A Marriage Mess ~ Susanne Dietze

I’m thrilled to be a guest here on Petticoats and Pistols today. Thank you all for having me!

My new book, My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca’s Plight, is a mail-order mix-up story. The heroine, Rebecca, arrives in Ruby City on the stagecoach and is met by her betrothed, Mr. Fordham. Sparks fly, and they hurry and wed before the Justice of the Peace has to leave town, but once Mr. Fordham has kissed the bride and is congratulated as “Deputy,” Rebecca realizes she’s married the wrong man! Turns out she married Tad Fordham, when she was supposed to marry his cousin, Theodore, and Tad was supposed to marry a woman named Rebekah.

Rebecca needs a place to stay until a judge can sort out the mess of her marriage, but Ruby City was short on lodging in 1866. It was one of a handful of towns created in rapid succession after silver and gold were discovered in 1863 in Idaho’s Owyhee Mountains. While Ruby City wasn’t the first town founded in Owyhee County, it became the first county seat. As such, it boasted a sheriff, lawyers, a post office, a newspaper (the Avalanche), mercantiles, smiths, and miners—thousands of them, working in the lodes on War Eagle Mountain (at one point, there were 250 mines in operation).

All those folks needed places to stay, and while some lived in temporary tents, others built permanent structures—including two hotels. One, the War Eagle, started as a humble cabin, but rooms were added. It fell out of favor, however, when the rumor started that it was haunted by a young girl who died there.

Folks preferred the Idaho Hotel, built in 1863. In 1866, a third story wing was added to accommodate more guests.

In 1864, however, a new town was laid out a mile away: Silver City. It was closer to the mines and out of the wind that sometimes swept through Ruby City. By the end of 1866, the decision was made to transfer the county seat from Ruby City to Silver City in the New Year.

Folks started to move from Ruby City, bringing their homes and businesses with them, including the Idaho Hotel. It was dismantled in December of 1866, and its pieces were loaded onto sleds, pulled by oxen through the snow to its new home in Silver City, where it still stands today. Nothing is left of Ruby City but the cemetery.

While Silver City is now a ghost town, visitors can still stay at the Idaho Hotel during warmer months—but Rebecca, heroine of my story, never did. The Idaho Hotel was full up when she needed a place to lay her head, and she and both of her Mr. Fordhams had to do some quick thinking to find a suitable place for her to stay.

Book blurb:

Journey now to Ruby City, Idaho of 1866 where…
A Marriage Mishap Creates an Awkward Love Triangle in this Silver Mining Town

Looking forward to a quiet life and a full stomach, mail-order bride Rebecca Rice is pleased to marry her shopkeeper intended, Mr. Fordham, until the justice of the peace calls him Thaddeus, not Theodore—proceeded by the title Deputy.

Is it possible to marry the wrong man?

When the newlyweds realize they’ve married the wrong partners with similar names, an annulment seems in order—and fast, since Rebecca’s true intended is impatient to claim her as his own, not to mention Rebecca would never marry a lawman like her father. But when the legalities take longer than expected, Rebecca wonders if Tad wasn’t the right husband for her all along. . . .

All this talk of Ruby City has me thinking of rubies. Let me know your favorite gemstone, and you’ll be in the drawing for  a copy of My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho!

Buy on Amazon

Bio:
Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, she’s the award-winning author of over a dozen historical romances who’s seen her work on the ECPA and Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller Lists for Inspirational Fiction. Married to a pastor and the mom of two, Susanne lives in California and enjoys fancy-schmancy tea parties, genealogy, the beach, and curling up on the couch with a costume drama and a plate of nachos.

Links: http://www.susannedietze.com
Facebook.com/SusanneDietzeBooks
Twitter: @SusanneDietze

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37 thoughts on “A Marriage Mess ~ Susanne Dietze”

  1. Great post I love learning history! My favorite gemstone is emeralds but I also love Turquoise but I don’t know if that would be considered a gemstone or not.

    Blessings,
    Cindy W.
    countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com

    • Hi Cindy! I love emeralds, too. I don’t own any, but they’re gorgeous. I think turquoise counts, for sure! Love that color, too.

      Thanks so much for coming by to say hi!

  2. Wow your book sounds great. My favorite gemstone is sapphire, it was my granny’s favorite and I guess her love of those beautiful blue stones melted over into my heart. You have a great day & thanks for the lovely history of Ruby City and By the way.. my granny’s name was Ruby. When I was reading your article my granny, who has now passed, kept coming to my mind. Then you asked your question and it all seemed so appropriate and with this being Mother’s Day weekend.. it’s bittersweet.

    • Hi Tonya! Your grandma Ruby sounds like such a special lady! Mother’s Day is always a special weekend but it does bring to mind the ladies in our lives who have passed on to glory and whom we miss. Sending a hug.

      I love the name Ruby.

      Recently, I learned sapphires and rubies are basically the same stone! Sapphires come in all colors (I had no clue) but the red ones are called rubies. Pink ones are not pink rubies but pink sapphires. I love the deep blue sapphires!

      • Susanne- wow, what great lessons you are teaching me. I had no clue that sapphires were all different colors. How cool. Yes My granny was very special and a very spiritual lady. She was a true sweetheart and I’m a lucky girl to of had her for the 21 years I did. You have a great Mother’s Day.

    • Ooh, bloodstones are so fascinating. I love the mix of deep colors in them–reds and greens. Is it true there are purple ones, too? I have to look that up. Red is my favorite color so I like the red ones.

      Thanks so much for coming by today!

  3. I enjoyed your post today. It is very informative. I love all gemstones, but I would say emerald is my favorite because I am always searching for a pretty natural one.

    • I’m like you, Janine. It’s hard to choose a single gemstone as a favorite, because I like them all! Emeralds are lovely, though, and one of my top favorites.

      I hope you find the perfect natural stone someday soon!

  4. Love the post, so very interesting! My favorite gemstone is the garnet, my daughter’s birthstone.

    • Hi Melanie! So nice to see you!

      Garnets are wonderful. Such deep red, and red is my favorite color. How special that it’s your daughter’s birthstone, too. January?

      Hope you have a great weekend!

    • They are indeed all gorgeous, catslady. To be honest, I can’t think of a one I don’t like for some reason or another–I appreciate the colors and clarity. So amazing! Rocks and gems are fun.

      Turquoise is lovely. What a pretty color.

    • Hi Kim! Ghost towns are so interesting, aren’t they? That middle photo is of Silver City in the 1890s, but it’s a ghost town now too–I think it has been for several decades now.

      Sapphires are beautiful!

      Thanks for coming by!

  5. Love this post!
    #1-As a native Idahoan, I love learning more about my state. I didn’t realize that Ruby City was really a city nor that it was established prior to Silver City.
    #2- I have always loved the color red and not until I was 12 did I realize my birthstone was my favorite color. Needless to say, Rubies have been my favorite ever since.
    #3-I have really enjoyed the “My Heart Belongs In” series. I know this one will be just as fantastic as the others!

    • Hi Terressa! Waving hi toward Idaho! You live in a beautiful and fascinating state!

      I love red, too. You must be a July birthday!

      Glad to hear you’ve enjoyed Erica and Susan’s books. They’re great! I hope you like this one, too.

      Have a good weekend!

  6. The idea of dismantling and moving is so unusual in our world. I wish they’d do this with those abandoned strip malls (When they build a new one down the street!)

    I love the photo of the hotel. Amazing. I loved this story, and you must be pleased with all the wonderful chatter about it!

    • Hi Deb! Thanks for all of your help and support while I wrote! You are a DIAMOND of a gal (get what I did there?) LOL

      The idea of dismantling is rather strange these days. We have a historical area in town and old buildings of note were moved there so they’re all in one place. It’s kind of neat.

      Thank you for swinging by!

  7. I’d take any of them, but my favorite is amethyst since it’s the birthstone for me and my husband both, plus the month we got married in.

    I’m so glad I stumbled upon this blog! I’m having way too much fun reading the back posts.

    • Carrie, happy belated birthday and anniversary! I love amethysts–such rich color.

      This is a fun blog, isn’t it? So much to learn!

      Have a good weekend!

  8. I’m not picky, but I’m a sucker for anything pink. And I love the history and the pictures! Thanks for sharing.

    • Hi Anita! I’m not picky either. But oh, there are so many pink stones out there to choose from. Pink sapphires and diamonds…raspberry garnets (love that color)…I know I’m forgetting other pink ones. Argh. But they’re pretty indeed!

      Hope your weekend is off to a good start!

  9. I like whatever looks good with what I am wearing. Sapphires and amethysts are favorites. They are not gems, but malachite and turquoise are two that I have and enjoy wearing.
    Mail-order bride stories are favorites. I would be surprised if there weren’t many mistakes made when trying to meet up with intended partners. Since they were mostly strangers anyway, I would think it would relatively easy for many to live with the mistake. In My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca’s Plight, however, it sounds like she has a good reason for initially not wanting the mistaken groom. It sounds like a good story. Will there be a sequel for Rebekah and Theodore’s story?
    Of the many towns that popped up in so many states out West because of the mining industry so many were temporary. Unless there was something else to support it, a mining town was basically thrown together to provide the necessities and not much else. When the mines played out, there wasn’t much to leave behind.

    • Patricia, I hear you on wearing what goes with your outfit! I wasn’t familiar with malachite, so I just looked it up. Wow, is it gorgeous. That green is just astonishing.

      I love mail order bride stories, too. I think many women had to have been in difficult straits to have taken that course, leaving home and going far away to marry a virtual stranger. Marriage was a social contract for many back then.

      There is not a sequel to Ruby City for Rebekah or Theodore…there’s a reason for that but I won’t give anything away!

  10. Susie, as you know, I have this one. I’ll be diving into it soon 🙂 I really can’t wait!!

    I just wanted to let you know that I shared the giveaway on FB and Twitter! Blessings!

  11. Enjoyed reading the article
    My favorite gemstone has always been emeralds. I also like the look of pearls although many are not worn now. Jackie Kennedy always wore them and they were popular then.

  12. Oh goodness, I don’t know what my favourite gem stone would be…Sapphires or emeralds maybe…Hard to choose!
    This book sounds so very good and I can’t wait to read it! 🙂

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