Saturday, August 20, 2022

CHARACTER INTERVIEW -- THE HEROINE

Thank you for stopping by today. My guest is the heroine from GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, Heidi Roth McRae.

Tell me about yourself, Heidi. What is your occupation? What are your strengths & weaknesses?

Guten morgan… I mean good morning. I am pleased you asked me here.

Heidi Roth McRae

My name is Adelheid Roth McRae, but everyone calls me Heidi. I lived in a beautiful part of Bavaria before I came to Texas here in America. Now I live in what is called the Texas Hill Country. The hills are very gentle and quite lovely. At first I thought it not as pretty as my homeland, but now I have come to love living here.

In Bavaria my occupation—other than helping my mother keep house—was doing the accounts for the local grocer. I enjoyed keeping the accounts very much, and now I keep all the records for the ranch. I enjoy cooking, but at the ranch Annie Fraser does the cooking.  I never liked doing the laundry. Here at the ranch, a lady comes two days a week to do the laundry and ironing. I feel like a princess!

People in Bavaria told me I am too plainspoken, but I cannot pretend to agree if I do not. Mama told me to just say nothing. To me, that is lying by omission. I must laugh, because no one at the ranch thinks that I should not give my opinion. Everyone here speaks freely. In fact, Gentry asks me what I think about many things. I am a hard worker and believe I do a good job in my responsibilities. From the day I arrived, it seems every day brings new challenges, sometimes pleasant and sometimes danger.

The town where I lived in Bavaria.


 What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

My parents taught me to work hard and accept responsibility. I suppose one would say my family life was mostly happy. No doubt it appeared that way to others. Papa always was kind to me. Mama complimented me, but seasoned it with a criticism. My older sister, Willhamina, was mean to me—she was very selfish and lazy.

Always, I have been the tallest of those my age. Now that I am ten inches over five feet, my sister and cousins call me a giant spinster. I did not let them know how much their taunting hurt my feelings. Letting them see that their barbs struck my heart would only have encouraged them.

Now that I am married to Gentry McRae, I am very happy. We are well-matched. Also, he compliments me, and so does our live-in cook, who is like a sister should be. Gentry is several inches over six feet, and so are several others I know here in Texas. Now I do not feel like I tower over everyone. Those on the ranch are like an extended and loving family. I am very fortunate to be here and a part of this group.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

The first thing that comes to mind is sitting around the kitchen table at dinner, listening to our parents talk, and then my sister and I telling them about our day. Recalling at the same time is playing with my friends. Willhamina was six years older than me, and did not play with me. I was very happy growing up, except for comments about my height.

How did you two meet? What was your first impression of heroine?

The trip from Bavaria to Texas was long and tedious. When I arrived at the stagecoach station in Bandera, Gentry greeted me instead of Johann, who was the man I traveled from Bavaria to marry. After we were in the buggy and on the way to Harrigan Springs, Gentry gently explained that Johann had died a few days before I arrived. Gentry then told me I owned a fourth of the ranch and he proposed. I was shocked, so that for a few minutes I could not make a decision. He seemed a kind man and we were business partners, so I agreed to marry Gentry. I am very glad I did.

I admit I felt as if I were cheating Johann's grandmother, who paid my fare to Texas. At the same time, I was pleased that handsome and polite Gentry was my groom. I believe we are a perfect couple. I give thanks every day that I have this life!

 What do you like about the hero?

There are many things I like about Gentry, but I’ll try to be brief. He is decisive and seems to make the right decisions. Neighbors and those in town like and respect him. He is a very gentle and passionate man in private, but perhaps I should not have mentioned that. Thankfully, he is five or six inches taller than me. You have no idea how relieved I am. Not only that, he is handsome and has a fun sense of humor. He’s a wonderful husband and father. He pitches in to help his neighbors when they need him. Oh, I could go on for a long time, but I think this gives you an idea of who he is.

 What is it that you want out of life?

Here at our ranch, I have everything I dreamed of all my life. I’m accepted for who I am and no one makes fun of me. They are patient when I forget the English word I need. Gentry said my English is rapidly improving. You see, no one criticizes me because I sometimes need help with English. Every day I feel as if I am the luckiest woman in the world!


 

If you’d like to learn more about Heidi and Gentry’s life, GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE is available from Amazon in e-book, print, and is enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. Here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6YN6QHK

 

Stay safe and keep reading! 

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