Nancy Fraser

Is There Ever Such a Thing as a New Idea?

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We’re so happy to welcome back guest author Nancy Fraser! She’s toting four books to give away so be sure to leave a comment.  

One of the things authors struggle with the most is the challenge of finding a new historical romance trope… something that hasn’t been done hundreds of times. It’s not easy.

It helps if you’re writing your book as part of a multi-author series, because the initial trope is already there. Whether it’s a mail-order bride scenario, or wagon train romances, or even the land rush decades, the author’s job is to breathe fresh life into a tried-and-true formula.

Where to begin?
One thing that helps me is to first set a time period. I’m partial to the late 1880s or early 1890s, and for the silliest of reasons. I want indoor plumbing. I can’t tell you the number of historical romances I’ve read where nobody goes to the bathroom because there’s nothing engaging about hiking to the outhouse.

Indoor plumbing came to the cities and states east of the Mississippi not long after the Civil War. In some instances, e.g., well-to-do homes, it a was even earlier. However, the luxury was slow to arrive out west. In the more remote areas, homes didn’t rid themselves of the outdoor facilities until well into the 1900s. As a child (1950s), I remember one aunt who still used her outhouse. Believe me, for an eight-year-old, that pre-bedtime hike was both exciting and scary. Especially when you were being followed by an ornery turkey.

I digress. My intention was to talk about finding a different story angle.

So, how do you find that one ‘new’ story? Once I’ve set my time period and chosen my main character’s profession and the location for my story, I search for late 19th century facts about the area and the job, e.g., “1880’s medical facilities in rural Oklahoma”. Once I’ve found something quirky or, at least, interesting, I can fashion my plot around a little-known fact. I’ve even begun adding a feature to the back of most of my books called, “The More You Know”. I recap my research and share what I’ve learned over and above weaving it into my story.

Earlier this month, I released Lost in Her Dreams as part of the Chasing a Dream Series. I set the story in Alaska at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. My fact sheet was full for that one.

Once an author has an idea for something unusual, the plot twist comes next. The what-ifs are used to tweak the facts without breaking them. Whether your unique story comes from the location or the premise itself, there are a number of ways to work in new ideas without compromising your research.

I’ve had the privilege of writing for a most unusual series of western historical romances beginning late last year. The series is titled, “The Bride Who…”. The objective of the series was to put our heroine brides in unusual circumstances. The titles in the series have been wonderfully entertaining.

Yesterday, February 26th, marked the release of my third book in the series. Titled: The Bride Who Writes Penny Novels, it was fun to create an alter ego for my heroine. Worried that some would deem her a loose woman, she chooses a nom de plum to honor her family history and stay hidden at the same time.

My first two books in the series were equally as much fun (and as challenging). The Bride Who Keeps Running Away came first and is an old-west reimagining of the movie, Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

The second book, The Bride Who Reads Too Much, gave my heroine a goal and a profession… one that the hero was happy to accept (eventually).

Whether it’s research that drives the author’s new idea, or maybe a unique group premise, the important thing is always to entertain and draw the reader into the story.


Here’s a sneak peek at The Bride Who Writes Penny Novels:

Kathryn (Kate) Montgomery has a secret… a big one.

Trained as a schoolteacher, she’s happy to spend her days teaching the primary grades in one of Denver’s most prestigious schools. By night, Kate sets aside her primers for a vocation of a different kind. Writing penny novels.

Left an inheritance of property in the small town of Elbert, Colorado, Kate decides to leave Denver behind and try her hand at writing full time.

Sheriff Rafe Nichols is summoned by a neighbor of the old Montague property because they suspect a squatter. When he arrives at the slightly rundown home, he’s surprised to find a beautiful, young woman who claims to be the owner. They butt heads when he tells her he’ll need to check into the legality of her claim.

What will happen with the small town of Elbert discovers her alter-ego’s identity? And how will it effect her relationship with Rafe?
You can find Kate and her handsome sheriff on AMAZON
As with all my books, it’s enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and available in print.

When you’re looking for a new book to read, do you try to find something with an unusual plot, twist, or historical detail? Or do you prefer to stay with the tried and true? As a thank you for the commenters who will spend time with me today, I’m pleased to give away four prizes, two copies of The Bride Who Writes Penny Novels and two copies of Lost in Her Dreams. 



Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well-read.

Nancy

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NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Her preferred genres are sweet western historical and sweet small-town contemporary. However, she has been known to dabble in the most unusual settings.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

You can follow Nancy here:

Amazon Author Page ~ Bookbub ~ BlueSky Social  ~  Goodreads

 

The Most Fun You Can Have Doing Western Historical Research

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Hi! Nancy Fraser here! I’m so pleased to return to Petticoats & Pistols for another visit. Just last week, I uploaded my final book for 2025 and now I’m going to take a much needed few week’s off before I begin again working on 2026. Hard to believe we’ve almost reached another year-end, isn’t it?

Today, though, I want to talk about western research. There is a definite skill required to organize the information needed to accurately portray the wild west in the 1800s. So much we take for granted now, or assume is correct, wasn’t even heard of in the 1880s or before.

My favorite searches revolve around the following:

• When did my story’s location ceased to become a territory and attain statehood?
• When did my location first get a railroad? Iceboxes? Dare I say it… electricity?
• How far is my fictitious location from a larger city? (Of course that’s my decision, but I like to find a similar real location and pretend it’s my fake town for distance purposes.)
• What was the population of the territory in 1885?

All of the above are fun and often necessary searches. By far my favorites are these:

• What’s the old west slang word for “a handsome man”? (Answer: Belvidere)
• How would my crusty character say, “the end” or “closed”? (Answer: Eventuate)

I keep an ongoing list of western slang that I’ve sorted three ways: alphabetically, by subject, and by first-used date. Yes, I sometimes over-organize. At the moment, my list is over 150 words long.

I thought it might be fun to share thirty of my favorites in a Word Search. Go ahead and give it a try. Feel free to share your results in the comments below.


OLD WEST SLANG WORD SEARCH

Clothing styles are another fun search. The array of references out there is sometimes overwhelming (and not always accurate). Given I write mostly small-town settings with everyday characters, it’s hard to go wrong with a simple skirt and plain blouse, or a calico dress. Trousers (not jeans) for the men and a gray or off-white shirt. Jeans (specifically Levis) are okay if we’re into the mid to late 1870s. Even though plaid/flannel was created by the Welsh in the 17th century, the fabric didn’t become popular in the western U.S. until the late 19th century.

Because I also create a lot of my own covers, as well as covers for several multi-author series books, one of my biggest frustrations is finding the perfect outfit, but realizing the model is wearing far too much makeup for the time period. I’ve become an expert in removing telltale signs of red lipstick and eyeliner. Still, making that cover perfect is all part of what I consider research.

In this final quarter of the year, I’ve released two sweet, historical romances. Both books required extensive research, and both include a few of those colorful slang words or phrases. (What’s a long list if you don’t use it?”)

I’d love to give you a peek at both of my accomplished and feisty heroines, and the men who fall in love with them.

Addie: Mackinac Bride (National Park Brides Series)

Other than two years of college in Big Rapids, Adelaide (Addie) MacDonald has spent her entire life on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. Just a child when President Grant designated Mackinac as a National Park in 1875, she and her family were at the dedication.

In the years since, many have left the island for bigger and better things, yet Addie stayed behind as one of the few civilian employees. It’s been her dream to someday leave the island and finish her degree in agriculture and one day own her own farm.

When Jonathan (Jon) Ferris first met Addie, she was only twelve, he was eighteen, and on his way to college. After graduation, his plan was to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military. Now, ten years later, he’s returning to Mackinac to take over command of the fort and the park. When he first sees Addie again, he can’t believe his eyes. Gone are the freckles and bright red ponytail. In their place is a beautiful and confident young woman.

Will returning to the park be the permanence he wants for his career and for his life? Will verbally sparring with the opinionated Addie lead to something infinitely more interesting? More importantly, will Addie find a way to fulfil her dreams while keeping those she loves close?

You can find Addie and Jon’s story on #KindleUnlimited.



Dumplings by Daria (Old Timey Holiday Kitchen Series)

Doctor Daria Keller arrives in Whistler Falls Montana at the height of their first winter storm. With barely enough time to drop off her luggage, she finds herself whisked off to the clinic to help set broken arms and treat frostbite.

When Rancher Finn MacIsaac arrives at the clinic to claim his injured son, he mistakes Daria for a nurse and dismisses her instructions out of hand, preferring to wait for the doctor. When she informs him that she is a doctor, he still insists on waiting until he can speak to a man. Pegging him as a chauvinist, Daria rushes off to help other patients.

It’s inevitable that they’ll cross paths, especially when Daria and Finn’s housekeeper become fast friends. Daria settles into her new position as head of the town’s clinic and small hospital and earns the respect of all those around her. The only person she’s not become friends with is Finn.
As winter takes a firm hold on the area, Daria must make a house call north of town. A buggy accident causes her and Finn to be trapped in snowbound cabin with only their wits and Finn’s skill with an axe to keep them warm. They do their best to avoid one another until they realize they’re both hiding hurt from their past. Over a tin of beans, they finally open up and share their secrets.

Can two people who started off at odds make up for lost time? Or are they destined to be nothing more than friends?

Finn and Daria’s romance is also available on #KindleUnlimited.


With the holidays fast approaching, I’d love to know your go-to holiday side dish or your family’s favorite activity. I’m also giving away one eBook copy of each of my featured books. Just comment below for your chance to win.

Until next time, I wish you happiness, good health, time to read, and a joyous holiday season!

Nancy

NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Her preferred genres are sweet western historical and sweet small-town contemporary. However, she has been known to dabble in the most unusual settings.

 

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

 

You can follow Nancy here:

 

Amazon Author Page            

Bookbub

Bluesky Social

Goodreads

THE 19TH CENTURY BRIDE: FROM THE MAILBOX TO THE CHURCH (AND A GIVEAWAY!)–by Nancy Fraser

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As a reader (and author) of sweet, historical western romance, nothing gets me more excited than seeing a new mail-order bride story. While I can’t begin to imagine what these women went through, I can certainly create a scenario that seems plausible to me.

When I wrote my first mail-order bride romance, I did a lot of research and found some of the most hilarious recounts of how and where men found their match. Of course, it wasn’t always done by mail. There were many different avenues to explore should you be in need of a wife. Or, for that matter, a husband.

 

The Standard Mail-Order Bride

The most familiar scenario was the “advertisement”. This was also the longest process given the time it took for a letter to cross great distances during the mid-1800s (the height of the phenomenon). Generally, a man would place an advertisement in a handful of larger newspapers throughout the East and Midwest. The ads varied from short and to the point, to longer explanations. I found a wonderful example of these ads during my research and used of few of them to create a meme insert in my book, A Christmas Baby for Beatrice.

The Bridal Service/Matchmaker

The use of a matching service took a lot of the unknown out of the process. Applications for both men looking for brides and women seeking to be a bride were (hopefully) scrutinized by the person running the matchmaking service. Matches were made and, depending on the applicant’s preference, contact was then done via letters until the couple became comfortable, OR they went on blind faith that the matchmaker knew what they were doing.

Matchmakers, especially during the time of the gold rushes and land grabs, would often set up meet-and-greet parties, where you could meet face-to-face before selecting a partner. For the most part, these were among the most successful of all the matching types.

Matches weren’t always perfect and, occasionally, the bride was ‘returned’ which usually involved paying for their travel expenses back to where they came from. Or, by receiving a refund from the matching service. My very first mail-order bride romance, Seth’s Secretive Bride, was a mismatch that turned into a beautiful love story.

 

The Arranged Marriage

Arranged marriages were the norm among the rich, most often for business purposes of mergers or financial bailouts. Given most young women would never defy their father or mother’s wishes, these marriages often ended up cold and heartless. Children were only conceived out of a sense of duty, and husbands often took mistresses. Personally, I’m not a fan of arranged marriage brides. I much prefer a strong heroine who refuses to accept her fate. I’ve written a few of those. All with happy endings, of course. My latest arranged marriage story, Adela’s Solemn Vow, ended in rejection by the would-be groom. Thank goodness my heroine was strong-willed because she took it in stride and made a new life for herself with a much better hero.

 

The Church Marriage

Probably the least known form of matchmaking was those that were facilitated by the church. It wasn’t widely practiced but did happen when a newly ordained minister was single. The church, preferring a stable homelife for the man in charge of their faith, would find a suitable wife for the minister to marry.

My grandfather, Peter M. Weaver (b. 1860), was first ordained as a Methodist minister in Tennessee in 1884. His church arranged a marriage to Nancy Ann Melson (b. 1864), a lovely twenty-year-old from a nearby community, and so began my lineage on my mother’s side of the family. They had two children right away, a son and a daughter, born in 1885 and 1887.

In addition to his small country charge, my grandfather also covered two other remote areas on his circuit (not unusual at the time). When he was home, he and my grandmother ran a small farm to help feed their family. However, in 1909, at the age of 45, my grandmother became with child for the third time. My aunt Lillie was born in September of that year. My mother followed two years later in September of 1911. By the time both my aunt and mother were born, the two older siblings had children of their own, making both babies aunts to children older than themselves.

Despite my personal family history, a church-arranged marriage is the one scenario I’ve not attempted to write. I’m not sure why, but likely because it hits home too closely.

 

I’d love to hear what you think of the mail-order bride scenarios. Is there something you’ve not read that you think would make a good premise?

I have four signed/print books to give away. So, please feel free to comment for your chance to win.

Wishing you all a happy, blessed day!

Nancy

NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

 

Packing for the Oregon Trail

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Packing for Four Months on the Oregon Trail

I have to admit, packing for any type of trip is one of my least favorite past times. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel. I just dislike the packing process, and don’t even get me started on unpacking. I’ve been known to go for weeks with a half-unpacked suitcase sitting on my bedroom floor.

While researching my newest release, Emily, part of the Prairie Roses Collection V for 2023, I took a look at what the typical family of six (3 adults, 3 children), would need to make the three-to-four-month journey. Here are some of the more interesting things I found:

The number and size of the wagons took was dependent on the number of travelers, but the average family traveled with two large, Conestoga-type wagons, with the canvas covers, and most often pulled by a team of oxen, rather than horses. They would also have two-three supply wagons, depending on whether or not they were taking inventory for an intended business in the west. The supply wagons would be pulled by either oxen, or horses, depending on the weight of the load. And, because there was rarely room to sleep in the wagons, the travelers also need bedrolls, blankets, and—if you were lucky—a few feather pillows.

 

Food stores took up the largest portion of their allotted supply wagon. While items could be replaced along the way at various settlement or forts, the time to get to those locations varied due to traveling conditions, so you never wanted to run out of a necessity. The basic food stores included:

  • 120 lbs of premade biscuits
  • 60 pounds coffee beans, ground when needed.
  • 4 lbs of tea
  • 100 pounds sugar
  • 200 lbs lard
  • Large barrels of corn meal in which eggs were stored to prevent cracking.  Corn meal was also used so they could make cornbread and johnny cakes.
  • 3 sacks of rice
  • 3 sacks of dried beans
  • Dried fruits, mostly peaches and apples. Plums were a rarity, but a treat.
  • 75 lb salt stored in a small wooden barrel
  • 300 lbs of bacon.  This was stored in large barrels of bran to prevent melting in the heat.

Tools/weapons were a necessity on the trail, and included:

  • Each man or teenage boy brought with him either a hunting rifle or a shotgun.  Sometimes pistols were brought, but usually by wealthier travelers.
  • Every adult family member had a hunting knife.
  • They bought tools to use once they set up a homestead.
  • Shovels to dig the wagon out of ditches.
  • Axes and mallets for repairs if the wagon broke.  Lumber was collected from trees.  Axes were also used to split firewood.

Clothes were minimal. In the hot summer months, the lighter weight the better since propriety still required being covered. Plus, lighter-weight clothing was easier to clean. A typical list of clothing items, included:

  • Coats
  • Rubber boots, work boots
  • Cotton dresses
  • Wool pants, Buckskin pants, Duck trousers
  • Cotton shirts, Flannel shirts
  • Cotton socks, wide-brim hats, sun bonnets

 Animals/and supplies were based on the number of wagons. As well, so was number of hired hands necessary to help cross the country. At least one man was needed per wagon, but preferable two. Plus:

  • Oxen: Minimum of 4-6, but it would be wise to have more
  • Milk cows (at least 2)
  • Cattle for both food and to start up ranching
  • Mules and pack horses to carry supplies
  • Riding horse (2 per wagon)
  • Bridle & blinders, tack & harness, mule collar, horse blankets, whips, pack saddle, saddle and saddle bags.

As much as I like to read about the old west, I’m positive I wouldn’t have survived the trip. I probably wouldn’t have survived the packing. However, I still love reading about it.

*****

Emily (Prairie Roses Collection – Book 26):

Newly graduated teacher Emily Prentiss has been granted an interview for a position in the small town of Barkerville, Oregon. In order to reach her destination, she takes on the job of governess for a wealthy family’s four children and agrees to travel with them by wagon train to Oregon City.

Miles Grainger owns the largest apple orchard on the west coast. He’s spent the past month in St. Louis attending to the estate of his late brother and sister-in-law. While he’s anxious to return to Oregon, he’s also overwhelmed by the added responsibility as guardian of his niece and nephew. While he knows everything about trees and fruit, he’s totally clueless about being a parent.

Despite her duties as nanny to her employer’s children, Emily offers to help Miles weather the problems he faces on the trail with two small children. Will their friendship develop into more during their time on the trail? And, once they reach their destination, will she be willing to give up her dream of teaching to become a wife and ready-make mother?

 

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXPML2PV?tag=pettpist-20

One of My Favorite Scenes:

While he waited, Miles changed Peregrine’s nappy, disposing of the stinky part in the nearby pile of horse dung. Bottom wiped, he fashioned the weird shaped flannel cloth around the baby’s rump, and folded in the edges, just as Mable Parker had taught him during his first week in Saint Louis. Drawing a breath, he thumbed open this new-fangled contraption Mable had called a ‘safety pin’ and proceeded to anchor the edges.

“Ouch!”

From her seat on the driver’s bench, Periwinkle giggled.

He drew the pin back, ready to try again, when a soft voice at his side asked, “Do you need some help with that?”

Miles looked up into the huge brown eyes, and timid smile belonging to the famous storyteller, Miss Emily. “Yes, please. I think I have the folding part right, but these pins should be outlawed.”

“They are a wonderful, and time-saving, invention. However, they do take a bit of practice to master. Here,” she said, stepping forward. “Allow me.”

He stepped back, and handed her the tiny weapon, grateful the baby was in a docile mood, rather than his usual flailing arms and legs.

“You’re very adept at that,” he said. “You’ve obviously had your share of practice.”

She gave a small shrug of her narrow shoulders, and admitted, “Not really. This trip is my first as a governess. I do a lot of sewing. Pins are not that different from needles.” After tightening the wrap of the cloth, she slid the pin effortlessly through and locked it in place. “Do you have some soaker pants to go over his nappy?”

“Probably somewhere back in the wagon. We’ve been going pretty much bare legs because of the heat.”

“As long as you’re keeping him out of direct sunlight, I’d say he probably enjoys the light weight.” Once she’d laid the baby back in his basket, she stuck out her hand, and said, “My name is Emily Prentiss.”

“I’m Miles Grainger,” he said. “Thank you for your help.”

“Miles,” she said softly. “It’s nice to finally put a name to a face, rather than just think of you as Periwinkle’s father.”

“Oh, he’s not my father,” Periwinkle said from her perch on the bench. “My papa went to live with the angels. My mama, too.”

Miles waited for the tears to come, and was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Periwinkle… Mister Grainger.”

“It was unexpected,” he explained. “Especially the part where my brother chose me to be their guardian.”

******

A Puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=10ccff43b421

******

Question for your readers: Do you think you’d have survived a trip along the Oregon Trail? And, if so, what would have been the one item you would refuse to leave behind?

I’ll award an autographed copy of my Prairie Roses book from last year, ELLA, to two winners from among those who comment.Nancy Fraser

 

NANCY FRASER is a bestselling and award-winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Nancy was named Canadian writer of the year for 2021 by N.N. Lights’ Book Heaven, and her western historical romance, An Honorable Man for Katarina, won the National

Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) award for sweet romance. She was also named a “bright new voice in sweet/inspirational romance” by Independently Reviewed.

When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

 

Website: https://tinyurl.com/3acnynze

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09FTH655Z?tag=pettpist-20

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RomWriterNancy

THE WILD WEST REVISITED–by NANCY FRASER

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I have to admit, it had been a few years since I’d written a western historical romance. When a friend invited me to take part in a multi-author series she was putting together, I had to stop and think about it… for all of five minutes.

Of course I was in. The thrill of having to research specific to the topic of the series drew my interest immediately. Not to mention the notion of refreshing my use of language and syntax. It was a writer’s dream to step into a brand new world in order to create vibrant characters and historically accurate storylines. The additional lure of the sweet and inspirational romance had me jumping feet-first into long-forgotten territory.

One of the first places I turned was to my attic, where boxes and boxes of family archives awaited me. My grandfather was a Methodist minister in the late 1800s through the early 1950s, just after I was born. While he spent most of his career serving three different churches in the small towns of middle Tennessee, he also ventured west on two occasions. The first time, in 1904, was on a steam locomotive and then via stagecoach to the smaller, more distant locations. Then, in 1927 he bought his first car and returned to Colorado via the very rough beginnings of the roadway system we know now.

His journals from both trips provided me with hours of insight I may never have found perusing the internet. I used his accounts of his stagecoach rides in that first sweet historical, Seth’s Secretive Bride, and made sure my heroine got a firsthand experience when traveling to meet her mail-order groom, and in the most uncomfortable way.

I continue to refer to grandpa’s journals, along with historical archives of certain events and locations, with every new historical romance that I write. I also rely on his daily notes of faith when I’m adding a touch of inspirational affirmation to my stories.

Earlier this year, I wrote my first Oregon Trail/wagon train romance. That truly took some research, as well as a smidge of imagination. However, it wasn’t until I began writing my most recent release, Lily’s Luck, that I found myself in totally unfamiliar territory.

Based on the Oklahoma Land Runs of the early 1890s, I found the subject of reassigning land on a first-come, first-served basis fascinating. I devoured everything I could find, and even downloaded a map where I plotted out my hero and heroine’s journey to claim their homestead in the land run of spring, 1892.

My next historical western project, Millicent’s Miracle, is a Thanksgiving Bride book and it brings me back to the Midwest. The characters I’m writing about have already made an appearance in my earlier Oregon Trail book, Ella (Prairie Roses Collection). Now it’s time for them to get their story.

I hope you’ll consider coming along on my western romance journey with me. So far, it’s been a fun ride and I can only imagine it getting better by the book.

PURCHASE LILY’S LUCK HERE.

Giveaway!

I’m offering a signed copy of LILY’S LUCK to one “lucky” commenter today. (USA ONLY)

Just tell me… Do you have any old journals or letters from an ancestor?

Or have you gotten into genealogy to research your past?

Thanks again for stopping by!