This story had it's beginning in the first novel, Bugler In The Mountains, set in 1897 in an era of adventure and of our nation's phenomenal growth. The implementation of the telegraph, telephone and transcontinental railways provided vast new means of communication and travel. The town of Bugler was little changed by these new advances as the story begins, except that the Union Pacific Railroad tracks now ran alongside the village and a small depot was built there with telegraph service and a station agent. Due to a rock slide of some proportions blocking the tracks farther on, Elise Merrimac was stranded in Bugler along with the other passengers and crew of the train. She was fleeing from a disastrous broken engagement and resultant gossip to visit her mother's sister Letitia in California. In Bugler, she found a peace and a caring community which extended to the strangers as well as among themselves. Later, in a persistent rancher and artist, she discovered a sincerity and quality of character which eventually overcame her more recent resolve to never again trust a man. Their developing love and devotion for one another extended to well-known and newly introduced characters in the story. In The Aspens, as the shared skills and gifts of the inhabitants of the town enhanced the survival and comforts of one another, so the varying personalities add color and spark to the story. It is my hope you will be moved by ever changing elements which provide moments of surprise, joy, warmth, sorrow, other budding romances and new beginnings as the story continues in If My People.
About the Author: The author lives in the Midwest where she grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. There was no electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating or telephone. Life was difficult but family oriented with much community support in those times. Farmers worked from dawn to dark. Home grown beef and hogs provided meat, and there were cows for milk. Their wives tended large vegetable gardens and raised chickens for food and eggs in addition to the household chores and caring for their children. Small one-room country schools provided a good basic education and a meeting place for once a month socials. Doris became interested in family history and experiences at a young age and enjoys reading and researching earlier times in the United States. Her goal in writing these stories is to depict real life in our country at the turn of the century into the early 1900's. She says writing this continuing story has been a joy, with occasional surprises at an unexpected change of circumstances and responses from the characters. Find out more about Doris and her other books at www.dorismyrlemorris.com.