Englewood Author’s Novel Inspired by Colorado Castle Owner

A Scottish castle brimming with European antiques is not what you would expect to see in Northern Douglas County. Nor would you expect to run into over 3,000 acres of pristine undeveloped land just east of Castle Pines Village. Even odder, this castle and the land was owned and governed by a Southern belle who raised cattle.

Colorado's beauty and sunny days attract all sorts of people with interesting pasts and Tweet Kimble brought her life steeped in European culture to our Rocky Mountain State.

Englewood author Corinne Joy Brown was one of the last writers to interview Tweet before she died in 1999. Tweet's character was so strong and so fascinating to Corinne that Tweet served as the inspiration for her historic novel "MacGregor's Lantern." The castle Tweet owned was modeled after Scottish castles. During the research for Corinne's book, Corinne discovered that the Scots dominated in the ranching industry in Colorado and Wyoming. It may have been this influence that encouraged the castle design at Cherokee Ranch.

Maggie Dowling is the main character in MacGregor's Lantern. Her determination is reminiscent of the stories people still tell about Tweet Kimble. Maggie moved out West, accepting an engagement proposal from one of her father's clients. She expected adventure, which she certainly encountered but it wasn’t packaged the way she expected.

Many women during the late 1800’s also traveled west with their husbands or to meet up with their fiancés and many found the western frontier too difficult to bear so they returned home. Returning home was never an option in Maggie's mind. She committed to the decision and for better or worse, she was going to see that decision through. This story combines independence and determination with usual western flair.

I love reading stories about strong, determined women, so I gladly encourage you to MacGregor's Lantern by Corinne Joy Brown.

If you live in Colorado or when you plan a visit, make sure you take a tour of Cherokee Castle and Ranch. When Tweet passed away she left her house, land, antiques, and legend as a nonprofit treasure open for tours, educational programs, weddings and other parties. You can enter her estate just off Highway 85 and find yourself in a world of impressive views, Native American Indian heritage, European antiques and Colorado wildlife.

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About the author: Allison Frederick is a writer and online marketing educator for other creative women. www.FaMissWomen.com offers free Web 2.0 resources. She is also the author of an upcoming novel, A Portrait of Josephine, an academic-lite thriller. Find out how to receive a free copy of the novel by visiting www.portraitofjosephine.com