Shannon here: Caryl McAdoo shares the inspiration behind her latest Historical Romance, Bipartisan Love. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy. Deadline: June 29th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Caryl:
What a hoot, reliving the late sixties! In 1968, my husband and I graduated high school in May and married in June (both eighteen years old). My dearest has always been a political junkie, and I record most all the Hallmark romance movies, so it seemed only appropriate to mix the two in a new story. That happened last November as we’d made 500,000 words for 2018 our goal. My June release, BIPARTISAN LOVE (1968) came out of that goal-setting.
One fun thing I love on this cover is that the heroine Cynthia Kramer is wearing the
actual ring Ron gave me when we were sixteen—his first-ever gift to me in the summer of 1966. It’s a simple gold dome ring, popular at that time, with three little diamonds. I took a photo of it on my finger, and my graphic designer Chautona Having, worked a miracle, placing it on Cynthia’s to memorialize it!
About the time I discovered I could be expecting our firstborn, Hubert Humphrey lost to Richard Millhouse Nixon (1968 Election). So, my disillusioned heroine, fresh off of a major role in HHH’s losing campaign, seeks the solace of home and lost love. It’d been eighteen years since she’d left Texas to live in Egypt after Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson arranged for her daddy to get the ambassador’s post there.
Of course, liberal-Cynthia’s childhood sweetheart, Cody Wayne Buckmeyer of SON OF PROMISE (1950) fame—she was known as Cindy back then—has not only taken up with Amy Zimmerman, the banker’s daughter, but stands on the total opposite end of the political spectrum being a staunch, Texas, red-necked conservative.
Besides the time period being one I’m so familiar with, another thing that made the
story so enjoyable to write was the love triangle with the background of the politics of the day, though I’ve never personally experienced a love triangle. After mine and Ron’s first date almost fifty-three years ago, we’ve been together. I am my beloved’s, and he is mine. No triangle troubles to deal with!
Side Note: I just love the Christian publishing community, authors and readers are so wonderful, but the industry has made a dire mistake in my humble opinion. They’ve designated “historical” as being any time up to and through the Vietnam War, which seems all wrong since I lived through those days! This makes me historical! No, no, no! See how that’s just so wrong? 😊
In romance, the games people play are so much fun, and I so enjoy exploring the deep motivations behind their actions. Readers who’ve read SON OF PROMISE know of Cody’s turbulent childhood. Those tempestuous days ended when his father Travis Buckmeyer entered into his life—that’s when the boy came to placing so much stock in his word being his bond.
Having given up all hope during the eighteen years his lost love gallivanted all over—Who knew where since she quit writing to him?—he’d proposed to Miss Zimmerman who, knowing first hand from her daddy the Buckmeyers’ true wealth, promptly accepted. He gave Amy his word and felt honor bound to marry her as promised—no matter her wrong motives or Cynthia’s untimely return.
Once I came up with the premise—can time truly heal a broken heart or betrayal be forgiven—and the setting—1968 in the Texas Hill Country, Llano County to be more exact. That’s where #1) my husband was born, and #2) Patrick Henry Buckmeyer, patriarch of my ten-book Texas Romance Family Saga series, built his new wife a grand home back in the early 1860s.
Henry is also great-grandfather to Cody Buckmeyer, hero of BIPARTISAN LOVE (1968). Readers first meet him in VOW UNBROKEN (1832) where he’s the hero.
The west wing of the Buckmeyer mansion had burned years ago, the result of a lightning strike, but Travis restored it in SON OF PROMISE (1950). Already knowing that book’s two main characters, Cody and Cindy, twelve-years-old then, now thirty—BIPARTISAN LOVE flowed easily to the page. While I can’t imagine Ron and I being separated eighteen years . . . true love is always true love.
About Caryl: Award-winning Author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory! And her best-selling novels are blessed with a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings! With forty-four-and-counting titles, she loves writing as well as singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. She and husband Ron share four children and eighteen grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County, in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door. Learn more and connect:
Caryl’s Website Caryl’s Newsletter
Caryl’s Facebook Caryl’s Facebook Influencer’s Group
Caryl’s Youtube (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)
About the Book – Bipartisan Love:
Does time truly heal a broken heart?
Cody thought it had until she walked into the diner like she owned the world and back into his life as if she owned him.
Can betrayal ever be completely forgiven?
Cindy thought it could until she saw him with the bleached blonde. Her Cody!
Separated eighteen years, Cody Wayne Buckmeyer and Cindy think they can put the past behind them and work toward a common goal, a congressional seat . . . but is that possible?
NOTE: SON OF PROMISE Son of Promise Companion Book-ebook will be FREE June 24th-28th in celebration of BIPARTISAN LOVE’s launch on June. Be sure and get your copy if you haven’t read it!
Caryl’s Books – Amazon Caryl’s Bookbub
Question for Readers: Do you believe in first love or young love becoming forever love?
Come back June 25th for Donna Schlachter!
I believe love at first sight. My mom made me go to the grocery store with her my now husband worked there. I was seventeen. We dated for three years. Then got married. Here it is 44 years later and we are still married.
Hey, Marta! Thanks for dropping by! I love true love at first sight stories. I really think hard about what I fell in love with first, the man or his name! 🙂 I think McAdoo is just an awesome name—now my daughter assures me that’s because I didn’t grow up with it. 🙂
yes, young love can be a forever love or it can be a heartache depending on how much you are willing to work at it!
So true, Sheila. Staying together isn’t automatic no matter how true the love is . . . it takes a lot of commitment and a fair bit of work to stay together–from BOTH parties. Just because we’ve been married 50+ years does not mean it was all peaches and cream. We had more than one trip to Hades and back, but God and our genuine trust in Him helped us get through those hard times.
I believe young love can last. Mine didn’t, but I found my forever love later on. 😊
It does take two, doesn’t it, Brooke! 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by and your comment! No doubt God brought your forever-love along! BLESSINGS!
I met my husband when I was 14. He was the new boy at our school. When I saw him walking to the principal’s office to register, I said, “I’m going to marry him.” 4 1/2 years later, I did and we’ve been married going on 35 years.
YAY, Shannon! You go, girl! That’s a GREAT story! It reminds me a bit of John David Nightingale (of JOHN DAVID’S CALLING) and his Hannah Claire (of his book and her own Hannah Claire’ Wilderness). She was also in elementary school when she decided she would marry him 🙂 I missed knowing Ron at all until we were 16!
Thank you so much for having me for another visit. I so enjoy coming by! You are a BLESSING!
I don’t know about love at first sight but there can be a great attraction. I know that young love can last through the years. Enjoy reading Carol’s books.
Hey there, Judy! Thanks for coming by 🙂 And I sure am glad you enjoy my books! 🙂 BLESSINGS!
I love that your ring is on the cover!
I do believe in first love. Actually my husband is the only one I truly dated. I had boyfriends and sat with them at church or a banquet we had at church or a some meals that the church had but never dated them. My husband and I dated from February to November then married that December.
Aww, what a great first love story, Brenda! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How great that you put real life into your story, and especially wonderful that your ring is on the cover of the book!!
Isn’t that so much fun, Trudy! I LOVE it! 🙂 And it was historically in fashion then ’cause that’s when I got it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
TRUE LOVE IS HARD TO FIND, BUT ONCE YOU HAVE, YOU CAN NEVER FORGET IT.
I agree you can never forget it. I’m not certain that I realized I’d found it in the beginning, though Ron was 🙂 I fell for the name McAdoo right off 🙂 I thought it was so great a name! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I believe a few people can have first love or young love becoming forever love but most can’t.
I have to say if not for the Lord and His grace and mercy, I might have let Ron slip away years ago. But God . . . I am so thankful to Him. I believe FOREVER LOVE takes a lot of commitment and work and compromise, putting your partner’s desires above your own.
I have a winner! Brooke Showalter won the drawing. I appreciate Caryl for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.