2016-03-26

Celebrating Women’s History Month at Read-A-Romance!

Since some of my favorite books are set in a variety of historical time-periods, I thought it would be fun to check in with some great authors in romance and women’s historical fiction, and explore their connection to history. Since the female perspective in history and fiction has been ignored so often, for so long, I find it heartening to see so many books representing romance and/or women’s history, telling such mesmerizing stories against the backdrop of some of the most intriguing and pivotal moments in time. I hope you find these essays as fascinating and fun as I do. You can find the full calendar of authors here.

Did you miss Read-A-Romance Month in August? Be sure to check out all the great “Joy of Romance” essays at the 2015 Calendar and if you’d like, you can follow RARM  on Facebook.

Tracing My Love of History

I trace my love of history back to a novel.  When I was around 8, I spotted the book at a relative’s house. The cover fascinated me. It depicted a little girl around my age clad in a long dress and running barefoot in the grass with her dog. That sounds rather ordinary so far; the interesting bit was the door and window cut into the side of the hill below the girl’s feet. Through the open door, you could see an older woman ironing.

I’m pretty sure most of you by now have recognized Garth Williams’s cover art for On the Banks of Plum Creek, the third installment of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series.

I borrowed that book from the library and devoured it. I went on to devour all the other books in the series. And then, to my parents’ bewilderment, I read them again. And again.

“You’ve read those already,” my dad would say, usually when he’d brought me a new book to read and I’d ask him why he hadn’t brought me the Little House books. I was forever borrowing them from the library. “Don’t you want to read something new?”

I didn’t. I wanted those books. I talked my friends into playing Mary and Laura (although we often argued over who got to be Laura—no one wanted to be goody two-shoes Mary). I wanted to be Laura’s friend. I probably wanted to be Laura. I wanted to experience what it might be like to take off into uncharted territory with all my worldly possessions packed into a covered wagon to stake out a new claim in a wild land.

I’m pretty sure I either didn’t understand or glossed over the hardships. When I re-read The Long Winter as an adult, I had a much stronger grasp on just how desperate a situation the entire town found itself in. (And the Ingalls family lived in town. There’s an almost throwaway mention how another couple of family friends survived that horrible winter alone on their claim.)

At some point I noticed the author and the protagonist of the books bore the same name, and I went around insisting the series ought to be in the non-fiction section. Since I went on to read biographies of the real-world Laura, I realize how her children’s books turned into fictionalized accounts of mainly real-life events. But it’s the trueness of the recounting that stays with you. It’s the vivid description of a life long past, preserved in the pages of a children’s book.

Though I occasionally revisit that world (and I’ve shared it with my daughters, because as an adult, I acquired the series my parents didn’t buy for me), I eventually grew out of my obsession with Laura and her world. But that hasn’t stopped me from reading other historically set novels with great enjoyment.

And when I first began reading romance, the novels set in bygone times were an immediate attraction over books set in the real world. It seems I still want to escape to the past, at least for a few hours—because I’m also rather partial to my modern conveniences, not the least of which is indoor plumbing.

Ashlyn recommends:

I first started reading romance in the 1980s, when American-set stories abounded. I miss them, but here are a few recent offerings that take place in North America.

Kathleen Bittner Roth’s  –   kathleenbittnerroth.com  –  When Hearts Dare series sweeps the reader from Louisiana to San Francisco, over to Scotland, and back to New Orleans. If you look back fondly on those meaty old-school romances, you’ll want to check out Celine, Alanna, and Josette. The heroines are strong without being headstrong.

I would be remiss in mentioning The Long Winter without recommending Carla Kelly’s  –  carlakellyauthor.com   –  Softly Falling. Set during the Hard Winter of 1886 in Wyoming, Kelly’s work feels like a more adult echo of Wilder’s book.

Another period of American history that I just love is the Revolutionary War era, and Donna Thorland’s  –www.donnathorland.com  –  Renegades of the American Revolution series fits that bill quite nicely. These stories flirt with all the danger, grit, and uncertainty of a tumultuous era.

Questions for the Author

Tell us about a moment when you felt a deep connection to history.

Almost 19 years ago, my husband and I went to Germany to visit friends. They drove us to various places, some touristy, some less so. One weekend we drove around Lake Constance, and on the second day we stopped in Meersburg and toured the castle, whose central tower dates back to the 7th century.  Standing on the parapet hunched in an inadequate jacket against the teeth of a cold April wind with dismal clouds clinging to the Alps on the Swiss side, I could almost imagine I was a lady of the castle, watching for news of the departed army. I think it’s almost impossible to stand in a building that old and not feel the weight of the centuries.

Do you have a specific place or sound that makes you feel connected to history? Why?

I really love the old part of Quebec City, both within the walls and the Lower Town under the bluffs along the St. Lawrence. In some of the buildings you can still see where bullets marked the stone in the Battle of Quebec where forces of the Continental Army tried to seize the town from the British on the very last day of 1775. The last time I visited, I was inspired to begin a story set there, but sadly, I never finished it.

What is your (or a) favorite historical era or event?

I have a really difficult time selecting just one period. Someone can name about any historical event and I’ll be on board to jump down a rabbit hole to read about it. From the medieval period through World War II and even the more recent past like the Viet Nam war, I love learning about it all, especially from the perspective of everyday people who experienced these events.

Is there a moment in your research when some specific historical moment or event came to life for you? Tell us about it.

Sometimes an entire story can be born from a simple fact mentioned in passing. As I mentioned above, the last time I went to Quebec, I came home with the thought of setting a story there. I just happened to be reading an account of the 1775 battle when I noticed that some of the French-speaking locals actually turned on the occupying British to back the American side. To someone like me who has lived in Quebec for over 30 years, that made immediate sense. Tension between French and English speakers still exists in this province. I could easily imagine some of the more resentful older generation who still remembered the outcome of the French and Indian War where the French lost most of their North American possessions. Here was a chance to throw off the British oppressor (as they may have seen it) and return to a form of self-rule. Had the Americans won, I don’t know if the outcome would have met those expectations, but that’s all speculation now. But out of that one line formed a character that would have played a key role in that story. If only I’d finished it.

And for fun ~ Tell us about your Favorite Historical Crush. ;o) (This can be either a historical or fictional crush.) Why?

I have to say, Lisa Kleypas writes her some yummy heroes, and my favorite of them all is Sebastian St. Vincent. He’s a rogue with a smart mouth on him, but just so deliciously decadent when he falls for a stuttering wallflower. I don’t reread many romance novels, but The Devil in Winter? Oh yes.

Ashlyn is generously giving away an e-copy of WHAT A LADY REQUIRES, open to wherever the book is available.  To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below or on the Facebook post you’ll find here (or both – Share the Love!) ;o) by 11:59 pm PST April 5, 2016. Good luck!

Though it might be hard to tell given the topic of this post, USA Today Bestselling author Ashlyn Macnamara really does write Regency romance with a dash of wit and a hint of wicked. She considers this writing gig to be her mid-life crisis but figures it’s safer than skydiving.

She lives in the wilds of suburban Montreal with her husband, two daughters, and one loud-mouthed cat.

Her next release, To Lure a Proper Lady hits e-tailers March 29.

Learn more:

ashlynmacnamara.net         |          Facebook          |          Twitter

Buy Ashlyn’s books:

*Please note that the Amazon button, most cover images and many text links connect to an affiliate portal that supports Read-A-Romance. Thanks so much for your help!

The post HerStory: Ashlyn MacNamara – Devouring History appeared first on Read-A-Romance Month.

Show more