Sweet readers, thank you for stopping by today! I owe you an apology. I had hoped to write an article about James Cooper the week after I wrote about the background of Nora’s character.
James Cooper…where did he come from? Interestingly enough, I forgot about James Fennimore Cooper when I came up with his name. Though James isn’t a novelist, he is a writer, so perhaps it’s even more fitting for him. However, if you’ve read Scandals and Mercies, you’ll know that Cooper isn’t his true last name.
When I first brought James Cooper into Stone Creek as a character, it was to make Ian McCormick jealous as he thought of James as a possible rival for Sophie’s affections in Rumors and Promises. I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t read the first Stone Creek Brides book, but he doesn’t pose as bad a threat as Ian thinks!
Also, James is around the same age of Sophie’s brother, Paul, and reminds her of him, so it’s kind of a link to her past, bringing thoughts of home and family.
The fun thing about being a writer is that you don’t always know what’s going to happen with a character until you get to a certain part of the story. The burgeoning romance between him and Nora Armstrong suggested at the end of Scandals and Mercies was fun to bring about. And of course, Nora’s interest in him dispelled any fears Sophie might have had that she could be interested in Ian also.
Starting Nora and James’s story presented some unique challenges in developing their characters. I had a little more freedom with James, because he had less back story and wasn’t present at all in Secrets and Wishes, the second Stone Creek Brides book. I had to explain his absence and also who his aunt was that raised him “from a tadpole.”
Since James was often absent from church in the first book, it seemed more realistic to make him a skeptic, someone who thought he had to separate logic from faith. But Aunt Phoebe had been pouring her faith into him for many years and Nora’s calm dignity in the face of tragedy makes him wonder if God is real.
Poor James is clueless about whatever he could have done to offend Nora. And that’s when the fun begins! I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Scandals and Mercies to learn all their story and how they find their happily ever after!