Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard
Author’s Note
Research for this novel was fascinating. While delving into colonialism and British rule in the West Indies, where I grew up, I also had to research the American Civil War, which occurred during the time period of the novel. It was eye-opening to comprehend the significant differences in race relations during the period both in the United States and the wider Caribbean. Slavery was abolished in 1834 in the West Indies and not until three decades later in the United States of America in 1865. As a result, the racial dynamics, especially in the islands, were very different. People of color owned businesses and property, formed families, and forged lives for themselves.
That said, colonialism was a very fraught period in history, and many terrible and unforgivable atrocities were committed during this time. Having been born in a colonial country and having grown up on an island where old plantations were taken over and farmed by locals and descendants of former indentured laborers, I have an intimate idea of the harm that was caused by colonization. However, living on a West Indian island is part of my history and my own experience. Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain in 1962, but I decided to set this novel in Antigua, a smaller colonial port, though I used references from my own travels to other West Indian islands to deepen the narrative.
The inspiration for my hero came from the movie, Belle, which I recommend to anyone who likes historical films. In this novel, the hero is the one of mixed race. In my previous book The Princess Stakes where the heroine was biracial, I wanted to emphasize that feelings of unworthiness or displacement because of race aren’t limited to gender. Living and thriving as a person of color has its unique challenges, even if one is a duke and in possession of all the power and influence that comes with such a title. While my hero pretends to be impervious, he is still deeply vulnerable, and I loved being able to craft these different layers into his personality.
In the story, I also mention the novel Jane Eyre and Brontë’s account of local island women. Much of Bertha’s characterization is derogatory—her madness and savagery attributed to her time in the islands and the fault of what the author claimed to be a hot, terrible climate. She isn’t given much of a voice, and I wanted to have my character point that out. As much as I love Jane Eyre, I always felt that Antoinette got the short end of the stick while Mr. Rochester was unfairly romanticized. If you’re interested in reading a different version of Bertha/Antoinette, please read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It gives such an interesting alternate perspective to this story.
I also had an interesting time researching ocean liners. Obviously, the early-twentieth-century Titanic is the most famous of the luxurious passenger liners, but there were some lavish liners in the second half of the nineteenth century when marine steam engines and passenger transatlantic travel had just begun to gather popularity. I took creative liberty with some of the designs and had so much fun with my hero and heroine’s first honeymoon love scene.
Lastly, I’d like to point out that there are so many facets to a diaspora. One POC’s experience will not reflect another’s. My experience as a woman of West Indian descent will not be the same as someone who was born or raised in the United States, England, India, the wider Caribbean, or elsewhere. This means that as a writer, I might not be the perfect representation for members of another diasporic community. I can only write from my own mixed-race, Caribbean-born experience and through the knowledge of my own sphere of existence. I do hope that more diverse voices will be called to the publishing table to represent the amazingly rich narratives in the world.
I hope you enjoyed Courtland’s and Ravenna’s journey to their happy-ever-after!
XO, Amalie