Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen : Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands

Genre: Christian, Historical
Publisher: Barbour
Publication date: June 1, 2017
Number of pages: 448

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?

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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!

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.

1. When you are not writing, what hobbies do you enjoy?
I like to do bead work and I prefer easy beading projects like earrings and simple necklaces. You’d think with my poor eyesight and having Rheuamatoid Arthritis that has never gone into remission that I’d not be doing beadwork. But it’s so fun to have a finished project ready so quickly.

2. How long does it typically take you to write a novella vs how long does it take you to write a full length novel?
Oh boy! That’s a loaded question! A novel typically takes way more time. But it depends upon a few things. Like whether it is a shorter novel or a long one. Also, how recently have I been in that story world. For instance, on Lilacs for Juliana, I’d been in Northern Michigan story world for months already when I wrote that novel and I believe I completed in in two to three months. But I’ve had a longer historical (which got cut) that took me a few years to write (Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter). I’d say that ideally, I’d have a minimum of six months to write a novel, preferably nine to ten months. A novella “can” be done in a month. I prefer to have two to three months just to have some breathing room.

3. When did you write your first book? Has this book or a rendition of this book been published?
Hmmm, my first completed novel was when I was twenty-one and I dropped out of graduate school (U.S. Carolina School Psychology Doctoral Program) to take care of some things and to write the book. This is back in the day when my copies were done with CARBON paper. You had to send your chapters in a SASE (Sealed Self-Adressed Envelope). I received twenty-one rejections and went back to graduate school! Thank God it has never seen the light of day and it never will! But I did learn I could finish a manuscript. That was a good thing to know when I did my masters thesis and then doctoral dissertation and when I wrote my first Christian fiction novel.

4. How frequently do you hear from your readers? Do you have any fun and/or weird reader-author meetings you would be willing to share about?
I hear from readers in some capacity on a daily basis. I had a really cool meeting with Jenny Blake, from Australia, who is a reader and a blogger. She came to Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago after her mom died. And recently I got to hang out with Amanda Stark and her son, Clayton, when she came to the Historic Triangle – that was fun as we all three are history geeks!

"We're In Kansas, Toto!!!": How Story Worlds Overlap -- 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?

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.

Giveaway: An autographed paperback copy of Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Brides. There must be ten unique comments from different readers for the giveaway.

Grand Prize Giveaway: Kindle Fire + Postcards of Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order, bookmarks from upcoming release My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island: Maude’s Mooring, print copy of Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands, cowboy-themed earrings, and an ebook copy of Holt Medallion finalist “The Steeplechase.”

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Other Giveaway: If 10+ unique commenters post on this blog, one commenter will be selected to receive a print copy of Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands (US only).