Behaving Herself

March 2000
Leisure Books
ISBN 0-8439-4693-8

The Rancher's Daughters #1: BEHAVING HERSELF
AUDRA

Audra and Jack's story, THE RANCHER'S DAUGHTERS: BEHAVING HERSELF, was my first published historical romance, and it is very special to me. This page is the place to find extra tidbits about it, including:

About the Cover
Reviews
Audra's Christmas
The prologue and first chapter
Whom I envisioned as the characters
Old-Time Rules for Teachers
OOPS! Research Mistakes

About the Cover:

This is one of my favorite book-covers, largely because Jack and Audra look a great deal like I envisioned them, and because I think it's beautifully painted. This scene never takes place in the book, but that's okay--I'm sure it does, at some point after the wedding, take place!

FYI: There are none of those kind of cactus in Texas, that I'm aware of--certainly not in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. But when people hear "Texas," that's the image they often get.

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Reviews:

"It's easy to see why a woman would risk anything to win gambler Jack's heart in Yvonne Jock's BEHAVING HERSELF." --Romantic Times, on giving Jack Harwood a K.I.S.S. (Knight in Shining Silver) commendation

"Ms. Jock's poignant novel reminds us all that love is love, no matter who or why or where. Compelling characters and rich description add up to a savory read in this universal, bi-racial story!" SWEET --Anne Black, Romantic Times

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Audra: A Christmas Background

It snowed when, in January of 1884, Audra Susan Garrison was born to Wyoming rancher Jacob Garrison and his second wife, Elizabeth. She was their fourth daughter, the first to be born in their new ranch house. Her mother often said she was like a late Christmas gift.

Snow fell for every Christmas in Audra's memory--and every Christmas brought magic. Santa Claus always came, because Audra always made a point to behave herself... though that did not explain why her sister Laurel kept getting gifts too. Their family always had a tree, even for the Christmas of '86, the year of the blizzards and the Big Die-Up. (Audra's older siblings told her that although the family moved back to their rough-hewn claim cabin that year, to save on fuel, and although Papa's cows died in droves, he'd silently dragged a tree in and leave it for the children to decorate). Her beloved older brother Thaddeas--half-brother, really--usually managed to be home for Christmas, even after going to college... though sometimes travel delayed him until Audra's birthday.

In 1888, the Garrisons built a fine town house in the Sheridan to spend their winters, so the girls could more safely attend school, but they still had snow and Christmas. In the following years they got two more baby sisters, and Audra decided to become a teacher. In 1897, her big sister Mariah nearly ruined Christmas by keeping company with the worst possible man, but somehow, Christmas pulled through. Later, it survived her sisters Laurel and Victoria making equally unreasonable choices in love--but just barely.

Although she knew the truth about Santa Claus by then, Audra vowed to choose her beaus more carefully. She'd always been the good girl of the family. She intended to behave herself.

And yet somehow, the winter of 1899 would find Audra teaching school in Texas, with no snow at all. Somehow, it would be her most magic Christmas yet.

And somehow, it had far too much to do with a charming gambler....

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How I see Jack and Audra....

I wasn't sure whether to include this part or not... readers often picture someone completely different than did I, and that's okay. But the book cover always sets an image (in this case, one I wholly approve of!), and I'm usually curious about who, if anybody, other authors were thinking about when they wrote THEIR characters, so here goes.

QUALIFIER: For what it's worth, characters are most of all THEMSELVES. I often picture actors as a sort of... model, the basis from which the character then develops in my mind. But that does not mean the character is just like the actor by any means! So take this with a grain of salt.

JACK:

Hair: Dark brown -- clean-shaven & neat
Eye color: Blue.
Height: Average; slim build, but not wimpy.
Age: Mid-to-late 20's.
Clothes: nice vests; jackets - gambler chic
Tag word: Roguish.

If I had to choose an actor who best captures the look of Jack, that actor would look a lot like either Bruce Campbell (The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.; King of Thieves on Hercules; the Evil Dead series) or Dylan McDermott (from the Practice... except Jack smiles more <G>) For the cover-art information, I sent in pictures of Campbell as Brisco, as well as pictures of a young James Garner as Brett Maverick.

AUDRA:

Hair: Light reddish-brown ('roan'). She is forced to cut it scandalously short 1/3 of the way through the book.
Eyes: Dove gray
Height: Short
Build: Petite but healthily so; not anorexic
Age: Late teens
Tag Word: Innocent
Clothes: Stylish but subdued; school-teachers mustn't wear bright colors!

An actress who looks a great deal like I imagined Audra is Kimberly Williams, from the FATHER OF THE BRIDE movies, and more recently, the 10th KINGDOM.

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REAL Old-Time Rules for Teachers:

1872 Rules For Teachers

(source--framed document on the wall of Trinity High School, Euless, TX)

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.

2. Each teacher will bring in a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.

3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle the nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity, and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

1915 Rules For Teachers

(Courtesy of the Old Bedford School, Bedford TX)

1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.

2. You are not to keep company with men.

3. You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.

4. You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.

5. You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the Chairman of the Board.

6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.

7. You may not smoke cigarettes.

8. You may not dress in bright colors.

9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.

10. You must wear at least two petticoats.

11. Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle.

12. To keep the schoolroom neat and clean, you must: sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day and start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.

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OOPS! Research Mistakes (or gloss-overs) in BEHAVING HERSELF

One problem with writing historical romances is the issue of accuracy. Some readers care more than others, and some authors try harder. Me? With the exception of blatantly fictionalized elements (mainly things where my characters fulfill roles that may have been played in real life by other storekeeps or ranchers), I try pretty hard to be accurate. In fact, for me that's a large part of the fun! Just look at my extended research bibliography However, no matter how hard I try to look into the past, I just mis-transcribe some things. Here's an example or two....

ANTS! p. 345

"Unless he'd chosen a fire-ant hill or a dung heap, she'd likely have accepted any of his choices."

Uh... make that an ant-hill, no fire involved, please. Turns out that fire-ants did not appear in the U.S. until the 1920's, when they arrived on the southeastern Gulf Coast and slowly made their way their way north and west, only reaching Texas in the 60's or 70's!

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