I have a secret. I’m dipping my toes into the Indie Publishing pool. *Gasp* Don’t hyperventilate from shock. It’s only for a novella. I will continue publishing all my full-length novels with Bethany House, but I’m excited to experiment with this avenue. My novella will be kicking off a multi-author western romance series, and I’m so thankful that many of the authors in this group have indie experience. I’m leaning on them heavily as I struggle to learn all the ins and outs. If this experiment goes well, I hope to publish more novellas this way in the future.
The project won’t be revealed until next week, so you’ll have to wait for my next post to get all the nitty-gritty details, but I thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at some of my story elements.
When I first started brainstorming, all I really knew about my story was that it would take place in 1893 and that my heroine would have an encounter with the amazing Annie Oakley following her run with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show that took place in conjunction with the World’s Fair in Chicago. Annie Oakley had a passion for teaching women how to defend themselves. In fact, some historians estimate that she taught over 15,000 women to shoot over the course of her lifetime. Once I learned that, I knew my heroine would seek out a lesson from the legendary markswoman. However, I didn’t yet know who my heroine would be.
One of the authors in our group mentioned how much readers love stories about secondary characters, and she got my mind swirling with possibilities. Most of my adult secondary characters had already had their own stories written, but what if I went back and pulled out children from my previous stories?
I started calculating dates to see which, if any, of my juvenile secondary characters might work for a romance taking place in 1893. I came up with two likely candidates:
- Tessa James – She was the young girl of a widowed mother who became a dressmaking assistant to Hannah Richards in my debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride. Tessa was 8 years old in that book (set in 1881), so she would be 20 in 1893.
- Jackson Spivey – He was 12 years old and the son of a negligent father in Stealing the Preacher (1885). Joanna Robbins took him under her wing despite the fact that Jackson had a massive crush on her. When Crockett Archer came into the picture, he won Jackson over with respect, straight talk, and his skill with a rifle. Jackson would also be 20 in 1893.
So which one should I use? Both have potential. Both are interesting characters in their own right. And both provide a level of emotional attachment to me and to readers.
Then it hit me. Why not use both Tessa and Jackson? So that’s what I did!
This will be my first time featuring such a young hero at only 20 years of age, but Jackson’s rough upbringing forced him to grow up fast, so I think it will work. My son and his new wife were both the same age when they married at 22, so the more I thought about pairing Tessa and Jackson, the more the idea grew on me.
I decided not to set the story in either Coventry (A Tailor-Made Bride) or Deanville (Stealing the Preacher) but chose to give both characters a fresh start in a different location. They are both starting out as young professionals, struggling to find where they fit in a world wider than their hometowns. Tessa is working as a seamstress in a new shop in Caldwell, Texas, and Jackson works in a gun shop off the courthouse square. Not only did I want to move these characters out from under the shadows of the heroes and heroines who preceded them, but I wanted to make sure new readers could follow the story without being familiar with my previous books.
The story is written, edited, and in the final stages of proofreading. I really enjoyed pairing Jackson and Tessa. After Jackson lost his first love (Joanna) to the man who become his mentor and best friend (Crockett), I’m excited to bring him his own special woman to love. Even if she has to chase him down to convince him he’s worth loving.
Do you enjoy reading stories about characters who were children in previous books?
Latest posts by Karen Witemeyer (see all)
- Wedding Joy - November 21, 2024
- How Faith Meets Dreams - November 7, 2024
- Giveaways Gallore! - October 17, 2024
Hooray – I am so looking forward to reading Jackson & Tessa’s story!
Thank you for taking on this new challenge of indie publishing in addition to your traditional publishing endeavors – we, your readers, support you 200%.
God has blessed you with an amazing talent – I’m very grateful for all you do and eagerly wait to devour all the fruits of your labor!
May God continue to bless you in all areas of your life!
You just made my day, Nadine! Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. It means so much. I can’t wait to share Jackson and Tessa’s story with you. 🙂
“What if I went back and pulled out children from my previous stories?” KAREN! This idea is absolutely brilliant! Your existing readers are going to love catching up with kids they knew in prior books now that they’re young adults. And new-to-you readers of this novella will likely want to read books that star these characters as children. Fabulous!
Thanks, Becky! 🙂 That’s my hope.
This sounds so interesting, and I’m anxious to hear more in your next post. Love the pictures you show, which I imagine is how you see your hero and heroine. Yes, I enjoy reading about children who have grown up, sometimes included in series. I just finished a dual timeline book in which this was done very well. Often, I finish a book and wonder about young people and what their future might be.
I grew up when western were popular on TV. Historical fiction is my favorite genre – I read all periods and countries. Although I had read some books set in the West, yours have given me my main perspective and enjoyment. When our grandson was born in 2009, we drove across country from Virginia to California to see him and spent some time there. We took a northern route out and southern route home, seeing many fantastic sites. Two places we really enjoyed were Deadwood, S.D. and Cody, Wyoming. We saw Wild Bill Hicokck’s and Calamity Jane’s graves in Mt Moriah Cemetery. When we arrived in Cody, it was during the week of their Wild West festival, so lots to see and do. The people there were amazing – so happy, proud, and helpful. Hotels seemed to be sold out, so we went to the Visitor’s Center. They called around around and found us a room. We also were concerned about warnings on our SUV. Our helper at the Visitor’s Center called an auto mechanic shop, where our car was checked and we were assured we could continue to Long Beach and have the problem fixed at a dealer. No charge to us in Cody! We even said to each other that if we had to relocate anywhere, this would be a town we could love! So, excited to read about the Wild West show and Annie Oakley!
What an amazing adventure, Betty! I was especially interested in your story because many of the ladies who are teaming up with me on this series are planning a trip to Deadwood, SD this June! We are going to participate in the Wild Deadwood Reads book fair, and I plan to do a TON of sightseeing while we are there. Mt. Moriah Cemetery is definitely on my list!
You will love Deadwood, Karen!We have been there twice. When my husband received a health diagnosis in January, 2017, the first thing he said was, “I want to drive across country one more time.” And we did that summer. Be sure to take the town bus trip – great facts given with humor – that includes the cemetery. Also, there is an enactment of Wild Bill’s shooting in a saloon on main street. The town is charming and a step back in time.
I can’t wait!
I LOVE this, Karen. I have toyed with going back into some of my past books to find characters I would like to write about years later. I’ve never done that. I love how you did it for your novella.
I did have fun setting a contemporary story (Like the Wind) in one of my fictional towns from an historical romance series (The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs). I loved seeing that little town a hundred years later.
What a fun idea, Robin! Did your contemporary setting have a cute little museum tucked away to honor the town’s history? Or a preserved historic home that gave tours? The history geek in me would have loved to include little nods to the past like that. Love it!
So fun! I always look forward to a new Karen Witemeyer story! 🙂 Can’t wait to hear more!
I like everything about this!I’m curious to know who the other authors in the series will be. It’s always fun to see familiar characters again. It’s been awhile since I’ve read either book so I don’t remember Tessa but I do remember Jackson. He was quite a character. I’m looking forward to reading this novella.
Wow! That’s exciting! Yes I have read books like that before and enjoyed them immensely.
Great idea, Karen. Looking forward to it!
Sounds great! I can’t wait to read about these adults!