When
I finished writing Her Traitor’s Heart I knew that I wanted to continue
Clint and Coral’s story. I wanted to remove them from the Reconstruction
setting and take them someplace new and fresh that would give their story a
whole new twist. And since their love story had already been told, I needed to
add new characters whose story I could share with my readers.
After
the Reconstruction, the Indian wars in the West heated up. Since in Her
Traitor’sHeart Clint had expressed a desire to go west, it seemed natural
to take my next story there. The West would give a lot of scope and adventure
to my story.
I
needed new characters to flesh out my tale and to fall in love. Della was
easy—she was Clint Logan’s orphaned niece who would travel west with his
family. Della is ill-suited for life in the West. Having grown up as a pampered
Boston socialite, she has no idea of the challenges she will face on the trip
to her uncle’s ranch in the Colorado territory. All she knows for sure is that
living beneath the restrictive rules governing her life in Boston is smothering
her. She wants more from life than attending teas and
soirees and marrying an acceptable gentleman. The freedom represented by the
West dazzles her, even if the risks are enormous. Della must decide what kind
of life she’ll live, whether to accept the hardships and dangers of the western
territory or the security of a life familiar to her.
When
my husband and I took a research trip west before I wrote Wounded Heart,
I still hadn’t decided what kind of character Shane would be. Della’s love
interest had to be a man worthy of her, a strong man to match her spirit and
who embodied the code of the old West. I toyed with several possibilities for
Shane’s character, but it wasn’t until we visited the Buffalo Bill Cody museum
that I found my inspiration. One of Buffalo Bill’s many exploits was to scout
for the army during the Indian wars. When I learned that, it seemed the right
thing for Shane.Making Shane an army scout fitted his character perfectly. Shane
must also deal with a secret from his past that makes him feel unfit to love,
yet he must grow enough so that he can admit that love is worth risking
everything to gain.
Captain
Quentin Asher is the recently-graduated West Point officer who heads the
cavalry detail assigned to protect Clint Logan’s wagon train and the horses
he’s taking west to the army. Captain Asher resents the authority that Shane
wields over the group. He feels that his status as an officer should supersede
that of Shane Hunter, a civilian. His resentment festers during the trip. His political
ambitions make him think that Della, with her genteel upbringing and Boston
contacts, would make him the perfect wife to launch him in society and
politics.
Wild
Wind is Shane Hunter’s half-Cheyenne brother. He is the leader of a band of Dog
Soldiers, warriors devoted to eradicating the whites from the western territory
and reclaiming the land for the tribes. When Della’s life intersects with his,
neither of them will be the same.
I
love creating my characters, and I fall in love with them while I tell their
stories. They become real people to me, people who live and breathe, who have
hopes and dreams, fears and struggles. They live, suffer, and love. I hope my
readers love my characters as much as I do.
Rustlers,
Indians, and rattlesnakes add danger to the trek. A persistent cavalry captain
who believes Della would make him the perfect wife and a Cheyenne chieftain’s
son who tells her she’s brought sunshine to his heart complicate her life. And
the handsome army scout who ramrods their wagon train guards a secret from his
past that makes him believe he’s not worthy of loving Della. She must meet the
challenges of the West and convince the man of her heart that love is worth
risking everything to gain.
Colleen Hall is a
displaced New Englander who came South to attend college. There she met and
married her husband, who is a Southerner. She never returned to New England and
has lived in the Upstate of South Carolina ever since.
In her historical books
she combined her love of writing with her love of
history. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, horseback
riding, reading, and browsing antique stores. She lives in South Carolina with
her husband and family, two horses and two spoiled cats.
Links
for Colleen Hall:
Website:
colleenhallromance.com
Twitter:
@ColleenGHall
FB:
@ColleenHallRomance
1 comment:
It's always nice to get a peak at the behind the story thoughts of an author. Thank you for sharing, Colleen Hall.
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