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15 April 2018

Denise Weimer -- Creating an Atypical Heroine




Overcoming with God blog welcomes Denise Weimer and her heroine, Jenny White! Denise is sharing with us about how she created her unusual heroine in the Backcountry Brides Collection from Barbour Books (May, 2018). Welcome, Denise! And Jenny!

Across Three Autumns’ Atypical Heroine
By Denise Weimer

Jenny White, my protagonist in Across Three Autumns, represents the opposite of the sweet, delicate, feminine heroine populating many romance novels. Growing up on the Colonial Georgia frontier as the eldest, tallest, and strongest of four surviving children, Jenny can do most things her father can. But as valuable as her skills with farm implements and Brown Bess might be, she’s given up on finding a man to appreciate them.

“Jenny grit her teeth at the way Caylan’s eyes followed Hester’s softly rounded girlish form…
She was used to it. She was. The frontier had just made her forget a little. The frontier flipped things backwards, making a strong, tough girl desirable and a weak, delicate one a liability. But the presence of men always put things back in order.”

Jenny didn’t come out of thin air. A very real woman inspired her, Nancy Hart of Georgia Revolutionary War fame. Nancy moved from North Carolina to Georgia in the early 1770s. Unlike my Jenny, Nancy was a married mother of six sons and two daughters who held off Indians and Loyalists while her husband fought under Col. Elijah Clark. Beauty and grace passed six-foot-tall Nancy right on by. Pipe-smoking, crossed-eyed, and pock-marked, Nancy was a crack shot the Indians called “Wahatche” or “War Woman,” and named the nearby creek after her.

Refusing to leave the “Hornet’s Nest” when other civilians fled, Nancy became the stuff of legends. I borrowed some of her exploits for Across Three Autumns, including the time she threw lye soap into the eye of a Loyalist peeking through her cabin chinking, and the time she got six British soldiers drunk on corn liquor while passing their weapons through a crack in that same chinking. (I guess her cabin needed some repair!) Nancy held the soldiers captive while her daughter summoned help from the neighbors.
My story presents a somewhat softer heroine, but an imperfect one who struggles with self-image and a desire for love. It was because of this struggle and the unbalanced way we often see ourselves as women that I chose to write Across Three Autumns only from Jenny’s point of view, rather than switching back and forth with the hero’s.
Jenny has probably become the heroine of mine I love most. I hope you’ll love her, too.

Giveaway: We're giving away an author copy (they've arrived!) of The Backcountry Brides Collection! Leave a comment on this post and on our review post this week for a chance to win a copy. Watch for our upcoming Rafflecopter giveaway link for this collection!

Available for pre-order (some are already shipping!) from:

Also available in: Some local Christian bookstores, Walmart, and local bookstores.




41 comments:

  1. My Kindle copy showed up early this morning. I'm three novellas in, I can't wait to read the rest! Thanks for sharing the unusual history of your heroine, Denise.

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    1. Thank YOU, Andrea! I loved all the stories in the collection. We appreciate your social media feedback.

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  2. Denise, this sounds like a wonderful story. I do enjoy stories where the female characters are a bit stronger. I'm looking forward to reading this collection.

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  3. What a great sounding story! My kind of book, for sure! I would love to read it and I thank you for sharing this wonderful review.

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    1. Yea! I hope the collection blesses you, Melanie.

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  4. I do appreciate an atypical heroine. I like the sound of Jenny.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    1. I liked the idea of a stronger (though secretly insecure) heroine to pair with the alpha male hero. Even Caylan is not typical, because there's a stubbornness to his sweetness when he won't give up on Jenny. :)

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  5. For once, a female who's not perfect looking but who knows a whole lot about real life! Thank you for writing a story like this.

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    1. My pleasure. I so enjoyed writing this story and being part of this collection.

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  6. I have been 'drooling' about this book! There isn't anything not to love about it, thank you so much for the chance to win a copy!!!

    wfnren at aol dot com

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    1. Wendy, glad it's almost release day, and the wait is over! :) Good luck.

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  7. Oh this story sounds amazing!!

    alander87(AT)allcom(DOT)net

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    1. Thank you, Abby. It might be my favorite I've written so far.

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  8. A girl after my own heart! Great idea for a book.

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  9. Sounds like a great novella in a fantastic collection! I adore this novella collections from Barbour.
    mindyhoungATmsnDOTcom

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    1. Barbour does make some strong collections and a beautiful product. Just got my author copies this week, and can't wait to put the books on my table. :)

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  10. I'm looking forward to meeting Jenny.

    psalm103and138atgmaildotcom

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    1. Hi, Caryl! She is looking forward to meeting you, too. :)

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  11. This sounds like a great book. Thank you for the chance to win

    bookaunt at outlook dot com

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  12. Thank you for writing this story. fishingjanATaolDOTcom

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    1. Hi, Jan! I was honored to be part of the collection with these amazing authors.

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  13. Thank you for sharing this. I love the Barbour collections and this looks like another great one. I can't wait to read it.
    susanmsj at msn dot com

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    1. Hope you enjoy slipping back to the 1700s with us!

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  14. Interesting post. Another book to add to my To Read Wish List. I love these Barbour collections and try to get whatever the library can.
    kmgervais54(at)gmail(do)com

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    1. Thank you! Hope your library will order a copy! :)

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    2. Congrats, Karen, per random.org you're our OWG winner for a copy of the brand new release The Backcountry Brides Collection!

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  15. I love the Barbour novella collections and this one sounds awesome! I also enjoy atypical characters, those unique ones who stand out from the crowd. Thanks for the giveaway chance.

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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    1. Jenny definitely stands out! Hee, hee. Hopefully she will be almost as memorable as Nancy Hart.

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  16. I love stories with a heroine that is unusual or not the norm! I'm really looking forward to reading this collection, and thanks for sharing some fascinating history with us!

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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  17. Sounds like she's kin to Davy Crockett! Looking forward to a print copy ~ love these Collections!! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House lanehillhouse[at]centurylink[dot]net

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  18. Looks good and I LOVE collections! :)

    Many Blessings, Amada (pronounced: a.m.a.th.a)
    amada_chavezATyahooDOTcom

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  19. this is a really interesting post. i would love to read this collection of short stories.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  20. Thank you so much! I can't wait to read it!

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