Character Spotlight ~ Jamie Carie's Buck Lewis & Ellen Pierce

Buck & Ellen

Jamie Carie is one of my favourite historical authors and this novella highlights her talent and makes a perfect Christmas read. Enjoy this insight into Buck & Ellen.

Over to you, Jamie:~

Brief physical description

Ellen - Tall and willowy, on the frailer side. Very pretty with dark hair and eyes.

Buck - Strong and capable of taking care of others (makes it look effortless). Blondish brown hair and crystal blue eyes (like icicles).

Actor/famous person

Ellen - Katharine McPhee. I think she is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen!

Buck - I picture him a cross between Daniel Craig and Chace Crawford. Somewhere in between in age with Chace's striking blue eyes.

Rel:~ I made a morph of Daniel & Chace! What do you think?!

Strengths and weaknesses

Ellen - She is the quiet, inner strength type. Silent in suffering. Holds it together no matter what. Serious natured. She becomes used to depending on herself and leaves God behind when He doesn't seem to be there for her. Afraid to trust but craves love.

Buck - Physically and spiritually strong. A natural leader. Men idolize him, it seems he can accomplish anything. Strong relationship with God at the core of everything he does. When his wife gets shot he feels he failed to protect her and is at a loss how to heal and move on. Expects a lot of himself and is something of a perfectionist.

Quirk (if any)

I'm not sure that this is a quirk as much as it is survival for Ellen, but she is good at maintaining her brother's imaginary world where he feels safe and in control. She lives between shades of truth and deceit and this feels normal to her. It comes as a shock when she gets to know Buck and discovers someone who "says the truth out loud." It's the beginning of her healing in many ways.

Your inspiration for the character

Ellen is someone who has had to put her own life - her dreams and desires - on hold to take care of someone else. I think a lot women can relate to this in some degree. She has a God-given inner strength that other people use for their own survival. I found her heart breaking and real. As the story progressed I wanted her to have her dreams come true and her dreams were so basic to women - to have a man to love and be loved back and a family of her own. God put those desires in her and He had a plan to grant her the desires of her heart. But she has to learn to trust Him again first. Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (KJV)

Background to the story

Back when I wrote my first book, Snow Angel, I decided to try my hand at a short story also set in Alaska. I was reading so much about the gold rush and inspired by writers like Jack London that I wanted to give this format a try. Fast forward to last winter. My editor asked me about writing a Christmas novella and I remembered the short story (for some reason snow and Christmas and Alaska go together for me! J). I sent it to her and she loved it. It took about four months to add enough to it to make it a novella. It was my first try at that length of story but I think it turned out pretty well! I hope people are blessed by it.

Jamie ~ it is so good to have you back here :) Thanks for sharing about Buck & Ellen.

On Thursday the spotlight shines on Angela Meuser's Emily Van Arsdale & Tracen Lake from Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of The Snowflake, Love's First Light, Wind Dancer, Snow Angel, The Duchess and the Dragon and Angel's Den

Visit Jamie's website and blog

Buy Jamie's books at Amazon and Koorong