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Last week I turned in my latest manuscript. Whew! Meeting a deadline is always stressful but feels so good after it’s accomplished. This one was no different. Unfortunately, I can’t take much time off to celebrate because I need to get started on a follow-up novella.
You see, this book is the beginning of a new series that will encompass two novels alternating with two novellas. And since I know all of our readers here at Inspired by Life and Fiction are fabulous, creative people, I thought it might be fun to get your input on what direction you think my next pair of characters should go.
So here’s the background:
In the novel that launches the Ladies of Harper’s Station series (No Other Will Do), my heroine, Emma Chandler, has established a women’s colony in 1890’s Texas. Raised by suffragette aunts after her banker father died, Emma firmly believes that women can accomplish anything they set their mind to as long as they work together. So she uses her inheritance to buy an old stagecoach town after it is deserted when bypassed by the railroad.
She invites women of all types to join her there. Those who are looking to escape abuse. Widows with no form of income to support their children. Or even women who simply want a place where they can work a trade normally unacceptable for those of their gender. As the town banker, Emma offers loans to the women who come to her, with the understanding that they will work to earn their way and pay back the money owed. They have a thriving egg business, a large garden plot that allows them to can and sell vegetables and preserves, as well as a quilting group who produce quilts that area vendors sell.
Emma’s closest friend and the one who inspired her to start the women’s colony is Victoria Adams. Tori was raised a shopkeeper’s daughter and has a great head for business. However, when she is ostracized from her family for having a child out of wedlock, she is unable to get a loan to start her own mercantile. Seeing her friend be turned down for loans while men with less experience are granted funds simply because of their gender, inspires Emma to start the colony. Tori becomes her first client and starts a small but thriving general store in Harper’s Station.
Freighter, Benjamin Porter, is one of very few men allowed into Harper’s Station. Raised by a widowed mother, Ben has nothing but respect for women struggling to make it on their own. He delivers supplies to Tori’s store on a regular basis, and during the course of the first novel, steps in to assist the ladies when they are threatened by an outlaw trying to drive them out of their homes.
Tori has a strong distrust of men, especially large men who can easily overpower a female. She’s never told anyone, but Lewis, her four-year-old son, is the product of rape. She’s learned to protect herself by keeping her emotions severely locked down, never showing fear, anger, or even much joy. She does show affection to her son and her friends, but even that is reserved. So when Ben Porter starts hanging around and paying attention not only to her, but to her son, she tries to shut him out. The man is stubborn, though, and doesn’t let her cool demeanor frighten him away. Lewis follows him around whenever the man comes to town and has started imitating the freighter’s mannerisms. The longer Porter hangs around and proves himself honorable and trustworthy, the more Tori’s defenses soften.
At the end of No Other Will Do, Ben Porter comes up with a plan to help Tori expand her profits by partnering with him to deliver goods to area farmers and ranchers and save them from having to travel into Seymour or Wichita Falls, the two closest cities.
So my thought for the upcoming novella is to have Ben invite Tori and Lewis to travel with him to these outlying properties to introduce themselves and gather orders for the types of items that would be in the most demand. Since Ben admires Tori, he also hopes to use this trip to get her to lower her defenses and therefore help him make progress in his one-sided courtship.
So here’s my question – What kind of adventure/conflict/happenstance/disaster can Ben and Tori encounter to force them to depend on each other in such a way that trust blossoms along with deep and abiding love?
I’ll give a copy of one of my backlist titles to the commenter who comes up with the idea I like best. And if I like it well enough to use it in my novella, I will dedicate the book to you!
So let’s get brainstorming!
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Ben & Tori could encounter a sick/wounded/ostracized Native American woman, and help her by bringing her back to Harper’s Station…she could have been ostracized due to having a contagious disease (chicken pox? mumps? measles? small pox?) & left behind by a band of Native Americans…Possibly she could have a baby/small child….
How long will this trip take? I think it would be a neat twist if nothing has to really “happen” to make them rely on each other and fall in love. After all, how often does that happen in real life? Just the day-to-day living could make them rely on each other. For instance, I’m sure there are things Ben can do that Tori can’t and vice versa. Maybe Ben can cook, but his food tastes awful. And Tori can take care of the horses, but she’s slow about it because they’re big and a little scary.
And as they meet people on the way, they find out that one of them is better at persuading people to buy things from Tori. As the trip goes on and they swap stories and get to know each other, Tori’s defenses slowly collapse and by the end of the trip they’re all in love with each other.
Just an idea.
I believe the way to win Tori’s heart is through her son, Lewis. Maybe something could happen along the way, like: Lewis becoming very ill, lost, (or kidnapped is always an interesting twist). Ben’s genuine kindness, bravery, and compassion for helping Lewis in one of those situations will slowly break down the walls of Tori’s defenses.
Well hokey smokes, this is exciting. What time of year is it? could there be a tornado or severe storm where they have to seek shelter in a rather dilapidated shack or barn? Oh or even a cave! There has to be some type of injury of course, nothing too tragic but enough to pump our hearts, such as the wagon gets overturned in their mad dash to safety and poor mom’s got a nasty bump on the head or a minor arm injury and she can’t do anything without the use of her good arm so Mr. Handsome has to get a little too close for comfort. After the storm they have to figure out a way to get home with no wagon, an injured woman, a small child, lack of food cause they can’t carry everything and of course the dangerous elements. I think they could fall in love there somewhere, yup, that just might do.
Four year olds can be adventuresome and perhaps he could wander off and get lost. Maybe in a cave…perhaps there’s a grass fire as well, maybe he wonders off while they are trying to fight the fire. And of course Ben saves the day by finding the child.
I’m not very creative just thinking of how quickly 4 yr olds can dart off and be no where to be seen.
What a fun way for you to get ideas though! Hope one shows up that rings a bell for you!
Isn’t that the truth? Those little ones can get into scrapes faster than a mama can blink sometimes. I remember those panic attacks that hit in the department store when one minute the kiddos are right beside you and the next you can’t find them anywhere. Scary!
Time of year is negotiable – nothing is set yet except a general setting – Northern Texas near the panhandle area. The previous story takes place in early summer.
North Texas winters can be horrendous…blizzards can cause conditions where people and animals can be snowbound/lost in whiteouts and find out they really must trust and rely on others and other emotions come to the forefront…
What fun to think of ideas! I pictured little Lewis accidentally starting a tree on fire in the middle of nowhere as they are traveling and as the chaos ensues of them putting it out he runs off scared. He encounters an old Native American man who is living on his own and takes him in and cares for him until Ben and Tori find him. Then a friendship starts with him and the group and he leads them to people Tori can sell goods to.
🙂 There is my two cents worth.
I love the idea of Emma running a bank. I was a banker for 30 years and as we all know nowadays there are few men in branch banking. My first thought for Tori & Ben was a tornado (since they have them in Texas). Or a huge flood that leaves them stranded in a cave or on top of a mountain making them resourceful for survival as well as depending on each other and learning how wonderful the other is. Also a huge dust storm can be devastating too. Ah, how about a serious snake bite?
I’d like to see them have to swap roles, so Ben would have to be physically injured, maybe hurt his leg while trying to fix a wagon wheel. While Tori takes care of the things he can’t do and travel for help herself, he’ll have to care for Lewis, fix a meal, etc. Only they can’t seem to manage on their own so they have to stumble through together. And maybe things become more urgent because Lewis runs off, comes across some swamp milkweed (which is poisonous) and somehow ingests a little bit. Now they’ve got to save his life.
If there is a stagecoach, they could take it, be wrecked, robbed & be the only survivors. Horses having run off they Have to rely on each other to survive a wicked windstorm and 12 hours until help finally comes.
I was thinking along the line of an unexpected snow storm that keeps them in one building for a few days or even a tornado or wind storm that they survive it and have to pick up the pieces of there life.
I think I hit the gold mine! Why have I never done this before? You gals have great ideas! My creative juices are definitely churning. Keep ’em coming! 🙂
Well, depending on how deep you want to go, you can always have Lewis’s father show up unexpectedly, as a ranch hand or something, and from there you could go lots of directions. Have Tori recognize him and do something uncharacteristically without control (scream, lose the sentence half out of her mouth, whatever fits her) to tip Ben to something being seriously amiss. Have Lewis’s father reformed, or not recognizing Tori, or thinking she’s married to Ben, so he doesn’t actually do anything except shake Tori’s world and remind her why she’s not good enough for a respectable man like Ben. (Ben probably won’t thank you for that, what with Tori softening lately.)
Or make Lewis’s father an unrepentant villain. Have him fabricate some slander about her, or have him try something with Tori, or let him figure out the child is his and kidnap Lewis.
You’ve got lots of great ideas so far! Reading them sets my imagination on exciting tracks. Maybe you’ll combine elements of different ones. Wagon trouble, or horse trouble, is always great–makes the trip take longer. 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
P.S. Most of your novellas are only published as e-books. Do you think maybe one day you’ll have a printed collection of all these novellas?
Great ideas, Darcy!
As for the novella question – mine are kind of a mix. Half of them started out as part of a print collection and then were later released as e-singles. A Cowboy Unmatched is in the print collection A Match Made in Texas. The Husband Maneuver, which is the follow-up to my latest release, A Worthy Pursuit, and will feature Dead-Eye Dan and Marietta Hawkins, will be part of a print collection titled With This Ring? A Novella Collection of Proposals Gone Awry which will come out in January. It will later be released as an e-single. My follow-up to Full Steam Ahead – Love on the Mend – was e-only from the beginning, but there is a plan in the works for a collection to be formed with other Bethany House authors who had e-only novellas and that will come out in print in June 2016 under the title With All My Heart.
For right now, I think the plan is for Tori and Ben’s story to be an e-only release. However, I’m hopeful that it will eventually find it’s way into print like many of my others have.
I know many readers still prefer print over digital and I hate for them to be left out. I try to recommend the free Kindle app for their smartphones, tablets, and computers, but I can totally understand if you don’t like to read that way. I held off for years before I finally bought a Kindle. I still read as many print books as I do digital. There is just something special about holding the actual book. 🙂
Oh, that’s good to hear, about the novellas making it to print. 🙂 How unfortunate that they must be published with other authors’ works! Because of course I’ll have to read all those other great stories in the book. And then I might like the author and start reading all her novels, and, oh, dear, I haven’t enough time as it is. 🙂
Since Tori has been hurt by men in the past, and is thereby distrustful of them in general, I don’t see it likely that she would be willing to travel with one on her own. There needs to be another woman, maybe an elderly woman travelling along as chaperone and Lewis helper. I think she could be a great source of comic relief! Currently picturing a Betty White type…;-)
I agree that something needs to happen with Lewis. Maybe the rapist father returns and kidnaps the old lady and Lewis so Tori has to depend on Ben to help her. Or they encounter him in one of the towns and Tori takes off with Lewis on her own. Or since her family ostracized her maybe they hired someone to take Lewis so they could raise him more “respectfully”. (Though that feels a bit to close to A Worthy Pursuit…)
Whatever you chose, I’m very excited to read the new series!! 😀
This was probably put on but here is what I would do….
Lewis’ Father shows up, Lewis, is the spitting image of him, and demands to have his son come back with him, and threatens Tori again, Ben comes to their rescue.
OR
Lewis is kidnapped by his father, when they cross paths on a delivery in one of the cities. The father, who recognizes Tori and sees the little boy, who looks just like he did as a child and demands to know more, seeing that Tori wants nothing to do with him, he suspects that he is the father as Tori is very protective over Lewis and tries to get away from him. The father puts two and two together and knows he is the father, but instead of trying to make amends, he decides he only wants to get close to Lewis for money. He plays the “good guy,” Ben believes he has changed for the better but Tori will not have anything to do with it. Then the father, who takes advantage over Ben, explains he wants to take Lewis out for ice cream (or something like that) while Ben, Tori and Lewis are on a delivery in the city. Tori was inside getting supplies while Ben and Lewis were out on the street. So the father takes Lewis away (kidnaps), Tori returns outside asking for Lewis, the horror of the news, and the fact Ben had no idea where they went off too, Ben realizes his mistake and the chase begins.
The reason for kidnap as mentioned above the father wants/needs money for his gambling /drinking habits, as well as for his female friend (who works for the card shark) is taking advantage over him. He uses Lewis as a way to get that money. Tori and Ben must work together to get Lewis back.
Throw in a punch fight, a broken hand, maybe a black eye or two and you have your story 🙂
Happy writing!
Karen, how fun! And your new series sounds wonderful!
What if Lewis was taken hostage by renegades, who think to use him to get away, not realizing that stealing him will instigate both Tori and Ben’s passion to see the boy returned to his rightful place–his mother’s arms.
Happy writing!
Since they would be out in the open on the prairie where huge storms whip up without much warning, that was my first thought, depending on the time of year, a snow storm, dust, driving rain and/or wind, making them seek shelter overnight in an old abandoned settlers cabin. Kids got hurt falling off wagons, so maybe Lewis could break his arm doing that or wander into an abandoned mine and fall. Or they may happen upon a family who are all sick and needing help. Or they find a runaway young woman wandering alone who is in the same situation Emma was, which upsets her so much that she spills the tale of Lewis’ dad to Ben.
Whatever you do will be good, I’m sure–really enjoy reading your books–look forward to the new series!
**Tori** not Emma. Oops.
Ha! No worries there. I’ve got enough heroines running through my head these days, I’m starting to get them mixed up myself. It’s like with my kids – growing up I always swore I would never mix up my kids’ names. Now I do it on a regular basis. I have so much more sympathy for my mom now. 🙂
Thanks. My poor mom had six kids to keep straight. My name was Jan-Lori-Karen. 😉 Used to get called by my older sisters’ names in school too.
I love everyone of your books so whatever you choose to write will end up magnificent, but I’ll still give my idea.
Ben finally gets Tori to agree to go with him on his trip. As they start out they come across a group of scruffy looking men who ask to travel with them. Ben agrees and sees nothing wrong with letting them stay. Tori, on the other hand, recognizes one of them as Lewis’ father and is scared out of her wits. And Tori knows the men are up to no good. She asks Ben to go on a walk with her and spills everything. In the mean time Lewis gets lost while picking berries. It takes a while to find him and when they return to the place they had set up camp they notice things are missing; as well as the men that had been traveling with them. Ben and Tori continue the rest of the way with the bare necessities and hardly any food. As Ben provides for them and treats both Lewis and Tori with kindness and love Tori starts to thaw out.
Tori is being so open and honest she lets go of her hurt and realizes she really can love someone for who they are an not what they have: Ben.
When they arrive at the place they were headed in the first place 🙂 the group of thieves are there and they report them to the sheriff and then head over to the parsonage to get the preacher.
Thanks for this opportunity!
Wouldn’t it be great to see Tori encounter a mirror image of her story that either shows her what bitterness will look like ten or twenty years down the road? Maybe at a button factory that she needs to use to supply for couture dresses that one of the newest women needs to further her dressmaking efforts. Buttons cause closure, so it will be a good place to close her chapter of mistrust and open up to this new relationship.
Tori gets hurt (Riding incident?) and needs help taking care of her son, and Ben is the only one who steps in to help 🙂
That is the only Idea I have! I had another one where her son gets kidnapped but after reading the comments I realized A LOT of other people thought of that first!
I can’t wait to read this series, Karen! It sounds delightful.
Here’s my idea on a novella for Ben and Tori: Ben takes Tori and Lewis to a circus, where the bearded woman (an teenager trying to escape her abusive clown father) hides in their wagon. Tori discovers her and agrees to help her disguise herself as a man until the search for her dies down; then she’ll help her establish herself in town. Conflict 1: Tori decides it’s best to take the bearded woman (I’ll call her Sam) with her and Ben on the trip to meet the farmers. Ben is upset that Tori apparently trusts this scrawny man Sam. Conflict 2: Sam is blamed for stealing the circus cash box, and so the police as well as her father and his cruel companions are after her; they endanger the entire town. Tori must decide whether or not to trust Ben with Sam’s identity and to help her solve this mess.
A circus? How hysterical. That is an idea I never would have thought of. What an imagination you have! 🙂
This sounds fascinating! My thoughts first go to some situation that directly addresses her aversion to men. Maybe a wagon accident and she is trapped, or they are held hostage and locked in a small room…or her son, and they need to work together to rescue him.
Can’t wait to see what direction you take this!
I’m thinking of a really bad tornado or hurricane. The eye wall wrecks the wagon. They start to walk, thinking that the storm is over, but it’s only the lull until the worse half of storm arrives. Tori’s son Lewis is bitten by a rattlesnake. Ben starts to carry Lewis, but the second half of the storm sends them into a cave for shelter. There are already Indians in the cave, but no one can speak the language except Lewis who had been playing with Indian children.
I was thinking that Lewis gets lost, as well, but I thought maybe Lewis’ father could appear to make life a little uncomfortable for Tori and then takes Lewis, while Ben and she must work together to him back. Also, the scoundrel could take Tori, before Ben can get to Lewis.
Hi Karen,
How exciting is this? I love all of your books and have everyone of them that is in print form. I’m not into e-books lol.
I have to tell you that reading your description hit my heart deep in the hidden chambers. I am a single mom with a wonderful son that is a blessing through rape. I instantly got Tori.
I look forward to this story. I know that Tori would be most affected by Lewis. I know that is her motivation and what Keeps her strong….even though on the inside she desired a loving man. I think having Lewis stolen by the Indians ( if your adding Indians) or a band of outlaws. Since it is an abandoned town by the railroad..they could have a hideout in an old caboose and they could abduct him and do all kinds of things to try and prevent their town from booming again. I would also have Ben seriously injured trying to save Lewis from the Indians or the outlaws. I too would add in a girl that might be lovesick for Ben..and cause some
Problems. And a town gossip..think Hartiet Olsen,(Sister Papoofnick is what my dad (a preacher) calls those meddling, hateful members that have something to say about everything and everyone). I would also add a sweet, frail girl that doesn’t make it, a girl they meet in their travels that also was raped (has a small baby girl) and gets sick. This would bring up emotions for Tori and open up the situation for her to share with Ben and hopefully adopt the baby when the mom dies 🙂
Wow, Johnette. Thank you so much for sharing a piece of your heart with us. How courageous you are. I think I might need to have a character like you in the story for Tori to run into somewhere. Someone who can show her the way to true healing and peace where men are concerned.
That would be wonderful too. I think an older grandma/mom type would be great. I have a close aunt that went through the same thing. She sure helped me. I think she should have a loving husband…would help Tori see that it can work, she might be hurt and afraid, with walls built up for protection….but she is alive and blessed. She isn’t damaged goods..and so loved by a Mighty, healing Saviour. These stories are going to be awesome! Keep up the great work. You don’t realize how many hearts you touch through your writing…most definitely mine 🙂
I’m looking forward to this new series! I love novels that feature strong independent women.
My thought is that maybe Ben gets injured while saving Lewis from some mishap, and since they are stuck in the middle of nowhere and his injuries are such that he can’t be moved right away he has to rely on Tori to help treat his injuries for the time being. Or they have to wait until help arrives. This way they would start opening up to each other, learning about each other’s secrets. And this circumstance could also create the sense of family that Ben, Tori, and Lewis all long for.
There are so many wonderful story suggestions and ideas in this post!I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!
While they are traveling there is a big storm and probably a tornado and Ben is able to protect both Tori and Lewis from harm. Shortly afterwards Ben is injured by a small mishap and must rely on Tori to see him through and not lose a leg that is a possibility. They find out that each has the strength that the other needs in a crisis and the ultimately God is the only one they can always rely on.
I like the trapped in a blizzard idea but lewis’ father could show up gravely injuried and the H has no idea why Tori is so afraid of even helping a a gravely injuried/dying man..
the rape comes out in an argument between the H and h during this time…
I left this on Facebook too, but figured it doesn’t hurt to put it both places! I was pondering and thinking that perhaps the only thing that is going to make Tori trust Ben is if Lewis is in some sort of trouble. Maybe he gets kidnapped for some reason and Tori because she doesn’t trust Ben’s plan tries to rescue him and ends up hurt/kidnapped/something. Or maybe Ben sacrifices himself in some sort of trade for Lewis (kind of like Christ) and so Tori realizes that he’s willing to lay down his life for them. Then the whole town comes together to rescue Ben. Maybe kidnapped by those outlaws? Maybe Ben has a past that would put a bounty on his head so he’d be appealing to the kidnappers as a substitute? Or maybe someone from Ben’s past who want to bring him harm and sees he loves Tori/Lewis kidnaps them to hurt Ben? Or maybe the man who raped her tracks her down and tries to take Lewis? Maybe while they’re out traveling, one of the farm wives has a similar background and ends up sharing her story of healing. I think Tori would much more relate to someone who has been there; especially in an era that put blame on the woman for rape. Of course I’d always love an Archer reunion; what’s the timeline like? Maybe one of the Archer daughters has grown up and moved in?
What is you go all soap opera like? Have Emma (or another townswoman about her age – hereafter “tc” for traveling comoanion) travel as a chaperone, since Tori feels unsafe around men. While they are out traveling as a foursome, have a freak blizzard or broken axle strand them at a ranch in the middle of nowhere. While they are stuck at the ranch, Tori and tc offer to help with the cooking and serve food to the ranch hands, one of whom is Lewis’s father’s identical twin brother. Since Lewis’s father is the bad twin, and this guy is a decent man who didn’t know that his brother is a scoundrel, tc can begin to fall for him. Tori struggles with her feelings and fears brought about by this man’s resemblance to Lewis’s father. She overeacts to something the good twin says at dinner one night (maybe about the resemblance of himself to Lewis), and she runs out of the house. Ben follows her and finds her crying in the barn. She finally opens up to him about what happened to her. At this point you could end, or you could add a subsubplot where Ben tries to seek revenge on the bad twin, but ultimately comes to realize that won’t solve anything. 🙂
Intriguing “soap opera” twist with the look-a-like. I already starting playing with the brother angle in my head, so I might end up with something a little similar. 😉
I love the idea of bringing in Tori’s rapist, though maybe he was too drunk to remember anything or even recognize her. But it would be a fantastic opportunity for Ben to perceptively see her instinctive reaction to the man and step in as strong support.
I really dislike using children to create tension in a story – it’s often the first instinct but it’s over-used plus my momma’s heart just hates reading about kids injured or in danger.
I was thinking in their travels, Tori could see or hear stories from various people they encounter about all the kind, trustworthy deeds Ben has done here and there – perhaps he always drops off a free bag of flour at a widow’s home, gently rebuffs the flirtations of a rancher’s daughter, etc. This would soften her toward him, and then when she sees her rapist and freaks out, she would finally be willing to trust Ben with her story and eventually her heart.
Nice thought about having the ranchers/farmers attest to Ben’s character. 🙂
This is such a cool idea, Karen! I love, love, love brainstorming, and it’s so great to see everyone’s ideas.
For me, I see Tori needing to step out of her comfort zone. She’s afraid of (big) men, afraid of getting too close to Ben, and afraid of losing Lewis in one form or another.
On the flip side, I see Ben having had patience and gentleness with Tori, but now, I think he’d see this moment as his last shot to win her. He embarks on the journey fearing that he may lose Tori and Lewis for good, if things don’t go right.
So, we play on their fears. If they’re traveling to visit surrounding farmers, it seems to me like the scenes would flip between the shop at Harper’s Station and the farmers’ properties, with some traveling, too. After they meet with a couple farmers together, I can see Ben wanting Tori to find her wings, asking her to speak with another farmer alone (maybe while he is speaking with an important client). OR! Ben knows this farmer, and asks her to wait for him so they can speak to the farmer together. Either way, this farmer is a big man (and unsavory, though she may not know that yet), and Tori struggles through the meeting.
I see this causing bigger problems in future scenes–because maybe that farmer gains an interest in her. I like the idea of her having to ‘revisit’ the wounds of her past, though I think it would make more sense in a novella to have the villain be a new threat, not someone coming from her past (lots of extra emotions to deal with if it’s someone from the past).
So, the more Tori has to work with this farmer, the more she grows uncomfortable. She is trying to step out on her own, but she just doesn’t have a good feeling about him. I see her learning to lean on Ben at this point. Somehow, I’d love to see her gain her wings, and for Ben to learn something in the process, too. What’s his wound/lie he has to overcome? That could play in here.
Perhaps Tori and Ben decide to throw an open house of sorts–something where the farmers can come to the shop and see what there is to order (this would cause conflict, since it’s a female community, so maybe a different setting would work for the venue). This would be a project that could draw Tori and Ben together, while also giving the story a place for the black moment: when the villain, Tori, Ben, and Lewis converge.
I can see the farmer/client threatening Tori when she doesn’t let him advance. I don’t know if he’d actually kidnap Lewis, though he may threaten to do so–or maybe just try to harm him–though that may not get the farmer what he wants, if what he wants is Tori. Unless, maybe what he really wants is more goods, or cheaper prices. Then, perhaps, he could use Lewis as ransom, or maybe he learns something he can use as blackmail.
So that’s my brainstorming idea… which ended up being about as long as a novella. Ha! 🙂 Hope you find some great fodder among all these comments!
Hi Karen!
I love this, getting ideas from your reader. That’s great!
So I had 2 ideas which were both already brought up, but I’ll still comment 😉
So my first idea was that Tori, Lewis and Ben cross path with Lewis’ father. From what you wrote on your post, I believe Ben doesn’t know about the rape. Of course Tori and Lewis’ father will recognize each other. This man might even try to blackmail Tori, since he’ll find out she owns a store. Then, Tori will have no choice but to trust Ben with the truth, that Lewis was born out of rape. Now Ben will do everything he can to get her out of this horrible situation and the way he will handle it will prove to Tori that he is a good men.
My second idea was that Lewis disappeared. No one knows where he’s gone to and of course that worries Tori a lot. Ben is the only one she can count on to get through that fear and that brings them closer together. The boy could possibly have been abducted by an old widow who lost her son when he was about Lewis’ age. Perhaps he died in a swimming accident. Discovering this, Ben will try to help the woman and bring Lewis back to Tori. Maybe the woman could then come to her senses and agree to come back to Harper’s Station with them where she could enjoy playing with the kids and have a great support group.
Well now that I worked out most of the details, those are pretty different ideas. 🙂
Hope it helps!
Gosh, Karen, you have a ton of stories here, not just one!! Can I come to your blog when I run out of ideas? LOL. Wow! Can’t wait to see where you go with it.
I know! I’m seriously thinking about doing this every time. My creative juices are flowing faster now than they have been in days! This is exactly what I needed. 🙂
There are some great suggestions! Personally, I think there should be a scene where they arrive at some ranch and the man in charge of it is belligerent to Tori, only talking to Ben. But have Ben stand up for Tori saying she’s a full partner, how she runs her own store, and how she deserves the same respect as a businesswoman. I think that would help open her up, seeing him respect her as a businesswoman, and stand up to others to help support her. That on top of the connection with Lewis, as well as throwing in either a storm, accident, or Lewis’ father, as the others have suggested, would really help make that relationship pop. 🙂
I like that, Karen. That would add a nice scene to the story. 🙂
If they are travelling in the Spring,they could encounter a tornado and seek shelter.The man who raped her could be there and Ben could help protect her.
This is fun! I think maybe during their trip visiting surrounding farms, they could stop by Ben’s parent’s or grandparent’s farm. They arrive to discover his family is in distress because of some sickness or injury. He feels obligated to stay and care for them, forcing Tori and her son to have to stay as well. During this stay she finds more love and acceptance than she has known before. She also sees that not all men, namely Ben and his Dad or Grandad, are hurtful to women. She sees Ben’s Mom/Grandma find peace and love in the care and protection of her husband. I think the mom/grandma could be really sassy and fun… There could be some silliness surrounding an escaped pig or an old milk cow that moos really loudly every time Tori comes near…
Lol that should say parents’ or grandparents’. Don’t let my students read that. 😊
How about while traveling Ben and Tori witness a woman about to get raped. Ben saves her but is hurt while doing so. The woman is a loner and grateful but has nowhere to go so offers Tori help getting back since Ben isn’t quite up to it after playing hero.
Tori begins to let her guard down a little seeing how he saved the woman from a fate she hadn’t. But the woman is a little to grateful and is batting her eyelashes a little too much for Tori’s liking to her knight in shining armor. Tori would rather not explore why she is annoyed.
Just when the traveling party get comfortable with each other, the unsuccessful rapists reappears. Turns out, the woman that was “saved” and the rapist were in cahoots all along and just needed a way to get into the all women town to rob it. Their small posse arrives as reinforcements. Ben saves the day by rounding up townswomen and formulates a plan to take back the town without insinuating that he needs men to do it. He treats them as equals.
That’s an intriguing idea, Cynthia. Stir the jealousy a bit. Interesting …
I think it would be a GREAT twist if when they’re traveling (by wagon), Tori and Lewis leave the wagon to go to the bathroom and they’re stopped by a group of thieves who try to steal (and harm) Tori and Lewis…Just as they were about to kidnap the two, Ben comes to check on them and he rescues her from the thieves!!
~Halee
How about the boy be lost or kidnapped by outlaws and they have to work together to find him before it’s too late. During the course of this, they fall in love with each other
My daughter had the idea that the heroine is injuried seriously and the hero has medical abilities to help save her life. He saves her life and she falls in love with him
My thought, if it hasn’t been mentored yet is they are visiting potential customers. They get to the one farthest away. They find the family sick. They have to help. Storm hits. Wagon can’t move. They are totally dependent on each other to get through this crisis, help the family and each other survive. I like Johnette’s idea of another woman belong her along. So perhaps the woman could be the one to help her see there is hope and she can trust. And she sees firsthand his dependability, trustworthyness, and that wall comes down and she finds she can love!
Wow! You have been given a LOT of ideas already!
What if Tori gets into a situation very similar to her rape (accosted by a man, perhaps even because she has a son out if wedlock & that man considers her “loose”), and Ben rescues her with some personal sacrifice of his own (maybe a major injury), the combination of which causes her to spill all of what had happened to her?
I think that Ben and Tori can get kidnapped by a band of desperados. Ben would have to escape but for one reason or another Tori can’t and gets left behind. Then she would have to trust Ben to find a way to rescue her!
Hope it doesn’t sound stupid. This is the first time in my life that I write a suggestion to a professional writer like you, Mrs. Witemeyer! 🙂
Ha! The first rule of brainstorming is that there are no bad ideas. So, thank you for adding yours to the mix! 🙂
There were so many fabulous ideas, I couldn’t pick just one. So I chose 4. I’ll email the winners directly, but here are the ones I selected:
Alexandra
Darcy Southern
Johnette
Karen Martin
Thanks for everyone’s help! I have so many great ideas churning through my brain now. I’m going to have fun putting this story together! 🙂