Misty M. Beller is the USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories set on the 1800s frontier and woven through with the truth of God’s love. Her Southern roots run deep, and she lives in South Carolina with her husband and children.
In this interview, Misty talks about book one in her new Sisters of the Rockies Series titled, Rocky Mountain Rendezvous.
FF: Can you please tell us a little bit about your new novel, Rocky Mountain Rendezvous?
I’d love to! It’s the story of four sisters who set out to accomplish their father’s deathbed request—return a special set of beads to a Piegan Blackfoot woman who saved his life during his travels two decades earlier. The sisters head west with the supply wagons bound for the 1837 trapper rendezvous to find the woman. But the sight that greeted them in the Green River Valley (in modern-day Wyoming) was nothing like they anticipated.
Men EVERYWHERE!
Riley Turner is one of the trappers at the rendezvous, and he realizes immediately what kind of danger the ladies are in from unscrupulous men in the crowd. He helps them with their search, and they all find so much more than they expected along the way.
FF: This novel is the first book in your new series, Sisters of the Rockies. Can you share what sparked the idea for this series and what ties each book together?
The idea initially started with four sisters going west and finding themselves in the midst of a trapper rendezvous—not the place for unprotected women. The rendezvous was an event that happened every summer in the Rocky Mountains, usually in the Wyoming area, so each book in the series will take place during a different year, featuring a different rendezvous. Definitely fodder for fun stories!
FF: Can you tell us a little about your protagonists, the Collins sisters? What is important for readers to know about each sister?
Each book features one of the sisters, and this first book focuses on Juniper, the second oldest sister. I actually modeled the sisters after my four girls, so I’d planned for Juniper to be like my second daughter, Haven. As I was writing the story, though, Juniper took on her own personality.
FF: Your novel centers around a trapper rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains. Can you explain what this kind of event looked like on the American frontier?
The rendezvous was a sight to behold! Supply wagons would come from the east, and mountain men and natives would come from all throughout the Rockies to trade furs for the supplies they’d need in the coming year. This was usually the only opportunity for trading each year, so EVERYONE came, and the camp stretched for miles. This was a great time for friends to catch up with one another, and the festivities always included a great deal of drinking and horse racing.
FF: The Collins sisters are looking for a Piegan Blackfoot woman who is credited with saving their father’s life. Can you tell us a little bit about the research required to write this story?
I love to read first-hand accounts—journals from trappers and natives and white men who lived with the natives. Since I’ve written so many stories in the Rockies during this general time period, I’m always looking for new journals! Some of my favorites that helped with the research of this book are My Life as an Indian by James Willard Schultz and Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell.
FF: How is this series similar or different to the historical romance books you’ve written in the past?
All of my books have a strong adventurous feel and are usually set in the Rocky Mountains during the 1800s, so this has all those same components. But this is the first time I’ve ever written the rendezvous setting, and it definitely adds a unique flavor and fresh challenges. Riley is officially one of my favorite heroes, and I love how he set aside his plans to keep the Collins sisters safe and help with their search. He and Juniper make such a great pair!
FF: What do readers have to look forward to in the rest of the series?
I just turned in the second book in the series, Rocky Mountain Promise, and I’m so excited about it! It’s Lorelei’s story, the sister who loves animals, and it involves a very rare white buffalo calf that was considered sacred by Indians and trappers alike. Lorelei’s adventures as she rescues the motherless calf include more than one marriage proposal from perfect strangers as well several rifles being pointed her way! I think readers will love it.
FF: Can you share what you’re working on next?
Oh yes! I’m in the middle of writing a novella that’s part of the Hearts of Montana Series. Readers have been asking for Aaron’s story (the twin brother of book 3’s hero), and I’m so excited to finally share it. And wow, what a story!
Rocky Mountain Rendezvous
Sisters of the Rockies Series #1
Misty M. Beller
Bethany House
Genres: Historical Romance
Release Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN-10: 0764241532
ISBN-13: 978-0764241536
Book Summary:
In 1837, Juniper Collins and her sisters are shocked by their father’s deathbed request for them to return a special set of beads to a Piegan Blackfoot woman he credits with saving his life during his travels West. Together, the sisters set out for the trapper rendezvous to find the woman, but their mission turns more daunting when they come upon the mass of men and lodges spread out in the Green River Valley.
Riley Turner came West to find peace and quiet and live off the land, but when four unprotected women arrive at the rendezvous, he feels compelled to help them and is more fascinated by Juniper than any other woman he’s known.
As their search brings only empty leads and dead ends, the sisters must decide whether to return East or stay in the mountains to continue looking‚—and that’s if the mystery woman is even still alive. Is the risk to honor their father’s last request worth the danger they find at every turn?
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