Oregon first claimed Linda's heart in 1980 when she and her family moved there. It was no surprise, based on her past involvements in her community, that in 1993 she became very immersed in planning for the Oregon and Applegate Trail celebrations. It was the 150th Anniversary, touted as the Sesquicentennial of each, Oregon in 1993 and Applegate in 1996. Tourism departments throughout the involved states banded together to support events, including a wagon train that started in Winnemucca, Nevada. Linda, being the Visitors and Convention Bureau Director at the time, as well as a member on the Oregon Trail Board of Directors and the Applegate Trail Coalition, was involved in the planning process and support. She traveled on a wagon 31 days during the 51-day trip, as she served as Quartermaster for the west side. There are a number of highway and park markers, as well as museums, that have been built to encourage our communities to learn more of our area history. In 1996, Linda received the Frank Branch Riley Heritage Tourism Award from Travel Oregon, Oregon's Travel & Tourism Industry Award. She decided at that time that she needed to write her own story, as real and as rich as many of the "characters" that she became acquainted with, either by their diaries or the reenactment. Linda moved to Tombstone, Arizona, for about three years, where her love of the West was accelerated. She wandered ghost towns, metal detected on the desert, dressed in historical clothing (many who live there wear period costume when in town), and immersed in the history of the Southwest. A huge part of the "old west" history that caught her interest is that of the Native Americans. She was able to research her Cherokee history and how it related to other tribes that are prevalent in both the South, as well as the Northwest. She still dances in POW WOW's and proudly wears her heritage. Linda lives in Southern Oregon, where she spends her time enjoying dancing, reading, gardening, attending POW WOW's and, of course, writing. This is Linda's first novel.
