Inspirations

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I'm happy to report that I'm deep in the world of my second American Civil War Brides novel.  Seven Aprils' bride was Tess,  Book 2: Mercies of the Fallen's bride is Ursula. 

The title is inspired by Dar Williams' hauntingly beautiful song Mercy of the Fallen which begins...

Oh my fair North Star, I have held to you dearly,

I had asked you to steer me, 

Till one cloud-scattered night, 

I got lost...

Here are some of the images that inspire me as I write.  My hero Rowan is a sergeant in a New York Zouave regiment.  I love the Zouave uniforms... finding them dashing and colorful and comfortable, being of light weight cloth and easy to move in.  Regiments of both the South and the North wore them.

Zouave soldier 

I even found a photograph of a soldier who looked like my Rowan...

...although my husband spied this Civil War era photo and proclaimed I was actually inspired by our friend Paul in his youth, what do you think?

...hmmm, separated at birth?

My hero and heroine are both lost and damaged souls.  So I am looking to a couple of people I know to inspire the creation of supporting characters to bright some lightness to the novel.  

One is my dear cousin Monique, a delightful force of nature, full of what the French call joie de vivre. She is inspiring the character of Marie Madeline, a French Canadian wonder who, along with her two sisters helped raise Rowan into the loving, generous man that he is, despite his rough start as a survivor of An Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger in Ireland.  Here's my wonderful cousin and me...

be warned: if I'm looking at you like this, you're going to end up in one of my novels!

Another relative is helping me form my heroine's brother Jonathan, who is determined to see her free and n the road to finding her happiness.  He is a goofy, impatient matchmaker and I drew from my delightful, goofy son-in-law Teddy who loves winter and takes down Christmas trees with relish!

I hope you are finding inspirations daily!