Samuel DenHartog's Blog: The Road to 1,440 - Posts Tagged "telegraph"
A Pony Express Heart Meets the Telegraph Age in "Last Rider, First Line"
Some stories arrive at a gallop. This novel pairs a Pony Express rider who lives by speed and instinct with a telegraph lineman who trusts timing, patience, and the click of the key. Their first meeting is not gentle, and that suits the valley where progress and nostalgia share the same dirt street. As poles rise and rumors spread, the town divides, and two strangers learn to measure each other in real work instead of easy talk.
The rider, Juniper Voss, knows every draw and wind shift, and the trail has taught her to carry fear without letting it steer. The lineman, Franklin Tate, hears code like notes in a song and believes messages can save lives if they are given a way through. They clash, then cooperate, then find themselves sharing coffee and learning simple phrases in Morse while a storm prowls the ridges. The book keeps its focus on action that reveals character, not speeches, so the quiet moments matter as much as the dangerous ones.
Readers will find stage wheels skidding toward a cliff, a grassfire held at a blackened line, a herd turned at the last second, and a cut where powder and wire wait in the dark. There are saboteurs who profit from chaos and neighbors who are slow to choose a side until it is almost too late. Between the frayed rope and the hiss of rain come small gestures that change everything, a lesson taught at the key, a gloved hand steadying a bridle, the kind of trust that can only be earned.
I wrote this to capture the instant when one era leans into another and hearts decide whether they can bend without breaking. It is about courage that looks like ordinary work done well and about love that refuses to rush even when the clock is pounding. If you have ever wondered how a rider built for open country could share a life with someone who strings wire across the sky, this book is my answer, and I hope you will ride the trail and listen for the hum beside it. You will find the title once inside these pages as a promise kept: "Last Rider, First Line."
The rider, Juniper Voss, knows every draw and wind shift, and the trail has taught her to carry fear without letting it steer. The lineman, Franklin Tate, hears code like notes in a song and believes messages can save lives if they are given a way through. They clash, then cooperate, then find themselves sharing coffee and learning simple phrases in Morse while a storm prowls the ridges. The book keeps its focus on action that reveals character, not speeches, so the quiet moments matter as much as the dangerous ones.
Readers will find stage wheels skidding toward a cliff, a grassfire held at a blackened line, a herd turned at the last second, and a cut where powder and wire wait in the dark. There are saboteurs who profit from chaos and neighbors who are slow to choose a side until it is almost too late. Between the frayed rope and the hiss of rain come small gestures that change everything, a lesson taught at the key, a gloved hand steadying a bridle, the kind of trust that can only be earned.
I wrote this to capture the instant when one era leans into another and hearts decide whether they can bend without breaking. It is about courage that looks like ordinary work done well and about love that refuses to rush even when the clock is pounding. If you have ever wondered how a rider built for open country could share a life with someone who strings wire across the sky, this book is my answer, and I hope you will ride the trail and listen for the hum beside it. You will find the title once inside these pages as a promise kept: "Last Rider, First Line."
The Road to 1,440
I'm Samuel DenHartog, and at 51, at the end of November of 2023, I've embarked on a remarkable journey as a writer. My diverse background in computer programming, video game development, and film prod
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