1890s. Colorado. Following her mother’s sudden death, thirteen-year-old Hannah Owens is hired as domestic help by a wealthy doctor’s family in Colorado Springs. When the doctor declares bankruptcy and abandons his family to finance his mistress Pearl DeVere’s brothel, Hannah is thrown into a world of gold mining bonanzas and busts, rampant prostitution and the economic, political and cultural upheavals of the era.
Two of Cripple Creek’s most colorful historic characters, Winfield Scott Stratton, eccentric owner of the richest gold mine in Cripple Creek, and Pearl DeVere, the beautiful madam of The Old Homestead come to life as this old-fashioned, coming-of-age saga unfolds, a tribute to the women who set the stage for women’s rights.
Our on-line magazine Leviathan is published every January, April, July, and October.Submissions for the January edition close December 15, 2019.
Musically Literate
The third Musically Literate happening is on February 22, 2020 in Dallas, Tx. It will feature a mixture of Austin and Dallas talent. R. T. Kilgore author of The Historical Chronicles of Elinor Sturgeon and the Last Human Colony. will be doing a reading. Check out her website for more information.
The Historical Chronicles of Elinor Sturgeon and the Last Human Colony. Volume II is in the works. Look for it mid 2020.
Stories Through The Ages Contests
Sightseer Saga : Have you written or do you have a story to tell based on travel? Tell us about an experience you had while traveling, sights you saw and/or people you met. Make it a completely true account, or embellish the truth a bit. This contest is open to any adult. We will accept submissions until we have a maximum of 100 entries. The entry fee is $25. The word count for this contest is 900 – 4000 words.
Military Experiences: We are asking for personal essays based on your military experience. – beyond that it is open. The story can be from a soldier, a veteran, friend or a family member. In order to encourage people who don’t usually write, we have changed the rules and are allowing co-authors for this contest. If you know someone with a story to tell who isn’t a writer, have them tell it to you and help them write it – then submit it with both your names. This contest is open to any adult. We will accept submissions until we have a maximum of 100 entries. The entry fee is $25. The word count for this contest is 900 – 4000 words.
Baby Boomers Plus: Submissions for the fourth annual edition are open. The deadline for the 2020 edition is June 15, 2020. Tell us about an experience growing up as a baby boomer, or use your experience gained becoming a baby boomer and tell us a story. The entry may be fiction or nonfiction. This contest is for anyone who was born 1964 or earlier. The entry fee is $25. The word count for this contest is 900 – 4000 words.
Cripple Creek by Dan Peavler
The mountains of Colorado have always been a source of inspiration to me. Even as a child I found them to be magical. The panoramic views and beauty found on a fourteen-thousand-foot mountain is almost indescribable. Someone once said that it is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.
Even as magnificent as the mountains are, the small towns scattered throughout the rugged terrain are equally as remarkable. The museums and preserved historical artifacts make you feel like you are transported in time. Many towns have trains available for tourists to ride and get a general overview of the area.
Notwithstanding the modern towns having tourism and skiing connections, many of the historical towns were founded because of mining, mostly gold or silver. Gold mining played a large part in the establishment of Colorado. The tough, persistent and hard-working people who populated the towns were not there to embrace a challenge or find peace in nature but to find riches. Many who lacked in education and talent made up for their shortcomings in persistence and tenacity. They worked long and physically demanding jobs in the mines, only to find themselves penniless and beaten. There was always someone who made the money from the toils of the miners.
My personal favorite mine to visit is the Molly Kathleen Gold mine in Cripple Creek. The tour places you in a tight elevator, much like the one used by miners over a hundred years ago and takes you a thousand feet straight down. Gold veins in their natural setting greet you at the bottom. The sonorous manmade caves of the mine echo all sounds. From working in near darkness to having to bend over to shovel dusty debris the tour illustrates the difficulty the miners faced daily.
My wife and I visited Cripple Creek this summer. After touring the Molly Kathleen mine and visiting several museums we decided to spend the night. Rather than stay in a casino hotel we stayed at the Hospitality House, a hotel that once was the hospital for the area. Each room is named after a part of the hospital, we stayed in the therapy room. My imagination ran wild during our visit.
When Living Springs Publishers received a transcript for the historical novel “A Sparrow Alone”, from Mim Eichmann, we were intrigued. The reader is taken to Cripple Creek in the 1890’s and is immersed in the era. The research Ms Eichmann did on Cripple Creek and the people who lived there is evident. The lives of fictional characters and those of real-life characters are intertwined in such a way the reader can’t discern between the two. Ms Eichmann has created a sharp novel well worth reading. Living Springs Publishers is very proud to have this novel as a part of our publishing company.