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.
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
Facebook
Fan Page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynette-Willows-Carley-Bauer/278323855613717?ref=hl
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CarleyBauer210
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/cscrawley/
Tirgearr
Publishing:
http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Bauer_Carley/index.htm
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:
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
Thank you for hosting
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:)
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.
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.
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!
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
What a great answer and yes the setting does make all the difference.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
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!
It's been a fascinating tour already...nice to see a story set in this era!
Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Looks very interesting :)
Thank you Trix and Bobbye. It's great to have you join us!
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
Very interesting post! I enjoyed learning about the research for Cassandra's background. Thanks for sharing.
bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thanks so much for the blurb and the giveaway! Really excited :D
hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu
I love reading stories where the heroine is not traditional. Sounds great!
debby236 at gmail dot com
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
Sounds good, looking forward to reading it. Thanks.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com
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!
Nice blurb
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
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
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
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.
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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