Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
In this interview, Tracie shares some thoughts regarding the second book in her Heart of Cheyenne Series, titled A Choice Considered.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel A Choice Considered?
Melody Doyle is tired of following her railroad-worker father all over the country from job to job. She’s determined to settle in Cheyenne where she has made great friends. The only trouble is, her father insists she be married so that no matter what else happens, she’ll have a husband to look after her. With just forty-five days until he’s slated to be on the road again, Melody finds herself challenged to choose a husband out of Cheyenne’s many bachelors. Charlie Decker is a banker who really has a heart for teaching. He and Melody strike up a friendship, something that is very important to Charlie prior to falling in love. There are many obstacles for them to overcome, but God seems to have brought them together for a purpose. Can that purpose be something more than just friendship?
FF: A Choice Considered is the second book in The Heart of Cheyenne Series. How many books are in this series, and what is the connecting element between all of them?
There are three books in this series, and each stands alone, but also follows the others in time. There are connections through characters from previous stories, but the focus is on new people who have ventured to make Cheyenne their home.
FF: Why did you choose to center your series around the town of Cheyenne, Wyoming?
Cheyenne has some very fascinating history, and I wanted to be able to share a little of it with my readers. It’s a fun city that continues to cherish its history and deserves to be promoted.
FF: Your female protagonist, Melody Doyle, arrived in Cheyenne via the transcontinental railroad. How are she and her father connected with the railroad?
Her father is a section supervisor. He started out as a section hand building the railroad foot by foot. Now he’s a supervisor on the line. Melody, having no other family, obediently followed him on his journeys. She loves her father dearly and does what she can to make his life easier.
FF: Melody is a strong and independent character. What personal decision did she make upon arriving in Cheyenne?
Melody is a good woman who cares deeply about people, especially her father. She is strong and independent, just as her father taught her to be after she lost her mother at a young age. However, she’s tired of moving from place to place and wants very much to settle down and grow roots. Cheyenne strikes her as the place to do just that.
FF: What was her father’s reaction to her staying in the rough western town, and what did he propose to ensure her safety?
Her father understands Melody’s desire to settle down. His only requirement—she must have a husband to watch over her. The West is too wild, and the possibilities of danger for a woman on her own are too great.
FF: How did Melody decide to meet her father’s requirements?
Melody allows her father to announce at church that he’s seeking a husband for his daughter. Charles Decker is a banker—not because he wants to be but because his family expects him to do so. Please tell us more about Charles’s character and his own personal desires.
Charles, Charlie to his friends, longs to teach school. He loves children and has had this dream for a long time. However, his family is full of bankers for generations back, and they expect him to follow in their footsteps. Charlie wants to please his father, but he’s desperate to have his dream as well.
FF: How do Charles and Melody first meet, and how do they become friends and potentially something more?
Charlie and Melody meet at the bank. She’s a customer, and Charlie is intrigued. She invites him to church, and having a strong faith, Charlie accepts the invitation and happens to be in church when her father announces he’s seeking a bride for his daughter. As their friendship grows, so, too, does the potential for romance. However, there are complications and things that threaten to destroy their relationship.
FF: What do you hope readers will gain from reading A Choice Considered?
I hope they enjoy the story and history of Cheyenne. I also hope they can see the way God sometimes can work in life and death situations, and just how important friendship is.
Having godly people in your life can be so bolstering to the spirit. Melody has surrounded herself with people who love God and can encourage her when the troubles of life nearly lay her under. Having a good support team is so important in life. There is also an important element of standing up for what you believe God wants you to do with your life. Charlie has to face his father with the truth, and in doing so, he comes to realize some very important life lessons.
A Choice Considered
The Heart of Cheyenne Series #2
Tracie Peterson
Bethany House
Genres: Historical, Historical Romance
Release Date: July 2, 2024
ISBN-10: 0764241087
ISBN-13: 978-0764241086
Book Summary:
Love has a way of derailing even the most carefully laid plans.
Melody Doyle has spent years following her father across the country as the transcontinental railroad is built. When she announces her desire to settle down in Cheyenne, her father presents her with an unconventional challenge: he will allow her to stay if she finds a husband before his departure. As word spreads and the men in town vie for her hand, she wonders if she could ever be happy with a husband chosen in such a way.
Charles Decker, heir to a banking dynasty, has been sent west by his father to manage their family’s new bank. His heart yearns for a simple life of teaching, but banking is the family business, and Charlie feels obligated to fall in line. When his friendship with Melody blossoms, he’s drawn to this remarkable woman who defies conventions. Will he be able to come to terms with his growing feelings for her and confront the true desires of his own heart before it’s too late?
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