Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with nearly 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.
Kimberley Woodhouse is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty fiction and nonfiction books. Kim and her incredible husband of thirty-plus years live in Colorado, where they play golf together, spend time with their kids and grandbaby, and research all the history around them.
In this interview, Tracie and Kimberley talk about their latest novel, With Each Tomorrow.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, With Each Tomorrow?
With Each Tomorrow focuses on three main characters: Eleanor Briggs, Carter Brunswick and the town of Kalispell, Montana. Both Eleanor and Carter grapple with big questions: Where is God when hard things happen? Will the Lord really provide when difficult circumstances hit? And the town of Kalispell has to find the fight necessary to survive when the Great Northern Railroad announces they’re pulling out of the town in favor of a less dangerous track. But when a nefarious plot threatens everything Ellie, Carter, and the town hold dear, they all have no choice but to turn to the Lord and work together to keep their community—and each other—safe.
FF: With Each Tomorrow is the second book in The Jewels Of Kalispell Series. How many book will be part of this series, and what is the connecting element for all of the books?
The Jewels Of Kalispell Series will be a three-book series. Each book is set in Kalispell, Montana, and focuses on a particular historic site in the town. The Heart’s Choice, book one, featured the Carnegie Library. With Each Tomorrow, features the Great Northern Railway Depot, and book three will feature the McIntosh Opera House.
FF: What brought Eleanor “Ellie” Briggs to Kalispell?
Eleanor has traveled with her father in the years following her mother’s death. They are traveling with their friend, George Grinnell (a real person from history), another conservationist, to scout out some of the land they want to see turned into a national park.
FF: Ellie’s father, Samuel Briggs, is considering settling down in the small western town of Kalispell. How does this potentially affect Ellie’s future?
The prospect of settling down is difficult for Eleanor. On one hand, the chance to be in one place for a while is interesting. On the other, she can’t quite figure out why her father is ready to settle in one place—his decision is sudden, and it throws her for quite a loop!
FF: Your male protagonist, Carter Bunswick and his family have lived in Kalispell for decades. Can you explain how he is tied in with the community?
Carter runs a successful flour mill and has hired many locals to work for him. His business is also dependent on the Great Northern Railway, which stops in Kalispell. He’s active in his church and with his father’s wheat farm as well.
FF: The Great Northern Railway that runs through Kalispell is considering pulling out of Kalispell. How will this impact the town?
The loss of the railway was devastating to many towns before Kalispell. The residents saw firsthand how many towns became abandoned when the railroad left. For many workers, the move was monetarily impossible. For many businesses, the cost of trying to ship their goods out to the country was enormous.
FF: Without giving away any spoilers, can you please provide a hint of what railroad workers do to ensure that the Great Northern Railway’s plans are derailed?
Well, they’re not happy, that’s for sure! People become stressed and angry when their very means of making a living gets stripped from them. Especially when they think those in power won’t hear their voice. Suffice it to say, some of the workers are pretty angry and refuse to let cooler heads prevail—which leads to some dangerous situations.
FF: When Carter and Ellie first meet, sparks fly. But their difference in faith ensures that they can’t have a lasting relationship. What circumstances in their lives help repair their contrasting beliefs?
Carter and Ellie both have some growing up to do, but in different ways. Ellie has to return to the Lord, and learn that while the Lord loves us, He doesn’t always answer prayers the way we want Him to. And that He’s not constantly looking to harm us, but that even the heartbreaking things in life come through the Lord’s hand and can help us know Him more.
Carter…Oh, Carter. He’s passionate about his faith. He’s also passionate about being right! And along the way he has to learn how to be a good friend to Ellie and care about her walk with the Lord rather than trying to shove Scripture down her throat. The impending situation with the railroad, learning how to see hot-button issues like land ownership and conservationism from each other’s perspective and of course, Marvella, help them see each other through the Lord’s eyes.
FF: What do you hope readers will gain from reading With Each Tomorrow?
We hope readers will be encouraged to keep seeking the Lord no matter what difficulty comes their way. Even when God does things that don’t make sense, He is still trustworthy and worthy of worship! And that they would see the meaning of a strong community in the Lord. That does wonders when we have questions about His will, Word, and person.
FF: What can readers look forward to in the third volume of The Jewels Of Kalispell Series?
Beautiful scenery, some history about the opera house, and of course, a little intrigue and romance with a heavy dose of faith.
With Each Tomorrow
The Jewels of Kalispell Series #2
Tracie Peterson, Kimberley Woodhouse
Bethany House
Genres: Historical Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN-10: 076423899X
ISBN-13: 978-0764238994
Book Summary:
Even in the midst of adversity, love and faith can flourish.
As the formation of Glacier National Park takes Eleanor Briggs and her conservationist father on a journey west to advocate for public lands, her heart carries the weight of a painful past. Since the death of her mother, she has spent her life traveling the country with her father and helping him with his work, but now he’s considering settling down and writing a book–and she’s not sure what that means for her future.
Carter Brunswick faces trials of his own when the Great Northern Railway’s departure threatens his family’s livelihood and the entire town of Kalispell. In the visiting conservationist’s daughter, Ellie, he finds a spirited woman who challenges his convictions in ways he never anticipated, and his own dreams for the future begin to change.
When tensions over the railroad’s departure boil over, Ellie and Carter are drawn together on a daring journey that tests the depths of their feelings and their faith in God.
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