Last Friday, Tara Chevrestt was a guest on the Girls Succeed blog. I invited her to tell us about the true story behind her 1916 story because I enjoyed reading her book so much. You can click on her interesting story which was posted on the Girls Succeed blog at Tara Chevrestt Ride for Rights.
My Review of Ride to Rights:
Ride for Rights follows the fictional adventures of two sisters who are determined to ride motorcycles across America in 1916. Why? Because they are proving women can do it AND to further the early twentieth century women's fight for the right to vote.
This amazing book, based on a true story, is one that makes the reader stand up and cheer for these young ladies who have a lot of grit and courage. Can you imagine driving a car let alone a bike across 1916 America with no road maps or even roads? I do think the author could have played up the overwhelming obstacles in the way of accomplishing such a feat. I loved the history mixed in with the adventure allowing readers a glimpse of life in the USA in 1916. Very well-written descriptions and dialog make this story a winner.
Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor our fallen heroes, veterans, and those who are serving in the military forces to defend our freedom. If you see a Veteran, thank him for his service.
Here's a link to a story by CBS News Steve Hartman. It demonstrates Girl Power when she took on this challenge and successfully accomplished it!! You go, Grrrrrrrrllll!!
I am pleased to welcome talented author Tara Chevrestt to the Girls Succeed Blog. I read her historical fiction book, Ride for Rights, and loved it so much I invited her to tell us the story behind the inspiration for the story that takes place in 1916.
Historical fiction
Back Cover:
In the summer of 1916 women do not have the right to vote, let alone be motorcycle dispatch riders. Two sisters, Angeline and Adelaide Hanson are determined to prove to the world that not only are women capable of riding motorbikes, but they can ride motorbikes across the United States. Alone.
From a dance hall in Chicago to a jail cell in Dodge City, love and trouble both follow Angeline and Adelaide on the dirt roads across the United States. The sisters shout their triumph from Pike’s Peak only to end up lost in the Salt Lake desert.
Will they make it to their goal of Los Angeles or will too many mishaps prevent them from reaching their destination and thus, hinder their desire to prove that women can do it?
The Story Behind the Ride for Rights by Tara Chevrestt
In
the fall of 2010, my husband and I took a vacation to South Dakota and of
course, we had to hit the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. (My husband is a biker
through and through.)
Adeline VanBuren
While browsing this ultra cool museum (that I originally
didn't want to go to as I wanted to walk thru a Victorian house instead!), I
came across some information about two fascinating "biker chics" in
American history, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren. Here is their website: Van Buren
Sisters Website
In 1916, these remarkable sisters
decided to ride their motorbikes from New York to Los Angeles. Keep in mind,
the highway system had not yet been built... They donned trousers, jumped on
their Indians, and they rode to prove that women could be motorcycle dispatch
riders.
The real-life women went from Buffalo to Chicago to Omaha
to Denver, up Pike's Peak, to Salt Lake, Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los
Angeles, and San Diego.
I was excited by this information and I rushed to find my
husband and I said to him, "I am gonna find a book on them as soon as I
get back to my laptop!" And I did search for a book on them and much to my
dismay, I didn't find one. And so I said, "I'm gonna write one!" This
is howRidewas born.
Augusta VanBuren
In Ride for Rights, a
fiction novel loosely based on the amazing Van Buren sisters, Angeline and
Adelaide Hanson undergo a similar journey (with different twists and
turns) as they travel from Buffalo to Detroit... to Chicago where they are
dance hall girls for a night... to Peoria, Illinois... to St. Louis where they
join a touring Suffrage movement to Kansas City where they have a run in with
some unfriendly fellows. From Kansas City, the Hanson's head to Dodge and they
have problems with the local sheriff. See, women didn't wear trousers much back
then....
Like the real Van Burens, Angeline and Adelaide summit
Pike's Peak. The real sisters did this ride only weeks after the road was
opened.
Glen Eyrie Castle
The Ride for Rights sisters
spend some down time in a castle called Glen Eyrie and then head on to the Salt
Lake desert where they get lost... and oh somebody finds them... but is it
really a rescuer??
I don't wish to reveal too much of the story so I'm
stopping here, but I cannot stress to everyone enough...check out the real Van
Buren sisters’ website. It's truly amazing what the real women accomplished.
They are now in the AMA Hall of Fame and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of
Fame.
Bob Van Buren, a descendant of the Van Buren sisters,
says, "Although Ms. Chevrestt’s creative tale of these two women is purely
fictional, she has accurately captured the spirit and challenges that the Van
Buren sisters experienced in their journey in 1916."
I can't possibly express my joy and gratitude to have a
descendant of those amazing women say something like that about my work.
Please note once again thatRideis a work of fiction and though I used
the real life sisters' ride as a basis, everything that happens to the Hansons
is a figment of my imagination. An author's note in the back of the novel
separates all facts from fiction.
In the
summer of 1916 women do not have the right to vote, let alone be motorcycle
dispatch riders. Two sisters, Angeline and Adelaide Hanson are determined to
prove to the world that not only are women capable of riding motorbikes, but
they can ride motorbikes across the United States. Alone.
From a dance
hall in Chicago to a jail cell in Dodge City, love and trouble both follow
Angeline and Adelaide on the dirt roads across the United States. The sisters
shout their triumph from Pike’s Peak only to end up lost in the Salt Lake desert.
Will they
make it to their goal of Los Angeles or will too many mishaps prevent them from
reaching their destination and thus, hinder their desire to prove that women
can do it?
***
Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, dog
mom, writer, and editor. You’ll never see her without her Kindle or a book
within reach. As a child, she would often take a flashlight under the covers to
finish the recent Nancy Drew novel when she was supposed to be sleeping.
Tara is addicted to Law
& Order: SVU, has a crush on Cary Grant, laughs at her own jokes, and
is constantly modifying recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. She writes about strong women facing obstacles—in the military, with their handicaps, or just learning to accept themselves. Her heroines can stand alone and take care of themselves, but they often find love in the process.
Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift began singing at two years old. Yeah, really. Who knew that toddler would become an international, beloved role model and award-winning entertainer selling millions of albums?
Taylor had a dream. She wanted to be a singer and kept the dream alive by working hard and believing in herself. She developed her musical talent and loved sharing her music with her friends and family and eventually with all her fans.
Hello and welcome to the Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop! What a fantastic group of blogs and books to "hop" to and so many prizes! The blogs hosting the hop are at the bottom of the page. Have a "hoppy" day! I am thrilled to introduce you to my non-fiction e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Please leave a comment and email addy below to be eligible to win a digital copy of the inter-active e-book Find out more about this inspiring book for girls below.
Girls Succeed interviews fifteen
remarkable women who have achieved recognition for accomplishment in their
occupations. This diverse group of careers encompasses women in the arts,
business, science, medicine, ministry, entertainment, and sports. Stories
include women who have stamped out disease, made people laugh, earned Olympic
and Paralympic gold medals, crossed the country in the cab of an eighteen
wheeler, and many more chapters to inspire and empower girls to reach for their
dreams.
After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and
online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction
writing with mysteries,
Sunshine Boulevard and Coda to Murder, released by Muse It Up Publishing. In Girls
Succeed she returns to her first love, writing
about real people. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board
games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. Spending winters
in Florida with her husband allows Janet the opportunity to enjoy the life of a
snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders
with her four grandsons and granddaughter.
Give Mom, Grandma, Aunt, or the special woman in your life a big hug this weekend
and say thanks for all she does for you.
I know there are days when you are at odds with each other, but you can work it out together. If you're having a hard time with each other, find someone who can help you to talk it through and help you to reach out for a new relationship with your mom.
The dance competition TV show, Dancing with the Stars, featured the Camden Sophisticated Sisters (CSS) dance team on the Tuesday night edition. The show saluted the director of the program, Tawanda Jones, for her dedication and inspiration to the kids in the after-school program. Watching her story of 26 years with CSS, viewers learned how important she is to her girls. She encourages them to be the best they can be and empowers them to reach for their dreams. She is a wonderful role model and mentor for the kids who live in a dangerous neighborhood in Camden, NJ. Read her story as a CNN Hero here. Yep, these girls could sure "bust a move" and they proved it by dancing an energetic, synchronized dance for the audience and viewers of DWTS. Take a look.
You TubeVideo from Dancing with the Stars
Do you have someone who is very important in your life? Someone who you respect and admire and you believe you want to be just like her? Medical Doctor Cate Bradley admired her grandmother and wanted to be just like her. Excerpt from Girl Succeed:
Role Models Rock
“From as
far back as I can remember, I knew I wanted to be a doctor, and I had no doubt
that I could do that since my grandmother was one,” said Dr. Catherine (Cate)
Bradley. She smiled as she remembered her grandmother.
Cate’s
grandmother received her medical degree in 1937. At that time, it was unusual for a woman to
be a doctor. She was dedicated to helping her patients in the small town in
Vermont. Cate’s grandmother was important to the members of her community and
always went out of her way to help. She
received an award from the American Cancer Society for her work in medicine and
was respected as a physician, a wife, and a mother of three daughters.
Cate
achieved her dream of becoming a doctor. But, unlike her grandmother’s family
medical practice, Cate works at a university.
She has three parts to her job.
She treats patients who are sick.
She teaches classes to medical students who are studying to become
doctors. And she does research to try to learn more about medical problems and
figure out how to develop better treatments for diseases. Her research is not
done in a laboratory, but rather in a clinic where she treats patients. Cate
records the information on how the patients react to these treatments.
In order
to be a doctor, a student must study for four years in college, four years in
medical school, and at least three years of advanced training in an area of
medicine, such as family medicine or pediatrics, taking care of kids. Anyone with the desire to be a doctor must be
dedicated to working hard to reach this goal.
Cate always worked toward her goal because she wanted to help people, and
she enjoyed science, especially biology, the study of the human body.
“I like
to figure out problems and puzzles which is much of what I do when a patient
comes to me with a problem,” she said.
Cate’s
week is busy with her duties as a doctor, wife, and mother. She sees patients in her office, performs
surgery, and writes reports on the results of her research. Cate and her husband, Scott, have two sons.
Their active family also includes their yellow Labrador retriever.
Cate was
valedictorian in her high school class, meaning she had the best grades in her
class. But there was a time in her life, between seventh and ninth grades when
her family moved four times. It was
difficult for her to make friends because she was always the new kid in
school. She wanted to blend in with her
classmates and make friends, so at times, she tried to hide how smart she
was. She did not want to be
different.
After
her family moved to Minnesota in ninth grade, Cate gained confidence through
playing clarinet in the band, joining the swim team, and playing the
piano. Her family stayed in one
place. By the time she entered eleventh
grade Cate had made friends and was comfortable with being herself.
Cate
believes that if you’re willing to work hard, you can become whatever you
wish. Cate’s grandmother inspired her to
become a respected doctor, loving wife, and fun-loving mother.
Who do
you respect and admire? Would you like
to grow up to become like someone you know?
You can do it! Keep working
toward your goals.
HIGHLIGHTS OF HER CAREER
Valedictorian,
first in her high school class, Minnesota
Bachelor
of Arts Degree in Biology, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Doctor
of Medicine, WashingtonUniversitySchool
of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
Residency
in Obstetrics and Gynecology, University
of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Fellowship
in Urogynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania,
Member of Faculty (Teachers), University of Iowa, Iowa City,
Iowa
Received
a Career Development Grant to fund patient oriented research, National
Institute of Health, Washington,
D.C.,
Working in Health
Care and Wellness by Barbara W. Lee
If you would like to read more about role models in a career that may interest you, check out the e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.
