Heidi Main – The Story Behind the Story – Part 1 of 1

Shannon here: Heidi Main shares the inspiration for her latest Contemporary Romance, The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a print copy (US only). Deadline April 19th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Heidi: 

The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain, my latest novel, was inspired by a real life love story!

I always knew I wanted to write a marriage of convenience (MOC) storyline, but all the contemporary MOC stories started with the hero and heroine hatching a plan to marry so the other one could get an inheritance and then they’d dissolve the marriage. Well, as a Christian, that premise never sat well with me. So when I learned how a couple from our church came to be married, I was inspired. And a seed for the premise to THE FARMER’S MARRIAGE BARGAIN began.

I met a sweet couple at church and admired how they always held hands, looked at each other with longing glances, seemed connected to each other in silent conversation when they were in a group—to be honest, I admired their marriage. So color me shocked when I discovered they were in a modern-day marriage-of-convenience. Granted, I met them at least fifteen years after they’d married, but what I observed was true love. And the truth is that they love each other deeply and have a profound admiration for each other.

Their story. A happily married woman, let’s call her Mary, lost her beloved husband to cancer at a very young age. She had three young children, so when her husband discovered he was terminal, he asked their pastor to find her a husband after he passed. See, he wanted his wife to have a life partner, and he yearned for his children to grow up with a father (talk about a modern-day marriage-of-convenience, swoon).

A young man from the church, let’s call him John, had already been communicating with his pastor that he’d been on lots of first dates, but was unable to find the woman God had for him and he was frustrated. John joined the church after Mary’s husband was diagnosed with cancer. Because of the treatments, Mary and her husband weren’t attending church at this time. After Mary’s husband passed, the pastor explained to John how Mary’s husband had asked him to find her a new spouse. He suggested that perhaps John and Mary should consider getting to know one another. Mary and John went on a first date, and before they parted ways, John proposed to Mary!

Fast forward to today and the devotion I see on their faces for each other. How did that happen? Well, first, God. But did Mary and John do anything to move from strangers to head-over-heels in love? YES! They started their marriage with a commitment to stay together, no matter what happened. That’s how God views marriage, minus a couple of Biblical exceptions for divorce. Because staying in love in a marriage is a choice. Marriage is work. This couple started their lives determined to enjoy the rest of their lives together, and it shows!

In The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain, we see a man who has no plans of ever marrying thrown together with a woman who has lost the love of her life. Both have decided a forever love will never happen, so they are willing to commit to a lifetime marriage of convenience with the other. Since they are both believers and devoted to God, they take the sanctity of marriage seriously. So it’s even sweeter when they discover they are in love! 

Question for Readers: This story has Nigerian dwarf goats in it, along with great Pyrenees dogs and chickens and … well you get the picture. What kind of farmyard animal would you like to own (for some of us, we have to use our imagination and assume we have the appropriate space for livestock)?

About Heidi: Bestselling author Heidi Main writes sweet inspirational romance novels set in small towns. She lives in the suburbs, but dreams of acreage and horseback riding, which is why her novels include wide-open ranches and horses. Before starting her writing career, Heidi worked with computers and taught Jazzercise. A perfect Saturday is lounging on the deck with her husband and watching the many birds in their backyard. Learn more & connect: 

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About the book – The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain:

They agreed to a practical marriage, but love never goes as planned…

Raising three children alone was never part of the plan, but after losing her husband, Emma Bailey is doing the best she can. Until she discovers that she can’t afford the medication her youngest child needs. Suddenly, her late husband’s best friend comes to the rescue. Carter McCaw promised he’d always watch over the family and the farm. But when he proposes a marriage of convenience, Emma’s not so sure. It seems like the perfect solution…until love blooms between them and complicates everything. 

Read the first chapter

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The Farmer’s Marriage Bargain          Heidi’s Books

Come back April 11th for Shannon’s Book Bargains Roundup!