Like many people, I’m fascinated with the concept
of mail-order
brides. The idea of and use of finding a bride via the mail or
advertisement gained popularity in the United States in the 1800s. A far larger
number of men from the east traveled across the country to settle the west than
woman. This meant the finding a woman to marry for these men was severely
limited. Unable to travel back to the east, men sent for brides. It might sound
absurd at first glance, but women answered the call.
Being
a romantic, I struggled with how marrying a person you hardly know could work
with love and romance? What kind of a woman would choose to marry a man she’s
never met? Traveling alone over such a vast distance could be dangerous for a
woman in the 1800s with no guarantee her husband-to-be would be a good and kind
man.
In
addition to what would cause a woman to make a huge lifelong decision like this
is the romance factor. I like romance before the wedding, because I like the
romance to lead up to the proposal and wedding. If they are already married,
there isn’t a concrete goal to strive for. But it’s also fun to explore a
couple falling in love after marriage.
This
quandary sets my mind to work overtime coming up with possible scenarios. For
this story, it’s not my main heroine, Holly, but her flighty sister, Ivy, who
is the mail-order bride. Holly travels with her to talk her out of this
nonsense. But her sister is unmoving in her position all the way across the
country in spite of unsavory men bothering them. But when she meets her
intended, her conviction waivers.
This
is not the first nor the last mail-order bride story I hope to write. Cinda’s
Surprise was the first. In her case, her friends corresponded with the
prospective husband without her knowledge. Two others I hope to write in the
future have heroines who are either trying to find and reclaim her children and
the other wants to get out of a miserable situation and start anew.
In celebration of the
release of “Holly & Ivy”, I’m
giving away (US only) a print copy
of A BOUQUET OF BRIDES Collection. To enter, subscribe to my newsletter and receive a free short story. I’ll be drawing
for the book at the end of January.
#BouquetOfBrides
#ChristianRomance
#HistoricalRomance #Romance
MARY DAVIS is an
award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and
contemporary themes. She has four more titles releasing in 2018; Courting Her Amish Heart in March 2018, The Widow’s Plight in July 2018, Courting Her Secret Heart (Working Title) September 2018, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in
December 2018. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her
husband of over thirty-three years and two cats. She has three adult children
and one incredibly adorable grandchild. Find her online at:
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