WWII-Philippines

The first run of the Pony Express took place on April 3,1860. In celebration of the release of THE PONY EXPRESS Romance Collection, all nine authors have had some fun writing blogs about what happened on this day in history.

We hope you’ll enjoy our snapshots of this date down through the ages!

April 3, 1942, was a day that actually impacted my family—at least indirectly. This was the day the Japanese began their all-out assault on U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan, not far from where my father was stationed in the Philippines on the island of Corregidor.

Most people recall the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On that day, my father was just coming back to his patrol boat from shore leave in Manilla when he noticed everything in the bay was dark—lights out, everywhere. His shipmates greeted him with news of the Pearl Harbor bombing. The U.S. was officially at war.

The Japanese found their new target the very next day—the Bataan Peninsula at Manilla Bay. Bombs and bullets rained from the sky. I recall my father telling me it sounded like popcorn popping, all of those bullets pinging against the ship. Can you imagine what it felt like, knowing the invading forces wanted only one thing—to kill you?

It wasn’t until April 3,1942 that the Japanese ratcheted up their continued attack. From nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, a 100-aircraft bombardment “turned the Mt. Samat stronghold into an inferno” according to the Chinese Daily Mail.

Ultimately the Japanese took approximately 60,000 Filipino and 15,000 American prisoners of war, leading them on the Bataan Death March where so many men died along the way.

My father’s naval unit had been moved to the nearby island of Corregidor, but received daily bombardments. With the troops weakened by ration shortages and disease, they knew it was only a matter of time before surrender. That day came about a month later. They were sent on the same path as those before them, taken from one overcrowded camp to another, treated harshly, put on a starvation diet and pressed into forced labor, finally to survive a death sentence at the end of the war only through liberation by Allied forces.

The men who withstood the brutality of war were certainly heroes. They’re the kind of men romance writers dream up: strong, brave, loyal, and willing to fight for what they believe. My heart swells with pride knowing my father was one of them, even as it twists with compassion for all that he and those with him endured.

I hope you enjoy my contribution to The Pony Express Romance Collection, MY DEAR ADORA. Along with Adora, you’ll meet Chip Nolan who rescues the saddle pack his little brother lost after a robbery. Intent on hand-delivering every missive, the last one is to Adora from her loving parents. After carrying the letter close to his heart for months, Chip is already half in love with Adora when he finds her—just in time to rescue her from a fortune seeker.

Maureen Lang writes stories that celebrate a mix of God’s love, history, and romance. She is the author of sixteen novels and five novellas, and has been a finalist for Christy, Carol and Rita awards. She lives in the Midwest, is a married mother of three, and caregiver for her adult son with Fragile X Syndrome. Visit her at www.maureenlang.com

WoooHoooo! Coffee!

By Connie Stevens

The first run of the Pony Express took place on April 3, 1860. So in celebration of the release of The PONY EXPRESS Romance Collection, the nine authors are having a bit of fun with “On This Date In History. . .” blog posts.

On April 3, 1829, James Carrington obtained a patent for a coffee mill. So I thought, “WoooHoooo! Coffee!  A truly noteworthy historical event, marked by a milestone in the evolution of my most favorite beverage, to coincide with the launch of the Pony Express decades later.”

I smiled and rubbed my fingertips, readying them to uncover historical tidbits for this blog post.

While it is true, a patent was indeed issued to Mr. Carrington on April 3rd, 1829 for his coffee mill design, alas, there is no record of his mill ever being manufactured. Further research also turned up numerous patents issued from the very early 1800s through the 1890s to more than two dozen people. Clearly, the milling of coffee beans and the brewing of this delectable beverage was serious business to a great many, highly intelligent people with discriminating palates. Sadly, most of these designs never met with manufacturing success. James Carrington wasn’t the only inventor whose creation never got off the ground, likely due to a lack of funds.

So, without ironclad facts to validate my statements, it is pure speculation when I state those wiry, tough-as-nails, reckless young fellows who flew across the prairie on swift steeds, bearing the US mail from St. Joseph, Missouri  to Sacramento, California in only ten days were, without a doubt, fueled by copious amounts of coffee.

My research did reveal a pair of brothers, Charles and Edmund Parker, who were successful in manufacturing a coffee mill that eventually found its way into nearly every American kitchen over the course of a few decades. It is my opinion that one of these coffee grinders was present at most of the Pony Express outposts and stations, much to the chagrin and regret of Mr. Carrington. Or perhaps that is pure conjecture on my part.

I can tell you without a shred of doubt, everything I write is, indeed, fueled by countless cups of the rich brew, and there are numerous references to coffee as the beverage of choice in my story, ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART.  In any event, I like to believe  James Carrington’s efforts in his inventor’s workshop were similarly driven by his desire for caffeine.

Connie's story in The PonyExpress Romance Collection is ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART.  
Two discontented hearts, both of whom must stand aside and watch others fulfill the dreams they desire, discover God has something better in mind, if only they are willing to accept it.

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A lifelong reader, Connie Stevens began creating stories by the time she was ten. She enjoys gardening and quilting, but one of her favorite pastimes is browsing antique shops where story ideas often take root in her imagination. Connie lives in north Georgia and been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2000.

Norman Rockwell Museum

By Barbara Tifft Blakely

April 3, 1993:  Norman Rockwell Museum opens at its new site in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Art has been a part of civilization for thousands of years if cave drawings are any indication. And, like other cultural elements such as music and dance, art has developed over the centuries. One of the favorite American artists was Norman Rockwell. He spent the last twenty-five years of his life in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and donated his studio to the city for a museum. The studio is kept in its original state, although it has been moved to the thirty+ acre site that the museum now occupies. Visitors are treated not just to original Rockwell paintings, but to many of his sketches and drawings as well.

 

People are attracted to Rockwell’s work because of the connection they feel to his subjects. He captured small town America and his pictures tell stories. His most famous are a series of four “freedom” pictures:  freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear and freedom from want.

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In my contribution to The Pony Express Romance Collection, A PLACE TO BELONG, Abigail has neither studio nor paints, but draws the Express riders and scenes around the ranch. She treasures her mother’s sketchbook, with its own story, believing one of the images is of the home left behind before her parents were killed when she was six years old. Now, at nineteen, the sketchbook has become a connection to her mother and feeds her dream to return to the house in the book, much like Rockwell’s artwork feeds our nostalgia for a by-gone era.

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Barbara Tifft Blakey is the developer of Total Language Plus, a literature-inspired language arts program used by private Christian schools and homeschoolers for over twenty years. She writes inspirational historical fiction from her tree-surrounded home in the Pacific Northwest.