The Setting of All The Future Holds

Hello readers and friends! It’s the third day of release week for All The Future Holds. Since this book is brand new, I wanted to do some behind-the-scenes posts to celebrate. I enjoy reading these posts from other authors and I’ve heard from some of you that you enjoy these types of posts as well. Yesterday I posted a synopsis of the book and the day before that I gave a sample of the first chapter. Today I’m talking about the setting of the book; the year 1917.

WWI and Women’s Suffrage

When A Castle in the Sky ended, it was the fall of 1916. WWI had already begun two years prior in Europe, but the United States did not enter until the spring of 1917. It was a terrible war, as any war is. It lasted four years, ending in 1918. All The Future Holds begins in January 1917, three months before the U.S.A declared war on Germany. I wanted to continue the story of Abi Hensley’s life, and since this portion of it takes place during one of the biggest wars in history, bits of that made their way into the story. Instead of writing a book about WWI, I wanted to write bits about how the war would affect Abi, seeing that this series is about her.

A common theme in All The Future Holds is Abi’s desire to learn more about the women’s suffrage movement and to figure out where she stands in regards to it. The women’s suffrage movement was nothing new at this point in time. Yet it was still prevalent as women didn’t have some of the rights they desired, such as the right to vote and equal wages. In November of 1917, the state of New York granted women the right to vote, yet there were still many states that did not allow women to vote. It wouldn’t be until the year 1919 that the country would instate the 19^th amendment, and in 1920 it would be ratified.

Fashion in 1917

Let’s talk about the clothes; because that’s the most fun part, right? Fashion hadn’t changed much between the time of A Castle in the Sky and All The Future Holds. Women still wore shirtwaists and day suits with large hats and elegant gowns over tightly laced corsets that created itty-bitty waists. Yet now that America had entered WWI, I wanted to talk a little bit about the nurses’ uniforms. They were very different from the uniforms nurses wear now, just as the clothes every day women wear are different than the average woman’s outfit in 1917. The nurses’ uniform was a plain grey dress with a crisp white apron over it. The nurses wore white headdresses wrapped around their heads, and bright red crosses on their arms, signifying they were in association with The Red Cross. In one book I read about WWI, the author mentioned that fashion designers began making women’s skirts with less volume in order to preserve the wool to be used for soldier’s uniforms. This in turn made women’s wear more comfortable, allowing them to do more, which was a sign of the times.

Things certainly are different now than they were in 1917. It was a difficult time for many individuals. Yet even though it carried its own sadness, I find the Edwardian era fascinating with its style, grace, and progressive changes.

Be sure and come back tomorrow as I post about the books I read while writing All The Future Holds!

Did this post whet your appetite for a book set during WWI? Read All The Future Holds today on your Kindle, or order a paperback on Amazon!

-Miranda Atchley