It’s the 1850s in Sacramento, California and the Gold Rush is booming. Streets are packed with men of all color and constitution, wheeling and dealing...having left their families and traveling sometimes treacherous journeys to seek their fortune. After a fruitless day digging for gold, the men might get their kicks through a variety of amusements: mainly brothels, live theater and gambling saloons. They also imbibe in whisky, beer, tobacco... and for the wealthy and adventurous, opium that the Chinese introduced. But then there was something else that few would try, something called Indian Whisky!
Wait, what? Indian Whisky? That doesn’t sound exactly PC. Well let’s put this into historical context: It was still the ‘Wild West’ and territorial hostilities were at a high but there were also friendly negotiations made between the 'white man' and the Indians. Although some of the trades between them were not exactly fair to the Indians, there was indeed a huge run on a particular cheap, homemade 'Indian' whisky sold to the Indians, in exchange for goods such as fresh cut tobacco.
What secret ingredients were in Indian Whisky that so titillated the Indian palate and why is it featured in The Whip? (a historical novel inspired by the true story of Charlotte ‘Charley’ Parkhurst (1812-1879), a famous Wells Fargo stagecoach driver who disguised herself as a man). Not to give away spoilers but there is a point in the novel when Charley looses the sight in one eye, having been kicked by her horse. She is laying in bed, while her friend and fellow stagecoach driver, Ben, is trying to cheer her up by offering her a slug of Indian Whisky and explaining what’s in it: (this is an authentic recipe from the old west, believe it or not!)
"So you take one barrel of river water, and two gallons of alcohol. Then you add two ounces of strychnine... 'cuz strychnine is a f'ing great stimulant. Add three plugs of tobacco to make ‘em sick; an Indian wouldn’t figure it was whiskey unless it made him sick. Then add five bars of soap to give it a bead, and half-pound of red pepper. Put in some sagebrush, boil it ‘til it’s brown, strain it into a barrel and hell, you got yourself some delicious Indian Whiskey."
So if you’re down in the dumps, you might want to try whipping up some Indian Whisky and see if that does the trick~or not.
Thanks for stopping by to share your food for thought, Karen!
You can find Karen here:
The Whip by Karen Kondazian is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible and Itunes in all formats: Paperback, Hardback, Kindle, Nook, E-book, Audio Book CD and Audible Audio Book.
Awards:
* 2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Prize - Fiction-Western category
* 2013 Best Western, International Book Awards
* 2012 Award-Winner in Fiction: Historical category - USA Best Book Awards
Winner:
2014 Readers Favorite Gold Medal Prize in the Fiction-Western
2013 International Book Award/ Best Western Fiction
2013 National Indie Excellence Award /Best Western
2013 Best eBook Global Award/Best Historical Fiction/Western
2012 USA News Book Award/ Best Historical Fiction
Goodreads: Best Book to be made into a Film / Top 12 Best Western Books
0 Comments on FOODFIC: Please Welcome Karen Kondazian, Author of The Whip as of 1/1/1900
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Sounds like an awesome read! Would love to win a copy.
Smiles~
Marilyn
While I mainly write children's books, historical fiction is an area that fascinates me greatly and I would love to know what are some of the best resources Karen has found regarding researching content for historical novels? Internet? Local library? Interviews with historical society representatives?
Oh yeah, I would LOVE to win this book!
Donna L Martin
www.donasdays.blogspot.com
I've heard of Charlotte Parkhurst. This sounds like a fascinating book.
Real people are so much more interesting than fictional. This sounds like one of my summer reads!
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I remember the first time I read about Charley Parkhurst. I think it's great that you have taken the story and make it real. I look forward to reading it.
Sounds like a page turner & great summer read. Please drop my name in the virtual cowboy hat! (not-so-anonymous: Kathy El-Assal)
Looks like a good book.
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I think it will be a nice book!!!:D
If you are a chic fans, you can also go on a journey in here: ray ban
Looks like a fantastic read. Can't wait!
Historic fiction and women's rights - two things right up my Alley! I look forward to reading it.
Good luck Karen!
https://twitter.com/#!/
Is this what you're looking for? I'm a bit new to this stuff.
Sounds so fascinating. Currently I'm working on an historical nonfiction book which I later want to turn a certain aspect of that story into an historical fiction. Loved the interview in the Wells Fargo Coach.
Sounds great :)
ktgonyea at gmail.com
Sounds like a facinating book!!
How could a person look at the cover of this book and NOT want to read it?
tweet - https://twitter.com/#!/navywyfe/status/194983104040026112
The twist to this western story makes for a good read!
Elaine R
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This book sounds terrific. I would love to win.
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LOVE TO READ.
This sounds like a WINNER.
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Question for Karen Kondazian: When you turn fact into fiction, how do you determine what to include or how to change the story to turn it into a story the length of a novel? So looking forward to reading this one!
williams_blds at hotmail.com
I tweeted this at https://twitter.com/#!/happigurl24/status/195238031496712192.
williams_blds at hotmail.com
I like to read non-fiction!
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I've heard this is a terrific story
diane Baum
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this book looks awesome
JenniferB
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I wanna win this prize!
Tim Moss, [email protected]
sounds like a good read, one I'd get lost in
This sounds like a wonderful read!
lanalbradstream(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love historical fiction. I would love to review this for my Goodreads account. :D
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It sounds like a great read. I love reading Westerns that are more than standard. Thanks for the giveaway. [email protected]