WIPs and New Releases
1)
Tell us about
your work-in-progress, or WIP, as it’s known in the industry, or your New
Release…
Ø What
is the story about?
· A refined young widow sets out in search of her fortune
during the 1849 Gold Rush. She is determined to be a respectable businesswoman
in this rugged man's land. Though unskilled in domestic matters and lacking
commerce know-how, she opens a restaurant, battles blackmail, and discovers
independence doesn't always mean doing it alone.
Ø Who
is the main character?
·
Quinn MacCann, twenty-two,
recently widowed, and nearly penniless.
2)
What inspired
this tale?
Ø How
did the story come to you?
·
I love simple, adorable
Mail-Order bride stories, which is what I'd decided to write when this story
began. It seems, however, that I can't let loose of my love for accurate,
detailed historical novels, so this story quickly gained more depth than
originally planned!
·
It is Women's
Historical Fiction with a romantic flair.
Ø Did
you have to research for this novel, and if so, why?
·
Oh my, yes! Lots and
lots of research, but mostly focused on cooking in the 1840s.
·
The East Coast had lots
of luxuries the West Coast did not have at that time. It was a big deal to own
a cooking stove in the Gold Rush settlements, so having a character determined
to open her own restaurant caused many, many hours of research and experimental
cooking with a cast iron pot over an open fire. Especially using authentic
ingredients only!
Ø If
you did research, what do you think surprised you most to learn, and why?
·
Stagecoaches! In 1849,
most of the country had access to stagecoaches. But in California's gold
country, there were none yet. Quinn, the refined young widow, must get from
Oregon to a town near Sutter's Creek in California. In the story's beginning, she
certainly isn't a rugged woman, so to climb atop a horse, or grab the reins of
a worthy wagon, just didn't fit. I had planned to put her on a stagecoach, but research
showed that stagecoaches were not in operation until 6-12 months AFTER she was
scheduled to arrive. What a surprise! Thank goodness, some in-depth research
provided a solution.
3)
Do you relate
to your character?
Ø Is
your protagonist anything like you, personally?
·
Maybe a little.
Ø If
yes, then how?
·
Quinn is a determined
woman, so we do have that in common! We are both of Irish descent. We are hard
workers. We care about the "underdogs." Most importantly, neither of
us will tolerate a bully.
Ø If
no, how do you differ from one another?
·
I learned to cook at an
early age, and I still love to cook! Quinn hasn't learned to boil an egg or
cook a pot of beans. She prefers Staffordshire china and a fine table setting, whereas
I'm happy eating off paper plates around a campfire.
Ø What
made you write this character; what made them important to you or made you want
to tell their story?
·
I love Pioneer stories,
especially about women. They were strong, courageous, and inventive. Many women
decided to leave civilized lives in the East when their husband's dream was to
go west to the unsettled territories of Oregon or California. That's when I
realized I had a story: A woman who rises from poverty to wealth and finds happiness is
no match for the woman who falls from wealth into poverty and does the same.
4)
Is there
anything specific you want readers to know about this piece of work?
·
One should never doubt the tenacity of an Irish woman already long
mistreated by perhaps the one man she should always be able to trust.
5)
When will the
novel be available for purchase?
·
This novel is almost finished, but needs a bit more polish.
Ø Has
the book already been published, or is it available for pre-order?
·
No, in fact, it is not
ready to submit to a publisher yet. But soon, I promise!
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