As promised, I’m going to discuss why I went with the ending I did for Loving Eliza.
I decided not to give John and Eliza a biological child because someone I know struggled with infertility. The truth is, not every couple can have children. While most couples will conceive, there are some who won’t. It’s heartbreaking for them. I wanted to give them a heroine and hero who also couldn’t have a child. I got some criticism for not allowing them to have the child, but really, it worked out best that way.
I knew when I ended the book without a biological child, I would have them adopt a boy who was abandoned. But the question was, who was this child going to be. Given the fact that John was mute, I wanted a child who also had a disability, something that would compel his parents to abandon him. I chose a blind boy, and this boy became Brian who was the hero in Bid for a Bride.
The initial challenge was how Brian and John would communicate since Brian wouldn’t be able to see the signs John used, but then I remembered the movie I watched about Helen Keller’s life. Helen was blind and deaf. In the movie, she learned how to sign by feeling her instructor’s hands. That’s what gave me the idea to have Brian and John communicate through touch.
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Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog 
You did such an excellent of showing how Brian’s other senses took over. As much as I enjoy everyone of your books I really think this series hit me the hardest. Maybe because my husband has a rare syndrome and I see how people react. How well are sons grew up not making fun of people and being more sensitive. Thanks for sharing your heart in these books Ruth. I highly suggest for anyone who has not read the 3 books in this Omaha series to do so.
Loving Eliza, Bid for a Bride and Bride of Second Chances are in my favorite series. I don’t know what it is about those books. Maybe it’s because I didn’t choose perfect heroes. I think it’s a shame that people jump to conclusions without getting to know the person first.
It was a good idea t have them adopt Brian. That made for a great sequel.
I keep telling myself I’m going to write the blog post where they find Brian, but so far, no motivation has come to me so I can do it. LOL
I loved both books Ruth 🙂 I’m so glad you chose to give a unique perspective with John being mute and Brian being blind….I think it helps us to think more of others and what their struggles might be. Keep writing…you’re an inspiration!
have an awesome day,
Lorna
Thanks, Lorna. 😀
The books helped me see my son as a normal person instead of “a kid who is deaf” so I think the books were more for me than for anyone else. It’s just a bonus that others enjoyed them. Some day, I want to do a book where the main character has a limp and stutters or has some other thing that makes him/her undesirable as a husband/wife.
Hope you have a great day, too!
Thank you for going with the less than traditional happily ever after. I mean, no one ever talks about infertility. Every romance is love, marriage and babies. But for some of us that’s just not reality.
I hit menopause when I was 16. I don’t think you can imagine what it’s like to have something taken away from you that you didn’t even know you wanted; to feel like you’re not really a woman anymore; to have your very soul ache when you as much as see a small child; to have those closest to you not understand when, years later, you’re still not over it. It’s hard, and most people just don’t understand.
I mean I can’t really complain, I have a wonderful husband who puts up with my mood swings and married me anyway. We even talk about maybe adopting someday. God truly does give and take away.
I just wanted to let you know that I see a lot of parallels between my life and you’re story. And I wanted to thank you for not opting for the miricle baby ending. Miricles happen, and are all well and good, but people shouldn’t expect them to happen. God does everything for a reason and he knows best.
I’m sorry you hit menopause so early. You’re right. That’s something I can’t truly understand. The closest I came was when I had a miscarriage and everyone around me seemed to be having babies during that time. But that’s nothing like what you faced and still have to face. I’m sorry. I wish all of life could be like a romance novel where everyone got married and had kids. That’s how we’re made to think life is going to be when we’re younger. All I can go on is what I experienced during that time. Everyone kept telling me to get over the miscarriage and didn’t want to talk about it. I can’t understand what you’re going through, but would it be okay if I made one of my contemporary heroines with a situation similar to yours? I think it’s something that would be good to make others aware of.
Sure, I’d be ok with that. It would be nice if more people were aware that people go through this sort of thing. It’s typically kept very private. Let me know if you want to know anything else.
Thanks. I’ll have Sandy from His Abducted Bride be in that position. It would be especially meaningful to the plot, especially since the hero is expecting that they’ll have a child. It will be more powerful when he learns the situation and loves her anyway.