Once she’d been Lou - an innocent, idealistic schoolgirl growing up in a wonderland of kindness and love with dreams of becoming a teacher…
Nevada’s gold country, 1901.
No longer young or fresh, Tempa is staring face to face with the whore’s unholy trinity: alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. While her best friend, Belle, has chosen laudanum, Tempa finds escape in literature, which she shares with the illiterate prostitutes in a book club-like setting at the cribs. Forced into prostitution as a girl after losing her family to yellow fever, Tempa also retains a sense of self-worth by using her knowledge of herbs to heal others.
When she nurses Henry—a good-natured, young German immigrant on the run from a man who has reason to want him dead—Tempa sees a future she longs for but cannot allow herself to claim. So when the noose tightens around Henry’s neck, she ransoms her life for his.
At once a sweeping love story and a harrowing account of the harshness of the American Old West, DESERT PHOENIX is the tale of a prostitute who gains an unlikely ally in her struggle for physical and emotional survival. Based on local history and family stories passed down from Bruggeman’s grandfather, this engaging and evocative novel for fans of Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn interweaves Tempa’s rise from the ashes of her old life with Henry’s turbulent passage into manhood
Praise for Desert Phoenix
“Desert Phoenix is a moving, profound, and soulful work of historical fiction that portrays a truly epic love story, made all the more powerful by its historical basis.” —The Independent Reviewer of Books
“A meticulously detailed historical drama…admirably crafted…with high stakes and compelling characters.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Bravo! You’ll want to stand up and cheer as a prostitute named Tempa struggles to make her way in the wild and woolly West, willing to overcome everything for the man she so deeply loves. Especially when you realize that there really was a Tempa and this story is based on the truth.” — Carol Bradley - Bestselling author of Saving Gracie
"A surprisingly heart-gripping read!” - Reedsy Discovery
“This is a mesmerizing story that has an irresistible appeal… Desert Phoenix—Inspired by a True Story features clever plotting, focused scenes, and superior storytelling.” - The Book Commentary
Author’s Note:
A 5th generation Nevadan, I spent a magical childhood exploring mining ghost towns, scouring the desert for artifacts, and poking in nooks and crannies in search of outlaw loot. In fact, according to family lore, Butch Cassidy rode his horse right up onto my great aunt Noma’s front porch, knocked on her door and asked her for a cup of water. His given name, “Leroy Parker,” is visible among the names of the mining-era wagon freighters written in axle grease on the cliff face next to where Noma’s house once stood. Her younger brother—my great-grandfather—was one such freighter. DESERT PHOENIX is inspired by the lives of two extraordinary people my great-grandfather befriended on his travels through the mining camps of the legendary wild west: Henry, a young German immigrant and a one-eyed prostitute called Tempa.
The author's husband riding Tempa, a mustang harvested by the BLM from the Delamar flats in Southern Nevada
The author and friends visiting the remains of the cribs in Stateline
Freel Lytle (fourth from left) and family
Charley with surrey and matched grays
Charley Raffety, a veteran of the Spanish American War
Delamar circa 1900
Freel Lytle and car (1931)
The author and friends among the rabbit brush, sagebrush, and pinion pine trees near the cribs in Stateline
My great-grandparents, Freeland (Freel) and Mary Lytle
My grandfather, Freeland "Wayne" Lytle
Henry and friends
Henry (far left) and friends
Henry and pack horse
Henry
Lou Taylor
Tempa
Freel and Mary Lytle wedding portrait
Suzette standing in the remains of the tumbled down cribs in Stateline
Stateline circa 1901
Tempa at the Raffety ranch
Tempa and friend in Delamar
Tempa
Tempa as an old woman among her hollyhocks
Based on a true story. Even if Nico the Mosquito didn't remind Spencer every day at school that he's a big, fat loser, there's no way Spencer could forget. For starters, there's the big game he blew for the whole team last Saturday. Darn his stupid leg that can't grow muscle! It's hard to make even the easiest tackle on the planet when you run like a three-legged dog. He'll never be a football star like his big brother, Chase. Not in a million years. And since the only kids who matter at school are the athletes, Spencer's more than just a loser-he's a nobody. His skinny leg has seen to that. Then Spencer reads Jack London's, THE CALL OF THE WILD and intrigued by the story of sled dogs during the Yukon gold rush, wonders if mushing is a sport he can do. His parents, eager to boost their son's self-confidence, agree to let him get some dogs. Spencer ends up with dogs that other mushers no longer want-team rejects just like himself. In an extraordinary journey of self-discovery, perseverance, and love, Spencer and his misfit dogs learn to be a team. When they miss a turn in a blizzard during their first 100-mile race through some of the wildest backcountry on earth, they each must contribute a unique skill to make their way out alive.
“The win is in the try.”
- Suzette Bruggeman, SKINNY LEG”
12-year old Spencer with Mojo (left) and Earl (right) in lead
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“A wonderful and inspirational book for anyone who loves dogs, dogs mushing, a challenge or adventure. Throw in a boy who has his own challenges and you have tales the likes of the Iditarod trail!”
“Suzette tells her story with flair. She incorporates a humorous, light touch that results in my favorite style... fun to read! Even though she deals with some heartache and drama, it’s done in a way that keeps the enjoyment needle bouncing up throughout.”
THE BIRTH of SKINNY LEG SLED DOGS
Our son, Spencer, was born with a vascular condition called telangiectasia congenita in his left leg. Disruption of blood supply has made that leg shorter and skinnier than the other leg. We affectionately call it his "skinny leg." It was a painful day when he realized he would never be able to play football like his big brothers (I'm going to pause here while you wipe a little tear). When Spencer was ten, he was obsessed with Jack London books. Coincidentally, his dad was reading a nonfiction book about the Yukon gold rush at the same time. It was fate. They both became fascinated with dog sledding and began reading everything they could get their hands on about the sport. We decided as a family this would be the perfect sport for Spencer...and Skinny Leg Sled Dogs was born. Seven years later, Spencer and his team won Oregon’s 200-mile Eagle Cap Extreme sled dog race, and Brett competed in his first Iditarod in Alaska.
The inspiration behind Skinny Leg, the novel