Her One in a Million (Book 3 Home to Harmony) was a book overflowing with very specific details and references from my real-life.

While the series kicks off with the attempted purchase of the MacKinnon mansion, the books haven’t had a chance to delve into the history behind the home. Until now! I am so excited for you to come along on the twisty journey to happily ever after.

As a kid, I loved history. I was sure I’d work in historic preservation (like Amy in book 1). To that end, I volunteered as a docent at a historic home in my town during high school.

The Reitz Home Museum

Built in 1871, the Victorian home is a true time capsule of a bygone era. I loved learning the history and helping on tours. The MacKinnnon Mansion was built during the end of the nineteenth century. Like Evansville on the Ohio River, the fictional Harmony, Illinois owes its success and growth to the mighty Mississippi River. Many towns and cities developed during these years thanks to the rivers.

As much as I love old homes, I didn’t pursue historic preservation. In the end, I studied Art History and my first job out of grad school was at a local, family-run auction house. Like the heroine in this book, I worked for a few months at a small company that handled estate tag sales as well as major farm and land auctions.

My dream was a move to Chicago, and I was lucky enough to do just that and land a job as a specialist in furniture and decorative arts for a city auction, like the hero in this book. Working in a city meant instead of the antiques as an afterthought, collectors came to us to help sell their items.

It was fun to explore the differences and similarities (and the challenges) of both sides of the business with the hero and heroine.

They are brought together by the discovery of a set of Newcomb Pottery. Newcomb College (originally a college for women and now part of Tulane) produced many fine works of American art pottery. While I worked in a broad category at my auction house job, I learned a lot about many things. Art pottery remains one of my favorites and I love to continue learning! I have one piece of Rookwood that I inherited from my maternal grandparents.

If you’re interested, this is a fun clip about Newcomb from a PBS show called Kentucky Collectibles

I hope you enjoy Her One in a Million (now available). Happy reading!