Bootleg Hearts: Book 1 – The Snake Charmer
In 1923 Northern California, a stoic bootlegger and a rebellious socialite risk everything, including their live, for a forbidden love that defies family, law, and fate.
~Margaret Oliver
Premise
Marion’s got a lot of irons in the fire what with her struggling business, a flamboyant new client, and a beautiful woman she just met, under his thrall. Will she be trouble or the one person that could make her life complete?
What inspired this particular story?
I often think about what would it mean if love were done the right way. When two complete beings choose to face the world together. I believe strong women can prove through their actions (not just words), that trusting one another, and choosing one another, makes love real.
People communicate, often poorly. Listening is rare. What sets my character Marion apart is that she deeply listens. This attracts all sorts, good and bad. It even attracts Betty (at first). Although, Betty is an interesting young woman. She desperately wants to be believed, heard, and seen. But she’s equally afraid to find out someone will reject her anyway. This is part of the push-pull relationship developing between these women. Betty will instinctively run away from any closeness that scares her. Marion’s patience and understanding will be sorely tested.
What makes Characters interesting?
Inherently interesting characters can be people who are naturally dangerous, such as people who will do anything for money. I consider people who’ve made history, or headlines in the news.
I wonder how many personas someone might have, and which is the “real person” wearing them.
What does it mean to be a “practical woman” and does it mean placing necessity and self-interest above all other motivations?
Also, I wonder what flexibility of means versus inflexibility of goals might have on a main character. How might this shape her world-view?
What’s a Snake Charmer?
During Prohibition, many women were involved in the illicit alcohol trade. The slang term for women bootlegging was “snake charming”. This referenced how women often got away with it more than their male counterparts because the misogyny of the time allowed male enforcement officers to dismiss women instead of arrest them, believing they were without agency, only covering for male operatives.