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Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands Blog Hop

Toni
Happy Monday, Reader Friends!!

I’m kicking this week off with a blog hop tour by SLB. Today, I’m sharing some info from Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands Romance Collection. I have a guest post from Carrie Fancett Pagels, one of the authors in the collection. Let’s get started!

Genre: Christian, Historical
Publisher: Barbour
Publication date: June 1, 2017
Number of pages: 448
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Dime Novel Suitor by Carrie Fancett Pagels
When a British dime novel enthusiast finds himself flat broke in Kansas, he discovers what western life and true love are all about. Barden Granville IV grew up at Cheatham Hall, Kent, England, devouring cowboy stories and dreaming of the day he, with no prospects of inheriting estate 
nor title, could escape to the American frontier. Educated and ordained an Anglican priest, his trip to America is his “last hurrah” before accepting a vicarage in a small town far from his aristocratic family’s estate. When a series of misadventures leaves him without money and stranded, he must take up employment immediately.

After her father dies, widow Caroline Kane becomes the owner and proprietor of a restaurant and inn. She also assumes responsibility for her five teenaged siblings. Caroline’s busybody married sister insists that an Englishman who purports to answer an ad for help, is the perfect candidate for Caroline’s next husband. While she’s relieved to have help, Caroline finds Barden’s primary asset to be his silver tongue. When his efforts finally bring fruit, Barden receives word from England that could leave Caroline worse off than before, for her heart will leave with him. Will Barden answer his heart and God’s call in Kansas, or will his family responsibilities compel him to leave his dreams behind?

Links: Amazon, Goodreads

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Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., is an ECPA bestselling and award-winning author. With a dozen Christian historical romances published, this former “Yooper” writes Christian historical romances about overcoming. She grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where many of her stories are set. Possessed with an overactive imagination, that wasn’t “cured” by twenty-five years as a psychologist, she loves bringing characters to life. Carrie and her family reside in Virginia’s Historic Triangle, which is perfect for her fascination with history. Carrie enjoys reading, traveling, baking, and beading-but not all at the same time!
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Her short story, The Quilting Contest, was Historical Fiction Winner of Family Fiction’s “The Story” national contest. Her novella, The Substitute Bride was a 2016 Maggie Award published finalist for Romance Novellas. Grand Exposé was a 2014 Maggie Award honorable mention for a novel set on Mackinac Island (now entitled My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring, Barbour, July 2017). All three of her Christy Lumber Camp books were long list finalists for Family Fiction’s Book of the Year and The Fruitcake Challenge was a Selah Award finalist. Her novel, Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter (White Rose/Pelican, June, 2016) received a Starred Review by RT Book Reviews.

Links: ​Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Amazon, Goodreads, Overcoming with God, Colonial Quills 

“We’re In Kansas, Toto!!!”: How Story Worlds Overlap

First let me say that I really enjoy staying in my story worlds. Most of the time, I “live” in the fictional story worlds I’ve set up in turn-of-the-century Michigan, in particular the straits of Mackinac. I also have stories set here in Virginia, where I live. Since I’ve spent so much time in those story worlds (my 15th romance releases in 2018), I’ve a pretty well-developed sense of what happens there. I also like overlapping some of my characters and their ancestors, when possible.
 
But in Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands I found myself in Kansas! And I really felt for Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, except for in reverse! You see instead of being gone from Kansas, I was being yanked out of Virginia and story world turn-of-the-century Michigan. And now, Toto, I found myself in Kansas! I have never been to Kansas and I’ve never written an American-set story where I hadn’t visited the area I was writing about. I was out of my real world and story world comfort zone! So to bring a little of my story world with me, I had the Tumbleston’s deceased matriarch be from a family in Virginia. Her backstory included being raised on a plantation in Virginia.
 
While researching another story, I was reading the history of Fort Mackinac, located on Mackinac Island in the Straits of Mackinac. Imagine my surprise to learn that after the Civil War (story time frame for Dime Novel Suitor), injured soldiers from a regiment stationed in the west traveled back to Mackinac Island where they were able to have light duty, housing, and food and to recover from what had happened to them. So I worked that into the Dime Novel Suitor plot.
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Click to Enter
May 29: Reading Is My SuperPower | Soulfully Romantic | Zerina Blossom’s Books
May 30: Puddletown Reviews | Wishful Endings | Bookworm Lisa
May 31: Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen | Mel’s Shelves  | Blossoms and Blessings​
June 1: Singing Librarian Books | Heidi Reads… | Bookworm Lisa
June 2: Cafinated Reads | Smiling Book Reviews | A Baker’s Perspective
June 3: aTransParentMom | Paulette’s Papers | Puddletown Reviews

21 thoughts on “Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands Blog Hop”

  1. This sounds like a wonderful collection! I’d love to win a copy! Thanks for this opportunity, Toni!

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    2. A lot of wonderful and creative authors in this collection! I was privileged to be part of this group effort!

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    2. Georgiana this collection is all set in the same little town in Kansas and all during the same time frame. We have some overlap of characters in the different novellas. A lot of hard work went into this and I pray readers will be blessed by the stories!

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  5. I love learning how an author comes up with book ideas! I had to laugh at your description of feeling a little like Dorthy in The Wizard of OZ….definitely out of your comfort zone 🙂 Sometimes it’s good to stretch ourselves a bit though!
    I like the mail-order mixup (of sorts) where the hero is there for work and the heroine thinks he’s her mail-order husband….I bet that creates some fun conflict within the story! Thanks for the chance to win a copy, I just love the Barbour collection books!

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  6. I loved hearing about the Virginia girl being set down in Kansas. The fact that you were able to work some connections to what you are comfortable with into your story is great.

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  8. I absolutely love these novella collections! This one sounds especially interesting with the mail-order husband theme!

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