Helen Hardt: Late 19th-Century Minnesota~
I’m probably best known for the steamy erotic romance I write for Ellora’s Cave, The Wild Rose Press, and Aspen Mountain Press, but I also love to write mainstream romance. One of my favorite genres is American western historical, and I have a collection of three interrelated novellas in this genre at The Wild Rose Press. I’ll be back in a couple weeks to talk in more detail about my research for Rhythm of the Drum, a Native American Romance. Today I want to talk about some of the general research I did for the first two novellas, The Outlaw’s Angel (in Lawmen and Outlaws, an anthology) and Lessons of the Heart.
When I was in elementary school, my mother introduced me to the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She read them to my sister and me before bedtime each night, and we grew to love them. We had the whole set in hardcover. My mom still has them, and they’re dog-eared, the pages are wrinkled, and the bindings are loose, just as well-loved books should be. I swear I could almost recite them by heart. Ask me any trivia question – about the books, not the television show – and I bet I could answer it.
I became so enamored with Laura and her life that I read anything and everything I could find about her life and times. So when I came up with the idea for my historical novellas, of course I already knew the setting. What I hadn’t learned about eastern Dakota Territory from Laura herself, I learned from other sources about her life. When it came time to write Rhythm of the Drum, I moved from eastern Dakota Territory to the Black Hills. Laura’s sister, Carrie Ingalls Swanzey, lived in the hills after marrying, and several years ago I had the chance to visit her homesite. My descriptions of the hills are from my memory.
One day I hope to visit De Smet, where Laura lived her teenage years, and Mansfield, Missouri, where Laura ultimately settled with her husband and home of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. In the meantime, I continue to read my own now well-worn copies of the Little House books – and I love them more each time!
Some good resources on 19th century Dakota Territory:
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura by Donald Zochert
Laura Ingalls Wilder Country by William Anderson
Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town: Where History and Literature Meet by John E. Miller
Thanks, Skhye, for having me today!
Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning romance author. She met her real-life hero in law school, and they live in Colorado with their two teenage sons. Helen writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave, The Wild Rose Press, and Aspen Mountain Press. Her non-writing interests include Harley rides with her husband, attending her sons’ sports and music performances, traveling, and Taekwondo (she’s a blackbelt.) Visit Helen at www.helenhardt.com and www.helensheroes.blogspot.com.
***Wow, Helen! I was a huge LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE fan of the TV series. I still can't bring myself to change the channel if I'm surfing and stumble upon a rerun. I even read PRAIRIE TALE, Melissa Gilbert's memoirs. Oh the dirt there! Did everyone know she's Jewish? Anyway, I keep forgetting this series is in print for my daughter to read... LOL. You just reminded me to buy a copy.
I love sightseeing. Oh I would love to visit the places you mentioned. They must have really enhanced your story ambiance. And, of course, I'm interested more in the analytical books you added to the end of your research list. They definitely deal with period issues!
Thanks for sharing your references with us. Okay, I'm off to check out that cowboy-looking hero!!! ~Skhye
Great post, Helen! I love Westerns too. And your cover!
Mark Twain's Roughing It and Life on the Mississippi contain great period info too. He's a great author, whether travel pieces or fiction.
Congrats on your release! Best of luck with it.
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Great post. We didn't watch Little House when it was first on...not sure why my parents didn't watch it. But I've read the books and watched the shows reruns. The books are wonderful first account comments of life at the time. Who would have thought playing with a pig's bladder would be so much fun?
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HI Helen and Skhye.
I read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books growing up and my oldest daughter is reading them to her girls. She was bummed when they drove to Kentucky to visit her husband's relatives that they didn't have time to stop in Missouri and see Laura's home.
They are a great source for prairie living.
And Lessons of Love is a great read!
Paty
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Great post, Helen. I live in Texas for a short time and didn't meet guys like the cover model. Skhye, are you sure all the guys in Texas really look like that?
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Hi Cate! Yes, that is a great period piece. In fact, all of Mark Twain's works contain wonderful historical information. Thanks for coming by!
Paty, thank you! And I know how your daughter feels. I've been close to Mansfield, MO a few times but was unable to make the trip to Laura's home. One day!
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I know, Anna Kathryn! And curling your hair with a slate pencil, roasting a pig's tail. They really take you back to a simpler time when such small things brought joy.
Hi Amber -- I'm not sure that guy looks much like my hero, to be honest. He's a little young. But very HOT!
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Great post. Loved the books and the television show.
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Jewish? Really? I do know that she moved to Florida for a short time but didn't like the heat.
Funny, I've never read any of her books.
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Hi Helen,
Great interview, I loved little Hosue on the Prairie too,the little girls were cute but that Michael Langdon, was so gorgeous.
Regards
Margaret
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I can't wait read Lessons of the Heart, Helen!
I loved the Little House books and have the entire set. Lucky you to have them in hardcover! Mine are in paperback and the covers are quite faded.
One of my sisters collects everything she can about Laura. I'll have to check with her and see if she has all the books you mentioned.
Soon my granddaughters will be big enough for me to the series to them. What fun!
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Little House On The Prairie was my favorite book of all time. I wanted to be her. I wasn't as fortunate to read the whole series. Maybe I should now.
I loved Michael Landon in the TV show. I wanted to be married and live there with him. What a dream. He was an amazing fellow really. Who played his part to perfection. I gotta read that book Helen!!
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Excellent post! The Black Hills and Dakota Territories are fascinating spots for history buffs. Lessons of the Heart is a great story!
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Hi Helen,
Better late than never! LOL It took me a while to get over here, but I wanted to tell you what a freak I was for the Little House books, too. I think anymore, they try to have kids read them at too young of an age to appreciate them. It's really hard for someone who is 9 or 10 to imagine the kinds of things that Laura and her family had to do in everyday life. I always read to my kids every night, and those books were some that we read--they also read some of them in school, too. The shows were wonderful--I always enjoyed watching them "back in the day."
Cheryl
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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Little House series--lost count of how many times I've read each one! I'm so glad you included the tidbit on Carrie and am now planning to look into what happened to Mary and Grace!
Thanks, Helen!
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Lovely post ladies! I too love the Little House series - my hubby likes to watch old TV reruns on sick days. It's funny - I personally like the books more.
Thanks,
Shannon
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