Captured by Love by Jody Hedlund // Guest Post + Giveaway

Hello friends! Today I'm very excited to have a special guest here on The Literary Maidens, Mrs. Jody Hedlund, author of Captured by Love. I was blessed to be able to review Jody's newest release, Captured by Love, as well as be a part of the blog tour going on to celebrate the release! If you'd like to check out the other blog tour stops, you can view the schedule HERE. You can also read my review of Captured by Love by clicking HERE.

So today Jody is here with us, and will be sharing about the true people and events in Captured by Love. For those who have read Captured by Love already, then you'll know exactly what Jody is talking about when she shares bits of the story, and if not then I hope learning about the true events in the story inspires you to get your hands on a copy a read it for yourself! We hope that you enjoy reading this guest post, and be sure to stick around until the end because we are doing a special giveaway for a copy of Captured by Love!

// Behind the Scenes of 

Captured By Love //

The True People and Events 

in Captured by Love

Most of my readers know by now that I LOVE to write about true people and events. The books in my Hearts of Faith series are inspired by great women from history including Elizabeth Bunyan in The Preacher's Bride, Narcissa Whitman in The Doctor's Lady, Abigail Adams in Rebellious Heart.

My Michigan Brides Collection, Unending Devotion, A Noble Groom, and now Captured by Love, aren't based on big-name historical women like in my other books. But I do add in real people and facts from Michigan history that make the books especially intriguing.

If you've read any of my other books, you'll quickly realize that I explain what's true and what's not in the Author's Note at the end of my books. Captured by Love is no different. So make sure you don't skip my Author's Notes!

So what really happened and what are the wild wanderings of a writer's imagination?

The entire story itself is rooted in authentic Mackinac Island aura, from the wildlife to the scenery descriptions. I tried to stay as true to the historical setting as possible.

But here are some actual historical events and people that made their way into the book:

It's true that after the British took over the island, American men (not women) had to sign the Oath of Allegiance to the British or leave their homes. Many of the islands residents, rather than lose their land and homes, signed the Oath and stayed on the island. In Captured by Love, I had Angelique's fiancé stay loyal to the Americans and refuse to sign the Oath. Then I tried to show how difficult life would have been for the women and family left behind.

It's true that the once the British took over the island, they really had no clue about how to deal with the harsh Michigan winters. They were ill prepared with both clothing and food supplies. The army rationed food to prevent starvation. They had to eat their horses. And they confiscated food from the island residents.

A close-up of the wood palisades that surrounded the fort.

At the start of 1814 (as Captured by Love opens), the war had been ongoing for almost two years. The new captain that arrived on the island, Captain McDouall, required that all the island residents spend three days working on building a new fort (named Fort George after their king). Can you imagine if you were an American woman or child forced to help fortify your enemy's position?

One view of inside of the fort.

(Mild spoiler alert!) Obviously the Americans hoped to win the island back from the British. During the summer of 1814, after much delay, the Americans finally attacked. I tried to retell the battle the way that it really happened including an odd diversion in which the British left the battlefield supposing an attack was happening elsewhere on the island. (Of course, I offer my own fictionalized theory for why that diversion happened!)

I also used the names of real war heroes, captains, and colonels as well as the names of places that exist on the island today. The fort still sits on the bluffs of the island with the original stone officer's quarters, soldier's barracks, and storehouse. In fact, you can even peer down into the infamous Black Hole.

One of the blockhouses that was a part of the wall of the fort and used for keeping watch as well as fighting against invaders.

Essentially the book is centered around that real attack by the Americans and the ensuing events.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly had to say about the book: "Award-winning author Hedlund (The Preacher’s Bride) continues to perfect her craft, combining drama, geography, and military strategy into an engaging historical romance. Superbly written romantic tension comes together with rich historical and scenic detail in this third novel in the Michigan Brides Collection that will leave readers eager for a fourth."

What about you? If you could pick one event or era from history and command an author to write a story set around that event or era, what would it be? (Who knows, maybe you'll spark an idea for a new book!)

// About Jody Hedlund //

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning historical romance novelist and author of the best-selling books, The Preacher's Bride, Unending Devotion, and A Noble Groom. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Michigan with her husband and five busy children.

Where readers can find me:

I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund
I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund
My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com
Or you're welcome to email me at: jodyhedlund@jodyhedlund.com

// Captured by Love Book Giveaway //

In celebration of the release of Captured by Love, Jody is giving away a signed copy of her newest release on each of her blog tour stops, which means that on of you will win a signed copy of Captured by Love to read for yourself or give to a friend. Yay!

To enter this giveaway, please use the Raffle Copter widget below. You can sign in using either your email or Facebook, and from there you can complete certain activities which will give you giveaway entries. The giveaway will take entries until July 25th, 2014 and is only open to U.S. residents due to shipping costs. Once the giveaway has ended, I will use Random.com to generate one random winner and they will be emailed with information on redeeming their prize in addition to their name being displayed on the widget. 

I'd like to thank Jody for stopping by and sharing about the real events in Captured by Love, as well as for giving away a a copy of her newest book to one of you readers! Have a blessed day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway