My First Historical Romance
“You write it, I’ll sell it.”
That’s what Mary Sue Seymour, my soon-to-be New York agent, declared on the way back to the airport. We’d just met at a small writers’ conference in East Texas. She asked us to write a historical Christian romance set in the 1800s. As soon as Ron and I dropped her off At DFW International Airport, we stopped at a Taco Bueno and brainstormed characters and a great place to open our new story. Hey, fun fact! That agent remarkably grew up with the maiden name of McAdoo! God definitely garnered our attention!
That happened the last week of April. We never wrote a historical romance, but her confidence inspired us! We set the story in 1832, the year before the founding of our new hometown of Clarksville, the seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas.
As a part of Mexico then, in 1832 everyone called it Tejas. The state won its independence four years later in April of 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto. Of the histories academia required of me, Texas’s was without a doubt my favorite.
And oh, my! I am so very blessed God called me to write historical romance, especially Christian romance in which I’m free to honor Him and bring Him glory. I love taking Truth from His Living Word and working it into my characters’ beliefs and faith systems as a natural part of the story.
For instance, not to worry or to trust God no matter what the circumstances. I pray I can show my readers through my characters’ testimonies that God will always keep them, provide every need, and even give them the desires of their hearts. I hope to share His love, mercy, and grace.
So, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Mirabeau Lamar–all these famous fathers of Texas traveled up the Red River and came into Texas through this land I’ve come to love. The first time I saw its welcome sign, I got glory bumps! “Welcome to Red River County, Gateway to Texas!” How can I explain why I so love this area?
My heart divinely bonded with it almost immediately. I love the town square, the streets and homes, the farm fields, the woods, the land, and its people. I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. If I go by way of the grave, I want to be buried in Red River County.
“I never met a McAdoo who wasn’t family!”
So when my New York agent asked me to write a historical Christian romance set in the 1800s, my brain never even thought about England with her Brits. Nor did I consider the early colonies of America’s east coast. Nope! Never any question that my story would be set anywhere but in Texas! And in my own new part of this great state. I knew the topography and plants and soil types like the back of my hand, so where else? Get VOW UNBROKEN HERE!
Having started the Red River Writers’ Workshop, Ron and I appreciated a retired history teacher member, Marion Butts, who brought his non-fiction “area history” chapters to read for critique. He read about neighbors gathering in the early 1800s to carry their harvests to market together, creating a wagon train for safety. His chapter mentioned the Jefferson Trace and how cotton was king then in Red River County. Voila! Real history to base our premise on!
Inspiration for Characters and Their Names
We named our families using the last names of several characters in the first novel we wrote ten years prior titled CHIEF OF SINNERS. The Buckmeyers, Baylors, and Nightingales filled the pages of that story beginning in 1926. Writing a family saga seemed only natural as those are my personal favorite reads. A young widow would be our heroine, Suzanna Abbott Baylor. We gave her an eight-year-old daughter Rebecca (who would steal every scene she appeared in) and her orphaned fourteen-year-old nephew, Levi Baylor, to rear.
Nothing Short of a Miracle
Nine weeks later, we delivered our manuscript of VOW UNBROKEN to Mary Sue who immediately signed us to a contract of representation. Two months later, she sold our story to Simon and Schuster’s Christian Imprint, Howard Books. The editor only wanted one name on the cover. We chose mine since I’m the “people person,” and we’ve never looked back. From meeting Mary Sue to her selling our first historical romance covered less than six months–a miracle in itself! No one could ever convince me God hadn’t orchestrated all that!
Giveaway
I’d like to offer an eBook copy of the second novel in the Texas Romance Family Saga HEARTS STOLEN. To be eligible to win, just leave a comment below or share this blog on your social media, leaving in the comment where you shared it. 🙂 I wonder how many of you love family sagas where you follow the same characters through several generations as much as me. Do you?
The winner will be selected at random and announced on March 15th, 2023. Continental United States only. Didn’t win? Get your copy of HEARTS STOLEN here!
Read all the Texas Romance Family Saga stories: VOW UNBROKEN, HEART STOLEN, HOPE REBORN, SINS OF THE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS OF THE HEART, JUST KIN, AT LIBERTY TO LOVE, COVERING LOVE, MIGHTY TO SAVE, AND CHIEF OF SINNERS! Just click on the title and go straight to Amazon. All these titles are also available in audio and may be read FREE as a Kindle Unlimited member. BLESSINGS!
Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about what the blog post is about and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of this ebook.
