Line by Line
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Author’s Note
My interest in the history of the telegraph began when I read a book called The Victorian Internet. The book detailed many of the ways the telegraph’s impact on the world in the nineteenth century was similar to the internet in the twenty-first. The world got smaller, news traveled faster, and businesses were completely altered. As with the internet, there were even scams and long-distance romances!
Almost from the beginning, telegraphy was an occupation pursued by women as well as men. It was work that both could do equally well. Sometimes they worked in separate departments, but more and more, men and women worked right alongside each other. It didn’t escape many people at the time that this setup could easily give rise to workplace romances. That’s a fun idea I’ll be pursuing in the LOVE ALONG THE WIRES series.
The steel magnate Andrew Carnegie makes a few appearances in this book. His trip across England in a four-in-hand coach actually happened. Much of the advice he gives to Douglas in this book came directly from Carnegie’s own writings.
In my research, I discovered a real-life inspiration for The Spinster’s Guide to Love and Romance, the book which causes so many comical problems for Alice. Written by Myrtle Reed in 1901, The Spinster Book is very definitely tongue-in-cheek in its handling of the subject of love and the ways men and women interact with one another. The guide Alice uses purports to be a straight-up how-to manual, although Alice has plenty of doubts about whether anyone could really take it seriously. Many of the quotes in this novel are taken from The Spinster Book, so I’ll let you decide! Although written over a hundred years ago, the book pokes fun at many human foibles that are timeless. In future books in this series, Alice’s friends will also discover its potential for sparking romance and a few unintended consequences on the road to true love.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the Victorian workplace. There is a popular saying that “The past is a different country.” While that’s certainly true, I’ve enjoyed exploring some of its similarities, too. With the busy pace, the inevitable conflicts with coworkers, and the vital importance of business machines, Victorian offices don’t seem so different from many today.
Acknowledgments
My thanks to Claudia Welch for hours of brainstorming on this story, and for the inspiring Friday afternoons at the coffee shop, writing and talking books.
Thanks to Elaine Luddy Klonicki for beta-reading the manuscript and providing so many excellent insights.
Many thanks to Dave Long and to everyone at Bethany House, including Amy Green and Noelle Chew in the publicity department and my wonderful editor, Jessica Barnes, who always makes my writing better (and shorter!).
Thanks, as always, to my husband, Jim, for tireless support and encouragement, especially at deadline time.
Jennifer Delamere writes tales of the past and of new beginnings. Her novels set in Victorian England have won numerous accolades, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a nomination for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award. Jennifer holds a BA in English from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and has been an editor of educational materials for two decades. She loves reading classics and histories, which she mines for vivid details that bring to life the people and places in her books. Jennifer lives in North Carolina with her husband, and when not writing, she is usually scouting out good day hikes or planning their next travel adventure. Learn more online at jenniferdelamere.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Jennifer Delamere
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Epigraph
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Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
List of Pages
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