Breathe: A Novel of Colorado (54 page)

She inched closer to him, this man God had made her husband,
lover, partner, protector.

And together, they breathed in and out and in again.

... a little more ...

When a delightful concert comes to an end,
the orchestra might offer an encore.
When a fine meal comes to an end,
it's always nice to savor a bit of dessert.
When a great story comes to an end,
we think you may want to linger.
And so, we offer ...

AfterWords-just a little something more after you
have finished a David C. Cook novel.
We invite you to stay awhile in the story.
Thanks for reading!

Turn the page for ...

• Author's Note

• An Interview with Lisa T. Bergren

• Group Discussion Questions

Thanks for reading my book. For the sake of the story, I took some
liberties with historical fact, either moving the dates or "revising"
history (and in some cases, geography) just a bit. But I have attempted
to incorporate as much as possible to remain true to Colorado
Springs' history. Here are some facts to be aware of:

• The Opera House in Colorado Springs opened in 1881
(depicted as 1883), but did truly open with a performance of
Camille by a traveling company on its way to California. It
was seen as a poor choice for a community full of consumptives, but it was what the traveling actors had rehearsed to
play, and so they had little choice.

• The Antlers Hotel opened in 1883 and remained a dominant
structure in the area for decades; it was destroyed by fire in
1898 and rebuilt in 1901.

• Inspiration for the character of Helen Anderson was drawn
from the famous writer Helen Hunt Jackson, who settled in
the Springs after struggling with tuberculosis for years, and
the photographer Anna May Wellington, who traveled all
over Ute Pass around 1890, taking pictures with glass plates
and a view camera.

• Tuberculosis wasn't named as such until after this era-which
is why I referred to it as "consumption" or the "White Death." Some historians have said that up to one-third
of Colorado Springs residents came here to seek the cure.
Doctors figured out around the turn of the century that
the disease was highly contagious, adding to the growth of
sanatoriums in an effort to isolate patients. But as early as
1870, a Mrs. Teachout had opened her property to TB sufferers, allowing them to set up tents on her ranch and providing
meals. And there are reports of smaller sanatoriums built to
house those struggling with the disease. Resting outsideregardless of the weather-eating three hearty meals a day,
plus drinking six raw eggs and eight glasses of milk, was a
popular treatment plan.

• Queen, General Palmer's bride, did indeed have a heart
attack at age thirty and was advised to move from Colorado
Springs' high altitude. She moved to Newport, Rhode Island,
for a time, and then to New York before moving in 1882
or 1883 to England. I do not know if she ever returned for
a visit, as I depicted, but General Palmer did travel once or
twice a year to see his family, even venturing across the seas
when he had been paralyzed from the neck down and was in
a wheelchair. His attention and devotion undoubtedly speak
of a very great love and a tragedy of absence. Queen died in
England in 1894 but her ashes were disinterred and brought
to lay beside the general's in 1910.

• The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration arrived in
Colorado Springs in the summer of 1887 from Lafayette, Indiana. Their first mission was to care for patients. In the
spring of 1888, they opened a new hospital known as St.
Francis Hospital. The sisters were outstanding nurses and
administrators who also tended to the spiritual needs of their
patients. For the purposes of this novel, I "moved up" their
arrival to 1883.

Q. You've written contemporary romance, nineteenth-century
fiction, general contemporary fiction, and a medieval suspense
series. Why return to the nineteenth century?

A: There is something intriguing and reassuring about the 1880s
to me. It's both a vibrant time in the world with the Industrial
Revolution well under way, but also somewhat simple and
innocent, too. Sometimes I wish I lived in the 1880s, but
with a computer, vaccines, appliances, and indoor plumbing
everywhere.

Q. You're a travel junkie. Why place this series in your Colorado
backyard?

A: People love Colorado. I love Colorado. It's visually beautiful, of
course, and it's been on my mind and heart to set a series here
for some time. And when I learned of how so many people
came to Colorado Springs to seek the cure for tuberculosis
(in the early years, about a third of our residents), I knew it
had to be here. But I have to say my eye is wandering back
toward Europe for my next series. Can't keep me home for
long! I'll stay put for Sing and Claim but then I'm outta here,
baby! Luckily, Sing takes place in the Sangre de Cristos and the
gold camps of Colorado; Claim will take place near Ouray-a fantastic, gorgeous place to visit. And Moira and Nic are on the
move-around the world-so I can do some exploration, too.

Q. Your fascination with travel has even led to a new business,
hasn't it?

A: A hobby, mostly. Tim and I launched a Web site with friends,
www.FamilyTripster.com, to encourage families to travel
together. We love hearing how other families manage it-and to
share tidbits on how to make it easier for all to navigate a city,
foreign or close to home.

Q. How much did you have to research for this series?

A: I read several books about the history of tuberculosis and many
first-person accounts. It's a terrible way to die ... a slow suffocation. Then some general history books about the 1880s to
refresh my memory. And I always love the local books that have
pictures and accounts of our forefathers; it makes it come alive
for me.

Q. What did you learn about yourself in writing Breathe?

A: I love to learn along with my characters. It's part of the ride as an
author. For me, the "aha' was the same as Odessa's. I think that
I'm slowly coming to believe, understand, and embrace the idea
that God really does hold my life in His hand. And that's okay. I trust Him ... so if He gives me another sixty years or sixty
seconds, I'm good.

Q. What are you working on next?

A: Sing, the next book in this series. And a couple of children's
books.

Q. How can readers find out more about you and your work?

A: My Web sites: www.LisaTawnBergren.com; www.
BusyMomsDevo.com; www.GodGaveUsYou.com; www.
FamilyTripster.com are the best way. And if a reader signs up on
www.LisaTawnBergren.com to receive my monthly e-newsletter,
she'll receive a new devotional each month inside it. My heart
goes into those, in between novels. You'll get a glimpse of the
good, the bad, and the ugly in my life-and how Christ somehow redeems it all.