Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit of Texas: Nacogdoches

My newest historical romance, Texas Blue, is set in 1880 Nacogdoches, Texas. I had created a young woman who lived in isolation deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas. She became Marilee Weston, the heroine of the novel, and my plot included a hero, Buck Cameron, who found and rescued her. She allowed him to transport her and her small daughter by horseback to his hometown, Nacogdoches.

The entire story takes place there, in the “Oldest Town in Texas,” named for the Caddo family of Indians who once lived in the area. In 1716, Spain established a mission in the Caddo settlement. By 1779, Nacogdoches had become a “pueblo” or town, with the central point of present-day downtown as an intersection of El Camino Real and El Calle del Norte. The town became the eastern gateway to Texas.

Mr. Partain from the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce gave me a link to photos of Old Nacogdoches. When I saw the first one, chills of excitement ran down my spine--there was my created old town! Also, I found a photo of a lovely white church. Again, a white church plays a big role in the story. I couldn’t have imagined it any better. http://www.art.sfasu.edu/nowandthen

Why did I choose Nacogdoches? Because I planned on writing more books about the Camerons, and members of the family would migrate across the state. How would my future characters find their way? By traveling along the Old San Antonio Road, or El Camino Real, The King’s Highway. One branch of the old road is today’s State Highway 21, which runs through Nacogdoches to San Marcos.

The “blue” in the title, Texas Blue, comes from the sky-blue eyes of Marilee and her little daughter, the Texas bluebonnet, and Texas’ famous bright-blue skies. And now I’ve learned Nacogdoches is also famous for…what else? Blueberries! In June, Nacogdoches hosts the Texas Blueberry Festival. What a great tie-in to the title of the novel! http://www.texasblueberryfestival.com/

A friend gave me a recipe some time ago for a blueberry dessert. I’m sure you can find many ways to use the delicious berry, but I promise you’ll love this one.

****BLUEBERRY DESSERT****

Combine: 1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs; ¼ cup sugar; 6 tablespoons melted butter. Press all but ¼ cup crumb mixture in an 8-inch-square baking dish.

Mix: ½ cup sugar; 1 envelope unflavored gelatin; and ½ cup cold water in a saucepan. Heat on low and stir until gelatin and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat.

Combine: 1 cup dairy sour cream; 1 8-ounce carton blueberry yogurt; and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Blend into the gelatin mixture. Chill until partially set.

Whip: ½ cup whipping cream. Fold into yogurt mixture. Stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

Pour into crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top and chill until set.

*****

I thank Mr. Bruce Partain, President and CEO of the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce for the links, for providing information about the past, and permission to use the festival logo.