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.
In this interview, Tracie talks about A Love Discovered, the first book in her new The Heart of Cheyenne Series.
FF: Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, A Love Discovered?
Marybeth is raising her little sister, Carrie, after the death of their father and finds that folks are plotting to take Carrie away from her. Edward is intrigued when a letter comes from his former commanding officer in the Civil War, encouraging him to come west to an end-of-the-tracks town called Cheyenne to be a deputy marshal. But the town is really hoping for family men to help settle the area, so Edward proposes he and Marybeth make a marriage of convenience to help them both. After all, they are good friends with great affection for one another. They’ll marry in name only and go west to start a new life. But God and their hearts have other plans.
FF: A Love Discovered is the first book in The Heart of Cheyenne Series. What is the connecting element for all of the books in this series?
All of the books will be set in the new town of Cheyenne, between 1867–1869 and there will be connections to the characters in each book with a focus on a new romantic couple. The railroad is a focal point in the background because of it being the driving industry for this new town.
FF: What inspired the idea for this series?
I’ve always enjoyed the history of Cheyenne and the surrounding area and felt it would make a wonderful series of stories.
FF: Please describe the setting for A Love Discovered.
Cheyenne in the time period of my series (1867–1869) is a brand new town thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad. As the railroad built west, the Union Pacific decided to make Cheyenne a divisional headquarters. It made perfect sense. Located on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains and north of Denver, Cheyenne was a good geographical location for the Union Pacific Railroad. The area is vast open lands with an ample water supply.
FF: Your two protagonists, Marybeth Kruger and Edward Vogel, are friends. How do they know each other?
Marybeth was best friends with Edward’s now deceased wife, Janey. She got to know and care about Edward through her friend and had promised to look after him after Janey died. Edward was also quite fond of Marybeth’s father and often sought advice from him.
FF: Can you please tell readers a little more about Marybeth and the problem she is facing?
Marybeth has cared for her sister, Carrie, since she was born and Carrie’s mother (Marybeth’s step-mother) died giving Carrie life. Marybeth is the only mother Carrie has known and when their father dies, Marybeth plans to go on raising Carrie. But there’s the complication of having little money to support the two of them. Marybeth has to figure out how to make a safe and comfortable life for them, while dealing with others who think she should give Carrie over to strangers to be raised. She agrees to a marriage of convenience, already thinking that no one will ever want to marry her for love because she has a child to raise. When Edward makes it clear that he wants only a platonic marriage, Marybeth is certain no one will ever love her.
FF: Edward is considering a major change in his life, but there is a certain requirement that needs to be fulfilled to make this change happen. Can you tell readers a little about his situation?
Edward is a widower who feels he was the reason his wife died. She died giving birth to a stillborn son, and Edward is determined to never go through that again. However, in the middle of his grieving, he has to deal with hidden feelings that he has toward God. Feelings that he didn’t even know he had.
FF: What are some of the themes found within A Love Discovered?
Some of the focal themes are letting go of your fears, letting go of the past, and letting go of anger. Both must deal with their spiritual walk and the fact that God didn’t keep bad things from happening to them.
FF: What do you hope readers will experience when reading your novel?
I hope the reader experiences the difficult road that the characters walk as one of hope and love. I want them to see that when bad things happen, often God has even better things planned. It’s hard to lose people you care about, but God’s faithfulness and love will see each person through. But we have to let go and let God work, without interference and trying to fix it ourself.
A Love Discovered
The Heart of Cheyenne Series #1
Tracie Peterson
Bethany House
Genres: Historical Romance, Western Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN-10: 0764241079
ISBN-13: 978-0764241079
Book Summary:
The heart finds its way when one least expects it–even in the most unforgiving frontiers.
Invited by a friend to trek west and help establish the newly formed town of Cheyenne, Edward Vogel is prepared to leave the haunting memories of his wife and son’s deaths behind him. The only problem is the corrupt new railroad town wants family men who can establish law and order, and desperation leads Edward to his friend Marybeth with a proposition of marriage.
After her father’s death leaves her with no means of support, Marybeth Kruger is in danger of having her two-year-old half sister taken from her. So when Edward Vogel, the widower husband of her late best friend, offers her a marriage of convenience to escape both their troubles, she has no choice but to accept.
Life in Cheyenne is fraught with danger, but will this arrangement be enough to save Edward and Marybeth from the pasts they tried to escape? Or will life with each other put them–and their hearts–in more danger than ever?
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