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| Baltimore during the Civil War (Yep, that’s right, apparently the whole city had a crease down its middle…LOL) |
Last week, I gave y’all a brief introduction to my heroine from my third Culper Ring book. Marietta Gaines (who will be called Mari by her grandfather and Yetta by her childhood friend, just FYI) is going to be a ton and a half of fun.
But now I need to figure out what her late husband and his brother (my villain) do. You wanna help, right? I knew it. 😉
The time is 1865. The place is Baltimore. War is raging, but neither Gaines brother was directly a part of it. They’re wealthy, and I’d like the family to be in a business such that:
- It’s perfectly reasonable that they would stay home from the war to run said business, and no one would question that
- Said business is of enough importance that both North and South would covet their loyalty
My first thought was that perhaps one of the brothers is a doctor . . . or maybe a judge (might be too young for that) . . .
Then I thought of railroads. Maybe the Gaineses are a railroading family. Could be, could be. All I know about them at the moment is that their mother is from Louisiana, hence the brothers’ first names of Lucien and Devereaux . . . and hence their hidden Southern sympathies. Well, okay, so plenty of Marylanders went Southern in the war. But everyone has to assume they didn’t, no doubt because their father was vocally Union.
Anyone have any other brilliant suggestions for the family business?
For that matter, I also need to choose a hunky actor to use as my model for Dev, to put on my Pinterest board. He has to be oh-so-handsome, in that strong way that can ooze all charm one minute and then, pow, you realize he’s dangerous. Thoughts on that? I was considering Hugh Jackman . . . maybe . . .
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.
Hugh Jackman works. Definitely. Or a young Harrison Ford? (be still my heart LOL).
I like your railroad idea – if I think of something else (PLEASE don't hold your breath LOL) I'll let ya know.