Friday, June 28, 2013

No Gentleman is He

By Carly Bauer and Lynette Willows (Guest Bloggers)

[I asked my guests Carly and Lynette to talk about women in Colonial times. Is their heroine Cassandra, who takes on a job as an estate steward, realistic? Could a woman have done that sort of work in the Revolutionary period? ~ Lisabet]

When Lynette Willows and I began writing the Sons of Liberty series, Cassandra and Colton were our first characters. She created Colton Rolfe along with his background, while I created Cassandra Brooks and her background. As an interesting aside, we did not discuss the type of characters we would create. We work very well together when we throw each other a curve ball. When the idea of Cassandra began to take shape in my mind, I knew I wanted a strong heroine. One who understood the rules of the time, and yet was able to have wiggle room. I gave great consideration to her constitution and mettle in No Gentleman Is He as being a believable character during 1775 Virginia.

Cassandra's background was the daughter of a titled Englishman. That allowed me to create her as young woman who was taught to manage a large estate at the elbow of her mother. Training which would have secured the position as the wife of a prosperous Englishman. A position she likely would not have questioned had the Englishman not been an aging man of little interest to her. Her love of the equine created the background necessary to push her into the head stableman's arms, and eventually to the shores of Virginia. It is certainly no stretch that our heroine arrived in the colonies a new bride, nor would it be out of the ordinary for her husband to die, leaving her near destitution.

The era only partly allows this character to interact believably. The location plays a large part, as well. Cassandra, though knowing how to adhere to societal rules, could not have broken them in such a blatant manner had the setting been New England. On a rural Virginia plantation however, she could cast some of those rules aside with less outrage. Later in the book, it becomes evident where she inherited her adventurous spirit.

Colton, our hero is a dark, mysterious man whose past is only spoken of in bits and pieces. His life is his work at Varina Farms, his only true love, the horses he raised. That Cassandra was left with the four American Horse breeds when her husband dies, the opportunistic Colton saw favorable circumstance that would allow him to attain those horses for the foundation of his new breeding line. Cassandra, in dire straits, was the perfect target of his scheme. That she was not as naive as he might have believed, adds to her intelligence. I loved bringing into light our heroine's savvy.

Her work on Varina Farms fits in well with adoration and training with horses. That the war for independence is on their heels, catapulting her into a few dubious situations is no more than what many women faced during those hard, raw times in America.

It is also worth noting that Lynette and gave as much consideration to our characters plausibility as we did to the facts of the timeline we chose.

Blurb
Young, adventurous and widowed in a new land, Cassandra Courtney Brooks finds her dream of raising a superior breed of saddle horse slipping away with the death of her husband. Left with four horses, living in a tavern attic, and her scant savings depleting, she resolves to see her vision through to fruition by accepting the scandalous position of steward at Varina Farms.

Born in the image of his native ancestry, Colton Rolfe’s savage blood runs through his veins. Scorned by his father, Colt grew into a man of ill temperament whose only interest is the wild equine beasts on his plantation. His desire to breed his horses with the superior Thoroughbreds of the newly widowed Cassandra Brooks leads him to abandon societal rules. Colt’s growing resentment toward the Crown and his assistance to Sons of Liberty missions is complicated by the discovery that Cassandra’s father is a titled English nobleman.

Cassandra is soon forced to question the wisdom of her decision when she finds herself enamored with her employer. As fiery passion grows between them, Cassandra realizes her own spirit of independence, love of the land, and the savage man who is so much a part of it.
As the threat of war comes ever closer, wills are tested through gunfire, treachery, danger, and kidnapping. Does Colt dare trust Cassandra with Sons of Liberty secrets? More importantly, can he trust her with his heart? And will Colt ever trust Cassandra enough to love her as she longs to be loved?
Excerpt
Let me go!” she screamed. “You…you gargoyle!”

Colton’s arm wrapped about her shoulder, pulling her head in close as he moved his mouth over hers with a deep, insistent kiss. Despite her protests and beating against his chest, she found herself weakening. Damn him, damn him all to hell for the power he has over me.

He kept hold of her when their kiss ended, his eyes looking into hers. “See how much more pleasant this ride can be?”

You are a madman, Colton Rolfe. You have completely taken leave of your senses.” She seethed, as angry at herself for giving in as she was at him for such madness.

No.” He smiled at her. “I have come to my senses.”

Are you going to share with me where you are taking me?”

You will know soon enough. Now kiss me again, woman.” He leaned in to enjoy her taste.

She leaned in too and bit his bottom lip.

Crazy woman, what the hell!” He yanked his head back, his tongue gingerly checking for blood.

Serves you right!”

You are incorrigible.” He wrapped his arm around her, lifted and put her over the saddle like a sack of potatoes. “If I had known you would be so troublesome, I would have thought twice,” he grumbled.


About the Authors
 
Lynette Willows
 
I’m Lynette Willows. I live in rural Alberta, Canada. My debut novel, No Gentleman Is He, the first in the Sons of Liberty series, is co-written along with my partner in romance, Carley Bauer.
Some have mentioned I have a very interesting past. Not only was it unusual, but some would even say reckless. I’ve lived on an Indian reserve in a teepee with my young son for three months in the winter, I’ve chased storms, and worked as a social services aide on one of the most troubled and dangerous reserves in Canada, where I met great friends as well as made a few enemies.
I enjoy camping, movies, especially historical bio dramas, strange dogs, stranger cats, exclamation points, coffee mugs with stupid sayings, friends, the crazier the better, family, as long as they are crazier than I am, and I have a huge collection of shiny, outrageous earrings. Yes, I’m a magpie. I’ll only play chess with my husband because he’ll let me win.
If you’re curious about my favorite reading material, it’s very eclectic and varied. I’m extremely picky about what I read, so check out my “to read” list on Goodreads. You can also follow me and Carley, my talented, patient, and illustrious co-author at our fan page on Facebook at “Lynette Willows & Carley Bauer”. I’m also on Twitter under @LynetteWillows, as well as Pinterest, though I’m still figuring that out. You are welcome to also visit me and chat at “Lynette Willows, Author” at http://lynettewillows.blogspot.ca/.

I have enormous respect for the reader. They are able to take symbols from a page that an author has invented, and turn them into images in their minds that create an enduring story. If that’s not artistry, I don’t know what is.”-Lynette Willows


Carley Bauer

Carley Bauer enjoys life on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. with her husband and their blue eyed feline, Noelle. After 30 years as a state contractor in a self employed capacity, she decided to try her hand at her first love, writing. 
 
She loves being an empty nester, free to travel with her husband. Still involved with her children and grandchildren, Carley loves big family events. Some of her other hobbies are home decor, fashion, graphic arts, and the occasional bite of the Big Apple where the excitement feeds her natural love of city life.

LINKS:

Email: carleybauer210[at]gmail.com

No Gentleman Is He available for purchase at:
 
[This post is part of Carly's and Lynette's blog tour. There will be two winners drawn at the end of the tour. Winner 1 will receive a lovely pair of colonial era  earrings (U.S. only please due to shipping constraints); Winner 2 will receive a $100 Amazon GC.]

24 comments:

Mary Preston said...

A great question thank you & a most informative answer. What would not be possible in one civilization or period is very possible in another.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting

Carol Butler Crawley said...

Not sure where my post went?
Mary, thank you! You're such a loyal follower and Lynette and I appreciate your wonderful comments!
Thank you to our host for having us. I enjoyed responding to her question regarding Cassandra!
Also, Lynette and I will be announcing the title of Book Two in the Sons of Liberty series today on the Beyond Romance blog:)

Unknown said...

It should also be noted that Colton offered her this position, fully expecting a "mere woman" to indeed be overwhelmed by the work involved of being a combined steward AND housekeeper on his plantation. That was the whole point, to have her give up and have to sell the horses to him (below their true value, of course) to secure passage back to England with her tail between her legs. To his chagrin, she not only handled it, but exceeded even her own expectations.
And now, the working title of Book 2 of Sons of Liberty series...*drum roll please*...is..."An Unlikely Lady"! Description: "Jackson Lee loves nothing more than plotting out a good practical joke. This time, though, he finds the joke is on him"
Thanks for visiting, Mary.

Unknown said...

By the way, it was Carley who came up with it after we were tossing them between us. As soon as we saw it, we knew that was it! So, thank Carley for this.

Carol Butler Crawley said...

We struggled with this title. I thought it would come to us during the writing process. I can thank the blog tour, as that's when the title hit me. So glad you love it as I do!

Unknown said...

The title just fits. Also, want to mention that the earrings are also available in Canada. I have no idea why it says only in U.S. LOL

Rita Wray said...

What a great answer and yes the setting does make all the difference.

Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

Carol Butler Crawley said...

Ingeborg, we do make every attempt at creating a realistic setting. One reason I love the Revolutionary war era as a writer is the less restrictive period. The war, coupled with the colonies being unsettled, gives us more wiggle room.

Lynette, the title is a perfect fit. I love it!

Anonymous said...

It's been a fascinating tour already...nice to see a story set in this era!

Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

Looks very interesting :)

Carol Butler Crawley said...

Thank you Trix and Bobbye. It's great to have you join us!

Andra Lyn said...

Excellent guest post! It's clear that you ladies really did your research and I bet the book will be fabulous because of all of your hard work!

andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

BookLady said...

Very interesting post! I enjoyed learning about the research for Cassandra's background. Thanks for sharing.
bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

Kate said...

Thanks so much for the blurb and the giveaway! Really excited :D

hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu

Debby said...

I love reading stories where the heroine is not traditional. Sounds great!
debby236 at gmail dot com

Jan Hougland said...

Hello again, Lynette & Carley! I bought your book No Gentlemen Is He yesterday, but am not able to begin reading it yet for another week due previous commitments for book reviews. I hope you're enjoying your blog hop and I wish you continued success on your book sales. I can hardly wait to begin reading it! And I appreciate the history lesson about Cassandra's abilities re estate managing, etc. jdh2690@gmail.com

magic5905 said...

Sounds good, looking forward to reading it. Thanks.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

Jan Hougland said...

Correction to my comment: I did not buy No Gentleman Is He, I won an e-copy of it from Carley earlier. I was confusing this book with another I bought yesterday. Oopsie!

bn100 said...

Nice blurb

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Lisabet Sarai said...

Hello, Carly and Lynette,

Welcome to Beyond Romance! I'm really sorry I couldn't come by to kick off the party earlier - though it does seem as though you've started without me!

Good luck with the series, and with your tour.

Warmly,
Lisabet

Karen H said...

Sorry for the late post. I’m playing catch-up here so I’m just popping in to say HI and sorry I missed visiting with you on party day! Hope you all had a good time!
kareninnc at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Thanks everyone for visiting. I also apologize for not coming in later on in the party, though I was in earlier. It was our Canada Day celebrations this weekend, so of course, I was off to the bush for some fishing and camping. Hope everyone had fun, and thanks so much for taking an interest.

Donna E said...

I am enjoying so much catching up on this tour. All the interviews and information in the blog, but then just reading the replies to the posts are giving me insight also.
NO GENTLEMAN IS HE will be near to very top of my TBR list!

donna(dot)durnell(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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