May Novel Essential Information

Novel Title: Opening
Time Setting:  1883
Genre: Historical Fiction
Minimum Word Goal: 90,000
Timespan: August-December
location(s): Coyteville, California; Yerington, Nevada
main characters: Keiller Bartlett, Sophia Hagerson
background information: Born the only child to his parents — who never wed — Keiller was raised by his mother until she died when he was two. Knowing nothing about his father, the town gave him up for adoption and he was raised by his adoptive parents knowing fully that he wasn't their biological son.
He left home when he was fifteen to try his hand at gold prospecting — not that much gold was left by 1869 — and suffered several robberies and even nearly his own death, which ignited a passion in him for the law and justice.
First he was a deputy in Diamond Springs before taking up a position in Coyoteville six years ago. He became sheriff two years later when the town's sheriff was killed and he hasn't been appointed a deputy — not that he minds at all.
About the same time as he became sheriff he began a relationship with the daughter of the local stage line owner — known was "the Rose of Coyoteville" — and everyone, even Keiller, was convinced the two of them would marry — the women in town predicting a multitude of children.
Two years ago, however, a fetching young stage driver came to town and stole Rose's heart while decimating Keiller's; Rose has since married the driver and Keiller swears revenge — even if it means breaking the law he's pledged to uphold.

Sophia was born to Scandinavian immigrants in Minnesota who were killed — along with most of her siblings — in an out-of-control wildfire when she was nine, leaving her and her two younger sisters orphans.
Their uncle was their only living relative anyone could find in the US, so he was made their guardian; but not being a family man, he abandoned the girls in Montana and hasn't been seen since.
From their abandonment in Montana, to now as they live in Nevada, Sophia has been looking for an escape for her and her sisters, but has found no opportunities — and has no money to do anything anyways.