Josie is a powerful sorceress, but she’s also a good person. She is level headed, borderline brilliant, and comfortable in her pansexuality. Josie is Lizzie’s social equal and helps her see reason whenever she starts to go off the rails. They share a dark history that is part of their siphoner heritage, but Josie has learned to control it and embrace her full potential.
During Prohibition, Josie jc wilds made and sold bootlegged whiskey. Her reputation preceded her, but she wasn’t arrested. During the Wild Bunch era, she became friends with several of the gang members and a former lover. Eventually, she was asked to testify at the trial of Tombstone legend Wyatt Earp, but the prosecution dropped the case after a hung jury.
After her mother’s death, Josie inherited the Bassett ranch. It wasn’t much, but it gave her some financial stability. However, her sister Lizzie resented her and her relationship with Hope was strained. Josie was secretly in love with Hope but didn’t know how to tell her. She tried telling her with a note and then burned it, but regretted that decision when she found out Lizzie was already dating someone else.
By 1880, the Pauline Markham troupe had finished their run in Arizona and Josie returned to San Francisco. There she met John Behan, a divorced deputy sheriff 17 years her senior. He was persistent in wooing her, both in person and through emissaries. Finally, she accepted his marriage proposal.
She was disappointed to discover that Behan’s previous marriage ended in a scandalous affair with his brother-in-law. She had hoped that their marriage would be a model of respectability. Her feelings were exacerbated by the fact that Behan kept delaying their wedding day.
Despite her best efforts, she could not save their marriage. Behan was killed in a shootout with the Apaches in 1902. Josie was devastated, but she was relieved to learn that her former lovers had all been either dead or imprisoned.
In 1904, Josie’s father died in a train accident. It was a terrible loss for her family. Afterward, she started selling beef from her farm. One of her neighbors accused her of butchering his cattle and selling the meat in town, but Josie steadfastly maintained her innocence. During the trial, she was supported by many local ranchers and the local librarian.
Gweyn is a multi-genre writer and performer with credits in film, television, and theater. She lives in Oregon with her terrier and spends as much time as possible in the outdoors. When she is not hiking or camping, she enjoys listening to a wide variety of audio books while knitting and working on jigsaw puzzles. Her favorite authors include Tarantino, Luhrmann, and Zemeckis. Her stories explore the intersection of old world traditions and new behaviors in order to find freedom and authenticity. She hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams.
