Christian Romance
Date Published: 02-22-2022
20-year-old Ruby Gale has a secret. After all, unmarried women in 1895 can't be too careful. Especially when it comes to matters of business - not to mention the human heart.
After the untimely deaths of their parents at a young age, Ruby is grateful for her older brother Simon, a prominent attorney in the small town of Divine, CO, for caring for her during her formative years. However, now that she's reached 20 years of age and is looking towards marriage, Ruby wishes he could see her as the woman she's become instead of the child she once was. Eager to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, Ruby agrees to invest in a greeting card business with several of the other ladies she knows in town.
Valentine’ Day is just around the corner, so the timing couldn’t be better. However, because some of the married ladies suspect their husbands may not welcome the idea of their wives working, it’s decided that the card-marking activity will take place under the guise of tea parties to avoid suspicion.
The talk amongst the unwed members of the group - including Ruby - soon turns to prospective beaus and secret crushes and suddenly unsigned valentines begin showing up in the hands of the most eligible bachelors all over town. Rumors and speculations abound, and everyone thinks they know who’s sweet on who. Suddenly, Ruby not only has to sort out the identities of the secret admirers, but also answer the question of which man to give her own heart - and why.
Interview with Author Annee Jones
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
Part of the reason why I became an author of historical romance is that I love doing research! It was around the time of the fall season a few years back, when everyone is starting to look forward to the holidays. I was thinking about the calendar of holidays we celebrate in the U.S. and began to wonder about their origins, symbolism, and how people have celebrated them throughout history and around the world. When I was researching Valentine’s Day, I discovered Esther Allen Howland’s role in not only creating the modern-day valentine card, but equipping women to become entrepreneurs. I wanted to feature those aspects of history in Ruby’s Choice, and hence developed a storyline where the heroine (Ruby) wants to work in a day and age when women in the workplace was frowned upon.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
As indicated above, one of my goals was to honor Ms. Howland’s contribution in helping women gain independence by providing them with a means to a livelihood. I wanted to show how that may have played out in family relationships, and I also wanted to create a sweet romance with the fun of secret admirers.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
I don’t think anything about it was really “hard,” per se. I love to immerse myself in the world of my characters and get into their heads for a time! I’d have to say the hardest thing for me when writing any of my books is finishing them. I always cry after I write the end!
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I don’t know that I can pick a favorite – I loved doing the research, coming up with the fun characters and all their unique personalities, and definitely playing up all the crushes & secret admirer mysteries!
Where there alternate endings you considered?
Nope!
Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?
Since my research was historical, I didn’t “meet” anyone in real life, although I certainly became well acquainted with Ms. Howland, her life story, and also her father’s role in supporting her new business.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
There’s not much I don’t enjoy all along the spectrum of fiction to nonfiction, but I’d have to list my favorites as classic literature, historical romance, and cozy mystery. I’ve been a voracious reader all my life as well as an avid book collector. My imagination often keeps me up at night, and I keep a notebook on my bedside table for middle-of-the-night brainstorms for my own stories.
About the Author
Professionally, Annee works as a disability counselor where she helps her clients navigate through complex medical and legal systems while rediscovering their wholeness in Spirit.
Annee also enjoys freelance writing for Publishers Weekly and multiple publishing companies.
Subscribe to Annee’s newsletter on her website: www.anneejones.com
Want to join Annee’s private Facebook reader group, Annee's Angels? Request your spot now: https://www.facebook.com/groups/anneesangelgroup
Contact Links
Purchase Link
0 comments:
Post a Comment