J.J. WheelingOct 9, 20194 minWomen in the SaddleAs a twentieth-century girl, seeing a woman astraddle on horseback is a common sight. But, in 1849, when horseback travel was reserved mostly for men, proper...
J.J. WheelingSep 26, 20192 minThe Cult of True Womanhood – seriously, it was a thing.It is hard to imagine in our world today, that there was actually such a thing as The Cult of True Womanhood. This article, by Barbara Welter, written in 196...
J.J. WheelingMay 9, 20192 minCode of the WestGrowing up on a ranch in southwestern Colorado in the mid-to-late-20th century has given me a unique perspective from which to write. There were the expected...
J.J. WheelingApr 15, 20192 minThe "What the...?" factorWhen not on actual trips of discovery, I’m in my mountain cabin, laptop, books and papers scattered all around the arcs of my rocking chair, my eyes searchin...
J.J. WheelingApr 9, 20193 minIt's all about authenticityWhenever possible, I have tried to do the thing that I ask my characters to do so I know it is possible. For instance, I had never fired a pistol. My charact...
J.J. WheelingMar 28, 20192 minCuriosity, research and an impatient husbandHistory makes me curious, I can’t help it. Why did people do the things they did? What drove them or inhibited them? What about all those lives that never ha...
J.J. WheelingMar 2, 20192 minWhere did it all come from?I started writing in 2009. Granted, it had been a very long time since Freshman English in college but I started nonetheless. I took a continuing education c...
J.J. WheelingFeb 5, 20192 minDo you remember the first time?I do. I remember it very clearly. The echoes of clapping hands, the warm glow of sincere satisfaction filling my heart and an inner voice saying, “They reall...