Lorna Seilstad – The Story Behind the Story – Part 2 of 2

Shannon here:Historical romance author, Lorna Seilstad shares the inspiration behind her latest series plus a chance to win a copy of As Love Blooms. Comment or answer the question  at the end of any post dated April 27 – 29. Dealine: May 9th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Lorna:

Birth Order and Romance

A lot goes into developing the characters of a series. When I had the idea for the Gregory Sisters series, I knew the basic premise—three orphaned sisters who promise to support one another’s dreams–but I needed more. I turned to birth order studies to build the characters. I was fascinated to learn that birth order does not only influence our personalities, it can also have a profound effect on our marriage.
Before I decided if I thought the research was accurate, I took a look at it in relation to my own marriage. My husband and I are both second-born children. However, my brother is eight years older than me, so I have some oldest child characteristics, too.

The birth order research suggests that two middle-borns avoid confrontation. According to one source, David and I would have a “compatible relationship in which the perfectionistic tendencies of both partners are reinforced by the other.” Wow! That couldn’t be truer. It also said our relationship would have a lasting quality. Since we just celebrated 25 years of marriage, I’d say that was spot-on as well.

With my own “test” done, I decided to use the information I learned to help create the romantic relationship for each of the three sisters. I also had to determine where their “beau” fell in birth order relation to his own siblings.

When Love Calls

In When Love Calls, Hannah is the oldest and has a bevy of oldest child tendencies. She’s a take charge person who feels great responsibility for her younger siblings. She has drive, dominance, strength, and courage. Hannah falls in love with Lincoln Cole, an only child.

As an only child, Lincoln is driven, successful, friendly, and creative. The books say their romance would be marked by mutual career support, even if it involved obstacles like long hours. They would give one another confidence to achieve and would support one another’s dreams.
Not only does Lincoln encourage Hannah’s law school dreams, he also understands her desire to fly and makes her dreams come true.

While Love Stirs

Charlotte, the middle sister, takes the stage in While Love Stirs. As the middle sister, she is often the peace maker. She makes friends easily. She falls in love with Dr. Joel Brooks, the oldest of two children. While Charlotte and Joel’s relationship is volatile at first, it changes once their professional differences are ironed out.

Research says that Joel would be terrific listener, a good friend, and patient suitor. He treats Charlotte with a special respect, kindness, and consideration that makes her feel loved and understood. Based on research, I aimed to make Charlotte impressed with Joel’s kindness, attentiveness, stability, and leadership.

Research also says the biggest challenge this kind of pairing would have would be Charlotte learning to speak up. I think the reader will agree that Charlotte will have no problem with that.

As Love Blooms

The third and youngest child, Tessa, jumps off the page in As Love Blooms with her charm and sense of adventure. She is curious and a risk taker. She is also the most manipulative of the three sisters, so I wanted her to have a relationship with a man who saw through all that.

Enter Reese King. Although he is also a third born child, he lacks Tessa’s flare, but has plenty of salt-of-the-earth charm. Two last-borns often have the best relationship. Since Reese had older sisters, he’s comfortable with women. He’s caring, funny, and agreeable.

Since both are youngest children, they may struggle with mundane details like who will pay the bills, but they are the most likely to approach marriage with fun ideas. They will work to please each other and will overlook idiosyncrasies in one another, which in Tessa’s case, is a very good thing.

Below are two links to sites about birth order and relationships. Check them out and see if they fit your own marriage.
http://www.birthorderplus.com/birthorder/marriage.htm

http://www.lexiyoga.com/birth-order-can-predict-romantic-compatibility

Abut Lorna: A history buff, antique collector, wedding coordinator, and freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves, A Great Catch, and The Ride of Her Life. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing contests and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Lorna lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with her husband. They have two children in college and one still at home. Visit her at www.lornaseilstad.com, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Twitter.

About the book – As Love Blooms:

Young romance opens like a rose . . . but even a rose has its thorns.
Tessa Gregory is nothing if not tenacious. Denied a position as a horticulturist at prestigious Como Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she is not above a little benevolent deception in order to get the park superintendent to change his mind and hire her. She plans to infiltrate the world of wealthy and influential people in hopes of drumming up financial support for a world-class conservatory. But before she can put those plans into action, she meets Reese King, a handsome gardener at Como Park–and a major distraction. Still, Reese might be the key to achieving her dream. But is his goal to help her . . . or to capture her heart?
Against the lush backdrop of manicured gardens and greenhouses full of the exotic, Lorna Seilstad weaves a sweet and sassy story that is sure to delight.
What people are saying about The Gregory Sisters;
“A cut above the rest.”–RT Book Reviews
“Thoroughly charming.”–Maggie Brendan, author of the Heart of the West series and The Blue Willow Brides series
“Delightful . . . a wonderfully satisfying read.”–Suzanne Woods Fisher, bestselling author of The Inn at Eagle Hill series

Question: Where do you fall in birth order? So what do you think? Does birth order truly affect our compatibility?

Come back May 1st for Connie Stevens!