kathrynkramer.net
Kathryn Kramer makes her home in Boulder, Colorado. She also writes under the pseudonyms—Katherine Vickery and Kathryn Hockett. Together with her mother, Marcia Vickery Hockett, she has written over 40 historical Romance novels which have been translated into German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Romanian, Japanese and Hebrew. They have won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award several years in a row. All are available in ebook and paperback format at Amazon.
Prior to writing Kathy devoted her time to music via theater, teaching and singing professionally. Kathryn added modeling to her itinerary when she modeled as the heroine for the cover of her novel, LADY ROGUE (Kathryn Kramer).
Other Pseudonyms
Kathryn Hockett
Katherine Vickery
Kathryn Hockett
Writing as a "team" with her mother Marcia Vickery Hockett.
kathrynhockett.com
Katherine Vickery
Kathryn Hockett
Sketch by a school-mate in high school.
Katherine Vickery
Katherine Vickery
Katherine Vickery
Using my family name - Vickery.
katherinevickery.com
Women's Role in Society Through the Ages
Ancient Times to the Medieval Period
Throughout history women have attained and lost power at different times and in different countries of the world. In ancient times women were often healers with knowledge of plants and herbs to cure diseases and pain. In some societies women were not only venerated as healers but also as warriors, powerful priestesses, and political leaders. Ancient history records several strong female figures—rulers and warriors—whose names echo down to present day: Cleopatra, Boudicca, Esther…. In Celtic culture women fought as warriors alongside their men. The first known author was a woman named Enheduanna—a priestess in Sumerian civilization who wrote a prayer of praise to a female deity.
In religion the earth was often thought of as being female – mother earth, while the sky was considered male – father sky. In the early Christian church there is evidence that women were allowed to hold positions of influence equal to men, particularly the followers of Gnostic Christianity. There are indications that Mary Magdalene was once a significant religious leader.
In the fourth and fifth centuries AD, however, there was a systematic degrading of women in the writings of the “Church Fathers” . They wrote that women were weak and hysterical and open to temptations. They insisted a woman’s hair should be covered as it was the work of the devil….that men stood between women and God in the hierarchy of the universe. They blamed Eve for the downfall of humanity.
The Christian era dictated that Eve was created from Adam’s rib, that having eaten of the forbidden fruit and tempting Adam to do the same, she was responsible for man’s expulsion from paradise. In medieval art the serpent who tempts Eve to disobey God was displayed with a female head. Women were seen as being inferior to men –morally weaker and likely to tempt men into sin.
Middle Ages to the Renaissance
All through the Middle Ages the place of women in society was dictated by biblical texts, using the writings of the apostle Paul to emphasize men’s authority over women, forbidding them from teaching, and basically instructing them to remain silent.
Most women, even those of nobility, had little control over their lives. Marriages were arranged by their families. Once widowed, women were then under the control of their sons, brother or male relatives. Women had two choices -- marry or “take the veil”and live behind the walls of a monastery to live a solitary existence of contemplation, work and prayer.
In marriage all property transferred to the husband. There were strict expectations for women’s chastity. Women who broke the rules were severely punished and looked upon as social exiles. Childbirth was risky and could be life-threatening. Expectant mothers were attended to by midwives whose understanding of childbirth was attained through experience. They were responsible for performing emergency baptisms in instances where the infants’ life was in danger. Slowly, however, as apothecaries, barber-surgeons, alchemists and doctors started to flourish, the woman’s role in healing and herbal remedies were dismissed as quackery. It became illegal to practice medicine without having studied at a university (which did not admit women). This attitude culminated in accusations of witchcraft and mass burnings of women.
In the "the New World"
The attitude towards women's role in society migrated to the New World. In 1757 when the great Cherokee leader Attakullakulla came to negotiate trade agreements with the governor of South Carolina he was shocked to see that there were no white women present.
"Since the white man as well as the red man was born of woman, did not the white man admit women to their councils?" he asked. Europeans and those in the New World were "shocked" to learn that Cherokee women were the equals of men. They commented that it was a "petticoat" government.
Cherokee women's close association with nature, as mothers and in planting and harvesting food served as a basis of their power in the tribe. Lineage was traced through the mother. Mothers and not fathers had control of children and property. Around mid-19th Century, however, when Cherokees became “civilized” this eventually caused a radical change in gender roles and it became a patriarchal society.
During the Civil War women were forbidden to enlist, however, there were women who cut their hair, changed their names, and marched off to war in disguise as Union and Confederate soldiers. Women also disguised themselves as males during the westward expansion. As a matter of fact, all during history women were forced to resort to disguising themselves as men in order to assure their safety and their ability to obtain jobs.
Women’s groups such as the Suffragettes campaigned for women to be granted the right to vote. But it was not until 1920 that women were granted this right in the entire United States. Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest.
And the struggle continues for women to truly have equal rights and to be able to crash through the "glass ceiling"............
Strong Women I Admire
Evelyn (Brownie) Trumble
Doreen Kramer Strother - Sister
Evelyn (Brownie) Trumble
Evelyn, known as "Brownie" to friends and family, was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. The loss of loved ones taught her about life and what is really of value in our life time-- to live each day, appreciate even the little things, to love and be loved, and to treasure the moments spent with family. After my mother died unexpec
Evelyn, known as "Brownie" to friends and family, was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. The loss of loved ones taught her about life and what is really of value in our life time-- to live each day, appreciate even the little things, to love and be loved, and to treasure the moments spent with family. After my mother died unexpectedly, Aunt Brownie "took me under her wing" and helped to heal my wounds.
Judith Mohling
Doreen Kramer Strother - Sister
Evelyn (Brownie) Trumble
Counselor, mentor, and friend, Judith has been my rock when the world gets turbulent. She has taught me how to have 360 degrees of compassion towards others, even those who bring havoc. Her work at the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center promises to change the world for the best.
Doreen Kramer Strother - Sister
Doreen Kramer Strother - Sister
Doreen Kramer Strother - Sister
When she was in her early thirties, Doreen was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The tragic news was even more upsetting because she had two young children. Despite all the consequences and symptoms, however, she never lets it get her down. "I have MS but it doesn't have ME, she always says. No wonder her courage is so inspiring.
Kathryn Kramer Books available on Amazon.com
Highland Ghost
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Flame from the Sea
It didn’t take mystical powers for Bánflùr to become aware of a twisted game of vengeance that marked the handsome stranger she had seen in the forest. Even though he was one of the ‘others’ she felt her life somehow entwined with his. Could she warn him in time or would he become just another ghost that would join the others in haunting the castle, the moors, the woodlands and her dreams?
Flame from the Sea
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Flame from the Sea
Sold into slavery and taken to the Province of Munster, Wolfram spent his days in despair until Deidre’s kindness touched his heart. She gave him hope for his future, setting him free from his bondage despite the threat of her own punishment. Little did he know that he would unknowingly repay her compassion by sweeping down upon her homeland and family in a Viking raid, shattering her innocence forever.
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Wynne was the pride of her Celtic tribe and the daughter of a powerful Druid. Though her tribe was peaceful she was aware that the Romans were her enemies. Why then did she risk her own life to save a dark-haired Roman soldier? What was it about the handsome stranger that called out to her soul, haunted her dreams, and prompted her to give up everything she treasured to be by his side?
Under Gypsy Skies
Desire's Masquerade
Love's Blazing Ecstasy
Gypsy. The very word brings forth a feeling of freedom, like the flowing rivers or the whispering wind. Alicia embraced the freedom of gypsy life and was proud to be the daughter of Rudolpho, the leader of the Gypsy caravan that was headed now for the forest outside the City of Toledo in Spain. It seemed to be just another night under the twinkling stars—until Alicia saved the life of a handsome stranger and found that what her grandmother had told her was right—if one saved another’s life, their souls would be joined for eternity.
Desire's Masquerade
Desire's Masquerade
Desire's Masquerade
Returning from Venice to seek an audience with Richard III, English nobleman, Stephen Valentine was soon to learn that his confiscated lands and property had been turned over to the king’s ward—Madrigal Renfred. In disappointment Stephen had no other choice but to return to the city of gondolas, canals, and courtesans, little realizing that the woman he has vowed to destroy was accompanying him, disguised as a minstrel.
Destiny and Desire
Desire's Masquerade
Desire's Masquerade
Reeve Walker was a Yankee; Allegra was the daughter of one of the richest plantation owners in Virginia. To those around them that made them enemies. But Allegra knew what was in her heart. She gave up everything to marry Reeve—but that was only the beginning. Driven by her love, she risked prison to see him, disguised herself as a soldier to save him, nursed the wounded and dying in the infamous Libby Prison just to be close to him, and when everyone said he was dead, never stopped loving him. For theirs was a passion forged in the captivating flames of love and desire.
Notorious
Desire's Disguise
Desire's Disguise
England under Cromwell’s commonwealth was oppressive, colorless and boring, but beautiful Devondra Stafford’s life was vicariously exciting. Her father was the dashing Gentleman James, the Heath’s most gallant highwayman. But when James is captured and condemned to death upon the “Tyburn tree,” Devondra enters into a desperate bargain to share the bed of the sensual nobleman, Quentin Wakefield in exchange for her father’s life.
Desire's Disguise
Desire's Disguise
Desire's Disguise
Kimberly Bowen dreamed of being swept off her feet by a daring adventurer. Was it any wonder then that Christopher Sheldon seemed to be the answer to her fantasies? The handsome London actor and playwright was rumored to have once ridden with notorious highwaymen. But he didn’t need to hold a gun in his hand to steal her heart. Though as soon as the words of love were spoken he vanished into the night, taking her heart with him.
Pirate Bride
Desire's Disguise
Midsummer Night's Desire
They called her “the devil’s daughter.” Quintana Teach, the beautiful daughter of the notorious pirate, Blackbeard. Raised on a pirate ship, amidst dangerous men, she was as fierce and as wild as the sea. Yet something drew her to Jared Avery Cameron, the handsome and daring ship’s captain her father and his crew had taken prisoner. Their destinies soon became intertwined, only to be torn asunder by a heartbreaking betrayal.
Midsummer Night's Desire
Midsummer Night's Desire
Midsummer Night's Desire
Banished from Queen Elizabeth’s court for a murder he didn’t commit, Nicholas Leighton escaped capture by assuming a new appearance and identity. Joining Shakespeare’s acting company he was thrust into the dangerous and deceptive world of London’s theater, where illusions defied the senses and false identities were commonplace. Alandra was suspicious of the so-called “actor” in their midst. Though he professed to be experienced, she sensed him to be a novice, more interested in escape than in playing any roles on stage. But being an actor was not such an easy profession, as the stranger in their midst would soon find out.
Desire's Deception
Midsummer Night's Desire
Desire's Deception
Scotland, 1565: A turbulent era, a rugged land, and a heartfelt passion that withstood the test of time…..
Married against her will to a brutal highlander, beautiful lady-in-waiting Kylynn Gowrie felt her heart come alive when she encountered dashing Roarke MacKinnon. He swept into the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to reclaim his family’s land, but Roarke’s tenderness claimed Kylynn’s heart. She yearned to be possessed by her forbidden English suitor. But Elizabeth I of England schemed against Kylynn’s beloved queen, and fate made Roarke her enemy. Could their passionate love conquer the deceptions of a ruthless and bloody war?
Highland Bride
Midsummer Night's Desire
Desire's Deception
Scotland and England 1585: A cunning plot, a web of intrigue, a dangerous mission to free the captive Queen of Scots that will place two lovers at odds. Beautiful, emerald-eyed Moira was sworn to another—but she knew once she laid eyes on the handsome Captain Ryan Paxton, that no other man could possess her. But he was English, and she was in the service of his enemy…. Before their forbidden love could flourish, Moira was entrapped by the sinister and ruthless “spymaster” Sir Francis Walsingham—who had his own wicked designs on her. Only the English captain could save her…
Romance, intrigue, and adventure highlight the continuing story of the MacKinnon family and Mary Queen of Scots that was begun in Desire’s Deception.
Siren Song
Velvet Vagabond
Velvet Vagabond
Colorado Territory - 1871: Boston-bred gentleman Alexander Nicholson had come to Central City in search of a new life. In his three-piece suit he looked just as handsome as he had when he had wooed the pretty banker’s daughter visiting with her father in Boston. Little did he know, however, that his aristocratic appearance and bowler hat would set him up as a target for a group of troublemakers when the stagecoach broke an axle. Like three tomcats spoiling for a fight they got off their horses and circled Alex.
Samantha Claybourne had been raised by her prospector grandfather since the death of her parents when she was just a child. She knew how to survive in the mountains, knew about mining, could ride, shoot straight, hunt and fish. She didn’t know the first thing about men but that didn’t keep her from becoming Alex’s salvation when she saved him from the clutches of Cy Tyburn and his group of bullies
Velvet Vagabond
Velvet Vagabond
Velvet Vagabond
From Beaumont, Missouri to Colorado Territory; from the riverboats to the gold fields of Colorado Territory - 1871: Ember Graham knew very little about her real identity. All she knew was that her adoptive uncle had found her as a child all covered with ashes, the only survivor of a terrible fire. He had named her Ember and given her his own last name. Traveling in a medicine show she helped her “uncle” sell his elixir. When they were run out of town, leaving the show’s seductive female dancer behind, Ember found herself facing the raucous crowd wearing an exotic, scanty Egyptian costume. She was rescued from the embarrassing situation by a handsome red-haired man in the audience who swept her up in his arms and carried her away. He offered friendship and the promise of love.
Garet Prescott had taken one look at the dark-haired, blue-eyed dancer and had known in an instant that she was in trouble. He also felt an attraction for the lovely young woman that was stronger than any he had ever felt before.
Lady Rogue
Velvet Vagabond
Originial Covers
They were from two different worlds in the same sphere. Garrick Seton was a rising young architect who lived among elegant people of wealth, in an era of opulence, beauty and social poise. Dawn Leighton was from the underworld of thieves, gamblers and rogues; those who pursued boisterous pleasure and preyed on the “rich pickings” the wealthy flaunted. Despite her circumstances, however, she knew it was not forbidden by law to dream of bettering herself.
Garrick Seton was scornful of such a self-centered society and of the shallow people who were his peers. He was bored, that is until he opened his carriage door to a frightened and lovely young woman in flight from the law. She insisted that she did not steal the purse that fell from her tattered pockets onto the floor of his carriage. Beguiled by the innocence he read in her lovely green eyes, he shielded her and kept her from the cruel fate of Newgate Prison.
Despite the hope of a new beginning and the dream of love, however, savage treacheries threaten to shatter their dreams and break the heart of a lady……
Originial Covers
Ashes and Awakenings
Originial Covers
Ashes and Awakenings
Ashes and Awakenings
Ashes and Awakenings
The end of the Civil War. A time of bitterness and hardship in war-ravished Virginia. The “Old South” has died and the Reconstruction has begun. Amid the embers of the past new loves will be awakened and the future of a nation will be renewed.
Fighting the elements, carpetbaggers, over zealous bankers, and corrupt politicians, Derek Cameron struggles for the survival of Winding Oaks Plantation. Hoping to put the past transgressions of his family behind him he discovers a shattering secret that will threaten the lives of those he loves.
Amanda Seton, a pretty school teacher, will change Derek’s life and give him a lesson in true love. Risking her life to teach a young black child to read, she will battle fierce hatred and betrayal for the sake of her own soul.
Forest Faulkner, a young woman of mixed blood, remembers the day she was saved from the slave catchers by the efforts of a stranger. Her search for the truth of her heritage will change her life forever and touch the heart of her one true love.
Moses Douglass, a freed slave now a candidate for congress, reawakens an old love when his paths cross with a young woman who once showed him kindness on their journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Facing the menace of the Ku Klux Klan they will prove that courage and honesty are much stronger than hatred and fear.
Deceit and Desire
Ashes and Awakenings
Ashes and Awakenings
Coming February 2021
DECEIT AND DESIRE: Christopher Marlowe, or “Kit” as he was known, was Shakespeare’s contemporary and rival, a rogue whose works inspired some of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. Although he was the same age as Shakespeare, he had started his career in poetry and drama earlier and thus had already achieved a reputation as the most promising dramatist of the Elizabethan era. He was engaged in another endeavor as well, however. Spying!
Kit had been chosen by Sir Francis Walsingham (the Great Spy Master) to check on plots against Queen Elizabeth I. It was a vocation that Catherine Goodwin, a fellow playwright, feared would lead to his death, a death that would cheat the world of a great talent. Would she be able to save Kit's life and her own?
Katherine Vickery Books
Flame of Desire
Flame of Desire
Flame of Desire
A streak of lightning and a roar of thunder disturb the night and seem to be a prelude to the storm sweeping over England. The boy king, Edward VI is dead and the ambitious lords who stand over him, like preying vultures, are ready to fight over who will be the next to wear the crown. In defense of the legitimate heir—Mary Tudor—Richard Morgan must risk his life to flee from his enemies and ride to warn her. Heather Bowen, the sheltered daughter of London’s richest silk merchant, had known desire only in her dreams until she met the dark, handsome rebel. Now her dawning love for this fugitive defender of Mary Tudor would lead her through the storms of a land divided by war, and into the clutches of enemies who would use any vengeful means—murder, forced marriage to others, threats of execution—to keep the lovers apart.
Sea of Desire
Flame of Desire
Flame of Desire
A practical woman who had stopped waiting for love, Anne Morgan wed a Spanish diplomat to forge an alliance between their two warring countries. But when her husband disappeared overboard after their ship was attacked by a privateer, Anne found s herself forced into a fierce duel of wits, willpower and passion with the handsome ship’s captain. Jonathan Leighton boldly made Anne his prisoner only to find that it was he who was being held hostage by her sensuous beauty and defiant courage. Fearing that her loveliness masked a traitorous soul, however, he took her before the Queen, a betrayal that goaded Anne into an act of revenge.
Desire of the Heart
Flame of Desire
Flame Across the Highlands
Kendra’s family had helplessly suffered the cruelty of their overlord, Reynard de Bron for several years. Upon the death of her sister, however, Kendra defiantly responded to the brutal Norman knight and in so doing put her own life in jeopardy. Intrigued by her bravery and beauty, Geoffrey de Bron knew he had to stand up to his brother and save the young Saxon’s life. Taking advantage of a favor owed to him by the king, Henry II, he claimed Kendra as his own. Little did he know how that noble act of kindness would so change his life and alter Kendra’s future.
Flame Across the Highlands
Flame Across the Highlands
Flame Across the Highlands
It seemed as if the MacQuaries and Campbells would always be at war. The price of peace--the leader of the MacQuarie Clan was to give up one of his twin daughters in marriage to the Campbell heir. Little did the Campbells know that they would get much more than they had bargained for. Ian Campbell was anxious to prove his valor, bravery and daring. He would travel to the MacQuarie stronghold and bring back Robbie Campbell’s bride. Falling in love was not part of his plan, nor did he realize when he kissed a red-haired beauty on the shores of Loch na Keal that their destinies would be changed forever
Tame the Wild Wind
Flame Across the Highlands
Tame the Wild Wind
Cecilia Amanda Sinclair’s life was not exciting but it was predictable. She felt safe and secure as she followed her well-established routine that included teaching at the small wooden Austin schoolhouse. She was content, assuming that today would be like all the other days that preceded it. She did not know how wrong she was nor did she foresee that her life would be changed forever by an encounter with a bandit leader whose wish was to better the life of his people. Ramón Bautista Renaldo y Ortega wanted a better future not only for himself but for the children of the camp. Little did he know that his light-hearted comment to “bring back a gringo teacher to aid him” would be taken seriously. Nor could he have realized that the passion that stirred within him for the lovely captive would endanger their love, their lives, and the destiny of their two countries.
Arrow to the Heart
Flame Across the Highlands
Tame the Wild Wind
Lady Rowena Fitz Hugh’s first meeting with Kendrick de Bron had little to do with desire, unless it was a desire for vengeance that is. De Bron was just another one of Prince John’s Norman lackeys who deserved humiliation at her hands. Let him pay a price for traveling through the forest, she would give his garments and his gold to those who really were in need.
Unaware that the “lad” who robbed and embarrassed him was in truth the Lady Rowena in disguise, Kendrick went ahead with his plan to ask her father for her hand in marriage, thus merging their adjoining lands. Little did he know what repercussions there would be to his amorous request.
It was a fateful meeting. Listening to the soulful notes of a bagpipe, young Conoa of the Wolf Clan moved through the darkness to find the source of the sound. He found much more than he could have ever imagined. Standing beside her Scottish father was a girl of extraordinary beauty, a girl with flaming red hair and a passionate nature to match. Right from the first Conoa knew that she was to be part of his future.
Marsali was fascinated by the handsome Cherokee boy, a youth only four years older than she. She did not complain when her father befriended him because right from the first she was determined that when they came of age she would marry him. Murdoch’s hope was that the young man could tame his wild-hearted daughter. That was why he enacted Conoa’s promise that if anything happened to him Conoa would protect Marsali and keep her safe.
While hunting in the forest Donovan, a young soldier, saved the life of a Cherokee youth and took him back to his village. Befriended by the Indians he was drawn to Woya, a lovely Indian girl and Conoa’s cousin. Though he wanted to marry her, his hopes were denied until he risked his life to protect her clan from the greedy gold miners who would go to any lengths to steal the land that had belonged to the Cherokees for generations.
Swept up in the government’s push to rid the lands of the Cherokees by the Indian Removal Act, both pair of young lovers will defy the odds, the government, the injustice, the brutal weather and even Andrew Jackson himself so that they can be together. Faced with betrayal, greed, revenge, and prejudice, they will go west on a journey that will soon become known as the "Nuna-Da-Ut-Sun'y", meaning the trail where they cried. The infamous "Trail of Tears."
The Native American Ten Commandments
1. The earth is our mother. Care for her.
2. Honor all your relations.
3. Open your heart and soul to the Great Spirit.
4. All life is sacred. Treat all beings with respect.
5. Take from the earth what is needed and nothing more.
6. Do what needs to be done for the good of the All.
7. Give constant thanks to the Great Spirit for each new day.
8. Speak the truth; but only of the good in others.
9. Follow the rhythms of nature; rise and retire with the sun.
10. Enjoy life’s journey but leave no tracks.
Author's Note
America’s long-standing policy of “procuring” Native lands for western expansion led to years of the federal government bribing, bullying, and cheating Native Americans out of ancestral lands. The Trial of Tears was a series of forced removals of Native American nations from large swaths of their homelands in the Southeastern part of the United States to an area designated as Indian Territory (Oklahoma) that was located west of the Mississippi. These forced relocations were carried out after passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Cherokee people (including those of mixed race, black freedmen, and slaves who lived among them) were forced to march to their destinations by state and local militias.
The last recorded removal was in 1838 after obtaining a treaty with unauthorized representatives of the Cherokee Nation, ratified by Congress by one vote. Over 20,000 Cherokees were forced at gunpoint to march westward along the Trail of Tears. They were not allowed time to gather their belongings and as they left, whites looted their homes. They were put into temporary stockades at makeshift forts and internment camps. They were then divided into sixteen groups of 1,000 each to travel to their new “home.” The majority walked the entire way. About a quarter of them died in the stockades or along the way because of the harsh winter weather, from lack of proper food, or from disease. The dead were left unburied or in shallow graves along the road. This relocation was costly in terms of government expense, public trust, and human suffering. Military records highlight the failure of Congress to provide adequate funds for an enormous and unnecessary military initiative. It was a conflict whose lessons were forgotten much too soon, a cautionary tale of what can happen.
There is a disconcerting account of the Trail of Tears written in the form of a letter to his children by Private John G. Burnett at the age of eighty. He took part in this tragic historical event as a private soldier and interpreter in the American Army. In his letter he called the Trail of Tears the most brutal order in the History of American Warfare.