Debut novelist, Janette Foreman, has just celebrated the release of her first historical romance, Last Chance Wife. I’m delighted to feature her characters, Winifred and Ewan, here at Relz Reviewz, and I think Winifred’s similarities to Kathleen Kelly will entice a lot of readers! Be sure to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a copy of Last Chance Wife, thanks to Jeanette’s generosity.

Enjoy!

*****

Winifred Sattler 

Physical Stats

Height: 5’8”

Hair colour & style: long brown hair piled up fashionably in curls or a twisted chignon.

Eye colour: Gray-blue

Dress sense: Fashionable dresses, as the aunt and uncle who raised her are wealthy, but practical enough for everyday wear because she’s unassuming and very active.

Resembles… 

Alison Brie

Can’t live without…

Loyal, deep friendships

Strengths

She has a servant heart and a warm, nurturing personality. She would rather hug than shake hands. She is also artistic, energetic, bubbly, and a dreamer. Her never-ending optimism helps her solve problems that seem impossible otherwise.

Vulnerabilities

Having such a servant heart leads her into situations sometimes where she gives and gives but doesn’t receive. Her trust has been taken advantage of, and sometimes her dreamer mentality causes people not to take her seriously.

Passions

Art (sketching) and helping those in need (specifically, helping Ewan save his fledgling gold mine business)

What book or movie would they recommend?

Definitely You’ve Got Mail, because she’s a lot like Kathleen Kelly. And because Winifred, too, has a secret pen pal she’s falling for…

Your inspiration for the character

Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail, Anne Shirley, and a little bit of myself. I wanted to make Winifred someone people could root for, who’s overcome obstacles in her life. She lost her parents at a young age and is now a mail-order bride who is “six times ordered but never once a bride.” My hope is that her resiliency is inspiring but that she is also human enough to be relatable and endearing. She has her share of fiascos throughout the book, brought on by good intentions and a little too much gumption. 🙂

Ewan Burke

Physical Stats

Height: 5’11”

Hair colour & style: Sandy blond with copper flecks

Eye colour: Grey

Dress sense: Always in a suit. As a self-made businessman, his suits might be a bit threadbare, but you can bet they’re always pressed.

Resembles… 

Ewan MacGregor

Can’t live without…

His self-respect

Strengths

Straight-forward thinking, analysis, and a warm heart for mission work

Vulnerabilities

The bubbly, vivacious type. But he’s vowed to never fall for a woman like that . . . again. Now he’s looking for a no-nonsense wife to share in his life and business.

Passions

His mission to help the downtrodden of Deadwood. He gives jobs to those who no one else will employ, teaching them skills to make them more marketable.

What book or movie would they recommend? He probably wouldn’t watch many movies, as he spends so much time growing his gold mining business. But a book he would recommend is the Bible—it’s sound, convicting, and important.

Your inspiration for the character

I wanted Ewan to be the opposite of Winifred. Where she is whimsical and dreamy, he is staid and serious. While he grounds her lofty ideas, she helps him consider exciting new possibilities. But he’s not just a stodgy businessman. It was important to me to show how warm a heart can be beneath a ‘seemingly’ cold exterior.

Background to the story

I wanted to write a love story containing letters. After many conversations with my critique partners and a few plotting experiments, I settled on a mail-order bride. Only, instead of starting the story when the bride answers the request and they start their lives together, Last Chance Wife begins while they communicate anonymously together—and know each other in person. Also, one of my favourite movies is You’ve Got Mail, so those story hooks definitely influenced the story.

I live about ten minutes from the setting of the story, Deadwood, South Dakota. The gold-rush town has such rich history and had a very vivid cast of characters living there in the 1870s and 1880s. It’s the perfect setting for Last Chance Wife.

Lastly, the inspiration for Ewan’s mission work came from an old friend of mine who runs a coffee shop mission in Denver. He employs teens and young adults who have been homeless and want to leave homelessness behind, teaching them valuable, marketable skills through his program. I wanted Ewan Burke to have a heart like that.

Thank you for having me, Rel!

You are welcome, Janette!

Her Secret Suitor

When six–time mail–order bride Winifred Sattler is stranded in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, she’s grateful to find a temporary position at Mr. Ewan Burke’s business until she can return home. Ewan is handsome, but stuffy and serious – her complete opposite. Unlike her new anonymous correspondent, Mr. Businessman, who appreciates her bubbly optimism.

To keep his mining company afloat, Ewan can’t be distracted by Winifred’s vivacious beauty. He needs a no–nonsense wife. Someone like Miss Thoroughly Disgruntled, the only respondent to his recent ad with whom he truly connected. In person, Winifred and Ewan don’t get along, but in their letters they’re falling in love. Will they discover a perfect match in each other?

A former high school English teacher, turned stay-at-home mom, I’m passionate about inspirational, God-centered romances and teaching people to see themselves as having worth in God’s eyes. I am a proud member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), secretary of the ACFW Dakotas chapter, and am represented by Tamela Hancock Murray at the Steve Laube Agency. When I sneak in time for my extra hobbies, I love to read, quilt, make cloth dolls, and draw. A graduate of York College and Black Hills State University, I make my home in the northern Midwest with my amazing husband, polydactyl cat, bird-hunting dog, and the most adorable baby twin boys on the planet.

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