The year is 1814. War has been going on for a couple years already, and it’s a war that some think is overdue . . . and some think shouldn’t have happened. Depending on which side you were on, of course. 😉
Some British never really accepted America’s independence. Some Americans couldn’t believe that their mother-country would really impress their sailors or renew hostilities.
Both were in for a surprise when the War of 1812 broke out, and independence had to fought for all over again.
Most of you probably know I’ve been writing a story set during the Revolution. Well, that one’s finished, and the next in the series is about the son of the hero and heroine from book 1, this one set during the War of 1812. I knew from the moment I decided on a general plot what my hero was going to be like. Thad is an adventurous American, a bit reckless, totally devoted to his cause, and fearless to the point of stupidity sometimes.
But it took me some effort to figure out my heroine, and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around her. Gwyneth I originally thought would be Canadian, but the more I considered it, the more I decided it would be more fun to make her from London. Because we all know what London of the era was like, right? Regency. Ahhhhh. Blissful. Courtly manners, marriage marts, drawing room drama. A young lady of some means would be totally concerned with her Season, especially if it were her debut. With her suitors, her friends, her fashion. So what would happen if she found herself shipped off to America? During a war with the uncivilized brutes, no less?
Well, there we have some attitude. But let’s up the stakes. What would poor, displaced Gwyneth be like if moments before she set sail, she witnessed the murder of the person dearest to her?
Yes, I’m a cruel author, what can I say. 😉 One who’s having a lot of fun imagining what my starts-as-a-typical-Regency-gentlewoman heroine might become and do under such circumstances. Will she arrive on American soil broken? Paranoid? Unwilling to trust the people she had been told to go to? Will she be defiant? Proud? Superior? Meek?
Yeah, I still haven’t figured her out completely, but I’m thinking she’ll be an interesting amalgamation of those things. Broken and defiant. Proud and meek. We’ll see how she turns out once I begin writing. =) But for now, I’m really enjoying the idea of bringing my love of British-set 19th century stories over onto American soil with these two characters.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Incidentally, I have an interesting link for that time, as well:
io9.com/5807148/video-reveals-an-incredible-reconstruction-of-what-washington-dc-looked-like-200-years-ago
Where do you set your story?
How fun! I love adding layers that add conflict.
Happy writing:)
Oooh – I'm fascinated. Great stuff, Roseanna.
Elisabeth, I LOVE that it makes you ask that! Although I have, at the moment, very little by way of answer, LOL. The only part of this book I've planned out is the first chapter and the first kiss, LOL. (Hey, the important things!)
What a fascinating idea! Your heroine sounds complex, but believable. You have to realise that your post makes your reader ask, "So … what happens next?!?"