SAPPHIRES AT WAR
Description
Sapphires At War: conflict on several fronts:
The unlimited American sapphire lode controlled by a great English jewelry company is engaged in a ruthless struggle with South Africa’s De Beers diamond cartel to see who can place their necklaces and rings and tiaras around the most beautiful necks, fingers, and foreheads of European and Oriental royalty.
That struggle rages at a time when the Great War explodes across Europe and the Near East to spit out the broken bodies of millions of the finest of western civilization’s young manhood and shutter the ostentatious castles and dwellings of the moneyed elite: those most likely to acquire costly gems.
Set against that tide is an orphan boy from a remote canyon in far-off mountains of the American West; his mother a lovely half-caste, often thought to be a former slave, but strong-willed and self-sufficient with two gold claims of her own; his father a tough prospector and mountain man who, as chance had it, discovered the Yogo sapphire lode—perhaps the greatest gemstone discovery in world history.
That discovery was haunted by death and greed, however, as others fought and killed for slices of the action. Jake Hoover could cope with murderous killers from the outside, but the tough mountain man was in over his head when it came to insider moneymen and their fleets of shyster lawyers. So the boy’s father abandoned his fabulous discovery, his lover, and his own son for Yukon gold fields and another chance to strike it rich.
Still a youth, Naseby Ringgold is falsely accused of stealing raw sapphire stones from the former mine of his father; he flees into the night with a burning hatred for the English company he believes has “stolen” his birthright.
Eaten by a desire for revenge, the young man works his way to England and into the bowels of his nemesis, the great English gem firm of Johnson, Walker and Tolhurst, Ltd. And it is there that the young man consumed by hatred and a desire for revenge discovers a war within his own soul as hidden and unknown talents spring wide several gates to unexpected opportunity.
Amid it all rages a second internal war of unrequited love exploding against the requirements necessary for professional advancements for both Naseby and the beautiful woman he loves.
It’s a story that tests the patience and honor of both good and bad, strong and weak, those of good will and without. It’s a tale whose issues are in doubt until the final pages.
Maybe.
The first title in the "Sapphires of Yogo" series was simply named "Yogo", about what could well be the most fabulous gemstone discovery in world history: the inexhaustable in situ lode, near the very center of Montana, in the Little Belt Mountains.
Jake Hoover lucked into the discovery, then was snookered out of it by moneymen from Montana and England. Hoover was a mentor and friend to cowboy artist Charlie Russell and was memorialized in several Russell paintings.
Scroll on down and learn more about Hoover, the discovery, and development of the Yogo Sapphire Mine:
Another Charlie Russell painting featuring Jake Hoover as a model is the one titled:
Here's a winner: an excellent United States Geological Survey Bulletin relative to the Yogo Sapphires. Be hard to find a more legitimate source as to the value of Jake Hoover's sapphire discovery. Twenty to thirty million dollars in sapphires from the mine thus far (1952) provides a graphic comparison to the five thousand dollars Jake actually received from the mine.
For instance, the Yogo Mine itself, from U.S.Geological Survey documents:
Another good indicator for depth of research might be the friendship portrayed in Yogo between the sapphires discoverer Jake Hoover and a lost and hungry 16-year-old kid name Charlie Russell, who actually turned out to be what we Westerners think of as America's most accomplished artist. For verification, several of Russell's painting are said to contain images of his hero, Jake Hoover, such as one of the characters pictured below in Charlie Russell's painting titled "A Quiet Day In Utica":
A few years back I decided to get a special gift for my wife as a combined birthday and Valentine's Day present. Her birthday is just two days after Valentine's Day, so I took advantage of the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone--well, two stones to be specific.
I selected a pair of earrings from a local store that specialized in Yogo sapphires and, yes, my wife was ecstatically happy with her Montana gemstone jewelry.
Alas, this story doesn't have a happy ending, as a couple years later she somehow managed to lose one of the earrings. It shouldn't have happened. After all, that's one of the reasons she got her ears pierced years earlier.
Yogo sapphires are unique to Montana and the pride of the Lewistown, Montana area, not far from where the gemstones are mined.
Roland Cheek's novel, Yogo, is the first of a planned trilogy telling the story of Yogo sapphires. The story starts with Jake Hoover, a prospector and rugged outdoorsman, who first finds the sparkling, blue gemstones by accident.
Alas, Jake's story is all too typical of western mining, as other people, starting with a local banker, and progressing to English financiers, get in the act.
Other characters drift in and out of the story, such as itinerant cowboy Kid Russell, who is just beginning to realize the artistic talent that would make Charley Russell famous. Another is Jake's love interest, Millie Ringgold, a beautiful African-American woman with a mysterious past, who clings to the anchor of her isolated homestead.
This first story ends with shenanigans of bankers and financiers who scheme to control the development of Yogo Gulch and its blue gems.
Now I'm looking forward to more of the story of the Yogo sapphires and what happened in the years leading up to my wife's earrings. Personally, I'm hoping Jake and Millie will return to the story's narrative.
Book two in the series, Sapphire Journey, is largely written and slated for release in early Fall.
The third title in the series, Royal Sapphires (tentative title) is slated for birth in early 2015.
I'm looking at book four (tentatively Sapphire Evil) sometime later in 2015, but that depends.
Yogo is for sale as an e-book through Amazon's Kindle Store. Normally priced at $4.99, the book will go on sale tomorrow as a Kindle Countdown Deal for just $.99-cents--a bargain that's hard to look square in the eye and turn away. In fact it's such a worthwhile bargain you may want to "gift" copies to your friends or family.
Intrigue, gemstones of undetermined value, and crusty characters are at the center of this possible love story., March 19, 2014
By Cheri C Johnson
This review is from: YOGO (Sapphires of Yogo Series) (Kindle Edition)
Roland Cheek's new book, Yogo, is vintage Cheek. He does his homework in a way that allows the reader to experience authentic history in a "Micheneresque" manner - accurate, detailed history balanced with the evolution of predictable and not-so predictable characters, conflicts, and imagery that is spun from the carefully selected words of a master storyteller. Discovering a mother lode of gems goes hand-in-hand with greed, but what happens when the discoverer has the strength of character and wisdom to follow his heart? Can't wait for the sequel!****************************************************
Book two in the series, Sapphire Journey, is largely written and slated for release in early Fall.
The third title in the series, Royal Sapphires (tentative title) is slated for birth in early 2015.
I'm looking at book four (tentatively Sapphire Evil) sometime later in 2015, but that depends.
Yogo is for sale as an e-book through Amazon's Kindle Store. Priced at $4.99
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* And "Psst"--if you've read and liked YOGO, you could help us by posting a review on Amazon.
If you'd like to receive a notice when each of the other titles in the Sapphires of Yogo series becomes available, simply send Roland an email, such as the one below:
* Visit Roland's Kindle page on Amazon.
When Jim McGarvey, National Chairman for Back Country Horsemen of America, suggested to Gary Holt from Equestrian Legacy Radio that he might wish to interview Roland Cheek, he perhaps not unwittingly set in motion a process that returns me to radio--a medium that once carried my Trails To Outdoor Adventure program in 75 stations, from the Atlantic seaboard to Pacific wave crests.
Equestrian Legacy Radio is an internet station headquartered in Nashville, with a weekly audience, it is said, of upwards of 50,000 listeners. The station's raison d'être lies in a mix of specialized live programs with special hosts.
One is Blessed Trails, an hour of Gospel music (Sundays at 9:00a. Central Time) with a western flavor, hosted by Belinda Gail, seven-time Western Music Association Female Performer of the Year.
Two is Saddle Up America, with Gary Holt and Tina Mae Weber as co-hosts. (Tuesdays at noon, Central Time.) It is said Saddle Up America is the nation's only show dedicated to the trail rider, often including guests from Back Country Horsemen. (National chairman McGarvey sometimes participates in monthly features on this show.)
Three is Campfire Cafe, with Gary Holt as host. It airs Thursdays at noon. That's the one where I'll get a chance to input my two cents about lots of topics, including my new book, Sapphires At War. But be advised that the first half-hour will be taken up with a younger, better looking, vocalist with one of the most beatiful voices in any music genre: Mary Kaye. She's currently nominated for the Western Music Association's Entertainer and Female Performer of the year.
Only a chivalrist would design a program to throw me to the wolves following such talent. Only a masochist would agree to participate. But there you have it. I'll be on at 12:30 pm, October 30. I'm told there will be a link from the station's website that will take you directly to the show.
There will be no call-in options during the show. But if you miss it--do not despair, there's also a link to past shows. Here's the IP address: CLICK HERE
Remember to listen to Roland Cheek. Maybe you can tell me if I've still "got" it!