Strong Women in Fiction

By Karen Witemeyer

I adore a strong heroine, yet strength comes in many different forms. Mental fortitude, passionate determination, spiritual conviction, emotional resilience. When I began brainstorming my latest series, I knew I wanted to focus on a group of strong women, but I wanted each of them to be strong in a unique way. Noreen O’Sullivan is bold and fearless, willing to risk all for the cause of temperance. Jane Cowan is quiet on the outside, but a spiritual rock on the inside, and the glue that holds the three friends together. Martha Evans is an intellectual leader who exudes a well-earned confidence. And all three are spinsters.

In the 19th century, women were expected to marry and set up households, often by the age of eighteen or younger. Not only did society expect it, but on a practical level, a woman depended on the males in her family to provide for her. With few acceptable occupations for women during this time, singleness presented a financial challenge.

Today’s women are often encouraged to follow a career path, and finding love later in life is not uncommon. Yet the pressure to marry still exists. I work at a Christian university, and many of our female students feel a desperation to have a “ring by spring” before they graduate. The longer a woman goes without marrying, the more isolated she can feel. Her friends have husbands to spend time with now, and soon babies come along. Lives that once felt very similar now seem worlds apart.

I’ve watched my own daughter struggle with this. She is twenty-seven and soon to graduate with a PhD in computer science. She is brilliant, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Yet her choice to focus on her education and career has left her feeling on the outside. She’s watched both of her younger brothers marry, and a part of her feels like a failure for not meeting that standard. This amazing, brilliant, creative woman is no failure! Though she is part of the inspiration behind my latest series, The Secret Society of Spinsters. 

I wanted to create older, exceptional heroines who are perfectly complete without a husband or suitor in their lives. Of course, these will eventually find love—love with godly men who won’t try to change them but are strong enough to walk beside them as true partners. Men who help them become even better versions of themselves, as our ladies do for their fellas. The kind of man I pray my daughter may someday meet and marry. However, there are ladies in this society who will remain spinsters, and they are in no way diminished. That is the message I wish to convey, a difficult one for a romance writer who adores happy endings with kisses and weddings. 

Noreen O’Sullivan is the spunky spinster in book one, Taming Lady Temperance. She takes pride in being the bur beneath the saloon owner’s saddle. She barely survived her own childhood, thanks to a father destroyed by liquor, and she’s determined to spare other families a similar heartache. Deputy James Paxton believes in preserving the peace, but Noreen has been disturbing his peace for months. When she ropes him into helping her plan a temperance march, attraction begins to outweigh annoyance, and he finds himself between a rock and a cactus briar. The more the interfering deputy sticks his nose into her business, the more Noreen wonders if perhaps things aren’t quite as black and white as she’s always assumed. And when things take a dangerous turn, the man tasked with taming her, might be the only one who can save her. 

Taming Lady Temperance takes place in the small Texas town of Albany, which happens to be a short 45-minute drive from my home in Abilene. While researching this story, I toured the 1883 Shackleford County Courthouse that is not only still standing, but still in use. They have done a wonderful job of preserving this historical landmark, and I took copious pictures and notes to capture its essence for my story. The courthouse is gorgeous on the outside, and they have preserved much of the historical details inside as well. Beautiful dark wood, winding staircases, and a second-floor courtroom that looks much like it did in the 19th century. They still use this courtroom today, but I love that they have preserved the history of the place. Even down to a replica of the original carpet.

They’ve also preserved the old jailhouse (1878) and turned it into a museum. Even though the building is filled with modern art, the stone is still there, the bars are still on the windows, and the layout is available to fuel my imagination. In fact, I had to rewrite a couple of my scenes because I had the jail cells on the first floor, when actually, they were on the second floor. The jailer’s office and personal quarters were downstairs.

I hope you’ll join James and Noreen on their bumpy road to love. I promise lots of sparks, spunk, and spittoons. OK, there’s only one spittoon. There is plenty of adventure, though, along with a healthy dash of humor and a romance so swoon-worthy, even the spinsters are taking note.

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For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and family board game player who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at www.karenwitemeyer.com.

TAMING LADY TEMPERANCE

When passion for justice conflicts with the heart, which will prevail?

Noreen O’Sullivan is an enthusiastic member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and believes herself called to defend the cause of prohibition. When she’s invited to join the Secret Society of Spinsters, Noreen jumps at the chance to rally others to her movement and shut down the local saloon for good. However, her passionate campaigning often puts her at odds with the men around her–including the local deputy.

Deputy James Paxton believes in preserving the peace, but Miss O’Sullivan has been disturbing his peace for months. If James wants to be elected sheriff, he can’t afford to be seen as her ally. But when Noreen ropes him into helping her plan a temperance march, their growing closeness sparks unexpected feelings. Then tensions escalate at the saloon and accusations fly. James must choose between upholding his badge and protecting the woman who’s captured his heart–knowing either choice could cost him everything.

Karen Witemeyer presents a swoony Western romance with a determined heroine, cowboys, prohibition, and the rivals-to-lovers and duty vs. desire tropes. Fans of Mary Connealy and frontier romances set in the Old West will savor this clean, historical read.

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Category: On Writing