Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Spring 2015 Scavenger Hunt Stop #9



Welcome to the Spring 2015 Scavenger Hunt Stop #9!

You've reached R. J. Larson's blog, just in time to visit with R. J. and Margaret Brownley!


Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! I am a part of TEAM PINK, and this is Stop #9. If you’re just joining us, there are two loops—pink and purple—and they begin at Lisa Bergren’s site and Robin Hatcher’s site for stop #1 for either stream. If you complete either the pink loop or purple loop, you can enter for a Kindle paperwhite and the 17 autographed books from that loop. If you complete BOTH loops, you can enter for the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire HDX and ALL 34 autographed books.

 For an overview of the complete hunt, click HERE.

When you complete the pink loop for its top prize, click here for the entry form.

When you complete the purple loop, OR both loops (for the grand prize!) click here.

The Hunt begins at NOON Mountain time on April 16 and ends at midnight Mountain on April 19, 2015, so you have a long weekend to complete all 34 stops and maximize your chances at prizes!

 

BE SURE to keep track of the clues at the bottom of every post in the loop and the favorite number mentioned. You’ll need those clues to enter for the loop prize and every number mentioned in order to enter for the grand prize.

 

ALSO, please don’t use Internet Explorer to navigate through the loops. Some web sites won’t show up using IE. Please use Chrome or Firefox—they’re better anyway!

 

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, the amazing Margaret Brownley, who encouraged me to continue writing after she read my first--UGH, my very first--attempt at a novel. (I do hope Margaret has forgotten it!) Margaret Brownley is a N.Y. Times bestselling author with more than 35 books to her credit.  A former RITA finalist, she has won numerous writing awards and wrote for a TV daytime soap.  Margaret and her husband have three grown children and make their home in Southern California.

Margaret Brownley


More Love and Laughter from Margaret Brownley


Taking a Chance—a Big Chance—on Love

My June release Undercover Bride is a mail order bride story with a twist.  Maggie Michaels is a Pinkerton detective working undercover to nab the Whistle-Stop Bandit.  To do this she is posing as his mail order bride.  If she doesn't find the proof she needs to put him in jail soon, she could end up as his wife!
My heroine has a good reason for doing what she's doing, but what about the thousands of other women who left family and friends to travel west and into the arms of strangers?

Shortage of Men
The original mail order bride business grew out of necessity.  The lack of marriageable women in the west was partly responsible, but so was the Civil War.  The war not only created thousands of widows but a shortage of men, especially in the south.
As a result, marriage brokers and “Heart and Hand” catalogues popped up all around the country. Ads averaged five to fifteen cents and letters were exchanged along with photographs. It took ten days for a letter to travel by Pony Express and often the wax seals would melt in the desert heat, causing letters to be thrown away before reaching their destinations.  


According to an article in the Toledo Blade lonely men even wrote to the Sears catalogue company asking for brides (the latest such letter received was from a lonely Marine during the Vietnam War).

Cultural Attitudes
Marriage was thought to be the only path to female respectability. Anyone not conforming to society's expectations was often subjected to public scorn.  Women who had reached the "age" of spinsterhood with no promising prospects were more likely to take a chance on answering a mail order bride ad than younger women.
Not Always Love at First Sight
For some mail-order couples, it was love (or lust) at first sight. In 1886, one man and his mail order bride were so enamored with each other they scandalized fellow passengers on the Union Pacific Railroad during their honeymoon.

Not every bride was so lucky.  In her book Hearts West, Christ Enss tells the story of mail order bride Eleanor Berry. En route to her wedding her stage was held up at gunpoint by four masked men.  Shortly after saying “I do,” and while signing the marriage license, she suddenly realized that her husband was one of the outlaws who had robbed her. The marriage lasted less than an hour.

No one seems to know how many mail order brides there were during the  1800s, but the most successful matchmaker of all appears to be Fred Harvey who, by the turn of the century, had married off 5000 Harvey girls.

Under what circumstances might you have considered becoming a mail order bride in the Old West?  


Purchase Links:

THE SCAVENGER HUNT SKINNY:

Enter to win Queen!
Thanks for stopping by on the hunt to visit with Margaret Brownley! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THESE CLUES:


Secret Word(s): be

Secret Number: 54, a number I chose, because it's my dh's number.

Got ‘em down?? Great! Your next stop is #10, Margaret Brownley's site. Click on over there now. And if you get lost, a complete list of the pink loop with links can be found at Robin Lee Hatcher’s site.

BUT WAIT!!!  Don't forget to leave a comment and your *Coded* email below, and follow this blog for the chance to win an e-copy of QUEEN, inspired by the Book of Esther and other amazing favorites from the Scriptures! 

  Thank you, dear Hunters, we're delighted that you've stopped by! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

 

 

 

 

 




59 comments:

MeezCarrie said...

Thank you for hosting this stop! Just an FYI - the Rafflecopter entry system does not appear to be working. Or else i'm just not looking at it correctly (also entirely possible lol)

s.m.b said...

Yeah, it's not for me either. Must just be set for a different time. I'll just have to come back later. :)

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for hosting this stop. I love Christian historical fiction and would be thrilled to win a copy of your work on Esther!

Becky Dempsey said...

I followed your blog. My email is dbdempsey(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

hello dear friend! having fun on this scavenger hunt... :) my email is twoareone (at) hotmail (dot) com :D

Shantelle Mary said...

R.J., I love, love, LOVE your books!! Such an inspiration! That mix of fantasy and Biblical times is AMAZING!!

Just...stunning work! Prophet, Judge, and King are favorites of mine. And I'm beyond excited to read Exile and Queen!! :-D :-)

Thanks and blessings!!

Email: shantelle(at)truevine(dot)net

GrandaddyA said...

This is a challenging hunt.
grandaddya [at} comcast [dot] net

Joan A said...

Would love to win! jarning67(at)hotmail(dot)com

Dom said...

I literally squirm in my seat when I think about Queen. When exactly is the release date?

Unknown said...

timamurrell(at)ymail(dot)com

RJLarsonbooks said...

Carrie and s.m.b., I hope you returned--the form was repaired! :D

RJLarsonbooks said...

Kathryn DiDomizio, you're welcome! Queen is set in a fantasy realm, and not a retelling of Esther, but inspired by it--I love the Book of Esther, and thoroughly enjoyed writing this story!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Becky Dempsey, thank you!!! I'm looking forward to finding out who wins!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Robin! Blessings and thanks for stopping by! I do love your email addy--so sweet! Glad you're enjoying the hunt!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Shantelle, thank you! I NEVER expected to write fantasy, but when Ela's storyline sideswiped me in PROPHET, I was hopelessly hooked. I'm finishing up book 6 and an unexpected 7th book is taking shape in my thoughts. :) Blessings!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Edward Arrington, thank you for joining us on the hunt! Yes, it's a new format this year--hope you're enjoying it, and eager to see who wins!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Joan Arning, I love giveaways! I'm always excited when winners are chosen!

Thanks for joining us on the hunt!

Shantelle Mary said...

Awesome!! Can't wait to read them all! :-)

Fantasy is pretty amazing. I love writing it!! And reading it of course! <3

RJLarsonbooks said...

Dom, any time now! Queen has been scheduled to release this month. It's all out of my hands and I'm waiting for news from the publisher--with all the patience of a kid at Christmas. :)

RJLarsonbooks said...

Tima, thank you! Blessings with the hunt!

Anonymous said...

What a great scavenger hunt! princessoftheocean(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for hosting this stop and for being a part of the scavenger hunt. I love historical Christian Fiction, especially when it comes to Esther, so I'm really excited for a chance to read your book! :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for this opportunity!
tmoore101197(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

So very excited to read your newest book! I LOVED Prophet and the other books! Thanks so much!

Candlesflicker said...

Thanks R. J. for participating in this scavenger hunt and for the interesting information from Margaret Brownley on mail order brides.

J Smith said...

I am already subscribed & following you on FB. thank you for this hunt. Your book looks very enthralling. I always enjoy new tellings of the story of Queen Esther!

J Smith said...

Oops - forgot to leave my coded email - pudy68 @ gmail dot com

Sparks of Ember said...

lol - I'd like to hear more about the scandalizing couple!

Teresa Kander said...

I am having so much fun with this scavenger hunt. Would love to read your book! eeyoregirl2009 (at) aol (dot) com.

Nana Crystal said...

I am so looking forward to reading this!!

Liz R said...

R.J. I LOVE your books so much! I've been desperately checking Amazon these last few days hoping Queen will finally come out!

ecriggs1990(at)aol(dot)com

mw said...

Biblical fantasy seems so awesome. Queen is definitely on my TBR pile now. meganleighwilliamson (at) yahoo (dot) com

RJLarsonbooks said...

CPArtStudios, thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the hunt!!!!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Rebecca Van Daniker, thanks! I loved researching this story, which is Biblical fantasy inspired by the Book of Esther and other epic personalities from the Scriptures! Looking forward to sharing it with you!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Tracie Moore, thank you! It's a pleasure to host the hunt for you! We love our fearless hunters! :D

RJLarsonbooks said...

Paige McQueen, thank you! I've loved writing this series. :) It's been fascinating to study the scriptures and watch the stories weave together so amazingly; the Lord is good!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Susan Grondin, thank you! Yes, I loved putting together this post for Margaret--she's an incredible inspiration!

RJLarsonbooks said...

pudy68, thank you! I've always been a fan of Esther (as you saw in the previous blog post!) so it was a joy to gather inspiration from her story and present it in a fantasy realm, amid other characters inspired by the Scriptures!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Sparks of Ember, yes, I wanted to demand Margaret Brownley's sources!
Blessings!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Teresa Kander, thank you! We're looking forward to finding out who wins! Love these hunts; glad you're enjoying it!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Nana Crystal, yay! Thanks for stopping by on the hunt!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Liz R, I've checked twice today!!! SO eager to see this story hit the shelves--hope you enjoy reading QUEEN as much as I enjoyed writing it!!! I'll post on my FB page and my blog the day QUEEN is available.

RJLarsonbooks said...

mw, thank you! I started writing as a history fanatic and was snagged by the fantasy genre, writing stories inspired by the scriptures. NEVER expected to write fantasy, but I l-o-v-e it!!!! Hope you enjoy the story!

Tina at Mommynificent.com said...

Thanks for being a part of such a fun scavenger hunt! I host an all-things-book linky party every Thursday on my blog, Mommynificent.com, and we'd love to have you stop by any time. You can link up any of your own blog posts and maybe garner some new readers, and you can also hop around and meet some other authors and avid readers.
Tina

Janka Halcinova said...

Thanks for being a part of this exciting Scavenger Hunt!
Here´s hoping to win a copy of your work!
janka(dot)halcinova(at)gmail(dot)com

Books Are Sanity!!! said...

Your book Queen looks great! Thanks for being a part of the hunt! booksaresanity AT yahoo DOT com

Ryebrynn said...

I can't wait to read Queen! :)

ryebrynn(at)gmail(dot)com

RJLarsonbooks said...

Tina at Mommynificent.com, thank you! This looks like fun; I'll save your link and hope to stop by soon!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Janka H., thank you! So glad you're enjoying the hunt--I'm eager to see who wins!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Books Are Sanity, thank you! I'm so eager to see Queen published--looking forward to it!!!!!

RJLarsonbooks said...

Ryebrynn, I'll be so happy the day it's finally published--writing the book was a joy. :D

Tricia said...

Well I'm not sure if I did this right because Rafflecopter is being slightly grumpy but my e-mail is quercus0828 at yahoo dot com.

I find that Queen is interesting and that I would love to read it and give a review even if I don't win here.

I'm happy to say that you now have a new follower too. Thanks for being part of the hunt and for your generous gift.

In Kind Regards,
Tricia

Peg F said...

I LOVE the story of Esther and would really like to win your book!

Unknown said...

Would love this.

RJLarsonbooks said...

Tricia, you're in! Sorry the Rafflecopter form was being fussy! :)

RJLarsonbooks said...

Peg, did you enter the Rafflecopter form, or did you leave an email addy for me?? :D

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
helena said...

While you shop, text, tweet, surf the net, watch TV and take selfies, the world you thought you knew is rapidly changing. Technology is projected to benefit only those workers whose salaries place them in the top 10-20% of the..
Political leadership

helena said...

Ukraine is an economic basket case. If we really hated Russia, we should have gladly given full control to that country. The economy is set to shrink by 10% this year.
Political fiction