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! 

NEW PREORDER! GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE

By Caroline Clemmons

GENTRY AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE is the first book of the Texas Hill Country Mail Order Bride Series. Months ago I conceived the idea for a new mail order bride series. When I saw a cover offered by Charlene Raddon of Silver Sage Book Covers, the man on the cover looked perfect for a character I had in mind. I bought the cover on the spot and have saved it all this time. Now Charlene has created more covers for the series. This series is exciting to me, and I hope you enjoy reading the series as much as I’m enjoying planning and writing the books.

The Texas Hill Country is an area my family and I have enjoyed visiting over the years. We even spent several days at a dude ranch near Bandera--not far from where GENTRY is set. Our daughters and I loved being "dudes"—Hero not so much, but he was a good sport the entire visit. We’ve also enjoyed Lost Maples State Historic Area, Bastrop, Frederickburg, Luchenbach, and other Hill Country towns.

Gentry McRae is a rancher whose land is near the Medina River and fictional Harrigan Springs. He was lucky enough to become the partner of a man whose life he saved. Together, they’ve built a fine ranch. His partner, who is a decade older than Gentry, agrees to let his mother and grandmother send him a bride from Germany, where he was born.

The mail order bride is named Adelheid “Heidi” Roth. Although she is from her prospective groom’s birthplace, she was a baby when he left at age fifteen. His mother and grandmother attend the same church as her family, so she knows them. But not well, because her family is not in the same social circles as the wealthy groom-to-be.

 

PREORDER NOW AT  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6YN6QHK

Sometimes the perfect match is the one you didn't expect.

Here is the book’s description:

Nothing much riles Gentry McRae. He works hard on the ranch he co-owns with his best friend, and is content with his life. He’s proud of all they’ve accomplished in the ten years since the war. That is, until his partner dies and leaves his half of the ranch to his mail-order bride—and wills the bride to Gentry! “Now just a doggone minute, I don’t plan to marry for years!” But, a single woman can’t reside on a ranch where four men live without ruining her reputation. What’s a good man to do, except marry the woman when she arrives?

Heidi Roth has been spurned for being too plainspoken and too tall. In addition, her sister constantly makes fun of her for those reasons. That’s why—with many doubts—she’s willing to travel for months from Germany to Texas to marry a man who once lived in her town. When she arrives, she learns her prospective groom died four days earlier, but willed her his share of a ranch. She has serious doubts, but agrees to wed the partner, Gentry, to protect her reputation. Sure enough, from the next day, one event after the other happens to complicate her life—yet she is happy. Until she sees the will and learns they are not equal partners as Gentry had led her to believe.

The arrival of three orphans are a welcome addition to the household. The grassfire that threatens the ranchers and the lives of those who live there creates terror in Heidi's heart. Will Gentry return so she can tell him she's sorry for her sharp words? If he does, will he accept her apology and return to the married life she enjoyed?

 

Heidi Roth

Enjoy an excerpt:

The comments from her sister and cousin fueled her actions. She strode from the house toward the matchmaker’s home. Though she did not want to risk the matchmaker again, she longed to get away from the people who belittled her. Something must change.

Being ten inches over five feet meant she towered over most people. Did they think being tall meant she had no feelings? Like most women, she wanted her own husband and children. She was tired of her sister and cousins making snide remarks about her height and lack of a husband or children.

Each of the matches Mrs. Heinz suggested was a man with whom Heidi had known in school. Each disliked that he was several inches shorter than she. She had no control over her height. Each wanted a younger wife, not someone nearly twenty-five. Neither liked a woman who spoke her mind, but she would not pretend to be what she was not.

Their town was simply too small to have many bachelors. Mrs. Heinz relied on word of mouth for her matchmaking business. Heidi wanted to run into the forest and never return. Instead, she held her head high and walked the half-mile to the home of Mrs. Heinz.

Stay safe and keep reading!