon Trail. The dream seemed so real that I began writing a novel, EnchantedJournal, based on it.

During my research about the Oregon Trail, I kept an eye open for any of my Buck ancestors or relations who might have traveled the trail but never found any. I tried researching some of my more distant relatives who lived during that era but could not find any who traveled on the Oregon Trail.

My great-granduncle, John Hickman Buck (1872-1955), moved from Alabama to Arizona sometime in the early 1900s. My dad met John Hickman Buck when he returned to Alabama to visit family. He told my dad that he traveled to Arizona in a mule-drawn wagon. However, that was not the Oregon Trail.

William Wentworth Buck (1804-1886) was born in New York but traveled to Oregon in 1845, presumably by the Oregon Trail. W. W. Buck built and operated a sawmill on the Clackamas River. He also built a paper mill in Oregon City in 1866; however, it was not a successful venture. He was a member of the legislature from 1849-1850 and postmaster for many years. Insofar as I can tell, W. W. Buck is not a relative of mine.

Rinker Buck (1950-) is the author of The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey (2015). Rinker Buck re-enacted the Oregon Trail in a mule-drawn wagon and wrote about his experience. I read his book with great interest as I learned about the Oregon Trail. We are not related.

Even though I could not find any relatives who traveled the Oregon Trail, the trail and its end at Oregon City fascinated me. I finished writing Enchanted Journal and almost immediately began writing a sequel, Pony Express. Pony Express is nearly ready for publication.

The Viking Princess: College Romance in 1970

 

My second novel, “The Viking Princess: College Romance in 1970,” has been published on Amazon, see https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MYSS2T1 . No, I didn’t crank it out in a couple of weeks. In 2021, I actually wrote two novels. Here’s the explanation.

In writing “Timepath: Nature Abhors a Paradox”, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LGV94RL, I needed lots of study and help and signed up for online classes. Then I needed a practice novel for the online classes, so I created “Viking Princess”—a ridiculous “Hallmark Movie” kind of novel in which anything is possible. “Viking Princess” soon turned into a romance novel and, rather than change its genre, I determined to take on the challenge and finish it.

“Viking Princess” was a lot of fun to write and I was encouraged to publish it. Why not? I hired an artist and described the characters and scenes. Seeing her illustrations convinced me to publish “Viking Princess.”

*****

Fiona is an auburn-haired Scottish orphan called ‘Viking Princess’ because of her height, beauty and regal bearing. She is a serious, but shy, fine art student and keeps to herself. Fiona stereotypes football players as dumb bullies. Her new friend, Mary, wants to introduce Fiona to her best friend, Alexander.

Alexander is the Big Man on Campus. A handsome engineering student and star football player, his ambition is to become an inventor. Everything is easy for Alexander. Mary describes Fiona as ‘having a good personality’—intentionally not mentioning her beauty — and Alexander reluctantly agrees to meet her.

As they become acquainted, Fiona and Alexander must overcome cultural differences, jealousy, punishment for PDA, harassment, and family.

 

Timepath: Nature Abhors a Paradox

 

For the past year, inspired by my grandfather, J. W. Hale, I’ve been attempting to reinvent myself as a novelist. As an avid reader, I always wanted to write novels, and had made various unsuccessful attempts over the years. Finally, I realized that, at nearly age 24 °C, I had better get busy if I were ever to write my novel.

Time travel has always fascinated me and my own time travel novel was first on my bucket list of writing. I collected my pieces and snips and began writing my novel. It was a disaster–too much engineer, bad habits, and ignorance of organization. I signed up for several online novel writing classes and submitted many rough drafts and samples for criticism.

And now, I have finished my novel! “Timepath: Nature Abhors a Paradox” is entirely different from the novel I first imagined, but I can put a big check mark on my bucket list!

The paperback version is on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LGV94RL

The ebook version is on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LSM6YLC

 

“Timepath: Nature Abhors a Paradox” 

When Greg learns that his romantic interest, Anne, is actually his sixth great-granddaughter and is susceptible to breast cancer, he joins an experimental time travel project based on the twisted string theory of time. Although his official mission is to be briefly transported to 1810, his personal mission is to remain and administer a cancer preventative. The time travel team is baffled by Greg’s disappearance and attempts to discover the reason. Anne remains in 2022 and defends Greg’s reputation. Greg and Anne devise a method for Greg to save artifacts, letters, and photographs from the early 1800s where he must learn to live. They each make a time capsule to record their lives.